Chapter 11: Wolf

"I didn't do it!" I screamed at them as they lay me down. "I didn't do it! I was set up!" My face was dry and sticky since I had been crying and pleading with the people who had taken me away like I was insane to let me go.  Rhett was on their heels, pleading as well that I didn't do it.  It was true. I didn't kill the boy.  I more saw it happen.

            The guards placed me down softly and then strapped me to the bed. What were they doing?  Did they think I was insane?

            "Stop! She's not an animal!" Rhett screeched. What irony that sentence carried. We were all animals here, in one way or another. I struggled against the bindings, but they just dug into my skin. The teachers left and Rhett sped over to me.

            "I'll get you out of here!" He told me franticly. "You saved me, so I need to save you."

            "But you've already saved me once."

            "It's my duty then to save you again." He fumbled with the buckles but he couldn't get it.

            "Get back son!" a voice echoed through the room. Rhett looked up as Principal Williams stepped into the room, a cold glare in his eyes.

            "No," Rhett stood his ground.

            "I'm warning you son." Principal William's voice was cold and icy.

            "You can go." I whispered to Rhett. "I'll scream if I need you."

            Rhett looked at me, then and Williams and nodded in defeat. "I'll be right outside if you need me." I tried to smile but the nerves in my face made it look like a pinched facial expression. Williams grabbed a chair and sat down next to my bed, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

            "Whitney, tell me what happened." He eyed my scratch from a few days ago. It was nearly gone now.

            "I didn't do it!" I yelled. I needed to make my point first.

            Williams rested his hand on my arm gently. His touch was rough and awkward, "I believe you. Can you tell me what happened?"

            I gulped. He was actually listening to me. "I was running through the forest, having the time of my life when I heard a moan or some strange noise. So I trotted over to see what was going on. I thought that someone was sick or something. Then I found the body and a…a thing towering over someone or something lying, more like twitching on the ground.  I growled and the thing looked up and I saw red eyes; glowing red eyes. It ran off and I was going to chase it, but there was blood everywhere. I knelt down next to the body and I noticed it was someone, someone from the guys' team and I didn't know what to do, so I just screamed." So many emotions flooded Williams at once; fear, worry, confusion, wonder, anger.

            "Did you get a good look at this thing?"

            "No. I just saw the red eyes and that it was on four legs. It ran off when it saw me and I would've given chase but I couldn't just leave that poor, helpless boy alone. He was dying! I didn't want him alone as he took his last breaths! I-"
            "I understand Ms. Pinter. It's ok. Take a deep breath and close your eyes and get some rest. We'll have the doctor look you over and make sure your ok."

            "Sir," I swiveled my head as a man in his 40's walked in. He had black hair like Raven's but they looked nothing alike. He wore a white lab coat and glasses on his head.

            "Doctor Winter, I'd like you to meet Ms. Whitney Pinter. She's had quite a scare tonight and if you would be so kind as to make sure she's ok?"

            "Of course sir but before that, I need to talk to you. It's about the recent death." The doctor glanced at me and smiled.     

            "I didn't kill him! Rhett! RHETT!" I screamed as I struggled with the bindings again. Rhett barged in, probably being held against his will as he waited outside the door and knelt next to my bed. He took my hand and rubbed it with his thumb.

            "I'm right here sweetheart. I'm right here." he soothed.

            "Sorry sir, but he just bolted out of our grasp." One of the teachers, or at least I thought he was a teacher reported. As he came closer to grab Rhett, I noticed he looked more like a guard.

            "It's ok Harris. Let him stay with her. He seems to calm her down." Williams said and then turned to me. "Whitney, we know you didn't kill him. It's ok. Try to get some rest. The doctor will be back shortly." With that, Williams corralled the man named Harris and Doctor Winters out of the room.

            "Did he hurt you?" Rhett asked quickly, his breathing still hard from when he bolted. I shook my head. Relief came to his face and his jade eyes showed kindness, comfort, maybe even love.

            "I'm here now. Nobody is going to hurt you." He promised as he brushed a strand of blond hair out of my face.  He rubbed my hand, trying to calm me down. "What morons. They didn't clean the blood off you." I hadn't realized it until now. Rhett stood up and examined the room for a towel or cloth. He found a white one, wetted it, wrung it out and cleaned the blood off my hands gently and then wiped the blood off my face.

            "There," He said as he finished. Tears began to flood my eyes.

            "Why did he have to die?" I cried.

            Rhett hesitated, "I don't know sweetheart but it wasn't you who killed him. You know that.  It was someone else, someone who is sick and should be in hell."      

            "Do we know who it was?" I sniffled.

            "No, not yet. They'll probably say who it was tomorrow." He looked at the buckles again. "I can't believe I couldn't get these right away," he joked to himself as he unbuckled them with ease. When all the bindings came off, I sat up and hugged Rhett. I clung onto his thin frame and didn't let go.

            "Don't leave me." I whispered.

            "I won't. I promise." Rhett adjusted himself so he was now sitting on the bed with me. I scooted over and he laid down.  I followed, still clinging onto him. I didn't want to let him go because I had never felt this kind of affection before. Before I came here, no one loved me. They all hated me. My parents were dead. I had to raise myself, face my change alone in a dark corner.

            Rhett bent his head down to look at me.  My eyes must have looked watery and puffy from all the crying. "You look beautiful."

            I was too emotionally distraught to blush, "I don't think so. I think I look like a mess." I breathed.

            "No. You always look beautiful. Since the first day I've met you, I've always thought you were beautiful. I'm just star struck when I see you." my fingers clenched softly on his shirt. "I-I think I love you." He whispered his last sentence.

            "But you barely know me." I told him. It was very true.

            "That still doesn't change my mind."

            "You wouldn't like me if you knew about my past." I whispered, not making eye contact.

            "I still wouldn't care." He responded and then drew my face close to his. "I don't think anymore. I know I love you." My eyes grew big and innocent. "Could you love a nerd like me?"

            "You're not a nerd to me." I whispered, "You're everything to me." Rhett couldn't wait anymore. He closed the gap and let his lips touch mine. I knew that he didn't know how to kiss, but I somewhat knew and took the lead. I didn't do anything exotic, just something soft and light. Besides, this was our first kiss.

            A knock on the door drove us apart and Rhett sat up, but still held my hand.  Doctor Winter strolled in and smiled warmly.

            "Rhett, I'm going to ask you to leave. It's past curfew and you need to get back to your dorm. I'll give you a pass so you won't get detention." Taking a slip of paper out of his pocket and a pen from his breast pocket, he scribbled down something and handed it to him.

            Rhett took it and then turned to me, "I'll come first thing in the morning." He promised and then walked out.  Right before leaving, he took one more glance, blew a kiss to me and then left, a smile on his face.

            When the door was closed shut, Doctor Winter began by asking how I was feeling. I told him I felt fine, just shaken up.  I wanted to sleep.  I wanted to block out the whole game from my head. I wanted the boy that died in front of me to leave my memory.  I wanted the words that he choked out to me to stop swirling my head. I wanted to forget everything except the kiss.

            Doctor Winter had me stand and he checked me for any visible scratches and bites. He noticed the scratch on my arm.

            "What happened?"

            "I-I just scratched myself in class one day. Nothing to worry about." The doctor looked at me for a moment and then took the white lie I had fed him. He had me get back into bed. 

         "I'll have a nurse come in soon just to keep an eye on you. I don't want you here alone. This place does get scary at night." He smiled.     

            "Okay," I whimpered. I listened to the click of his shoes and when they were gone, I sighed a little bit.  The warmth from the blankets surrounded me and my eyelids became heavy. I let them close.

                                   ***

            I'm running. I'm running as a wolf through the woods. The woods where we played capture the flag.

            The dream shifts a little as I now am human, sitting next to the boy who is dying.

            "It's-It's going to be ok!" I pleaded with him. "Someone will help us!" I looked around wildly, seeing if a referee or a camera could pick us up and send for help. "Help!" I cried.

            "Don't!" The boy choked. "I was destined to die. My power is stronger than the demons. I would have been put on security."

            I looked down at him in shock, "How can you say that? You have a choice!"

            "No. No one has a choice. I'm a lion and she's going after people like me." he stopped as he coughed up blood. I help him lay on his side so it doesn't choke him to death. Blood starts to get on my hands. I couldn't let him die.

            "Who's she?" I asked, trying to hold back tears.

            But he kept on rambling, "I had a dream last night. It was a vision now that I think about it. It showed me this scene. It told me to give you a message."

            "Who is this person you were speaking of?! You keep changing the subject!" I kept pleading. My hair kept getting in the way and I pushed it past angrily, smearing blood on my cheek, near my mouth.

            "Your friend is not safe. No one that could be security is safe. She's gonna come for you if you're not careful, but she wasn't instructed to get you so I guess you're safe for now, but they will kill you or turn you. You must kill the leader before it's too late!"

            "WHO?!" I screeched.

            "C-" He coughed, gurgled blood in the back of his throat and took his dying breath.

            "WHO?!?!?!"  I screamed, tears streaming from my eyes. "Tell me and you could save lives!" But it was too late. The life in him was gone.  I did the only thing I could think of; I screamed.

            "Ms. Pinter!" a hand was on my shoulder waking me up. My eyes shot open, my body scared stiff from what I had just witnessed. The bed was wet as well as my pillow; sweat and tears.  "Ms. Pinter! Calm down!" I sat up and looked at the nurse. My heart rate was so fast, I felt like I had ran a marathon.

            "What happened?" I asked

            "You were screaming your head off, yelling who over and over again. Are you alright darling?"

            I looked at her and she looked terrified. "Yeah, I'm-I'm just fine. What time is it?"

            "2 in the morning. Get some rest. It's Saturday so you won't have to worry about school tomorrow." I rested my head back down on the sweaty pillow. The nurse stroked my hair and it soothed me.  Nobody had ever done that to me.

            "Go to sleep sweetheart. Everything will be ok." was the last words I heard her say before my dreams took me away.