Complications

Indy and Mack were curled up in her bed when their alarm went off. 3:15 PM. She woke up and looked from him to the clock, completely confused.

"3:15?"

"We have to go or we'll be late for classes."

"Classes?"

"Start at four."

"Oh...right...What do I wear?"

"Your uniform. It's over there on your vanity."

She groggily walked over to the vanity, picking up a stack of clothing. Navy pleated skirt, white shirt, navy blazer, and red and navy tie. She laughed out loud. "I have to wear this?"

"Yes..." He laughed back. He was already in his navy pants, white shirt, and tie. He looked handsome, and she smiled. He walked to her and kissed her lips quickly. "I'll be in the living room while you get changed. Don't hurt yourself, because Ana, you, and I need to talk about something."

She nodded and shut the door behind him. As she got dressed, her mind drifted to Waterman. What he did was uncalled for. It was assault. He had to pay for it. But, of course, human laws don't apply here. This is a different world. How could they make him responsible for his actions? For killing Jonathan, for hurting her like he did?

After getting her uniform on, she pulled her bangs back, threw on some lips gloss and headed out the door. The clock read 3:35. 

The living room was silent. As soon as she entered the room she felt a chill rip through the room. Her eyes hardened and her head jerked toward the open window. She loudly slammed it closed, and sat down on the open chair, next to Mack. He took her hand.

"That b*****d is going to pay," Ana said, breaking the silence. 

"But how, is the question," Mack interjected.

"I say we launch a secret manhunt for him," Indy said. "But if we find him, where do we keep him?"

"I know a place," Ana said, smiling devilishly. "Abandoned factory on the bad side of town. They have a basement."

"Ana, that's the werewolf sector. They'll smell him. He is their leader, after all," Mack said pointedly.

"It is A werewolf sector. But not the Alabati sector. The Crea Werewolves hate Waterman as much as we do. Their packs are about as similar as oil and water."

"You're brilliant!" Indigo said gleefully.

"We'll need Fend's permission. He may hate Waterman, but I doubt he'll want to help out us teenage bloodsuckers," Mack said slowly.

"Damn it," Indy said. "Wait, who is Fend?"

"William Fend, the leader of the Crea's. The factory is in his jurisdiction, and you know how the dogs are about their territory. The Alabatis won't set foot inside Crea territory. Anyways," Ana said, looking at Mack. "We won't know until we ask him. Besides, you do remember when Waterman kidnapped Fend's wife and two daughters, and held them captive underground for almost three weeks? Only his younger daughter, Serena, about seven, was found. She was disoriented, malnourished, and had traces of sedatives in her system. She had wandered back into her own territory, after watching her older sister and mom being raped and murdered. I think he'd rather help us torture Waterman, then let him know we're after him."

"Alright," said Mack. "I'll go during my free period and talk to Fend."

"I'm going with you," the girls said together. They shared a look and then redirected their eyes to Mack.

"Well, we can't go after classes, it'll be almost 11:00 PM. The wolves will be getting to sleep. We'd best go in the morning."

"Why can't we go during classes? Let's ditch," Indigo said, smiling.

"Because they'll look for us, and we can't be followed. They'll shut down the operation. They don't want a war, but it's inevitable. Besides, they're expecting you in your classes today, Indy. It's your first day. And if you're absent, and Ana and I are absent, they're going to know something's up."

"Tomorrow morning, then," Indy acquiesced. 

The three of them left the dorm, Indy and Mack, their fingers intertwined, and Ana trailing behind, wishing she had Jonathan with her. But then again, he was always with her.

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Indigo took the seat next to Mack in their first class of the day-- or, rather, night-- chemistry. Unfortunately, she could not get out of awkward introductions.

"Oh, wow!" Exclaimed Mr. Marino. "We have a new face in class tonight. Would you please stand and introduce yourself? We are just so excited to be blessed with your presence!"

Indy stood slowly and smiled. Is he always this weird?

You bet.

Awkward.

Definitely.

"I'm Indigo Jones." She said, with more confidence then she felt.

"What school did you come from, Miss Jones?"

"Brandt High School, over on Sycamore Street."

"Oh, how lovely! Fine school, fine school," Mr. Marino murmured. "And who is your Bond, may I ask?"

"Mackenzie Stevens," she said. Mack stood up and put his arm around her.

"Well, I am happy for both of you. You make such a lovely little couple!" Mr. Marino said excitedly. He then got a workbook and textbook from behind his desk and handed them to Indigo. She could feel lethal eyes on her from every angle-- jealous girls. She couldn't understand why girls with Bonds of their own could find any ounce of jealousy. She shrugged off their piercing eyes and accepted her books politely. She sat down next to Mack once again and he took her hand. 

Chemistry hour passed uneventfully, as did Psych 101 and Literature & Composition. The class's latest project in Comp was novelettes. Since she was three-quarters finished with her novel anyways, that class was a snap. She even had Mrs. Huckeby read the first chapter, and she praised it endlessly. 

The real kicker was Calculus. Mack wasn't in Lit. & Comp or Calculus, and she already had heard what an idiot Mr. Dunsley was.  Turns out, he was a very thorough idiot. During the first five minutes of class, Dunsley asked her to stand behind the podium at the front of the class and recite her name, year, previous school, extra-curricular activities, awards received at that school, and her Bond's first and last name.

"My name is Indigo Jones. I'm a Junior, and I attended Brandt last year," she said coolly. "I'm a singer, and am an active member of Coda. I played soccer on the Varsity team at Brandt. I have won several soccer awards, two singing awards, an award for poetry, and an award for a short story. I am currently in the process of finishing a novel. My Bond is Mackenzie Stevens."

"Thank you, Miss Jones. I would like to congratulate you on your achievements, and wish you and Mackenzie Stevens all the best."

Indy smiled. "Thank you."

"You may sit, Miss Jones."

She took her seat, and accepted her books when they were offered. She almost immediately got a message from Mack.

Good speech! Damn, you have a lot of awards. 

Yeah, I'm a bit of an over achiever.

Not really. You'll fit right in here!

Thanks, she replied, smiling to herself. 

Advanced U.S. History passed by in a blur. Mr. Beck didn't seriously embarrass her as Mr. Dunsley had. He had her stand and then quickly read aloud a slip of paper sent from the administration. "Indigo Jones is our new admission. She attended Brandt high school previously. Her Bond is Mackenzie Stevens." When he had finished, he placed a blank, spiral-bound notebook and a textbook on her desk. "May you be happy here at Harrington Academy, and in your new relationship." 

Lunch came next, or rather, dinner. Indigo met Mack outside the Calculus classroom. They walked hand in hand to the cafeteria. They got in line, and Indigo's phone vibrated with a text. It read, "Watch yourself at 9:36 PM. Be somewhere safe." It was from her mother. 

She typed back, "Why?"

"You're going to find out exactly why your father left us."

Stunned, she thought to herself, Sylvia Pratt. His business partner.

. "What is it?" Mack asked.

"What time do we have to be back for the last class?"

"Last class starts at 10:05 PM. Why?"

"It's just after 9:00 PM now. Let's get our dinner and head back to my dorm."

"What is going on, Indigo?"

"We have to be in my dorm by 9:30 PM, alright? Please trust me." She didn't know why she 

trusted her mother now, but she felt it deep in her stomach that it was true. A bomb was going to drop at 9:36 PM and she needed to be safe when it did.

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Indigo and Mack were back at her dorm by 9:20 PM, Mack still in the dark on what exactly was going on. They sat on the couch and opened their first bottle of blood. It was cold. Even with Mack's testimony of the food's chilliness, she'd still assumed it'd be warm-- maybe even live. Hah! 

When the blood first touched her tongue, Indigo's eyes came alive. She downed the entire bottle in under a minute. 

"Whoa, honey, slow down just a little. You're going to get sick," Mack warned. On her second bottle, she heeded his warning and went slower. She was still finished with both before 9:30 PM, and the suspense was kicking into overdrive.

What the hell did she mean? Indy thought.

Who?

My mother.

She's the one who texted you?

Yes.

What did she say?

She told me to go somewhere safe by 9:36 PM, and be prepared to find out the real reason my dad left us.

I thought he left because of an affair he was having...

Yes, precisely. Sylvia Pratt. I have no idea what she means!

I'm sure it will be just fine, Indy. Calm down a little. Breathe.

Indigo took a few deep breaths and then realized what the time was. Less than a minute until the unknown would occur. She could hear the clock ticking, ticking, ticking. When the clock struck 9:36 PM, Indigo's whole body seized. Her throat began to swell and breathing became harder. She fell onto the floor, seizing and spasming uncontrollably.

"Indigo? Are you alright? Indy!" Mack yelled. Indy looked at him, but her vision became fuzzy as she slipped unconscious. Ana ran in just as Indy was pulled under. She screamed, and it echoed throughout the house. 

Images flooded her mind. Images of Hank Waterman and her father. Her father and Sylvia Pratt. He saw her father whipping a young man, suspended from a high ceiling by one leg. He wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. Tears fell from the man's eyes right to the floor, in a little puddle.

"Daddy?" She whispered. "What are you doing?"

His eyes darted to hers. He broke into a run towards her, leapt into the air, body contorting unnaturally. Fur sprouted from his skin, and his mouth and nose elongated into a muzzle. She was watching her father turn into a wolf.

She screamed, a scream so incredibly loud and shocking that the image ripped apart in front of her eyes.

She felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her awake once again. She opened her eyes and could barely breathe. "Mack?"

"I'm here, I'm here. What happened?"

"My dad..." she shook her head, hyperventilating, on the verge of passing out. "He's a...a...DOG."

Indigo took out her phone and called her mother. "What the hell is going on?" 

"Your father had the recessive wolf gene," her mother said, frantic, fighting back tears. " I knew when you were writing that werewolf bullshit, something was bound to happen. And you ran away with a vampire! Do you understand that if I'd had that same recessive gene, you'd be a f*****g werewolf right now?"

"What the f**k are you talking about?"

"Every man in his family had a wolf, but most were dormant. That b***h Sylvia, Waterman's little lackey, brought out your father's wolf. Now Waterman's got two lackeys waiting to do his bidding. In fact, Waterman and your father have even become buddies, " Tricia said bitterly. 

"My father's an Alabati?"

"Yep. And your mama's best friend is a Crea."

"Kendra is a Crea? Oh, my god!"

"I've said too much! Never say that your mama never helped you. I've got to go. Goodbye, Indigo." Her mother hung up and Indy stared dumbfounded at Mack, stuttering.

"I'm sorry about your father," Mack said.

"Yeah, that's a problem...but Kendra could help us get a meeting with Fend."

"That's true...can you contact her?"

"Definitely."

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"Kendra?" Indigo said into her phone. The connection was terrible. It kept crackling and she could tell the sound was being contorted by the wind.

"Hello? Hold on, I'm on the bridge. Let me get to the other side," came Kendra's discombobulated voice through the phone. She hit the end in less than thirty seconds.

"The bridge?"

"Yeah, I was taking a run on the Golden Gate. Tuesday night tradition."

"Oh, well, are you at the end yet?"

"Yes. What's up, Indy? Are you okay? I hardly hear from you anymore, peanut!" 

Indigo laughed and blushed slightly. "Don't call me that! I'm sixteen! And Mack can hear you!"

"I am your auntie and I will call you whatever I damn well please, no matter how cute that boy is!" Kendra said, returning Indigo's laughter.

"He is pretty damn cute," commented Indigo. Mack blushed a deep shade of scarlet next to her. She gave him a quick, apologetic kiss for the embarrassment. 

"Oh, damn," Kendra teased. "Was that a kiss I just heard? Is this Mack guy your new boy toy?"

"Damn right!" Said Indigo, and Kendra heard loud laughter on the other side of the phone. "Oh, god, I love you, Kendra."

"You better. I changed your diapers!"

"Alright, alright. Let's not go into that...but we do need to get down to business."

"Oh, this is a business call?'

"That it is," Indigo said briskly.

Suddenly professional, Kendra asked, "What do you need, Indigo?"

"Well, Tricia-- I mean, mom-- told me you were Crea." 

"You know about us? But, how? Your mom promised she wouldn't tell you unless it was absolutely imperative that you know...or that she knew something was going to happen to her."

"I found out about Dad too."

"Those goddamn Alabati. That dumb w***e, Sylvia...she was Waterman's little lap dog. If I could get my claws on her..."

"It's fine. That's not really what this call is about. Waterman hurt me, alright? Pretty badly. We have a plan, but we need Fend's support."

"We need have this conversation in person, Indigo. Where are you?"

"I'm at Harrington," Indy said slowly. She wasn't going to lie to Kendra.  "But my last class starts in a few minutes. Let's meet in the morning."

"Wait a second...you're one of them?"

"Yeah, it's my first day of classes. At least I'm not an Alabati."

"That's for damn sure. I'd disown your sorry a*s," Kendra said teasingly. "But this certainly is a cluster f**k, isn't it?"

"You got that right!" Indigo replied, laughing darkly. Quite a cluster f**k. "Let's meet at the abandoned warehouse at Patricia Ct. and Elm St. at 9:00 AM. Does that work for you?"

"I have a Crea council meeting at 8:00 AM, so it would be more like half past 9:00 AM."

"Alright, 9:30 AM, it is."

"And should I bring...insurance?"

"I'm bringing Mack and our partner, Anastasia. We've got quite a proposal for you. Bring a wolf with you, just in case we're being watched. I've learned the hard way that Waterman has eyes everywhere."

"I'll keep that in mind. See you in the morning, peanut!" Kendra hung up the phone, and with one glance behind her, she broke into a run toward her own territory, the faster she got there, the better.

Indigo put her phone in her pocket and looked at Mack. "The schedule may be pushed back a few hours. But I am sure we can get a deal set before we need to be back for classes. We are meeting with Kendra first. She is a very valuable asset to us. She's on the Crea council and undoubtedly has a lot of influence among the Crea."

"Good, we'll let Ana know next period. I'm pretty sure we're all stuck with Health."

Indy groaned. The only thing worse then planning to kidnap and torture the depraved leader of a powerful wolf pack was having to endure vampire sex education.