Shadows Lurking

November 29th, 2005 - Tuesday, 9:15am

The gates to Rienridge Academy open wide, welcoming us back after the long break. Mattheo steps through them with no hesitation. He seems ready to get back into the swing of classes, pranks, and detentions. I’m not ready for those things, but I’m more than ready to be out of the King household. As much as I enjoyed my time there and we spent days getting to know each other, knowing that Nicholas has already become attached to me is a bit too much to handle.

Once he realizes you’re a murderer, the disappointment will be monument.

“Rylan, a moment, please.” Nicholas waits just outside of the gates, and I stop to wait for him. “I understand your hesitation when it comes to staying with us over the break, but I need to thank you for taking the risk with us this past week. It meant more than you’ll ever know to have seen Mattheo happy like he was. So, even if it takes years for the two of us to become close, please don’t punish him.”

His eyes shut tightly, and he looks away from me. The crinkles around his eyes are prominent from this angle. “I would never guilt you into anything, ever, but I can’t bring myself to leave from here without admitting to you just how much I also enjoyed having you in our home.” Finally, he holds my stare, eyes watered and lips quirked in one corner. “I’ve been telling everyone that you are just as much my son as Mattheo is, and I hope I’m not just wishful thinking. I want the same thing for you that Emmy wanted; to see you loved, smiling, and living a life filled with nothing but warmth. So, please don’t think different or little of me if I continue to bother you, beg you, to stay with us during holidays.”

The wetness in his eyes causes a crimson hue to blot out the matching verdant that he shares with his son. They flash, glowing that deep crimson before flashing back to green. Whatever he’s feeling right, he feels it deeply. If I’ve learned anything about Lycan’s so far, their eyes tend to glow when they have a strong emotion flowing through them, and right now, Nicholas is struggling to contain his emotion, whatever it may be.

“I won’t.” He stares at me intently and I sigh, letting my shoulders drop in the process. “I won’t think of you differently for asking. I’m- I’m not good at the whole ‘feelings’ thing, so we may never get there with that, but I-“ A lump becomes stuck in my throat. “I care about Mattheo. And I think- I think a deep part of me cares about you too. But it’ll take-“

“-time,” he finishes. Nicholas smiles and nods. “I know. I’m prepared to beg and grovel for the rest of my life to gain your trust, because that’s what family does.” He slowly reaches his hand out and I hold still, letting him move at his own pace. Gently, his hand grasps my shoulder, and he gives it a soft squeeze. “And no matter what anyone will ever tell you, we’re family, Rylan.” He releases my shoulder and sniffs loudly. “Now, go on and see the other boys. I’m sure Corey’s missed you three and you’ll have loads to talk about. Be sure to focus on your studies and no fighting.”

Ignoring the urge to turn back around, I struggle to keep walking towards the school. The gates squeak loudly as they slowly close back together, placing a giant blockade between us and the rest of the world, between us and Nicholas.

“You’re only saying that because you’re head over heels for Amaya!” Corey shouts angrily.

In front of the entrance for the courtyard where Kerum and I train, Corey, James, and Mattheo stand together. Corey seems to be shouting at a pouting James while Mattheo only stands on the sidelines, choosing to not get involved.

“No, that’s not the only reason,” James argues.

Corey blanches. “So, you admit you’re in love with her then. Gross.”

“Just wait until you’re older, kid. You’ll feel the same way about a girl.”

Now, Corey’s face falls. He stares at his hands for a moment before sneering up at James. “Girls are gross, and you’re only a year older than us. It’s not like we’re missing out on anything when it comes to girls. Right, Rylan?”

My chest shudders and the thumping increases. The thought of caring about girls in general causes my skin to crawl and my stomach to sour. As much as I keep glancing at Faye, thinking about her, going out of my way to see her smile, there’s no way I’d ever think about d-dating her. Ugh, gross.

“No, thanks.” I cross my arms and look away from them, facing the entrance doors. “I don’t want anything to do with girls.”

“Liar,” Mattheo mutters.

A growl rips through me, and I push past them, ready to get settled back in. “Whatever. Come on, we need to unpack.”

Standing at the edge of the wooded area close to where Kerum and I train, there’s a pool of shadows. From this distance, you’d think it from a tree or something in the trees, but I know better now. Gill and Arthur both had made it clear that shadow hounds wouldn’t come here to the school, but I’ve been seeing these shadows creeping everywhere. Whatever they’re planning, it involves the school. Hopefully, the adults know what they’re doing. If not, there’s going to be a lot of deaths.

November 29th, 2005 – Tuesday, 4:15pm

The boys finally come back to the room, laughing and whispering. They’ve been casing the school, searching for a better place to hide their prancing supplies. According to Percy, the academy is now doing room checks to make sure none of us have pranking materials. Thanks to Helman, no one is allowed privacy until they find who is responsible for the chair incident in his class.

In other words, me.

“Found a place,” Corey cheers.

Mattheo releases a bellied laugh, “More like you fell into it.”

“Whatever,” the boy grumbles.

I sit up in my bed. “Should I even bother asking?”

“Corey was running through the west hall and literally fell through the floor,” James explains.

“How? The floor is stone.”

“Not all of the west wing is,” Mattheo says. “Some of it is hardwood- Where the teachers’ rooms are.”

“You hid them in the teachers wing?” I shake my head. “You guys either want to get caught, or you’re dumb.”

Corey waves his hand in the air dismissively. “They’d never think to look in their own wing for our supplies. It’s perfect.”

James laughs from his own bed. “He’s got a point.”

“I guess.” I place my book down. “Have you found anything out about a trip into town?”

Mattheo offers a weak smile. “Not really. Dad doesn’t see a reason to since we already have winter clothes. I mean, I’m sure we could find a way there- make something up.”

James now sits up and tosses his notebook to the floor. “Have we even thought about what we’re doing about these murders in town?” He motions towards Mattheo now. “You and Rylan said that your dad was serious when he mentioned Lorcan being involved with them, so we should make that our top priority.”

“Oh, now you suddenly believe Lorcan is real, huh?” Corey asks. He stands in front of James’ bed with his hands on his hips. “I thought Darren was crazy, looney for believing Lorcan was back.”

“Well, then I guess we’re all looney,” Mattheo sighs.

James huffs now. “Not all of us. Look, I’m not saying that Lorcan is some fictional character or that he’s not real, but there’s no proof. Until we have proof, I’m not saying that this nightmare monster exists.”

The memory of shadows causes my skin to crawl. I shudder, remembering them pooling around the edge of the courtyard. They’re real, alright. That doesn’t mean I’m telling them that though. It would be my word against James’ belief, and something tells me he’s too stubborn to just roll over without that proof he mentioned.

“Then we need to get proof,” Corey hisses. “Because my brother’s sanity depends on it. If we can prove that Darren wasn’t mad, that Lorcan really is still alive and out there, then he could be released from the hospital.”

“Corey’s right,” Mattheo says, standing between him and James, breaking their glare. “Darren at least deserves the truth. But-” He stares at Corey now, nervous. “If it turns out that Lorcan really is just a myth, and that he’s not real, we have to accept the fact that Darren has lost his mind. Okay, Corey?”

The smaller boy turns away from his friends, crossing his arms. “Fine.”

December 10th, 2005 – Saturday, 5:35pm

The library is silent for once without the boys around. They decided to watch the older boys practice lacrosse. There’s an upcoming game in January that they’re preparing to win. Coach Greene has been pushing the students harder this year compared to last, according to James anyways. I could care less about the dumb sport or if they win or not. I just want to keep my head down and graduate without any issues.

The boys make that hard though with their constant need for pranking and picking fights.

“I’m beginning to think Professor Bingum hates us,” Minnie sighs while scooting her language arts book away from her on the table. “Would it kill her to give us a bit less work this semester?”

“You just need to study more than once a week,” Amaya quietly chuckles.

Down the table, on the right-hand side, Grace Gibson sneers at the three of us. “Well, not all of us can be as perfect as you and Rylan.”

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know each of the three girls well over the last three months thanks to these study sessions, hosted by Amaya herself. There are normally two others here, but neither could make it. I’m sure they’re both watching the boys practice and gossiping about how ‘hot’ they look. Thankfully, these three aren’t like that. They focus on studying when we’re here.

Wait. Did Grace just say I was perfect? “What- Why would you think I’m perfect?” I rush out.

Grace looks me up and down as best as she can from my seated position before smirking. “Smart, cute, and super strong. You’re perfect.”

“Woo, Grace has a crush,” Minnie whispers teasingly, tapping her roommate on the arm.

Grace smirks, tossing her long brown curls over her shoulder. “Not a chance. It’d be a waste of precious time and energy. Rylan isn’t the least bit interested in dating.”

“None,” I grit out.

Grace smirks, her brown eyes brightening. “See. Told ya’.”

Minnie sighs, placing her chin in her hand, elbow placed firmly on the table. “There’s no good gossip in our year. Everything exciting happens to all of the older kids.”

“What a shame,” I draw out sarcastically.

She glares at me then her eyes shine yellow, clearly excited about something. “What about the other boys- James, Mattheo, and Corey- Do they like anyone? Are they interested in dating?”

“Nope,” I grunt out. Placing my books into my shoulder bag, I begin pushing in my chair. “Not talking about that stuff with you guys. Amaya, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Of course,” she says while smiling apologetically. “Let me walk you out.”

“I got it.” I motion for her to stay seated. “Maybe you three can gossip about my friends together.” I turn a mutter, “I’m sure James would love that.”

“Heard that,” Minnie calls out as I leave the table. I can practically hear the smirk on her lips.

“No, you didn’t,” I call back.

Outside of the library, my breath finally evens out. Being in that closed off room with two girls I barely know takes its toll on me. Amaya’s not that bad, I even find comfort with her being around. It’s as if she understands my boundaries and she would never push them.

Down the hall, two more students are walking past the teacher’s wing. They shush one another, two girls, both seem as though they’re up to no good. Being friends with the boys, I know all too well what that look consists of.

An adult comes from the teacher’s wing, one I’d rather not see right now. Helman stops just in front of the two giggling girls, and they fall silent. “Why are you two wandering about the academy?”

“W-We just wanted to see Professor Lorne about an assignment, S-Sir.” The smaller girl cowers under Helman’s glaze.

The taller one puffs out her chest, yet weakly says, “It will only t-take a minute.”

Helman’s shoulders stiffen, and he squares them back. I’m sure he’s about to yell at the poor girls, scare them and possibly scar them for life.

Sighing, I push myself off the library doors, and make my way towards them. I let myself whistle loud enough to catch the man’s attention, knowing he’ll instantly abandon them to give me a shakedown.

“Mister Evans,” Helman practically growls.

Got you. I face the man and offer him a small grin. “Yes, Professor?”

He glances at the girls before grunting, “Go on, but be quick about it.” He then faces me as the girls rush off through the doors, mouthing a thank you as they do. “Why would you be wandering the corridors? Do you not have classes to study for?”

“I just came from the library,” I admit. “I was studying.”

“Not likely.” He stares off at the library while asking, “Who were studying with? Or were you conveniently alone?”

“Amaya Porter, Miriam Dailee, and Grace Gibson.” Walking past him now, I gently bump his elbow while saying in a harsh tone, “And don’t worry, they’re still alive.”

Even after shuffling down the hall, I can hear him release a frustrated sigh. Knowing I get on his nerves is reason enough to keep attending this school. He made it clear when talking to James’ dad that he expects me to kill one, if not more, of my classmates. The only thing I need to do now is prove him wrong, but I’m worried it will be a harder task than it should be.

Down the hall, meeting me at the entrance to the courtyard, is Kendrick. His eyes follow me as I approach him. This would be our third training session since we’ve been back from break. It’s also the only times he ever speaks to me, opting out of socializing when he’s near his friends, the upperclassmen.

“Ready, kid?”

Ignoring the urge to growl, I shoulder past him without answering. He only chuckles from behind me. If extensive training is the only way to gain control and shift better, then it’s my only option. He knows this, and readily uses it to get away with ticking me off. Mattheo warned him about making me angry, but he told us that ignoring anger is also a form of control. If that’s true, then I need more than four training sessions a week.

December 12th, 2005 – Monday, 11:15am

Minnie pants as she passes me for the second time. Her breathing has become ragged and labored, but she’s still making better time than me. Coach Greene groans from across the field, tossing his clipboard on the ground.

“Come on, Evans! You’re letting girls pass you!”

Amaya and Minnie giggle in front of me. My teeth ache as I grit them, growing tired of hearing Coach’s constant harassment when it comes to my speed.

“Maybe I’m just letting them!” Pushing myself forward, I slowly match up with Minnie and huff out, “Stupid course.”

Minnie laughs from beside me and pants, “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”

“I’m freezing.” The complaint is quiet, but the girls still hear it.

“Tell Coach then,” Amaya urges. “He should know better than to have you doing this in the cold. You’re not able to regulate body heat like we can. It’s barbaric and torture at this point.”

Corey comes running up past us, backwards. He’s not even facing the track, yet he’s beating everyone by two laps! And the jerk knows it. That stupid smirk on his stupid face.

“Oh, come on, Rylan.” His smirk widens as he teases, “Don’t let these little girls pass you up. You’re making us boys look bad.”

Coach Greene groans once more before walking away from the field and back towards the school. I’m not sure why we have to take this dumb course anyways. According to James, the older lycans go on pack runs during this course and the youngers ones run like this on the track, training for it. I won’t be doing any pack runs, so I’m not exactly training for anything. I can’t shift.

While Corey’s busy taunting me, Minnie kicks her leg out and the boy drops to the track. She tripped him, and he deserved it. Maybe next time he’ll hold off on picking at both me and the girls. Both girls laugh now, and I can’t help but chuckle to myself.

The only ones out here are the four of us now that Coach Greene has given up on the lost cause that I am. Kerum had said I needed to make up for lost time when it came to the course and the girls are trying to get ahead of the rest of their peers. Corey- He’s just a jerk who likes to show off. No one even invited him, he just tagged along to “cheer me on”.

The low hum of the hunter drill stops me and the girls from continuing down the track. Neither one looks sure on whether it’s a drill or real this time. Off in the distance, the academy begins altering from the outside. The vines that grow all over the building begin stretching, coming to life as they cover every open entrance and window visible.

“I don’t think this is a drill, you guys,” Minnie whispers from in front of me.

Amaya shakes her head. “I don’t think so either. I’ve never seen the academy do that before.”

There’s a whooshing sound and then a clang of something metal behind us. Within seconds, chaos ensues as we realize Corey’s trapped, tangled in some kind of black net. His breathing becomes labored, and I can hear his bones crackling as he attempts to shift under the web of darkness. He screams in pain with each failed attempt, and I rush to his side, Minnie and Amaya following.

“Corey!” I grab at the net, and it burns my skin, searing my flesh. “Ah- Corey!”

“Rylan!” The fear in his voice grips me. “P-Please! Rylan, it burns! It burns!”

Amaya’s hands grip my arms, and she pulls me away from Corey’s crying and whimpering. “Rylan, stop! Stop-” I try to break free, but she makes me meet her crimson eyes. Her voice is deeper, laced with a tone that causes my hands to tremble and my stomach to knot. “Stop it, Rylan. It’s coated in aconite.”

Staring at Corey’s trembling form now, I struggle to not shift myself. Seeing him wrecked with pain, it’s difficult to contain the anger bubbling inside of me.

Snapping off in the distance sends me into a downward spiral. I grab Amaya, throwing her behind, in between Corey and me. The growl that leaves my throat is deep and deafening on the quiet field around us. Slowly, a group of people step through the tree line, dressed head-to-toe in black clothing. They look as though they are about to star in a stealth movie, playing the roles of assassins.

“Don’t come any closer,” I warn them.

One in the front, tall and broad shouldered, holds out a gun, aiming at my chest. “Stand down and we won’t need to use lethal force.”

“They wouldn’t shoot kids, would they?” Minnie rushes out as she attempts to calm Corey through the webs.

Glancing behind me at Amaya, she nods slowly, sure of her answer. The screams and cries belonging to Corey are proof enough that these people don’t care one bit about how young we are.

Amaya moves closer towards me, whispering in my ear, “I can hold them off if you can get Corey out of that thing.”

I nod. “Deal.”

“Come on, Minnie.” She nudges me out of the way, cracking her neck. “We have to buy him some time.”

As soon as they walk out in front of me, both girls shift into their own wolves and my jaw twitches. Both are large, but not as large as what Mattheo’s wolf had been. Amaya’s coat shines a deep rust color, twinges of copper here and there while Minnie has a full brown coat with lighter colored front paws. Their growls are deep and threatening with each step that the hunters take.

Ignoring the opposing threat behind me, I rush back towards my screaming friend and grip the tangle of black web. With each twist of the net my fingers begin burning. Corey is nearing quiet now, his agony causing him to blink in and out of consciousness. I know the pain has to be too much for him. I’ve been there. I’ve been pushed to the point of exhaustion. He’ll pass out completely soon.

A loud bark breaks my concentration, but it’s too late. There’s a sharp pain in my back and I’m lying on the ground. There’s a slash between my shoulder blades, a burning sensation spreading from the source and onto the rest of my body. A blade, most likely laced with aconite, cuts across the back of my exposed calves now and another growl escapes my throat.

“Got one down over here!” The hunter shouts out to his comrades. “It’s a male, not shifted.” There’s shuffling behind me before he shouts once more, “Make that two males!”

Corey’s whimpering from behind me sends a surge through my entire limp body. There’s a thud and squeal and my claws are out. The man behind me stands tall over Corey’s trembling form, kicking him as he moves the weights around on the ground. Pushing myself from the ground, the earth begins to sway beneath me, threatening to disappear completely.

“Get away from him,” I growl out.

The man turns, clearly startled that I’m back on my feet. “What the-”

“Back off!” The growl is louder, deeper than before with each backwards step he takes towards Corey.

“Hey!” He shouts out for the others. “I have a situation here! It’s a beasty!”

No one rushes to his aid, and he slowly realizes this. He unsheathes some kind of long blade from his back, and steps closer. “Fine. I’ll take you on myself. Come on, beasty.”

His jeering and taunting strike no reaction from me, but the way he keeps shuffling near Corey does. I can feel the muscles in my face contorting and changing positions. I gently pat around on my face and feel something coarse, much like Corey’s fur had been when he was shifted, and there are ridges on my forehead. It’s as if my face is half-shifted, deformed.

“Charlie!” The man screams. “Charlie, it’s a strong Beasty!”

“Just shoot it!” Another man shouts. “We only need one alive!”

The man before me fumbles with something attached to his belt, a gun. Lunging forward, I knock the man down. There’s crunching as he hits the ground, breaking a few things in the fall. He screams in agony, but I ignore him. Reeling my hand back, I swipe it downwards across his throat, slashing it open. Hot blood leaks down onto my bare legs as I continue straddling him. Remembering how he kicked Corey has me slashing his chest two more times. He gurgles for a minute before slowly turning his head to the side and quietening down.

Ignoring the urge to swipe at him again, I grip the weights holding the net down and toss them to the side. The burning no longer registers. Even the burning in my legs and back are gone. The net swings across the field and lands somewhere far in the distance.

Corey whimpers unconsciously while sprawled out on the track. He looks broken, damaged and covered in white slashes- burn marks that are struggling to heal. They bubble and ooze a nasty white and clear liquid that seems to be mixing with his blood.

Barking and yelps break me from staring at the hurt boy below me. Amaya and Minnie are struggling with the last two hunters on the field, the other two unconscious behind them. Running, I leap over both girls and land with a snarl. Amaya growls from behind me, and I return it. She clearly doesn’t like the idea of me fighting while not shifted, but there are no other options. I won’t let them fight these monsters on their own.

“Leave or end up like your friend over there.” My voice is dark, laced with a deep growl that continues long after the last word is spoken.

The tall man on the left slowly lowers his sword and stares off at the bloody mess of his teammate behind us. His face contorts from shock to pure anger. “You disgusting beast!”

He rushes forward and something dark moves within me, causing a sound I don’t recognize; A deep chuckle that scares even me. “Wrong choice.”

As he jumps at me, my claws slice through his stomach like knives in melted butter. He drops to the ground behind me, groaning and panting in agony. The other charges at me, screaming with fury. I duck and dodge his swing, swiping at his legs, bursting them open and causing blood to splatter all over the grass. He screams, shouting for help as he struggles to drag himself towards his unconscious friend.

The darkness continues moving within me as I gather his chopped off leg from beside me and approach his trembling frame. He continues screaming as I step closer and closer towards him, carrying his missing limb in clawed fingers. To stop him from moving, I step on his remaining leg and apply as much pressure as I can, waiting until I hear the bone crunch.

Lifting the leg over my head, ready to swing it down on his shaking frame, a howl echoes throughout the field. Three wolves come running towards us, ready to defend us helpless students against the big bad hunters. The black wolf in the middle slowly begins transforming until Kerum is stumbling towards us in human form. He stares at the scene before him in utter shock, a look of horror etched on his face.

His eyes meet mine and his face falls. “Rylan.” He steps closer, his hands out calmingly. “Put the leg down, Rylan.”

I know I should, but a deep part of me feels as though I need the weapon. I feel unsafe, trapped- Like I need to keep defending the kids standing near me and the one still whimpering off in the distance.

The next one to transform is the red coated wolf, Professor Dawes. “Girls, shift.”

Amaya and Minnie slowly become themselves again before stepping closer to my side. Amaya gently touches my middle back and rubs soothing circles. “It’s okay now, Rylan. We’re okay. We’re safe.”

I shake my head, feeling confused. I still feel the need to protect them. Something evil is near, something with ill intentions towards us. The pit of my stomach is hard, twisted. “I- I can’t.”

“It’s okay,” she soothes. “Whenever you’re ready. We can wait.”

I drop the leg to the ground below me. A few deep breaths and slowly my face begins contorting, changing back to its normal state. My legs finally collapse beneath me, causing me to fall to the ground roughly on my hands and knees. The pain all over my body is present now, at the forefront of my mind. The number of slashes and burns are more than I’m used to at once, but it still doesn’t hurt as much as I had thought it would.

Kerum’s voice is quiet above me. “Caleb- Go on and retrieve Mister King. He might be needed.”

“He’s not,” I growl out, knowing he’s referring to the leash. “I’m fine now.”

Professor Dawes steps forward and place her hands on my trembling shoulders. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” I shrug her hands off. “I said I’m fine.”

“Rylan,” Corey softly whimpers from behind me. “Agh!” He’s gripping everything in pain. “Rylan, it hurts.”

Ignoring the burning in my own legs, I push myself backwards until I reach him. The boy clings to my aching body and I gladly hold him in my arms. He begins panting now, clearly on the verge of fainting again from the amount of stress his body is under. The number of burns littering his body are enough to cause bile to pool in the back of my throat. The entire lower half of my body is soaked in warm blood now from the man I had murdered, and I try to not let any get on Corey as I continue to rock him.

“It’s going to be okay, Corey.” I try to keep from gripping him anywhere. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end along with the ones on my arms and legs. Just under the body near my feet are swirls of black smoke. The tendrils of shadows slowly seep into the ground, almost being absorbed by the blood coating the grass. Something about the sight is not only unnerving, but gut-wrenching. And, as usual, no one else had seen the smoke, meaning I needed to keep quiet about it. For now.