The Armored Wolf

by D Wolfe

  Ellie looked back at the triplets eating by themselves. The girl glanced at her quickly before looking back at her brothers. One of the boys whispered to Darine. She smiled and the three laughed. Ellie wondered what he had whispered to her. Darine then stood up and went to the tray drop off station. Ellie watched her as she did that. Darine really did dance as she walked. She danced gracefully. It made Ellie a little bit jealous of her. Ellie had tried dancing at a younger age but she never really got to pursue it because of her stepdad. Darine dropped the tray off, smiled at the lunch lady who was stationed there and danced back to her table.

  Ellie looked back at her table just in time to hear Logan talk about the week at camp. They sounded pretty excited about it.

  Lisa then looked at Ellie. “You will be able to come, right?” She asked.

  Ellie shrugged. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to get a permission form this late. Her last school always wanted permission forms turned in at least a few weeks in advance. “I might be able to.” She answered. Ellie then thought about her stepdad would never let her go. He would want her to do his dirty work a lot. He might even beat her if she dared asked him or her mom. Even if she paid the price that was needed to go to the office before the eighth graders left, Jared would never let her go. She didn’t say though. She didn’t want her new friends to know about her jerk of a stepfather just yet.

  Towards the end of the school day, Ellie went back to the office. The office attendant smiled at her as Ellie came in. “So did you have a nice day Dear?” The office attendant asked. Ellie smiled and nodded as she went to the front desk. “Is there something I can help you with?” The office attendant asked.

  Ellie nodded. Even though she knew that her stepdad wouldn’t let her go, she had to try. “Where do I get a permission form to go on the eighth grade camp trip that’s next week?” She asked.

  The office attendant frowned. Ellie’s heart sank. She could tell that the office attendant just realized that no one had told her family about the camp trip. “I’m sorry Dear, but those forms were turned in a while ago. They were sent to the camp so that the camp director there could have his staff set things up for the school kids.” The office attendant told her. Ellie was disappointed but she tried not to show it. “I’m sorry Dear.” The office attendant said.

  Ellie forced a smile for the sake of the office attendant. “It’s okay.” She said in a soft voice. She was determined not to cry in front of the office attendant even though it probably looked like she was about to cry. She turned to leave, wiping her eyes to make sure there weren’t any tears. The door then opened and two people came in.

  Both of them were men. One was tall and had black straight hair. He had a necklace on around his neck. Attached to it was a wolf. His eyes were amber. He was in a shirt that said Camp Wolfwoods and black pants. He had a briefcase in his hand. The other one was a teenager. He had black hair as well. His eyes were brown. He was tall and had a serious look. He had the same necklace. He had a t-shirt that had a wolf on it. He wore blue jeans.

  Ellie looked at them and wondered if they were more members of the Wolfe family. She had a feeling that they were. They gave her the same feeling that the other members had given her.

  The office attendant looked at the older one. “Mr. Wolfe. How are you?” She asked.

  Mr. Wolfe smiled. “I’m quite well, thank you.” He said. So they were members of the Wolfe Family. “I’m here to pick up Darine, Doug and Dale.” Mr. Wolfe continued.

  The office attendant looked at the clock. “They should be coming soon.” She said.

  Ellie looked at the two men. The younger one moved just a tiny bit. No one but Ellie saw it. Ellie was sure of it. The younger one then cleared his throat. “Dad.” He said.

  Mr. Wolfe looked at him. “Yes Darian?” He asked. Ellie was surprised by that. This boy was Darian? Mr. Mysterious that had a fan club? Her friends had told her that he was rarely seen outside of school unless they were at the camp.

  “I’ll go see if the three are ready.” Darian told Mr. wolfe.

  Mr. Wolfe’s eyes flickered a tiny bit but it was enough for Ellie to see that he had looked at her. “Okay.” He said.

  Darian turned and headed towards the door. As he was doing that, Ellie took a step back and watched him leave. He was very quiet as he walked. No sounds came from his feet as they touched the ground. He looked at her for just a minute before he was gone.

  Mr. Wolfe turned back to the office attendant. “Are there any eighth’s graders who would like to still come but haven’t turned in a permission form?” He asked.

  Ellie’s eyes widened as she turned back to the door. Was he talking about her? If he was, how did he know that she hadn’t turned in a form yet? Her hand was already on the door knob but she looked over her shoulder at them.

  The office attendant was surprised by his question as well. Did Mr. Wolfe hear the young student ask about the forms? “Why yes.” She answered. She pointed towards Ellie. “Our new student just came today. She wasn’t here for when the permission forms came in or were to be turned back in. Why?”

  Mr. Wolfe smiled. “We still have a few cabins left that have room.” He explained. “We’re rearranging campers and we can fit her in.”

  The office attendant looked at Ellie. “Are you still interested in the outdoor education week Dear?” She asked.

  Ellie nodded and smiled. “Yes.” She answered. Her heart was beating quickly. She really hoped that she would be able to go. She didn’t care how Mr. Wolfe knew of what she wanted. She really wanted to go on the trip.

  Mr. Wolfe went up to her and took out a permission form from his briefcase. He handed it to her. Ellie noticed it was warm. Like it had been just printed recently. She had a feeling that it had just been printed before Mr. Wolfe had arrived there. She wasn’t sure why she thought that but she knew that there was no way he just had an extra form lying around. “Then you’ll need to fill that in and bring it back here tomorrow.” Mr. Wolfe told her.

  Ellie held the form close to her chest. “Thank you.” She said softly to Mr. Wolfe.

  Mr. Wolfe smiled. Ellie didn't know why but she felt like she could trust Mr. Wolfe. He almost seemed like he was a father figure to others who weren’t his kids. “You’re welcome.” Mr. Wolfe said before he left.

  Ellie then left the office. She needed to get this form signed and the money paid so she could go on the trip by tomorrow. As she was hurrying down the hallway to the front door, she slowed down. She saw the five Wolfes standing by the front door. They were talking. “How did you know about that kid Darian?” Mr. Wolfe was asking.

  “I could sense it.” Darian answered. “You know that I have that ability.” Darian then stopped. He turned around to see Ellie walking in their direction.

  Ellie looked down as she went past them and pretended she didn’t hear them. She wasn’t sure what ability Darian had but she knew that they had to do with her getting the permission form. He also seemed to notice that she had been walking towards them even with his back to her. But how did he know that? Who was Darian?

  Chapter Four

  That evening Ellie was in her room looking at the permission form. She hadn't shown it to her mother yet. She had been wanting to wait until after Jared had gone to sleep to show it to her mother. With her stepdad asleep, she had a better chance of getting to go to the camp. Ellie really wanted to go to the camp. If her stepdad had seen it, Ellie was sure it would become garbage.

  That was when Ellie’s mom came in. “So how was your first day of school?” Her mom asked.

  Ellie shrugged. “It was okay.” She answered.

  Mrs. Summer looked at the permission form in Ellie’s hands. “What is this?” She asked.

  Ellie looked at the form. “It’s a permission form for next week. The eighth graders are going to Camp Wolfwoods.” She answered quietly. She didn't want to risk Jared hearing the two of them talking.

  Mrs. Summer looked at her daughter. She knew that he
r daughter wanted to go to it. “I think you can go to it.” She said just as quietly. She knew why her daughter was being quiet. “There’s nothing big happening next week.” She continued. The only thing that would be happening the next week would be Jared looking for a new job and her unpacking the rest of their stuff.

  Ellie smiled. She was really hoping her mother was right. She hadn't done something this fun in what felt like forever. Ever since Jared had come into their lives, they hadn't gone on trips to see any of Ellie's relatives. Jared had always said that costed money and he wasn't going to waste money on that. Ellie couldn’t remember the last time she had done something fun like that.

  Jared then came in. “Where’s she going?” He asked in a dangerous voice. Both Mrs. Summer and Ellie looked at him. Neither of them wanted to answer him. Jared went up to them and ripped the paper out of Ellie’s hand. He read it over. As he read it, his face became red. He crumpled the paper up and threw it on the ground. Ellie’s heart sank. She knew what he was about to say. “She’s not going!” Jared shouted.

  Mrs. Summer stood up. “Why can’t she go? There’s nothing she has to do here.” She said. "Ellie deserves the chance to have fun and to make new friends." She was going to try to help her daughter get to go to the camp.

  Jared glared at her. “I’m not throwing away any money so that she can go to some stupid camp.” He shouted.

  “I’ll pay for it.” Mrs. Summer said quickly. She could pay for Ellie to go. Jared wouldn’t have to use his money, not that he had much money anyways. He hadn't gone out to get a new job yet.

  Jared pushed Martha down to the ground. “I said we’re not throwing away any money! That includes your money as well!” He shouted her. He then looked at Ellie. “And you’re not paying for your trip either!” He smacked her across the face, sending her to the ground. He then stormed out of the room.

  Mrs. Summer went up to Ellie and helped her up. Ellie began crying as her mom hugged her. “It’ll be okay.” Her mother said.

  Ellie looked at her mom through her tears. She knew that it would never be okay as long as they were stuck with Jared in their lives. “Can I go?” She asked in a soft voice. She really wanted to go. She had to get out of the house that her stepdad was in even if it was for just a week.

  Mrs. Summer sighed and looked at Ellie’s cheek as a bruise began to appear. She would call the police on Jared for doing that but the police never helped back in the last town. They always seemed to favor Jared over her. “We’ll see.” She answered. Mrs. Summer picked up the crumpled permission form. She sat down on the edge of Ellie’s bed. Ellie was still crying.

  “Stop that racket!” Jared shouted from downstairs. Ellie couldn’t. She just kept crying. Partly from the pain in her cheek, partly from her fall.

  Mrs. Summer kissed her forehead. “I’ll work on your permission form.” She told her. “You should get some rest.”

  Ellie wasn’t sure if she would be able to get sleep but she got into bed. Ellie soon drifted off to sleep. She had a strange dream. She was in the forest. It was dark all around her. She looked around desperately for someone. She then heard something growling from behind her. She spun around. There was a black wolf. He had black armor on.

  Ellie gasped as the wolf watched her. “Leave me alone.” She whimpered. The wolf started to advance on her. Ellie stumbled back and tripped over a log. She fell to the ground and twisted her ankle on the way down. She cried out in pain and grabbed her twisted ankle. The wolf crept towards her, jumping over the long and landed on all four paws.

  Ellie pulled herself away from it. “Stay back!” She cried before she covered her head. The wolf stopped for a minute and then went up to Ellie. Ellie closed her eyes and expected it to kill her. She then felt something furry against her twisted ankle. She opened her eyes and looked down.

  The wolf’s head was rubbing against her twisted ankle. It then leaned up and rubbed Ellie’s bruised cheek. To Ellie’s surprise, the wolf’s fur felt soft. She could have just buried her face in its fur and never let go. Before she could move though, the wolf backed away and disappeared into the darkness.

  Ellie woke up the next morning. She looked around. She was back in her room. She sighed with relief. The only wolves she could see were the small paintings of them. Ellie got out of bed and went to her mirror.

  She stopped and her eyes widened as she looked at herself. The bruise that had been on her cheek the night before was already gone. She remembered her dream. The black wolf had rubbed that cheek. Ellie shook her head. Did that mean that the wolf had really healed her? But how was that possible? She had been in her room the entire time. She had only gone into the forest in her dreams. There’s no way she could have been there and back and not wake up at all. She then heard her mom coming to her room. She turned in time to see her door open and her mother coming in.

  Your form is filled out.” Her mother told her.

  Ellie looked at the permission form. There was an envelope with the form. She had a reason to believe that there was a check in it for the trip. “Jared doesn’t know, does he?” She asked quietly. She didn’t want to risk waking Jared up.

  Mrs. Summer shook her head. “The check is from my own account and he doesn’t have access to it.” She then smiled. Making that account or putting money into it hadn’t been easy. Not with the way that Jared kept a close eye on the money. “You’ll have fun at it.” She laid the permission form and the envelope on Ellie’s bed before leaving.

  Ellie picked up the permission form and the envelope and held them both close to her chest. She was going to get to go after all. She quickly hid them in her backpack as she heard Jared waking up. The last thing she wanted was for him to see the check or a filled out permission form.

  At the school office, Ellie rushed in. The office attendant smiled when she saw Ellie. "Have the permission form filled out and the payment to go?" She asked the young girl.

  Ellie smiled and held out the permission form and the envelope. "Right here." She said.

  The office attendant took both and put them in a drawer. "I'll make sure that Mr. Wolfe gets these when he shows up to pick up his kids at the end of the day." She told Ellie.

  Ellie was so happy that she was getting to go after all. Her heart was beating fast and she felt really excited. "I can't wait to go." She told the office attendant before she rushed to out to her first class. Nothing could ruin her day now.

  Chapter Five

  The next Monday at the school, the eighth graders were getting on the buses. Ellie looked around. She was surprised that there was no sign of her stepdad. She thought for sure that he would be there by this time to try to make sure she didn’t get onto any of the buses. She then spotted the triplets. She turned to Lisa. “Don’t they live at the camp?” She asked.

  Lisa nodded. “Then why are they coming with us?” Ellie asked. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to wait for us to arrive there before joining us?” That’s what she would have done if she was one of them. Part of her wished that she was one of them. Mr. Wolfe seemed like he would be a better dad than Jared was.

  Logan laughed. “They’re eighth graders though. I doubt that they would want to act differently like that.” He answered.

  Ellie sighed but didn’t continue the discussion. She looked back at the triplets. To her surprise, Darine was looking her way. Darine then went up to them, dancing as she walked. “You’re Ellie Summer, right?” She asked.

  Ellie looked at her friends. They were just looking at her, waiting to see how she would respond. Ellie looked back at Darine and nodded. “Yes. I am.” She answered. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go.

  Darine smiled. “I wanted to introduce myself last week when you first showed up but decided to wait until after the other kids would.” She told her. Darine knew that other kids considered her family and her weird and strange. “You’ll love it at the camp.” She continued. She then looked at her brothers. They were staring at her from where they were still
standing. Darine looked back at Ellie. “Well, see you later.” She danced back to her brothers.

  Jessie looked at Ellie. “That’s a first.” She said. “Usually the Wolfe kids keep to themselves at school for the most part.”

  Ellie shrugged. “They must like my family or something. I mean they did help my mom and me move into our home.” But why were they all interested in her but no one else at school? She wasn’t anyone special. Before she could think too much more about it, it was their class’s turn to board a bus.

  The three Wolfe children looked at Ellie as she got on a bus. “What do you think Darine? Is she the one?” Dale asked.

  Darine nodded. “She’s the one in the wolf room.” She answered.

  Doug looked at Darine. All because the girl was in the wolf room didn’t necessarily mean she was special. “Do you think she knows about us or who we are?” He asked.

  Darine turned to him. “No. I don’t think so but this week will give us the answer.” She told them. “We’ll see who she thinks we are.”

  Dale shook his head. “Do you think that she’s worth his time?” He asked.

  Darine nodded. She knew who Dale meant when he mentioned another male. “He wouldn’t have gone through all of this if she wasn’t important.” She answered.

  On the bus, Ellie was sitting next to Lisa. Ellie had the window seat. She and Lisa were talking about what they were looking forward to at the camp. Ellie wasn’t sure what all to expect since she had missed the orientation for the camp trip. As they were talking, Ellie got a bad feeling. She looked out the window. Her eyes widened. Her mom’s car was in the parking lot but it was Jared who was getting out of the driver’s seat. He looked really mad. There was only one reason why he would look that mad. He knew that she had used money to pay for the trip. Ellie looked back at Lisa quickly. Her eyes were full of fright.