"Keep your fist up Aora!" Skipper screams at Aora, as an exhausted stance overcomes her.
"They are up! See." Skipper throws a punch at Aora, Aora blocks her and then hits Skipper in the side. She groans in pain.
Currently, I'm sitting on the lawn of the pack house backyard watching Aora and Skipper practice fighting techniques. They've been at it for at least 4 hours now, the bright rays of the sun beat down on them. Their glistening skin makes them look like shiny statues. I never was one to sit in the sun, but with nothing to do, and also finding the two girls interesting, I decided to do this today.
Aora usually trains with her fighting coach, Nhera Parr, but she canceled for some reason, and Aora didn't want to miss a day of training, so Skipper has been teaching her. She's pretty good, so good that I wouldn't want to poke a fight with her. Aora, on the other hand, doesn't seem fazed by her best friends fighting skills.
"Hey Quinn, you want to join in?" asked Aora as she jabs Skipper in the side again, earning a proud smile from her. Their friendship is pretty weird, they mostly argue with each other all the time and constantly scold each other, but sometimes, just sometimes, I peek around the corner and see them having heart to heart moments. They tell each other everything, well not everything.
Last night still burns on my mind. A distorted Skipper, wearing a huge jacket but no pants and dishelved hair comes back to me. Seeing the slight fear in her eyes when she saw me, of all people, seeing her sneak out of the pack house. To further in detail, sneaking out of a room that was held by a married man. I didn't want to judge her, because she's a good friend of mine, but it was wrong. And I know that she knows it's wrong.
But she said she knew what she was doing, so I'll let her handle it the way she sees fit.
I answer Aora's question, "No, I'm fine with just watching you guys. Also, I like my face." She lets out a boisterous laugh, her smile going from ear to ear. She throws a lacking punch at Skipper but she dodges it. Taking the opportunity, Skipper hits Aora in the upper part where her arm pits are and then hits her on her side.
"You're missing out!" adds Skipper. "Ok Aora let's take a break." Aora doesn't bicker and just falls to the ground in exhaustion. Skipper walks over to the ledge on the back porch and drinks the cool water from her water bottle.
Rolling on her back, Aora looks to me. Her black silky hair falls all around her head as she takes the hair tie out. She really is a beauty. "So, you nervous about Nygaard?" She asked. No one knows that I'm going, except for Aora and Skipper.
The reason they know is because I was packing my coats in a suitcase, and they badgered me. Also, Skipper could tell I was lying which also didn't help.
The only thing I need to do is stop by the house for some winter clothes and that's it. Nygaard is located up in the mountains of Alaska. From what Mrs. Germani told me it looks like a winter wonderland, but the only problem is that you could possibly die from frostbite.
"A bit." I answered. "You guys' siblings told me it's dangerous down there, is that true?" Aora looks to Skipper, who is now sitting on the ground next to me and is more cooled down. As she speaks, her braces flash at me.
"It's not the safest place to be, but nowhere is really. Don't talk to anyone you don't know and watch your back, get what you went there for." I give her a nod.
A small voice comes from Aora, "What if- what if you can't get the cure for Alexander? What will you do then?" Skipper gives her bugged out eyes.
"Keaorah!" She shrieks. "Don't put that negative energy out into the universe!" Skipper starts shaking her body, as if Aora threw dog shit on her.
"What! It's something that could happen, HELENA." She says her name with the same vigor as Skipper.
There is a possibility that I could go and no cure is given. In their eyes, Alexander is damned. Him going to Insofar, risking not only this life but others, for me, was stupid and dangerous. And other wolves from other Kingdoms agree with this also.
I will do whatever I need to do to get that cure for him. I'll sell my soul to the devil if needs be, but I will see those black eyes with grey flecks again. He's too young, too important to die now.
"It's ok Skipper, she isn't the first one to bring this to my attention. I WILL get that cure, no matter what."
"Then all doubt is out the window now." They keep drinking their water as we all three bathe in the hot, summer sun.
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Opening up the mailbox, a bunch of unopened bills and such fall out at my feet. Letting out a groan, I pick up the huge stack and head to the front door. It's been weeks since anyone has been here, including me. After grandpa left, it just felt weird to be alone. You know, with everything that happened here. Eerie energy creeps up my shoulders as I fumble with my keys. I finally get the door opened.
The mail slides out my hand into the metal bowl near the living room. It looks the same as the day my grandpa left, I was so scared. To see him. . .so disheveled and scared it made me counter everything in existence.
He was always supposed to have it together, always supposed to know which way to turn and how to move on. I remember the day like it was yesterday.
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After a long day working at Ida's shop, I just want to lay in my bed on my cloudless pillows and sleep the day away. She had a bunch of new stuff come in, and since Claire is on vacation with her girlfriend in Bahamas, I had to pick up all the slack. My back feels like a 1,000-pound man stood on it.
As I get near the door, a soft whimper comes from inside the house. I look around the first floor, but don't see anyone. The cry becomes more distinct; I then realize it's coming from the second floor. Finding the room, I see my grandpa packing up his clothes as tears drop down his brown skin. My eyes widen, never have I ever seen him so distraught, not since my grandmother and mother's death.
His hands shake as he takes his clothes off the wire hangers. Once he sees me in the doorway, the tears come down even more. All I do is walk over to him and start helping him put the clothes in the suitcase. He gives me a dubious look, thinking I would stop him.
"You want to leave?" I ask him.
"I know that I'm supposed to have it all together, me being the adult and all. But I don't Quinn honey, I don't. I can't- can't stand to be in this house, knowing that she died only a few feet away from my bedroom door, it haunts me Quinn, clouds my thoughts at night. No matter how much I-."
I cut him off by hugging him. "Grandpa, you don't always have to be ok. It's alright to not be ok, to need to say 'I need a break'. Even grandpa's need time off." He chuckles, it's nice to see a smile on his face. We move in silence as we pack him up. I make sure I pack his toothbrush, deodorant and such. He always forgets the little things.
As we stand at the door, I bring my fingers to his face and wipe his tears. I've been expecting this for a long time, for him to break down and need to leave. For the past few weeks, I've been walking on eggshells around him. Scared to mention anything that would set him off. Today was the day where he finally caved into his feelings.
"Where will you go?" I asked. He sits the suitcase against the door as he fumbles around for this keys and phone.
"Baltimore." My cousin, Dana-Whitley and other family members live there. We only ever see them on holidays. Even then, it's only for four days, then we always have to come back because grandpa had prior engagements. Which I now know was him needing to get back to the pack house.
"Say Hi to everyone for me."
"Will do." I kiss him on his forehead, then, as if he was never here, gets in the car and heads down the road.
I'll miss him, I think to myself.
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I still miss him today. We talk as much as we can. And text also, even though he struggles with it and doesn't understand the emoticons or abbreviations, we get by. There isn't a set date to when he'll be coming, but I sit by and wait.
My bedroom is the same way I left it; the pillows sit scattered on the ground. When I came by to get the necklace, I couldn't find it so I tore the room apart. As we can see.
I start to grab some long sleeve shirts, pants and my winter coat from my unorganized closet. I start piling it away in the zebra suit case that sat under my bed. I remember getting this, I was so excited. I took it to Disneyland, my first ever vacation my grandparents took me on since my parents died. It was mostly to take my mind off them, and it worked. How I would love to go back, to see the smiles on their faces as the lights reflected on them. The smell of soft pretzels and excitement, that's all over and gone.
*Thud*
*Thud*
Something small taps at my balcony doors. What the-
Walking over with pep in my step, I look out to find the one that is making the noise. Down below I see a small figure with black hair. A small pebble slings to my doors, but instead, hits me smack in my head.
"Ouch! Damn it." I rub the sore spot.
"Sorry!" The person screams down below.
From the persons voice, I knew who it belonged to. I would know her anywhere.
"Katana?" I book it from my room downstairs. Excitement dances through my body.
Jumping down the last step, my hands bust open the glass doors that lead to the backyard. In the middle of my yard stands Katana. She looks different than the last time I saw her. Her hair got longer, just reaching past her shoulders. Her skin is bright and aware as her all black outfit swallows her up.
My arms wrap around her shoulders, she tenses at my gesture, but relaxes. She smells like woods and sweat.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, letting her go.
She readjusts her small knife on her hip, "I had to come and see you."
"What for?"
"I heard." Her voice lowers to me. She knows. How does she know?
"You know that I'm-."
"You're going to Nygaard without me." Katana says cutting me off.
I give her an incredulous look, "Oh! That."
"Yeah, that." The words come out slowly. "What did you think I was talking about?" She waits a few seconds for my response.
I thought she knew about what I did to Lyra a few weeks. How I almost killed her. It wasn't my finest moment, and something I don't want to talk about. My mind goes back to the night I saw Skipper sneaking out the pack house. That big jacket cuddled around her small frame. Not only that, being the only distinct thing I remember, but her words.
'Something deep inside of you- something dark and unsettling'.
Those words sometimes haunt my dreams at night, creeping in, cursing me to a dark and unsettling fate. To know that something dark is lurking inside of me, changing me from the inside out is terrifying. Even before she mentioned that, I had an inkling that something was wrong, but couldn't admit it. Now, I needed to, but not right now.
"Oh, nothing." She eyes me closely, trying to see if I'm telling the truth or not. She doesn't. "Who told you that I was going to Nygaard? I highly doubt news is traveling that quickly to The Island of Khans."
She shifts her weight to her left hip, "You'll be surprised how much I hear. What do you think scouts do when they're not doing their jobs? Gossiping, about you." Me? I'm assuming since I woke The First Power, and got Alexander in a hospital bed dying of poison I'm a hot topic right now. She turns towards the woods, "Let's go."
I'm aghast, "Where?"
"Stop questioning me and just come. For once Quinn, take a chance." I huff and follow her. Before going too far, she starts to undress in front of me.
"Hold on now. I like you Katana, but not like that." Her head whips in my direction, she looks at me like I grew two heads.
"Don't flatter yourself. Where we're going, your human legs can't take. I'm shifting to my wolf." Her black pants lay on the ground while she takes off her shirt. On her back I could see a long scar coming down all the way to her tail bone. It's jagged and looks like it hurt a lot. She feels my eyes looking and turns away. My eyes also do the same thing.
She shifts into her wolf, and it's beautiful. I thought Alexander's was amazing, I mean I have nothing to compare it to since he's the only one I've seen, Katana's trumps his. Her fur is dark as night with dusts of grey in it. The wolfs head lifts to me, those blinding green eyes of hers moves towards her back, indicating for me to get on.
"I got to pack Katana. I don't have time." She growls, I take that as a 'get on or I'll make you' growl.
I shut my mouth and hop on her back. With the clothes in her mouth, and me clinging onto her fur, she rides off through the forest into an unknown location.
After 20 minutes of running, and a few screams from me, we start to slow down. Prying my eyes open, all I see is hills of grass. Scratch that, MOUNTAINS of grass. Katana leans down; I slide right off onto the ground. She leaves me to get myself together while going behind a tree to put her clothes on.
My hands push up off the ground, as I find the strength from my legs. After a few minutes, I stand erect. Rustling comes behind a tree, turning around I see a clothed and human Katana.
"Diana's Peak?" I ask.
"Yeah, it's the most beautiful place on Earth." I lift a brow. All the places I'm sure she's been and THIS is the prettiest place she's been to. Pu-leese. I just take her word for it. She dusts off a worn-out rock and sits down, I find one a few feet away from her and do the same thing.
We look out onto the horizon; the day is about to end. I didn't get a chance to bring my phone, so I don't know the exact time, but I estimate it may be 5:30 or even 6'oclock. The sky is an orange tinge color with a bit of red to it. If I had my paint brushes and canvas, this would be the perfect painting.
After a few moments of silence, Katana decides to start the conversation. "So, Nygaard?"
"Yeah." Is all I say while my fingers play with the small pebbles on the ground by my tennis shoes. "I have to go."
She looks beyond me to the mountains in the back, "Do you think you'll succeed?"
"I believe it, yes. I have no choice but to, if I don't then he'll be....."
My voice trails off, not being able to say it. The word. But Katana finishes for me. "Dead."
"Yeah. . .that. And what do you mean back there about you going with me?" I look to her. Her green eyes now on me.
"I want to be there with you, you're my responsibility. Also, I haven't seen my uncle and cousin in a long time, so it would be nice to see them." A longing danced in her eyes. I feel bad, for having her sacrifice her life and family for the likes of me. She spent almost a year looking out for me, and almost getting killed in the mix of it.
She sees the guilt on my face, "Hey! None of that Quinneth. I love my job; I love protecting you. You're not the reason I haven't seen my family, it's mostly because I have enemies. Now since no one is after us anymore, that we know of, I'm free to move around." I take delight in that.
A question that has been lingering inside of me comes out, "Why did you question Alexander when he said that he killed Sasha?" Her head cocks to the side, studying the question carefully.
"It's easy to kill a werewolf Quinn, a dash of poison, stabbing, or a deep bite and you're done." Her finger drags against the base of her neck, I swallow as she continues on, "But a red wolf is hard to kill, they heal quick and have fast reflexes, faster than an average wolf. He acted like killing her was so easy and fast, when in reality, it's difficult."
"You know, he was hurting when- when he killed her. I'd never seen him so emotional. I believe him when he told me he killed her, he saw the life drain from her body." A grim smile comes to her face.
"How I would have loved to see that." My eyes widen. "Quinn, I hate Sasha, blood or not, she's an evil person and doesn't deserve to grace this planet. Her or my Uncle Yount. If your mate didn't kill her, then I would've." I believe her.
"I'm leaving in a couple days to Nygaard." I tell her.
"Good thing I'm an early bird."
"Hey Katana?"
"Yeah." Her eyes grace over my face.
"I'm glad you're back."
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