Abducted

~ Chapter 2 ~

Present Day

             “I’d like to be able to say that all of you have at least a partial grasp on the subject matter from the latest exam, however, it would seem, that is not the case.  Perhaps if we all paid attention during class and did our homework the results would be better, and our class average would rise.”  Mr. Buchannan droned on as he handed back our exams.  Mine landed in front of me with a giant red C- circled on the front.  “Ms. Taylor, I’d like to see you after class.”  I rolled my eyes.  Mr. Buchannan was not liked by anyone.  He is not known for grading fairly, or consistently.  His constant negative attitude and misplaced sarcasm make his classes uncomfortable.  He is close to retirement which is why the schoolboard continues to let his behaviour slide.  He is tall and lanky with dirty blonde, greasy hair and dark brown, beady eyes that were always beneath a pair of round glasses with thick lenses that make his eyes appear bigger than they are.  His face is usually contorted into a scowl.  He spits when he talks, which makes sitting in the front row a hazard.  He has exactly two outfits which he wears for a week at a time on alternating weeks.  By the end of the week, his classroom smells like body odour due to his lack of personal hygiene.  Is it any wonder why the C- he scribbled on my paper does not bother me?  The bell rings and the rest of the class began to leave.  It was the end of the day and a Friday.  There was a party tonight that I had to get ready for.  And I was now going to miss my bus because I had to stay after class.

              Mr. Buchannan waited until the last student had left before getting up from his desk to slowly walk across the front of the room, close the door and go back to sit at his desk.  He placed his elbows on the desk and made steeples with his hands as he pressed his fingers together.  Looking over top of his hands and staring at me with his giant eyes through his glasses, he said,

“Ms. Taylor, I don’t think it should come as a shock to you that you are failing this class.  If you do not start to do better, you will not pass which will mean summer school for you.”  I sat and stared blankly ahead, already bored with the conversation.  “I know you understand the material.  You complete the assignments, and all the work is correct, but then the answers are wrong.  Are you trying to fail?”  I remained silent.  “I’m going to have to call your parents in for a meeting.  This has to stop.”  He threatened.

             “They won’t come in to meet with you.  It’s not worth their time.”  I replied.  I stuffed my exam in my bag and stood up.  As I walked to the door, Mr. Buchannan held out a large envelope.

“Extra credit work you can complete to bring your grade up to a pass.  I don’t want to see you in summer school any more than you want to be there.”  I brushed past him without taking the package.  I reached the door before he said, “This is not optional Ms. Taylor.”  I turned around and took the package without a word and stuffed it in my bag before leaving the room.

             I ran to my locker and quickly grabbed the books I needed over the weekend and then sprinted to the main entrance.  I made it out the front door of the school just in time to see my bus drive away without me.  Great.  Now I had to walk.  The worst part of where we live is the location.  Our school is in the middle of town, at least a twenty-five-minute walk to reach the woods before I could run the rest of the way.  Or I could walk down the highway and hope that another member of the pack would drive past and give me a ride.  I weighed my options and headed for the woods.  I could use the exercise.  I missed training this morning.

             An hour later I made it home breathing hard and drenched in sweat.  It is a hot, sunny day and the humidity in the air makes it almost unbreathable, even in the shade of the forest.  I had pushed myself and beat my previous best time.  I can not wait until I turn eighteen.  Then I will be able to shift and complete the trip home a lot faster.

             “What took you so long?”  My best friend Madison giggled as she asked when she walked up to me.  “You look like you went swimming with your clothes on.”  Madison looked perfect like she always does.  She is beautiful.  Standing at five foot, seven inches tall with an athletic build and toned body.  She is the captain of the volleyball team at school.  She has long, dark brown hair and brown eyes.  Without makeup, her features are stunning.  But that is not Madison.  She is the ultimate girly girl.  Apart from when she is playing sports, she is always in a skirt or dress, with her hair and makeup flawlessly done.  I have always felt plain beside her, but I am ok with that.  I like to be in the background as much as I can.

             “Long?  What took so long?  I just beat my best time while running in a burning hell.”  I replied with mock shock as I worked to slow my breathing.  Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you think he knows?”

             “I haven’t seen him yet, so I have no idea.  Brett was supposed to keep him busy all day and away from the pack house.  Hopefully it worked.”  Madison answered.  “I’ guess you’ll need to go shower before you head up to the pack house.”

             “Yeah, I’ll be quick.  We have to get all the setup done.  I’ll finish getting ready after we do that.  I’ll see you in a bit.”  We fist-bumped and separated as Madison went toward the packhouse and I finished walking the rest of the way home.

             I could hear my brother Ben and his best friend Brett playing video games in the house before I opened the door.  They were playing Call of Duty or some other game like that.  Brett looked up from the tv briefly and winked at me as I walked past.  I blushed and nodded a hello and kept walking.  It was my brother’s eighteenth birthday today and I did not want him to know about the surprise party we were throwing him later tonight.  It would end at midnight when he shifted for the first time.

             I showered as quickly as I could, braided my still wet hair in a single reverse French braid down my back, dressed in my new cute, light blue, summer halter dress and white sandals and went back downstairs.  I wanted to look cute when I walked past Brett again.  I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember.  Brett is tall, and I mean, really tall.  The last time he told me his height, he was six foot, nine inches.  He is very muscular from all our mandatory training and lifting weights.  He is the captain of the school football team.  His hair is almost platinum blonde naturally and I could get lost in his ocean blue eyes.  I am really hoping he ends up being my mate.  My dress has the effect I desired.  I could see Brett staring at me from the corner of my eyes as I walked through the room.

“Where are you going?”  Ben asked from beside him.

             “Over to Madison’s.  We’re hanging out tonight.”  I replied as I walked out the front door.  I skipped along the path with a grin on my face all the way to the pack house.  As I walked in the front door, everyone turned to greet me.  The cool air from the AC was refreshing.  Luna Cassia greeted me with a big smile and a hug.

“How was school today?”  She asked.  “Stefanie said you missed the bus home.”

             “I did miss the bus.  Mr. Buchannan wanted me to stay after class to talk to me.”  I answered truthfully.  I had learned a long time ago not to lie to the Luna, she could always tell, and it was never a good thing when you did.

             “Is there anything I can do to help?”  She asked in a caring tone.

             “No, it will be ok.  I’m good.”  I told her.  “What can I help with?” I asked as I looked around the room.

             “Decorations.  Head into the den, Madison and Kelsey are already in there.”

             “And they’re both still alive?”  I asked over my shoulder as I head for the den.  The Luna just shrugged and smiled knowing that Madison and Kelsey do not get along, ever.  They are sisters and complete opposites.  I walk into the den and can immediately feel the tension.  Madison was up on a ladder trying to secure streamers in the corner.  Kelsey was sitting on the couch playing candy crush on her cell phone.

             “Well look who decided to show up finally.”  Kelsey sneered.  I ignored her and went over to help Madison with the streamers.  “You two seem to have this all under control, I’m out of here!”  Kelsey announced as she left the room.  No doubt she was now on her way to hang out with The Six.  A name that she and the other wolves her age had given their group a long time ago.  They are all really close with each other and are in three mated pairs.  They stay to themselves most of the time, unless mandated by the Alpha to be somewhere else.  They were like their own mini pack within our pack.

             “It amazes me that you two share the same parents.  It’s like you’re from different planets completely.”  I state.

             “You don’t have to tell me.  Try living with her.”  Madison replied.  Changing the subject, she said,  “I’m pretty much done with the streamers now.  The Luna gave me all these balloons to blow up too.”  Madison gestured to a paper bag sitting on the coffee table.  I snatched up the bag and sat on the couch with it and opened a package of the balloons inside.

             “Catch!”  Madison said as she tossed a balloon blower at me.  “Thank the goddess we have these to help.  I don’t think we would survive blowing them all up without them.”

             “You’re telling me.  How many balloons did the Luna buy?  There must be at least one thousand in here.”  I speculated looking at the pile of balloon bags.

             “There are eighteen bags of one hundred balloons.  One hundred for each year of Ben’s life.”  I heard from behind me as the Luna came into the room to check on our progress.  “Where is Kelsey?”  She asked in a resigned tone when she noticed she was not in the room.

             “She left.”  I replied in a matter of fact tone.  “It’s ok.  It’ll be less hands but more pleasant without her.”

             “I’ll send in some more help for you.  The balloons are for all over, not just in here.  I figured it would be easier to blow them all up in one place though.”  Her plan made sense.  “I’ll be out back making sure the lights and dance floor are set up the way I instructed.  The guys have all been put on BBQ prep.”  The Luna said over her shoulder as she left the room.

One thing our pack has always done no matter what is celebrate birthdays.  Especially eighteenth birthdays.  There was a long period of time where there were no live births in our pack.  The Alpha and Luna have an older son Luca and Beta Black and his mate have a son named Samuel.  Other than the two of them there were no other children born in our pack until The Six.  Luca and Sam both turned thirty this year.  There is a nine-year gap between the year they were born and the six.  Both Luca and Samuel have been gone for a long time searching for their mates.  Luca made a vow before he left that he will not take over the pack until he finds his mate.

             Because there was such a long time between pups being born, the Luna made sure every birthday is celebrated for all of us.  My mom usually opted for a smaller celebration at our house that the Luna helped with.  This time though, we are having a big party for Ben since he is turning eighteen.  The Luna would have it no other way.

             “Toss me a pack of balloons and one of those blower things Alyssa.”  Stefanie chirped in her high-pitched, excited voice from behind me as she entered the room.  She was clearly flustered as she closed the door behind her.  The doorknob rattled as she held the door closed with her whole body.  I laughed and asked,

             “Are you going to blow them up over there, or…?”  Stefanie jumped away from the door and it flew open and Xander fell into the room like a scene out of a movie.  Stefanie and Xander have been flirting for months.  And since Xander turned for the first time ten days ago, which is odd, she is hoping that she will turn soon as well.  Only we have not figured out why Xander turned when he did since he is only sixteen and a male wolf shifts for the first time at midnight on their eighteenth birthday.  The Alpha was supposed to be looking into it.  “Oh, more help!”  I exclaim and toss a bag of balloons at both of them.  “Would you like the last balloon blower Stefanie?”  I asked.

             “Yes, please!  How many do we have to blow up?”

             “Your mom says eighteen hundred.  One hundred for each year of Ben’s life.”  I stated imitating the Luna.  Stefanie giggled.

             “And just how exactly am I supposed to blow these up without one of those balloon blower do-dad thingies?”  Xander asked, clearly trying to get out of helping.

             “You’re full of hot air.  You’ll figure it out.”  Stefanie replied sweetly.  Soon the four of us were having fun as we blew up the balloons.  We were slowly burying ourselves and the balloons were spilling out through the open doorway.

             “Oh, my god….”  Came a voice from outside in the hallway.  “This is nuts!”  Amanda and Alexis poke their heads through the door.  “What the heck?”  Alexis asked.  I could tell she was anxious about something.  Most likely about the surprise party.  She hated keeping secrets.  She was hiding it well though.  I doubt anyone who did not know her well would notice.

             “The Luna sent us to grab some balloons for the kitchen.  Are you guys almost done blowing them up?”  I started to count the remaining bags.  “After the kitchen we’re supposed to keep going with the other common rooms and outside.”  Amanda said.

             “We only have one thousand left to blow up now.”  I said as I finished counting the bags that were left.

             “Please tell me you’re joking?”  Alexis asked raising her eyebrow.

             “She’s not joking.”  Madison replied holding up the remaining bags as proof.  “It’s going to take us a while still.”

             Two and a half hours later we had the party all set up.  There were balloons everywhere!  I caught the Luna’s eye across the backyard and motioned that I was going to head home to finish getting ready and get Ben.  She gave me a thumbs up, so I knew I was good to go.  I walked home a quickly as I could.