Changes

Chapter three

            Ariadne didn’t come back. Within the week I was released from the hospital. My parents came to get me, fussing over me as I walked to the car. I was walking to the car, when my neck started to throb. Thinking nothing of it, I continued on my way to the car. Sounds washed over my ears. A crying baby, a car alarm, the sound of people talking on the corner; I could hear it all. Seems like everyone’s having a wonderful day, I thought. The hot sun burned on my back and the smell of burning tar wafted up as I crossed the parking lot. Why I can I smell the tar?

“Are you feeling okay Logan?” my mother fretted.

“Ya mom, it’s just pretty hot out.”

“Are you sure? I can take you back into the nurse if you’re feeling sick.”

“I’m fine mom!” I snapped, my voice hoarse and dry. As I got into the back seat I saw a red truck pulling into the parking lot. The girl smiled and waved, the sun glowing on her face. Her brown braid swayed in the wind. Ariadne. I put my hand up to try and call her over, but she laughed and circled around the parking lot once before pulling out into the traffic.

 

            Once I was home, I thought about what Ariadne had said. How I was poisoned, how I was changing. I had never been able to smell the tar before. I had never been able to hear people talking from so far away. There had to be some explanation. Maybe it was from being in the hospital for so long, maybe I had been alone for too long. That didn’t explain why my senses were expanding. That didn’t explain the pain buzzing in my neck.

I walked outside despite my mother’s complaints. The grass felt soft under my bare feet and I smiled and sat in the grass, taking in the warm scents of summer. They were so much richer now that I could smell everything; I laid my head back and let the sun wash over my pale hands. Closing my eyes, I let my other senses rang out. The smell of someone cooking on the grill, the sound of bees buzzing in the flowers, and the flower’s sweet aroma. Cars roaring down the main street, kids playing in the sprinkler across the street, and a woodsy smell I couldn’t name. It was a warm smell. Pine and fur, dirt and the crisp smell of rain.  I found where the scent was coming from. It came from the line of trees near the back of my yard, on the other side of the large garden. I listened closely, I could hear something breathing slowly, pacing back and forth in front of the forest. It stopped pacing, as though it could sense me listening in, then continued to pace. One, two, three, four. Fours paws landed gracefully on the hard packed pine needles. Ariadne! I jumped up and moved carefully around the flowers. I tried to call out, but stumbled on a root and fell face first into the dirt “S**t!” a soft laugh rang through the yard. Looking up, I saw Ariadne, her long braids covering her front, her naked body shining under the noon sun. Looking down, I stood slowly and began to speak to her, “Must you always be naked when I see you?”

“Don’t you like it?” she laughed and made her way toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Um… uhh…” I muttered slowly. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy seeing her body; I was just embarrassed to be asked about it.

She laughed again, her voice soft as a whisper in my ear, “Besides, I can speak to humans in this form, or, whatever you are.”

“What am I?” I looked up at her then, looking at her eyes, nothing else.

“A werewolf Logan, you will be soon. That’s why I’ve come. You see,” she continued, sitting in the grass, knees pulled up, and chin resting on them, “The first change is always the hardest. You won’t know what’s going on, you’ll be in a lot of pain, and you’ll be starving. So you need to leave for the night.”

“Leave for the night? Are you insane? I just got out of the hospital! Do you expect my mom to let me run around in the woods that she now knows is full of wolves? God d****t! You’re crazy Ariadne!” I whispered, not wanting my mom to overhear us.

“No need to cuss, Logan. Besides, you need to leave your parents. They’ll only be hurt if you stay.” Her eyes shone with a mixture of emotions. Pain, loss, anger, all burned in her eyes.

“I can’t do that to them.”

“But you must.”

“No!”

“Fine. But tonight, I’ll have someone come fetch you. He will be a friend from school. You will go with him, without complaint, and spend the night at his house. Understood?” her voice changed from the sweet voice I loved, to a stern voice, like a mother’s. She stood up and made her way back to the woods. As she left, I couldn’t help watching her sway with each step. I stood again to follow her, but only got a glimpse of hazel fur through the thick undergrowth.

 

 

            The doorbell rang at 5 o’clock. A short boy, about my age stood in the doorway when my dad opened it. He smiled and offered his hand, which my father shook uncertainly.

“Good evening Mr. Smith, my names Jared. I heard Logan got out of the hospital this morning. My mother invited him for dinner if he’s feeling okay.” He smiled again and waited for me to come to the door.

“Hey Jared.” I said slowly, hoping I had heard his name right.

“Logan, who’s this?” my father pointed to the boy in the door way.

“That’s Jared, my friend from school. I’m feeling okay Dad; can I go and spend the night?” I smiled, waiting for his response.

“I dunno it’s kinda late, and you just got out of the hospital.”

“Come on, I could have left days ago, but you insisted that I stayed.”

He nodded, “Fine fine, but call me in the morning, and don’t tell your mother I let you out!” My mom worked night shifts and wouldn’t be back until the next morning. I nodded my thanks and followed Jared out the door and to where he had a small blue car parked. I climbed in and sat uncomfortably as we rode in silence.

“So Logan, happy to be alive?” I thought he was being sarcastic, but when I looked he was smiling at me from the driver’s seat.

“Ya, I am.”

“Sorry about your friend. We haven’t killed anyone in so long. Everyone was in tears after that. Danni and Marcus cried. They’re the ones that called 911.”

“Well I’ll have to thank them.” I felt myself saddening at the thought of Chris. He had been my best friend since first grade. It was hard to think he was gone forever.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to mention it, I was just trying to talk.” He looked apologetic so I smiled to him.

“It’s okay.” We pulled into the parking lot of the drug store and parked in the back. I followed him as he walked down the sidewalk until the small houses ended and the trees stretched out down the street.

“Well here we are!” he walked into the woods and I followed slowly, tripping over everything that was in my path.

“Where are we exactly?” I said, falling over a tree root.

“Well you’ll see in a moment,” looking back at me picking myself up off the ground he added, “Eventually, you’ll get used to walking barefoot in these woods.”

In a few minutes, as the forest started to get dark, I found myself to be standing in the middle of a campsite. Tents were set up in a circle surrounding a fire pit. People sat together, talking happily. Some smiled as I approached with Jared. Others ignored me completely or glared with hatred in their eyes. Standing by Jared, I looked around nervously for Ariadne.

She came out of one of the tents. She had on jean short and a blue tank top, for once she wasn’t naked. “Logan! Come meet everyone!” she pulled me in the center of the circle and began pointing to everyone in the circle. “This is Matt, he’s the head of our pack,” she pointed to the boy I had seen the night I was bitten before pointing to a beautiful girl with long, deep chestnut hair. “This is Sam! She’s Matt’s girlfriend, and also acts as Alpha if Matt is out hunting or something.” The girl stood to look at me, her golden eyes looked into mine and I realized for the first time who she was.

“Thank you Sam.”

“Why are you thanking me?” she replied, venom in her words.

“If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. Isn’t that right?” I smiled at her, hoping she’d smile back.

“Ya, that’s right.” She snarled before unzipping one tent and going inside it.

“Don’t worry about her,” Ariadne continued, smiling at a small boy with red hair, beside him sat a tiny girl with the same red curls and blue eyes. The girl was an inch shorter than her brother, “This is Marcus and his sister Danni. They’re the youngest in the pack, and also the newest addition to the pack, other than you of course.”

The boy smiled and shook my hand, while Danni looked down with tears in her eyes, I could tell she was remembering the night Chris died.

“Thank you.” I whispered to the little girl, leaning toward her.

“You’re welcome.” Her eyes shone with tears as she looked up at me. She and Marcus knew what I was talking about, though some of the others looked confused. She scooted closer to her brother and laid her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

The other names went by quickly, without event. Dylan, Summer, and Lindsey. Summer was beautiful with short brown hair and deep brown eyes. Dylan was the deputy, if Matt left; he’d take over as Alpha. He had blonde curls and blue eyes. I knew he was strong, but he sure didn’t look it. Lindsey was tall and curvy. She had long, platinum blonde hair that I knew was died. The girl smiled at me before turning back to her conversation with Summer.

            I sat and spoke with Ariadne for about an hour. I saw her look at the others in turn, after a few minutes people began to climb into tents. Matt was in one with Sam. Danni and Marcus had the one next to him. On the other side of Matt’s tent was Dylan’s. Lindsey and Summer had a tent next to Dylan’s and Jared had one next to theirs. Two tens where empty. One had to be Ariande’s but whose was the other?

“Why did everyone leave?”

“They don’t won’t to be here when you change.” She said, poking at the dying embers of the fire with a stick.

“Why?” I asked again, watching the fire dance to life.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

And sure enough, within the hour, I felt pain course through me. It started in my neck and made its way through every part of me. I cried out, but Ariadne did nothing. She sat staring into the fire as though I wasn’t there.

The pain increased. I doubled over, trying to find where the pain was coming from. My body burned like the fire and I screamed again, “Ariadne!” but she did nothing. I’d never felt pain like this before. Not even when I had be attacked by the wolves. The fire burned through me, finally reaching my brain. My head felt like it would explode if the pain increased. And it did increase. I felt the pain burning across my skin, pulling at it, twisting it. No matter what I did, the pain danced on. Black dots covered part of my vision before going completely black.

 

Author's Note

hope you enjoy the third chapter, it took me awhile to write this one so i hope its okay!