First Sight

Chapter 11: First Sight

Walking into the kitchen the next morning, I found that I wasn’t welcomed the usual happy breakfast, but that I was grounded, for a week. My dad said not making me meals was part of my punishment. But hey I could survive. I can make cereal… or toast.

            I actually decided to try and make an omelet, and to my surprise, it came out really good. It had bacon and ham and cheese inside it, and I made one for my dad. He liked it too. And to an even larger surprise, he liked it so much, he gave me kitchen duty the whole week.

            Hmm, guess chef camp has now begun. Finally… how was I going to live on my own without a little cooking advice? Or maybe its because I just never got the chance to try it out, I wouldn’t of known I was actually good at it. The downfall of this whole grounding is something I had to beg my dad to not do. Which is keep me from Cody.

            “Please Dad, please.” I pleaded. It pained my chest to think I couldn’t see him for a whole week. What was this saying about me? Am I adherent? I’m not a clingy person, I‘m usually more liberated.

But its always been like this, Cody makes me do things I never have thought I would do before, and I would do anything.

            “Hun you got to learn from your mistakes. I’m just being a good dad, I care about you, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

            “This is hurting me.” I raked my hair back in dismay.

            “You’ll last seven days, I’ll keep you busy cooking, alright?” He raised his eyebrows awaiting a happier response. I just nodded incoherently. He huffed loudly at that, noticeably bothered from my behavior and turned to walk away.

“Just a friend my a*s.” I could swear I heard him mumble to himself while reaching the porch.

            The rest of the day was dull, just like the pale grey clouds that darkened the outer most beauty of Northville. As if the sky was feeling the agony with me, it needed its sun. I needed my sun. I had to call Cody to tell him I couldn’t see him for a whole week, he didn’t like that very much.

            The sky was a navy blue when June and I were lounging on our bed, looking through our old photo album of our past trips up to the cabin.

            “I haven’t seen Einstein in a while, have you?” June asked, she was leaning on my shoulder. The warmth coming from her seeped through my thermal long sleeve shirt.

            It took me a moment to answer. “No, I haven’t.”

            “He was really pretty, and smart. I think we should adopt him.” June said through her small voice.

            “Adopt him?” I let out a doubtful laugh. “Juni he’s a wolf. An actual wolf.” As I said it, it brought a different meaning to me than it did to June. I still couldn’t believe if Cody was an actual wolf or not.

            “So. Maybe he is starving, or lost his mommy, or has no body to love him.”

            I softly laughed at that. “June, I’m sure he has a pack, and his own parents, and regardless he’s wild… they fend for themselves, that’s their lifestyle. Can we please talk about something else?” If only June knew the person that really filled in the ‘he’s’ as we described Einstein.

            “Okay.” She said with suspiring acceptance. Then after a short pause, she asked, “Why in the heck did you get drunk yesterday?” She has a tone of skepticism.

            I was taken off-guard, not knowing what to say. I couldn’t tell her the real reason, even if I wanted to. “Because… I’m stupid. And a teenager, that’s what we do, it’s like a symptom.”

            She turned to me for the first time. Her eyes curious. “What did It feel like?”

            I furrow my eyebrows. “What did what feel like?”

            “Being drunk what did it feel like?”

            I give her an odd look, and exhaled. “Um… Well, your dizzy, and you can’t see very straight. Your head feels like a cement block. It was all very fun at first, but then I just felt awful all of a sudden, like I was paralyzed at the end.”

            She lifted the corner of her mouth thoughtfully. “Kind of like how you were when you were telling us the story of the three bears at the hospital huh?”

            “Oh that was worse, I didn’t even remember that.” I laugh uncomfortably.

                         

            We then were flipping through in silence. We came across one picture of me and June that I always loved. It was us outside, I was around eleven and she was only four. We were up in a small white birch tree, the leaves a brilliant gold and deep orange, the tips even a vibrant red. I had her on my lap, my legs dangling from the branch I sat on. My arms were wrapped around her warmly, our favorite matching magenta thick coats on, our feet hung barefoot. I had a warm cap on and June a clip that was a bow which pinned her fine brown hair behind her ear. We had the most content smiles on our faces that brought the picture to life. Like It was five years ago again. A smile grew on my face remembering.

            The sound of small stiffly snores grew in the room, I turned over to find June fallen on her back, mouth wide open, exposing a missing tooth. When did she lose that? I started feeling guilty. I haven’t spent as much time with her as I would usually. The thing was though that I knew she was okay with it, she knew how close we were anyways. I never realized how much she changed, her eyes weren’t as idolized by me as they were in those ‘want to be just like my sister’ years. I wonder if I’ll miss that. But I felt more proud than anything.

            I looked at the picture once more before turning the page, and as I did that I heard an odd coughing noise coming from outside. I looked over once, and didn’t take notice of it. Then the noise was louder, Not as coincidental… I could hear a muffled whisper, it sounded like my name. I squinted at the window for a second, then slowly, but carefully walked towards it.

            I jumped and gasped to find Cody’s head looking up at me. He had an anticipating, dare devilish smile on his face. The cabin had no second floor, so the window was only merely four or five feet higher than where his head was. My heart leaped to see it was him and I immediately pushed up the window, but carefully not to wake June.

            “Hey?” I say leaning through the window, looking down at him.

            “Hey.” He had the same mischievous look on his face.

            I gave him a suspicious look. “You don’t want to spray paint some more cats do you?”

            “Nope.”

            “Swim though the lake commando style?”

            His smile grew, his lips tightened to hold it back. “Tempting, but no.”

            “Kill some of those mangy ol’ snaggle puss’s?” I said mockingly.

            He almost couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Nope.”

            “Okay what is it seriously.”

            “Back up.”

            “What?”

            “I’m coming up.”

            “Cod-” But he was flying through my window before I could and tossed himself through the tiny square that he was just able to fit in, smacking into me, bringing both of us down to the floor.

            I didn’t get the time to realize what was happening till I found Cody on top of me. My hands were pushed against his chest. He had on thin fabric, I could easily feel the rapid beating of his heart.

            He quickly lifted his weight off of me and helped me up with a smile like he didn’t just crush me onto the floor.

            I then realized how much noise we had made and I snapped out of it. “ Dad.” I said with terror and attempted to push Cody into the closet. He didn’t budge.

            “Get in there!” I whisper anxiously and he clumsily tossed himself into my closet, I shut the door on him and I can hear my dad walking quickly to our room.

I hurriedly make a plan and put myself on the floor on my side of the bed as I hear the door knob turn.

            “Ow.” I say as I hear the door open. I peek over the bed trying to look bewildered, and see my startled, wide eyed dad and clumsily pull myself back onto the bed.

            “Are you okay? Gee, that felt like an elephant.”

            “Thanks dad for calling me an elephant. It must be the Chili, got to my thighs.” I say breathily. He seemed to be buying the fake fall, and was now distracted by regretting what he said.

            “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just tired. Sure your okay?”

            “Yep.”

            “Alright… goodnight bud.” He said giving me a confused smile and shut the door.

            I exhaled right when the door shut and almost forgot that June slept through it all.

            Cody came out of the closet with my old Minnie Mouse hat on. He looked amused at my performance. “Damn, your sister can sleep through anything.”

            “Nice hat. Did your husband Mickey give it to you?” I joked.

            “No your Minnie, I’m Mickey.” He said taking it off and placing it crookedly on my head. His hair was now tousled.

            I looked up at him. “So does that mean we are married?” I joked.

            He smiled and sat down next to be on the bed. “Of course.”

            We caught ourselves staring at each other, the stare was too long, I turned away.

            “Your little skit there was amusing.” He said after a tension relieving exhale. And smiled at me with his bright teeth. His tan skin looked darker in the dim light.

            “I learn from the best.” I say, deciding not to nudge him with my elbow. This time, I looked at him and realized I had a more serious expression.

 

            Cody blinked once, as if disconnecting from a trance. “So about coming up here. You want to see me change right?”

            I looked at him taken aback. “Yeah.”

            “Come with me then.” He said taking my hand and pulling me towards the window. His hand was warm and soft, just like it looked.

I gave him an unsure look.

            “Your dad just went to bed, I heard him.” I looked at him in amusement, then he added. “I’ll jump out first, so I can catch you.”

            “Its not like I‘m on a second floor. I can probably do it.”

            “Ahuh, yeah okay.”

            Cody swung himself out the window, swallowed by the dark blue outside.            I bent over through the window to see him.

            “I hope you know I’m not some night ninja who can swing herself through a window with the same grace as you.” 

            He just chuckled at that, shaking his head.

            I slipped my feet into my boots and then awkwardly lifted my legs up one after another onto the window sill till I was facing outside, my back to June, and my feet dangling in the cool night air. The ground seemed further down then I expected, I looked at Cody and he was just watching me, not even looking like he was going to catch me, it made me uneasy.

            “Aren’t you going to catch me?”

            He smiled darkly, like he was waiting for me to say that. “I thought you could ‘probably’ do it?”

            “Well I forgot that the cabin was on a slope okay.” I said misled.

            He then put his arms out. “Come on, before I’m an old man.”

            I counted to three in my head and pushed myself off of the window. Within seconds I felt Cody’s hands under my arms, holding me as if I was a toddler. I put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself, and slowly he put me down, my feet reaching the grass.

 

            “Where are your shoes?” I ask, noticing his bare toes in the grass as he set me down.

            “Why would I need shoes?” He asked like it was obvious.

            “Oh, right.” I say.

            He takes my hand again and we walk, trying to be quiet, towards the forest. There was something different about how we held hands this time. It wasn’t more for leading me, it was just out of affection, there was no pulling. It was nice.

            “Do you keep forgetting I’m a werewolf or something?” Cody asks me, darkly amused.

            “Well, I guess. I still haven’t gotten the actual proof yet.”

            “Well then tonight is going to please you.”

            We kept walking deeper into the forest, and I started feeling nervous and uneasy. Forests haven’t been good luck to me so far this year. I started not feeling as safe in them. Not because I encountered Cody as a wolf and was scared before knowing it was actually him, it was why I encountered Cody. Twice Cody said, was a mountain lion, or “sphinx” hiding behind me, ready to pounce, once when I saw Cody for the first time as a wolf on the hike, second when June and I were at the bridge. I realized I was squeezing Cody’s hand tightly and I saw him turning his head, looking concerned in the corner of my eye.

            “It’s the sphinx’s isn’t it.” He said, after a moment of thinking. It wasn’t a question.

            I nodded. “I’m just a little scared, you know, after what you said before.”

            He stopped walking and turned to face me, the planes of his face were sharper and more prominent in tho moonlight and further away firelight. He was holding both of my hands now.

            “Don’t worry Des, your safe with me.” He squeezed my hands back reassuringly, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand. His eyes were honest and soft.

            “I won’t let anything hurt you, not when I’m around. I promise.” His voice was sincere. I immedietly knew he meant every word. An immense feeling of reliability over came me, I knew I could count on him. He would protect me. Around him I felt so undependable. I wish I had the ability to protect him from harm, I know I would at least make the effort.

We continued walking and I began to see a small fire, lighting up the woods. As we emerged closer I saw what looked like Jack and Brian playfully wrestling each other. Max and Junior were cheering them on and talking, Leroy was across from them, his blonde hair was lit orange from the fire. He was gazing into its flames, bored.

            “The whole pack is here.” I say, trying to figure out what he had planned.

            “Yeah, thought you’d like to see all of us change, they are really excited to see your response.”

            “And what about you?”

            His mouthed curved into a smile. “I’m pretty curious.” He paused, and then continued. “This spot here in the woods- we came here for a reason. Sphinx’s don’t come here, they avoid it, it‘s like our territory you could say. See, they don’t want to bump into us, they just want to hunt humans without us interfering. They try to sneak around us, but it never usually works.” He finishes a little smugly.

            I think about that for a moment. “I thought they wanted to kill you guys? Mainly you?” I say, my voice cracking at the last word.

            “They do.” He says, as we are almost in hearing distance of the boys. “They are just smart enough not to come. They would if one of us was alone, maybe two of us. But not when we are all here. And we are always here together. It would be dumb if we came here by ourselves. You can only expect something sneaky from them, they put a lot of thought into their attacks. That’s what is trickiest about them.”

                       

            As I put that into thought with slight chills behind my neck, we reached the clearing and the pack curiously eyed where our hands were. But we didn’t disconnect them.

            “Desiree!” Jack greeted me warmly, his long brown hair blwing behind him while he ran over to me, lifting me up, what seemed like 8 feet higher.

            “Jack I swear your going to throw me to the moon one of these days.” I laugh nervously as he put me back down. Leroy got up relieved that Cody and I were here and gave me a light hug. I was startled, remembering that he was a sphinx, the only good sphinx and this was the first time I saw him knowing that. His bright green cat-like eyes reflected in the darkness, it was eerie and hard to focus on absorbing his warm welcome. “Hey Desiree, I heard about your wild night at the Cats Pajamas yesterday. Got a hangover?” He asked bumping me with his elbow.

            I gave Cody a betrayed look. He caught it and looked back concerned and confused. How could he tell everyone, it was embarrassing enough, he knew that. I let go of his hand.

            “Oh yeah, that… yeah I don’t know what I was thinking.” I said flatly. Eying Cody between my words. He looked back at me with the same bemused expression.

            “Oh.“ Leroy looked like he regretted bringing it up. He smiled apologetically and returned to the fire.

            “How could you?” I said sharply, trying to hold back my chagrin, I felt the blood collect in my cheeks. “You knew how embarrassing that was to me.”

            His eyebrows furrowed. “I never told him, I didn’t tell anyone. I don’t know how Leroy knows…” He said defensively, pondering about it confusedly.

            I looked at him for a long moment, trying to read his face. I decided I believed him, why wouldn’t I?

            “Okay… So how would he know?” I said sheepishly.

            “No Idea, I’ll talk to him about it later, okay?”

            “Okay, thanks.” I say and we walk over to where everyone was gathered.

 

            “How are we doin’ this bro?” Jack asked Cody through the commotion of the conversations between the other boys.

            “I was thinking, tha-” Cody stopped his words and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I knew what this meant. The rest of the pack silenced from their conversations, as if interrupted.

All I could hear was the soft crackling of the fire.

            “Why are they here?” Cody said rigidly. I looked over at him anxious and his whole body stiffened, his nostrils flared. “Jack, they wouldn’t be within miles of this place, how would they smell her? Why would they be here?” He said through clenched teeth.

            Jack spaced off, shocked at his own self. “I don‘t know.”

            Low growls were building up in the packs throats. The loudest next to me, I turned to Cody and he was trembling with anger.

            “Cody-”

            “Des, hide!”

            I looked at him concerned and stumbled back, while the pack were all stiff, ready to defend. Jack growled and his arms spread out, within milliseconds, he grew larger, and light brown fur emerged on his skin, and before I could grasp any of it, he landed, on his four paws. He was as large as a great dane, digging into the dirt pugnaciously. His fur sticking up. As soon as I knew it, the group of boys were now a wolf pack.

            The ear splitting yell of the cat filled my ears, and it was more than one. It made me fall back onto the ground, I crawled quickly behind a small boulder, that was covered in dead brush. They hissed darkly.

Cody still didn’t change, he looked back at me first. “Remember my promise?” He asked, putting every ounce of certainty into his voice and eyes.

            “I remember.” I say looking over the rock. He turned his head, leaving his eyes on me for as long as he could. The determination of his eyes alarmed me, I never seen him look so cold before, it was the complete opposite of what he was.

Then Cody jumps in midair, the world seemed to pause all around him as he morphed into the dark black wolf I had once gazed the stars with.

            Loud growls and hisses filled the forest, it was almost as loud as going to a monster truck rally. The five wolves defensively walked toward what I could not see, since their huge, fur covered bodies were in the way.

            I heard running behind me, it shook the ground. I turned around terrified, gasping all the air into my lungs, and realized it was another wolf, it’s focus wasn’t on me. It stopped dead in his tracks, it’s fur was a mixture of reddish brown, shades of dark brown, and white. It came to a stop looking down at me, it towered over me like a toddler to an adult. It’s eyes glanced at me curiously. I felt my face strain in the same confusion, and was still breathing heavy from it’s unexpected arrival. Then, it jumped over me, landing with a shudder where the rest of the pack was, but it was just speculating, looking for a spot to join in. I was drowned in shock from it all, it made me exhausted, but widely awake at the same time. I couldn’t get my head straight. I glanced over at the wolves, trying to see the sphinx’s through their large bodies, not knowing if I should. Then they began to fight, the chocolate brown and gold wolf, Brian tackled a large body of tan fur to the ground and it quickly ascended to defend itself, I saw it now.

             It was as large as the wolves. It’s shorter tan fur contrasted with Brian’s chocolate shaggy fur. The face was feline, eerily beautiful. And it’s whiskers thick and white, and eyes a bright purple, almost red. It hissed, opening its mouth and unveiling its sharp teeth, trying desperately to get by him. I knew what it was after, and it made me want to run... run far away. 

             It's basketbll size of a head slowly turned towards me. Chills shot up my spine as its eyes, like poisonous darts narrowed at the sight of me with pure animosity. Then the face changed... to a shocking glance of aprehensive accomplishment.

 

***

Cody POV:

 

            I dug my claw into the cat once again. It’s skin punctured with just the amount of pressure, It roared in pain, writhing on the ground. In the back of my head, I knew Desiree was watching. I didn’t want her to see this.

Anger crawled up my spine again, this is not how I wanted her to see me change. She will never want to come into the woods with me again, perhaps go anywhere with me again. I really don’t know how in the hell they knew a human was here. And whoever is the reason behind all this, is really going to get it. I knew I was going to do anything to find out who it was.

            The cat stopped fighting me, and it confused me, did I kill it that easily? Damn it. All was running through my mind was Desiree. Desiree. What was she thinking of me right now? Would she ever forgive me?

But the cat rose, pushing my weight off of it. I watched its bright orange eyes turn around, and then I looked around me. They were retreating. And they looked oddly satisfied. I was relieved, but worried at the same time. I could usually read them so easily, but this time their look left me empty. I looked over to Jack and the others, they seemed just as confused.

            When the last bit of their tails faded into the darkness of the forest, I turned to see Des still looking over the rock like I had left her, her fair face looked exhausted and confused, as if she were just fighting with us, and saw their expressions as we did. I ran over to her, I wanted to hug her, tell her she was fine. I wanted to smack myself in the head five hundred times for bringing her out here. For fighting in front of her. My paws dug into the earth, I felt dirt collect under my claws. And that’s what reminded me I was still a wolf. I saw her face relax as I was approaching her, and I tried giving her a look to hold on. And then ran behind a large tree where she couldn’t see me. When I came out human, with a pair of shorts and a wife beater, I approached her anxiously. She was standing out from the rock now. Her hands and knees lightly covered in dirt from kneeling down. And her beautiful strawberry blonde hair was in disarray. She gave me a weary smile that was trying let me know she was fine. I didn’t know if I could believe it or not.

            “You alright?” I asked keeping my distance, I didn’t know how she felt about me now. It took all the will power in me to not embrace her.

            “I’m fine.” I didn’t know what to say after that. Then she added, “That was crazy.” Her chestnut brown eyes were lighter, and I realized she was viewing it all positively. She gave me a sincere look, that made me know I could come to her now.

            Relief came to me again as I lifted her up and gave her a tight hug. She was squeezing back, her fingers lightly digging into my back. It was comforting, and I felt natural again, Des always made me feel like I was pure, that I was real.

 

Desiree POV:

 

            Cody’s hug warmed me up. The heat of his skin satisfied mine, and It made me forget about everything that just happened for a moment. But he released me, and I looked passed Cody to see the rest of the pack coming from the woods as their human selves.       

            “Does anyone know why they did that?” Jack asked abashed, but relieved.

            Everyone was saying no and talking feverishly about what they each were experiencing.

            Cody tuned away from me toward his brother, distress hit his face remembering.  “No idea, they left like they had eaten her, like they won.”

            Jack frowned and said, “Where did Leroy go? I don’t remember seeing him once they came.”

            “The traitor. I told you idiots he’s with the damn cats.” Junior snarled.

            “Shut it Junior, you don’t think at all do you? He left, probably to avoid them… what else would he do?” Cody said defensively.

            “I don’t know, maybe fight with us?” Brian grumbled. His brown skin tensed up with frustration.

            “He can’t do that, the pride would’ve seen him, get even more pissed, and probably go after him. You guys don’t understand how much Leroy is afraid of them. He doesn’t want to be within a mile of them. You got to remember he was twelve. This scarred him, and he is the only one who is feeling that because he isn’t brainwashed like the rest of them.”

            “Okay okay.” Jack cut in before anyone can say anything else. “We will find out who did this, and I’m sorry bro, but I’m not going to risk not knowing about Leroy. I want you to talk to him.”

            Cody nodded once, and something then came to my mind.

            “Another wolf came in.” I said to Cody waiting for an answer. “Was that your dad?”

            He looked confused. “No… He’s always protecting my mom now. Well, ever since knowing about the sphinx’s wanting revenge from us. But he can’t leave her alone, it worries him too much. But another wolf? When did you see that?”

            “Just before you started fighting, it was a reddish brown, white and dark brown color… you didn’t see it?”

            He looked concerned now. “No, I didn’t-”

            “That would be me.” A sly female voice had sounded from behind me.

Reviews

[Kayla]

OMG!!! What a freaken cliff hanger!! The mystery girl wol person at the end!! Anyways, this chapter was AWESOME!! Kept me hooked rom beginning to end....as usual. Very good chapter!! And I can't wait to ind out about the mystery wol girl!!

[Jason]

Alyssa,
You really have a true talent for writing creative stories. Your attention to detail is superb, and your natural story telling ability is unique and interesting. The flow is brilliant and really grabs the reader by the brain and demands attention. All I can say is that at the end of the chapter I am left wanting more. Excellent work!

Jay