Breaking the story

Getting body slammed by a wolf

I opened my eyes, the colours and voices of the memories fading. So that was how I met Nathan. Huh. He seemed a lot less...friendly in that story.

Rowan was staring down at me, worry etched onto his face. I tried to move and found myself pinned beneath him. His gold-rimmed glasses were gone.

"Hello, Rowan?" I said, flushed and confused. "Can I get up please?"

"Are you okay?" He muttered, his eyes searching my face. His breathed out, his mouth dangerously close to mine. "Are you..."

I stared at him. He stared at me. He leaned forwards and I could barely breathe, barely move...this was happening...

"Beatrice!"

The shout brought us back to reality and Rowan blinked, moving off of me. But he took my hand and helped me up, swaying slightly.

"You aren't hurt?" He asked softly, his eyes falling into mine again. What had I nearly done?! I was an idiot. A dark figure stood to my left and voices filled the air but I wasn't listening.

"I'm fine," I managed to say. Rowan nodded, breathing out. His gaze was unfocused as if he couldn't see...wait a minute.

"Where are your glasses?" I said. "Can you even see?"

Maybe he was blind and he thought I was some sort of model...

"I can only see you." And butterflies were rioting in my stomach. Why did that sound so...well, romantic?

I went to look around and found Nathan right beside me, glaring at Rowan with such hatred that it made me go cold.

"Nathan," I said, trying to distract him. "Have you seen glasses anywhere?"

He blinked and focused on me, that icy rage fading. I noticed Elijah and Grace surrounding us and another girl from our class I didn't know. Everyone had forgotten the X in our spectacular fall.

"It's okay, I've got them," Rowan muttered, putting his glasses on and returning his face to its previous snobbish glory.

"You tripped, didn't you?" I asked him, thinking back to what made us fall. He avoided my eyes and shrugged.

"You totally did. I knew you were really clumsy but that's almost an impairment-"

"I'm not that bad. You have a habit of falling on me-"

"I do not!" I realised that everyone was looking at us. Rowan was smiling slightly, his eyes bright.

"Sorry to interrupt," Nathan said coldly. "But I have the X."

He walked out of the tepee holding the sad bit of paper. Oh well. At least Elijah didn't win. I would call that victory.

I winced as we began to leave, my knee aching.

"Ow," I muttered and Rowan appeared like a clumsy ghost at my side, ready to take my arm.

"I've got her," Nathan said, taking my arm instead. His glare was back and it was freaking me out. He looked far more like the guard in my memories than the normal Nathan. Rowan stared at him, looking extremely snobbish.

"She's my partner," Rowan said, eyeing my arm.

"It's fine," I said, trying to stop whatever showdown was about to happen. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Nathan muttered and we began to walk, Rowan trailing by my side. Even as I felt how awkward this was, a dark shape launched itself out of the shadows.

It was a ball of black fur barrelling out of the trees, aiming directly for us. I caught a glimpse of sharp gleaming teeth under moonlight. I waited for my body to freeze, since I knew this was part of the story. But it didn't.