Initiation

Chapter 4

So. It was Jessica, Allison, and me watching 16 candles and chatting, I know I said I hat this kind of stuff, but it was actually comforting. I liked it. Jessica interrupted my thoughts by exclaiming "Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you! You will not believe who asked me out."
"Spill!" Allison and I said in unison. It was cool to just be one of the girls for a while.
"Natalie Kynigos!" she answered smugly.
"Aw Jess, I'm so happy for you." I said. Jess had been in a funk for a long time over an ex-girlfriend, and it was good to see her back as her bubbly quirky self.
"Yeah, she's not out to her parents," Jessica started, "but she's hoping I... Oh come on cooper. Now?" My dog, Cooper, was whining and scratching at the door to go out.
"You guys stay here, I'll take him out for a pee." I volunteered.
"Be careful Jas, you know there's been a lot of animal attacks around here recently. Plus, you saw that big grey thing knock over your garbage can the other night." warned Allison. 
"I'll be fine. I'm only gonna be outside for like, a minute. And I won't leave the yard." I assured her. I walked outside with Cooper. He's a beagle puppy, with a tan-coloured head, ears, rump, and tail. He rushed past me, and ran all the way to his little spot in the back corner of the yard, where the fence meets the hedge in front of the forest. I waited for a bit by the back door, rubbing my arms and stomping my feet. They were getting numb from the cold; Cooper was taking longer than usual. "Cooper! Come here Coop!" I called.
Silence.
I started to worry. What if he had hurt himself? "Cooper!"
There was no response. I walked closer. I heard a rustling in the bushes, and something surged out towards me.
My scream tore through the night, the wind snatching it away.