Lycan Pass

Lycan Pass - Chapter 8

      I couldn't sleep after that. My breath rattled in my chest every time I allowed my mind to wander back to the dream. I was thoroughly shaken, my head hurt, and I could almost feel the migraine setting in. The weak sunlight streaming through the window gradually grew brighter, illuminating shadows in my room. Stretching, I crawled out of my bed and looked out of the window.
      
       I don't know why I was surprised to see people awake already, surely they have early morning jobs here too. I watched from my second story view as drowsy citizens meandered to their work sites, some of them taking a detour into Mella's shop. I don't know how long I stood there, watching the town folk, but right as I was about to turn away, a group of five or so men stepped out of the forest. They varied sizes: some lean, some thick with muscle, some wiry-thin, all of them menacing. I jumped as I felt a hand on my shoulder.
      
       "They're coming back from the night patrol," Trevor rumbled. He smirked and shook his head. "I don't envy them."
       "Night patrol?" I queried.
       "You didn't think that we'd leave our borders unguarded, did you? We have to keep humans and... other creatures from coming too close to the town." I was about to ask what he meant about "other creatures" but he interrupted my train of thought. "Want some breakfast?" My stomach growled hungrily. I had barely eaten since I arrived here, and I was famished. I nodded quickly and he led me to the cafeteria.
      
       It. Smelled. Heavenly. A kind looking elderly lady was handing out trays and a smile to everyone who stood in line. I looked as someone walked by, seeing what was for breakfast (not that I cared at the moment). A massive, fluffy omelet overflowing with cheese and ham passed me. My jaw ached as my mouth flooded, dreaming of my breakfast-to-be. Trevor had to drag me over to the line, as I was much too busy staring at the food to realize I was standing in everyone's way. I gripped onto him arm, practically bouncing with excitement over the prospect of eating a mound of eggy goodness. I think he was caught between being amused or exacerbated.
      
       We FINALLY got to the front of the line. I accepted the metal tray like a knight bracing himself for a quest of epic proportions. The omelet came with an orange slice and a drink. I grabbed a cup of coffee at the drinks counter, sweetening it to my heart's content. Trevor and I plopped down at an empty table in the back. When I asked why we couldn't sit nearer to the window, he muttered something about not wanting others to be horrified by my table manners. I simply rolled my eyes and dug in.
      
       The omelet settled in the bottom of my stomach, spreading warmth and sheer elation through me. I almost slowed myself to savor the beautifully crafted breakfast. Almost. In what I was sad to say felt like the blink of an eye, my eggy delight was gone. I looked over to Trevor's tray. He was only half way through his. His fork hovered mid-air as he stared at me in horror.
      
       "What?" I asked, paranoid. "Do I have something on me? What are you staring at?" He set his fork down and shook his head, astounded.
       "I thought it was physically impossible to actually inhale an omelet, but you've just proven me wrong." I gaped at him.
       "Oh, shut up!" I snatched up my orange and bit into it viciously, hoping it squirted him in the eye. I tossed the peel into a nearby garbage can and sipped my coffee. Before I even looked at the cup, I knew it must have come from Mella's cafe. The beautiful skies outside the large glass window distracted me, and I stared contentedly at them until Trevor finished his meal. My stomach grumbled a little as I saw the last uneaten bits of Trevor's omelet. I sighed inwardly and peeled my eyes away from it. No way was I going to ask Trevor for his omelet. He already thought I was a pig. He stood up and my heart broke a little as he walked towards the garbage can. Right as he tipped his tray, he stopped at turned towards me.
      
       "Actually, Diane, do you want the rest of this?" he asked. Yes! Yes, I want your omelet!
       "Sure, no point in wasting good food," I said casually. He didn't buy it. Still, he placed the tray in front of me and dumped mine. Since when was Trevor nice? I didn't ponder it long, and this time I did savor the last morsels of heaven. The grumbling subsided, and we walked out of the cafeteria.
      
       Trevor and I walked outside on the edge of town. The entire time, I was fully aware of noises occurring in the forest beside us. Eyes would flash in the undergrowth from time to time, and I often got the feeling that we were being watched. My suspicions were proved correct when two identical mountain lions prowled out of the bushes. My pulse raced and I gripped onto Trevor's arm, trying to pull him away, but he didn't even flinch. The mountain lions before us growled, baring their teeth. My breathing got faster. What do I do? How could I fend of two mountain lions? Panic set in, and I tried even harder to pull him away. Slowly, they inched towards us, their eyes trained on Trevor. Suddenly, the leaped, both of them tackling Trevor to them ground.
      
       "Trevor!" I screamed. My body reacted before my brain did. Bones barely through popping and crunching, I jumped onto the first cat, trying to throw it off.
      
       "Diane, no! Stop it!" Trevor hopped up off the ground and wrapped his arms around my chest, pulling me away from the attacker. I wriggled in his grip before returning to my human form. His arms  still pinned mine, I tried to kick my way free before he turned me around and said, "Diane, look!" I turned my head to the wild cats only to see a terrified young boy gawking at me. His twin ran over to him and helped the boy up, dusting him off as he stood.
      
       "What in Heaven's name was that for?" the first boy said in a slightly British accent. My head was spinning as I twisted to look at Trevor and then back at the boys.
      
       "But he- he was attacking-"
       "Diane, they weren't really going to hurt me," Trevor sighed heavily.
       "Geeze lady, we were just playing," the first boy said.
       "Yeah, we weren't doing nothing mean like," the other one confirmed. Trevor still held on to me, sensing a hadn't quite regained my senses.
       "I-I just thought... I'm sorry..." Trevor looked hard at the twins.
       "You're not the only one to blame here. Jerry, Sam, you know better. All mock-fighting is to be performed only at the training zone. Be glad I'm not ratting you out to John," he growled. The twins grinned at him.
       "Aw, we were just having a bit o' fun." He muttered something under his breathe before shooing the boys away. They ran off towards town, howling in laughter. My face burned in shame as Trevor turned to face me. What shocked me was that he had a look of grudging respect before he turned away and stalked off. I hurried, keeping stride with him.
      
       We walked for another good thirty minutes, never saying a word before we returned to the Facility. Trevor dropped me off at John's office, saying he had errands to do, and it was John's turn to baby-sit me. He walked away, leaving me fuming that he thought I needed "baby-sitting". I knocked angrily on John's door before being let in. I flopped down on a chair in front of his desk and waited impatiently for him to look up from his paper work. He finally lifted his head from his papers and gave me a warm smile.
      
       "Have a good time?" he asked.
       "Why?" My voice was a little too sharp and I muttered and apology. However, his smile never faltered.
       "No reason." His grin widened. "Well, Diane, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
       "Good news, please."
       "Good news is that you will be able to take part in the Naming Ceremony next week with the other matured Turnies." Elation shot through me.
       "Really?"
       "Yes, of course you can. You're a part of the community now too, which means you will abide by the rules and traditions as we all do." That dimmed my joy and added a bitter taste in my mouth, but I wasn't about to object. John must have pushed the community to accept me, and I didn't want to be rude in the face of his kindness. Curiosity gnawed at my mind.
       "And the bad news?" I queried. John's smile faded into a frown of discontent.
       "The Seer wants to see you."