Crissa's Mate

Chapter Sixty-One

When Brad finally closed his phone, Crissa came out of the bathroom hearing Trisha now shouting louder in her conversation with her boyfriend. This was of little concern to Crissa as she just sat on the bed feeling helpless. Her biggest concern was if David would make it back before the final six days until the full moon. She knew also she would have to make ready the cabin for him and provide what she could for food and water. Crissa also found herself stressing over David's interaction with the local wolves. It had been problematic and violent the previous month.

"Well I really don't care! If you do leave, me, Robby. If that's what you're threatening me with. I have to have a life up here!"

Crissa could see her roommate sitting on her bed and listening intently to Robby's obviously angry comments.

"No! I didn't sleep with him, Robby!" And I can't believe you don't believe me when I tell you that!"

To Crissa the conversation in the room was too much for her to endure. Her own worries had now caused a nauseated feeling in her stomach. The idea that Julie, now as a wolf---and  prematurely, could have attacked Professor Dekker, leaving him in critical condition, was overwhelmingly troublesome. She could not help but wonder if the early onset of a change might pertain to David's potentials for violence and savagery, as well. For this reason she could not get out of her head those ugly thoughts and possibilities. She tried not to visualize Julie, in her primitive wolf carnation, lunging up off the lab floor and connecting visciously with the professor's neck. She fought back the picture of her strong jaws tearing open his throat in an instant. Likewise, the sickening image of the professor lying prone, gasping and choking to survive would not leave her. She uncontrollably pictured the bloody paw-prints around the professor's body, mottling the floor with red stains the trail of them leading out of the lab and onto the campus walkway.

Crissa stood up, and taking her phone with her, she motioned to a now tearful Trisha that she was leaving the room. Her roommate was too upset to even respond, as she continued to listen to Robby and silently cry.

Walking out into the cool air, Crissa started across the campus toward the dinning commons, hopefully to have a cup of tea to settle her stomach and nerves, She also needed desperately to free her mind up to and think clearly about her plans for the next critical days. As she sat at a dining table, mindlessly stirring honey into her tea, her phone rang again. Fishing it quickly out of her bag, she answered it on the second ring.

"Crissa . . . ?"

"Yes!  What's happening now, Brad?"

"OK. Earlier I gave a report to the police. About what I believed and knew about professor. Dekker. I told them first hand of his irresponsible behavior and brutal treatment of Julie."

"God, Brad . . . Did you say anything about . . . the changes?  The effects she and David . . ."

"No Crissa. Nothing about their transformation. How could they possibly believe that, anyway. I just told them that Dekker, on that summer trip, exposed all of us to life-threatening circumstances. That he was especially erratic and menacing to Julie when we returned to Alaska. And that he held her against her will. Exposing her to . . . questionable procedures."

"Good . . . But did you mention David?"

"No. Crissa. I don't want him implicated in this. Not in any way."

"Good, Brad . . . Thank you."

"I'm not doing this for you, Crissa. It's for my best friend. He must survive all of this this now. Whether down there in BC with you . . . or up here again, in Alaska with me and a few friends."