Whispers

Chapter eight

I manage to develop a routine while live in the pack house. Every morning, because I can't go to school, I sleep in. I usually get out of my room after everyone is gone to find something to eat, mainly because I don't want to deal with people staring at me and their whispering has become more annoying in the last couple of days. 

After I grab something to eat, I go back to my room and do my work. Luke brings the work I have missed to me in the afternoon, which means I have all day to work on the assignments from the day before, but because I don't have any instructions or any input from someone who knows what is happening, I don't do much. I'll, probably, end up repeating this year and, although I'm not too happy about it, I'm learning to cope with it. 

I usually go for a walk or a run after that. I have gotten more in tune with my wolf, who no longer hates me. She still doesn't like the idea of us--me--rejecting our mate, but she is more content with the idea now than she was a couple of weeks ago. 

At night, when I settle into bed, which is still the floor under the window, I settle and wait for the footsteps to come. Whoever has been watching me, whether it be a person or something else, comforts me as I drift off into sleep. This time, I left an orange for them, to see if it would be gone in the morning. I don't know what I was expecting, but when it isn't there when I woke up I am kind of shocked. I smile to myself--well, at least they had a snack.

Today started out like any other, with the addition of a major headache. I got up to the sound of a thunderstorm raging outside my window with the scent of fresh rain falling on dead leaves. I take in a deep breath, my headache getting worse. I get up and throw the blanket back on the bed and walk out of my bed room to go to the kitchen, forgetting what day it is until I am halfway down the hall. 

Shit, it's Saturday. 

"Hello everyone!" Alpha Collin's booms over a microphone. I wince at the sound, the vibrations of his voice still ringing in my ears. 

I turn around and go back to my room; I have a stash of food in there, I'll just eat that. 

I close my door behind me and rummage through my bag, pulling out a sandwich I had made yesterday and a bottle of water. I lay down on the bed, listening to the combination of pouring rain and Alpha Collins' voice as I chew on my sandwich. I swallow the bite in my mouth and feel my stomach lurch. I stop eating and rub my face. 

A knock comes to my door and I groan at the sound, "What?" I yell, feeling some underlying anger. 

"Open the door," I freeze but then find my body and lock the door before the person on the other side can try the knob, "Gillian! Open this door!" 

I swallow as my headache swelled and traveled down my neck. In the pale light of my room I could see the door start to give in as my dad pushed against it. He can, easily, break down that door and get into this room. 

Without a second thought, I pull on my shoes and grab my rain jacket. The door started to give as I opened the window, plunging right into the rain. I run into the woods just as he got into the room, and I keep running despite him screaming for me to come back. 

I only stop when I am sure I am safe. Soaking wet, I sit down on the ground behind a tree to catch my breath. 

Why are you so scared of him? We can take him. I flinch at the sound of another voice, and look around. The surroundings are empty of any people, and it takes me a second to calm down and realize that I didn't physically hear someone speak to me. Whoever spoke isn't real, they're inside my head. 

Who are you? The voice is silent. I sigh and lean my head back against the tree I am sitting against. 

The last couple of days have gotten...weird. My body have been overwhelmed with emotions that I can't control, mostly anger and fear. I tried releasing them, to get them out of my system, but I destroyed my room--drawers flew out from the dresser and, I swear, I felt the room shake. The aftermath was easy to deal with--the drawers needed to be pushed in--but, largely, the entire thing was only felt by me. 

I bolt to my feet and press myself against the tree, my head protesting the entire time. Through the rain and over the thunder, I hear footsteps. I wish I could say they are they same footsteps I am used to, the ones I hear every night, but these are heavier. More determined. 

I swallow, fear consuming me. I hoped that the rain would cover my scent, but my dad was still able to follow me. I take in my surroundings again, trying to figure out a plan of escape, but there is no way I am getting away from him in the woods--the dead foliage and branches would give me away in a second, and I can only run for so long. 

Anger surged within me. I felt my headache ebb away as my vision became sharper. I am calm and terrified at the same time. 

"Gillian Katherine Matthews," I swallow at the sound of my dad's voice, thick with anger and hate. Even if I could take him, like the voice in my head said, I'm still not going to get out of this unscathed. "Wherever could my doll of a daughter be?" 

Suddenly, I'm only slightly in control of my body. Whatever took over my physical being gave me a conscious, front row seat to everything that was happening. 

"Ah, there she is," My dad stands in front of me, his eyes black with rage. I stare him down and wait, "There's my little mutt," 

I urge my legs to move, to run, to do something, but they're cemented in place, "I'm not yours," I say through clenched teeth. 

A deep growl came from the hulking figure of a man standing in front of me, "You are what I say you are," The wind blows my wet hair into my face, but I ignore it. The rain pounds against us as my dad walks closer to me. I start to back up and step into the waterlogged creek. The water comes up past my ankle and my foot sinks into the soft earth. 

Something that should have panicked me made me feel more powerful. My dad stops in his tracks, "Ah, I see. You think because your some mutant that you cant take me," 

Inside, I am confused. Mutant? What could he possibly mean? I only slightly realize what he is talking about when he starts coming closer and I feel the energy surging inside of me once again. I've felt this before; When I was in the bathroom with Sarah, when I almost killed her. 

This panics me slightly. As much as I hate my dad, I don't want to kill him. He gets closer, measuring every step with caution. 

My breathing is level, but my heart feels like it will burst out of my chest. My legs feel strong, but they also feel like they're shaking. I'm grounded and steady, but one wrong move and I would be on the ground. In this moment I am a bundle of contradictions, and I'm not even in control. 

"I'm here to collect you," He says with snarl. 

"You'll lose," I ball my fists, ready for a fight. The wind howls around us, strong enough to make my dad lose his balance. 

"You underestimate my power, child," His voice changes, growing deeper. His eyes, which are normally a deep brown, change color to a bright yellow. I take another step back, submerging my other foot in the creek. 

"Your father can't contain me for long, and if you value his life--,"

"Bold of you to think I actually like my father," I snap. 

The thing in front of me, wearing the body of my father, laughs and catches my fist in his palm as I go to punch him. I try to tear my fist out of his hand, but he just laughs harder. 

I feel the wind pick up and condense into a blast, blowing past me and right into the chest of my dad. His hand is roughly removed from my fist as he is lifted from the ground, landing a few feet away. 

To my surprise, I am still in place. The man, my dad, gets up from the ground, pissed off, "I see you have realized your power," I swallow. I haven't realized anything; I'm very much confused, but there is no time for that. The water from the creek rises to the middle of my calf, giving me energy. 

The man rushes at me and tries to tackle me to the ground, but I manage to bring on another blast of air, knocking him back considerably. This just pisses him off more, "You can't keep me back forever," He gets up, unscathed, "Eventually, you will run out of energy." 

I am running out of energy--I can feel it the more my body shakes. I could manage, maybe, two more moves before my body gave out. I need a plan. 

"I found her!" I look past my dad, and see a person running towards us. The person starts becoming clearer, and it is the first time that I am grateful to see Luke. I look from Luke to my dad, who smiles menacingly at me, "We will meet again," 

My dad's eyes change back to brown, and I watch as he collapses to the ground. His breathing is labored, as is mine. Finally, I am able to have control over my movements, and lift my feet out of the creek. Luke runs up to me breathless. 

"Thank Goddess," He looks over at my dad, "What the hell happened?" He goes to assess my dad, who is still on the ground. Luke puts a hand to his back and my dad moan in pain. I feel my body tense and my eyes become wide. 

Oh, Goddess. I'm in trouble. 

"Gill," Luke looks to me, "He's hurt. What happened?" Luke asked me, still kneeling beside my dad. I shook my head, unsure of what to say. I don't think Luke will believe me if I told him he was possessed by something and actually tried to kill me. He might believe the part about him killing me, but the rest would just be a clever story to him. 

"I don't know, I blacked out," I lie. My dad groans and tries to lift himself off the ground. 

"Where am I?" He tries to look around, but stops; This is bad. 

Seconds later, Alpha Collins and some other people from the pack come running in our direction. My first instinct is to run, but I don't. Where am I going to run to? I have nowhere to go. Alpha Collins' approaches us slowly, and sees my dad on the ground. Luke is still staring at me, a mixture of amazement and fear in his eyes. It only takes Alpha Collins a second to realize what happened, "Gillian," he breathes. 

"Alpha Collins, I didn't--," He puts his hand up to stop me. 

"I don't want to hear it," He turns to the people that followed him, "One of you run back to the house and tell the doctor to come out here. Someone go with him and call the Council," Alpha Collins bends down to my father's level and assesses the damage. 

I hear two people run back to the house, leaving two others, me, Luke and Alpha Collins. My dad's breathing has slowed, but his groans were still audible. 

"Alpha--," 

"Gillian, when the Council gets here they will hand down your punishment accordingly. I suggest you save whatever you have to say for them, because if I had the say I would exile you in an instant," He looks at me, anger billowing off him in waves. Luke looks to his dad. 

"You wouldn't do that," He says, earning a look from his dad and me. 

"And why wouldn't I, Lucas? She has severely injured two pack members!" He yells. The sounds of the woods go silent except for the sound of the rain and the creek behind us. My dad's moans have stopped. 

"Because," Luke looks at me, his voice panicked. 

"Luke--," I whisper, my heart coming up to my throat. 

"She's my mate, you can't exile her," He said quickly. I close my eyes, and wait. 

The two other people with us are silent. I can feel them holding their breath as they wait for Alpha Collins to do or say something. I open my eyes and see Luke staring at the ground. 

"You," Alpha Collins seethes, "You lied to me," He looks between Luke and I, "Not once, but continually. For weeks." I swallow, frozen in place. 

"Dad--,"

"SHUT UP, LUCAS!" The sound of Alpha Collins' scream reverberated through the entire wood, silencing every movement. He looks over at the two others, "Take Gillian back to the house," they look at me, eyes full of fear. 

I put my hands up in surrender. What else am I supposed to do?

"Put her in the holding cell in the basement. From this moment on, she is to be treated the same way as a dangerous rouge," Luke goes to protest but is silenced by one look from the Alpha. I walk, slowly, towards the other two pack members, and follow them back to the house. The lead me down to the basement, in silence, and lock me in dark, windowless room. 

Finally alone, I find the nearest wall and fall into it, sinking down to the floor. I am so tired, my headache is making a comeback, and I feel sick to my stomach. I rub my face with my still wet hands and try to focus on something other than the sinking feeling that has settled in the pit of my stomach. I don't know how long I was in there, but it felt like hours before I hear movement on the other side of the door.

I swallow hard and hear the door click. Light comes in from the open door, and in it I see the figure of Alpha Collins. 

"Come," He says his voice thick with anger. I sigh and get up. I follow him out of the basement and into the main living room, where Luke and some man I didn't recognize are. 

"Here she is Council man," I look to the Council man. He's dressed nicely in a suit, with his hair slicked back. His eyes were guarded and imposing; the kind of look someone would get from an enemy. Whatever this Council member had in store for me, it wasn't going to be good. 

"She doesn't look like much," He says, his voice demeaning. The little voice I heard earlier scoffs at him, but doesn't come forward to respond, "What has she done that warrant such a quick response?" 

"Council man, she has nearly killed two people. One is still recovering in a nearby hospital and is our future Luna. The other is her own father who is on his way to the same hospital as we speak. That isn't even the worst part," Alpha Collins pushes me forward, "She's a mutant." 

I gulp at the sound of the words coming out of Alpha Collins' mouth. He says them with such malice and disgust that I am immediately ashamed. The Council man looks at me, a new emotion in his eyes. I can only read it as pure hate as I watch his face contort into a snarl. 

"Alright," The Council man sizes me up, "Any idea what she can do?" He crosses his arms and walks around me. 

"No, Council man," I look up at the Council man, not sure what to think as he examines me. I start to shake from the cold; being soaking wet and inside a well air conditioned house isn't a good combination. 

"Alright. I have to report back to the other Council members. I will report back tomorrow with their decision. Until then," He looks down at me, "Keep her somewhere she won't escape." His voice is calm as he walks past me and out the front door, leaving Alpha Collins, Luke and I alone. 

"You can't do this," Luke says, not looking at either of us. 

"I can, and I am. You lost your say in this when you lied," Alpha Collins grabs me by the arm and starts dragging me backwards. 

Luke grabs my other arm, "She's my mate, you can't just--,"

"It's already been decided!" The Alpha yanks me out of Luke's grasp and takes me back to the basement--back to the dark room. I'm pushed in, and the door is slammed and locked behind me. I lay on the floor, defeated. Tomorrow will come, and I will have no other choice but to deal with the consequences. I don't know what the Council will decide, but I have a good idea. 

Just as I was about to give in to my exhaustion, I hear movement on the other side of the door. I haven't been in here that long, is it possible that the Council man has decided to take me with him? The door clicks unlocked as I sit up, and in the light of the door, I see Luke. I'm not sure how to feel. 

"Why?" I whisper, "Why did you tell them I'm your mate?" 

"I thought I could save you," he says with a sigh. 

"Yeah," I get to my feet, "and instead you've killed me."

"Don't say that, you don't know--," 

"Yes I do," I say, angry tears falling down my face, "They're going to kill me, Luke. They don't care if I'm your mate!" I yell walking to him. He flinches as I get closer. 

"They won't kill you," he goes to reach for me, but I avoid his touch, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Haven't you done enough?" I glare at him, causing him to flinch again. He looks at me with a sigh.

"I'm trying." 

"Well stop." I push his chest so he is out of the way and slam the door in his face. I press my back against the door and slide down the wall to the floor, angry. I can feel him on the other side of the door, probably debating on whether or not he wanted to try the door again, but after a couple of minutes he left. I was alone again. 

I sit there for a while, trying to think of a plan. If I stay here and wait for the Council to make a decision, I am doomed. I can't say for sure that they will kill me, but it is a possibility. On the other hand, if I am able to escape, I have no where to run to. Just getting out of the house without being caught will be a feat in itself. I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves.

I didn't ask to be this way. I don't want to be a mutant, and I sure as hell can't control when it happens. Today was my first time being aware of what I am capable of, but I still didn't have any control over what I did. Someone--something--else was controlling me. I rub my head and sigh at myself. Thinking about and trying to figure out what happened is pointless--it already happened, and I can't go back in time and change what I did, even if it wasn't me doing it. 

I get up from my place against the door and start to pace. There has to be a way out. 

There's always a way out. You just might not like the outcome. 

"We are not killing anyone," I whisper to myself. 

I didn't mean to almost kill those people, surely you believe that.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," I rub my face and back back to the door. I am, literally, a trapped animal. I lean my forehead into the door with a frustrated grunt. 

Look, you have to believe me. At least trust that I have our best interests in mind. 

"I don't even know who, or what, you are," I say, frustration clear in my tone. 

I'm you. 

I push myself off of the door. That's impossible. 

Nope. It's possible. I'm you. The very part of you that everyone is trying to kill. I feel my jaw clench. 

"You're the reason I'm going to die tomorrow," I start to shake. How did I not see that?

We aren't going to die. But you have to trust me. 

"Why would I trust you! Look at what you've done!"

What we've done, you mean? 

"I didn't have any control, you used my body and forced me to do those things."

You had the thoughts and emotions already, I just acted on them. I swallow and punch the door. What other choice do you have? 

I shake my head, knowing that the voice in my head is right. I don't have another choice; my only option is to get out of here and run, and then hope no one finds me. 

"What do we do first?" I ask, waiting for a response, but the voice has gone silent. 

Great. As soon as we are on the same page the voice disappears. It's bad enough I am already trapped in a room with no light and a death sentence hanging over my head. I start to pace again, trying to think of something--anything--that could help me. 

I can't even tell what time it is. When I ran out of the house it was morning, maybe around 10 AM. When I got put in this room the first time, I felt like I was here for hours before Alpha Collins came. I didn't even think to see what time it was when I was upstairs. I rub my face in frustration, getting more and more angry with myself. 

Try the door.

I stop pacing at the sound of the whisper in the back of my head. Luke locked the door behind him when he left, right? I stare at the line on the ground and go towards it, feeling around in the dark for the knob. My hand brushes against the cool metal. My stomach clenches as I wrap my hand around the knob and twist. 

It turns easily, completely unlocked. I don't open the door, just in case someone is on the outside. I close my eyes and focus, trying to see if I can sense the presence of another person, but my head is swimming with excitement at having a chance of escape, and disbelief that Luke left the door unlocked. 

He did it on purpose. He had to. He wouldn't just leave the door unlocked if a rouge was in here; He purposefully left me with a way out. I clench my jaw, cursing myself for being such a b***h to him, and slowly turn the knob back to it's original position. If I ever see him again, I will have to thank him. 

I take a deep breath and think. There's no one on the other side of the door, but I am in the basement. That means I have to get to the top floor and out the door without anyone suspecting anything. Without knowing what time it is, getting out of the house could be difficult if I leave at the wrong time. How long should I wait? Should I wait at all? If I am caught, this will all be for nothing. I could break down the door, but it opens inward, and I would be lucky to get through at all. 

"How do I know when to leave?" 

I'll tell you when.

I back away from the door enough to sit in front of it, waiting patiently for the voice to tell me to get out. I wait for what feels like an eternity. The house is silent above me as my heart pounds with anticipation. 

Now.