The Wolf Girl

Chapter Two

Molly's POV
I feel hands come to rest on my shoulders and jump back. They keep a hold on me, though. I don't open my eyes.

"Hey," someone whispers, "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"
I open my eyes the tiniest bit and see a blurred image of Alex, crouched in front of me. I open my eyes the rest of the way and sigh.
"Define 'okay' for me," I mutter. "I don't know if I meant anything I said, but I can't..." I trail off as tears start streaming down my face again.
  "She'll understand if you just apologize," he says softly, slowly standing up. He holds out and hand and I take it. He helps me up.
  "If only it were that simple," I reply shakily. "The last time I disturbed her... well, now I'm here." I glance around at all of the trees and my breath gets caught in my throat.

  "Alex, do you recognize this place?" I whisper. He looks around and smiles a little.
  "This is where we met," he answers. I look up at the sky, the white clouds popping out against the blue. I close my eyes.

"What would you give up to go back to being an innocent child?" I ask him.
  "Probably almost anything," he answers simply. "Do you remember how my dad used to throw us over his shoulders? And he wouldn't let us go until we practically screamed his ears off?" I giggle a little and nod.

  "Your dad was like a father to me as well, you know," I point out. "You guys were all there when my dad..." I clear my throat and nod. "Mom wasn't completely out of whack, but she wasn't exactly the most stable person in the world, either."
  "Yeah." He looks at me with a gentle, sad expression. "I'm sorry."
  "For what?" I ask.
  "Your life is just..." he mutters, trailing off. "It's not fair for you or Cole."
  "Hey, we get by," I say, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for caring, though. You're one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

  He smiles and rests his hand on my shoulder again. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Alex, what do you think would have happened if I didn't come to this area that day?"
  His smile fades and his hand moves to the back of his neck. "We might not be friends," he replies.
  "That's pretty unthinkable for me," I murmur, and he chuckles.

  "Should we head back to your house?" he asks, his voice gentle. "Callie might be getting impatient." I tense up at the mention of home. Home is where Mom is. Home is where I suddenly don't feel loved by my own mother. Home is where I can't stay calm. But I manage to swallow some of the anxiety that comes over me and I nod numbly. He grabs my hand and we start to walk back home.

  Alex's POV
  When we step into Molly's house, Callie leaps out from behind a door and squeals. I jump back a little, getting giggles from Molly and Callie. I groan and rub my forehead.
"Just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I can't still act like a kid," Callie points out.

"What are you the most excited about?" Molly asks her. "What do you think is the most amazing thing about being thirteen?"
"People won't treat me like a baby anymore, I hope," Callie says, shooting me a glare.
"What did I do?" I exclaim. Molly laughs.

  Molly's mother comes out of her office, her eyes dull with fatigue. I glance over at Molly and my breath catches in my throat. Tears make her eyes shimmer and her lips part, a low breath escaping her.
  "I can't do this," I hear her whisper. She speaks up. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Callie." She gives a small nod of her head and turns around. Before I can stop her, she dashes out of the door.

  I'm about to go after her again, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn to see Cole, with his mom close behind.
  "I'd let her be alone for a while this time," he murmurs solemnly. I nod and Cole steps away. A moment later, his mother is in his place. She holds out a small, metal cylinder. It seems to be a container; the top is open. She snaps it shut, as if I'm not supposed to see it and she saw me looking at it.
  "I need you to find Molly in a while- as soon as possible- and give this to her," she says in a quiet, tired voice. "I trust this container in your possession. Please do not open it or look at its contents. Alex, this is for Molly's eyes only. I can't let her suffer consequences of being caught." I take the metal cylinder from her and nod. Before I can leave, she puts a hand on my arm. "Thank you, Alex," she whispers.
  "You're welcome, Mrs. Reynolds," I reply. She moves her hand and I sprint out the door, sending Callie an apologetic glance on my way.

Molly's POV
I tuck my legs to my chest, the grass around me swaying gently with the wind. I rest my head on my knees and stare out at the horizon. I don't cry this time; there isn't anything to cry about, other than the fact that I can't face my own mother. I sigh and close my eyes.

After a while, I hear soft footsteps in the distance. I open my eyes and wait to see the source of the noises. Having wolf hearing, I can hear some things from miles away.
  When the footsteps finally grow louder, I see Alex walking to me. I cross my legs and take a deep breath. When he is close enough, he sits next to me in the tall grass.
  "You okay?" he asks. I nod.
  "I can't confront her," I reply simply. "I just can't."
  "About your mom," he says. He holds out a small, metal cylinder. I grab it and look at it in confusion.
  "A tube?" I ask uncertainly. He smiles and gently takes it back, twisting one end. A small lid pops up, opening the tube. It's a container. I peek inside and see papers and charms.
  "What are these?" I ask. He shrugs.
  "Your mom wanted me to give this to you," he explains. "And you can't tell anyone about the things inside. In fact, I should probably go." He starts to stand, but I grab his arm. He looks over at me.
  "What's the worst that could happen if I showed one person?" I ask. I let go of him and he sits back down. I take a deep breath and tip the container so that the contents fall into my hand.
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A/N: Ooh! Cliffhanger! Please don't kill me... Haha! Well this chapter was... Something else... Pretty random, but I thought of this and I decided to try it... I know what is in the container. Hehehehe... Don't kill me or you won't see the next chapter... Sorry! I'll try to update soon!
~Mabel