Chapter 22
908 Words
Hendell stood before a window in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched The Resistance and the other werewolves drive out of the compound. He looked calm now even though he had not yet recovered from Stephan's blow.
"You know, I've always suspected something like this would happen," he said with the air of thinking aloud. "But Stephan spearheading it..." he shook his head then turned to face Bale.
"What should we do now?" the younger man asked. "Those men have gone completely mad. They're going to drag us down with them if we don't do something."
"I know, Bale, but there's not much we can do to prevent this impending chaos." he sighed. "The only solution is to make it end fast."
"What do you mean?" Bale asked, confused.
"If you don't know the implication of Stephan's action, here's what's going to happen," Hendell began. "Because they're still disorganized, if they move too quickly, they're going to cause an all-out war between reptiles, werewolves, and the Bureau, which would inevitably expose the existence of supernatural creatures. What follows after that would be heart-wrenching, because we'd not only be fighting the Bureau then, but the US army, and the entire human race. In short, it'd be an apocalypse, and the end of our kinds." he paused emphatically, then continued. "But if we act before them, we might be lucky enough to catch the Queen just in time, and send the reptiles away."
PENELOPE SAT on her balcony, watching as the first pink of dawn streaked the sky. She relished this moment as it was the only time she got to herself without her boisterous friends distracting her. She had three days left now, and it got her wondering if she was finally ready for the outside world. Here in the Druid's Tower, she felt accepted and cared for, but would the outside world do the same? Unable to find an answer to that question, she decided to leave the matter.
At about midmorning, Jane was still asleep, dreaming about Bale and roses, before she was woken up by a loud banging on her door. Drowsily, she dragged herself out of her bed and went to open the door, only to meet a rambunctious Penny outside.
"Hey, were you still sleeping?" Penny asked her, evidently disappointed.
"Yea, why?"
"Why? Today's the big day. You promised me a surprise, remember?"
"Oh, right," Jane muttered, rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm. "Come in then, and remind me never to promise you a surprise again," she said over her shoulder.
"Cool, I'll remind myself not to do that." Penny entered and shut the door behind her. Once she was settled down, Jane went to have her bath, and after she was done, they went to Topher's apartment to pick him up before they left the Druid's Tower using Jane's car, a 1983 sea blue Mercedes cabriolet.
Keeping her feet steady on the gas pedal, Jane drove them a few miles away from the Druid's before she veered off the road, and then took a route through the woods. She followed the route attentively, stopping only when she found a convenient place to park, and then they completed the rest of the journey on foot.
"This is it, guys" She announced when they finally got to their destination; a meadow deep inside the woods.
"This is it? This is the surprise?" Penny asked, unable to hide her astonishment.
"Yes, it is. Or were you expecting something else?"
"How did you even find this place?" Topher interrupted, dropping his backpack on the ground.
"Bale did, then brought me here a few times."
"That was so thoughtful of him" he snorted sarcastically, then emptied the contents in his bag.
"It's pretty obvious that you two don't think this is much. But wait till you see the sunset from here. Plus there's a stream around here. It'd be mad fun if we swim after sprinting" Jane offered to please them.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about." Penny became elated at the thought of shifting again. Unanimously, they agreed to do just that. This time, Penny was the first to shift, followed by Jane, and then Topher who was still setting up their picnic area before they dashed into the woods.
Feeling the earth beneath their paws, the breeze against their furs, and having the time of their lives, Penny and her crew did not want to stop sprinting but considering it was getting late, they all decided to return to their picnic site, and maybe return to the Druid's after they've eaten the game Jane had caught. It was a fun experience for Penny; sitting there before a fire, taking chunks of meat from the roasted rabbit while they laughed over random stuff.
"So tell me, why did Bale bring you here?" Topher asked Jane
"I don't remember in details, why?"
"Well you say, he's not romantically attracted to you, but why is he always being sweet to you?"
"I don't know either. It's just so confusing. he acts as if he likes me, but can't be with me because he's waiting for some imaginary mate." Jane blurted out, causing Penny to choke on her food.
"Are you okay?" Jane and Topher turned towards her almost simultaneously.
"Yes, I'm fine." she lied, but deep down she felt guilty that she was fated to be with the man Jane liked.
- Writer
