What She Left Me

Chapter 9

Over the next week, I still didn't notice a single thing different about me. Except for the fact I started getting new stares from a couple kids around school, different than the "she must be so sad for killing her best friend" stares and more "Your different, and I know". The number of were-freaks in this town was quite baffling. I even noticed a few teachers give me odd looks. Even weirder was that not one of them came up to me or confronted me about it. Instead, they all just silently watched my every move. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was ready to track down Marek and make him teach me everything Lycan. Maybe if I learned more about them and how to be them, everyone would stop making me feel like a pariah.

I had my mother drop me off at the Wilk house on her way to work, and she was more than happy to oblige. Though I think she might have been a little less happy if she knew that I was going over to a house full of werewolves and that they were going to teach me how to be a werewolf. Probably best she was left in the dark for now.

I walked up to the front door and poised my hand to lock, but I paused doubting myself. What if I was coming here too often...too soon. What if they don't like having their daughter's killer over every weekend.... Before I had a chance to back out, the door swung open leaving my hand up still as if I were about to knock. Marek stood on the other side, smiling.

"Deciding whether or not you want to train today?" He says stepping out of the way to let me in. I lower my hand back to my side and enter the house.

"Uh, no, you just beat me to the door..." I said, hoping to play it off.

"Yeah sure. That's why you stood frozen for a solid minute before I opened the door?".... Well, I guess there's no winning this one. Time to change the subject.

"So, what will you be teaching me today?" I say walking into the living room and sitting down on the creme colored couch. "Shapeshifting? Hunting down the innocent creatures of the forest?" to that he laughs.

"No, no. no shapeshifting or hunting for you just yet. Something else to help you home in on your new senses. A game of sorts." He says clasping his hands behind his back, clearly amused by something.

"A game? I thought you wanted me to take this werewolf stuff seriously?"

"Lycan... and yes, I do want you to take this seriously. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun to do it."

Whatever it was he had in mind, I doubted it was going to be very fun.

I sighed in defeat ready to indulge in whatever game he had in mind and followed him out of the house and down to a trail leading into the woods. After following it for a bit, we came to an old wooden sign pointing in different directions for various trails. Standing around the sign were a couple people that seemed to be waiting for us, because when we walked up Marek greeted them all.

"Everyone, this is Maura. Consider her one of our newest trainees." The group appraised me; A couple even sniffed the air, I think. Definitely werewolves.

"Maura, this is Ben, Kate, Joshua, and Levi." They each waved or nodded a response when their names were sounded. Not very chatty people it would seem. In return I gave the lot of them a nod of acknowledgment.

"Alright, so here is the game. We hide. You find. Got it? Good!" wait... what?

"I'm sorry, but don't you think you all have a bit of an advantage over me? This doesn't seem very fair" I'm a competitive person by nature, but I still liked a fair fight.

"Look, somewhere in you is a wolf. Once you connect with your natural instincts, then it'll be fair. Until then..." he said with a dramatic pause, "I happen to be the hide and seek champion of the pack. So good luck." With that the group started off to the right of the trail, each of them running along the path and into the forest in different directions.

You've got to be kidding me...I just stood on the trail, unbelieving that Marek thought he could make me do this.

Oh, and just in case you thought this was optional.... He said mentally projecting in my head before I started being pelted in different directions by different projectile ranging from pebble to Pinecone.

"ALRIGHT! I get it!" The assault ended and I set down the path in the direction everyone had headed. "Asshole" I added under my breath, even though I knew he could hear me wherever he was.

The trail was long, and I was already tired of walking, tired of this game, completely missing the point of whatever I was supposed to be learning. I was ready to give up when I heard a rusting in the leaves to my left and noticed something running. Not wasting time, I sprinted after it off the trail and into the undergrowth of the forest. I ran for a bit before I stopped to listen to the forest again. Nothing around me moved. Whatever I had been chasing was gone. As far as luck goes, I probably chased a bunny, and would now be lost in woods full of blood thirsty monsters. Though Marek hasn't ever come across as a bloodthirsty beast in all my years growing up with him.

"Merek?"...."MEREK!!!!!!" I was beyond done with this. I wasn't even very sure which direction the trail was in. I looked around and saw, some trees, some leaves and well... more trees. This is stupid, I think as a kick the ground and then keep walking. When I find one of them... I'm going to give it to them, full on fist action. Those bitches. The light is already starting to go orange, which means before long it'll be dark and impossible to find my way back. And then I'll die out here alone.

I haven't done this much exercise since well before the accident. As I'm walking, I start huffing and puffing as if I were asthmatic. If they didn't hear me coming before they will now. As I'm walking, I start to smell something weird. I'm not sure exactly what musk is or what it smells like, but I think it might be this smell. And, urine. Like cat pee, ugh it smells terrible. Where is that smell coming from. I attempt to cover my mouth and nose with my shirt, but it doesn't do much to cover the smell. The smell dies down some as I walk, but then I start to hear light foot falls behind me. But whenever I turn to check, there's nothing there. This goes on for a couple minutes and I whip around exasperated.

"Okay, you guys ha-ha so funny. I'm so bad at this I can't even find you when you are following right behind me. Seriously, just come out so we can all go back home, okay?" I wait, and nothing happens.

"Seriously, I'm tired. Get out here now." I stomp my foot like an impatient child. Behind me I hear a low growl. OK...not having fun anymore. Feeling the blood thirsty monster more now. I slowly turn to look behind me, and I see two low eyes looking at me from behind some bushes. Not creepy at all....

"Hello??" I take a couple steps toward the bush. "I mean I found you you can come out now..." I start to reach my hand out towards the bushes when the thing hiding decides to leap out and I fall as it overshoots landing behind me in a predatory stance. This was not a human, or a wolf...It was a mountain lion, and I was totally and completely screwed.

I scrambled to my feet and the big cat yowled and swiped its paw at me missing. It didn't move to attack yet, assessing for my weaknesses. Of which I had many. I wanted to scream for help, but my throat was closed, and I could barely catch my breath. The cat flicked it tail as it and I circled the space between us.

My eyes took brief glances away from its sharp eyes to scour my surroundings. I was searching for anything I could use against this beast. There was nothing but leaves and dirt. There was no way for me to get out of this. I couldn't run. I've seen nature documentaries. I run, and then the mountain lion digs its claws into my legs, or more likely leaps onto my back sinking its teeth into my jugular. I couldn't fight it. It had claws and teeth and speed and agility, and I had...all those things if I could only figure out how to make it work. What else could I do....? Scare it? Well, it's my only option. I prepare myself as I take a couple quick steps toward the beast yelling at it

"AHHHHHHH!!!" it shrinks slightly taking a couple step back and yowling again before it swipes its claws at me again and I must retreat. So that didn't work. It might just be my time to die... and just then the world began to move in slow motion as I saw the cat reel itself back preparing to leap at me. I'd done my best. But now it was time to suffer for all the terrible I had done. I close my eyes resolved with the fact that I was going to see Reesa very soon....