Escape The Pack

Chapter 12

The weather started getting colder and colder, as Autumn seemed to appear. The weeks passed in a blur until I had no idea how long it had been since I had left. It could have been forever.

Eli and I had no destination in mind. We just wondered, not staying in a place for more than a few days. We seemed to be a good team. Neither of us really talked about our pasts, but I had learned a lot about him, whether he wanted me to know it or not. He had also learned a lot about me.

Despite the temperatures dropping, as we headed south, we occasionally got a few nice days. On one such day, we were walking along and came across a waterfall, with a pool at the bottom of it. It was beautiful, the water so blue and clear you could almost see the bottom of the deep pool. The waterfall fell down the side of a cliff, and the whole thing was surrounded by trees.

It was so amazing and secluded. We both stopped in our tracks, too in awe to take another step.

"Wow."

This summed it all up. It was something you would see in a movie, it was so extraordinary. And just like that, we both sat down, right there and stared.

Without any warning, Eli pulled off his shirt and stood up. I glanced over at him and rolled my eyes. By now I was used to this. For some reason this boy just hated wearing a shirt, but it was usually too cold.

Suddenly, he jumped straight into the water. It splashed up around him as he cannon-balled in. I giggled a little as it hit my face. He quickly resurfaced, his head sticking out of the water.

"Come on, the water is actually warm."

My eyes widened and I shook my head quickly. "No, I'm okay."

He scoffed loudly and started to swim over to the edge closest to me. "Seriously, don't be boring. Just jump in."

I bit my lip and shook my head wildly. "I can't."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Of course you can."

I sighed. I would have to tell him now. "No, I can't. I can't swim."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Are you serious?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm lying. Of course I'm serious you idiot."

I felt his glare on me. "God you're annoying." He splashed water up at me. "How do you not know how to swim?"

"I never learned. I never cared about learning to swim."

"Learning to swim is super important. It could save your life. You need to know how to swim."

I gave him a flat look. "Or I could just sit on dry land and never have to learn."

"Look, its instinct. As a wolf, you will know how to swim. Its nature."

I shook my head and backed away from the edge. "Oh no, I know where this is going."

"Come on Laila. Its easy. And you need to learn."

I shook my head more, my eyes wide.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Don't you trust me?"

I paused, biting my lip and staring into his eyes. This was playing dirty. Just from looking at him I could feel my stubbornness faultering. Taking a deep breathe, I took a step forward.

"You'll help me right? You'll make sure I don't drown?"

He smiled, knowing he had won. "Of course. Now come on, everything will be fine."

"Ok." My voice was shaking and uncertain. I kicked off my shoes and crept towards the edge. I stood frozen, too terrified to actually get in the water. Biting my lip, I looked down at Eli. He stared at me smiling a small, comforting smile.