Born to Change [Completed]

21: Are you alright?

My heart pounds when I see the mansion I'm supposed to be staying in. I feel a sense of familiarity, which I don't know where it comes from. But something tells me I'm better off not knowing.

I feel dread in my stomach and I just know that's something's going to happen. Something big.

I'm at the treeline now. I need to look all desperate and sad and crying. I see someone exit the doors and I start the show.

I run to them - I now know they're teenage boys - while sobbing. "H-help me please!"

"Elle?" A guy with blonde hair asks.

The other one with brown hair nudges him and says something incoherent. I meanwhile keep up the act as I try to rack my brain to remember who this guy is.

The blonde one is... Hunter I think.

"Hunter?" I ask.

"Elle! Jace and I missed you!" He pulls me into a hug and Jace follows suit. I squeeze back, unsure and disgusted a bit. I mean, come on, I'm hugging a werewolf. That's just... ugh.

"I missed you too," I say too chummy while wondering why they missed me, not to mention why they know me even.

"Wow Elle, you're so big now," Hunter says proudly. Jace still hasn't spoken. He's observing me, as if knowing I'm not the same. Of course, I'm still pondering over why the sassafras they know me. All I know is before I left someone told me that I should pretend I know these people.

"Jace? Are you okay?" Hunter asks him, as he notices he's not welcoming me with open arms. Jace just nods and turns on his heel.

I sob, remembering my charade and Hunter looks at me with concern. "Elle, why are you crying?"

"B-because." I pretend to hiccup and sneeze a bit.

"Come one Elle, don't mind Jace. Let's go in first." He puts an arm around my shoulders and leads me to the house. I keep up the act, even though I'm shuddering internally because of the werewolf's close contact with me.

Hunter hands me a mug of hot chocolate which I accept gratefully. I may not like wolves but chocolate never did anything to me.

He sits down beside me while I stare at thr floating tiny marshmallows in the mug I'm holding. It seems like physical contact with me isn't a problem with him. "Now, why were you crying?"

"Is it because of Jace?" he adds softly.

I shake my head no. "D-do you know that I just e-escaped from a hellhole?"

"T-they mistreated me and bullied me," I sob again.

He pulls me in for a hug, causing his scent to wash over me. Wolves share almost the same scent with only a few variations. "That's how Hunters are."

I almost growl at that. I'm suddenly thankful he can't see my face which is buried in his chest, because I'm pretty sure he'd wonder why I'm scowling. I only whimper as a response to his idiotic saying.

"I guess you want to see Austin and Travis now huh?" He pulls away and he looks me in the eye.

I don't respond to his question that's clearly only rhetorical because he pulls me somewhere.

"Where's Austin?" I hear him ask.

"In his office" comes the reply.

We reach a door and Hunter just barges in, dragging me behind him. We enter a spacious office and I see a boy slumped in his chair behind a huge mahogany desk. I hear faint snoring and Hunter groans. He points to a chair and I sit down while taking in my surroundings.