Freefall-Book One

Chapter Four

(A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for reading!  And say a thank you to my first two fans!  You guys are awesome!  Hopefully, this chapter turns out alright. They seem so much shorter when I put them on here vs. when I type them on word!   I'm already working on the 5th chapter, and I'm not sure where the story is going to go, honestly.  But again, thanks for the votes and the fans!)

 Chapter Four

“Hey, Matt-Matt.  What are you doing up so late?  Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

                “Don’t you know that we’re nocturnal?”

                “Yeah, yeah…” I laughed, ruffling the kid’s blonde hair as he came to sit beside me on the cot.  He grimaced at the swollen skin on my wrists where the shackles chaffed and looked up at me.  I shrugged, it wasn’t the first time I’d felt what happened when these stayed on your wrist for too long.  Three days, and I still didn’t have a plan, but I was working on one.

                “Don’t run away, Sophie.  I don’t want you to go!” Matt squealed, his voice high and full of strain.  He had thrown his tiny body on top of mine, wrapping his arms around my neck in his fear.  I smiled; different circumstances; always different circumstances.  It really wasn’t fair.  I liked the kid, but then again, he was one of the main reasons I had to leave.  Two years, and they still followed me.  I left a trail of destruction anywhere that I stayed too long.  It was never going to end, and I especially didn’t want to see the light go out of this little boy’s eyes.  He was smiling every time that I had seen him in the past few days, and he was the only one who didn’t scream anger with every move that came in to see me. 

                “He doesn’t mean to be like that, you just make him feel funny, that’s all,” Matt said gently.  Rude, that’s what you are.

                “Am not.”

                “Are too!”

                “Am not!”

                “Yeah, ya are!”

                “Fine, but you just leave it there for me to see.  I could teach you how to wall it up, if you wanted.  But you’d have to stay for a little longer…” he pleaded, his eyes downcast.  He peeked up at me through the long strands of hair that marred his forehead, and then looked down again, a giggle escaping him.  I sometimes felt like I needed to put a hand over his mouth; the laughter was infectious.  I hadn’t laughed in a long time, and I never laughed unless he was here.

                “Matt, I know you want me to stay, but you know that they’ll find me.  I can’t risk you guys getting hurt.  You know that.  I bet Kris does now, too.  It’s why he doesn’t want me here, because I bring bad tidings, and death.  I can’t stay; even to learn a trick or two from the handsome Matt-Matt.”  Feeling as if I had broken his heart, I paused, watching him through my lashes.  His eyes were shining, tears locked away, but close to the surface.  I hadn’t hurt for someone like this since I had left my father, and that had been two years ago.  Letting out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, I reached out my hand to his small one, lacing my fingers with his own.

                “I’m sorry, I really am.  I don’t want for it to be like this, but I can’t help it.  If it means much, I really am sorry, Matt-Matt.”  His shining eyes looked at me with doubt, and then with softness I’d seen displayed in his older brother’s eyes only once.  One time, and it had melted my heart then, as it did now with Matt.  Must I repeat that life isn’t fair!  He smiled up at me, blinding me with that too cute smile, the grin lopsided, his two front teeth with their tiny space in between; the too long canines making me grin.

                “If you want, I can ask Kris if we can go for a run.  I bet he’d want to come, too!”

                “Uh, no.  No, I’m good, thanks, though.”  Kris…running…his body naked and glistening with sweat in the sun.  Oh god.  Not a sight that I wanted to see anytime soon.  In fact, I didn’t want to see it at all!  It’d hurt too much to leave that much, well, perfection behind.  I had dreams about him now; every time he showed up, he pulled at my heart strings, and she tried to come running to the service.  My wolf wanted to go for a run with him, but she didn’t want it to end with just panting and sweat.  Well, we both wanted it to end with that, but with legs entwined, and a nice, after glow feeling that sex was supposed to always leave with a person.  Not too sure about that one, but I’ll just go on the hunch that if so many people are doing it, it must be pretty nice.

                “No?  You don’t want to run with Kris?  You sure?”  Matt raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I winced.  He’s only ten!  What were they teaching these kids here?  Probably the same as with any other pack that was as healthy and full as this one.  Sex was something that happened in everyday life, and that’s how babies were made and yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.  The stifling heat of this room must have been getting to me, because as soon as he mentioned his brother’s name, I jumped off the bed and began to pace.

                “I’m so sure, I’m positive, kid.”

               “Right, sure you are,” he said, tapping the side of his blonde head with his forefinger, winking at me.  I smiled at his implication and leaned against the far wall, watching him with a serious face.  Standing, he walked to the door, flinging it open before he turned to face me.

                “You can’t run forever, Sophie.  I know, I tried.”  With these words, I paused, staring at him with an open mouth.  What had he done that he’d felt he had to run for so long?

                “Maybe if you stay, I’ll let you know someday.  But only if you stay…”  I nodded, using my elbow to push myself from the wall.

                “Then I guess I’ll stay in the dark on that one, huh?”

                “Don’t be so sure, Sofia.  Things happen to people to change the future that they never expected.  I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

                “Sure,” I said with a shrug.  I didn’t tell him, even though he probably already knew, that my plans were already in place, and I could almost taste my freedom.  Tonight, when the moon called, I didn’t plan on denying her.  I planned on letting my wolf take control for the moment it would take to get out of this house and away from this pack.