Higher Than The Alpha (#Wattys2014) »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

THREE

THREE – Insane Tiger [Victoria]

I didn't see Lex again until the next day after school, and that was only to find that Charlie, once again, wasn't were we usually met up, and Lex was. Patrick had probably claimed him again. Apparently they'd gone around Patrick's with a load of other guys last night, playing video games and drink. Poor Charlie had come around mine this morning begging for pain killers. Patrick claiming Charlie again was the only reason I could think of for why Charlie wasn't at our spot for the second time, two days running.

Sighing, I walked past Lex, aiming to go home without him following. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Let me prove it to you," he said as soon as we got out of earshot.

I rolled my eyes. "Prove that your insane, or a weretiger?"

"Yes."

I sighed, dropping my head back on my shoulder's. Well, you did want him to speak to you. Yeah, but at the time, I hadn't known that he was insane. "Lex..." I stopped, mainly because I had no idea what to say to a guy who thought he was a weretiger. This is insane. "If I go with you, and you prove whatever to me, will you leave me alone?"

"What if I'm telling the truth?"

"Then we'll take it step by step." I can't believe I'm saying this.

But seeing his amber eyes change – become eerily paler – gently before becoming normal again, I had to wonder whether he was telling me the truth. His eyes changing had played over and over all night in my head. Again I sighed, great, now I was going insane. Unfortunately, because it was Lex, I couldn't find it in me to truly care about that.

I felt my elbow being gripped, and the warmth from his palm through my layers of clothes, as he tugged me in a different direction. Away from home. Away from safety. Into the unknown. And I had a feeling that, if I followed him, things would never be the same again.

"Promise me that this isn't some prank, or lost bet."

I saw Lex wince. "I promise that..." He sighed before looking around. What was he doing now? Then he bent his foot taller height down and looked into my eyes.

Then just as I was about to say something, his eyes changed. The amber paled, changed hue, then came back in force until they were a beautiful sapphire blue. What. The. Hell!

Suddenly there was a low rumble, involuntarily, I stepped back, flinching. Was he growling? As soon as I flinched, the noise stopped, and sapphire eyes watched me with such a force I looked away. But I still felt those sapphire eyes staring at me. And I knew that this wasn't Lex but his tiger side. If he was a tiger.

I froze like a deer caught in headlights as Lex took a step closer. I felt more than saw his arms move to wrap around me, felt him nuzzle? my head and inhale my scent. And then there was that rumbling sound again.

As I stood in his arms, I wondered what to do next. Did I run as soon as he let me go? No, animals liked to chase, especially a predator. And I had the feeling that Lex could run faster than he let on in school.

"Hey, Lex?" I called, hoping that the human side could hear me. "You want to come back? 'Cus I have to be honest, the tiger is scaring me."

Quicker than anything I'd seen before, Lex with his sapphire eyes was suddenly feet away. It had happened so quick I'd registered that it was cold before I'd realised that he'd moved.

As I watched, Lex's eyes paled, but they didn't change any more after that. They didn't return to being amber, they stayed the strange off-white colour.