The Pack 1:Darkness Rises

   School had finally ended, and Layla was happy about it. That meant no more moldy lunch food,drama, or stacks of homework for two months. Although she wouldn't miss school, she would miss her four best friends. Savannah, Kiera, Elaine, and Ally. They've been friends since forever. They've always taken the fall for one another, comforted one another, and helped one another with boy problems. Layla would never forget them, no matter what. When Layla had gotten home she sprawled out on the couch for a quick catnap. Then the doorbell rang.

     Layla got up totally annoyed, and opened the door. There was a man standing there in her doorway. His clothes were tattered and he looked like he was in his early thirties. This is weird, Layla thought, why is there a thirty year-old man standing in my doorway? She said to the man,"Uhhh.....can I help you, or are you just gonna stand there acting all creepy?" The man said,"I am Cirus. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Layla was completely confused now. What did he mean by 'finally meet you'. Should she have been expecting him?

     Her mom finally showed up at the doorway and Layla thought to herself,You're a little late. Her mom said to Cirus,"Oh. I see you're already here," Layla's mom turned to her,"Layla, there's something I need to tell you..." Cirus's face turned into a frown and said,"You mean you havn't told her yet?" Layla saw that her mom's face turned pale, like one of those vampires from the old movies. Her mom said nervously,"I just wanted to give her a normal childhood." Layla yelled,"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" It seemed like the silence would last forever until Cirus said,"Layla....I want you to understand that you are not like other people. You see, you are one of many children that are special." Layla retorted,"Wow. You just boosted my confidence level by zero percent."

     Her mom said,"Layla this is serious. It's not a joke." She could tell her mom meant business. She sighed while turning back to Cirus and said,"All right, I'm listening." Cirus continued,"You have special powers. You've had them ever since you were born." Layla couldn't believe what she was hearing. Special powers? The only 'special powers' she had was getting a decent grade in math. Layla's mom said,"You will learn more about it on the way."

     "On the way where?" Layla said. Cirus answered,"We're going to Wolf Mountain." The words seemed to echo throughout the house. Wolf Mountain. There was a legend about Wolf Mountain. The legend was that if you camped up there you would be killed and eaten by mutant wolves. Many people have disappeared last seen on Wolf Mountain. Layla said,"Yeah, I think I'll pass on the nature hike."

     Twenty minutes later they were in the car halfway up Wolf Mountain. Layla looked out the window and the trees almost seemed to surround the car. It was almost sundown and the light of the sky reflected off the mountain that created an eerie glow. Layla couldn't believe she was persuaded into coming up here. She thought to herself, If I get eaten by wolves, I am so coming back to haunt Cirus. They finally parked and Cirus said,"We have to walk from here." Layla did NOT like hiking. The last time she went hiking she got an infection from all the bug bites on her legs. 

     When they started walking, Layla got bored. Fast. To keep herself entertained, she picked up a stick and hit the trees as she walked past them. She started to become curious about what they were doing, exactly. It made her nervous when she recalled the look on her mother's face when she saw Cirus. Layla looked at her mother now and she looked worried, almost scared. Layla said to her mom,"So...you said before that you would tell me what's going on and.." Before Layla could finish her mom said,"Honey, it's too complicated to explain and I have lots of things on my mind. Please just wait until we get there."

     When they were finally at the top of the mountain, Layla saw a dark cave with strange markings written on the walls. Almost as if Cirus had read her mind he said,"These markings were made by an ancient tribe that was founded over fifty-thousand years ago." Layla said,"What does all of this have to do with me." Cirus replied,"Layla, you are a true member of the tribe. The Wolf Tribe."