Meet and Greet plus Nightmares

Spencer spins the knob of the door and I can't stop comparing with my stomach that feels like the aftermath of a dozen roller coaster rides. The door swings open and there is silence as the people in the room stare back at us as if we're aliens. Typical. My gaze meets one stranger after the other and I grow uneasy because I don't do well in crowds. There is silence as we stare back at the people in the room. The silence is so thick you could take a bite out of it, if you're interested in eating silences that is. A voice, more like a screech is the one to break the silence. Oh god, I'm going to be attacked by a gorilla, I think. So this is how it ends. My mom appears looking totally non gorilla to my relief and crushes me into a hug. For the first time in forever I actually appreciate her hugs which cut off my air supply for as long as she wants. I wrap my arms around her, it kind of feels like I haven't seen her in more than a month but it has actually just been a few hours. "Omg Emerald! I thought I would never see you again." She says and finally lets go of me but starts to look at my face for scratches or cuts I assume. That's my over protective mother for you but I couldn't love her any better. "Well don't hog her all to yourself Emily," my dad's voice teases. He appears through the crowd and I can't help lunge at him. "I told you she would miss me too." My dad smirks at my mom and I laugh. "I missed both of you", I say as my Dad kisses my forehead. I hear a cough behind us and almost immediately remember that I'm in a room with strangers. I feel awkward all of a sudden. I look over to where Spencer is still standing at the doorway and I see my parents go over to thank her, probably for saving my ass. I finally look up and around the room where people are actually minding their business or pretending to do so. A few of them are scribbling on notepads while others are busy talking to each other. My eyes land on someone I'm not quite ready to face yet but I go over to him either way. He is seated at a desk with a few people looking as casual as Liam Jones can manage. "Uh, can we talk?" I say to him and he looks surprised for a second before he motions for me to follow him. He opens the door to what looks like a office and sits at the desk. "What can I do for you?" He looks as if he is trying to hold himself back but I try not to look or feel afraid. He is half human, half monster but he did save me so that counts for something, right? I scold myself for thinking I could talk to him, what if he kills me. Get it together, Emerald. "So, um.... I just want to thank you for er.... I want to thank you for saving me from those guys." I shudder at the thought of what would've happened if Liam had arrived a minute later. "So, yeah. I'm gonna go now." Liam just nods and I feel like an idiot. I go in the direction I thought I came from but end up somewhere I had obviously not been before. Great, I'm lost. It seems as if the world has some unspecified beef with me that hopefully clears up or else I'm going to be dead by Monday. Well if that's the case then I guess I won't have to go to school. Lucky me. Suddenly I feel someone's presence then look up to see a handsome, blonde haired guy looking at me. More like looking down at me because he was extremely tall. And hot. Wait up a minute. "Uh, hi." I say and start to tell him that I'm utterly lost. He introduces himself as Alex and I tell him my name. The one I made up anyway. I described the room I was in and Alex starts walking. "Follow me", he says and leads me towards a dark hallway. The small part of my brain that helps me survive tells me to stop. Alex senses my hesitation and laughs. "It's okay if you don't trust me.I didn't trust anyone except Alpha Liam when I first came here." Again with the weird word. 'Alpha'. I decided to do my research later. Maybe it's some sort of alias that the leader is given? It sure sounds like a title. The screws in my brain were turning like the Earth on its axis. There were so many things that I was unfamiliar with, which wasn't good. I started to follow Alex again, something told me I could trust him. And whether or not that was the most sensible thing ever I still decided to do it because I'm stupid. "Emerald!", a voice yells. Since when did I become so sought after. I match the voice to the face as Spencer runs towards us, her eyes narrowing when she sees Alex. "What the hell are you doing?", she screams and I'm not sure if it's at me or Alex. I hope it's Alex. "Uh, I was trying to come back to where you were but I got last. Big story", I finished but Spencer wasn't looking at me. "Beta Spencer, I was trying to get the Luna back to the meeting room", he said gesturing to me, " I really didn't mean any trouble." Spencer doesn't say anything but is giving the guy a death glare. I feel back for him because I'm the one who asked him to get me back to the room and he volunteered without blinking an eye. "Spencer it's really not his fault. He's telling the truth." She seems to soften a bit but the hard glaring her stare doesn't leave Alex. "Don't mind her", I tell him as my maverick bestfriend pulls me away, " I'll see you around!" When we're finally far away from Alex, Spencer starts her lecture. "What were you thinking! You cannot just walk away with strangers like that, and you most definitely cannot just trust everyone who tells you they mean you well!" I feel like I'm having an argument with my mom, who am I kidding, Spencer is my mom. But she's right, I'm too naive for my own good. "I'm sorry", I apologize and Spencer softens. "Look, I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're my bestfriend and I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happens to you on my watch." I hug my bestfriend and I'm surprised she hugs me back because Spencer isn't too keen on hugs. I realise we are outside a room and Spencer opens the door revealing one of the biggest beds I have ever seen. I run and jump on it and land on the soft spread. "I'm going to fall asleep right here", I say and Spencer laughs. And that's exactly what I do.

A FEW HOURS LATER

Another fist rams into my gut and I almost hurl on the spot. I can feel the blood in my mouth, tasting like iron. I'm also sweating alot. The three men confront of me wear grim expressions and are most likely enjoying torturing me. "Speak bitch. Tell us where he is." The one dishing out the punches hisses. In the form of an answer I spit blood in the direction of his face and he quickly turns beetroot red. Oh, the irony. The man in front of me wipes his face with a cream colored hand kerchief then turns his attention to me. Let's call him Danny for now. Danny punches me again, this time in my face and I think I hear my nose crack. Oh well. I fall to the floor feeling limp. Danny and his friends have a good laugh, clearly enjoying seeing my blood flow. I feel strong arms heave me back up from on the cold floor and just as Danny is going to deliver another blow, a blood curdling howl pierces through the air. I hear a big bang then a black wolf appears, its flowy, soft fur I assume as black as darkness, you almost can't see him. Angry green eyes stare back at us and I see him leap up at the men, tearing their flesh apart. My body crashes to the floor once more and as my eyes fail me I think about a black wolf.

"Emerald!", a frantic voice calls to me. I feel my body shaking and I reluctantly open my eyes. Spencer's point face appears and she looks extremely worried. "Hey", she smiles as I sit up in the bed. I feel cold all of a sudden even though I have thick burgundy covers around me. "What happened?", I ask and rub my temples, willing my terrible headache to go away. Spencer's eyes dart away from mine."You had a nightmare." She says and looks back at me. The memories of my nightmare come flooding back and suddenly I feel overwhelmed and tired. "Yea", I reply and my bestfriend asks me if I remember anything at all. "No", I lie. I didn't want to worry anyone with my burdens. Anyways, it's just a silly nightmare. "Are you sure?", Spencer asks and I nod. Her glance suggests that she doesn't believe me but she doesn't press me with any other questions.

"Where can I take a shower?", I ask. More than anything right now I want to take a shower and rinse all my worries away. Spencer shows me the way to the bathroom and leaves after telling me she'll be back with clean clothes. In the bathroom, I observed it was cleaner than I had originally imagined and was as elegant as anywhere else in the house. I took off my clothes and stepped in the shower. I turn the shower on and set the shower head at the angle I want. A refreshing spray of water hits my face and I shiver as the cold water runs down my body. Surprisingly a feminine body wash was present in the bathroom that smelt like lavender and I decide right then and there it was my new favorite body wash. I also wash my hair with a Aloe Vera flavoured shampoo and conditioner I found in one of the cabinets. After the refreshing shower I feel totally different, more relaxed as if someone has pressed the restart button to my life. My headache was still present but still I felt way better than I had 50 minutes ago. I take a clean towel and wrap it around my body as I step out of the shower and leave the bathroom. On the bed are some clothes, perfume and makeup that Spencer had left before I had come out of the shower. I settle with a mid rise denim shorts and a white blouse matched with

black ballet flats. Now that I'm dressed, I need to do my hair. I do my hair up into a high ponytail using one of the countless hair ties I keep on my wrists.

"Emerald?", someone says and Spencer steps into the room. "Hi", I say. She smiles I think she looks impressed by my overnight change. "You look awesome", Spencer states. If I were her I would give myself an Oscar; not everyone can transform themselves from looking like the walking dead to a normal seventeen year old girl. It takes talent. "So what do you think about breakfast?", Spencer asks and my headache disappears immediately. "I think that's a wonderful idea", I say and Spencer's laughter echoes through the entire house.