Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Two - Vortex of Words

Later that night, I sat at my desk, a strong frown tugging at my lips as I struggled with the second essay. Two out of the five I had to write. And of course all of them had to be turned in two days from now. Four pages, single spaced size twelve font.

My brain was slow, lazy with information it didn't want to process, and re-process to make every essay different. My fingers almost creaked as I leaned back in my chair to stretch out my arms in front of me.

Why was I even doing them, might you ask?

I was a habitual people pleaser. It was almost like I couldn't say no. And I hated it, though I did little to actually stop it. Something in me wouldn't let me deny any cries of despair that would be sent my way - no matter how false they were.

Only recently had I started to make pocket change off of these sorts of things. I was starting to think that maybe I should charge more than ten dollars per essay.

My fingers drew back to the keys, typing away yet again. The black letters flying onto the document as I struggled to push out sentence after sentence. Of course, I had to go back over and change a few words so it would appear as if they had written the essay rather than someone else. My writing was admittedly a little more advanced than the majority of people who came to me with work.

Kenny sat quietly on my desk, nibbling on his food quietly. Every now and then he would drop it and come forward to nibble on my fingers as I typed, and he would scurry forward to retrieve it. I would take just a tiny moment to tickle his chin before continuing.

I paused every few minutes to give my fingers a rest and gently brush his cowlick back down. Often he looked so much like a mad scientist I couldn't help but want to dress him up in a miniature white lab coat. Though he would probably hate me enough to chew off my fingers.

Noting that it was nearing midnight, I stopped to save the document, releasing a small sigh as I stretched my aching fingers with a small frown. I removed my glasses for a moment, rubbing my eyes sleepily before turning my computer off.

Picking up Kenny, I settled him in his freshly cleaned cage - much to his pleasure - and checked his food and water as I often did before bed. With a tiny affectionate pet, I stretched and made my way to the light switch, flipping it off before scuttling over to my bed.

Yet soon, I found myself leaned up against the wall, my beloved book in hand with my reading light firmly clipped to the cover. And again like an addict, I was drawn in.

The explosion was more than loud when the fuse finally reached the giant propane tank at the back of the building, effortlessly destroying the structure in less than 10 seconds time. Shards of wood flew in every direction, sparks of fire following in their wake but thankfully not catching any of the surrounding buildings on fire.

Ethan let out a small hiss, narrowing his eyes as he pulled the cloth of his shirt away from his shoulder to reveal the gash left behind. He had been unlucky enough to get clipped by the wolf when he descended from the rafters. Thankfully the lore about turning from a scratch or bite was completely false, and there was nothing to worry over except blood loss.

Ranger started the car, pulling out and away from the brightly lit structure before glancing at Ethan as he pushed through their box laden with medical supplies. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced from left to right before pulling onto the main road toward the ocean. The patter of rain on the windshield began, followed shortly by the steady swish of the wipers.

His eyes cut to Ethan for a second time, noticing right away how his hands shook.

"I'll stop when we are far enough and stitch you."