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29. Intruders

ASTORIA

Zander and I cautiously sneaked out of the castle while Orion made sure the room is locked and the hole behind the blackboard remained covered. We will be going out of Queen's Garden to pick up the Solution 15 that Miko and Ivy will be delivering. This morning, Ivy's beta gave us the instructions for tonight. Miko will be handing us Solution 15 personally while Ivy and a few other members will make sure no one sees us. Scooby will be outside as well. Scooby originally wanted only me and him to pick up the solution, but Zander insisted that he comes along. He promised to behave. Scooby allowed him to come after Zander pointed out that it would be wiser and safer to bring him, just in case they get caught. Orion will be covering for us, just in case someone in the castle decides to look for us.

Scooby is already ahead of us, making sure the path is clear of guards. As Zander and I walked through the dark enchanted forest, the witch studied his surroundings.

"Not too long ago, I was living here. It felt more like a jail than home." He shared quietly. "Guess now it really is a jail." He chuckled, while I kept my eyes on the ground. I wish there was something I can do to make him feel better about being here. He has too many unwanted memories, some hurting him even though he's not expressing it. "Oh! Fun fact: see that Z carving on that big tree?" He pointed to the side, at a tree that does indeed have a 'Z' in it. "That's my masterpiece. I did that. But not because Zander starts with Z. I did it because I stole a sword from class and felt like Zorro. So the Z stands for Zorro, not Zander. But I bet everyone who saw that think it means something deep and meaningful. In reality, it just stands for Zorro."

"Wow. Genius."

"I know! Thank you."

Scooby stopped on his tracks to turn back to us. "Will you two shut up? You are so annoying and you always give me headaches! Will you just kiss already and then shut the fuck up?"

Zander and I stared at him, then slowly looked at each other, then back to him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're like a fifty year old man stuck inside a fifteen year old's body?"

The orange eyed boy growled and was about to give the witch a piece of his mind, though a wolf's howl had stolen his immediate attention. It sounded somewhere distant, though I cannot exactly tell which direction it's coming from. Scooby, on the other hand, knew where the wolf is and what the howl meant.

"Shit."

Zander and I were pushed aside, behind a small, empty tree house, right before another howl came.

And then someone screamed, "Intruders!"

Within seconds, werewolves had come out to the field. Zander and I quickly hid behind a bush and watched as numbers of werewolves rushed towards the direction of where the entrance to Queen's Garden is, I'm assuming. Scooby said Florencia is not here tonight. It is why he and Ivy agreed to meet up tonight for the Solution 15. Whatever is happening, Florencia will not be here for it.

"Zander, do your best to cover up your scents." Scooby hid with us for a moment. "Ivy is outside with the others. Someone must have spotted one of them. I'm going out to throw off the Aquila wolves, but I will come back and tell you when it's a good time to come out. For now, just wait here and stay hidden. And seriously this time, shut the hell up." With that, he runs forward and joined the other werewolves to face the intruders. Ivy's pack.

I held my breath and made myself as small as possible as the guards kept coming, some of them coming from the castle. Zander's hands glowed purple as he does that Scooby had told him; cover up our scents. Werewolves could easily catch our scents since they will be all over the place.