Marked (The Pack)

by Cox, Suzanne

  Five minutes later, sweat dripped from my whole body, and I had decided I was definitely being followed. Too scared to turn around and look behind me, I pushed forward, but kept feeling heat at my back. After what had happened with Channing, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know her very well, but I wouldn’t put it past Channing and her friends to try and scare me. Especially when I always had to be home before dark and now here I was, in the woods alone, in the dark.

  Finally, I couldn’t stand not knowing, and with one quick turn I spun around. There they were. Only they weren’t friendly and playful like in my dreams. The three wolves growled and bared their teeth. They were huge, their backs well above waist high. I grabbed the nearest stick, which was as big as my leg, and tried to swing it.

  “Go on, get out of here.”

  The three separated. They’re surrounding me. My breath stuck in my lungs, but I didn’t have time to remind myself to exhale. One of the wolves leapt. I swung the stick and rapped it on the head. It fell to the side without a whimper, but another one flew at me. This one caught my arm, its teeth sinking into the flesh. My fingers flared with pain, and the stick fell from my hand. I kicked the wolf repeatedly in the side, but then another grabbed at my leg. I went down hard. The thought that I was about to be eaten alive became very real. I prayed somehow this was a nightmare. That I’d wake up in my room at Aunt Louise’s house. But I didn’t. I swung my arms and kicked wildly, blood flying through the air from the shredded flesh on my arm.

  The three backed off. I imagined they were getting ready to make the kill, when from the woods a pair of wolves crashed onto the path, running into the three I faced.

  I knew I didn’t stand a chance with five animals. As the first three faced off against the two newest arrivals, I took advantage of the change in their focus and started to run. I glanced back, expecting them to follow, but instead they had erupted into a vicious fight with the two new wolves. Who likely wanted me for their own dinner. I didn’t wait around to see who won. Tree limbs slapped at me, briars dug into my already torn skin, but still I ran, with no real idea where I was headed. I pushed hard until I had to make an abrupt stop in front of an iron fence with a fleur de lis design on top of the post. It was the fence I’d seen on the way to Louise’s house the first day. It was the fence that surrounded the cemetery. I was close to home.

  In the middle of the cemetery I saw a light. Shoving the creaking gate open, and shutting it behind me, I took off at a full run in the direction of the swaying beacon. I doubted the fence would keep the wolves out, but surely who ever had the light would help me get home before the animals caught up with me.

  The early evening dew dampened my shoes, and when I tried to stop, my feet went flying from underneath me. I slid across the grass on my side, until suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath my legs. I dug my fingers into the dirt trying to stop my fall into the hole that had appeared. Face down in the grass, my legs dangling, my escape came to an inglorious end. I turned my head, spitting dirt from my mouth so I could assess my new situation. I sucked in air and grime when I saw the mound of dirt a few feet away, and the neatly dug rectangular hole my legs were hanging in. I clawed at the grass again only this time to keep from being half in an open grave. I knew I was making a lot of weird noises because I wanted to scream but was too afraid the sound would bring the wolves to me.

  The dark green lantern wavered above my head. I shielded my eyes trying to see. Great. I wasn’t sure which was worse, fighting off the wolves or dealing with Angeline Aucoin the voodoo lady, while trying not to fall in an open grave. Aunt Louise had said she was kidding about Ms Aucoin eating people, hadn’t she?

  “What’s the matter with you, girl? What you doin’ runnin’ through this place at night?”

  “I was trying to go home over by the lake, but a pack of wolves attacked me. See my arm.” I waved my injured arm under the light and was thankful to see the bleeding had stopped and the skin wasn’t as torn as I’d first thought.

  “You couldn’t take care of that yourself?”

  I narrowed my eyes. The woman was crazy. I kept reminding myself of that. “No, I couldn’t. No one could. There were three of them and then two more came, and they all started fighting. That’s how I got away.”

  “Sounds like those last two saved your hide.”

  She watched me as I struggled to my feet. “Yeah, right. It sounds more like those last two simply weren’t going to share the meal with the other three.”

  “Maybe so girl, if you think that. I’ll take you to Louise’s house. She’s likely to be wonderin’ where you at.” She turned swinging the green lantern, its yellowish light casting odd shadows on the cracked headstones.

  I followed her to an ancient truck. The rusty door groaned and resisted when I tried to get in. I looked around, expecting the wolves to appear any minute.

  “Don’t worry.” Angeline said as she pulled herself into the truck and settled behind the wheel. “You safe now, but you gotta start learnin’ yo self better or you might not see the end of this summer.”

  I didn’t bother to ask her what she meant, only stared at the papery skin on the old woman’s face and the feathery earring swinging near her shoulder. The answer wouldn’t likely make any more sense to me than anything else she said.

  She swung the truck onto the road and in minutes we were on the porch of my aunt’s house, the door swinging open in answer to Angeline’s knock. I flung myself at the nearest thing to family I had. Aunt Louise hugged me like she did it every day. Mortified that my eyes had filled with tears, I tried to squint them away. At least I felt safe, finally.

  “She needs to be learnin’ how to handle herself here, or she’ll be in trouble soon.” Angeline stood in the door, tapping her foot, her mouth set in firm line.

  “I know. We’re working on it.”

  She leaned forward her voice gravelly when she spoke. “Ya best be workin’ harder.”

  I could feel Louise nodding. The door closed and thankfully, Angeline was gone.

  Louise led me to the kitchen and sat me on a barstool. She pulled a rag from a drawer, letting the water in the faucet warm before holding the rag under it. She wrung out the excess water and remained quiet until she had wiped the dirt away from my face and arms. She wrapped a dry cloth around my injured arm. Then she straightened.

  “What happened to you?”

  When I didn’t answer immediately, Louise walked to the refrigerator. She poured a glass of grape juice and set it front of me.

  “Drink something and tell me what happened.”

  I gulped the juice then blurted. “I was nearly eaten by a pack of wolves.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “They got in a fight over who’d eat me first. I was able to run away.”

  “You were very lucky. I’ve told you to be in before dark. Now you see what can happen.”

  I was beginning to feel that Aunt Louise wasn’t nearly as sympathetic as she should be. Nor was she as upset as I had expected.

  “I need stitches. Isn’t there an emergency room nearby?”

  “You don’t need stitches.”

  “Yes I do.” I began to unwrap the dishcloth she’d used to bind my arm. A little blood had seeped onto it, but it wasn’t gushing like it had at first. “If I don’t get stitches I’ll have a horrible scar.”

  “Leave it covered for now.” Louise put a hand on top of the towel stopping me from removing it. “I looked at it, and I’m sure you’re thinking it’s worse than it is because of how scared you are.”

  The phone rang before I could argue more. Aunt Louise answered it then passed it to me. “It’s your mom.”

  I grabbed the receiver with my good hand, darting into the living room and turning on the television. The word “mom” made it past my lips then I choked on the sob that came from deep inside me.

  “Alexis, what’s wrong?”

  “I… wolves attacked me today. I could have been killed. You need
to come home. I can’t stay here. Something’s wrong here.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little dramatic?”

  I paused. She thought I was being dramatic? “No, I don’t think it’s dramatic. I was almost eaten alive by a wolf pack today, and your sister won’t even take me to get stitches. My arm is going to be a scarred mess.”

  “Louise knows what she’s talking about. If she says it doesn’t need stitches then it doesn’t.”

  “But it’s really bad.” I removed the dishtowel so I could see the wound now that it had stopped bleeding. The dishtowel slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor. There wasn’t much more than a scratch on my arm. How could that be?

  “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Alexis. We’ll be home in a few weeks, until then, try and enjoy your summer.”

  “I’m telling you, mom. Something’s not right here. People are being killed, attacked by wild dogs or these wolves.” I stopped, taking a deep breath. “And I think Louise knows something about it.”

  The other end of the phone was quiet for a few moments before my mom spoke again. “Now you’re being ridiculous. Let me talk to Louise. We’ll be home soon, until then you do as she says.”

  I turned to take the phone to Louise in the kitchen, but she stood in the doorway staring at me. A flash of pure ice thrilled down my spine. Gritting my teeth, I walked straight to her and tossed her the phone.

  “She wants to talk to you.”

  I headed for the stairs not interested in what they were saying. It didn’t matter, because my mom wasn’t coming home early no matter what. Now Louise knew my suspicions about her. I wasn’t sure what she might do about it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I’m not lying for you.”

  “Brynna, come on. It’s not a real lie.”

  “Alexis, a lie is a lie. There’s no such thing as fake or real.”

  I frowned and paced the floor of Brynna’s room. I needed Brynna to do this, or I might not be able to convince Louise to let me go with Channing and her cousin to New Orleans.

  “It’s so simple. All you have to do is pretend you’re going on the trip to New Orleans. At the last minute say you’re sick and can’t go.”

  “You think if I’m going Louise will automatically let you go.” Brynna sat down on the bed jerking a pillow into her lap.

  “Of course, since your parents agreed, then she’ll have to agree. Besides, she trusts you.”

  “She should trust you.”

  I stopped in front of her. “She would if she had known me long enough.”

  “Maybe she would if you’d quit lying and sneaking around and trying to do things you know she won’t like.”

  Leave it to Brynna to get technical. “Come on, Brynna.”

  “What makes you think my parents will agree to let me go?”

  “They will, won’t they? They let you go all these other places. You’ll say you’re sick and that you’re not going an hour or so after we leave. They’ll never know.”

  Tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear she frowned. “What if I don’t want to get sick? What if I want to go on the trip?”

  This was a development I hadn’t thought of. I hadn’t mentioned to Channing my plan of using Brynna… no, that sounded bad and gave me a twinge of guilt. I hadn’t told Channing of my plan to get Brynna to help me convince Louise to let me go on the weekend trip to New Orleans. But I couldn’t possibly go to her and ask if Brynna could go with us.

  “You don’t really want to go do you?”

  Brynna leaned over onto the pillow she was holding in her lap. “You think I don’t like to have fun or want to go out and party sometimes.”

  Well yeah, I did think that, but now probably wasn’t the time to say it. “I think you dislike Channing and her friends enough that you wouldn’t want to go anywhere with them.”

  “Are you including yourself in that?”

  I crossed my arms in front of me. “Maybe.”

  “So why would I want to help you?”

  “You wouldn’t, but I’m asking you to do it.”

  “You may lie to Louise, but I can always count on your being honest with me, can’t I?”

  I paused. It was true. I didn’t feel like I needed to hide anything with Brynna. “Yes, I think I can tell you the truth. And I wouldn’t have to make up stories for Louise if she’d quit treating me like I’m twelve. I never had to do this at home. I just went places without this huge ordeal.”

  “You’re not home anymore. You’re here. Louise is trying to protect you.”

  “Protect me from what?”

  Brynna frowned. “From yourself, obviously.”

  “Are you gonna help me or what?”

  The other girl fell back against the mound of pillows behind her and tossed the one she’d been holding into the air. It landed with a plop beside Kurt Vonnegut who hardly batted an eye. She groaned once and tossed her head from side to side.

  “I’m certain I’m going to regret this, but okay, I’ll help you, this once.”

  I pounced beside her on the bed, grabbing her hand and shaking it. “Thanks, and you won’t regret it.”

  Brynna pulled her hand away. “This doesn’t make us friends, you know.”

  “Of course not, but I’ll owe you one. I promise to do whatever it is you need.”

  This time Brynna laughed. “I’ll have to think of something.”

  “Be sure you do it before I go home at the end of the summer.”

  “Oh, that’s right, I forgot you’re still supposed to go home when your mom gets back from her trip.”

  “Was there ever any doubt that I wouldn’t?”

  Scooting back into the pillows, Brynna narrowed her eyes, then smiled. “No, not one doubt.”

  “Alright, I’m off to break the news of the trip to Aunt Louise, and you need to hit your parents up about it right now.”

  I hurried to the door, and Brynna got up slowly. I hoped she wouldn’t change her mind. “You’re sure you can do this?”

  “I’m sure I can and I’m sure I won’t like it.”

  “I’ll be forever grateful.”

  “Hmmm, that helps me feel better,” Brynna said sarcastically.

  I trotted down the steps and out the front door to hop on my ATV. As I motored by Channing’s house, I decided to stop and let her know the plan with Brynna. That way if Brynna’s parents called Channing’s, which I was certain they would, there’d be no surprises. I wished Louise could be as understanding as Channing’s parents, who didn’t have the least concern about her going to New Orleans with her cousin for the weekend. I didn’t know why Louise felt the need to watch my every move. Brynna thought she was trying to protect me, but there was nothing dangerous about going on a trip to New Orleans. Which was why telling her the tiniest of lies so that I could go wasn’t a bad thing at all.

  ***

  “You’re not concentrating today, Alexis.”

  “Sorry,” I shouted as I spun the jet ski around and attempted to run the Bodinwa course again.

  “You don’t think it could be because you’re half smashed do you?” Myles grumbled under his breath as I floated beside him.

  From the pier his dad waved for him to wait as he reset his timer. “Where have you been drinking this early in the afternoon, or do I even need to ask?”

  “I ran by Channing’s before I came here, and I’m not half smashed.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  Myles shot forward toward the course, leaving me rocking in his wake. Not a good sensation for me at the moment. I thought I might be sick. Myles was right, I shouldn’t drink anything before playing this game, but it was hard to say no to Channing when she got it in her head that you should have a drink. I didn’t like disappointing Mr. Branton. Not when he took up his free time to help me. He shouted for me to get going as Myles pulled alongside me. He’d finished his ride already and set the course up for me. Myles snorted as I cranked my ski.

  “Think you can
make it without throwing up?”

  I could tell he was more than disappointed in me. He seemed completely disgusted. That only added to the queasiness in my stomach. I ignored Myles and tried to take a few breaths. I waited for that feeling to come. The excitement, the floating, the confident I can do anything feeling, but it never did. I shot forward missing most everything I tried for and skirted the ramp without an attempt. There was no way I could do it.

  I motored back to the pier where Mr. Branton stood and he frowned. “Let’s call it a day, okay. If you two will pull everything into the boathouse, I’ll tie it down.”

  I helped Myles get the equipment in without a word. When that was done I cleaned my jet ski and stored it.

  Myles tossed me the t-shirt and shorts I‘d left on the decking of the boathouse. “Come get something to drink before you go home, something non alcoholic.”

  I nodded. Arguing with Myles wasn’t very appealing right now. I didn’t feel good, and it wasn’t only because I let Channing convince me to drink more than I should. Mr. Branton’s helping me and my ability to ride the Bodinwa course had become the highlight of the summer. The trip to New Orleans might end up being even better than Bodinwa, but I doubted it. Flying through the course was like being taken away to another place, a place where I became someone else. Someone stronger, and maybe even a little powerful.

  Myles led the way to the back deck of their house where his dad had poured lemonade and set out some graham crackers. Mr. Branton drank his lemonade and watched me nibble a cracker while Myles disappeared inside to get on some dry clothes.

  “You know Alexis, Bodinwa is really about concentration. It’s bringing your mind and body together so that the two function without you actually thinking about it. Your subconscious is running the show. But your body is trained and prepared for that to happen.”