Page 7

Girl, I know. Everyone is speculating about what she said to you. Was it even rude? Like are they accurate in the rumors spreading around today?

No, she asked me to put some of my photographs up in her bookstore, that’s it. People need to drop it.Clearly Warrick and Aspen moved on, so why can’t the rest of town?

Just give it time. Something will happen and they will all be focused on that instead of you.

The bell rings letting everyone know we have five minutes to make it to class. I slide my phone back into my purse. I don’t have time for this.

Hours later the final bell of the day rings and I can’t be any happier to leave this shit hole. I’ve heard all the whispered words I can handle for the day. There is only one place I want to be and it’s deep within the woods.

When I cut across the parking lot, walking in front of You’re Bacon Me Crazy, I sense someone is watching me. Just like before, it feels familiar, almost like a lover instead of an enemy. They aren’t watching me to harm me, but to protect me. My body comes to a stop in the exact spot I did yesterday. Feeling a sense of deja vu, I scan my surroundings. Surely, I’ll see them this time.

My eyes pan to the door of the diner right as Gail walks out with her signature soft smile and grandmother vibes all wrapped into a 5’2” weathered-skin, gray-haired older woman. If you don’t like Gail, then there’s an issue with you, not her.

“Just the little wolf I was hoping to catch today. Where are you rushing off to?” She ambles her way down the few steps as she slowly, but gracefully walks over to me.Maybe she is the one who was staring at me.

“I’ve got an English assignment to finish, so I was heading to the house to hopefully finish it before I have to do my training this afternoon.”

“Good, good. Can you come by my office when you get done? I’ve been meaning to discuss a project with you that yourparticular skill set would be perfect for. Plus, you never know who you are going to bump into.” Her eyes held a playful glint to them.

“Uh, yeah, I don’t see why not. You aren’t planning to bore me with some history lesson about the pack right? Or lecture me about the reasons I should wear shoes in the woods?”

Her bell-like laugh rings through the air. “Not at all dear. I’ll let you get back to your mission.” She turns to head back up the stairs before she stops at the top. “One more thing dear. Those that hunt aren’t always the ones that harm.” With her cryptic message she walks her chipper self back into the diner. Leaving me standing on the sidewalk unsure what to do with that.

Hustling back to my house, I round the corner to our street where I see Caelon’s house is dark like usual.Does the man ever come home?In the four years since he’s moved into the cabin across the street, I think I’ve only ever caught him a handful of times. Most of the time it’s when it’s storming and I’m sitting on my porch watching the rain fall. He’s always sitting on his too, drinking something in a coffee mug. He always holds his mug up as a cheers to me as I return the gesture with my peppermint hot cocoa.

My house is empty with my parents both off doing their pack duties. My mom is one of our pack's best healers, so I’m sure she is either at our pack hospital or at the training center teaching the next generation. After my dad retired from patrol, he picked up the hobby of working with leather. You can bet money that he will be in the leather shop crafting something, enjoying retirement to its fullest.

Two hours later, after erasing, typing, erasing, I’ve finally got some sort of outline to this stupid paper my English teacher wants. “Remember kids double space, size ten font, and it’s supposed to be in blah, blah, blah,” she tells us all the time.

Literally can’t understand why I need to worry about this shit. I will never use it. I want to take the pictures, not write the article. The reminder alarm rings on my phone alerting me that it’s time for me to head to the training center.

I’ve not really decided my role in the pack, something I’ve talked with Gail and now Nova about. If you base it off my parents, I’m either supposed to be a healer or patrol. While both appeal to my love of nature, I can’t really say that either holds more appeal than that. Patrol is cool, if you like walking around the forest checking for enemies. You know, the ones I said we don’t have? Plus, I don’t have any interest in “fighting” which is what leads back to healer. My mom swears I’m a natural healer, but I say she just hopes that I’m like her and that’s all that is.

I’m supposed to go each day to the training center to “test” out different roles until I find one that I like. We are three weeks into this process and I’m no closer tothatanswer. If I could just take the role of “pack photographer” that would be great. I’ll take wedding photos if that means I don’t have to fight, make potions, work with numbers (eww), keep up with the pack history (boring), and Goddess forbid teach some bratty kids. Like I said, the search isn’t going well.

It’s not that I’m incapable of doing any of the tasks, it’s more that I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life doing them. Honestly, I feel trapped when I think about doing them the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I know they are important to the health and growth of the pack, but I can’t commit to them.

It’s almost dark when I finish yet another unsuccessful afternoon at the training center, but I realize I’ve got enough time to run the roll of film down to Lou. I had a hard time focusing on the training when I couldn’t get a certain shadowed figure out of my mind. I spent the entire time barely registering what the herbology teacher was saying to me when I felt eyes on me the entire time. Everywhere I moved, the sensationfollowed me. As if they never lost track of me, it moved through the training center with me. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out who it was. Maybe talking with Lou will finally give me a break from the sensation and the thoughts plaguing me.

Lou is exactly where I thought she’d be. In her dark room with only the glowing red light beneath the door to indicate that she is here.

“Lourie!” The clang of metal against metal echoes from the room as she drops her film developing tools into the pan before she opens the door.

“Wildling! I was ‘oping you would come in! I ‘een a certain wolf is the centerpiece of ‘ur photos.” Her thick, ash-gray eyebrow raises in question.

I can feel my cheeks redden. My fingers twist around the long strands of my hair. I was hoping it would go unnoticed that Shadow was becoming the center of all my photos.

“Yeah, he’s been showing up every time I’m at the creek. He’s gorg isn’t he?”

Lou nods her head as she brings over my envelope of developed photos. She flips open the flap as she fingers through the photos until she lands on the one she’s looking for. I don’t even realize I’ve leaned over the counter to see what she’s doing until she flips the photo out as her eyes widen slightly with our nearness.

My throat clears as I lean back, straightening my shirt as if none of that happened.

The photo is of my Shadow perfectly posed as the wind blows his gray and white coat. His eyes are closed as if he is peacefully sitting there. Lou quirks her head looking between the photo and my face. “Ain’t ever seen a wolf sit for a photo. Especially close enough for a film camera. Do you know what wolf this is?”

My head shakes slowly as I flip through the rest of the photos. I didn’t even notice it but my polaroid photo wasn’t wrong. There’s a man standing in the woods in one of my photos. Clear as day I can see the tip of his sleeve. It’s not enough to figure out who it is, but at least I know I’m not crazy.

Before Lou can see it, I slip the photos back into the envelope and tuck it under my arm. She gives me a weird look before shrugging her shoulders.