Chapter 7

Liam's hand shot out and latched onto my wrist with an iron grip.

"We need to talk."

"NO!" I tried to shout, but my voice failed to comply. Instead, it came out as more of a hoarse whisper.

He let out a low, feral sound and leaned into me, never breaking eye contact. I froze. Panic filled my lungs, making my surroundings spin. I could feel the heat coming off of his body as he stopped, the tip of his nose almost touching mine.

"I said we need to tal--"

He yelped as he released my wrist and sank to the ground. My knee, although late in reaction, had found its mark, dealing a good blow right between Liam's legs.

The adrenaline finally started to kick in, and, taking advantage of the moment, I swerved around Liam's curled form.

"Ya, nope," I half yelled as I hightailed it back to Alex and the safety of the truck.

Alex was sitting in the driver's seat when I made it to the vehicle. I ripped open the car door, jumped in, and slammed it shut behind me.

"What the hell?" Alex started.

I shook my head violently.

"Drive! Drive! Go NOW!" I shouted.

Alex's eyes widened in shock at my tone, but he swiftly pulled out of the parking space and onto the streets. I turned around in my seat just in time to see Liam sprint out of the alley, Paige appearing right after him.

"What is it? Did something happen?" I heard Alex say behind me, his urgent tone riling my anxiety even more.

I watched in nervous silence until I could no longer see the restaurant, then moved to face the front of the vehicle again.

______________________________

Shortly after, we pulled to a stop in front of the school. Alex set the truck to neutral and leaned back into his seat.

"Ren, what happened back there? I..." he stopped. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Alex had reached over and wrapped me in a warm embrace.

"H-hey... it's gonna be ok... I'm right here. You're safe, so don't cry, ok?" he cooed, pulling me closer to his chest.

I brought my hand up to my cheek, and sure enough, it was soaked with tears.

I let out a shaky breath and pulled away from Alex, just enough so that I could look him in the eye.

"That's the thing..... I don't think I am."

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We drove to Alex's house.

I couldn't risk running into Liam again, besides I needed somewhere quiet to talk to Alex. There wasn't much to haul into the house, with our backpacks still at the school.

I didn't feel up to homework anyway.

Alex lead the way to his room, looking back to check on me almost every other second. He pushed open his door and walked over to his bed, shrugging off his jacket.

I followed in and sank into the soft mattress, grabbing one of his pillows and clutching it to my chest. Alex treaded over and squatted down in front of me.

"Hey," he began hesitantly. "I'm gonna go grab some snacks from the kitchen first, then we're going to talk. That alright with you?"

I nodded. He didn't move. I could see the worry clouding his eyes. I let out a soft breath.

"I'll be ok. Just go."

He gave me a troubled smile and stood up. Alex was almost out the door before he paused and looked back at me.

"Go," I said softly, gesturing at the door with a lift of my chin.

"I'll be right back," he told me.

A few seconds later he disappeared from my sight, but I could still hear his soft footsteps on the stairs as he descended.

I buried my face in the pillow and took a deep breath in. It smelled like cologne and fresh rain; it smelled like Alex. I never realized how comforting it was. I buried my head deeper into the pillow and gave it a quiet whimper.

I stayed like that long after Alex had returned and sat down beside me. I leaned into his warmth and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Can you tell me what happened back there?"

I lifted my head out of the pillow so he could hear me.

"I don't know... I... I don't really know what happened back there."

"Then, just, try your best I guess."

And I did. I told him about the phone call, and seeing Liam and Paige, about the body lying at their feet, and about being caught and my escape.

Except, I left out one thing. Something I knew he wouldn't believe, because I couldn't believe it myself. The body lying in a pool of its own blood, it wasn't a normal body.

No, its head was warped; elongated to a fine point, covered in greyish-brown... fur. I knew it wasn't a human head, but I wasn't sure what else it could be. I had probably just hallucinated due to the stress of the moment.

That seemed more logical...

When I finished telling Alex what happened, he sat quietly for what seemed like forever. Then he turned to me.

"What about your mom?"