Forgotten

Chapter 2: Dreams Before School

Hopefully y'all enjoyed chapter 1. Not much to say, except I hope y'all enjoy the second chapter as well. :)

Alex:

I took a cautious step away from the tree. I could feel the eyes on me. It was unnerving. I jumped slightly when my foot stepped on a pile of dry leaves, causing them to crackle loudly in the silence of the night. They were getting closer. My greenish eyes flicked over the forest, quickly choosing the best path to take. My blonde hair stood straight up on the back of my neck and I let out a small whimper.

I took off running, moving away from the prying eyes. My ears twitched as I listened for the sounds of additional creatures moving after me. It wasn't long before I heard a yip, followed by something running after me, crunching through the leaves and twigs lying on the forest floor. Moments later, I started hearing noises in front of me. I stopped as my gaze darted around the clearing. I was surrounded, and couldn't see a way out.

A white wolf stepped out of the clearing, moving towards me slowly. He cocked his head to the side curiously and took another step closer. The wind picked up speed as dark clouds rolled overhead, blocking out the light of the moon.

Another wolf stepped into the clearing behind me and gave a small yip in response to the first wolf. The only reason I could actually see him was the white stripe that went from his chin and down his chest, disappearing under his belly. He was even bigger than the white wolf and far more intimidating in the dark.

A noise to my right signaled another wolf. This one was such a solid black that it looked like a shadow slipping out from behind a bush. His pale blue eyes glowed unnaturally in the darkness as he laid down, daring me to try to get past him.

I heaved out a breath and quickly spun to my right with the arrival of another wolf. This one was black and white, with most of the white being on his underside. He was one of the smaller wolves, but after taking a deep breath and listening to my surroundings carefully, I knew there was one more somewhere. I wasn't disappointed when a fifth and final wolf stepped out from behind a tree. His fur was a dark color that became lighter, the further down you went.

The fifth wolf gave a short yip, causing me to take a step back and press my body directly against the white wolf just as a sharp pain in my hip overwhelmed me.

I sat up in bed, feeling the sweat drip down my back and between my breasts. The dream had felt so real... but it was a vast improvement from the usual dreams I'd had, the ones that involved being locked in a cage while rows of cages on either side of mine had been filled with wolves of all kinds. I never saw what happened to the wolves, but I knew it wasn't good.

I stood on shaky legs and made my way across my bedroom and into the narrow hallway towards the bathroom. I rubbed my palm against my sore hip before I stopped in front of the sink to splash icy water on my face.

I rubbed at my aching hip again, and then pulled the waistband of my pajamas away from my skin. My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when I saw what looked like a pentagram burned into my skin.

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Rylan:

I stopped at the edge of our property and let out a short yip. I wanted the other guys to fan out and check the perimeter. We'd meet back at my house when we were done.

I heard a yip, followed by three more, letting me know they'd all received my orders. I turned and started to head away from the house when my hip started to burn. I yelped at the same time as the other four did the same. What the hell was that?

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Alex:

The dream had woken me up earlier than I'd intended, but I hadn't bothered to go back to sleep. I kept glancing at the pentagram on my hip and wondered what it meant. "Alex?" My mom's soft voice still managed to float up the stairs to me. I quickly covered the mark back up. My parents had seemed stressed and worried lately. I didn't want to add to their problems.

"Yeah?" I asked as I got up to stand in the hallway to hear her better. I used my hands to brace myself on the wooden banister that overlooked the bottom floor so that I could see her.

"I thought I heard you up. Are you having trouble sleeping again?" I noted the concern on her face. I didn't want to worry her, so I shook my head. It wasn't like she could do anything to help me, anyways.

"No. Just excited about school." I was amazed at how easily I was able to lie.

She sent me a knowing look, "You need to get ready for school, Alex. As much as I wish I could homeschool you, I think you'd be safer around other people, even if they are mostly your own age."

My parents still refused to tell me what they were trying to protect me from. I could tell that they were torn between leaving me in the dark and telling me the truth. I could see the fear in their eyes when I tried to bring the subject up, but fear of what... I wasn't sure.

"Safe from what?" I could hear the hesitation in my voice.

There was forced cheerfulness in her voice as she said, "Your birthday is tomorrow. Have you thought about what you might want?"

I thought carefully about how to respond. My parents had been stressed and on edge since we'd moved here last month. I didn't want to upset my mom by asking questions that she wasn't ready to answer, but I finally said, "I want answers..."

Her dark eyes bored into me for what seemed like an eternity before she finally gave a sigh of defeat. "Tomorrow, then. We'll give you answers tomorrow." Now that I had the promise of answers I'd been waiting so long for, I wasn't sure how to react.

My mom moved away from the stairs and I headed back into my room to get ready for school. After my shower, I stood in front of my closet, looking at all of my clothes. What should I wear to this new school? I had no idea how most Oregon natives dressed for school...

I finally decided on a pair of skinny jeans and a peasant style maroon shirt. After digging through my shoes, I finally decided on a pair of black boots. A quick look out the window had me grabbing a jacket as well. I stuffed my school gear into my purple book bag and slung it over my right shoulder. I ran my fingers through my damp, blonde hair and headed down stairs.

My mom stepped out of the kitchen. "Hey, Sweetie. You have enough time to sit down and eat something before you leave." Her voice was stern and I knew there was no way I could argue with her and win.

I dropped my bag by the front door and went back to the kitchen to plot into a chair. My mom had just brought a steaming plate of pancakes and another filled with eggs and bacon. There was no way that she and I could eat all this food before I left. I shot her a questioning look and she simply smiled, "I have plans to take the leftovers to your father before I head to work. I know that he didn't eat anything before he left, and we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

I spread butter on my pancakes, and then dumped a ton of maple syrup over them. Then I put some eggs and bacon on my plate. Everything tasted better with maple syrup. I leaned really far over my plate as I ate. I definitely didn't want to get all sticky and gross before school even started.

I finished my food before my mom had really started on her own. "Bye, Mom. I'm going to be late if I don't leave now." She just waved me off without answering, and I quickly headed out the door, grabbing my bag on the way out.