Wolf Pack: The Awakening

Chapter 5: Hidden Identities Revealed

Violet passed out. That much she knew. Saying for sure was tricky since she had no recollection of how she ended up in the middle of a forest. 

      Her head was pounding like synchronized drums and her back ached, especially from the magic claw marks that appeared last night, so she gave herself a few more minutes until the pain subsided to a more manageable level.

       She sat upon a patch of dried leaves. The trees stood tall and strong, with branches so thick it blocked half the Sun. Judging by the scorching heat, it was well past morning, probably noon already.

      Still deep in thought, Violet lifted her shirt to see if the marks were real and not a figment of her imagination. The moment her fingers caressed the brutal wounds, pain flooded her spine and Violet cried out in pain.

      Yep, still there...

      Violet staggered to her feet and walked by the river, in hopes the current would lead back to a residential area. She scanned the greenery and spotted another human, a woman sprawled on the ground. Her face was caked with mud and soil, but it was a no-brainer. 

      Rosemary. The poor girl stirred just as Violet ran to her friend's side. She looked a little beat-up, but at least she was alive. Her face was etched with dread.  "Violet? You too?"

      "Yep." She didn't need to ask what Rosemary was talking about. There was no need for confirmation.

      Thank God, Violet caught on quick and struggled to help Rosemary up and together, trudged on to find their friends.

The Sun's glare seemed to dim, indicating quite a lot of time passed before they found Etsuki by a bunch of shrubs. She was too tired and weak to walk, Rosemary had to support half her weight. Ashton was happily sleeping on a dead tree stump and Sophia lay unconscious with her feet in a creek.

      The five teens sat by the edge of the river. Sophia with her wet shoelaces as she listened to everyone's odd dreams and encounters. The more she pondered over it, the more overwhelmed she became. What kind of messed up drugs was in the damn cake? 

      Or was this what Adrian was talking about all along?

      Just as she finished her story, the trees rustled and the girls heard the loud 'SNAP' of a tree branch. Terrified of what...or who it might be, they rushed to their feet and moved away from the noise.

      Stepping out of the clearing were Adrian and Andrew. Relieved, the boys surged forward.

      "Oh, thank God we found you!" Adrian gasped. "Everyone's worried sick!"

      Violet stared at her boyfriend. Who was this man standing in front of her? "How did you know we were stuck in the middle of a forest?" 

      Ashton and the girls turned to the raven in surprise. Violet's cold tone didn't match her usual silence. When she glared at Adrian, even he couldn't look her in the eye. Pushing past Etsuki, she walked right up to her boyfriend and stared. "What have you been hiding?"

      The boys said nothing, averting their gaze to the ground.

      "Look, you two seem to know a lot more about all this, seeing as how you've been talking about us behind our backs so both of you better start explaining what the hell is going on!" Rosemary's voice turned frantic. She stood and grabbed a confused Sophia's hand. "If you don't, you can go to hell. We're leaving. Come on, guys."

      "No, wait!" Her words jarred Andrew into action. "Okay, okay. We'll tell you, just....please don't run."

      "I haven't ruled it out yet." Rosemary hesitated before sitting back down on a large rock. "Now spill."