Chasing the Beta

by Jessica Edwards

  I was sick of hearing that, and he needed to know the pain he was causing me by just being here. “You already know the details. She was murdered just like Terry and Mr. Daniels. There’s nothing new to learn so why are you wasting your time wanting to know what I have to say? It’s the same killer, but you already know that, don’t you?”

  Tom nods slowly. “Yes, but we still don’t have a suspect.”

  I take a deep breath and exhale. “I do.” “What?”

  I look directly at Tom. “I know who the murderer is.” Tom frowns at me, but I know I’m right.

  I can feel it.

  “What did you just say?” Tom asks me in confusion.

  “I know who killed Terry, Mr. Daniels and my mother.” I grit out.

  He looks at me curiously. “You do?” “Yes!”

  “Then, who is it?” Tom asks.

  I don’t hesitate. “Mr. Edmund.” “Mr. Edmund?”

  “Oliver Edmund. Do you know him?” Ryder asks.

  Tom shakes his head. “No. I’ve never heard of that name before.”

  “He’s new to the area.” Kellan says softly.

  Tom takes the pen in his hand and starts writing in his notepad. “How do you know that Oliver Edmund murdered your mother, Terry and Mr. Daniels?”

  “You asked me who I thought the murderer is and I told you!”

  '”So, you don't have solid evidence?” “Aren't my words enough?”

  Tom stops writing. “How is a man capable of ripping a body to shreds, anyway?”

  It’s like my mouth has a mind of its own. “Because he’s a w….”

  “Teacher.” Kellan interrupts. “He’s our English teacher.”

  Shit! I was about to reveal what Mr. Edmund is.

  Tom looks at each of us in confusion. “He’s a teacher who's murdered people and can rip bodies to shreds?”

  He doesn’t look convinced.

  “You’d be surprised what people are capable of these days.” I stare directly at him.

  Tom sighs and puts away his notepad and pen. “Do you really expect me to believe this?”

  “I’m trying to help you here! I’ve just given you the name of the person that’s been murdering innocent people and you think I’m lying?”

  “Alice, a human isn’t capable of doing that much damage.”

  I cross my arms over my chest in defeat. “Then, what do you think that did it if it’s not human?”

  “I think it’s an animal of some kind. I don’t know what but it’s definitely not human.”

  Tom gets up from his seat, preparing to leave, but I need him to understand what I’m trying to say. “If you ignore this, you’re making a huge mistake. I know I’m right.”

  He pursues his lips. “What do you suggest I do? For all we know, Mr. Edmund can be innocent in all of this. I’ll end up interrogating somebody who’s not guilty, and time will be wasted. What puts him at the crime scenes? There’s no evidence that points to him. So, maybe he’s not the guy we’re looking for.”

  I sigh in frustration. “He’s the one!”

  ‘Dad, maybe you should just listen this one time. I mean, you probably think there’s no way our teacher has anything to do with the murders here, but I’m guessing you don’t have any other leads, so just go with this one.”

  Tom considers his words for a few seconds, then looks at me. “Fine, I’ll go and see him.”

  Tom looks between me and Ryder, nods and heads to the door, but stops and turns when I call his name. I really want to speak to him about one other thing.

  “Officer? Can I speak to you in private?”

  I don’t know why I asked to speak to him in private, Kellan and Ryder are going to hear me anyway.

  He nods nonchalantly. “Of course.”

  We wait for Ryder and Kellan to leave the kitchen and when they do, me and Tom sit at the table, opposite each other.

  “What is it that you want to speak to me about?”

  I take a deep breath and let it go. “I heard that you’re going to find my father, and I was wondering why that is?”

  “We want to inform him of your mother’s death, and to talk about him staying with you for the time being.”

  I can feel myself getting angrier, and I really don’t want to lose control in front of Tom.

  What would I say if I shifted right before his eyes?

  “I don’t have a relationship with my father. I haven’t seen him in years and I never want to.”

  He looks at me apologetically. “I’m aware of your situation with your father, but he needs to know what’s happened, and it could even be a chance for you to reconcile.”

  He just doesn’t get it.

  “He left me and my mother for somebody else. Why would I want to see him after all these years?”

  He looks at me in pity. “He’s your father.”

  “I’ve been fatherless for all these years, and I’m doing just fine without him.” I grit out.

  Tom half smiles. “Do you want to live back home?”

  I think for a moment, and start to feel unhappy when I think of how much I actually miss being at home. I mean, there’s no place like home.

  “I miss my home, but I’d rather live here than be with my father.”

  He nods. “Okay, that’s fine for now but when your dad arrives in Small Town, we’re gonna have to have another meeting.” Tom gets up to leave, but so do I.

  “I feel safe here, especially being with Ryder.”

  He looks at me then smiles warmly. “Did you know that this house belonged to Ryder’s parents? They loved this place, but after Anna’s death they moved and left Ryder behind. I kept a very close eye on him, visited whenever I could, and made sure he was eating, but I could see that he didn’t want to carry on living. He’s like a son to me, and ever since he saved Kellan’s life, I’ll forever be indebted to him. So, I do think you’re safe here. He’ll take good care of you, of that I’m sure.”

  “He does take good care of me, but it’s time that somebody looked after him.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  After Tom left the house, Ryder and Kellan were nowhere to be seen.

  I started the afternoon alone and prepared myself soup and ate by myself at the dinner table. It didn’t bother me that nobody was around because it gave me the chance to actually sit down and have a breather.

  Things seem to be getting worse for me, and since losing my mother, I thought things would look up because I’ve lost so much. I still feel lost on what to do next with my life, but if Sam was here, she’d know exactly what to do, but with her being in the hospital, she can’t tell me which direction I need to go from here. I hope she’s doing okay, she still hasn’t woken

  up, but the moment she does, I’ll be there like a shot.

  The moment I finish eating, I head out towards the back where the sun still shines brightly in the blue sky, and it makes me think that it’s been awhile since I’ve let her run free. With no one around, maybe now is a really good time to let her out. The last time I shifted, Terry was found dead on the wolves’ property, and it was also the day somebody had seen me change into a wolf. Somebody out there knows my true identity, and it’s still playing on my mind, but Ryder’s words linger in my head. He told me that if I don’t let her free every so often, she’ll turn feral and I won’t be able to control her.

  With that thought in my head, I remove my clothes in a haste, neatly fold them and place them on the ground, and lower myself on all fours.

  I repeat the process like last time. I close my eyes and focus hard on my heartbeat and remember to take deep breaths. Again I repeat this until I’m in control of my body. I open my eyes and focus on my hands, and for the first time I want to see what it’s like to change and to not be afraid of what I will become.

  My nails start to elongate into sharp claws, claws sharp enough to make a human suffer greatly.

  What follows soon after is the white fur, starting at the bottom of my fingernails
and makes its way upwards. It’s like a blanket made of snow that covers

  my whole body, but instead provides warmth. I purr in delight when the coat covers my stomach and neck, and that’s when I feel my face starting to change to adapt to its new identity. I wince from the discomfort as the sharp teeth start to push through and when my jaw grows to a bigger size. I roll my head over my shoulders, causing me to shiver as I feel something forming at the top of my head, which I presume are my ears.

  By the time my head comes back to the middle, I can tell that the whole transformation has happened.

  I’ll never get used to doing this!

  I stand to my full height at seven foot, and stare ahead where the forest lies in front of me. The forest goes on for miles, and it makes me wonder what happens in it when it’s not disturbed. I’m about to find out because she wonders too.

  She dashes straight into the same clearing we entered before, and she doesn't look back once at the house.

  We’re finally alone, and it’s never been a better feeling.

  Run! And don’t stop!

  She obviously understands what I want because we run for miles, and still the forest never ends. We end up stopping for a minute and it’s enough time for me to take in my surroundings. Grass covers the land

  slick like hair. Each strand dripping heavily with water. Flowers stand up like an amazing discord of colours to dazzle the senses and eyes, beautiful arrays of colours from greens, yellow, purples and reds. The trees are alive with birds and squirrels, and it’s not long before she sets off again, and we unexpectedly reach a part that I’ve never explored before, where the trees are thick and old. It was probably a place that was once filled with bird song and where animals roamed, but it’s obvious that it’s passed its former glory. The canopy is so dense that you can see the smallest glint of sunlight, but that doesn’t stop the feeling that darkness still lingers here. There’s not even a flower to be seen, and it’s when she suddenly stops, that makes me panic.

  What is it?

  She looks left to right but she still doesn’t move. What is it that’s making her behave this way?

  She lowers her head to the ground, and inhales. Can she smell something?

  Once she seems satisfied with recognising the scent of whatever it is that she smelt, she puts back her head and howls.

  She then runs at a dead fast speed deeper into the woods, I don’t know what it is that she can smell, but I have a feeling that I’m about to find out.

  She slows down when we reach another clearing of the forest, and when we do, I stop dead in my tracks, because standing mere inches away from me, is a wolf. A black wolf.

  Ryder? Why is he all the way out here?

  The wolf has its back to me, but it seems to be looking back towards the wolves’ house.

  What’s he doing?

  When I take a step closer, it draws the attention of the wolf and it swings its head towards me.

  Oh my God.

  Its whole body covered in black fur, but that’s not what’s causing me to halt my movements and stare in shock, but it’s the colour of its eyes that’s causing my heart to start beating rapidly. Its eyes are blue. Not red, like Ryder’s.

  Who the hell is that? And why is it just standing there?

  Could it be another shapeshifter like me, or is it just a wolf wandering around the woods, but why was it looking in the direction of Ryder’s house? She tilts her head, and just stares at the wolf. She obviously doesn’t see this wolf as a threat because she’s not growling at it.

  The wolf turns to face me completely and looks as

  though it’s taking me in, but what it does next makes me want to stop breathing.

  The wolf bows its head and lets it hang there for a few seconds, then runs away. She runs to the spot the wolf just stood and stares in the direction it ran away, but the wolf is nowhere to be seen. Like a ghost, the wolf disappeared.

  Did I just imagine that?

  She stands there for what feels like hours, but when she realizes that the wolf won’t be returning, she hangs her head in defeat and turns back towards the house.

  It’s a long way back home.

  It takes hours to get there, and when we do, she stops next to the clothes folded on the floor, and patiently waits.

  Until next time.

  “Where were you?” A voice asks from above.

  I jolt in surprise and look down at myself where I’m standing completely naked.

  I meet Ryder’s eyes and he doesn’t look happy. At all.

  Maybe I should’ve told him where I went.

  I hesitate because I still can’t get over what I saw in

  the woods. “I...I went for a run.” “On your own?”

  I nod, but I look away from him.

  “Do you know how worried I’ve been?” I stay silent.

  A few minutes go by without either of us saying anything.

  Was it Ryder?

  No, it can’t be because his eyes are red. “Alice, are you okay?” His voice has softened. It wasn’t him out there! It was another wolf! “I’m fine.”

  I put the clothes on carelessly and walk up to Ryder. I avoid eye contact with him, enter the house, into the bedroom, and stay there for the duration of the night with only one question in my mind.

  Who the hell was that?

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, I decide to go and see Sam. She may not be awake yet, but she’s still my best friend, and at times like this, I really want to see her. I hate not being able to see her or talk to her. I miss how she knows how I feel and what I’m thinking about. Sam always knows how to make me feel better. She’s the stronger one out of the two us, and when something goes wrong, she always tells me that everything will be alright.

  I just wish that she’d never have been attacked. Sam knows how to stick up for herself, and I know the minute she wakes up, she’ll be angry once she realizes that the attack was done from behind. Sam would’ve beaten her attacker to a pulp if she hadn’t have been caught off guard, but I guess things don’t go the way we want sometimes.

  I leave the house early in the morning, wearing only a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt with a pair of black converse. I take my car from the drive and head towards the hospital.

  While I drive, I keep thinking to myself if yesterday really happened.

  Did I actually see another wolf?

  The wolf seemed like it knew the area well, so does that mean that the wolf comes to the forest often? If so, how is it managed to avoid Ryder and the wolves?

  I remember Ryder saying something about how wolves can hide their scent, but only highly experienced wolves can do it. She managed to pick up its scent and found the wolf, and I’m not an experienced wolf. The wolf didn’t show any sign of aggression towards me, but how did I find that wolf when Ryder and the wolves couldn’t? Why is the wolf with the blue eyes, only appearing now after all this time?

  I reach the hospital by nine and walk through the navy double doors leading into the reception. I give my name to a different receptionist this time and wait for further instructions. The hate I feel for hospitals will never get old. The air has an undertone of bleach and it makes me want to cover my face from the distinctive smell.

  I close my eyes and pray that my name will soon be called.

  “Alice Smith?”

  My eyes immediately open and meet the eyes of a nurse holding a clipboard.

  I rise to my feet. “That’s me.”

  “Here to see?” She looks from the clipboard to me.

  “Sam Frey.”

  She nods and half smiles. “Follow me please.”

  I follow the nurse through the stuffy corridor, where the magnolia walls are scraped from the hundreds of trolleys that have been pushed into it. The pictures on the walls look like cheap prints of uplifting scenes, which is a bit of a cliché considering they’re placed in a hospital.

  Figures.

  We soon end up inside Sam’s room where she li
es unmoving in the hospital bed. I feel saddened just by thinking that she’s been here all by herself, while I’ve been living in a house full of people. I know that Sam’s parents have probably visited, but they’re the type of people who come to places when it’s only convenient for them.

  “Has she woken up at all?” I ask the nurse.

  The nurse goes to Sam’s side and checks the machines. “Not yet, but she will when she’s ready.”

  Sam lies in the bed wearing a bandage around her head with scrapes on her face.

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Do you think she’ll wake up soon?”

  I don’t take my eyes off Sam.

  The nurse moves so that she stands in front of me, and half smiles. “I don’t know. She was hit with such force that a blow to the head like that is very dangerous. She’s lucky to be alive.”

  “What was she hit with? My mo...my mother never told me. She used to be a nurse.” I hold back the tears as I mention my mother.

  The nurse shrugs. “Anything can be used as a weapon if that person’s intention is to hurt somebody with it, but if I had to guess, I would say the attacker’s choice of weapon was a baseball bat.”

  I frown. “A wooden bat?”

  How much damage would a wooden bat do?

  The nurse shakes her head. “No, not a wooden bat. More like a steel bat.”

  A steel bat!? How is she still alive?

  I struggle to find the words, and the nurse notices too. She places her hand on my shoulder. “That’s what I think, and I’m wrong most of the time.”

  I don’t respond to her.

  I instead walk towards Sam, sit myself in the chair next to the bed and take her hand in mine.

  “Take all the time you need.”

  I murmur a quiet thank you and the nurse leaves.