Thaddeus had lead me through the woods, on a number of paths until we reached the woods behind my house. “Thank-” I started to thank him, but when I turned he was gone again. “Does he not know how to wait?” I detto outloud.
“Julie? Is that you?” My mom was coming around the corner of the house. “Julie! Where have te been!?” She pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. “We've been looking everywhere for you. The police were going to start an investigation. We thought te had been killed da those wolves!” She was stilled hugging me when Dylan, Sophie, and sadly Ryan came around the corner. “You found her.” Dylan walked up behind my mom and placed his hand on her shoulder. She let me go and got pulled into a hug da Dylan. successivo was Sophie, she practically tackled me! “Julie! What happened? One minuto you're sicuro, cassetta di sicurezza and sound, the successivo poof! You're gone.”
“Sophie, I-” Before I could tell her anything, Ryan was hugging me.
“Julie babe. te never returned any of my calls. I though the Earth had like, swallowed te o something.” I wiggled my way out of his grip and stepped back. Not knowing what to say, I was relieved when Dylan spoke up, “How about we all go inside and catch up with something to drink.” We all nodded our agreement before trooping inside. Dylan and my mom sat on the loveseat against the wall, leaving Sophie, Ryan and myself to share the couch. “So, how much do te guys know?”
“Well, let's see. te drove me home after Brett disappeared, then te went home. After that, I never heard from te until your mom phoned asking if te were with me. We've been looking for te ever since.” Sophie hadn't taken one breath during all that. “What did happen to you?” I didn't know how much I could tell them. Could I tell them that there had been a dying shape shifter in my house, he refused to go to a hospital but I forced him to go. Then, on my way to the car in the parking lot, I was attacked da a savage beast which turned out to be another shape shifter. I don't think so, instead I made up a story. “I was in town when I heard that the biblioteca in downtown East Wood was looking for some volunteers to help sposta some books, so I figured why not. I was going to call you,” I gestured to my mom, “But my phone was dead and I was already on the road.” They didn't look satisfied so I added, “It was late da the time we were done, so I found a place to stay for the night and came home earlier today. Nobody was home so I took a hike through the forest.” They were all staring at me, I didn't know what else to say so I stretched and yawned. “If te don't mind, it's been a long day, so I think I'm going to go take a nap.” Sophie didn't look convinced, but everyone else was, for now at least. I got up and crossed the room to the stairs before they could start asking questions.
I closed the door to my room slowly, leaning against it on the other side. I had my head on my knees, so I didn't see the other person sitting on my bed. He coughed. “Brett! What are te doing here? What if my mom finds out.” I was whispering at him in an angry tone. Crossing the room in two bounds, I sat beside him. “Aren't te suppose to be in the hospital, te know healing?”
“I'm done healing.” He detto it like it was obvious. I looked down at his legs, he was wearing shorts so I could see that he was telling the truth. There wasn't a single mark on his leg, o his arm. It was like he was never attacked. “Ok, te shape shifters are seriously strange.” He chuckled.
“Wait. te know I'm a shape shifter. Who told you? How did te figure it out?” He had a panicked look in his eyes. “I didn't tell you, did I? The alphas are going to kill me for this.”
“Brett calm down.” I walked over to my door and opened it a crack. Everyone was still down in the living room, I could hear ice clinking against glass so I assumed someone had brought out drinks. I closed the door and locked it. “Brett, te didn't tell me. The pack, o at least the few I've met told me. Although, they seemed like they couldn't tell me everything.” He calmed down a bit, but he still looked jumpy.
“So they told te what I am?”
“Ya.”
“Who did te meet?” He had settled down quite a bit, so I returned to my sede, sedile beside him. “Well, when I first woke up-”
“Where did te wake up?” He looked interested in what I had to say.
“I woke up in a small clearing with a huge oak tree. Why?”
“No reason, just curious. Go to the beginning. What happened after te left the hospital.” I thought for a moment before replying.
“I wasn't even halfway across the parking lot when I say this lupo standing there glaring at me. I didn't know what to do, so I did the first thing that came to mind, I ran. I almost made it back to the hospital, but the lupo was bigger and faster. It pinned me down, and I hit the ground. Later I woke up in the clearing.”
“Altar and his crew.”
“What?”
“It was probably Altar, o one of the other hunters.”
“Altar was one of the wolves. I didn't meet him, but I did see him walk by. He was talking to Thaddeus.”
“Ah, Thaddeus. Not many mess with him.”
“After that I met your mate, Dalla.” The mention of his mate had him sitting up straight. “Dalla, how is she?”
“She seems fine to me, a little scary at first with all the growling and sniffing, but after she smelled te she calmed down. Until Piper came along that is.”
“Piper.” Brett was nearly growling.
“Ya, she came and got under Dalla's skin. So, I asked her to mostra me around. We were at the pond when Thaddeus detto the alphas wanted to see her, and he brought me home.” Brett was sitting there Lost in thought, when a long howl broke the silence. He was on his feet at once and over da the window. “I have to go. Don't let Sophie know te saw me. And please, what ever te do, do not tell anyone about us. Promise?”
“Promise.” With that, he jumped out the window, landing on his feet before running, full speed, into the woods.
That night, my mom didn't let me out of her sight. Everyone else had gone home except Dylan, but he was mostly here to support my mom. While she was in the living room, finding something for the three of us to do, Dylan cornered me. “You seemed kind of fidgety earlier. Everything alright?”
“Everything is fine. Why?”
“You really scared your mother, what with te disappearing.” I didn't think he had cornered me to make small talk. “Dylan, is there something te want?” He looked at me then at the doorway leading to the living room where my mom could be heard. “Not here. Meet me tomorrow after school at my studio. We can talk there.” He handed me a slip of paper with the address on it. “Ok then.” I was about to ask why we needed to talk, when my mom came in carrying an armful of board games.
“Julie? Is that you?” My mom was coming around the corner of the house. “Julie! Where have te been!?” She pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. “We've been looking everywhere for you. The police were going to start an investigation. We thought te had been killed da those wolves!” She was stilled hugging me when Dylan, Sophie, and sadly Ryan came around the corner. “You found her.” Dylan walked up behind my mom and placed his hand on her shoulder. She let me go and got pulled into a hug da Dylan. successivo was Sophie, she practically tackled me! “Julie! What happened? One minuto you're sicuro, cassetta di sicurezza and sound, the successivo poof! You're gone.”
“Sophie, I-” Before I could tell her anything, Ryan was hugging me.
“Julie babe. te never returned any of my calls. I though the Earth had like, swallowed te o something.” I wiggled my way out of his grip and stepped back. Not knowing what to say, I was relieved when Dylan spoke up, “How about we all go inside and catch up with something to drink.” We all nodded our agreement before trooping inside. Dylan and my mom sat on the loveseat against the wall, leaving Sophie, Ryan and myself to share the couch. “So, how much do te guys know?”
“Well, let's see. te drove me home after Brett disappeared, then te went home. After that, I never heard from te until your mom phoned asking if te were with me. We've been looking for te ever since.” Sophie hadn't taken one breath during all that. “What did happen to you?” I didn't know how much I could tell them. Could I tell them that there had been a dying shape shifter in my house, he refused to go to a hospital but I forced him to go. Then, on my way to the car in the parking lot, I was attacked da a savage beast which turned out to be another shape shifter. I don't think so, instead I made up a story. “I was in town when I heard that the biblioteca in downtown East Wood was looking for some volunteers to help sposta some books, so I figured why not. I was going to call you,” I gestured to my mom, “But my phone was dead and I was already on the road.” They didn't look satisfied so I added, “It was late da the time we were done, so I found a place to stay for the night and came home earlier today. Nobody was home so I took a hike through the forest.” They were all staring at me, I didn't know what else to say so I stretched and yawned. “If te don't mind, it's been a long day, so I think I'm going to go take a nap.” Sophie didn't look convinced, but everyone else was, for now at least. I got up and crossed the room to the stairs before they could start asking questions.
I closed the door to my room slowly, leaning against it on the other side. I had my head on my knees, so I didn't see the other person sitting on my bed. He coughed. “Brett! What are te doing here? What if my mom finds out.” I was whispering at him in an angry tone. Crossing the room in two bounds, I sat beside him. “Aren't te suppose to be in the hospital, te know healing?”
“I'm done healing.” He detto it like it was obvious. I looked down at his legs, he was wearing shorts so I could see that he was telling the truth. There wasn't a single mark on his leg, o his arm. It was like he was never attacked. “Ok, te shape shifters are seriously strange.” He chuckled.
“Wait. te know I'm a shape shifter. Who told you? How did te figure it out?” He had a panicked look in his eyes. “I didn't tell you, did I? The alphas are going to kill me for this.”
“Brett calm down.” I walked over to my door and opened it a crack. Everyone was still down in the living room, I could hear ice clinking against glass so I assumed someone had brought out drinks. I closed the door and locked it. “Brett, te didn't tell me. The pack, o at least the few I've met told me. Although, they seemed like they couldn't tell me everything.” He calmed down a bit, but he still looked jumpy.
“So they told te what I am?”
“Ya.”
“Who did te meet?” He had settled down quite a bit, so I returned to my sede, sedile beside him. “Well, when I first woke up-”
“Where did te wake up?” He looked interested in what I had to say.
“I woke up in a small clearing with a huge oak tree. Why?”
“No reason, just curious. Go to the beginning. What happened after te left the hospital.” I thought for a moment before replying.
“I wasn't even halfway across the parking lot when I say this lupo standing there glaring at me. I didn't know what to do, so I did the first thing that came to mind, I ran. I almost made it back to the hospital, but the lupo was bigger and faster. It pinned me down, and I hit the ground. Later I woke up in the clearing.”
“Altar and his crew.”
“What?”
“It was probably Altar, o one of the other hunters.”
“Altar was one of the wolves. I didn't meet him, but I did see him walk by. He was talking to Thaddeus.”
“Ah, Thaddeus. Not many mess with him.”
“After that I met your mate, Dalla.” The mention of his mate had him sitting up straight. “Dalla, how is she?”
“She seems fine to me, a little scary at first with all the growling and sniffing, but after she smelled te she calmed down. Until Piper came along that is.”
“Piper.” Brett was nearly growling.
“Ya, she came and got under Dalla's skin. So, I asked her to mostra me around. We were at the pond when Thaddeus detto the alphas wanted to see her, and he brought me home.” Brett was sitting there Lost in thought, when a long howl broke the silence. He was on his feet at once and over da the window. “I have to go. Don't let Sophie know te saw me. And please, what ever te do, do not tell anyone about us. Promise?”
“Promise.” With that, he jumped out the window, landing on his feet before running, full speed, into the woods.
That night, my mom didn't let me out of her sight. Everyone else had gone home except Dylan, but he was mostly here to support my mom. While she was in the living room, finding something for the three of us to do, Dylan cornered me. “You seemed kind of fidgety earlier. Everything alright?”
“Everything is fine. Why?”
“You really scared your mother, what with te disappearing.” I didn't think he had cornered me to make small talk. “Dylan, is there something te want?” He looked at me then at the doorway leading to the living room where my mom could be heard. “Not here. Meet me tomorrow after school at my studio. We can talk there.” He handed me a slip of paper with the address on it. “Ok then.” I was about to ask why we needed to talk, when my mom came in carrying an armful of board games.
I stood da you,
Ever so proudly,
In the darkness of war,
Never betraying you,
Always da your side.
I protected you,
Never let te down when
Things got rough,
I stood da you
Through giorno and night,
Summer and winter.
Stand da me now,
Be my loyal friend,
Never falter when the Fuhrer
Shoots his nasty gaze down at you.
Be strong,
My faithful friend.
Be strong,
And protect me from the evils
Of the world.
Be strong,
Never falter,
And always have courage.
Go now, my faithful friend.
Run free.
Ever so proudly,
In the darkness of war,
Never betraying you,
Always da your side.
I protected you,
Never let te down when
Things got rough,
I stood da you
Through giorno and night,
Summer and winter.
Stand da me now,
Be my loyal friend,
Never falter when the Fuhrer
Shoots his nasty gaze down at you.
Be strong,
My faithful friend.
Be strong,
And protect me from the evils
Of the world.
Be strong,
Never falter,
And always have courage.
Go now, my faithful friend.
Run free.
Like te don't have another care
Fight till the end.
Fight till the end,
Cuz te got all ya power.
Fight like a trooper.
You've got hope
You've got strength
You've got Amore on ya side,
So fight now.
Just fight now.
Fight till the end,
You've got all these people
Rootin for ya,
Rootin for ya.
You'll win the fight,
You'll freakin survive,
And you'll be proud
Cuz te fought till the end,
And won it,
And won it.
Fight till the end,
You'll win.
Everything inside ya
Is powerful.
So fight till the end.
Just fight till the end.
AND FIGHT IT!!!