The Storm
1204 Words
Laura's POV
My head ached. Did I hit it? I had no idea. I couldn't remember what had happened. The lavender scent of my bedsheets filtered into my nose as I stirred. The soft pattering of rain on the roof filled me with a nostalgic longing. Soft. Cool. Welcoming. I felt oddly at peace. Something tugged at the back of my mind like a pup tugging its mother's fingers. I was forgetting something.
A sigh slipped through my lips as my eyes opened. A whiff of cold air seeped through the window biting my exposed skin.
“What the hell…?”
I was naked. Why was I naked? My hands instinctively reached for the other side of the bed. There was no one with me. Thank Goddess. I was alone.
Slowly, my memory returned in scattered pieces. I remembered even more as the time ticked by slowly. How did I get home? How was I on my bed? The last thing I remembered was the woods. Jenine. She had a lot of explaining to do.
I rolled out of bed with purpose, slipping my feet into the pair of slippers that lay at the foot of my bed. I wrapped a night gown tightly around my body. The trees groaned and creaked under the intensity of the wind as the skies wailed. I quickly shut the windows.
Jenine. I hadn't forgotten. My slippers slapped against the floor as I made for her room.
“Jenine.”
The door creaked as I pushed it open. Wide open.
“Jenine?” I called again. Her room was empty. Where the hell was she?
I stalked towards the front door cautiously, doubts lingering in my mind with an unwavering tingle. I was edgy. Suspecting.
The doorknob was as cold as death when I held it. I turned it gently. Quietly. The scent of wet wood and thunder hit my nose. The wind blasted against my face as the door pushed open slamming against the wall.
Jenine stood at the edge of the porch, her back turned to me, facing the dark turmoil of nature's clash.
“What are you doing out here?” I screamed above the wind.
It was a f*****g storm outside. The lightning flashed in a frenzy. No one could survive a night out there in the cold, dark night. And yet she stood there. Unshaken. The wind blew against her body spaying her with droplets of water that it carried.
The rage I felt for her softened, disappearing in a flash. Anxiousness settled in like drops of saline in water.
“Come inside, Jenine.”
I held her by the hand. Her body was freezing like it'd been dipped in ice. Her eyes stared into nothing. Dilated. Her wet hair glued to her face, the water dripping down her skin.
I slammed the door behind us as soon as we got into the house.
Her eyes stared past me like she was in a trance as I wrapped her with a dry towel. I saw the glow coming back into her eyes. My stomach sank.
“Jenine!”
I shook her vigorously. Once bitten twice shy. I wasn't going to let her do it again. Let her shift. I still didn't understand what had transpired the night of the festival. It was all the reason to not let her do it again.
“Jenine!”
“I'm good, Laura,” she whimpered, her body trembling.
I couldn't tell if it was the cold or something else. But this was the Jenine I knew and she needed to stay this way. For now. Till I found out who she really was. What she was.
“I'm going to ask you some questions Jenine, and I need you to be entirely truthful to me. Who are you?”
She blinked. Her eyes stared at me blankly like they didn't understand what I had asked.
“I… I don't understand…” she stuttered.
Her eyes met my gaze piercing into her soul. Unwavering
“I told you everything. I… I told you how I got here. I told you about my mum. About Dew. I'm not hiding anything from you, I swear.”
I didn't believe her. But her heartbeat was steady. She wasn't lying. Maybe she didn't know what was happening to her. I saw her flinch as the thunder rumbled in the distance. Her head turned sharply. She looked around furtively, eyebrows twitching.
“It's just the wind,” I said.
Welcome to the wolf pack.
My eyes rested on her. She looked lost but I needed answers. I'd never experienced what I'd experienced with Jenine's wolf. A wolf shouldn't be able to compel other wolves. It wasn't right.
“Do you remember what happened?” I asked. The rain had reduced to a drizzle now. The storm was over.
She shook her head.
“I need you to talk to me Jenine,” I held her cold palms. “Your wolf compelled mine. Against my will. I've never seen or heard of a wolf that could do any of that. That trick is solely reserved for vampires and there are no vamps in Lupestone. Tell me what you remember. Everything.”
“The only thing I remember is my eyes burning up and my body aching but that's all.” She paused.
“There's something else,” her eyes lighted up. “I had this strange, strong desire to go after someone or something. The scent was too overwhelming. It was everywhere. I couldn't concentrate on anything else. Like it was drawing me to itself. I couldn't resist it. I… I… just felt like I had to…” her lips quivered as her eyes met mine. “You must think I'm crazy,” she sighed.
I didn't. I knew exactly what had happened. She had found her mate. I wondered if I should tell her.
My mind went to Zonda, the wizard. My mum's old friend. A cranky fellow she had called him. He'd have answers to all my questions. I had to see him. Talk to him. If anyone knew what Jenine was, it was him.
“You should try and get some sleep. You must be exhausted.”
There was no point in asking her anymore questions. My mind was already made up. Zonda would have the answers to my questions. I made for my room.
“And one more thing Jenine,” I stopped at the door, my hand holding onto the doorpost. “No shifting till you learn to control your wolf. We can't have you running around the place spellbinding wolves. For now.”
She nodded
“Laura…” her voice called, low, as the door creaked.
I turned around.
“Are you scared of me?”
I froze. The room grew quiet in a hurry, the silence in the room more louder than noise itself. I could hear Jenine's heartbeat—slow and steady.
“I'm not, Jenine. I'm just… confused.”
“Okay,” her whisper came again. She curled herself into the blanket turning to face the wall.
I hadn't lied. I wasn't scared of her. But I was scared of what she could do.
- Writer
