chapter 5

As I walk through the hall to my locker I feel two sets of eyes constantly watching me. I start getting my books when I hear “Hey man I just heard you got a date” Joe says standing behind the door of my locker. I let out a small laugh “yeah, seems that way” I say closing the door. Joe grabs my arm and pulls my sleeve up past my shoulder. He stares at the rose pattern that had formed on my shoulder. Before pulling my sleeve back down and saying “I have to go, I’ll see you at lunch.” He turns and disappears in the forming crowds.

The day seems to go on forever, by the time lunch rolls around I feel like I could curl up and go back to sleep. I drop my books off at my locker and grab my wallet before heading the cafeteria. When I make it to the table, Leah is scribbling something down on a piece paper, Joe and Rachel are talking in hushed tone till they see me approach. After an uneasy greeting the two of them sit there quietly looking down at the food as if it holds the answer of the universe. To my surprise Matthew one of the Wolfgang members and a girl I don’t know comes over to the table and says “hey guys would you mind if we join you?” Joe and Rachel watch me as a solider would his commander. “Sure, have a seat” I say, as Matthew sits down I see a silver chain with an amulet around his neck. Joe’s eyes lock on to Matthew as if waiting for him to make a move. Rachel does the same with the girl. “What made you want to sit over here?” Leah asks breaking the ice. The girl answers with “Matthew had a fight with Belron.”

“Belron?” Leah asks

“Troy, so what? The enemy of my enemy is my friend” I say with a small laugh at the end.

We all talk till just after we all finish our food; than I see Matthew tense up before I hear a voice that instantly makes rage boil through my veins. “Matthew, Kerstin, so this is where you’ve been hiding” Troy says with venom in his voice. I absentmindedly grab a knife off the table and start pushing my thumb against blade. Troy says a few other things that I don’t hear over the sound of my own heart. I do hear Troy say “just remember your no longer welcome as a member of the pack, you’re a lone wolf” with this I slam the bent knife down on to the table, rise out of my chair and stare at Troy. An odd feeling begins to run through my mouth and before I can stop myself I’m saying “is that meant to be a punishment, it sound more like a blessing, if he rid of you then he’s more than welcome to join us”

Shock flash in his eyes for a second and then it’s gone “Fine I never wanted him anyway, but be warned if he betrayed me he could do the same to you”

“I take my chances, thanks” as I’m talking I see some of the other member of the Wolfgang move up behind Troy. Behind me I hear chairs move out. Joe comes to stand by my right shoulder and Matthew by my left. A teacher walks up to try and stop whatever is going to gone to happen, both mine and Troy eyes instantly lock on to her, till she shivers as turns away.

I throw a quick glance over my left shoulder and to my surprise Kristen is also standing behind me. Matthew grabs the pendent from around his neck breaking the chain and throws it on the floor, this courses whispers to break out in the Wolfgang. If Troy was shocked he doesn’t show it he just bends and picks up the pendent quickly sliding it into pocket. A small grin moves across his feature as he turns away. Suddenly something begins to press against my mind then the familiar voice of the grey wolf whispers “Gather a pack, it well just bring more under my banner.” Just as suddenly had it pressed against me it was gone. I sit back down closely followed by all the others. Leah was sitting there staring at the knife I’d thrown down on the table. “Michael how did you do that?” she says pointing at the knife.

“I guess I don’t know my own strength” I say while thinking “what the hell is going on with me?” I’m pulled out of me thoughts when Kerstin sucks in a sharp breath before spinning to look at Rachel with her mouth open slightly as if she wants to say something but is being held back. Rachel just glares back at Kerstin, I cast a look around the table and see Mathew eyes lock on to left arm where the lady branded me this morning. The bell ring after a few moments everyone at the table jumps a little.

 

Me and Joe head over to the ‘gateway’ after school. As soon as we meet up with Miram I hand her the note from my uncle.

 “What’s this?” she asks

“I don’t know George told me you’d know what it’s” I answer with a shrug, she opens the note. Lets out a small laugh before saying “Joseph lock the door a draw the curtain we have work to do.”

“what do you mea....?” she cuts me off with a raised hand

Joe on his way back from the door says “Miram look at his arm”

“Why do I...” her eyes suddenly grow very big, just before her small hand shots out and grab’s my wrist pulling it towards her. Her grip is stronger then I would have thought possible for a woman her size.

 “Shirt off!” she demands.

“What?” I reply stunned.

“Shirt off now Michael” she says with her voices rise a few octaves.

I glance over at Joe who just nods and closes his arms. Still a little shell-shocked by Miram sudden change, I do as ordered. I throw my bag on the ground and pull my shirt off over my head. Miram pokes me once in the chest and once in the gut, before moving to the left. She puts a hand over the rose on my shoulder, I go to say something but am unable to move. She traces several of the line on my arm before lifting my arm and running her hands over a line down my ribs. She pulls my arm back down pokes it a few times before moving around to my back where she pokes my shoulder blades and the small of my back. She whispers something under her breath then punches me right between the shoulders. As soon as her hand touch’s me my body starts to buzz with a number of feelings, I spin around and yell “enough!”

...

“Poor Mich, I hated this part,” Joe thinks while Miram’s looks at the rose Michael’s shoulder. Joe’s phone starts to sing in his pocket, he pulls it out to see a text from Rachel, Blue or green???? Can’t pick :(

Blue, you always look good in blue he replies

Green it is then :) you should see the dress Leah’s got, it’s beautiful

Why not blue

You said looks GOOD in blue, I don’t just want to look good

Joe doesn’t get a chance to reply. He hears the sound of a landing punch, lifting his eyes he sees Michael spin around and yell “enough!” then glares down at a stunned Miram with glowing eyes and bearing sharpened teeth. A rumbling growl echoes through the shop followed by the sound of heavy breathing. “He’ll do well, I think” come from the door to the office as Miram husband Adam walks towards Michael - Who is still snarling down at Miram. Adam puts a hand on Miram shoulder gently pulling her out of Michael’s reach. In response Michael lets out one last growl before his eyes and teeth return to normal. Michael begins to rock back and forth putting his hand on a book case to steady himself.

“So what do you think Miram?” Adam says

Miram takes a few deep breaths to calm down before she says “Well he a bit flabby, but the shift will fix that and but what he did that is something I’ve never seen in all my years as the Lupus keeper.”

“What’s the shift and does this have anything to do with the lady?” Michael asks

“Wha... what did you just say?” Adam replies looking shaken

 “What is the shift?” Michael says slowly drawing out each word.

“No, after that, you know of the lady?” Adam almost yells

Michael begins to explain what happened that morning in the clearing with the lady.

...

“You actually got Michael to agree to come” Rachel says staring off into space.

Leah could help but laugh “Rachel that’s the third time you’ve said that, is it that unbelievable?”

 Rachel sighs and says “yes it is, Michael has been asked to this dance every year and has always said no, but you’ve been here less than a week and you’ve got him to come to one of the school biggest events, something that me and Joe have been trying to do for the last 3 years.”

Rachel then goes on to say “hey do you want to get a drink, there’s a great coffee shop across from the gateway?”

“Yeah, may as well, I have to meet Michael in about ten minutes anyway” Leah says as the turn the corner.

“Really, is that so?” Leah could hear the smile in her voice without looking at her.

“Studying, Rachel nothing more”

“Yeah that what they all say”

“All who?

“All the other girls who get Michael to tutor them, they all invite him to a coffee shop or a dinner and pretty much throw themselves at him” she sighs before continuing “but he just keeps on being Michael complete clueless”

“Rachel you sound like you talking from experience, is this something I should tell Joe”

“What? No, no, it’s not like that, let me explain” she stopped long enough to let herself and Leah in to the small coffee shop and find a table. A girl around their age hurries over “ok what can I get you today.”

“Two coffee thanks” Rachel says politely

“Anything else?” the waitress asks

“no that’s all”

“Ok coming right up” the waitress says

After the girl walks away Rachel turns back to Leah and says “now where was i?”

“Michael being complete clueless” Leah says as the waitress comes back with the coffees placing them down on the table smiling and walking away again.

Rachel just sighs and says “Right, well, about two years ago Joe  and  I was having trouble with trig and I asked Mich to give us a hand and of course he said yes, -he always does- anyway we come to this coffee shop after he and Joe finished work. We were here maybe twenty minutes when Lisa Monrea comes up to the table and asks if she can join us, none of us had a problem with it at first” Rachel stops to have a mouthful of her coffee.

“But in just two minutes she was making all the signs, leaning forward a lot so he could see down her top etc. Etc. But he didn’t even notice and I had to punch Joe to stop him looking, good old Mich just kept working and helping us all and by the time that we’d all finished see was all but throwing herself at him”

“But why would she?” Leah says under her breath and to Leah’s surprise Rachel answers with simply “old money”

“Huh?”

“Veilfield’s an old town built to protect a great secret or so the legends say. Lupus, Belron, Goruna, Harthall and Orvis. The five founding families, Goruna and Orvis died out years ago and as far as I know the Harthall all moved away from the area over some feud between them and the Belron’s.”

“That doesn’t make any sense Michael has an accent but how does that work if his families from here?”

“Easy Michael was born in England and grow up there till he was 13 and his parents were killed.” Rachel said it matter-a-factly

Author's Note

not sure if this is where i want to end the chapter may add more to it yet

Reviews

[StillShorterThanYou]

I am interested in what will happen next. And at that one part where you said, " I have to meant Michael in about ten minutes anyway: did you mean, "I have to MEET Michael in about ten minutes"?