The Wolf Girl

Chapter Twelve

Alex's POV
What in the world happened to her?

As we walk back to our cabins, Molly's heavy breathing is one of the only things I can hear. She doesn't want to talk about the dream, so I won't make her.

I hold Starlight and Thunder carefully as we walk. Molly stays close to me, still trembling. This nightmare must have shaken her up.

She's always told me about her nightmares, but I've never seen one. She says they're normally about her father, dying in gruesome ways, or losing everything. I wonder if they always make her so terrified.

We stop at her cabin door. I gently put Starlight in Molly's arms, and she gives me that small smile.
"Thanks," she whispers. "For everything."
"You're welcome," I murmur. "If you need me during the night, just come to my cabin, okay?"
"Okay," she says. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I reply. "Sleep well."

She closes the door, and I walk to my cabin, carrying Thunder's sleeping body carefully. I open the door and walk in, putting Thunder on a chair instantly. I plop down on my mattress and stare at the ceiling, thinking of what Zack said earlier.
"That means you're afraid of her, in this way, at least."
  What did he mean? I've never been afraid of her in any way or experienced strong feelings for her.

  I let sleep overtake me, the thought still lingering in my mind.
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Molly's POV
I wake up with the sun in my eyes, shining through the small window. I blink and use my hand to shield my eyes from the light. It is way too bright for the mood I'm currently in. It's my second day at this camp. I'm terrified, confused, mad, and uncomfortable.
Just great.

There is a knock at my cabin door, and I get off of my mattress, smoothing my hair down as I pad towards the door. I open it, and Zack is standing there, fully clothed and extremely attentive.

  "Are you ready to start today's training?" he asks. My eyes go wide.
  "When you and Penny said early, I didn't think you meant this early!" I exclaim.
  "I did," he sighs. "Do you have clothing?"
  "Well, let me think," I say, tapping my chin and pretending to think. "You took me from my home without letting me gather anything or say goodbye to my family. So, I'm going to have to say I don't have clothes."
  "No need to use that tone," he snaps.
  "I'm sorry if I'm upset about the fact that I was taken from my home," I retort. "It's not exactly my fault, you know."

  "Just put these clothes on," he grumbles, throwing a shirt and pair of pants at me. I sigh and close my door, walking into the small closet in the cabin. I slip into the clothes; a pair of black leggings and a white undershirt, with a comfortable black jacket to finish the outfit. I walk back to the door and open it, my attitude still simmering. Zack silently hands me a pair of combat boots, and I slide them onto my bare feet after taking the fingerless gloves, which had been in the left boot, out of the shoe. I pull them onto my hands and rouse Starlight, grabbing my bow before walking outside with my little wolf companion.

  "What about Alex?" I ask, still slightly angry at Zack for the outburst.
  "We're going to get him now, Molly," he snaps impatiently. "Hence why we are heading towards his cabin instead of to the training area."
  I roll my eyes. "Excuse me for not knowing what we do here on my second day."
  "You know, your attitude is a lot worse than what your father's seemed to be, according to Penny," he mutters. I stop walking and stiffen.

"What?" I ask, my voice suddenly small.
  He looks at me, and his gaze softens. "I'm sorry, I-" he starts.
  "Just don't talk about it," I whisper as I continue walking. I make my way ahead of him before he can reply, straight to Alex's door. I knock before Zack can get close enough, and Alex answers, his eyes heavy with sleep. He gives me a questioning look as I stand in front of him, and he looks back at Zack when he steps up next to me.

  "Time to start training," Zack says. "Are you ready?"
  His eyes widen. "Already?" he demands. Zack sighs and hands him an outfit, making me wonder where he keeps them, and Alex rushes inside to change, waking Thunder up before walking into the tiny closet.

  A moment later, Alex comes out in a dark green T-Shirt and black pants. Zack hands him boots somewhat similar to mine, and he slips them onto his feet. He grabs his sword and sheathes it; the belt has been strung through the loops of his pants.

The three of us walk away from the cabins, and I make sure that Alex is in between Zack and I. Starlight and Thunder keep glancing up at me, and I'm sure they can sense my annoyance and anger. I attempt to muster up a reassuring smile, but I can't. I just can't.

  We walk through the trees, the foliage seeming to filter and change the sunlight as the rays shine through the leaves. Starlight and Thunder growl playfully as they chase each other down the path, play fighting. They almost make me smile, but I still can't bring one to my face.

We arrive in the clearing and I pull an arrow into my bowstring, shooting it into the heart of a dummy as we walk. This is a good opportunity to get the rage out of my system.

I run up to where I shot the arrow, gently pulling it out. I put it back into the sheath, even though the arrows naturally reappear after a while.
I instantly begin to take my anger out on the training dummy, punching it and kicking it  violently.

I may not see my family for another eight years.
Kick.
My father may be alive. He may have left us when I was seven.
Punch.
My nightmares will be worse than ever.
Smack.
I was kidnapped.
Thunk.

I watch as the dummy falls to the ground. I stomp on it, unsatisfied with my strength, kicking and stomping my heart out. Tears gather in my eyes, threatening to fall onto my cheeks, but I refuse to let myself cry. I pull an arrow out of my sheath and shoot the dummy again. I have beaten up a training dummy mercilessly.

  As I breathe heavily, Zack approaches me, his green eyes gentle. "Are you okay?" he asks.
  "Don't talk to me, I snap, shooting the dummy again.

  Suddenly, he grabs my arm and spins me to face him, forcing me to look directly into his sparkling eyes. "Listen," he pleads. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean..." He sighs and shakes his head, still holding my arm. "Just... know you can come to me if you need help, okay?"
  "Why would I go to you if I could just go to Alex?" I ask coldly. "I mean, I can trust him. He didn't kidnap me just because I'm something I don't want to be." Venom seems to creep into my voice with each word. "I would go to him first, anyway."
  "What if Alex isn't there?" he spits back. I stare at him in disbelief. He tells me not to use acidic tones with him, yet he uses them with me more than I could ever use with him. He sees my expression and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, okay?" he asks. "I just want you to know you can confide in me if you need it."
  "Great to know," I mutter, yanking my arm from his grip and kicking at the training dummy again. He sighs, giving me an icy stare before walking away.

  A stray tear escapes my eyes as I continue to torture the stupid training dummy, but I wipe it away before anyone sees it. No one here should be able to see my discomfort. I cough to cover up a sob and continue to attack the dummy, which has started to look pretty sad; it is becoming disfigured.
  This describes my emotion in a physical form perfectly.
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A/N: Yep. I'm officially the worse author in the world. So, I don't update for a week, and it's just a filler chapter about Molly taking her rage out on a training dummy?
  Guys, I am so, so, so sorry.
  I know I don't have a big audience at the moment, like, at all, but that doesn't matter. The few people who do read my books are being let down, and I truly apologize. I will try to update more frequently, and as the story progresses, the chapters should get better. I have so many ideas for this book, but if I used them now, this book would be way too short. I'd rather make it detailed and long than short and sudden. Once again, I am so sorry!
  In case you're confused, if I use asterisks (*), it means there's a time skip. The same goes for Immortal High.
  I say it in every author's note, but thank you to those who stick with me, despite painfully slow and awful updates. (I seriously think my writing skills are getting worse and worse each time I write.) I make it sound sappy, but who cares? I am so thankful for each and every one of my Angel Wolves. Thank you all so much.
  Stay heavenly!
  ~Mabel