Hidden

Chapter Twelve: Cassidy

"Rosie, there's something that I need to tell you," I said to her as we continued on the walk home from David's house. I think we were both still a little worked up about what had happened earlier, but I couldn't bear to keep the secret in any longer. It was killing me. I had to tell her.

She stopped. "I think I know what this is about."

We took a seat on a nearby park bench. "You do?"

"Yeah. It's about Brandon, isn't it?"

How did she know?

"Um, yeah," I said nervously. "How'd you know?"

"Well I sort of ran into him earlier today. He seemed kinda down. Especially when I mentioned your name---"

"Rosie what did you say to him?" I blurted the words out before even letting her finish.

She frowned. "I told him to stay away from you of course."

I knew that that was only supposed to make me feel relieved but for some reason it didn't. Despite Brandon being the enemy, I

. "Oh, um about that. I think I know the reason behind his unusual behaviour," I answered Rosie.

"What do you mean 'his unusual behaviour'? He's just a disrespectful jerk, Cass."

"No Rosie I--- He's the one who caused the marks."

"What?!" Rosie stood up from the bench, a single raindrop landing right on her forehead. "I knew it! I knew that something happened between you two."

I didn't know why but her little outburst had taken me a bit by surprise. I think I was just still a little shaken up from earlier's shocking events. But it was Rosie, my best friend in the whole wide world. I should have expected it.

"Rosie please, just sit back down. I'll tell you everything."

She obliged. "Everything."

And I did. I told her the whole story of what happened between Brandon and I and once it was out I swore that it felt like the hugest weight had just been lifted off my chest.

Her reaction was pretty much exactly how I expected it to be though. She went on the 'I'm gonna kill him' mode but I managed to calm her down.

"And Rosie, there's also one more thing I have to tell you."

She eyed me suspiciously. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath. "I think Brandon's a werewolf." Correction: I knew Brandon was a werewolf.

Silence.

Rosie stared at me like I had just grown another head. Her eyes were wide, forgetting to blink.

I spoke before she could. "It makes sense, Rosie. That has to be the reason why my wrists didn't heal as fast as they should have."

"What gave you the reason to think that, Cassidy?" Rosie asked, finally finding her voice.

And then went another confession. "I-I heard him talking with someone when I was walking home from school. He's a werewolf, Rosie."

This time she was quick to reply. "Do you know who he was talking to?"

"His name is Steven but I've never seen him around here before."

"Well what did he look like?"

"He's built exactly the same as Brandon except has blond hair."

"This is so bad." Rosie covered her face with her hands briefly and then set them back on her thighs. "We're gonna have to start watching our backs even more now. What if he's plotting to kill us or worse?"