Blackmailing A Werewolf

Chapter 28 - The Rock (No Not that One)

"It's odd how animals can sense things we ordinary humans would miss." Mrs Clare cocks her head to the side, studying them like they were cake recipes she couldn't get quite right.

"What do you mean by that?" The cogs working in Keri's brain makes Tessa shudder. Or maybe that's the coldness which has set in her bones making them heavy and threatening to drag her to the ground.

"It's always hard to tell with animals what they really mean, they always have their secrets unlike us humans, love." She slurps her drink, except her eyes never leave Tessa. "I think...Butters can probably sense the sickness on your friend. Wants the diseased one out of her house before they get the rest of us sick."

"Oh," Keri's face drops. "I guess we will have to wait to do werewolf research until tomorrow morning then."

"If Tessa's feeling better by then." Interjected Rye, looking at her with a meaningful glance. His unspoken words - if Tessa can stand to look at those books without freaking out again. But Tessa is more concerned about his pale complexion and the way he sags a little more into the sofa. Is she really the only one noticing this?

"Werewolves?" Simone stands in the doorway. Her sudden appearance made them jump. The wind ruffled her hair and her cheeks a vibrant shade of scarlet as if she'd run the whole way there. "You've got to be kidding me, I thought you guys wanted to be my friends again, but you only invited me here to help with werewolf research, didn't you?"

Every sound inside the room seemed to be a pick axe to the brain. Tessa drops her head forwards onto Walter's shoulder stifling a groan. Sagging into him, she forces herself to keep her eyes open. Only a little bit longer. Except when she opens them, Simone has three heads.

"Si, not now-" Walter wraps an arm around her, Otto's skinny fingers push away her hair to feel her forehead.

"You seriously don't care about me anymore do you? You've gone and replaced me-"

"Shut up!" Batting Otto's hand away, Tessa digs her fingers into Walter's blazer. The floor is a ship deck in a storm beneath her feet. Her voice is thick and she tries to sniffle away the burning in her eyes. "All of you. I-I..."

"Tessa's sick," Walter's guiding her forwards again, the wind catches her and she shies away. The room is too hot, but the wind is too cold and her legs are tangling themselves with Butters who's still yipping and the ground looks really inviting and... "We are going home now."

"Feel better love!"

Outside the air is too thin, if she lets go of Walter she knows the wind will whoosh her away. The winding path is like a merry go round after one too many milkshakes and Walter pulls her arm over his shoulders.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Dunno...never never felt like this before..." Her words slur and she veers to the left. Would it be so bad to take a nap in the rose bush? No, too many thorns. Lavender would be softer and it would smell like Ma. No. She shouldn't have thought that. Now all she wants is to be curled on the sofa watching cartoons she is too old for while Deliah hums a song the words are lost for, Serna makes soup and her mum strokes her hair. "Need home."

"I know, I know." The gate creaks like nails down a chalkboard. "But we need to get round the corner, out of sight. Then I'll call Mum to come get you."

"Why?"

"Tessa, look at your hands."

Her hands are streaked with twice as many yellow veins as usual. She wants to laugh, she can't tell if it's another symptom, or if it's because she's currently seeing Walter with two noses.

An indistinguishable amount of time passes before he sets Tessa down. The bark grinds against her back, making her jumper ride up and tugging her shirt from her skirt, leaving a slither of skin exposed to the prickling surface. Flopping her head against the tree trunk she stares at the cobalt sky, otherwise she would think about the hot chocolate swirling in her stomach trying to find its way out. Wrapping an arm round her stomach she moaned. A crow squawked and flew into the tree overhead. The sickness must be going to her head, because all she can think about is how the bits of blue sky poking through the amber and green leaves look exactly like Rye's eyes.

"Hey Tessa," Walter's hand squeezes her knee. Whining, she tilts her head to him, squinting hoping to make it so he only had one head. "I'm sorry about being mad at you."

The hot chocolate escapes her stomach.

It lands in the space between her and Walter. Except now it's an inky black and her insides definitely shouldn't look like that and she is clinging to Walter's arm to stop him escaping from because she doesn't know how much longer she can keep her eyes open without him.

"Tessa?" A voice croaks and she rolls her head to look down the hill. Rye's clinging to a tree, his eyes the same amber as the leaves.

"Rye, what are you doing here?" Walter stands with a frown. The sun makes the sweat trickling over Rye's temple glimmer. "You don't look so good mate. Hold on-"

Except Rye has already taken a step forward. At least he tried to. It happened in slow motion. First his right leg buckled, pitching him into the tree trunk. His moan makes Tessa's stomach turn. Then for some physics reason Tessa's head is too heavy to remember, the force sends Rye's body backwards. She catches a glimpse of his closed eyes before his body is rolling backwards.

It only stops when his head cracks on a rock.  

Yes, it has been ages since I updated. Yes, life has got in the way. Yes, I did finish Nanowrimo successfully (take that procrastination). Yes, I am aware no one is reading this. Yes, you should vote and comment if you are reading this to leave your mark on the pack.