Willow

by Amy Richie

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carlie's Trap

  My heart thudded dangerously fast, making my chest ache. It felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs and I had forgotten how to gasp for air. Everything was moving in slow motion.

  I saw Rueben crouch low to the ground and heard the growl come from his throat. I watched in horror as he lunged forward, prepared to attack. I couldn't move to stop him. I was paralyzed by fear and an absolute horror that I had never known. I waited in shocked silence; waited for the screams that I knew were coming.

  "One, one thousand; two, one thousand; three, one thousand," I counted with my breath that somehow still whooshed in and out of my broken lungs, "four, one thousand."

  All six boys stood in their full glory in a half circle around Carlie. Complete wolves, nothing of the human boys they were. Their instinct had taken over. It was daylight; no hiding what they were. Rueben growled and bent his head low to the ground.

  "Five, one thousand."

  "I knew you were real." I heard her voice but the meaning wouldn't break through the blood rushing in my ears. "Everyone said I was crazy," she continued, "but I knew. I've been coming here most nights."

  What was she saying?

  "I knew if you smelled blood you would come." She tilted her chin up in an attempt to be brave.

  She had baited us? But … hadn't she thought about it? She got them here, what was the next part of her plan? Rueben's lip curled up to show long, deadly incisors.

  "It doesn't matter if you kill me," she declared in a shaking voice. "I had to know."

  Her voice had made them hesitate. They were snarling ferociously but they weren't advancing. With a flood of relief and panic that unfroze me, I darted to position myself between Rueben and Carlie.

  My ears flattened to almost lie on my head. "Get back," I snarled at Rueben. He shook his head wildly from side to side, fighting with his instinct for blood and his instinct to obey his female. "Rueben." I was only watching Rueben so I didn't notice when Rodney broke free from the pack and lunged at Carlie.

  I lunged forward to meet his attack head on, sending us both flying backwards. He regained his feet first and all I saw was the animal rage in his eyes. He clamped on hard to my shoulder, the snap of his teeth vibrating off the trees.

  My yelp brought Jed and Tyson to my rescue. Their growls grew more distant as they chased Rodney back the way we'd come. Rueben, Colby, and Steven still stood undecided but then Steven bellied down and crawled to where I still lay. Blood was coming from my shoulder at an alarming rate but I still tried to stand.

  "Rueben," I growled weakly. Steven whined and pushed his head under my middle, trying to help me to my feet.

  Carlie still hadn't moved. Her wide green eyes were fixed on me. Was I still a wolf? I heard the unmistakable sound of a wolf heading our way. Only one. Maybe it was Jed. The world was starting to get fuzzy or maybe that was just me.

  "Are you all right?" My heart leapt with relief at his familiar raspy voice. Gage was here. He'd fix this.

  "I'm ok, but she's hurt," Carlie answered him.

  My mind tried with very little success to make sense of what she was saying. She? Was Carlie talking about me? And why did she sound so concerned? Wasn't she scared?

  "She's fine." I heard his words, but there was something wrong with the sound. His voice was so flat, as if he were acting in a play. Very badly acting in a play by just reading from a script.

  "Yes, I'm fine," I tried to say out loud. I don't know how effective I was, no one even looked my way except Steven, who was still very close to my side. I heard his tail thumping nervously on the ground. Or maybe that was just my heart.

  "They're werewolves," her voice sounded excited. "She must be the leader. Why do you think they attacked her?"

  "Why aren't you scared?' Gage demanded roughly.

  "I knew they were here."

  "You stand here, unafraid, do you not realize that they could so easily kill you?"

  "My father has told me about werewolves since I was a young girl. I wasn't sure if I believed him or not; but now … " I heard her breathy laugh. Gage blocked my view of Carlie, but I could still hear her excitement.

  "You should go home."

  "Not alone," I fought to keep my voice strong enough to be heard.

  Rueben protested loudly in a series of long growls. Gage turned and I got my first glimpse of his dark scowl; if I had enough strength I would have tucked my tail and run home. So I was shocked when Rueben stood his ground.

  "Why aren't you afraid?" Carlie whispered loudly.

  "Because I have no reason to be afraid." I already knew he was morphing before he burst into black fur but when Carlie screamed it made my heart stutter.

  "Gage," I moaned, but it was too late. He was already up on his two hind legs, locked in a bizarre dance with Rueben.

  I knew it was no dance, though, and it wasn't playful at all. Part of me wanted to appreciate the strength in the two wolves. Part of me knew this day had to come. But most of me hurt too much to think about anything else. And then I had to worry about what Carlie was seeing.

  If I die, will I turn back into a girl?

  My wandering morbid thought distracted Gage long enough for Rueben to get his teeth clamped on his black coat. Gage reared up ferociously, his long teeth glistening in the sunlight. His loud snarl made me cringe. A stray thought worried about Carlie but it was getting difficult to focus on anything. Why wasn't I healing?

  As my eyes slowly drifted closed I saw flashes of grey and black fur and heard the snarls of Rueben and Gage. I couldn't tell who was winning but figured it wasn't Rueben. I only hoped that he would back down so Gage wouldn't seriously hurt him.

  

  In my dream I was running, almost flying, over the hills. Ivy was beside me, her beautiful rusty color blazing in the sun. I couldn't see anyone else there but I felt them. I felt my pack. Then suddenly Ivy was gone. Where was she?

  "Willow!" Ivy called in her wispy dream voice. "Willow, come find me."

  It was a game we used to play when we were little. There was a dense wooded area in our back yard. Most of the trees were either dead or dying but Bella let us play back there. We would take turns hiding and finding each other.

  "Willow!"

  "Ivy, I don't know where you are. Come out now."

  "Come find me, Willow. Come find me before he does."

  "Who? Before who does?" But I already knew. The only one Ivy would be afraid of - who she would be hiding from. Mikhaul. "Ivy?"

  "Willow, come find me!"

  "Ivy?" My voice was becoming hysterical. "Come out right now."

  "Willow." Her voice came from so far away now.

  "Ivy?" No answer. "Ivy," I screamed louder. Still no answer.

  

  "Ivy." I sat straight up in my bed. The room was so completely dark that I was momentarily disoriented. "Ivy?"

  "Willow, are you alright?" a male voice asked from somewhere close.

  "Jed?" Why was Jed in my room?

  "Yeah, it's me."

  My shoulder felt stiff and heavy. I winced when I put my weight on it to help myself stand up. "Where is everyone?"

  "You shouldn't try to stand up. Gage said … "

  "Gage?" The memories slowly started to come back. The boys were helping me morph. Then Carlie was there. And she was bleeding, but it was a trap. Rueben tried to attack her, and then someone attacked me. Gage and Rueben. "Ugh," I groaned loudly and sank back on the bed.

  "Are you ok?"

  "Turn on the light."

  "I don't know … "

  "Come on Jed, I can't see anything."

  "Gage said you should sleep."

  "Where is he?"

  "Took Carlie home."

  "Carlie?" Everything was beginning to turn fuzzy again. Maybe I did need to lie down for a little while longer.

  

  When I opened my eyes again, sunlight was streaming in dust filled beams through
my large bedroom window. Jed was no longer in my room, no one was.

  My head felt clearer than it had. I remembered everything, even the things I would rather forget. Rodney had bitten me. I closed my eyes tight, two small tears escaped from the sides and seeped down my cheeks. Where was he? He must be feeling horrible. And Rueben. Where was Ruben? Was he all right? Did Carlie make it home?

  "Everyone is fine." The sound of Gage's voice made my eyes snap open.

  "Gage." I half smiled up at him.

  He tried to smile back. "How is your shoulder?"

  "It's ok."

  "How are you?"

  I sniffed loudly. "I've had better mornings." My voice broke.

  Gage crawled into bed beside me and wrapped his arm gently around my shoulder. "This is my fault," he mumbled.

  "What?"

  "It's my fault. All of this." He buried his face into the side of my neck.

  "How do you figure?"

  "I hurt you and I couldn't bear to do that again, but I knew you wanted to learn." He raised his tortured eyes to my annoyed ones. "I left so they would teach you."

  "That's why you left?"

  "I knew you would make them, but not with me there so I disappeared. I shouldn't have left you. I knew they were young. I should never … "

  "No," I cut him off abruptly. "This is my fault. I just keep messing up. I'm not made to be a leader, Gage."

  "Willow."

  "Okay, maybe that's what I was made for, but it's not in me. I can't do it. I don't want to. In a few months Ivy will come back and … "

  "Ivy?"

  "My sister."

  "I heard you calling for her last night."

  "I had a dream. A bad dream." I shuddered at the memory.

  "You're ok now." He pulled me tight to his chest until I finally felt safe again.