??A Howl In The Night??
?(She’s mine)?
?From Novel r0m@n�
?Chapter 12?
“very pretty”
I g@sp and look in alarm towards the manly figure that I know all too well. “Xavier!” I exclaim in surprise, “I didn’t know that you were going to be this quic-k!” Red blossoms onto my cheeks, embarras-sment flooding throu-gh me.
He wi-nks at me, standing on the ground over the stream. “It’s called super-speed, sweetheart,” he says sultrily, spiking that terrible de-sire in my heart.
“Oh,” I cough a little, wondering just how I’m going to get out of this situation.
“I brou-ght you a hairbrush, some clothes, food, and your backpack.”
“How did you get my backpack?” I question confusedly.
“I snuck throu-gh the window and got it. Ms. Penn unfortunately left the window open when she f0rç£d you into exile, letting the same tragedy happen all over again,” he snorts.
“Where are the clothes?” I demand, and he pu-lls them from his jacket.
“What do you want me to do with them?”
“Put them down, go away, and turn around,” I carefully instruct, my tone firm.
“But why do I have to do all that?” he complains as he places the clothes next to my old ones. “That’s so-” he cuts off as he spies my old clothes, his eyes wi-dening. Realization finally dawns on him, and he awkwardly straightens, trying not to glance at me. “Sorry,” he apologizes, struck a little. For some reason, it surprises me that he is so affected, blu-shing a de-ep, tomato red. I always thought that I could never make a boy be like that.
As he zooms away, I begin to laugh. “It would be nice if you would just get it sometimes, Xavier. Work on that,” I murmur as I sl!pout of the water, using my old shi-t to dry off. Interestedly I pick up the clothes he brou-ght, wondering what he decided to get me. The shi-t is a casual t©p, with a little bit of lace, and is sleeveless.
The jeans are nice also, a little bit more fitted than my other ones. He brou-ght some shoes too, golden ones that match the t©p. With plea-sure, I sigh as the unfamiliar clothes brush against my skin. “You can come now!” I call, and Xavier zooms to my side. His blue hair is tousled, some strands sticking straight up. His face is a little exerted, but that is to be expected from someone that just ran several miles.
“Here is your food!” he exclaims, wh!pping out a brown paper bag. My stomach suddenly growling, I take it it out of his hands, reveling in the warmth radiating from it.
“This looks good,” I emit as I survey the contents; a biscuit, bacon, and eggs. Xavier leads me over to a big rock, and I sit on it, my ankle hurting when I place weight on it.
“You didn’t walk on your right foot, did you?” he probes suspiciously.
“I used a cane.”
“Don’t you think you are a little young for that?” he laughs, merry pearls of joy ripping throu-gh the thick air.
“Nah,” I shake my head as he sits on the ground, taking my foot in his hand. He takes the first-aid kit beside him, drawing out a long bandage to wra-p around the injury.
“Why did you get in the stream?” he asks as he works.
“Do I have to have a reason?” I snap jokingly, wondering why Xavier always manages to put me in a good mood.
“You know, I would love it if you actually obeyed me sometimes.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I ask honestly, my voice jesting.
He peers at me, his eyes of laughter. “You would get rewarded… with a k!ss,” he smiles, and for a minute, that seems like a pretty sweet prize.
“Ew!” I yell, though my blus-h betrays the truth, “why would I want a k!ssfrom you?”
“I’m the h0ttest guy at your school,” he sm-irks, “why wouldn’t you want a k!ssfrom me?”
“Who said you were the h0ttest guy at our school?” I accuse.
“Just about everyb©dy… duh.” He struggles over the modern term, ma-king me laugh.
“Well, why would I want a k!ssfrom an old werewolf then?”
“Because I’m h0t!” he answers, “and I’m not old! We went over this.” He pauses, almost c@r£ss!ngmy foot as he puts the final t©uçhes on my bandage. “h0t isn’t good enough,” he wi-nks, “I should be sizzling h0t. Don’t you think, Mona?”
“Arrogant, much?” I ask, not really listening to him anymore.
“Don’t sidestep the question,” he orders, gr-abbing my hand, “all that matters is you, Mona. Tell me honestly.” I can tell he is joking, but his words still strike a chord in my che-st. We are suspended in time, the fated words forming in myl-ips, yet my mouth too cowardly to say them. I stare into his eyes, sparkling with cheer, examining his altogether beautiful features.
I pu-ll away quic-kly, looking away. “What time is it?” I ask, trying to avoid his pene-trating gaze.
Xavier looks to his wristwatch. “7:40,” he says, and I sigh in relief. For a minute, I thought we had lost track of time. “I can get us there in two minutes,” he says plainly, “with a shortcut.”
“Cool,” I murmur, then dig in with my fork into my meal. There is a slight rumble of satisfaction as the delicious eggs grace my stomach. I linger over each bite, delighting myself in the wonderful taste. Xavier sits, watching me with a strange expression. “What are you looking at?” I murmur, my voice irritated.
He chuckles. “Nothing,” he murmurs, “it is just that I have never seen anyone so happy when eating food.”
“Well, I don’t get much of it,” I mutter un-der my breath, my words clearly heard by the stunning man before me. He snorts in agreement.
“Obviously she wants you to starve to death.”
I don’t reply, consumed with swallowing the last bite of biscuit. Now I move on the bacon, my favorite p@rt. It is slightly crunchy, with just the right amount of salt.
Wonderful.
“I never knew you could sing, and so prettily,” he says finally, after a long period of silence, “you don’t seem like the type.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult?” I question, offended by his remark. I swallow the last of the bacon, smiling in contentment.
“Only you,” he sighs, “would take that as an insult. I suppose I should get used to it.”
“Of course,” I grin, my crooked teeth wi-nking in the g@sps of sunlight bur-sting throu-gh the treet©ps, “it’s not like I am going to change.”
“Sure. Whatever,” he says, standing up and brushing the leaves off his p@n-ts. “We got to go. It’s 7:55 and school starts at… 8:00, right?” I nod in response. He beckons, and I walk to him, my heart thumping furiously in my che-st. He gr-abs me, his hands wra-pped around my w@!st and knees, and begins to run throu-gh the wild un-derbrush, path unknown.
I wonder how he can go so fast. Everything around me is a blur, and it is impossible to see where we are going. He probably has “super vision” too… werewolves just get it all, don’t they?
By the time we reach the school, I have a barrage of questions to ask him. “Where are the other supernatural creatures?” I probe, my voice questioning.
He grins. “A Twilight fan?”
“No. But I’ve heard about dragons and fairies and stuff like that,” I truthfully say. His smile wi-dens.
“We aren’t one hundred percent sure, but we haven’t seen any other supernatural creatures. So far it is just us, and the Shifters. Well, there are some cases of werewolves where they morph into a dog instead of a wolf. Crossbreeds,” he shakes his head.
“Why wolves?”
“I truthfully have no idea. Maybe the fact that we are dogs signifies that we are servants to the humans. Or maybe it’s because dogs are just that awesome,” he sm-irks as he drags me into the bone-crushing throng of students.
“I like that first one,” I laugh in return, both of us quic-kly enveloped by rushing clas-smates, Xavier nearly buried with his fans. He just seems to attra-ct attention wherever he goes.
Going to my locker, I turn the dial to get my stuff, and after thinking a little, open Xavier’s too so his fans won’t block my locker in attempts to flir-t with him. I search for him, for that blue mop of perfectly tamed hair that I would recognize anywhere…
There he is!
I troop to his group, trying to wedge my way throu-gh the planets in an effort to reach the blinding sun. Xavier sp©ts me, and smiles. “Move,” he demands and the girls p@rt like the Red Sea, leaving a regal pathway to the man himself. “You liked it better when I didn’t go to your school, right?” he questions knowingly. I laugh, as if that was the silliest question I have ever heard, smiling up at him. I admit… I might have done that to tick the girls off.
“I didn’t really know you before you decided to come to my school,” I whisper, leaning in close to his ear so they can’t hear the snap in my remark. All they probably notice, though, is how close I am to him, how I managed to break past the barrier he has created around himself.
I might have done that to tick the girls off too.
Xavier seems plea-sed at my slightly flir-tatious manner, responding so well that it makes the girls cringe. They seethe as our conversation continues all the way to the clas-sroom, no one else managing to get a word in. “Thanks for saving me,” he whispers as we reach Social Studies and the crowd disperses. We stand in the doorway, I secretly immersing myself in his company, in the radiation of light that always oozed from a popular person.
But our comfortable silence is not maintained for long, a familiar blond appearing by Xavier’s side. “Hey Xavier,” Sidney greets, her pretty blue eyes like an ocean. She waits for a response but there is nothing. As usual, she completely ignores me. However, that is to be expected, especially since she is a popular girl. I’m like z-list. Or no-list.
“Hey,” he finally emits after a long, strained silence. Sidney is absolutely determined to make him talk, and I think he knows that. Her cute oval face breaks into a smile at his word.
“So,” she begins, her bright redl-ips contrasting greatly against her lightly tanned skin, “I’m having a p@rty on Monday. Be there.” Her voice has sort of the same effect as his when he is acting as the leader, her authority clearly realized. Avoiding the answer Xavier will definitely give, she glides away to Ian, her poor little b©yfri£nd.
“Wow,” I murmur, “that was scary.”
“Yes it was,” he agrees.
We enter the clas-sroom completely, and begin to talk randomly about the teacher. Xavier is one of those good guys; one of the ones that can’t find anything bad to say about anyb©dy. However, even he was able to cough up a few negative comments. I bur-st into laughter when he finally determines that he really is a bad teacher after almost five minutes of contemplation.
The bell rings and we race to our seats, the teacher just now arriving. I look to Sidney, sp©tting her death glare once more as Xavier asks me what the homework was. I shake my head. My homework was completely forgotten.
Another zero, I suppose.
However, Xavier seems to have a different idea. He gr-abs the textbook we were studying, both of our worksheets, and places them side by side. He looks carefully to see that no one is around, and then his hand moves so fast it blurs. I roll my eyes as he gives me my completed sheet; with similar handwriting to my own.
“Wow,” I whisper, “how did you get my handwriting so well?”
He leans in close to my ear, his voice piercing me. “I’m a genius. You can thank me later.” He wi-nks.
He grows silent as the teacher shoots us a deathly look, full of menace and command. He kind of reminds me of Ms. Penn but a slightly milder version.
The rest of the period zooms by until he gives us free study time. In other words, I-don’t-want-to-teach-right-now-so-I-am-going-to-leave-you-br@ts-alone time. He plops on his Mac, probably surfing an online d@t!ngsite. By the looks of him, he probably has to put a fake picture on his profile.
As soon as it starts and the teacher is officially out of the way, Sidney stands up with a few of her loyal cronies. She trumps our way, the rest of the clas-s kind of circulating around the fight that is just waiting to happen.
Strangely, she pas-ses Xavier and goes straight to me. Smiling, the queen bee addresses me for the very first time. “Mona,” her sparkling eyes flutter, “right?” I nod, just a little dazzled by her close proximity, the fact that she is talking to me. She leans in close to my ear, and I subconsciously allow her to do so, still in a little daze. She gives off the same attention gr-abbing aura as Xavier does, and that sort of intimid@t£s me.
Then she really speaks. “Get away from Xavier,” she demands un-der dre-adfully fake laughter, “you’re an eyeso-re.”
“What if I don’t want to?” I ask her, my words clear for the world to hear. Her eyes wi-den slightly as the whole clas-s begins to gravitate towards our conversation. It is sure to make headline news; Queen Bee Threatens Small Fry.
“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.” She also forgets the fake laughter and peppy smiles, rising to meet my challenge. “Just stay away.”
“No,” I smile, chuckling inwardly at the fact that I’m trying to stay away. But obviously Xavier is the one that won’t leave me alone. They never accuse the boy, don’t they…
“I will crush you, ugly girl,” she drops the volume, saying it softly. And of course it reaches the ears of the one man she was trying to keep it from.
“Ugly?” he asks, astounded. I look at him in fright, knowing he’s going to say something stupid next. “But she’s beautiful!” he says loudly, causing me to bend my head in embarras-sment. There is a shocked silence, and then the room is consumed with laughter. A blus-h appears on my cheeks, anger in my blood.
“What did she do to you?” a random guy calls out, “cast a spell on you?”
I was wrong. The headlines will definitely be; Ugly Girl Bewitches Woman’s Most Wanted. And you know what comes next… the burning at the stake. Probably Sidney will be the first one to light the match.
Sidney grows tomato red with anger. “She’s beautiful? Then what am I?” she asks him frenziedly.
“You’re…” he trails off, thinking de-eply, leaving Sidney with her mouth agape. The bell rings in the confusion, and Xavier whisks me out of the clas-sroom, out of the prying eyes of the people that just witnessed the scene.
“Why did you say that, Xavier? Now Sidney is going to kill me!” The blus-h still lingers on my cheeks, so bright that it looks like red paint is splashed on each of them.
“I did something stupid, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, well, it is a little too late to realize that now, don’t you think?” I ask, bite in every word. He looks to the ground, and then brightens considerably.
“I have a surprise for you after school, if that makes you feel better,” he grins, ma-king me yawn in return.
“In case you want to know, that doesn’t make me feel better,” I say sarcastically, and he frowns.
“What’s with that sort of attitude?” he gazes at me, “I alre-ady said I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll give you some flowers or something.”
“NO, not flowers,” I shake my head, imagining Xavier walking in the lunchroom with a bouquet the size of my whole b©dy. “You know what you can give me? Lunch money.”
“Nah,” he waves that idea off, spiking anger in my che-st.
“You want to get me flowers, but you don’t care if I don’t eat?”
“Just trust me, okay?” he asks, slightly irritated, and I shut up.
The whole day after this pas-ses quic-kly, though full of taunts and rumors. According to the last one I overheard, I am a witch who got jealous of Sidney (this p@rt made me grin. Sidney always implements herself into everything) so I cast a spell on Xavier so he would fall in love with me instead. And this was all said with complete trust and as-surance. They’re probably stupid enough to truly believe it. I guess, though, that is one of the only reasons for our “situation” that they can think of. They couldn’t imagine him actually liking me for real.
Which, in a way, is a little true. The reason he likes me is only because we are mates, after all.
After another surprisingly exciting day of school comes to a close, Xavier almost immediately sweeps me into his arms. “Not with people watching!” I swat at him, and he ashamedly puts his arms down. However, his excitement cannot be quelled, and he gr-abs my arm. With astounding f0rç£ that he really doesn’t nee-d to use, he pu-lls me into the forest surrounding the school, near the same place where I almost fell to my death. “Where are we going?” I ask as he once again cradles me in his strong arms. I inhale his scent, reveling in the warmth he offers.
“The orphanage,” he as-sures me. I sigh in relief. With Xavier’s super speed, I’ll gain a few extra minutes of cleaning time while the orphans are walking home. Maybe this was his surprise. Each minute counts, especially when you are trying to clean the whole building by nightfall.
We finally reach the ugly orphanage, and he sets me down softly on a big rock. I stand up quic-kly, rushing to the door. “You can go now, Xavier!” I call, “you don’t want to be seen…”
But he only laughs, as if that is the funniest thing he has ever heard. I start to think that maybe I’m missing something.
I rush up the steps to the door, hesitate before the knob, and knock. I don’t want to annoy Ms. Penn any more than I alre-ady have.
The door slowly opens, and an enticing man with white, shimmery hair appears before me. “Jake?” I ask, confused, “Why are you here?”
Ms. Penn comes into view, smiling brightly. “I can’t believe it!” she nearly m0@n s in ecstasy, “you’re really leaving… I’m so happy I have to celebr@te!” She disappears, probably off to bake a cake or something.
Xavier brushes past me to stand by Jake’s side. “We’re going to kidnap you,” Jake informs me with a smile.
“Who said I wanted to live in the same house as him?” I stare pointedly at the annoying man before me.
“Did we ask for your opinion?” he laughs genially, and they both charge towards me.
Fear swallows me whole, the life su-cked out of my face as I wait for them to come. What a surprise…
T B C
DAMN I LOVE DIS SURPRISE