Beginnings (The Trifectus Series - Book One) Read online

The next day I knew I had rush to school. I couldn’t wait until lunch to talk to James. What if I was right? What if Derek was a part of this and someone got hurt? He needed to be stopped, and I was going to make sure he was.

  As I got to school, I pushed people out of the way to get inside. I searched the hallways for James but couldn’t find him anywhere.

  “My locker!” I shouted.

  James was always at my locker. It was like a homing beacon to him and he always knew to find me there. I ran through the hallways and turned the corner to see he wasn’t there. I was panicked, but knew I had to get my things anyway for class. I opened my locker and got my books. As I closed the door, I heard someone step up close behind me.

  “Boo,” said James, smiling.

  “I’m so glad I found you,” I said, turning.

  “Well, me too,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night.”

  “Did you hear about the wolf sighting last night?” I asked frantically.

  “The ones we saw?”

  “No. I heard yesterday some man saw other ones. This time there were four of them out roaming in the early morning.”

  “This isn’t good. They must be trying to form a pack,” he said while putting his fingers to his chin.

  “I think it was Derek,” I whispered to him.

  “Derek? Why Derek?” James frowned. “He isn’t that level, and besides, he’s never shown aggression.”

  “What if you were wrong about him? What if he really is to that level but doesn’t show it because he knows you would do something?”

  “I’ll talk to Troy about it. He knows all about trapping and hunting wolves. If he says there’s a chance then we’ll check it out.”

  “Just be careful,” I said, looking into his eyes. “I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt.”

  “I will. I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said staring back at me.

  As he was about to kiss me, somebody interrupted us.

  “What is going on here?” asked Brittany. “You think you can just come and steal my man? I have liked James for a lot longer than you have even been here.”

  “Leave her alone,” James said. “She and I are dating. I have never liked you, Brittany. You’re mean and cruel.”

  I watched as James defended me. It was a side of him I’d never seen before. He was usually very quiet and nice to everybody he met. Usually, he was even nice to Brittany even though she was obsessed with him.

  Brittany stormed off. She was finally out of the picture. Finally, I could focus on building a relationship with James and not have to worry about somebody trying to rip us apart.

  The bell rang as James let go of my hand. He kissed my cheek and walked away. The feel of his cool kiss lingered on my skin.

  I went to class smiling. As I walked into history class, I saw Mr. Quigley getting another video ready.

  “Today we will be learning about the werewolves and their history,” said Mr. Quigley enthusiastically.

  The entire class groaned as he fumbled with the disc.

  “I know how much you guys would rather hear my beautiful voice instead, but this is important. With the recent spotting I thought it only fitting to show you more about them,” he said.

  He dimmed the lights as the movie started playing. It was an older movie, one that hadn’t been updated in years.

  “The werewolves are an ancient species that we know much about,” the narrator began. “It is rumored that they come from a shamanistic people. They originated in most of Europe, their presence feared by all. Normal men would take the shape of vicious wolves and hunt the livestock and the people with no regard for their lives. Men would be consumed by their new powers and wouldn’t be able to control their thoughts or urges once they transformed. Many werewolves found that they could make packs, which is a group or family of werewolves living and hunting together. Their power is drawn from the moon and is amplified by the number of werewolves in their packs. Their strength and speed would increase, and the killings would also rise.

  “Werewolves couldn’t be hunted by mortal men, and only had one enemy: the vampires. It is said that they used to live in harmony. Then a vicious attack by the wolves prompted the vampires to retaliate and they have been locked in combat ever since.

  “It is also said if you are lucky enough to slay a werewolf and wear his pelt, you will take on some of his powers and attributes. Werewolves are near impossible to detect in their mortal forms. Next time you are out at night and you hear a howl, be careful. You never know what, or who, will be running out of the woods next.”

  “As you see, class,” Mr. Quigley said, stopping the video, “werewolves are both remarkable and dangerous. You need to always exercise caution and never approach a wild werewolf. They are known to attack on sight and never show mercy.”

  I looked over to see Cara shifting a little in her seat. I could tell she was uneasy. She looked as though she worried that everybody knew her secret: that she was a werewolf. I watched her squirm, wondering if she knew what her mate had become.

  As Mr. Quigley went on with his lesson, I couldn’t help but watch Cara. She was fidgeting as if she wanted just to burst out of the classroom and leave. She wasn’t acting as if she was scared someone would find her out anymore. She was acting as if she needed to tell someone something.

  The bell rang and I watched her push her way out of the class. I followed her from a distance. I watched her approach Derek, who was alone, putting stuff in his locker. With their backs to me, neither noticed as I slipped into the hallway right around the corner from them.

   As the hall emptied of other students and grew quiet, I could hear them talking.

  “We can’t do this anymore,” she said.

  “What do you mean? Do what?” he replied.

  “Be here, in this school.” She sounded frantic. “They just played a movie about werewolves. I think they are on to us.”.

  “Relax,” he said. “I’m sure you are over-reacting. With the spotting yesterday we just have to be even more careful than before.”

  When I heard him say that, I walked away. They were the wolves. They recruited other wolves to go with them and terrorize the city. They were turning wild and now Cara was scared that people would find out and try to capture them.

  I decided I was going to try to talk to James again at lunch. He was too quick to put the idea aside earlier, but now I had proof. I knew they were going to try to do something again and I didn’t want to see someone get hurt.

  As the day progressed, I got impatient. I just wanted to get to James and warn him of the impending doom headed our way. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Cara had said and how she acted, either. Why would she do this? Why would THEY do this? Couldn’t they just control their urges and leave somewhere?

  As lunch approached, I didn’t have eating in mind: just James. I saw him sitting at a table with Emma talking.

  “Hey Juliet!” said Emma. “We were just talking about you.”

  “What about?” I asked.

  “Just how much fun we had with you. I’m glad there’s finally someone my age around,” she said.

  “Oh—yeah—me too. Anyway, listen. I overhead Cara and Derek talking.”

  “Not again,” said James. “You need to just calm down. They aren’t doing anything.”

  “Yes, they are. I overheard them talking about how they can’t do this anymore and be in this school. They also said they have to be even more careful than before. How do you explain that?”

  “That doesn’t prove anything,” James said. “If I were them, I’d be scared too. If our people were in the news the way theirs are, we’d be scared of being found out. Emma and I are scared every day.”

  “I don’t know. I still think they are up to something,” I said.

  “Relax and go have lunch. I told you I’ll talk to Troy and we’ll figure it all out. It’s in good hands. Don’t try to get involved.”

  I gave him a kiss
and walked away. I knew they were up to something, but what?

  I sat down for lunch next to Ariel. She and Taylor had been talking intently.

  “Can you believe what happened to Ashley?” Ariel said to me.

  “Something happened to her?” I cautiously asked.

  “Yeah. Well, you know she was taken away before, but now it got worse,” Ariel said. “Apparently they are charging her for the attack on those guys and she is being sent to some holding prison somewhere. Apparently it’s where they keep vampires, werewolves and androidians that they have caught over the years.”

  All I could think was that I could’ve been the one going to this prison. What if they had caught me? If Ashley’s father, one of the wealthiest people in the nation, couldn’t save her, my father couldn’t either. I knew that I had to start being more careful. I couldn’t give any hints to anyone that I knew the things I did and that I was secretly dating a vampire.

  “That’s terrible,” I said.

  “Yeah,” said Taylor. “I just hope that Brittany takes it okay. She’s a mean girl, but it still must be hard to lose her sister like this.”

   As the day went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about what was said at lunch. Didn’t they know Ashley wasn’t a vampire? What could they possibly be holding her for? She was going to spend the rest of her life in prison, and it was entirely my fault.

  The bell rang to go home, and I had to find James. As I made my way to my locker, I saw him talking to Emma in the hallway.

  “Hey, I just wanted to say goodbye,” I said.

  “I love you,” he said, while looking lovingly into my eyes.

  “I love you too,” I said, smiling.

  “We’re going to watch Derek and Cara tonight. If they change forms and go then we will be right on top of them watching. We won’t let them hurt anyone,” he said.

  “Just be careful,” I said with my hands against his chest.

  He kissed me on the cheek and turned away. He looked back, smiling at me, just before vanishing around the corner. I had never felt so lucky before.

  As I got in the car to go home, I turned on my phone and it started beeping. I hadn’t had it on all day and now I had four text messages waiting for me.

  “Hey I need to talk to u.”

  “Are u there?”

  “Please reply, it’s important.”

  “Text me soon.”

  They were all from Marcus. He had never texted me like this before. He was always very laid-back and now all of a sudden it seemed like something was very wrong. I hurriedly replied to him.

  “I’m sorry, what’s wrong?!?” I said.

  “Nothin’ wrong. Just need to talk to you when u get home,” he replied.

  While I was on my way home, I tried to think of what Marcus could need to talk to me about. Nothing major had happened recently, and I hadn’t even talked to him for a couple days. I got home and went upstairs to talk to him.

  As I logged online, he messaged me.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey. What’s up? What did you need to talk to me about?” I replied.

  “I wanted to talk about our relationship.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we have been good friends for a while now. We’ve video chatted and I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a date sometime. I think we would have a really great time together.”

  I was shocked. I really didn’t even know what to say. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was such an important person in my life, and I wanted to keep his friendship.

  “Oh,” I said. “I’m actually dating someone now, and I love him. I care about you deeply, Marcus, and you are family to me. I don’t want this to hurt our friendship because we have been so close for so long and you are one of my best friends.”

  “You’re dating someone...?”

  “Yes…”

  “Oh, that’s cool, I guess. I’m happy for you. I hope he treats you right. You are the best girl I’ve ever known. I guess I was just hoping that a guy like me could be with a girl like you.”

  “What do you mean a girl like me?”

  “You’re a wonderful person. You’re kind and sweet and beautiful. You always know how to make me smile and you are just the best person I know.”

  “Thank you, Marcus. I hope we can continue to talk and be friends. It would mean a lot to me.”

  “Of course, Juliet. I’m going to get going. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  Before I could reply, he had logged off. I felt horrible about what happened. I really did like Marcus. I even felt deep down that if he had said these things a few weeks ago, that maybe I would be with him right now. But he had always been extremely secretive with me and I wasn’t sure I could be with someone who was like that. I needed a man who would give me everything, especially honesty.

  I felt confused after the encounter with Marcus. I loved James and wanted to be with him, but I also had some feelings for Marcus. James hadn’t been around for long, while Marcus had been around for a long time.

  I decided that I should try to meet Marcus soon. I had to see where my feelings lay. I wanted to be with James, but I also didn’t want to live my life never knowing if Marcus was the one I was letting slip away.

  “Juliet! Time for dinner!” my mom yelled.

  I went downstairs to see my mother and father already sitting at the table waiting for me. I was hungry, and I was hoping some food would help calm my nerves.

  “So, dear, you never told me how the dinner at your friend’s house was,” my mother said.

  “It went really well,” I said. “Her family is really nice and they welcomed me right in.”

  “Oh, that is wonderful, dear,” she said. “I hope we can meet them soon!”

  “Me too. I know they are really busy, though, so probably not anytime soon.”

  “Well maybe we could go to dinner with you next time,” she said.

  As she said this, my father groaned. I could tell he didn’t want to be roped into going over to some stranger’s house to have an awkward dinner.

  “Oh, Arnold, behave yourself,” my mother said. “This is Juliet’s friend and we should welcome them with open arms.”.

  “Yeah, we will see. I will talk to them and see if we can get together sometime,” I said.

  The last thing I needed was my parents having dinner with James and his family. I can just imagine the awkward questions when my mother asked why they weren’t eating their food. My father would have a massive coronary and try to shoot them all on sight. World War 3 would erupt in my house, and I wouldn’t let that happen.

  “Oh good,” she said.

  “How have your studies been going?” my father asked.

  “They have been going good so far. We’ve been watching a lot of videos lately,” I said.

  “Videos about what?” asked my father.

  “First we watched one about the androidians and then the werewolves. It was very interesting seeing the history behind things.”

  “Those history classes won’t teach you everything,” my father said. “We keep a lot of things out of the books for special reasons. I should take you down to the base sometime and show you what goes on behind the scenes. Show you the real captives there and what we have learned about them. I bet you they will never teach you that kind of stuff in school!” He smiled enthusiastically.

  I didn’t want to go anywhere near that base with him. I could imagine it: dozens of dead bodies and captives being poked, prodded and tortured and my father showing them off as if they were trophies for the biggest sports tournament on Earth. No doubt he’d smile as he told me how he and his team conquered these vile creatures and dissected them. How he wiped out a family of vampires and kept their fangs as mementos from the mighty day. I wouldn’t be a part of it. I wouldn’t see harmless people being wiped out just because they were different. It was genocide, and he should be ashamed.

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said. “You know I have a wea
k stomach though and would have a hard time seeing all of those things. Isn’t it top secret anyway?” I added, trying to dissuade him from wanting to take me.

  “Yeah,” he said. “But I know my little angel wouldn’t tell people what she saw, would she?”

  “No sir,” I said obediently.

  I excused myself from dinner to avoid any potential problems. I had homework anyway, and I really didn’t want to hear about my father and his mighty slayings.

  I walked upstairs and closed my door behind me. I wished my father wasn’t who he was. Why couldn’t he be an accountant or something? Why did he have to be the one profession that he was? I was in love with and dating a man my father hunted for a living.

  I did my homework and got in bed. I lay there while thoughts of James filled my brain. I couldn’t help but smile thinking of him lying right next to me. His arms wrapped around my body. His lips pressed against mine. Both of us: whole. I fell asleep thinking of him right next to me. It was the most peaceful sleep I had in a long time.

  I had dreams of him that night. I dreamt of receiving a bite from him. I wanted it more than anything. I wanted to leave this place and be his wife. I wanted him to love me forever. I didn’t care about being mortal anymore. All I cared about was being his. I needed and wanted it more than anything else in the world. I knew we would be okay. I knew he would take care of me. I knew his family would accept me and help me with everything and anything. I needed to convince him to do it. I needed to convince him to give me the bite.

  The next morning, I woke up determined. I was tired of being just a normal girl. I wanted to be different. I wanted to join James’s family and leave mine. My parents wouldn’t even notice if I was gone. They would probably even be happier. As I got ready for school, I thought about how I wanted to go about asking James. Maybe I could trick him into giving me it. Maybe he would just plain offer to give me it.

  I decided to wear my nicest outfit with my best perfume. If I could get him crazy about me, maybe he would just have the urge to give me the bite I so desperately desired.

  I got in the car and drove off to school. I got out of the car and smelled the crisp air as I made my way up to the door. Kids were laughing, people were getting along, and everything was great. I made my way to my locker and skipped over to James, who was already standing there waiting for me.

  “What are you so happy about?” he asked me, smiling.

  “Oh nothing, just thinking,” I said.

  “Oh yeah? About what?”

  “You giving me the bite,” I said.

  He covered my mouth to hold back anything else that I was going to say.

  “You know you can’t mention that here,” he said frantically.

  I pulled his hand off my mouth.

  “Relax,” I said. “Nobody heard me. I want it though, and I need it.”

  “I don’t think you understand what it even means. You aren’t ready for it. Nobody is ready for it.”

  “Why aren’t I ready for it? You don’t think I’m tough enough to take it?”

  “It isn’t about being tough enough to actually receive it. It is about the things that come with it. The things you lose.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “Like your family, your friends. Everything is lost when you become like this. You have to leave everyone behind and it isn’t an easy thing to do. We have all done it and it took years for those scars to even begin healing.”

  I looked into his eyes and I could see his emotion. He was genuinely afraid of what would happen to me if I did lose these things. Even though I was distanced from my parents, I still loved them. I cared about them and just thinking of one day up and leaving them without any explanation started to sink in. Maybe I wasn’t ready for this.

  “Fine,” I said. “Maybe now isn’t the time, but I still want it someday.”

  “I know you do. If the day comes where it is meant to be, then I will do it. I feel like I should be the one to give you it.”

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you with all of my heart,” he said, gazing into my eyes.

  He gently took my hand and kissed it. It still amazed me when I felt his lips against my skin. It was like a cold can was being softly pressed against me. Even though his skin was cold, I still felt his warmth with every touch.

  “I should get going. The bell is going to ring soon,” he said.

  He walked away and I couldn’t help but smile. Why was I so lucky to find such an amazing person? Someone who would love me unconditionally.

  “So,” I heard someone say.

  I turned around to see Ariel standing there.

  “Are you going to give me the dish about you and James already?” she said playfully.

  “Well, he is pretty amazing,” I said smiling. “Everything is going great.”

  “That’s good. We have been wondering about him for a while.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, nobody knows much of anything about him and Emma. They come and go and don’t talk to many people. I mean, James doesn’t even show up every day for classes. Seems like he comes to see you then just leaves like it’s nothing at all.”

  “They are kind of shy,” I said, trying to pull her attention away. “I’m sure it’s all good.”

  “Whatever you say, girl. Just be careful. A guy that handsome is bound to have broken some hearts along the way.”

  The bell rang and we started to make our way to class. I had never thought to ask James about his past relationships. He had been around for a long time, and I am sure he has loved other women.

  I started feeling sick from the idea of it all. He was mine now, but what if he left me for somebody else?

  “I have to go see the nurse,” I said to Ariel as I started walking that way.

  I felt physically sick, as if I had the flu. I made my way to the nurse’s office and opened the door.

  I saw Cara already in there getting treated by the nurse. Werewolves had an easier time with human contact because they weren’t cool like the vampires. They were warmer than humans by a few degrees and could pass as mortals.

  “Can I help you with anything?” the nurse asked.

  “Y—yeah. I’m feeling very nauseous,” I said.

  She let me lie down on a cot and gave me some medication.

  “This should take effect in fifteen minutes or so, dear. I am going to go around the corner for a few minutes. If you girls need anything you can ring my buzzer and I will come back,” she said, smiling.

  “James got you feeling sick?” Cara asked.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “His power over you is disgusting. You just worship him as if he was a god. He has you wrapped around his finger and it won’t end well for you,” she said, laughing.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “He loves me and I love him. He isn’t using me in any way.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, princess. All of a sudden you’ll get sick after spending so much time touching him and kissing him, and you don’t think it’s all related? Wake up and see what he’s doing to you.”

  “Oh yeah?” I shouted. “James is using me as much as Derek is using you.”

  “Don’t you dare bring Derek into this. He and I are spirit bonded. We chose each other with no interference. He doesn’t have manipulation qualities like your undead boyfriend.”

  I turned on my side so I wouldn’t have to look at her anymore. I wasn’t going to let her get to me. James loved me, and I knew he meant it. He wasn’t using me for anything and I knew that he cared about me. Cara just wanted to shove a wedge between us for her own personal gain. She hated vampires and would do anything to make them miserable.

  “Running away?” she asked. “Typical.”

  The nurse walked in soon after.

  “How are you feeling, dear?” she asked me.

  “I feel a lot better. I think I would like to go now.”

  “O
kay, dear. Let me just get you a pass for your class,” she said as she handed me my slip. “If you start feeling ill again don’t hesitate to come back,” she said, smiling.

  I smiled and took my slip. I walked out of the room hoping that Cara would get fleas. She was crazy, and nothing she could say would keep me away from James.

  I started walking slowly through the hallway. I still wasn’t feeling that great, but getting away from Cara was worth not staying there longer. I finally made it across the school and into class. I handed the slip to the teacher and sat in a desk in the back row. I put my hand against my cheek and tried to listen as my mind drifted off into a daydream.

  I started thinking of James again. What if Cara was right? I didn’t think James would do that to me, but I wondered. She was right that I was different. I thought about him a lot and didn’t feel I could go on with my life without him. I needed him. No, it wasn’t true. She was just jealous because she was stuck with that fleabag Derek and I had somebody as remarkable as James.

  It seemed like I was there for five minutes before the bell rang. I had no clue what the teacher said or even if there was an assignment. My mind was filled with the thought of James.

  Ariel approached me after class to see how I was feeling.

  “Hey, did you get sick?” she asked me.

  “No. She gave me some medicine and I got to leave.”

  “You know we have more dissections in biology today, right? I hope you will be able to handle it.”

  “Great,” I said as we started walking.

  We made our way to biology and I started feeling nauseous again. The thought of dissecting another animal was gross enough, but add in this sickness and it felt like too much to handle.

  We walked into class and I saw James sitting at a table with nobody next to him. I walked up and sat next to him. I took his hand under the table as the teacher started talking.

  “All right, class,” Mr. Johnson said. “Today we have another fun and interesting dissection for you all to do.”

  The class groaned as he said this.

  “Mr. Johnson, do we really have to keep doing this?” Billy asked.

  “Why yes, Billy, it is important,” he said. “We have to dissect things to see how they work. If we don’t know how they work, how could we ever help them? Today we will be dissecting cats! I will be handing out the specimens for your use. Please partner with the person you were with last time.”

  “What’s wrong?” James asked. “You look ill.”

  “Yeah, I got sick after you left earlier. I had to go to the nurse, Cara was there.”

  “Did she say anything to you?”

  “She said she knew we were together and that you were using me,” I said with my head down.

  “You know that isn’t true,” he said. “I would never do that. I love you, Juliet, more than anything.”

  “I know. It still gets to me sometimes. I mean, why would you want to be with someone like me anyway? You can have anyone.”

  “You’re all I want. I don’t want or need anyone else. As long as I have you I am fine,” he said while looking into my eyes.

  As he finished, Mr. Johnson put our specimen in front of us. The cat was shaved and it looked like it had been dead for a while. I could handle dissecting a frog, but a cat was a whole different game. I had one growing up, and what if this had been someone else’s pet?

  I made James cut it open and dissect it. I figured he probably didn’t have too big of a problem with death, and that he could handle it. I couldn’t even look at the cat. The putrid smell it gave off made me feel like I was going to vomit. How did people do this for a living? Why did anyone think it was a good idea to give a bunch of teenagers dead cats to cut open?

  Thankfully, Biology class was over pretty fast. James did everything and let me rest as I still was trying to fight off my nausea. When the bell rang, as much as I wanted to be away from the cat, I was still sad. I would have to stop having James close to me, comforting me. I wanted it to last forever, but knew it never could.

  The day went on and I started feeling better. The medicine the nurse gave me really worked and I finally felt okay. When I made my way to lunch, something happened that I never thought would.

  It was Brittany. The encounter James and I had with her apparently didn’t sit too well with her. She wanted James and she wasn’t shy about making it known.

  She started to approach me and I knew something was about to happen.

  “We are going to settle this once and for all,” she said to me.

  “Settle what, Brittany?”

  “James. He was mine before you came along and I want him back.”

  “I’m sorry Brittany. You need to get over it. He never was yours and you really need to back off.”

  I was surprised I was so assertive with her. Usually I would just agree with someone confrontational to get them to stop. This was different though. This was about the man I loved.

  “Excuse me? We are settling this tonight. Meet me at Founder’s Park at 8 unless you’re too scared.”

  “Brittany, I’m not doing this with you. Just give it up.”

  “No. If you don’t meet me there then you don’t deserve him.”

  I turned around and started to walk away.

  “I knew you were too much of a coward,” she called after me.

  I wanted to turn around. I wanted to just turn around and punch her. We aren’t in third grade anymore having to meet behind the bleachers after school. We were almost adults and could have sorted this out as such, but she wouldn’t let that happen.

  She wanted to humiliate me and I knew it. Most likely, she would give some low blows and cheap shots to get me down and then tell everybody I was weak and a coward. That was how these things always happened at other schools, and I knew it wouldn’t be any different here.

  “What was that all about?” Taylor asked as I sat down for lunch.

  “Just Brittany being stupid. She wants me to meet her at Founder’s Park at 8 tonight to fight her.”

  “Are you going to do it?” Greg asked.

  “Not at all. I’m not a child. If she wants to talk about things, she knows how to find me. I’m not going to meet her in a park after dark to be attacked by her and her cronies.”

  “Good move,” said Ariel. “You are better than her. She’ll get over it someday.”

  “I think she is still crazy after what happened to Ashley,” Greg said. “She probably doesn’t even know what she’s doing anymore.”

  As the day went on, I noticed Brittany staring me down and making gestures at me. She wasn’t playing around, but neither was I.

  When the day ended, I started to make my way to the door. Brittany stopped me dead in my tracks.

  “You better show up tonight,” she said to me.

  “Get out of my way, Brittany. I’m not dealing with you right now.”

  “Yeah, ’cause you know you can’t win,” she said, laughing. “You’re too scared that James will end up with a real woman and leave his little girl behind.”

  “Have fun in the park tonight.”

  I pushed by her and went out to my car. I got in the car and started to drive away. In the rear view mirror, I could see she’d followed me out. She was staring after me with a look of disgust.

  When I got home, I decided to take a nap. I was feeling better than earlier, but not well enough to care about doing anything else. I just wanted to rest and get the thoughts of today out of my head.

  I woke up at 9:30 feeling rested and went downstairs to see if my parents were home.

  “Honey, you’re up,” my father said. “Did you see what happened?” “What do you mean?” I replied.

  “A student from your school was found dead. Here, it’s on TV now.”

  “This is Terry Kerrington live at the scene. A body of a young girl was found early this morning in Founder’s Park. We are just receiving word that the body is of a 17-year-old girl named Brittany Cornington. Here with
more on the story is Deputy Tim Masterson.”

  “We believe the victim was attacked last night in Founder’s Park,” the deputy said. “The body was bitten multiple times with what we believe are werewolf bites. There were no witnesses that we know of at this time, and if you have any information please contact your local police department. We believe this was unprovoked, and the werewolves that made the attack will be found and executed.”

  I felt like throwing up. Brittany was a mean person, but I never wanted her dead. What if I had gone there last night? If I had let her get to me then I could also be dead. I knew those werewolves that had been roaming around were responsible for this.

  Juliet had trouble getting up after hearing the news.

  “Honey, are you okay?” her father asked.

  “Y—yeah,” she said.

  “Did you know this girl?”

  “Yeah, I did. She went to my school and was in my grade.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. We’ll work on finding the wolf who did this and bring justice to your friend.”

  I went up to my room and started crying hysterically. Why did this have to happen? I would give anything to bring Brittany back. Sure, she was annoying and cruel, but she didn’t deserve to die and especially the way she did. Her parents were going through so much already with Ashley and she should’ve still been there to help them through that. Now on top of having to deal with the imprisonment of one daughter, they were faced with another daughter’s murder.

  I knew something had to be done about the werewolves that had taken over the area. I needed to speak with James’s family. Maybe they could do something about it. Vampires were the only people that could stop a pack of werewolves effectively.

  I knew I had to talk to James at school about this. I knew I had to make a difference and stop these attacks from happening to innocent people. I knew it needed to end.

  Chapter Six

  Alert