“Seeing glowing eyes and our bus running off the road.”
“Your bus was attacked by trackers. We barely got to you in time. If it wasn’t for Soraya calling out to her pack, we wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
“Attacked by trackers? Soraya’s pack? Saved me? Are you crazy? What the hell are you talking about? What does this all even mean?”
“It means I’m a wolf, Winter,” Soraya says, walking into the room.
“Not funny.” I grimace at my friend. The pain in my shoulder is fast becoming allies with the one in my head. “And where have you been? I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m okay, and it’s not meant to be funny. This isn’t a joke. I’m still your best friend, the girl you know, but I’m a wolf too.”
“We were attacked. Do you remember?”
“That’s where we were when you came in,” Rose says.
I don’t respond to Soraya’s question. I’m still struggling to swallow her tale of being a wolf, and I’m a little upset that she chooses now to play games. My gaze shifts from one to the other as I try to process what I’m being told.
“Did you hear me?” Soraya’s face stiffens, and she exhales.
I furrow my brow. “Did you say you’re a wolf?”
Soraya combs her fingers through her hair and glares at me. “Come on, Winter. Don’t freak out on me over it.”
I’m regarding her every movement, trying to figure out if she’s kidding. I can normally tell if she’s making something up, from the weird facial expressions she makes. Trying to hide the laughter threatening to come forward, she almost always gives herself away. But not this time.
“Let’s not make a big deal out of this. You had to have a clue.”
I’m shaking my head as she nears me. How in a rat’s ass would I have a clue? Even if I believed her. It’s not like she moves on all fours, drooling, snarling, and growling at everyone.
“Okay, if you prefer to do things the hard way, we can.” Soraya starts to undress. Soon she’s standing in the nude.
My eyes widen. What the hell is she doing? “Put your clothes back on, Soraya.” I’m annoyed. This has gone too far already. Anyway, am I the only one who thinks it’s cold in here?
“Now don’t freak out on me.”
If I’m freaked by anything, it’s at seeing her naked ass.
With a sudden leap forward, she changes right before my eyes and growls.
“What the fuck?” I draw in my legs and make my own leap over the bed, forgetting about my shoulder injury.
Soraya, or what was Soraya a few seconds ago, sits on its hind legs and growls.
“Enough, Soraya.”
I’d almost forgotten Detective White, I mean Rose, was here. Soraya stands on all fours and shifts back to her human form.
Holding my shoulder and nearly breathless, I’ve backed into the farthest corner in the room. I feel myself blinking rapidly, and I make a conscious effort to stop. With a shaky hand, I reach for the nearby floor lamp and hold it in front of me.
Right now, I’m looking at my friend, who I thought was human. But just a second ago, there was a canine in front of me and it wasn’t a dog.
“Winter, really? Are you for fucking real? We’re not going to hurt you. Think about it. Before you knew what I was, did I ever try to harm you in any way? What’s with the fucking lamp? Put it down.”
My gaze darts to Rose. “Are you an animal too?”
“Excuse me!” Soraya is standing red-faced and still naked. “I’m no more animal than you are, and neither is Rose. She isn’t a wolf-shifter, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s like you—a witch. And sometimes, a real bitchy one.”
“Soraya, enough. It’s too much, too soon.”
“What?” Soraya shrugs. “She needs to know the truth, all of it. Anyway, she can take it. The bitch never likes saving anything for later anyway.” She smirks and winks at me.
I almost want to say something smart back but remember, she’s much more than the small frame standing in front of me.
“Put your clothes back on. She needs easing into it. Not bashed about the head with it by you or anyone else here.”
My attention goes from Soraya to Rose as they argue back and forth. Eventually, I block them out and drift into my own thoughts. I think about everything that’s happened. None of it is supposed to make sense, yet somehow does.
If there’s one thing I know about Soraya, is that she’s direct. And as for Rose, I remember our first meeting, her moving the pages of the book. How confused I felt, yet comforted by her. My momma bringing me to see Detective White’s friend, Ms. Bellamy and what she did.
Memories are swarming through my head. The red eyes like the ones I’ve seen vampires with on television, the voices, angels with halos, and the ghost. The room starts to spin. I clamp my free arm to my ear to drown it all out but I can’t. I want to scream, and at some point, I do.
Rose and Soraya rush to me.
“Stay back,” I yell. “I just need to think.”
“Okay.” Rose takes a step back, and Soraya crosses her arms.
“Back up, Soraya.”
“Why? You can’t think with me standing here?”
Rose grabs Soraya’s arm. “Stop it and give her some room.”
I’m looking at Soraya when I pick up where I left off with my past thoughts. Mostly, I remember what Ms. Bellamy said: “I’m taking it all away. You can’t change who you are, but I can make it better for now.”
Is this why she added the for now?
That day when I left her, all weirdness went away, my being able to move things, seeing ghosts, all of it was gone. I was normal…just a regular kid.
It had been so long since I’d thought about that part of my life. Was I really a witch? Was Soraya really a wolf? And Rose, she said we would meet again. Is this what she was talking about?
The lamp falls out of my hand. I’m feeling flushed and feverish, then a chill envelops me. “I’m cold.”
“Winter, are you okay?” Soraya rushes over to me, right before I feel the earth move from under me, and I slip into oblivion.
Chapter Three
I’ve been in the room awhile, crouched staring out of the window. Her soft troubled breathing is more restless and gets my attention. My head and gaze follow the sound. I look over at Winter. She looks like an angel, a troubled one, sleeping fitfully. Searching for the words to make her understand, I find myself wrestling with my thoughts.
She tosses and turns on the bed, seeking comfort for her troubled mind. I can easily make her warm but being so close to her may drive me insane.
Footsteps sound against the hardwood floor. It’s probably Soraya, she’s been coming in and out, checking on Winter for the last hour.
“How’s she doing?” Soraya asks.
“If I was to go by her moaning and tossing, I’d say she’s having a hard time with this.”
“I’m not surprised. Her introduction to the realm was a lot more dramatic than ours. It was easier for us because of who, or rather, what we are. I guess we should be thankful for small mercies. We should have told her something sooner instead of allowing her to find out like this. She’s pretty strong. If anyone can handle it, it’s her.”
Soraya’s right about Winter being strong, but she forgets how different this world is; how different we are.
“I wish you would have told me what was happening beforehand.”
“I would have if I could’ve contacted you all. This…us being here…it wasn’t exactly planned. When you all went off the grid for so long, I had no choice but to turn to Bellamy. It even took her three months to get a solid location. Whoever trapped you all here made it hard for anyone searching to find you.”
Hesitantly, I ask, “Have you tried to connect with the other world?”
She turns her gaze to the floor before looking to Winter. “I did, and I couldn’t. We’re all stuck. It’s on her now. And before you ask why I brought her here, don’t. You know I couldn’t leave her behind. Her being left alone would have been too dangerous.”