The Wolf Girl

Chapter Eighteen

  Molly's POV
  "The Dreaming Wanderer leads the rebellion. Always has, always will!" Dad whispers as I lie on my pillow and rub my eyes. "She's amazing. She knows what she's doing, and someday, she'll win the rebellion."
  "What are they rebelling against?" I ask as Dad tucks the cotton blanket up to my chin.
  "That's for another time, sweetie," he replies. "Goodnight, Molly." He blows on the candle, the flame burning defiantly for a moment before simmering into darkness.
  "Goodnight, Daddy."
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  My eyes flutter open, and I stare at the ceiling for a moment, thinking of the dream. The memory that it holds.

  I sit up and stretch, my muscles aching in protest. We did more physical training last night, and night had fallen a few hours before they let us go to our cabins. If Alex and I plan on getting home in less that eight years, we may have to train through the entire night. I wrinkle my nose at the thought and stand up slowly. My hand flies to my neck instinctively, and I drop it when I'm sure that the necklace is still there. I walk to the closet and get dressed in my sweatshirt and jeans. I style my hair in the messy braid it is normally in and walk back into the main cabin.

  Zack comes to my door and I answer. We walk to Alex's door, but I look to the side and see him hunched over something. I take a step closer and see that he is washing clothing. He wears a white shirt with cuffed sleeves at his elbows, as well as old denim jeans. Glancing over at Zack with a look that told him to let me go for a minute, I approach Alex from behind.
"Whatcha doing?" I ask. He jumps lightly, and I giggle in spite of myself.
"You laughed!" he exclaims, turning to me with his eyes lighting up. "You did it!"
"Yeah, yeah," I say with a small smile. "Where'd you get the water and stuff?"
"Someone came and brought it to me last night," he replies with a shrug. "Thought I'd wash some of the clothes so that I won't have to wear dirty clothes again." I nod.

"Ready to go?" Zack asks somewhat impatiently. I roll my eyes at his tone and turn to him.
"Alright," I sigh as I walk back to him. Alex follows close behind. I try to ignore the feeling that I am trapped which grows every day, but it seems to hang heavily in the air as we stay trapped in this camp. If I try to leave, the punishment may be unbearable.

  Gavin joins us halfway to the training camps, and Zack looks back at us for a moment.
  "You two will be separated for today," Zack announces. "Just so that we can see how you can work without the other." I glance over at Alex, fear seeping through every inch of my body. He's the only person I know here. Being without him, even for a day, is basically being surrounded by strangers. I clear my throat and try to nod nonchalantly. Zack frowns and turns to the front.

  "Alex, Gavin, and Kennedy will head to the left instead of the right," Zack explains, pointing to a fork in the path up ahead. "Molly and I will go in the normal direction, and Maddie will meet up with us soon." Alex and I nod curtly.

Soon, I look over at Alex before we take our separate paths. With a sigh, I reluctantly follow Zack down the right path. He drops back for a moment so that he is walking alongside me. I let out another quiet sigh and stare at the ground as we walk.
"What's wrong?" Zack asks.
"I just want to go home," I admit, tears coming to my eyes. I just want to go home.
Zack sighs and rubs my back hesitantly. "I'm sorry you got stuck in this mess," he murmurs.
"I-I just-" I stammer, trying to find the right words. "There was unfinished business with my family, and I've missed my father since he left when I was seven..."
"Left?" Zack asks gently, trying to coax answers out, but not prying them out of me.
"H-he... we thought he was dead..." I mutter, wondering why I'm telling him all of this. Maybe it just feels good to vent to someone who will listen. "He went missing one day. We thought he'd come back. There wasn't a reason for him to leave. He was completely in love with Mom, and I think he loved my brother and I. So, after a few days of him being missing, we sent out some search teams." My breath catches, and I let out a small, broken sob. "Then, when they couldn't find him, we... w-we gave up. H-he was a-as good as... d-dead..." Tears drop down my face tauntingly. "The day we gave up, I ran into the woods." Wait. I'm telling him this, too? "I just sat and cried. I-I honestly didn't care that Mom and Cole could be worried. After a few hours, someone tapped on my shoulder. I looked up and saw a boy with hazel hair and brown eyes."
"Alex?" Zack assumes.
"Yeah," I reply shakily. "After he comforted me, he became my only friend, other than his sister." I cough shakily.

"See?" he asks. "Was that really so b-" A loud roar interrupts his thought. I jump and wince at the noise, which is much louder to my sensitive wolf hearing. I look through the trees and see a pair of piercing black eyes. Brown fur surrounds the eyes and fades into the shadows.

"Bear," Zack mutters. "Run." He grabs my hand and pulls me along at a sprint, and the bear lets out another roar as he starts to chase after us.

Despite our speed, the bear starts to catch up instantly, and I don't know how we'll be able to outrun him.
"Wings!" Zack shouts to me. "We're gonna have to fly!"
I try sprouting my wings, but panic overtakes my thoughts, and I can't focus. "I can't!" I scream.

He takes a small bottle of blue liquid out of his jacket pocket and throws the cap off, drinking the liquid as we run. He closes his eyes briefly, and light gray wings sprout from his back. He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off of the ground with a ferocious flap of his wings. Terrified, I wrap my arms around his torso and cling to the back of his cotton jacket for dear life as we fly higher and higher into the air. Once we are out of the bear's reach, Zack shifts my position in his arms so that he is carrying me bridal style.
"Sorry," he whispers. "It's easier for me to carry you this way."
"It's okay," I squeak, staring into the snapping jaws of the bear below. I tighten my grip on Zack's jacket, every one of my muscles tense as we fly back towards my cabin.

  Zack puts me on the ground when we arrive and looks into my eyes with a serious expression. "You don't have to train today," he whispers. "Okay?"
  "Will I have to make up the lost work tomorrow?" I ask shakily, and he shakes his head. "Okay." I open the door and step through, turning away from Zack. I hear his footsteps as he begins to walk away.
  "Zack," I call without thinking. He turns to look at me questioningly. "Thank you."
  He smiles. "I honestly don't want you to die." With that, he walks away, and I close the door carefully. This would be a good time to sleep.
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A/N: And it's up! I'm sorry for the slow updates. I posted something with more detail on my profile, so... yeah, sorry.
  As I've said in Immortal High, I'm going to be changing my writing format a bit. So, in the next chapter, expect that.
  Thanks for reading!
  ~Mabel