Prelude

Chapter 9: UnRaVeLiNg ThE mYsTeRy

Monday morning, Guinevere pulled on one of the outfits Lydia had picked out for her and Erica had assured made her look good before heading down stairs to grab coffee. After shopping with Lydia and Erica, Guinevere had at least half a closet of new clothes and she had already agreed to go out with them again. It had been a lot more fun than she thought it would be but she couldn't imagine what was left for them buy after their shopping trip consisted of buying half the mall. 

"Good morning." Her mom greeted as she moved past her to the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of pre-packaged Starbuck's coffee before walking past Guinevere again and heading back towards the back of the house. "Have a good day!" She yelled over her shoulder. 

"She's inspired." Guinevere's dad said from his spot at the table, watching her mom walk away with a fond smile. "Something about the box of dishes we unpacked last night." He shrugged as Guinevere smiled at her coffee. "I have to get going too though." He said as he looked at his watch and stood up from the table, putting his dishes in the sink. "Don't make anybody cry today." He told Guinevere as he kissed her on the head and moved to grab his jacket from the back of the couch. 

"That was three times!" She whined in protest. Her dad smiled smugly and headed out. Guinevere finished her pouting and grabbed a few baggies of snacks from the pantry before grabbing her usual fruit from the fridge and heading out herself. As soon as she walked into school, she was flanked by Isaac and Malia. "Hello to you too." She said sarcastically as she walked down the hall towards her locker. "Why do you guys look like you're about to kidnap me?" She asked as she fiddled with her combination, Malia looking at Isaac over her head with a suggestive look. Isaac shook his head in response. 

"Scott asked us to find you before class."

"And do what with me?" She asked, a list of things she would love for them to do to her running through her mind as she rammed her shoulder into her locker door. It seemed Isaac was having a few similar thoughts because he stared at her for a second before coughing and blinking himself back to the present. 

"Uh, he wanted to show you something by the gym." 

"You really are kidnapping me, aren't you?" She peered up at him with a look of disbelief on her face, slightly shaking her head. "Alright. Fine. Let me grab my snacks first." She turned back to her now open locker and grabbed her books for her first class as well as a baggie full of grapes and gold fish. Isaac smiled in amusement, Malia peering into the locker over Guinevere's shoulder to look for more snacks. She let the two lead her to the gym, reminding them that her dad worked for the FBI, before she spotted Scott stood outside of the gym talking to an absolute beast of a woman who looked to be in her late thirties but was probably mid fifties. 

"Got her." Isaac announced as he stepped up behind Scott, making the boy turn and look at the trio with a smile. 

"Thanks." Scott told his two friends, smiling at Guinevere. "Guin, this is Coach Linda. She's head of the soccer teams."

"I thought girl's soccer doesn't start until spring?" 

"Girls soccer does start in spring, but I'm working on a program with several other schools in the state that coordinates co-ed sports teams. If you're as good as McCall says you are, I think you would be perfect for the team." 

"Really?" Guinevere smiled with excitement. 

"We're having our first practice tomorrow but I'd love to see what you can do this afternoon if you're free." 

"Yeah, of course. I have a free period during the last class, are you going to be around?"

"All day. I'll see you on the lacrosse field during your free period." Coach Linda said with a smile, patting Guinevere on the shoulder as she gave Scott a smile. "Good to see you, McCall." She walked off and Guinevere bit her bottom lip until she was out of the hall way. 

"No way!" She punched Scott in the shoulder playfully. "I'm so excited, you have no idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly before bouncing lightly in the hallway. Scott laughed at her behavior. 

"No problem." 

"You have to say you're welcome." She told him, giving him a look while smiling. 

"You're welcome." He repeated after her, making her go back to squealing and jumping around happily. It took them a while to get her to even go to her first class but with the help of Lydia, they managed. She was bouncing in all of her classes with a never ending kind of energy that amused the pack through the day. By the time P.E. rolled around, she was kind of vibrating. Running laps didn't dull her burst of energy and by the time Isaac and Scott completed their laps, she was stretching on the tarmac of the track. 

"You're really excited for this, aren't you?" Isaac said as he stretched his arms out next to her. 

"You have no idea. It's been forever since I've played soccer on a team." She told him, putting emphasis on the word "forever". 

"No soccer in Washington?"

"There was soccer, I just couldn't play." She told them as she got to her feet, walking over to Coach to get their equipment before they could ask questions. Scott and Isaac shared a look before looking after Guinevere. She was laughing at something Coach had said, hands on her hips and head thrown back. 

"She keeps doing that." Isaac said, squinting in the sun as he looked at the girl. 

"What?" Scott asked, turning to look at his pack mate. 

"Saying she couldn't do things when she lived in Washington. Or that she missed things. The other day, Lydia said she mentioned that she hadn't really gained weight until the past year. She lived in Washington for ten years." Isaac said, glancing at Scott as he stood next to him. Scott was studying Guinevere. 

"Something happened in Washington."