Origin

CHAPTER 8

As I took in the sight of a big oak tree, I was one hundred percent sure that I was lost. I had come across this exact same tree a million times. I sighed and sat down at the full of leaves ground. This day could not get any worse. From the moment I opened my eyes this morning, I knew it was going to be a crappy day.

The first clue was the throbbing headache I woke up with. I had to fight off a wave of nausea as I got out of bed. Thankfully, a quick hot shower was able to get me back to my old self.

The next sign was the bruises from last Friday night which still hadn't disappeared. They had turned a weird greenish color and still kind of hurt. I had to cover them with lots of foundation to make them go unnoticeable.

To add up to all these, I had this sick feeling in my stomach as if something bad was coming my way. But I couldn't postpone my mission to find Alaric, Clell, Haru and Vetta anymore. So, I dragged my exhausted self out of the house and headed for the woods near the school. Fortunately, both of my parents were busy with work so they didn't question me when I told them I was going for a run.

The only good thing today was the weather. It was sunny without any clouds in the sky. The heat was bearable and, to me, it was the perfect temperature.

Since I didn't know where exactly they lived, I had been wondering around the forest for two hours when I decided what I was doing was pointless. There was a slim chance that I would find the house. It was a stupid idea to begin with but it was the only one I had.

Distant words reached me and interrupted the absolute silence of the forest.

"Thank you for entrusting me with this. I promise I won't let her down," a girl said and a masculine voice followed up.

Not wasting a moment, I stood up and ran towards the sounds. I could ask whether there was a house nearby. It was better than wandering around without any directions in hopes of finding my friends. By the time I found the source of the voices, I found a familiar face looking at me.

"What are you doing here?" Marissa bit out as she glared at me.

"I could ask you the same thing," I said as I searched for the other voice I'd heard. "And weren't you here with someone?"

"You're noisy," she stated as she walked around me with her hands crossed behind her back.

"You know what? I don't care. I just want to know if there's a house somewhere here."

"There's one in the clearing on the other side of the forest," she said without thinking. Once she realized she had just helped me, her mouth shut tight and her face scrunched up.

"Marissa?" someone from behind me said. "Why are you here talking to her?"

I turned around and saw Veronica standing there, dressed in a black tracksuit with drops of sweat dribbling down her forehead as her eyes traveled up and down my body.

"Hey, how long have you been here?" her friend asked.

"Long enough to hear you helping her out. Are you sick or something?" She laughed.

"Well, I have nothing left to gain out of the conversation so I'm out of here. Who knew that you could be useful Marissa? See ya," I chirped with a smile.

"You should be careful. There are dangerous wolves in the woods," Veronica yelled behind me before she broke into a fit of laughter.

My feet froze as images of Friday night's fight flashed in my mind. Alaric's sharp teeth, Haru's long nails, the wolf which answered to Clell. I shook my head back and forth, clearing it from my complex thoughts. I didn't need a distraction, not when I had a house to find and questions to ask.