Let's give a warm welcome, to Miss. Prissy Paws

Chapter 12: Let‘s give a warm welcome, to Miss. Prissy Paws

 

 

I whirled myself around to where the voice had came from.

            A mere five feet away from where I stood, were a pair of grubby, dainty feet. I lifted my eyes up to her face, it was full of amusement and I think maybe, a satisfaction that all eyes were on her. She seemed to enjoy everyone not expecting her.

            Her hair was the color of champagne; it fell thick onto her shoulders, large curls coiling along the bottom. She was wearing a light pink tank top and shorts that cut off above her knees.

            “Who are you?” Jack asked skeptically.

            The girl didn’t move, she just smirked cheekily.

            “…Sorry, I’m Laura. You can call me Lori, for short.” She stood with her hands on her hips, still happily absorbing the attention. Her eyes shifted through everyone, when eventually her light brown eyes set on me, I suddenly got this weird feeling, I couldn’t explain it to myself. She shot her head back towards the pack.

            “Who are you?”

            The pack, Max, Junior, Brian, Jack, and Cody introduced themselves, my turn had approached.

            “Desiree.” I said with a light smile. She didn’t smile back, her gaze turned away from me, uninterested.

            “I come from Claremont, New Hampshire, I followed your scent.”

            Max squinted. “You got our scent from New Hampshire?”

            “No,” She snapped, like that was a stupid assumption. “I traveled here, with my mother. We got a cottage in Lake George, we needed a vacation.” She twirled a strand of her hair thoughtfully. “I never met any other werewolves before, and I caught your scent just an hour ago. I wanted to follow it.” She said boldly.

            “You’re a lone wolf? Are you crazy?” Brian rattled.

            “What do you mean?” Laura challenged defensively.

            “How have you not gone mad in the head? Didn’t you think you were some sort of freak? Thinking you were the only person who could morph into a wolf on self command?” Jack asked incredulously.

           Laura narrowed her eyes. “I have my mother. She helped me, when I first phased I was four, she still treated me like the daughter she always loved. She never told anyone, she said I was unique, not like any other. And here I am now, with my same species.”

            I looked over at Jack, and his dark eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to understand. I glanced at Cody, and he had the same look. 

            “So how are you one anyway then? Your mom wasn’t one?” Junior asked.

She took a step closer, her hands still on her hips. “No, I don’t know my father, but my mother told me he was one. And, as a matter of fact, he used to live here, I was told.”

            “You think he was in last generations pack? Maybe with dad?” Jack turned, asking Cody.

            “We’ll have to ask him. What was his name?” Cody asked Laura.

            She bit her lip as if trying to remember. “Weston, Weston Vine.” She folded her arms.

“My parents divorced before I was born, so I don’t remember him. And he died a few years ago anyway.” She said like it was an after-thought.

            “I’m sorry.” I heard a soft voice sound. To my surprise I found that the noise had come from my mouth.

            She was looking at Cody intently, and in another way I couldn‘t put my finger on, but it made me uneasy. Then her eyes landed on me, dazed and slightly irritated. I kept my eyes on her, trying to get her to absorb my sincerity. But making sure it didn’t come across as pity.

            “Sorry?” She repeated bitterly confused. Stepping towards me, I realized she was a few inches shorter than I, and something about her stare made me feel odd again.

            I didn’t know what to say to that, so I stood there, my lips parted, anxiously digging for the words inside my head that would sound right. “About your father- I said I was sorry.” I said sternly.

            “Oh. Well, whatever, thanks I guess.” She said, and turned back to the pack, brushing me off like I was just a speck of dirt on her shoulder. I started getting agitated with her judgments, they were so pronounced she might as well have put a neon sign over her head pointing at me, saying “useless loser.”

 

            “So, what would that mean if my father did happen to be in your pack?” Laura asked, looking down at her fingernails and back up through her eyelashes.

            Jack huffed. “That would mean you would be part of the pack.” The boys exchanged looks.

            “Well, maybe I do belong somewhere after all.” She gave a quick glance at me, not expecting me to catch it. “I’ll be expecting a message from one of you by tomorrow… Until then, ciao.”

            She twiddled her fingers in goodbye and turned into the darkness, her hair bouncing behind her.

 

           

            It was silent for a brief moment. Then Jack spoke.

            “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m praying my lucky stars her old man never knew my old man.”

            Everyone chattered in agreement, except Max.

            “I don’t, did you see her?” Max gaffed.

            We all turned toward him and went silent, then chuckled.

            “Max, she may look like heaven on the outside, but come on, you see how snooty she was?” Junior asked.

            “You got a point, I mean; I am a man who can’t be whipped.” He said, his chest raised.

            I found my eyes on Cody, he was laughing throatily at Junior and Max. He turned his head to me and smiled.

            “Well then, you sure got an evil eye from miss prissy paws.”

            I smiled at his remark. And then my mouth went straight again. “Yeah, I don’t know what her problem is.” I fussed. It wasn’t the fact that she had a problem with me, it was why.

            He looked at me amused. “Well I’m sure it has a whole lot to do with you being human. I bet she automatically assumes you to be weak and vulnerable.” He smiled to himself. “And, she’s probably jealous of your good looks.”

            I laughed in disbelief. “I doubt that, she looks to have no problem with self esteem. And she should stop making judgments, because I’m not any of those things.”

            “Your right, you’re not. Besides the good looks part, but yeah, she doesn’t know who she’s messing with.”

            I gave him an attentive look. “Well, let’s not get too humble here,” I tapped his shoulder and held my hand there. “I got nothing against a werewolf, realistically.”

            “Sure you do. The physical stuff doesn’t have to matter… that’s just the advantage.”

            I looked at him for a long moment, studying his face. The smile I saw was the one I recognized on him, it showed he had faith in me, believed I could do things I never thought I could do.

           

            When Cody lifted me back up through my window, it was complicated. I had to firstly sit on his shoulders, and when I got hold of the window sill with my arms, I was dangling off the side of the cabin, my boots slipping on the crease of the two logs I was trying to use as a boost. Cody then pushed my feet up, which sent me uncomfortably sliding head first into my room. My hands on the carpet were what kept me from landing on my face, and making a loud thump sound to wake up dad or June.

            When I gawkily stood back up, adjusting my tank top so it was back at my hips, I went back over to the window. Cody was looking up; his face looked like it had just got done laughing.

            “Ha-ha. I’m glad you found that amusing, now skedaddle wolf boy, I need my sleep. Aren’t you tired?”

            His mouth stretched in a deep yawn as if it were on cue. I strained a snicker.

            “Goodnight.” Cody said, the small light from my room put a shadow of the window frame on his face. One portion of his face lit up, the other in darkness.

            “Goodnight.” I said and I turned to get to bed.

            “Des?”

            I abruptly turned around, my mind spinning. “Yah?”
            “Sorry, you- you know, had to see that.”

            I almost forgot what he meant by that, remembering, I exhaled and shook my head slightly. “Codes, you know you don’t need to say that.”

            “I know, It just felt better saying it. Oh, and I will talk to Leroy about the bar thing for you.”

            “Oh, yeah… Thanks.” I remembered. “Now get some sleep.”

            “You know I will.” He said softly with a longing smirk, and slowly turned into the woods.

 

           

           

            I was antsy all day. Hoping for a phone call or a stop by from Cody was all that was on my mind. Today I hoped, I was going to find out if that Laura girl was part of Cody’s pack now, and possibly, how Leroy knew I got hammered at the Cat’s Pajamas.

            I disguised it well around dad and June, but June always seemed to be abnormally observant when it came to me.

            “You look weird today.” June specified when we were sitting on the porch; the day was drier then yesterday. Dad was reading the newspaper on the lounge chair, and he pulled it down to look at me.

            “How so?”

            She shrugged and combed her Barbie’s hair. “You just look like your thinking a lot.”

            I looked to dad and he studied me. He flipped the newspaper back in front of his face.     

            “June, mind yer own business will yah? You’re just like your mother.” He grumbled. We were all used to June’s nosy concerns.

            “Just sayin’” She mumbled and plucked a stray hair hastily off of the blonde dolls head.

 

            Going down to the beach sounded good, and that was what I did.

            The water was moving today, the wind gave it that effect. I laid myself against the sand in my bathing suit to soak in some sun, putting my feet close to the shore, so I’d feel the water over lap them. I closed my eyes, I wanted to relax and just think, and it felt like I didn’t have enough of that these days. The sun was beaming against my skin; it brought me in a pleasuring daze. The smell of my sunscreen reminded me of what Cody had said was one of the smells I gave off.

 

            I thought about everything, about finding out Cody was a werewolf, and how absolutely impossible that should be. I pictured the pack transforming in my head over and over, them fighting the sphinxes. How other worldly it was, how I, a human witnessed something I never imagined in my whole life time. Who ever thought this was actually real? No one. But I know that it is. Just thinking about it made my breathing quicken.

            I thought about Laura, and how she presented herself, and how I felt when we made eye contact. It was the oddest feeling…

I thought about what was next. That’s the thing, I don’t know. Did I get myself into something that I can never take back? But when I asked myself this question, I knew I wouldn’t want to take it back. Cody was why.

            I pondered on about Cody, and the reasoning to why I was so dedicated to him. The thing was there was no answer; I couldn’t put the sensation into words.

           

            My head and heart started aching, and I noticed my eyes had been clenched tightly for some time.

Gosh, I was supposed to relax. How can I? So Much is going on!

            I made a long frustrated groan, slamming my fists into the sand, and kicking my feet, my heels splashing the water. I went still; every deep breath I took made my stomach feel like it was sinking in further and further.

The light warm breeze touched my face, and I felt better.

            Cold water hurdled on top of me as I gasped and flinched, stiffening my arms and legs. The cool lake got me from head to toe. I couldn’t believe it was a wave. Looking through my sunglasses all I saw were speckled water droplets, there was a shape moving behind it.

            When I threw off my sunglasses I saw Cody bent over me, with the most childishly gleeful grin plastered on his face.

            “What the hell!” I hollered, but couldn’t hide I was happy to see him.

            He was laughing delightedly, “Sorry, you just looked too hot.” He breathed, shaking his head. The innocence in his words was what I could only notice.

            “Smooth one.” I said as I sat myself up. Wet sand clung to my back and legs.

            “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way, but sure that too.” He grabbed a stick and threw it into the lake expertly.

            I stood up, sand was stuck everywhere. I walked into the water till I was in hip deep.

            “So, what’s the scoop on Leroy and Laura?” I asked, turning myself toward the shore.

            Cody was already walking into the water, and I noticed he only had on a pair of dark green khaki shorts. He stopped a couple feet in front of me and scratched his head.

            “Well, turns out, her father was in our pack… and so she’s with us now.”

            I didn’t know how to react to that, I was unsure if I could hang out with a girl like that, like I do with the rest of the boys, and still enjoy myself as much.

            “Huh,” I watched my hands spread over the surface of the water and thought.

            He chuckled. “Yah, I know. We’re all wondering how this is going to work.”

            “It’ll sure be interesting,” I laughed lightly back, walking further in and I ducked under. When coming back up shoulder height in water, I turned again to Cody. “So Leroy?”

            “Yeah I talked to him, he said he knows someone at the bar, I didn’t tell you, but he goes there a lot since he doesn’t like to go home when it gets late, but anyways he told Leroy that a red haired girl he’s never seen around town was completely slammed. And the bartender had carried her out to the back after she passed out.” Cody said, leaning in and swimming along the side of me, he sounded as if it struggled him to say it.

            “Well how’d he know the red haired girl was me?” I asked a bit defensive.

            “I asked him that,” He said stopping beside me. “And he said because the kid who was doing the show called out your name a bunch of times.”

            “Nick?”

            “You know him?”

            “Yeah, we kind of met up that night at the carnival when you were gone.”

            “Oh.”

            “He’s fourteen.”

            “Ah...”

            I lifted myself to swim on my back. “Cody, why didn’t that bartender lady call you? She said she was going to.” I said in a whine.

            “You can’t trust everyone.” He said in a sigh, I felt his hands cup under the heels of my feet, and he pulled me through the water thoughtlessly. “That was messed up, them leaving you behind the bar, on the pavement even!” He made a disgusted noise with his throat. I smiled at the sky.

            “You know they stole my flannel… I’m pissed, I loved that flannel.” The reasoning behind that still confused me.

            “They stole your flannel? Why?” He asked concerned. His fingers moved lightly around my feet.

            “No idea. It kind of freaks me out.” Worry started slowly leaking through me again.

            “Ugh, I want to go over there right now, give that bartender a piece of my mind.”

            “I don’t remember anything that happened, nothing. It’s so weird, I wish I did.” I went off of my back to face him. “Thank you, for finding me.”

            He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes thoughtful. “No problem, I’m always here for you, you know that.”

            “As I am for you.” I smiled. Cody’s mouth opened to say something when a voice came from the trees beside us.

            “Mind if I join?” The snooty voice sounded. I already could tell when I turned who would be there.          

            Laura was looking down at us from the small ledge. Her blonde hair lightly blowing in the wind, her face had that same cheeky expression that looked built in. I think it was permanent.

            “Well, I was going to anyways.” She then made a perfect dive off the ledge, landing right in front of me, water splashed all onto my face. After I wiped my eyes, Cody and I exchanged looks while we still could when she was under water.

            When she approached the surface she exhaled satisfyingly.

            “Hey Laura.”  I said as friendly as I could.

            She looked me over. “Lori, remember?” She retorted and turned to Cody.

            “Hey Cody.” She said popping her shoulders out of the water.

            “Hey, Lori uh, welcome to the pack.” He smiled tightly. I glanced from one to the other.

            “Desiree right?” She said, lightly. “So tell me, how exactly did you end up with the wolves? It’s quite weird don’t you think? A human participating in the lives of people she cannot even relate to?” She retorted. Not seeming to notice how rude her question was.

            I briefly looked her cold in the eyes before my mouth opened in reply.

            “Well I met Cody, and then… found out he was a werewolf.” I shrugged; I felt the sun drying my shoulders. “And I think I relate to Cody very well, not with the werewolf part obviously, but we are close friends so...” Her face was skeptical, and then it transformed into something unreadable. It was hard for me to tell how she was feeling.

            “I see.” She said, flickering her eyes from me to Cody smoothly. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later Cody, and probably you too Desiree.” She exhaled bored, and bent backward into a back stroke, swimming off out to the middle of the lake.

            I turned to Cody, my back to where Lori was swimming away to, and we looked at each other for a long time, listening to her swim further and further away till she was out of hearing range.

I dropped my head, watching my fingers flick the surface of the water, irked and bothered.        

            “What is with her grand entrances and exits? Can’t you just come and leave like a normal person?” I huffed annoyed. Again, the new member of Cody’s wolf pack conspicuously showed a great amount of dislike in me. Cody just shook his head lightly and shrugged, closing his hands over mine to stop my flicking frenzy.

            “Come on, don’t let her get to you,” He said softly, he put his hands over my shoulders, and shook them violently, so I was writhing back and forth. My hair was wriggling around me as I laughed. “Just sha-a-a-ke it off.” He sputtered as he shook me, he began to laugh to, and it was probably the joy of how much power and strength he possessed over me. I was his little puppet.

            “Q-q-q-quit-t-t it!” I faltered. It sounded as if I was going down one of those rolling pipe slides.

            He let me go and I could hear his closing laughter. My brain felt like silly putty.

            “I swear, that is your favorite thing to do out of all others with me, man handle, man handle, man handle!” I said holding my head while it was still trying to recover itself.

            “Well remember, you’re the only person I can do that to… and no, that is not the best thing.”

            “Cody Jonathan Howell, I will take you down, at least try to…” I held my arms back combatively.

            “Really now? Well bring it on sister.” He challenged, not changing his positioning.

            I pushed my feet off of the wet, rocky sand below me and hurdled myself at him, landing on his back, he didn’t fall over, but he had his arms out to balance himself.

            All that was heard was our rough breathing, especially me, who was the one struggling. I clutched onto the sides of his head, digging my fingers into his hair and tried pushing it towards the water, but nothing happened. And out of nowhere, I felt Cody’s hands grasping my arms, and tossing me forwards into his, my body suddenly was flying through the air, after he threw me what felt like ten feet away.

            When I reached the surface I gave him a comical dirty look. His head was leaning back, laughing away.

 

            After my failed attempt to defeat Cody, we went to my cabin. I changed into a yellow tube top and jean shorts; it was the hottest day yet. And we, especially Cody, were starving, so I made some lunch.

            I made grilled cheese. At the stove, Cody hovered over me like a vulture circling over it’s pray.

 

            When we were full and had a chat with June, we walked to Cody’s house through the woods, well, Cody walked. It was a long way on foot, so after a third ways through… I traveled via Cody’s back.

            “You know, we would get there much faster if I ran.” Cody insisted. My chin rested on his right shoulder, and I bit into the apple I grabbed before we left the cabin.

            “Oh it’s always get here, get there right now, don’t you wanna stop and smell the roses?”

            “Well yah, I’m fine with it, I just thought maybe you were getting bored.”

            “Mm, nah… I’m really enjoying this.” I said, placing the apple in front of Cody’s mouth, he bit a good sized chunk out of it. “I like just talking, you know?”

            “Yah, we always find something to talk about.”

            “You know, I’ve been thinking more and more about that night at the bar, and I keep feeling like something wrong happened, besides them bringing me outside… I just don’t feel good about it. It was like I blacked out, that’s not what getting hammered feels like does it?

            Cody kept crunching his way through the woods, his arms over my legs securely.

            “Gee, I’ve only been drunk once, when Jack let me with the pack last summer. And I don’t think that happened to me…”

            I tilted my head to look at him; my hair fell along the side of his right arm.

“It scares me, not knowing anything that happened. Cody, what if she put something in my drink?” I clutched to him tighter.

            Cody stopped in his tracks. “Then she is getting beat to hell.” He contracted his hands around my legs tightly. “Here, tell me what you can remember, before you got slammed.” He asked, slowly starting to walk again.

            I looked forward at the greenery ahead in thought. The trees were highlighted by the sun, exposing every harsh curve and crease of the bark.

            “All I remember was her, Mabel, that’s right her name was Mabel, she was saying the cocktail was free and it was their special, and I, well, wasn’t feeling happy… so I took it. I talked to Nick before his show…”

            “What did you talk to him about?”

            “Well, we talked about why each of us was there… he asked about how you were-”

            His head twisted around to look at me while he slowed down again. “Wait, wait, wait… he asked about me?”

            “Yeah, well ‘cause when we were running away at the carnival I said your name and-”

            “No, I mean- Des, what did his eyes look like?”

            My eyebrows furrowed till I understood. “No he’s not a sphinx; his eyes are brown, normal…”

            “Okay then go on…”

            “Um, and I said fine, and he asked me if your name was Cody Howell, and I said yea, because I guess you’re in the same school.”

            “Anything else?”

            “Uh… And then the bartender lady dropped all her things, and seemed pretty angry.”

            Cody jolted to a stop. “Did she slip on something?” He asked acutely.

            “Didn’t sound like she did, she kind of just dropped it all…” My last few words trailed off, a small gasp escaped my lips, and my stomach fell deep into the depths. My hands unlocked as I slid off Cody’s bare back, landing roughly on the ground. The cushion of the earth wasn’t going to break my fall this time.

Author's Note

took the chapter picture myself!!
@ Indian Lake ADKs

Reviews

[ajasminewallflower]

Amazing chapter:) I couldn't stop reading much to my mother's dismay.But this book captures my mind which is very hard to do. BTW me likes the pictures

[Jason]

Another great chapter! You have such incredible story telling ability. I love it. I absolutely love it!

[Kayla]

OMG!!! Once again....another AWESOME chapter!! I'm thinking that something is about to be revealed!!
I loved this chapter. Especially how Cody and Desiree act around eachother. It' really cute!! And I also like how June is so nosey. Maybe that might get her inton some trouble in future chapters?? I cannot wait for more!!
My favorite part was the beach. They were play fighting!! AWWW!! And then that new character, Kali, came into the scene. And she kinda ruined the cuteness until she left. I wonder what she has against Desiree. Maybe she's got her eyes on Cody!! Hmmmm...can't wait for the next chapter!! Oh and I know I've told you this a million ba jillion times, but sorry that it took me so long to get the time to read and review this!! But it really was worth it cuz I LOVE this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[An owl on the moon]

You have such brilliant characters and their dialogue is spot on... The world you create here seems so natural even within the elements of the supernatural. You are an excellent writer, with clear descriptions, flow, interaction and all!

[Kelley]

I liked this part of the story a lot Alyssa.
I found one small mistake though in the line.

" “Your look weird today.” June specified when we were sitting on the porch; the day was drier then yesterday. "

Shouldn't it be...

" “You look weird today.” June specified when we were sitting on the porch; the day was drier then yesterday.

How old was this girl? Because she was brushing a Barbie Doll???

Anyway great story so far can't wait to read some more.
Thanks for sharing.

Kelley