The Mark of the Wild Flower

Chapter Four, Career Day

Eleanor

Today is career day. I sigh. I don’t want to go. But mom wants me to go. She says I need to go to university and get a good degree so that I can live in the estate. My interests besides figure skating are literally business. Maybe I should become an accountant, I actually enjoy working with numbers.

Phoebe told me Craig’s brother is going to be there. I haven’t seen him in 2 years since the night he kissed me. I am still haunted by it. I shudder every time I think about him. I have been suppressing my feelings about that night, for the past 2 years. I don’t want to see him, but my insides churn and my skin boils every time I think I might see him again.

Craig and Phoebe picks me up on their way to school. I wish career day was in the week. I am sick of school and wish I could just stay home. After that night, school felt rather tedious. Fabian avoided me at every corner until the end of the year and then I didn’t even see him at Donna’s 18th birthday party.

 Her birthday was so great. Lucian asked her out on his 18th, and they have been inseparable since. She got a tattoo that on her birthday that matched Lucian’s. I was very confused at how quickly they became close. After her 18th I didn’t see them apart at all. He came home from university every night and he even slept at her house. When she graduated high school, his father bought an apartment for the two of them close to campus, so they are only apart when they are in class or on the library. I am sure they manage to be with each other even when they are supposed to be in class.

When we skype on Friday nights he is in the background. When she comes home for visits, he drives her home. It’s very intense and because Craig and Phoebe is also never apart, I feel awkward hanging out with them, yet they seem to think it’s okay. At least UA isn’t that far, in fact it’s a 15 min drive from the estate but all the estate kids live in apartments there. Phoebe says we’ll share an apartment, but I am not too keen on sharing one with Craig as well. They might be like Donna and lose their virginity when they turn 18 and that will be hell. Beside the commute shouldn’t e that bad. I am sure there is bus that has route passing the campus. If I have to live close to campus, I might see Fabian more often and I want to avoid him as much as possible. Although it might be nice to see him now and again. His eyes are so heavenly to look at that it won’t be that bad to see him every now and then.  

Oh no and I did it again, daydream about Fabian. I try to distract my thoughts of Fabian, trying to concentrate on the steps for my skating routine. I made it into the NSL and in a few months I have my first solo appearance. I am so excited.

“Earth to Ellie!” I hear Phoebe talking to me.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I say trying to sound like I have not been thinking about Fabian for the past 10 minutes. I actually miss the night he kissed me. And a chill runs up my spine.

“Craig says his brother is talking about being a med student. He wants me to go with him to listen to his brother talk, please come. Fabian can be so boring at meals that I can’t imagine he’ll be more entertaining now” she says teasingly. She doesn’t know…

“Yeah, okay, as long as I get to go the business talks, I am thinking of going into accounting. Mom wants me to have a good career so I can live in the estate one day” I say very nonchalantly trying my very best to distract my thoughts. I don’t want to go to Fabian’s talk. I don’t want him to see me like this. I changed so much. After he kissed me, I felt empty and I tried to fill the void with various things, piercings, extra make up, darker clothes etc. I left the cheerleading squad and the gymnastics team as that only made me think of him, I don’t know why. I lost a lot of muscle mass and I started burying myself in my schoolwork and figure skating. I wish I had a little more time to get a pretty dress to wear for today…

Fabian

I hate going back to my old school to talk about how to better yourself and shaping a good future for yourself. Like all pack kids go to the University, it’s a tradition and keeps our community strong. Last year I was excited to go back. I thought I might smell her again at least, but it wasn’t there. The school smelled like dirty socks and rotting lunches.

I walk through the red doors, getting chills, man I did not miss this place at all. In fact, I loathe this place. The only person who made this place bearable was Lottie. I walk to the doors of the art class, where another student, Andrew, who’s a year lower than I am, and I are supposed to convince school kids to study medicine. I open the door and it hits me like a flood and I smell her. I cannot believe I smell her. Suddenly all the pain I felt the last two years seems to wash away. I search the 20+ kids in the class until I find her. She is looking at Phoebe. Craig waves at me and I wave back at him. I look at Eleanor again. She is even more beautiful than I remember. I just stare at her, taking her in. I need to get control of myself. I clear my throat.

“Uh hi, my name is Fabian Blackwood. I am here to try and convince all of you to study medicine” I say very confidently, while I never look away from her. She looks up and our eyes lock. Her green eyes have not changed much except for the hurt I see in them as she looks at me. She’s hurting.

This is your fault Blackwood. Chase retorts. He is still pissed off at me, he really thought she was our mate, but after I explained to him that she is a human and I can’t mate a human he accepted it, but he is still angry.

Thankfully Andrew takes over and starts talking about the human anatomy, and I can take in this lovely creature. She looks a little different, she’s not wearing her usually perky colours, she also lost some muscle mass, her eyes are darker, and she is wearing heeled boots. Her hair is cut in a wilder way, no longer neat and tidy, and she has a few extra ear piercings. She is even more beautiful than I remember. I see her taking me in, looking me up and down. This gives me hope, why?

Suddenly I get a stomach-ache and become very nauseous.

I see Andrew looking at me and I realise it must be my turn to talk I look to the crowd to find Craig and I can see his eyes are big and full of concern.

Third Person POV

Craig watches with great interest how his big brother opens the floor. He is so proud of his brother standing up to their father 2 years ago and just went to Med School. He misses Lika a lot and feel that Fabian is doing this to help Lika help others. She was very selfless and would rescue even a fly from drowning in a pool. How he longed for the courage Fabian had.

His brother stops talking and the other guy starts talking. Craig doesn’t care about Medicine. It’s icky and gross and frankly he cannot stomach the thought of blood, so he stops listening and focuses on Phoebe. Phoebe is the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. He wishes they were already 18, all he wants to do is be with her every night and day. When wolves imprint they cannot be apart from their mates for more than 3 days or they will suffer physical pain that can damage the body. He wants to have that excuse to sleep over at Phoebe’s house.

Finally, Andrew stops with the icky anatomy and Craig looks forward to seeing if Fabian will be talking again. But instead of Fabian taking his turn to talk, he goes pale and looks sick to his stomach. Craig knows that look and he can smell it, Fabian’s imprinting. Craig is frantically looking around and looks to Phoebe who knows it too. All the werewolves in the room notices it and like a bomb went off every wolf reacts the same, as if it were rehearsed. All pretend to smell something horrifying and those that has already turned 18 uses their mental manipulation to force the humans to smell the same. They all run outside except for Phoebe, Fabian and Craig. Craig is by Fabian’s side within seconds. When Alphas imprint, it’s not quite so subtle. Alphas are hit hard with it. They get man-flu, is what Luna Delphine said when Craig, Fabian and Lika was still young.

“Fabian, great timing” Phoebe chirps, annoying Craig but he has no time to worry about her.

“Who is it?” Craig asks and see that Fabian is looking past him towards a girl. The only girl to remain in the room. A human but she does not smell like a human anymore.

“Oh, heaven help us.” Phoebe exclaims. But she also notices that this human does not smell the same anymore. She c***s her head to the right and then she frowns, trying very hard to figure out what is going on with this girl, her best friend, Eleanor.

Eleanor sits in her chair and stares in front of her. Not knowing what to do or what to say. She is struck dumb from a feeling in her stomach, it feels like it’s turning. She has this urge to run to Fabian and comfort him, but why?

Craig just looks at Eleanor and then to Phoebe. “We need to get them both out of here, now”

Phoebe nods and within minutes the four of them were in Craig’s SUV on their way to the estate.

Fabian

I suddenly feel very weak and strong at the same time. I look from Craig to her and then craig again. The classroom starts emptying and I can see the humans holding their noses. The wolves in the class must be responsible.

It feels like forever that the classroom empties. I just need to stay upright and human for another few minutes. It takes all I have not to jump and run to this girl and kiss her again. While I look at her, I see her expression changing from horror to confusion. Why did she look horrified?  I try to distract myself from the feelings overcoming my body.

You hurt her, and she didn’t want to see you! Oh, great he’s here.

Chase what is your opinion about this? I am not going to argue with him about this again. I focus on Eleanor’s face. Her eyes lock with mine

Mate! Chase yells. That is our mate! You cannot let her go again. I agree with him. I hate it when he’s right, we haven’t seen eye to eye since we met, I don’t want to argue with him now. Her green eyes are dark now and I don’t want to look at anything else.

I am not aware of anything happening around me as I only look at her. I am still in the school. I need to behave. Stay human Blackwood, she’s a human, you cannot phase now, or she’ll run away.

Eleanor

He looks at me, I can’t believe he is looking at me. Isn’t he over me? Was he ever into me? Well, he kissed me, but was he over me?

His stare starts with wonder, it looks like he’s studying me. What is he trying to see?

Well if he gets to stare than surely, I may stare, no-one has to know. I have been longing so badly to see his I then gets replaced with something much darker. He looks almost lustful. I am vaguely aware that the classroom is emptying but I can only look at him. What is he doing?

I have this urge to get up and comfort him, but I stay seated. His eyes are boring into my soul. I feel warm and I swear I can hear a scream in my head.

Why does he just stand there?