All For One and One For Alll

Chapter 2: Pregame

I wake up in my bed. In clean pjs. Exhausted. I glance over at my clock and it reads 7:00. Maybe the whole wolf thing had been a dream. Maybe I'm not going crazy. Maybe I was just sleep deprived. Sleep is hard. It doesn't come easy at night. Night is hard. It's dark. My eyes play tricks on me in the dark.

Shoot I was supposed to meet the guys in a half hour to prep for our statue heist. Why I had agreed to this was beyond me. I'd overheard a few of the boys from the hockey team discussing it in the back of one of my classes. Lilac had suggested helping out would be fun.

It was fun at first I got invited to a party to plan. Someone brought booze. I enjoyed my self. I got a little buzzed and volunteered to scout the statue. I don't remember anything about the scouting trip. Or my calc class that had been 4:00 to 5:00 this afternoon...

There were new security cameras in the corners but only pointed at the statue. chimed in a totally uncalled for voice IN MY HEAD.

So maybe not a dream and I had slept through calc crap. Not sure what I'm more upset about. Should be the hallucinations but they were kinda fun. Lyra? I thought loudly.

You know you don't have to yell. A second voice chimes in.

Lilac you're still here too? I inquire quieter this time.

Of course I am dumbass and we're no hallucinations. I'm pretty sure Im your twin and I'm pretty sure we are a werewolf. Lilac sassed back.

"Were is masculine" I grumble under my breath pulling sock and shoes on. I hopped up searching for my phone and wallet I had a meeting to make to discuss the heist.

There probably in the bus we changed in with the clothes we were wearing. Lyra begrudgingly admits. Well shoot I'll have to walk all the way across town and then back to the house a bunch of the hockey team is renting. I am going to be so late. Hopefully people won't be too drunk to form an actual plan by the time I get there.

I hoofed it across town. Lyra begging to run instead. It will be faster. Lyra is dieing to run.

Ok fine but what will we do to avoid our clothes getting destroyed again? I mentally enquired throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. Surveilling my surroundings. I was by a park with a little tinney bathroom. We wouldn't fit in there after we changed. But if we stashed our clothes in there...where could we change.

If we use the family bathroom we can change in the bush by the door. Lilac muses. She is way more comfortable with almost getting caught naked in a public park than I am. If you're too chicken I can drive. Lilac exclaimes with thinly veiled excitement.

How do I do that? I barely have time to ask before it feels like I am being clothes-lined. I am yanked backwards and then I float up. Again I'm not in my body. I am still attached to it but I'm not in control and I'm not really in it anymore. This is weird. I am definitely losing my mind.

I am unable to do anything as Lilac saunters into the bathroom only to emerge butt naked. Ducking behind the juniper just out side the door. That is when I notice Lyra she must have been hovering just behind me. She walks behind the bush and suddenly a wolf appears. Again I get siphoned into the wolf.

I sit back relaxed and let Lyra and Lilac run through the woods. We are lucky to be in a small town in The middle of no where. What's that smell? I ask. It is earthy and musky. It is familiar, like the same scent as earlier but more natural and less refined.

Other wolves I think. Lyra answers. I began to panic. Wild wolves!? That seams dangerous.

Oh you worry wort they would be way smaller than us were huge! Lilac retorted. Just as we run into the side of a wolf at least a foot taller than us and a couple feet longer. He is lanky not as filled out and muscular as us though. He has tousled gingerbread brown fur.

I knocked him off his feet. Lilac doesn't know how to recover and tumbles head over heels. Lyra took over standing up and hunkering down with a tree to our back and snarling. The big brown wolf hops up on his feet and assumes a similarly defensive position. Locking eyes with us.

Wow you're beautiful came Matt's voice in our head. Relaxing his pose.

Thanks you're pretty handsome yourself Matt. Lilac replies, practically swooning.

He's ours. Lyra said definitely.

Ours? I scofs.

Ours sighs Lilac dreamily. Wow pathetic.

Lila! Is that you! I didn't know you were a wolf! Matt gushed. How did I not know you are a wolf?

I yank the reigns away from Lyra and Lilac who are apparently love struck by Matt. But we have a meeting to get to. I run off. Thankfull for the cool evening air. This isn't half as bad as earlier. I am still panting by the time I got to the bush where we had changed earlier. I sniffed around till I find the pile of ripped clothes. Crap how are we getting these back to our clothes? I ask no one in particular.

I whio around because of a sound. Matt stood there looking at us admiringly. " Is this your first day? You don't have a bag yet? " He's asked sounding inquisitive. " You've been at this for probably 3 maybe 4 years now how could you not have a bag--did you loose it?"

Why would we have been 'at this' for 4 years? I asks mentally, not really expecting an answer.

" You're 19 aren't you? You should have started shifting when you were 16." Matt states like it's a simple fact of life.

Did you hear me? Thought pointedly. Directing it at Matt this time.

"Yeah I can. You are new to this. It was your first time! That's why I didn't smell it on you" he muses more to himself than us. " Here, take my bag. Let's talk some time when you're more calm and back on two legs. You already have my number." He unties a bag from around his thigh and tosses it to me. Finally he raises both hands backes away slowly.

Once I can no longer hear him I relax out of the defensive position I didn't even know I was holding. Lyra and Lilac were still cooing Matt's praises for being so kind and considerate and blah blah blah blah. Lyra again had to drag Lilac out of our body so I could change back. I quickly snatch my wallet and cellphone out of the pile of torn clothes, zipped them into the bag and tie it to my thigh. I do not like being clad in my birthday suit in front of the school I am planning to steal from later. If we get caught we will get in trouble. Deep trouble.

I feel a warm pressure between my shoulder blades and then pain. My body contouring and twisting and transforming back into a silvery wolf. Suddenly the inside of my head was really loud again. It's kinda crowded with all three of us in here. Normally the other two were just the occasional intrusive thoughts but like this we were one in a kinda over whelming way. I stretch my powerful legs and bound back into the woods. Quickly covering the miles back to the park. Slinking back to the bush. But when it cmes time to switch back I can't. The idea of being butt naked in a park in the dark is terrifying. I am frozen in fear. I feel Lyra gently grab the scruff of my neck and tug. We were both outside the wolf again watching it shrink down to me sized. The hair dissolves into air and there I am naked in the park. I'm not lean like most people who I took dance classes with. I have a lot more meat on my bones. I am curvy and I do have a lovely ass if I do say so my slef. Lovely tear drob boobs, my back muscles had been lost over my summer of flipping burgers and stocking shelves. I really need to get back to dance. My muddled white and black pixy cut is a mess with twigs and leaves In it. it looks fantastic with my long neck. When I grow my hair out for winters I look more romantic. People focus on my hour glass shape and soft edges but when my hair is short you can tell I am strong and powerful. I like both looks. I see my body dart into the bathroom.

I follow seeing her retrieve our clothes from under a brown paper bag in a thankfully empty period hygiene disposal box. Lilac dresses and pickeds the leaves out of our hair. Moving our phone and wallet to the pockets of our baggy sweatpants. She straightens out the shirt then drops one arm of the oversized tank top off our shoulder giving the outfit a much sexier vibe than I was going for when I selected it. She began to saunter out. We are only 15 minutes late so far for the heist party. Hopefully they hadn't gotten started without us.

Wait it's my party I wanna drive. I know I am whiney but I am used to being in control and this is weird.

Lilac scoffed. " You're useless at parties. Let me party and I'll let you do the heist part." She said out loud very finitely. "where is it again?" She asked again out loud looking up and down the dark street.

You know what fine I don't know why I volunteered to go to this anyway. Right two blocks and then towards the river for a block it's the green house on the corner. She practically was skipping the whole way there.

Once we stood Infront of the ruckus house Lilac mumbled "is this the place?"

Lyra piped up Don't talk out loud to us it makes us look crazy.

Yes this is the place please. Be careful we need to be on our toes later so mabey minimal drinking. I plead.

Lilac waltzes through the door yelling " hey everybody the party has arrived" judging by the ruckus response she gets no one is sober and the heist was going to be a disaster. Someone handed us a cup of something. It tasted like cinnamon in the worst way. But lilac downed it and was handed a bottle of cheap beer.

pace your self we need to be on our best behavior. The whole house stank. I can smell the guys hockey gear from the front door. I can smell the booze on everyone's breath and the peonies blooming on the back porch. I hate peonies they smell like cat piss. This house stank. Then a sticky skunky scent trickles down the stairs. Someone is getting high. It's legal here now. So cool for them. All in all it is a lot of scents. I am getting dizzy. Lilac we need some fresh air she is too busy flirting with with an albeit attractive woman who was too busy grinding on one of the guys from the team to hardly notice she is being hit on.

I should know something about the who dose what for the team. This was my second year and I honestly hadn't missed a game. But the games were overwhelming too I mostly just cheered when everyone around me cheered and waited for the amazing music when the play stopped. Why go to a hockey game if you're not gonna pay attention? Hockey games were the event of the weekend when ever they happen. If you wanted free stuff, socialization, invites to the after parties, anything. You had to go to the game or you were out of the loop for a whole week.

The room gave a little involuntary spin. Finally Lilac meandered our happy ass out the back door. We lean over the railing and I feel the usual heave we are gonna throw up. We haven't drank that much. But everything is so loud and smells so strong it is really making it hard to get our bearings. Ok you drive I don't like this. Lyra said Yanking Lilac out of the body. Our knees started to buckle as I dove in to take her place. Holding the railing to steady myself. I get my feet underneath me and take deep purposeful breaths. Once the world stops spinning I notice Jared.

Oooh yeah this is why I thought you should help with the heist! Isn't he cute! And he's smart and he is doing really well on our web graphic design class.

That's basically Photoshop for dummies so far that doesn't mean he's smart...and he's not half as cute and sexy as Matt. snarled Lyra. She really likes Matt.

Jared is cute. He is also in our calc class. So maybe there is some brain under his dirty blond hair. I did have a thing for guys with hair just a little too long that always looked like they just woke up but also like a professional had styled it. I call it tousled. It just makes me wanna run my hands through it. So lilac is admitting saying yes to this heinous plan is her idea and fault…that makes so much sense. I think frustrated. I guess they have been affecting my life longer than I realized

Jared grabs our arm and handes us a cup. I grimace. Not wanting another nasty drink. "Lilah are you ok? I saw you rush out and thought you could use some water" Jared is being very thoughtful. "I've been looking for you all night! We need to know the deets from your scouting mission!" He smirks at me a little more cockily than I prefer.

I straitened up and took a deep swig of water. The cool water, brisk night air and dulling of the roar inside helped clear my head. "There are new security cameras, I guess they got sick of you guys hiding their statue once a year." I state mater-o-factly.

" Hmmm you'll have to come upstairs to show us where." Jared bows melodramatically. Extending a hand to me.

I chuckle and curtsy refusing his hand but following him up the stairs to someone's bedroom packed with 6 or 7 guys. Adding Jared and I there was absolutely no room. There is a crude sketch of the court yard with a little toy dog place in the middle. I think the sketch is literally crayon...on the back of a kids menu. Classy. chuckled Lyra.

Jared heads me a broken blue crayon. " Can you draw where the new security cameras are?" I nodded and drew a blue circle on all four corners of the court yard. "All pointed at the statues? Do they pivot or anything?" Jared inquired.

Lyra do you remember?I mentally ask, posing dramatically in thought. Several guys were chuckling at my dramatic flourish. I hate being the center of attention but if you got all eyes on you you better put on a show.

They all pointed at the statue. They looked like they probably only had a 90 degree Field of view but thats a guess. They did not pivot just pointed at the statue. I repeated her word for word. Some of the more intoxicated guys jaws hit the floor.

Jared claps me on the back making me stumble. "I knew we could count on you." He has that cocky smirk again.

He likes you Delilah don't be dense. Lilac says. I could feel her rolling her eyes. She was miming running her hands though his hair. Wich had Lyra's hackles up.

"So if Jeff, Mason, Theo, and Erick climb the old stone walls around the courty yard and put their jackets over the cameras and hop down to help us unbolt and pull the statue onto the rollers.we will roll it out to Jason's truck. We're taking the statue to the beach by the river where the pep band has signs already set out for us to brag about getting away with it again. Third year in a row." He smiled knowingly. He had been in charge of the year heist for since he was a freshman. So this would be his third successful heist. They guys cheered loudly. " We leave here at 11:30 we have to be there and set up no earlier than 12:00. We have to have the statue out of there by 1:30 or we will miss the window in security rounds. Lay off the booze boys we have to be sharp or we will get caught."

While getting caught just meant no playing in the face off game it was motivation to not get caught.

"Lilah will you be our look out to make sure none of those snobs get in our way?" Jared asked expectantly. " You don't have to if you're scared we can get Izzy to do it." Was my rivalry with Izzy that obvious? He knows I have to now. I can't let her flirt her way into my job like she had been trying to do since I was recruited to help.

"You know I gotta see it through don't even think about counting me out." I announced donning my own playful smirk. "Besides she's too busy throwing up on the back porch right now" I could hear Izzy emptying her stomach of the booze she had over indulged in. Jared glanced out the window to confirm my accusations and gave me a startled look. Could no one else hear her? Oops. She had been interrupted mid nasally laugh by the second coming of the 3rd shot, her laughs were unmistakable.

We made a dramatic procession down the stairs to the cheers of everyone in the house. We matched to the truck piling in to the cab and the bed. I really hoped Jason had not been drinking if he was even the one driving. He stumbled on his way walking to the truck and Jared took his keys. Jared hadn't touched a drop since I saw him. He was in way better shape to drive than Jason.