WEREWOLVES NO.1 || Unchained ✔️

24; werewolf blues

as planned, Rhi pretty much spent the whole day gorging on meat and avoiding looking at her phone in case her mom sent her angry texts and calls about not being in her room this morning. her phone was charging anyway, so whatever.

after an hour of eating meat in the basement, Rhi finally closed the cooler and walked back upstairs, immensely relieved that still was a large amount of meat in that cooler. it was challenging enough to stop eating, but yet again it would be even more challenging if Rhi had eaten all her supplies. it almost happened yesterday.

with a groan, Rhi finally walked up to her room to check on her phone, which was now at 52% but at least it wasn't dead anymore. which meant that now she had to look for any angry texts or voicemails.

she took a deep breath, then opened her phone and gasped when she saw only one text from her mom. it read, hey honey! i couldn't check on you this morning because i had an emergency to tend to at the hospital, so i decided to send you a text instead! hope you're feeling better today, and i'll be coming back around lunch to check on you.❤️

Rhi grinned, sighing with relief as she ran a hand through her still-unkempt hair. too many things were working in her favor this morning, but she supposed she deserved it after enduring the worst pain of her life last night, not to mention turning into a vicious half wolf after that.

the time was now 10:38, and her mom usually had lunch breaks around 11:30-12:15, so Rhi had plenty of time to shower and act sick before her mom came home.

the warm water rejuvenated Rhi as she stepped into the shower, the warmth seeping into her tensed muscles and soaking her hair. she scrubbed her body at least ten times before getting out of the shower, pulling her hair up into a towel so it could air dry. she put on some casual clothes and turned on Netflix, deciding to watch Outlander after five minutes of scrolling. as it played, she looked out her bay window and stared at the expanse of forest beyond the houses that separated the neighborhood from the town. and beyond the town was a massive and endless expanse of trees that stretched all the way to the mountains, making Rhi wonder if they drove somewhere near there for their wolfish changes last night.

Claire's voice brought her back to the TV, so she sat and watched the show until Jenny came back for lunch.

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a few hours after Jenny came home with Chick-Fil-A, Rhi decided to take a walk so she could clear her mind. she walked quite a ways that she even came across the town, so she turned left and took a path that led into the forest. it was like the forest called to her now that she had stepped into it, and she hadn't realized how badly her wolf wanted to be back here again.

it was like taking a drink of water and not realizing how parched you were.

the further Rhi walked into the forest, the more familiar her surroundings got. she wondered why she knew this place until she stepped out from the trees and saw Tall Hill a short distance away from where she was standing. ah, no wonder she decided to walk this way. she must've found an easier way to it.

when Rhi climbed up on top of the massive hill, she was instantly reminded of the unpleasant meeting with Tye and Blaire. she shuddered, suddenly thankful that they weren't up here, and no one else was either. Rhi had the whole hill to herself.

she sat down on a bench and looked at the view, admiring the distant mountains and their snow-tipped peaks. the forest stretched away below Tall Hill, coming to meet the foot of the mountains. it was so gorgeous, and Rhi had it all to herself.

all until her phone started ringing and the moment was over.

it was Amber that had decided to call her; Rhi realized with a pang of guilt that she had forgotten to tell her best friend that she wouldn't be here today, again. "oh, hey Am. what's up?"

"oh, nothing much you obsessive Hooky player. i'm just sitting at lunch with James Buchemi, Layla Johnston, Miranda Kingston..." her voice trailed off, and Rhi's heightened hearing could pick up what else was going on. "who's that?" a sharp voice asked from the other end. Amber responded with, "just my best friend. what's it to ya?"

then Rhi realized who Amber was also talking to; that seemingly bitchy Jessica girl. and she did not sound happy for whatever reason. "ok, why do you keep talking to her during lunch? you should talk with the people that are actually here, and not the boyfriend-stealing freaks who keep missing school."

Rhi heard Amber scoff, and she scoffed as well before Amber barked out a response. "well, it just so happens that talking with my BEST friend is better than talking with my FRIEND friends, no offense to everyone else here. so maybe you should lose the stick that's up your ass and lighten up for once." Rhi heard loud "oohs" from the other popular kids, and Jessica sniffed loudly and disdainfully. then the sounds faded away and Rhi realized that Amber had walked into the restroom. "dammit, i hate her. i seriously don't understand why i still talk to her or hang out with her. Rhi, i hope you didn't hear any of that, because i'm sorry for her behavior..."

Rhi snorted, now feeling a strange and sudden burst of adrenaline flowing in her veins. "ah, i'm fine. it's no worries, really. i usually ignore bitches like her and carry on with my life."

Amber laughed and then sighed, clearly feeling better that i wasn't affected. "ok, that's cool. gosh, you're literally always so much better to talk to than those people. i'm glad you stuck around to deal with my bullshit."

now it was Rhi's turn to laugh. "well of course Am. that's why i'm here, so i can keep you in line in case more bullshit happens."

the girls laughed over the phone, and Rhi would've given her best friend a hug if it hadn't been a digital conversation. "well, i should probably get back to the lunchroom. i have to get back to class in five minutes."

"ok, no problem. i'll return tomorrow for sure in case more crap happens."

"good. you have to anyway because we have quiz in biology."

Rhi groaned loudly as Amber hung up on her end with a small laugh.

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the next morning, Rhi woke up, threw some clothes on, and ran outside to catch the bus.

it was a very drizzly morning, so Rhi made sure to grab a raincoat on the way out. it started to pour once the bus got to the school, so Rhi ran out with the other kids and made it to safety under the awning.

she started to locate Amber and was relieved to find her, but then her heart sank when she saw Jessica and that Brody guy walking a small distance behind her. Rhi swallowed her sudden frustration as she approached Amber. "hey, just so you know, Queen Beotch is behind you." Queen Beotch? ok, that's new. even for me.

"ah, yeah. i swear she's been sulking all morning, that poor nasty thing." Amber turned around briefly to see Jessica strutting past them with an oblivious-looking Brody next to her, while Jessica glared daggers at both Rhi and Amber. then they were thankfully lost in the sea of students all around them.

"yikes, that was awkward. never knew one person could be so full of unnecessary hate," Amber scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "let's just walk to class."

Rhi quickly forgot about Jessica and Brody as they got closer to her 1st class, the lovable (yet sometimes boring) English subject. Amber walked off to her class as soon as Rhi was inside, and the bell rang shortly after. suddenly, Rhi felt a strange twisting sensation in her abdomen, and asked Mrs. Owens if she could go to the restroom after the pledge and the morning announcements. once that was over, Rhi hurried out of the class and stumbled into the restroom, thankful that no one else was inside. she locked the stall shut behind her and winced as more abdominal pain surged through her. ugh, what had to be wrong with her now?

then Rhi quickly found the source of her pain, and saw that the three claw marks on her stomach were glowing. and when she touched them, she felt like she was touching the metal in a hot oven and instantly reared back, crashing backwards onto the toilet. luckily it caught her fall, but she was still shocked from the pain of it.

was she going to start shifting in the school restroom?