Third time's a charm

Wish of a happy birthday

Juliette let the cold water hit her. Her nightmare still perturbed her. It had been just like when she dreamed of Ben's attack. It'd felt so vivid but, at the same time, so blurry. She could feel something going through her heart, could feel the pain but wasn't sure what or how. All she remembered was that she died and Calliope was there. She'd seen her face for the first time in two years but couldn't make up what expression it had. Her only clue about the where was that she saw a welcome to prom banner, so there was that. 

Who knows, perhaps Calliope was going to kill her during senior prom? Getting offed in a musty gym filled with hormonal teenagers, half of whom drunk from a spiked punch, on the beat of some unknown DJ. That would be a ridiculous way to go out.

Unsure of how to feel about it, Juliette decided to deal with it the way she did with all her problems; by simply ignoring it. She went back to her room and grabbed her leather jacket. The sun was already down, a perfect time to look for a distraction. On her way out, she crossed her mother. Margot furrowed her brows as she took a look at her daughter. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Juliette deadpanned as if it was the most obvious thing. She didn't wait for a second longer, not wanting to hear another talk about her recklessness, bypassing her mother to the stairs. She heard her mother sigh in defeat as she stepped outside.

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"On your mark." All boys moved to their designed place. "Set." They set themselves in position, waiting for the start signal. "Phwwwwwhht" The race began, each boy sprinting along the track. As always, there were two frontrunners; Winston Patel and Benjamin Wheeler. The two teenagers were, without a doubt, the fastest runners of Lancasters Academy. Often chosen to represent the school in any interschool competition, the two were rivals, fighting neck and neck for the spot of first runner. That day, like many before, Patel took the win. 

Ben let himself fall on the track, exhausted. Winston turned to Ben, a smirk coloring his lips. The boy was enjoying his recent winning streak against the former team star-runner. "What's going on, Benny? You're getting slower." Winston taunted him. 

Ben rolled his eyes at his running mate's quips and pulled himself up. He knew that he wasn't doing well lately. He owed it to an explosive cocktail consisting of a lack of sleep and a recent inability to focus. His nights were constantly plagued by nightmares. It often revolved around either; him hurting one of his loved ones or being chained to a tree. That, and the fact that he was in a constant state of jitteriness, made his day hell. 

If only it stopped at that. Lately, Ben found himself struggling with reigning his senses. His strength was getting out of control again, despite it taking him over a year to manage it. He was once again struggling with any sounds that were above a whisper. And the headaches, let's not talk about them. Overall, Ben felt like utter crap.

Winston walked closer to him, out of earshot from the others. He leaned in, his expression much more sympathetic than before. "You know, if you let your wolf out, from time to time, you'll feel much better. It's not supposed to stay trapped inside.

Ben shook him off. Walking to the bleachers to grab his stuff. "If you're saying that to lure me into seeing y dad, your wasting your time." 

Winston sighed. The werewolf wasn't sticking to Wheeler out of an irresistible want to befriend the runner. No, he was doing it for the god of the pack. "Look, man, you're part of the pack. And a pack is only as strong as its member. It needs unity. You may not see it, but we're a family, and you're part of it."

Ben shoved his stuff in his duffel bag before slinging said bag around his shoulder. "Sorry, but I'm busy with the family I already have. I'm not in need of a new one." With that said, Ben walked off.