Chapter Five

      I heard a honk from my driveway, I opened my door and saw Russell waiting for me. I waved to him and grabbed my bag, my key jingling on my belt loop. “I’ll see you guys after school!” I called out to my parents as I closed the door and ran to Russell’s car. I opened his passenger side door and hopped in, ready to tell him about the strange text messages I had gotten. My mom opened our door and waved goodbye as we backed out of the driveway. My phone vibrated in my pocket, I took it out and saw it was the unknown number again. Unlocking my phone I clicked on the notification. 

Wisteria, you have no idea what you are and who you are dating do you? I’ll be seeing you around. Sooner than you… 

-Unknown

Then my phone was yanked out of my hand. “Babe, what are you staring at so intently on your phone?” I didn’t even realize we had stopped at a red light. He started to read the texts from the unknown number and I saw his blue eyes grow dark. “Who is this?” He asked me, no emotion in his voice at all. 

“I… I don’t know.” I started to shake from fear.

“He knows you! Who the HELL is this?!” He was starting to get angry, Russell angry was never a good thing. 

“Russell, clam down please. I never got to read the last bit of the message.” Russell read the last bit and clenched his fist on the steering wheel. He brought out his phone and took pictures off all the messages. He did something to my phone and gave it back, to my horror I saw all the messages were deleted. “RUSSELL! Why did you do that?!” I yelled at him as he put the car in drive because the light turned green. I reached for his phone, he moved it and put it in the drivers side door. “Why won’t you let me read it?!” 

“I don’t want you reading it! I’m trying to protect you.” He told me as he took a left at a stop sign. I looked over and saw a bandage on his upper left arm, it looked fresh. 

“Russell! What happened to your arm?” Russell looked down at the bandage and yanked his shirt down over it. 

“Nothing, it’s just a cut that I got from my dad’s old work shed.” I bit my lip, he was lying to me.

“Russell, I know your lying to me.” I told him in a calm voice, worried. He gulped and sighed. 

“Would you rather me say that I got into a fight with some bad people? Because that’s the truth.” I gasped and looked down at my hands wrapped around my phone. 

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?” He said, running a hand through his hair, looking at me from the corner of his eye. 

“Why did you get into a fight?” I asked him, scared to know the answer. 

“Why? To protect you Wist.” He told me as we stopped at a red light. 

“Russell…” He turned towards me and leaned over, pressing his lips to mine. I blushed and looked into Russell’s Crystal blue eyes. The dream with the eyes in the darkness made me pull away. Russell put the car in drive and kept going straight, not saying a word. I turned and looked out the window as snow began to fall. 

“Wisty.” I heard Russell say.

“Hmm?” 

“I love you” Covering my mouth with my hand I gasped. “I won’t ask you to say it back, I’ll wait till the end of time.” Russell told me, still keeping his eyes on the road, I stared out the window as the snow fell past, watching it dance in the wind like a fairy dancing to music I couldn’t hear. 

~~~~~~~

Russell parked in our usual spot, I hopped out of the truck and closed the door. While zipping up my jacket I walked to the back of the truck and watched the snow land on the school parking lot. I looked around, trying to find that flash of purple that let’s me know where Rose is in the group of students walking into the building. I felt Russell put his arms around shoulders and put his face in my hair. 

“Your hair always smells so good.” He told me. 

“Russell…” I said, biting my lip. 

“Hmm?” 

“What you said earlier. Do you really mean it? You really love me? No lies?” I asked, suddenly very nervous and very aware of how fast my heart was pounding. He moved from behind me and stood infant of me. He put his finger under my chin to raise my head to look at his. 

“Wisty… No Wisteria May Nightingale, I love you. Nothing and no one is going to change the way I feel about you.” 

“Even if something is wrong with me?” I asked him, unable to meet his gaze. 

“Don’t take those texts to heart Wist.” He said, kissing my forehead, my eyes, my nose and finally my lips. I leaned into him, wanting to forget the events of this morning and live in this moment with him. 

“EEWW! Gross! Get a room you two!” I pulled away and laughed. 

“You want a kiss to Rose?” Russell said, making kissing noises at my best friend. She stuck her tongue out at him and said. 

“As if! You’re disgusting!” She came over to me and hugged me, hard. “If I had it my way, Wist would be my girlfriend instead of yours!” I giggled and Russell huffed at Rose. He put his hand on the small of my back and made a piano like movement up my back with his fingers, I gasped while biting my lip. “What the hell?” Russell put his arms around my shoulders. 

“I’m the only one who can do that to Wisty.” He stuck his tongue out at Rose. 

“I don’t even wanna know what that was!” Rose said, putting her hands up in the air in defeat. We made our way to the front of the school, Russell and Rose started talking about what they both did on Sunday. Where as my mind was somewhere else interlay, my mind was coming up with different meanings to the dreams i’d been having since my seventeenth birthday. “Hello! Earth to Wist!” I looked up and saw Rose looking at me. “Are you ok?” Nodding my head I hugged her, hard. “Whoa! What was that for?” 

“I’m glad your my best friend Rose.” 

“Awww Wist.” She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me back. She pulled away and we walked into the school and was instantly greeted by a shouting male voice.

“YO! Russell! Whats good?” Andre came strolling through the sea of students, wearing his varsity jacket. He high fived Russell and laughed. “Hey my man.” 

“Yo Andre!” Russell said, Andre looked at me. 

“Whats cooking good looking? Every time I see you, you just get hotter.” Andre was this type of person, always trying to make you laugh by being random. 

“Yo, back off dude. You know she’s mine.” Russell said, putting his arm around me. 

“Yeah yeah yeah. Don’t get your boxers in a twist,” He said, laughing. “Hey Rose. Still being thorny?” He put his arm around Rose. 

“That wasn't funny nor a good pick up line,” She pushed him off her. “Don’t put your arm around me.” 

“Alright alright Elsa.” He put his hands up and laughed, he knew what he did. Rose’s head snapped so quick I thought her neck was gonna break. 

“What’d you just call me?” Rose asked him. 

“Run Andre.” Russell told Andre while trying to keep a straight face. 

“And their off!” I yelled as Rose chased Andre down the hall screaming at him for calling her Elsa. That was their daily routine, Andre would try and hit on Rose and he’d call her Elsa after the movie Frozen. Next thing you’d know is she’d be running after him trying to beat him up, she never did catch him though cuss he was the running back for the football team. Russell walked me to my locker, I unlocked it and just stared at all the photos I had tapped to the inside. “I can’t believe it’s senior year already.” 

“I know, time sure does fly by doesn’t it?” Russell said, with a far off look. I nodded and grabbed my English book as the bell rang. 

“Well there’s the bell. I’ll see you after class babe.” I leaned up and kissed is cheek. 

“Yeah, sadly.” He said, winking at me. I laughed and closed my locker and headed off to class. Little did I know this would be my last normal day of high school. 

~~~~~~~

English class was almost over when I heard the shouting, we all stopped what we were doing and the teacher turned off the movie we had been watching. That’s when we heard what was being said. 

“Wisteria May Nightingale! Come out now!” I covered my mouth with my hand, all the other students were staring at me. My English teacher, Mr. Jones, came over to me, and touched my shoulder. 

“Do NOT go out there!” That’s when we heard shots being fired, all the students screamed and made a break for the door. I stood up, wanting to go see why they wanted me and who it was but Mr. Jones stayed next to me the entire time. “Get under the desk now and cover your ears! I’ll handle it.” I did as he said and covered my ears, shutting my eyes. But I made the mistake of opening my eyes and saw a dark brown wolf right next to my desk. 

“Mr….Jones?” The wolf looked at me and did what I thought was a wink. The brown wolf ran out of the door and into the hallway. 

I got out from under the desk and peeked into the hallways and heard a voice say “WAYA!” I suddenly figured out who that voice was, the scarface man and they wanted me. I watched as Mr. Jones jumped onto a man covered from head to toe in black. I watched Mr. Jones tear the man apart, blood spraying onto lockers and the tiled floor.  Without warning a shot rang out and Mr. Jones yelped and backed away from the dead man in front of him. Blood gushing from an open wound in his right shoulder. 

“Mr. Jones!” I started to run to him, I didn’t feel fear towards him but one look from him stopped me. In his eyes I didn’t see fear or pain just courage and strength. He turned his head to stare at the man and started to run towards him even though he was bleeding, he didn’t get very far before another shot rang out. Mr. Jones twitched and then was still, I gasped at the sight. I watched in horror as the man who shot him came towards my classroom door. 

“Well, a pleasure to see you again miss.” The scarface man said to me, I screamed and tried to get up. Before I could get very far he grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the room. 

“Let go! Let go of me!” I tried to scratch at his hands but he was wearing gloves. “Russell! Russell! Somebody help me!” Scarface dragged me past Mr. Jones wolf body, I heard a thundering sound fill the hallway, it vibrated through my bones. Scarface stopped and turned as a much bigger black wolf emerged from the corner of the hallway, it had crystal blue eyes. I held my breath as it made its way towards us, scarface lifted his weapon and before he could get a shot off, his hold on me was gone. I turned and saw the black wolf send Scarface flying across the school. He hit the wall with a loud crack and didn’t move. The wolf turned and looked at me, it came closer. Soon we were eye to eye and I knew those eyes. “Russell?” The wolf nodded it’s head. Before I knew it I was sobbing, crying like a baby. Wolf Russell licked my face as if to say it’s ok, he nudged my chest and cocked his head as if to say ‘get on’. I stood up and got into his back. As soon as I was on tight, he ran to the entrance and out of the school into the cold late morning, the snow falling around us. 

~~~~~~~

He had never failed before, but he didn’t know that she would be having a beta protecting her. He stood up and rubbed his neck, angry not only at himself but at the Waya that killed one of his men. A young boy the age of seventeen came running up to him. “Commander! They got away!” He stood up and grabbed the boy by his throat.

“YOU IDIOT! My name is Commander Lucas Iron! She won’t get far. Not if she’s going where I think they are.”