The Wolf Girl

Chapter Twenty Four

  Alex's POV

  The Dreaming Wanderer mumbles something under her breath; a foreign language. A blinding white light emits from her hands, and I watch as it hits Molly's sleeping body. The light fades away after a moment.

  "It'll take a day or two to kick in," she explains, and I nod. I look over at Molly, who doesn't wear her normal flower crown; she forced us to take it off of her, saying that it "wasn't her style", despite the fact that she always wore one when she was in her normal form.

  I instantly look away as her red eyes flutter open. I don't hate her- there's no way I could- but I hate this version of her.

  "So, will we leave when she's... normal?" I ask The Dreaming Wanderer quietly.

  "Depending on her mental and physical state, yes," The Dreaming Wanderer replies. "She may be tired or confused."

  "Alright," I whisper. I look over at Molly, who still glares at me venomously. I try to return the look, but I'm not sure if I succeed. It breaks me inside to know that she hates me and that I hate her.

  Friendship mixes with an unidentifiable feeling in the back of my mind, just out of reach. As much as I want to cup that feeling in my hand and cleanse it so that I can figure it out, I can't get to it.

  "I feel like she needs to get out and stretch her muscles," The Dreaming Wanderer murmurs to me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  "That'd be a good idea," I reply softly, and she nods.

  The Dreaming Wanderer wordlessly walks over to the support where Molly is cuffed. "Do you want to watch her, or would you rather have me do it?" she asks.

  "I'll take her," I sigh, and she tugs Molly over to me. The Dreaming Wanderer cuffs my right hand, connecting me to Molly. The Dreaming Wanderer takes Molly's bow and holds onto it as we walk out of the cabin.

  We are greeted with sunlight, and I make sure Molly stays behind me, despite the discomfort it brings us.

  "We need to keep you two out of sight," I mutter.

  "Duh," she responds. "C'mon. I know where we can go."

  I follow her into the trees, and shadows act as shelter from the prying eyes of other campers. It's evident that Zack and the others haven't alerted them; the only suspicions they seem to have are concerning the handcuffs and The Dreaming Wanderer's attire.

  I try to follow her as she slips in and out of the thick foliage, pulling Molly along behind me, but it's difficult to keep up. She's extremely swift, and her footsteps are silent. If Molly wasn't cuffed to me, I'd turn into a wolf so I could follow her with more speed and agility. But I could lose Molly and unleash her to the camp, and I don't want to risk that.

  The Dreaming Wanderer stops abruptly, and I catch up to her completely. Molly pants behind me, out of breath, and I do the same.

  I look up to look at our location, and my jaw drops. A meadow filled with multicolored flowers stretches before our eyes, taunting us with its peaceful location.

  "Let's see if she's up for flower crowns," The Dreaming Wanderer whispers into my ear. I shrug, and we turn to Molly.

  "Flower crowns?" I ask weakly, and she hesitates for a long time before reluctantly nodding.

  "Just one," she snaps, and I nod.

  She looks down at he ground, her red hair covering her face. "What's wrong?" I ask.

  "Can we just uncuff me?" she sighs softly. "It's not like I have anywhere to go." I am taken aback by her gentle voice. Since she changed, she's been loud and cold.

  I look over at The Dreaming Wanderer, and she shrugs. "Alright," I whisper, catching the key that she throws me. I reach over and unlock Molly's cuffs, shaking my own pair off as well. She rubs her wrists, her face taking on a newfound gratefulness. I stare at her. The spell is starting to work. She's softening already.

  She looks up at me, and her bitter gaze brings me back to reality. I clear my throat and lead her to the meadow. The Dreaming Wanderer stays in the trees, watching us carefully.

  I sit at the edge of a patch of multicolored tulips, and Molly crouches next to me.

  "So," she mumbles as I start picking flowers. "Tell me about myself."

  "Before you changed?" I ask.

  "If I actually changed, then yes."

  "Well," I start, taking a deep breath. "For one thing, you used to love flower crowns. You'd wear one every day." A smile creeps to my lips. "When we were little, we'd make them for each other. We'd put them on each other's heads." The unidentifiable feeling pokes at my heart, making it feel fuzzy. My smile starts to falter. "You'd smile, and when you laughed..." I sigh. "When you laughed, it was bright and happy..." I swallow the lump coming to my throat. "As you got older, you absolutely hated that laugh. You thought it was annoying. But it was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. It's the same thing with your smile. You always thought it was ugly, but it could light up a room in moments."

  "Alex," she says, and I meet her eyes, despite the fact that it's painful to see them red. "I know your friend put a spell over me." She looks down at her hands. "I-if I really am in some sort of trance, will I remember anything? My childhood, my past, what has happened here, or you?" The lump in my throat returns, and I cough.

  "I-I don't know," I whisper. "But you're already going back to normal, Molly. You'll be okay." I smile weakly, looking down at the flower crown that I made while I spoke. She follows my gaze, and I pick the crown up, gently putting it on top of her head. She doesn't smile, but she nods with slight gratitude.

My hand lingers on her head before dropping to her lap. I grab her hand, and she meets my eyes. I squeeze her hand reassuringly, and she gives me a tiny smile.

"Can you tell me more?" she asks.

"You and your brother would fight all the time," I chuckle. "You were best friends, but you'd fight like any other siblings would-" My breath hitches in my throat and heat rises to my cheeks as Molly very hesitantly leans down and rests her head in my lap. My muscles grow tense, and her body feels stiff on top of mine. We finally relax, and I continue talking, eventually beginning to stroke her red hair.

"You and my sister, Callie, were best friends," I whisper. "She'd treat you like a sister, and you'd run off to this field after she got home from school. I'd be working. Sometimes I'd hear you guys, but it's almost impossible not to. You guys giggle like schoolgirls."

A soft purr escapes her lips, and I realize she's fallen asleep. I smile gently and continue to run my hand through her soft hair, careful to not hit the flower crown.

I need her.

The thought echoes in my mind again as I lie in the flowers next to Molly, dozing off in the heat of the sun.

The last thing I feel is Molly's thin frame being cradled in my arms.
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Thanks for reading, and stay heavenly!

~Mabel