“So, Raph,” said Sasha, bending over so that her cleavage was in his line of vision, “what are you doing later? Trevor’s having a little get-together at his house; Lila and I are going. Do you want to tag along?”
At that moment, Skye let out a derisive snort. She couldn’t help it; after hearing the way this girl was going on about herself in the bathroom, and then to actually see her put her ‘plan’ into action, the whole thing seemed pitiful.
“Is something wrong?” said Sasha, looking at her in mock concern.
Skye shook her head.
“Nope. Got something in my throat, that’s all.”
“So how about it?” said Sasha, smiling widely at Raphael with her pearly white teeth.
“I don’t know … I don’t think so. Skye and I are having something to eat here. And then …”
“And then what?” Though Sasha still spoke in a sugary sweet voice, there was a hint of danger in it. There was also incredulity at the fact that he shouldn’t jump at the opportunity to spend time with her.
“Well, I’m not sure. We haven’t decided yet.”
“You mean, you and her?” said Sasha, this time not bothering to hide her disbelief, and gesturing towards Skye.
“Me and Skye, yes … That is, if you have no plans for later?”
He turned to Skye inquisitively.
Aside from the fact that the girl, Sasha, was thoroughly irritating her now and she was having frequent flashes of transforming into a wolf and devouring her, Skye was also suffering from a bout of disbelief. Did Raphael just say that he wanted to spend the rest of the evening with her?
That same feeling she’d felt in the pit of her stomach, the feeling that had been jittering about earlier, causing her both confusion yet pleasure, suddenly amplified and she felt as though there was an army of butterflies fluttering about down there. This sudden new feeling both disturbed and exhilarated her. In the back of her mind, she warned herself not to get too carried away. After all, she had been telling herself that she didn’t fancy him and it was obvious that he wanted to spend more time with her so that they could discuss the Morphing in more depth. He had, after all, made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her during their very first meeting. Plus, she had no time for men.
But she could hardly contain her pleasure at the fact that he had pretty much brushed off this self-infatuated bombshell for her, whatever his reasons.
“Well … I guess I could stay out a while longer,” she said, looking straight into his eyes and trying hard to contain her glee at Sasha’s infuriated expression.
Sasha, trying just as hard to regain her composure, flicked her hair again and said in a forced, sugary voice,
“OK, sure! Another time then? I’ll tag you, Raph, and we’ll go somewhere nice; maybe we could go and watch the golf tournament and see our father's play! I’ll catch you soon!”
She beamed at him, stroking his back as she left, and shot one last filthy look at Skye, making sure that Raphael didn’t see. Her friend, Lila, shot Skye a similarly unimpressed look and followed her friend out, both of them clip-clopping away and swinging their hips as they exited the café.
“You sure you don’t want to go with them?” said Skye, pretending to be nonchalant. The steaks came over at that point, deliciously raw. “We could always continue our conversation another time.”
“Nah – I’m not really into house parties.”
“So Sasha’s not your … you know …?”
“My what?” Raphael questioned, but there was an amused glint in his eye.
Skye shuffled in her seat, annoyed with herself for even asking.
“Well … you know, sort of like a – a girlfriend …”
She hastily grabbed a steak and wolfed half of it down in one gulp.
“No, Skye, Sasha is not my girlfriend.”
“Well,” said Skye, her mouth full of raw steak, her cheeks burning, “you never know. In the future that could change …”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Oh? But she’s so … stunning. Glamorous. All those things that guys like.”
“Yeah. Looks like I must be a strange one then. I prefer my women a bit more – how can I put this? – real.”
Skye continued to eat her steak, tearing it to pieces with her teeth, unable to contain the odd, but pleased, feeling that was running through her.
“How come you’re so interested anyway? You’re not jealous of her, are you?”
Skye almost spat her food out.
“And why would I be jealous?” she growled.
“Well, I don’t know … All these questions. I’m beginning to wonder if you fancy me.”
Astounded by his arrogance, and humiliation now replacing the jittery feeling in her stomach, Skye snapped,
“I assure you I don’t! I didn’t realize that mere curiosity would lead you to believe that I fancy you! However, contrary to what you say, I think you and Sasha would make a good couple. You’re both in love with your own reflections. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to be heading home. Thank you so much for the meal and tea.”
And she grabbed her bag, jumping from her seat. But Raphael reached out for her arm and pulled her back.
“My, you do have a fiery temper on you,” he said, unable to hide the mischievous look in his eyes. “Sit down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she snarled.
“OK. Sit down please.”
Eventually, and with great reluctance, Skye resumed her seating posture on the chair.
“You know I was just teasing you, right?”
“Yeah,” grunted Skye.
“I know you’re too smart to be so easily impressed by wealth or looks. You have no idea of the amount of girls I have hounding me …”
“I can imagine,” said Skye dryly.
Raphael chuckled.
“Well, it’s refreshing to spend time with someone who isn’t after me because of my looks or money. Who I can be myself with because she’s a Morpher like me. Who doesn’t try and force me to socialize where I don’t want to or expect me to act how other people act. And you know what?”
Skye shrugged.
“What?”
Raphael leaned closer. His deep green eyes bore resolutely into her own brown ones, fixated.
“For all your temper and stubbornness,” he said in a soft, quiet voice, “I’m glad I met you. And I want to keep seeing you.”
For about two minutes, they just stared at each other. Skye was not entirely sure what happened in that moment, but this was a feeling she had not experienced before. It was as though a current of electricity was running through her veins and causing repetitive shocks somewhere in the region of her chest. That was the only way she could describe the way her heart was beating in that moment. Right then, time and space had no bearing. The conflict in her mind, the voice telling her that she didn’t like him, that he wouldn’t go for her, that she had no time for men … That voice was suffocated by this remarkable emotion that soared through her body. It was as though the beauty of the man before her, a beauty that shone both inside and out, had just illuminated itself as a beacon in front of her eyes … and she didn’t want to stop looking.
The voice of scepticism soon came bellowing out in her brain, however, and she blinked several times, tearing herself away from his enchanting green eyes and feeling as though she had just awoken from a dream.
“Yes, that would be nice,” she croaked. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat several times and continued in a clearer voice,
“You’re right, it would be good to be friends. I could probably use a friend too, to add to the one I already have.”
“Agreed,” grinned Raphael. He gave no indication of whether or not he had felt the same feeling that Skye had in those two minutes.
Of course he didn’t! she scolded herself. He’s just a friendly person … Stop imagining things that aren’t true!
Now deeply concerned over these unexpected feelings that had a
risen within her, Skye was quite unsure what to say or do next. She was saved the trouble, however, by the sight of Lila who had just ran (or rather, hobbled as quickly as her pink high heels permitted her to) through the door of the café, a look of utter distress on her face.
“Oh, Raphael!” she cried, trotting over to him and falling into his arms while he sat at the table.
“It’s Sasha! She’s broken her ankle! She can’t move at all!”
Concern flitted across Raphael’s face. Skye, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.
“How did that happen?” said Raphael, holding the girl’s elbow as she had difficulty steadying herself in her heels.
“We were just making our way to the shuttle bus-stop,” she said tearfully, “when Sasha tripped and fell. She says she can’t move her leg at all! I managed to pull her onto a bench but she’s in so much pain. Please – will you drive her to the hospital? She’s all alone out there!”
“I didn’t bring my car. She’ll need an ambulance. We should take a look at her. Come on, Skye.”
He rose from his seat, thanked the waiter and told him he would pay him later. Lila scurried along after him while Skye followed more reluctantly, bringing up the rear.
They found Sasha on a mahogany bench near the bus-stop, lying bare-foot, as though posing for a photo shoot. She flicked her hair back and forth while streams of male admirers in their cars drove past, several cat-calling at her, but when she caught sight of the trio her expression immediately changed into one of anguish and she leant over, rubbing her ankle.
“Raph! Thank God you’re here! I’m in absolute agony!”
“Where does it hurt?” said Raphael, approaching her and taking a seat on the bench in the small space that was available. Lila, who may as well have been his shadow, hovered beside him while Skye hung about in the background.
“The left one … right there …”
“Here?” he took her ankle in his hand and she yelped.
“Yes – there! Oh, it hurts so much! Will you rub it a little? Massaging the skin is supposed to help with the pain … That’s what I learned in my first aid class.”
Skye actually had to turn her face away at this point. She was now beginning to doubt that Sasha had hurt her ankle at all. Really … will he rub it a little?
She’ll certainly go to some lengths, she thought wryly as Raphael obliged and started to massage her ankle in a circular motion.
“Sasha, I really think you need to go to a hospital,” he said, shaking his head and placing her foot down gently. “I can’t drive you though, I don’t have my car. There must be an Emergency Switch somewhere round here.”
“There’s one five minutes down the road, I know where it is!” said Lila, eager to be of service.
Emergency Switches were located at various points throughout the city. They were infinitely more advanced than simply calling the emergency services via tag device because, when the switch was pressed, a holographic image of an ambulance appeared, before identifying one within local range and transporting it seconds later to the Emergency Switch. Highly advanced and extraordinarily expensive, this utility was one of the few advantages that the city held for ordinary citizens. This meant for a quicker and more efficient service and many people, when out in public, opted for this, instead of the old-fashioned tag call. Though on the downside, many switches had been vandalized by thugs, so it was lucky to find one that actually worked.
“Alright – Lila show me where it is. It definitely works, right? Skye, you stay here with Sasha. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Unable to protest, Skye remained with the girl on the bench who had replaced her pained expression with a look of malevolence.
“So,” said Sasha coolly, spreading out on the bench, her head resting on her hand, “how long have you and Raph known each other?”
Skye shrugged, her arms folded, gazing at the traffic in front and not enjoying the icy, tense atmosphere between the two of them.
“Not very long.”
“How did you meet?”
“Just in the High Street one day. We got talking.”
“You started talking to him because?”
Skye felt a stab of annoyance.
“Actually, he started talking to me.”
Sasha’s perfectly plucked eyebrows flew into her hair.
“Why?”
“That’s really none of your business.”
The words came out before she could stop herself. Up until now, she had refrained from being outwardly rude to the girl, despite the antagonizing jibes that Sasha and her friend had slyly thrown at her. While the wolf inside her craved bloodthirsty conflict at times, her own human self was much less confrontational and she tried to avoid it when possible. But this girl was irking her to the point of her lashing out. She hoped it would have ended there, but it didn’t.
“Sorry, Skye, but it is my business,” Sasha sneered, tossing her head. “See, Raph and I have a thing going on.”
“That’s not what he told me.” This girl was really pushing her buttons.
Sasha let out a derisive laugh.
“Seriously? Look at me. I can have any man I want. And I always get what I want. I have a right to know who Raph’s female friends are.”
“Why? Are you worried one of them might snatch him off you?” retaliated Skye, which was a bold statement for her.
For a moment, Sasha’s mouth hung open. Then she let out a shrill laugh.
“Are you talking about yourself? No offence, but have you looked in the mirror?”
To this, Skye did not reply. She had never considered her looks to be her greatest asset, but to have this nasty girl so openly mock her … Her blood began to boil and she turned her head away, her face stony, keeping her eyes fixated on Bert’s Bubble Tea in the distance, praying that she didn’t lose her cool.
“Aw, don’t get upset. I’m not trying to be mean, dear. It’s just that he’s a little – actually, way – out of your league. He would never go for you. Like I said, I don’t say this to be mean. I’m doing you a favour actually. Don’t want you to get your heart broken. So come on … why did he start talking to you? Did he need some kind of ‘tomboy’ friend to help him pick out trainers? Strange … like me, he’s got enough servants to help him do that!”
That was it. Skye couldn’t help herself.
“Maybe this is the reason he started talking to me!” she snarled, turning to face Sasha, looking her bang in the eye.
At first Sasha’s snide face transformed into one of horror. Skye’s eyes had turned bright blue and her pupils had dilated immensely. But then Sasha’s expression relaxed; she started to chuckle.
“Ah … you’re a Morpher. That explains it. I should have guessed. You do look rather like a dirty, unwashed beast.”
Skye could not recall in recent times when she had felt more enraged.
“If you know what I am, maybe you should reconsider your manners,” she said, the hostility plain on her face, fangs now starting to form inside her mouth.
But Sasha just laughed.
“Come on. I’m not stupid. Any Morpher who attacks a normal person is immediately executed. That’s what the law says. You can’t be that dumb, even if you are a filthy freak of nature.”
“Raphael’s a Morpher – would you call him a filthy freak too?”
Sasha shrugged.
“It’s one of his flaws that I can live with.” Skye stared at her in disbelief, her body engulfed in an outrage she had not felt for a long time. “Everything else about him makes up for it. Do yourself a favour – keep away from him. He’ll break your heart, little animal. I guess he took a shine to you because you have that problem in common. But other than that, you’ll never be anything more to him than what you are – a nobody. You know that, right?”
At that moment, Raphael and Lila returned, an ambulance and paramedics chugging alongside them. Sasha immediately reverted back to her tormented demeanour, while Skye pushed past Raphael.
<
br /> “I have to go,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes firmly fixed to the floor.
“What? Why? Skye, wait – the ambulance is here now. Lila can go with Sasha and we can go back to Bert’s, or somewhere else if you prefer?”
“No, I have to go. Thanks, I had a nice evening.”
And she hurried past him, ignoring his calls of her name and vaguely hearing in the distance Sasha’s simpering voice pleading with him to keep her company in the ambulance, because Lila had to go home.
Skye quickly made her way to the shuttle bus-stop down the other end of the street. The day had dissolved into a brilliant sunset. A row of trees stood to her right and she stopped at the nearest oak, for her head was still thumping and her heart pounding. She deeply regretted her loss of temper with the spiteful Sasha and allowing her to see her for what she was, a Morpher.
But, to her dismay, it was not this that bothered her as much as it was the girl’s words about Raphael. She knew now that the emotion she had felt while they looked into each other’s eyes in the café had been the beginning of feelings she was developing for him … Why she suddenly felt this way towards him, she had no idea. It was one of those great unexplained mysteries. All she knew was that when she thought of his handsome face and smiling green eyes, the jittery feeling in the pit of her stomach seemed to overpower her. And she knew also that Sasha was right – he never would go for her. He liked her purely for the fact she was a Morpher, that he could finally feel as though there was someone like him, a friend who could relate to him – and nothing more. But that was it. She didn’t have Sasha’s beauty, nor her wealth or popularity. This was the reality of life and she had to accept it.
Unwanted tears of humiliation and anger had formed in her eyes and she cursed inwardly for allowing herself to come so close to feeling something for him. Skye’s resolute side took over and she vowed that these feelings would come to an end.
Friends. Or nothing.
With a determined air, she wiped her eyes, her head held high as she approached the shuttle bus-stop, the day dimming with each moment that passed.
Chapter Five
Two weeks later, Skye was sitting at work with a false grin plastered on her face while the holographic image of an obese man shouted at her, his multiple chins jutting about in rage.
How The Wolf Lost Her Heart Page 5