Secrets of the Willow

Chapter 17- friends and lovers.

As the night went on, and we finished the game, Yas and Darius disappeared into the library toilets together to be alone while the rest of us got into our sleeping bags.

We turned off all our torches and kept only one lantern lit as I led there, wide awake thinking of everything that had been happening and trying to ignore the constant flashes and feelings of how good it felt to kiss Conall. ‘It was just a game… stop thinking about it’. I kept drumming into my head every time thoughts of our kiss crept in.

I could hear Josh and Luke snoring as Natalie slept still and silent, but I couldn’t stop fidgeting as I tried to fall asleep.

“You still awake?” I heard a whisper, and as I looked up, I saw Conall lying on his side and looking at me.

“Yes”. I quietly replied. “I can’t sleep. It’s hard to get comfortable”. I lied. I couldn’t exactly admit that just from one kiss, I was incredibly attracted to him even more.

He didn’t reply, but instead he held onto his sleeping bag and moved next to me, resting his back against the bookcase. I sat up next to him, feeling our arms touching and I could smell his subtle cologne which was making me want to rip off his shirt, kiss and taste him all over! Even my v****a was fluttering at the thought of it.

“What are you thinking about?” He whispered.

“Just… I guess everything”.

“Everything, as in what happened the other night?”

“Yes. I think it’s so strange that it would come onto campus. When it was chasing us, it stopped when we got here”.

“I don’t think we can sit here and try to make sense of something that has killed so many people”.

“I guess so. It’s just, that’s the third time now that I’ve been close to it, and I’m just starting to think that… that”.

“What? That it’s after you or something?”

“Yes, I guess”. I nodded with a heavy and fearful sigh.

I didn’t expect him to understand or to comment something about me being worried for nothing, but instead, I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders as he pulled me into his side and rested his cheek on top of my head.

I suddenly felt tense because of how warm and good it felt so be so close to him, but as his hand began to stroke my arm and I breathed in his cologne, I eased into him and nestled my face against his chest.

“I think I’d feel that way too”. He said supportively. “But let’s just hope it’s a coincidence”.

“And what if its not?”

“Then I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it doesn’t hurt you”.

“Why?” I asked, hoping he’d say something I knew deep down I wanted to hear.

“Because I don’t want to see anything happen to you, I don’t want you to get hurt. When I saw you were willing to risk your life to help someone you thought was in danger that night at the forest, it just proved how selfless you are”.

“Well, I don’t know about that!” I scoffed. “I didn’t exactly jump at rescuing someone the other night. That was all Josh”.

“Everyone hesitated that night. But I can still see the good in you”. He responded, making a typical warm and fuzzy feeling spread through my body.

“Wait”. I suddenly exclaimed as I sat up and looked at him. “What do you mean you saw me? You weren’t there that night. It was just me Natalie and Yas”.

“Well, I meant heard!” He quickly replied. “They told me and the boys what had happened and why you were standing in front of the forest”.

“Oh”. I accepted as I sunk back into him again. “Maybe Josh is right, perhaps we should all just leave”. I changed the topic thoughtfully as I contemplated whether my parents were enough to stick around for.

“I’d love to, but…. But I’m really close to my family. I’d feel like I was abandoning them if I left”. He replied with a sigh.

“But wouldn’t you rather live without having to look over your shoulder or wonder if you’re going to be killed every time the sun goes down?”

“Yea, of course I’d rather not have to worry about that thing out there, or constantly hear about someone else being killed or missing, but in my family, we stick together”.

“Hmm, that must be nice”. I responded, wishing it was that way with me and my parents. “So do…. Do you think all of this is because of a wolf or something?” I asked, hoping at least someone here didn’t believe what the Mayor and Sheriff’s department were shrugging it off to be.

“No… no I don’t think that at all”. He answered without hesitation, giving me some relief that I wasn’t alone in what I believed. “I know it’s not a wolf doing all this”.

“How can you be so sure? I mean, I know its not a wolf or a bear because I’ve seen it, but what makes you so certain?”

“Well, because I’ve seen glimpses of it myself”.

“You have?” I quizzed with surprise.

“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but I know its not what they’re saying it is”.

“Then why didn’t you say anything when we were being questioned about it?” I asked in wonder.

“Because I could see they weren’t taking any notice in what the rest of you were telling them. I don’t know if it’s just because they want to bury their heads in the sand or if it’s because they do genuinely believe it’s not something so monstrous like what we saw. Either way, they were looking at the rest of you as if you were on drugs or something, so what’s the point of me saying anything? It’s just pointless”.

“I guess”. I mumbled as I soaked in the sound of his heartbeat against my cheek and felt myself tiredly closing my eyes in his warmth. “Maybe one day we can prove it”. I suggested sleepily.

“Let’s hope so”. He replied as he moved his free arm across me, nestling me into him even more, as he sunk lower against the bookcase, and we quietly fell asleep with one another.