Learning to Bow

Stake Out

"Cassidy!" I nearly shouted. She jumped, dropping an egg on the kitchen floor. She snapped her head to me, as did the boys at the kitchen table. Jack stood immediately, his chair sliding behind him. "James got a phone call from Jaha," I said out of breath, "told me to get you." Cassidy grabbed a towel that was hooked on the oven and started rushing immediately up the stairs.

"Stay down here," she said to me as I tried to follow her. I looked at her confused and worried, trailing immediately behind her.

"If it involves me, I have a right to know," I said quickly.

"No, if the situation is dire, James doesn't need five faces crowding around him waiting for news. I'll let you know as soon as we're finished." She said, whirling around to head up the stairs, but the sound of feet rushing down the steps halted her path.

"Cassidy! Jack!" James shouted, his feet flying down the winding stairs. Jack and Cassidy snapped their gaze to each other, nodding as if a secret message was being conveyed. "Wolves!" James shouted again, "Outside!" My eyes widened and I turned to Jack. Jack's brown eyes had suddenly grown brighter, almost inhuman looking, and his lips curled back to show a growing set of teeth, sharp and dangerous. He sprinted out the door, tailed by Cassidy, until they were both out of the house, their bodies suddenly ripping to shreds. I tried to rush after them but Joseph had grabbed my arm firmly.

"Jack says to get you upstairs where we can defend you," he said, his voice the usual calm. They must have been connected mentally since Jack had phased.

"I don't care what Jack says," I shouted back at him. I felt worry gnaw at my insides, confusion and fear ruling me. I wasn't the type to hide when I was afraid. I tried to shake Joseph off and find a potential weapon, but Joseph's iron grip and inhuman strength came at a surprise as he started to pull me up the stairs quickly, the sound of snarling and barking outside growing louder. As soon as we were upstairs and Joseph had let me go, I was sprinting further up to the third floor and onto Cassidy's roof garden. I threw open the glass sliding door and ran to the edge of the balcony. From my vantage point I could see several wolves. A set of five or six wolves were circulating clockwise around the house, staying around roughly fifty meters away. Two wolves were running counter clockwise, hugging the house and keeping the foreign wolves at bay, both with patches of blood coating their fur. I couldn't tell which of the two wolves were Jack but I assumed the lighter brown wolf was him.

'Why haven't Marilee or Joseph headed out to join them yet?!' I thought hysterically.

One outside wolves drew in closer near the side of the house, a grey beast that nearly doubled the size of the other wolves in the area. The lighter chocolatey brown wolf darted to cut off the outsider, thrashing and snarling. The large grey wolf tried to swipe him with a giant paw, but he leaped over the monster and maneuvered himself swiftly to latch onto the wolf's back leg with his teeth. I clutched onto my chest, worry and panic choking me. Another wolf broke the swirling formation, moving in a high speed zigzag motion towards the house, close to where Jack intercepted the grey wolf. I saw Cassidy bolt towards the wolf and suddenly my hands were grasping the rails of the balcony in a vice grip and I was leaning over the edge.

"Jack!" I screamed, "It's a distraction!"

I cried out as I saw another wolf break formation and speed towards the entrance of the house. Jack tried to rush off to stop him, realizing he and Cassidy had been tricked to leave an opening, but he was too late. The grey wolf barreled in his way, crashing into him with a crushing force. I gasped, my heart slamming against my ribcage. The foreign wolf made it just into the doorway when something threw it suddenly outside. I couldn't see what had happened, but the foreign wolf started a dash back into the tree line. Then, one by one, wolves started disappearing all around. I stared down at the wolf I believed to be Jack, unable to make out any important details from the distance. The blood evident on him made me nervous, wondering whether if it was from his change or injury, but he was standing his ground, growling ferociously at the grey wolf that had yet to leave. As the last of the foreign wolves had disappeared, the grey wolf then turned and joined them in the darkness of the forest.

Frightened and breathing hard, I ran down the stairs, not stopping until I was in the large entrance room of the manor. Joseph stood in the doorway, blocking me from exiting the house. In front of him was James, who was knelt over with his arm behind his back with an open palm, gesturing to stay back. I skidded to a stop, right in front of Joseph.

"Are they hurt?" I rushed to ask. Joseph shook his head no and I heaved in a breath, running a hand through my hair stressfully. I tried to peer past Joseph at James. On the floor at his feat was a brown package. I felt fear well up again and I stumbled backwards, ready to run as fast I could.

"Is that a bomb?!" I asked suddenly, hysterics rising quickly. Marilee was suddenly there, her arms held out, grasping onto my shoulders. She let out a soothing shushing sound.

"It's okay, Ara," she said, "If it was a bomb, we'd be able to smell the powder." I stared at her with wide eyes, still not over my probable break down over the recent events. I couldn't get a handle over my breathing, I struggled to inhale. Marilee pulled me into a hug, both arms wrapping around me. I tried to push her away awkwardly, her still a stranger in my eyes, but she held me tightly. "Stop fighting me for a second," she said in my ear, "You're safe." My body was shaking, my heart was still rapidly beating in my ears. My eyes were still wide, staring at the doorway as a brown wolf circled around the house. Jack.

Marilee stayed quiet as she held me, and I could see Jack watching us from the porch. It was obvious he wanted to enter the house, but James stopped him.

"You clean that blood off you first," he said calmly. I stared at James a second, his words ringing in my mind.

A giggle of hysteria bubbled up from from my stomach. Marilee released me to look at my face, as if expecting to see madness reflecting in my eyes. I laughed at James, to think he cared about the blood from the transformation when we all were only moments from death earlier. I laughed, the force of it buckling me to my knees.

"She's going into shock," Marilee said from above me. I laughed harder. Shock. She thinks shock looks like laughter! It was all just so funny. My body shook with the spasms of the hilarity of it all, until it started to betray me. My eyes started to water. I continued laughing, moving my hands to cover my distraught face. My amusement started to foil and turn to anguish, my emotions overwhelming me. Everything was out of control. Nothing made sense anymore. I was confused, and horrified, and so, so afraid. I couldn't see any longer, my eyes flushed with tears. I started to choke on the force of my own sobs.

A furry snout pushed against my face. Jack, bloody paws and all, tried to snuggle against me. I cried harder, unable to think properly. A whimper from Jack just sent me further into my breakdown. Nothing was ever going to make sense again. I reached forward and dug my fingers into Jack's fur and I burrowed my face in his neck.

"What's happening, Jack?" I cried, my words cracking strangely through my tears. I shook my head, trying to clear my horrible thoughts of helplessness and terror. My lungs starting taking forceful sporadic breaths, hiccups of hysteria as I tried to stop my childish tears, but I was more than just crying. I felt as if my entire life had crumbled before me. My entire body shook uncontrollably. I sank further into Jack, not knowing what to do, not caring that I was going against my own will to reject the bond Jack and I had. I cried until no more tears could come, my sobbing fit dissolving into struggles for breath. Jack nuzzled up to me, still in his wolf form, letting out soft whimpers and letting me know he was there.