Chapter Five: Arrangements

Yes, there is a difference between ‘were’ and ‘where’. Indeed, I’m not always using it the correct way. Yes, I have to look it up sometimes.

So here it goes:

-Were is a form of ‘be’. It’s a verb.

-Where is about a place.

So, that’s settled then. Here comes the real deal:

“Everyone, this is our new student. Please, make him feel comfortable.”

Alea almost snorted. Yeah right. The ‘new’ kid didn’t fit in already and mister Sellion made it only worse by saying something like that.

She was not surprised that the strange boy took a seat quite close to her. But she had to wait all day before she could get a hold of him. Of course this was around the time she normally left but alright, this one time she was willing to stay.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Mayth’s beautiful blue eyes locked into hers while he smiled. “I thought I needed some education. Funny to run into each other again like this, right?”

They walked through the hallways till they were outside again, breathing the chilled air.

“They don’t really know what you do, am I correct?”

“And what would that be?” Alea said it bluntly, harsh. This strange boy was getting on her nerves.

“Well, from the looks of it you are a dragonhunter in your spare time.”

“Don’t say that aloud. They’ll make fun of you and you’ll get a hard time trying to blend in already without them thinking you’re insane. Come on.”

Alea waved her hand, making the gesture that he could come along. When he didn’t move she turned around. “What, is there someplace you should be?”

“No, not really actually,” his tone was hesitating like Mayth didn’t want to say that aloud.

After walking some time in silent Alea looked at him and smiled. “No need to worry, there’s nothing to be ashamed about. There are no parents for me either.”

The rest of the day they spend at Alea’s home. Getting to know each other and Alea introduced him to Elden the cat, and they could get along quite well.

The made some dinner together and when the night was slowly washing the sunlight away Alea said that he could stay if he wanted to.

Since Mayth had no parents and no place to go to he gladly accepted her offer. While Alea made him a bed, he collected some more firewood so they wouldn’t get cold this night.

When they were lying and both were still awake Alea whispered: “Why do you want to find a dragon?”

It stayed quiet and for a moment Alea thought Mayth was already asleep when the answer came.

“I don’t know. I just know I have to find them, or one of them.”

Puzzled by this, Alea did not answer but turned on her other side and thought about this till she fell asleep.

A fortnight later

It was a week or so later. Maybe three? Garyl had no idea. She had lost track of time since that moment she’d fled from her home.

Home.

That word seemed strange already. Time meant nothing, yet she was still capable of feeling. Alas, she felt a lot of things. Thirst, hunger, loneliness, anger, pain…

Garyl had no idea what exactly happened to her and how it could come from something in her coffee, but one thing was for sure: she wasn’t human anymore. Strange. She wanted to be something more than human for quite some time and now she was and al Garyl wished for was to go back to normal.

She laughed softly, more a chuckle really. She was far from normal. Whatever ran through her veins, it didn’t make her werewolf nor vampire. She was some strange mixture between those two. The werewolf bite must have been a sort of antidote.

She took another step forward. This was the first time she came near a town and she had no idea what was going to happen. Garyl also didn’t know she was carefully being watched.

Garyl licked her lips and tried to blend in. It was dark, so she didn’t meet a lot people but there were always some dudes out on the streets.

So was her follower.

The Man who had threatened Mech was just a couple of steps behind her, though always hidden in the shadows. He had watched her closely the last couple of days. It was interesting really. She wasn’t like him -more or less immortal- but nothing close to human either. He could use her, right?

Garyl seemed like a girl that liked to play foul games and that was just the thing he was best at.

He smiled grimly. “Keep on struggling, till the nets are too entwined to get out.” His voice deep, dark, but clearly manly.

Just at that moment when the Man whispered, Garyl stood still and turned. She saw a figure in the shadows and for just a couple of seconds they looked at each other.

Garyl’s eyes flaming bright, golden-yellow, wolflike.

The Man’s not visible, but she could feel it.

He would come for her, soon.

Het ontwaken begint

Was het toeval dat ze hem ontmoette? Slechts toeval om haar erop te wijzen dat haar leven helemaal niet zo perfect was als Madelyn altijd had gedacht? Dat kon toch niet?! Maar wat het dan wel was, dat wist ze ook niet.

De eerste keer dat Madelyn de jongen op de zwarte motor zag, was vier dagen terug; donderdag. En nu was het maandag en had ze al precies vier dagen constant aan hem gedacht. Wie was hij? Hoe oud was hij? Wat deed hij hier, in Taletown? Madelyn was er zeker van dat ze hem nog nooit eerder had gezien.
Maar behalve die vragen vroeg ze zich vooral af hoe het kwam dat hij niet uit haar hoofd was te krijgen. Voor Madelyn Evermore was alles altijd perfect geweest en nu leek het alsof dat alles er niet meer toe deed.
Het enige wat nog belangrijk was, was om te zorgen dat hij haar ook zou zien!

Na een lange, voortslepende dag waren de lessen eindelijk voorbij en was het voor Madelyn om afscheid te nemen van haar vriendinnen. Ze had er nogal wat, maar het laatste uur had ze alleen met Nora en Lucy.
Zij waren juist uit het zicht verdwenen met een "Doei" en een "Tot morgen, Maddy!" toen Madelyn de hoek om ging en omver werd gelopen. Ze belandde op de grond, haar boeken en papieren dwarrelden door de lucht om vervolgens eveneens in een wanordelijke staat op de tegels neer te vleien.
Haar  wenkbrauwen vormden een frons en een boze schittering lag in haar donkerblauwe ogen toen ze opkeek. "Kun je niet uitkijken of zo?" snauwde ze, terwijl ze overeind krabbelde. Maddy veegde haar lichtbruine haar uit haar gezicht en keek recht in het gezicht van de jongen waar ze heel de tijd aan had zitten denken.
Hij lachte scheef naar haar en bukte om haar boeken op te rapen. "Zeker kan ik wel uitkijken," zei hij, "maar ik kan niet om hoeken kijken."
Stomverbaasd om hem zomaar te ontmoeten wist Maddy niet wat ze moest zeggen. Zwijgend nam ze de boeken en papieren aan die hij haar gaf. De jongen keek even op het laatste papier: een proefwerk was teruggegeven was.
"Madelyn Evermore, huh?"
Ze knikte.
"Hi, ik ben Ian."
"Eh.. ik zou zeggen, leuk je te ontmoeten, maar dat had vast beter gekund." Ha, daar was ze weer met haar scherpe opmerkingen. En zowaar, hij -Ian dus- moest er om lachen! Ze grijnsde.
"Misschien kan ik het goed maken?"
"Oja?" flirtte Maddy terug.
"Ik kan je een ritje naar huis aanbieden, als je wilt?"
"Daar zeg ik geen nee tegen," zei ze en accepteerde al glimlachend zijn voorstel.

Ver weg, maar dichterbij dan je denkt, glimlachte iemand tevreden en wendde zich van de spiegel af.
"Het ontwaken is begonnen," baste zijn stem. De man bleef staan toen hij een ander naderde, welke niet zo blij keek.
"Dat valt te bezien."
"Nee," zei de eerste weer. "Het is begonnen. Ik heb de juiste prins gestuurd."
De tweede snoof vol verachting. "Wat kan één prins nou helemaal uithalen?"
"Meer dan je denkt," antwoordde hij en draaide zich om naar de spiegel. "Meer dan je denkt."

Too Late

She was about to pick the cups and put them with the rest of the dishes, but never got to do that. As Garyl leant towards the crucial thing that was the centre of changes in her life, the lights went out.

Although she couldn’t move or talk, she was aware. Aware of the pain crossing through her veins, aware of the sounds by the door. Aware of Adras, cursing, getting away, coming back in clothes, screaming..

And when his hot tears fall on her skin, it felt like they would burn a hole. Garyl fluttered her eyelashes, then slowly tried to get up. She got a hand from Adras, though his touch felt not as good as before.

“Aaah,” she moaned. “What happened?”

Adras sat on the table, watching her like an insect in a box, and Garyl gave him an angry look.

“What?!”

“How do you feel?”

“In pain, and your presence doesn’t make it better.”

Surprisingly, he just nodded, as if expecting so.

“Garyl, you’ve just been poisoned.”

His words were so calm and so precise, that it took her a while to totally understand it.

“P-poisoned? How? What? Am I dying?”

“Not really… but, in a way, yes…”

Minutes passed and then Garyl felt what Adras had been trying to say. The pain slowly faded away, and all that remained was… a new Garyl.

Thirst made her fingers scratch the couch, overwhelmed instincts made her hiss at Adras. Then she backed away, jumped from the couch towards the door. Into the city she went.

Her eyes saw everything, her ears caught every noise, all the scents there was to smell, gathered in one big cloud of scents.

It was too much, way too much.

She ran. Ran until the city was a vague memory, until the only thing she heard was the wind and the only thing left to smell was tree and animals, and Garyl ran until her legs begged her to stop.

She understood it now.

If there were werewolves, then there also was the opposite.

Getting Later and Later

Although everything screamed to chase Mech down, Adras ignored his instincts and jumped down on the street. If he changed now, Adras would be a butt-naked man, and although there was no one around, he didn’t feel much for it.

So he struggled with the door in his wolfform, closed it when he finally made it in and then changed back. He didn’t hear the soft cursing sounds he’d been expecting to hear, so something was defiantly wrong.

Without worrying about his appearance anymore, he busted in, only to find nothing.

Adras took a closer look, and then he saw her.

Garyl laid half on the couch, half on the floor. Her dark hair in a fan-like form around her head, with a couple of strands on her cheek.

Although she looked peaceful, it was also unnatural static.

Cursing under his breath he laid her on the floor, trying to remember the first-aid lessons.

Appeased that she was still breathing, there was nothing more to do for waiting till she opened her eyes.

Adras went upstairs, knowing she had some of his clothes in case he would drop by. Dressed in jeans and sweater, he did another check on Garyl.

His eye caught the coffee cups on the table and with a bad feeling he picked up Garyls. With his nose almost in the cup, Adras sniffed.

With a scream so loud it would be noticed two blocks away he trashed the thing to the wall.

“NOOOOOOO!”

His chest went up and down quickly, as he knelt by Garyl yet again. Please, don’t let this be true!  

Still Sundayeve

Although surprised to see Mech, Garyl let him in anyway. Not much later they sat on her couch, sipping mocha coffee, and for a moment no one said anything. Garyl’s thoughts became a whirl in her head. She had to think about Adras, and the whole wolf-thing, yet here she was, drinking coffee with a friend she hadn’t spoken to in a while.

“So… how’s school?”

 Mech lifted a shoulder and dropped it again. “Same as usual, I guess. Not much going on lately and it’s quite boring without having you around.”

“Me? What –why?”

“Well… you always say something to a teacher what can make him explode, or start a debate that in fact ís interesting. Just the way you are… You really are a special girl, Garyl.”

She blushed, thought she felt little for Mech beside friendship. “Why- thank you,” she softly said.

And again silence crept over them, holding them in its grip for as long as it takes.

“Mech,” Garyl began, hesitantly.

“Hm?”

“Can I... I was thinking-..” she sighed. “Can I ask you something? As in... You won’t tell anyone, yet you’ll answer it truly?”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?” With a serious look on his face, Mech bended over.

Garyl played with the ruffles of her shirt a while, before she dared to ask.

“What… what do you think of Adras? Do you think that he really is my brother?”

He released a sigh as he leaned back on the couch. “So that is bothering you? Really? Why?”

“You know that homework piece we had to do about our family? I don’t know… It made me thinking. And of course Adras is nowhere near... So I just made something up. But I can’t get it out of my mind.” Her dark eyes glared at him. He didn’t know that she was telling him some lies, for she had told him many lies before this one. What else could she say? Hello, oh by the way, my brother is a werewolf? Ehr- no will do.

“I don’t know, Garyl. I mean, he didn’t really liked me so we never talked much. He seemed always so protective around you; it gave me the creeps, honestly. He somehow didn’t fit the picture quite well. So, if you’re saying he’s not your brother, yeah, I can believe it... There’s really something weird-isch with that dude, I’m telling ye!”

Whatever Garyl might have expected, the harsh reaction of Mech was not really on her top three.

“The one thing you can do is ask him yourself…”

He said it with such an ease that for a moment Garyl couldn’t believe that they were friends. Could he not see how this whole situation made her feel? Her eyes darkened and she drank the last of her coffee.

“Let me get you some more,” Mech offered and Garyl let him be.

He came back and gave her the cup, yet he waited till she met his gaze. “Garyl... I’m sorry if I... was a bit of an asshole... It’s just... Adras and I... we just can’t get along.”

She nodded. “Yeah,” she responded. “I know, and understand... it’s just harsh, you know?”

They drank some more and talked for a couple of hours, till Garyl was yawning and with a sly smile Mech stood up and left her, wishing her ‘sweet dreams’.

He got out and walked away, but not towards home, he had some business to attend to. In the centre of the city he found the man, just as he had promised Mech.

“Is it done?” the deep, dark voice came towards him, though the man hadn’t looked in his direction yet.

“Yes, I put it in her coffee, just as you asked me to.”

“Good,” the man nodded and pushed himself from the stone wall he was leaning on.

“Wait! You’d promised me…”

The man now turned towards Mech and let out a soft chuckle. “You really thought I would give you your sister back? No... She stays with me; until I’m sure you did what you had to.”

Then he turned again and with two steps he had disappeared in the dark night.

Chapter Four: Astonished

First she just stared at him in astonishment. Was he serious about this? Searching for the dragon together? It was strange even to hear him say ‘dragon’, since she had been living with the thought that she was the only one who knew.

“Eh, yeah, why not?”

Enthusiastically Mayth pointed at the road ahead. “I think we better hurry then, before the traces grow cold.”

Alea, of course, knew this and with a sigh she continued her way up. Mayth had no problem keeping up with her, and followed precisely in her trail. Somehow that annoyed her more than stopping and finding out that there were no more traces. They had just disappeared.

Alea sighed and turned around and started to go back when Mayth -again- came after her.

“Wait! Alea! Where you’re going?!”

“Home. It’s too late, that dragon is gone.” She didn’t wait for him, but she heard him following her downhill a couple of meters behind her.

He seemed to be sobbing about the disappeared traces, but Alea knew that there was a new chance tomorrow. With a bit of luck this dragon came back to this place again, and then she’d be waiting…

She succeeded to get in her little house without Mayth seeing the place. A bit disappointed though, she put her weapons away and started cooking dinner. It was still early, but she was hungry and cooking helped clearing her head. She thought about that strange boy, Mayth -what kind of name was that anyway?- and about school. Would she be in trouble? She didn’t cared much, but still… Mister Sellion wasn’t the most cooperative teacher alive, and Alea somehow felt he was going to make her life a bit harder.

When cooking was done she sat alone at the wooden table, eating fish, potatoes and carrots, while making her homework.

The rest of the evening nothing special happened.

When Alea woke it was still early. Yet she came out immediately, washed her face and body, got dressed, cleaned the house and made herself breakfast. She greeted the cat -which wasn’t hers, but he always came back so Alea named it Elden- and got out. It was quite a walk to school and the last thing she wanted was to arrive late. Most teachers didn’t mind her being absent so much, if she had good grades and schoolwork was done.

This brought her yet again to the topic ‘Sellion’. She had two hours today which he gave –in the morning. She sighed, there was nothing to do about it, and she really wasn’t planning on telling hím that she lived alone and had no parents. Nope, that really wasn’t much of an option. So she stood waiting at the classroom when the rest of her classmates started showing up, and not much later mister Sellion himself strode towards them. He gave her a weird, almost angry look but then something happened.

The hallway was almost empty now, and Alea could clearly see mister Caewan coming closer, and someone was following him, right behind, like he didn’t want to be seen.

Sellion gestured everybody inside and reluctantly so did Alea. She took her seat on the second row in the center of the class. It took some minutes but then Sellion came in and when Alea saw the person who was earlier hiding himself behind mister Caewan, she had to gasp for air...

Sunday II

So, she had found his mistake. Adras saw the girl leaving, and not long after that he watched Garyl going home. Softly he walked with her, as a true gentlemen, only he was in his wolf shape.

He thought about the girl he had taken for Garyl. He had never been so foolish as that night, and yet, he had to bite another human again, this time the right girl, but still… How was is possible that Garyl hadn’t changed? He wanted her to, and she wanted it sure as hell too.

His paws made soft patting sounds on the roofs until he reached Garyls place. He watched her going in, lights went on and Adras was just about to leave when he saw someone knocking on her front door. Not much later, Garyl appeared, a dark figure in a beam of light from the hallway.

“Oh, hi, Mech. What’s up?”

“Not much, haven’t seen you for a while now, wondered if you where alright.”

From across the street, and on top of a building, Adras heard everything and could even see her smiling.

“Yeah, just tired, so I thought I would skip some school and get some sleep. Wanna come in?”

Of course he wants to come in! he thought. Mech was a friend of Garyl, which he didn’t like. But Garyl insisted he was nice and that Mech was just the kind of friend she needed at school, so he had tried not to nag about it too often.

And, indeed, they went in. The delicate, bittersweet aroma of mocha coffee stirred his nose. He began to regret his decision of following her, instead of just talking to her.

Chapter Three - The Meeting

No! No, no, no and no! Why, oh why did I start about those dragons? Dragons are way too difficult.

Ah well, it can’t be changed now, can it?

I took another zip of my forest fruit tea with sugar and with a sigh I went back to my notebook.

It was almost four when Alea reached the place. With her hands on her hips she looked around. Strangely enough all the signs were gone. How could that have happened?

She walked around slowly, searching for the smallest trace, but there was nothing. Not one sound, not one clue, not even a slightest hint of a different waft.

Oh, you didn’t know? Dragons stink. Not just a bit, but they wear some sort of strange perfume, linked to their aura. And you really don’t want to know what a dragon smells like when it’s angry.

Alea decided to climb to the highest point, or at least a little bit higher than she was now, and maybe, just maybe she was lucky. While doing so she thought about everything Almarahn had taught her.  Which weapon in which fight, the plants and how they could be used for good and for bad, how to take care of herself and..

What was that?!

Slowly she stopped and then turned around. Alea was sure she had heard something. Like… the cracking of a branch when someone stood on it. There! She was sure she heard footsteps. And, indeed, someone came towards her, no longer hiding behind a rock.

His clothes looked ancient. No sneakers, no jeans no sweater. Long legs in a brown pants, no shoes for as far she could notice, a strong and muscled torso in a white undershirt. Blue eyes, bluer than anything she’d ever seen were locked on her.

“So, were you following me or what were you doing?” Alea asked.

“Looking for dragon signs.”

“WHAT?!”

“I was looking for dragon signs. Traces, you know.”

He spoke slowly, like to a child. His voice warm, velvet like, with a hint of the husky male voice he would get when he would grow older.

When his eyes wander of her face and saw the single-headed meteor hammer they hardened.

“What is that?”

“Why would you care?” Alea found her voice back. “You were following me, so I don’t owe you any answers. Who are you?!”

Those blue eyes, it looked like they were without an pupil, went back to her face again.

“I’m Mayth. And I wasn’t following you, I simply took the same route.”

“But you were hiding from me, so how would you explain that, Mayth?” The strange name made it hard for her to believe him, and even if she would, she wanted to know why and how he knew about the dragons.

“Because you look angry and with those weapons you carry… I didn’t want to take the risk to make you upset.”

Alea looked at the sky, thinking about what the boy said.

“What’s your name?”

“Alea.”

“Alea.” He tested it and seemed to be satisfied.

“Shall we search for the dragon together?” Mayth asked.

Chapter Two - The Story Starts

She didn’t even looked like a normal teenage girl. Although, teenage girl… She was nineteen already, but looked even older. Her black hair was short, it didn’t touch her shoulders and had red strands in it. Her pose was strong, her fierce grey eyes made people move without meaning so..

During daylight, well until it was 2 p.m., she was just a regular scholar and after that.. Nobody knew.

She disappeared  when the bell rang and wasn’t seen after that.

Alea Naryltheill was a true mystery. And she intended to keep it that way.

“Naryltheill. Do you have a minute?”

Usually, when teachers asked that, they meant half an hour, and she really hadn’t.

“I’m sorry, I really can’t stay long. I have to pick up my younger sister.” Not entirely true, but the part that he had to keep it short was the most important thing.

“Okay, okay…” mumbled the teacher.

She watched the other students dripping out of the classroom. They walked slowly, hoping to catch a word or two, for they had no idea why Alea had to stay.

“Sir?”

“You’re quite an impatient girl, are you not?”

“Yes, I am, but I already explained why.”

“Oh, but I’m not just talking about today, miss Naryltheill.”

The green eyes of mister Sellion locked into hers and didn’t let her gaze dazzle of.

“I think I don’t understand, sir.”

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Ehm…”

“You’re always gone whenever it has been 2 p.m. No matter if you have classes after that. I want to know why.”

“That are private reasons and you’re not my mentor. And now I have to go.” Alea stood up, her grey eyes were like stones when she gave him one last look before she walked away.

Out of the classroom, Alea ran as hard as she can. Out of the school, zigzag through streets, up the hill Veassen and to the next hill Revion. Between those hills was a little house, more a wooden shag then a home. But it was home to Alea.

She lived there alone, and that was something nobody needed to know. There was no younger sister, no brother, no parents; just her. And in her spare time she did something most people would call crazy. She hunted dragons.

Dragons were the very reason why there no longer was a younger sister and parents. And so she had learned to fear nothing, to fight everything she thought needed to be fought and to keep to herself. Those things were the only things that kept her alive. When she escaped from the fire -only 7 years old- she was taking in by a man, named Almarahn. Almarahn took care of her and taught her to fight. When Alea could take care of herself, he left her in this very town(Nughar) and disappeared, never to be found again.

She put on her harness and strong boots and arm pieces.  With a frown she stared at her weapon collection. Bow and arrow were good for game, but not for dragons. With a sword she had to come close… She took it any way, together with a single-headed meteor hammer. That would do.

The day before yesterday she had spot some signs, only three hills away. If she’d hurry she could make it long before nightfall.

Sunday

The echo of a hoarse laugh sounded spooky in the dark room. Bewildered and frightened the girl looked around, but in the dark, she could see little more than dark shapes. Then she heard something, or someone coming closer, and then stopping in front of her.

“Wh-what is happening? Who are you?”

Garyl looked down at the girl and smiled a creepy smile.

“That’s not really the correct question. More likely it would be: what am I doing here?”

The girl on the floor had enough anger inside to push the fear away and spit that question to Garyl.

“You are… well… my experiment, and the only thing we’ll have to do now, is waiting.”

“Wait for what? What kind of sick person are you?!”

Garyl bended over. “The worst,” she whispered, and again a soft laugh came over her lips.

The idea of testing the wolfpoison on another human being had popped up last week. She carefully avoided Adras, since he was acting weird and she really needed some time to think. Sooner or later, he would notice, though, that was inevitable. But now she was here, and the only thing that still needed to be tested was the changing. The kidnapping and biting was surprisingly easy, but that wasn’t really what this was about. Garyl needed to know if she was strong, or that the poison skipped more persons.

The girl on the floor looked like her. Dark hair, almost black eyes, a strong character/will, length, weight… It could’ve been her twin, if only they had the same parents. Garyl opened the curtains and a beam of light entered the darkness.

The girl squeezed her eyes, blinded by the sudden light. But soon after she opened them and looked around. She could see Garyl watching her and then she felt it. Her body shook by a sudden shiver.

Garyl frowned as she watched it. It couldn’t be! The wolf in her blood shouldn’t be that strong to pass it on, and she didn’t even have fangs!

But the other girl laughed and then, with bone breaking sounds it was done.

“You thought you could change me? Hah!”

“Nope, just testing something.” Garyl was surprised by the voice coming out of the dark wolf.

The girl walked towards Garyl, in a very threatening way. But Garyl stood firm and did not let her eyes wander off.

“So, you’re not scared, hmm? Too bad.” The girl turned her back on her and wanted to leave the building.

“Wait! Please… tell me who bit you,” Garyl begged.

“I don’t know. After he bit me he said he'd made a mistake; that he saw me for someone else.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, although Garyl was sure it was Adras they were talking about.

“He said that I wasn’t the girl he was looking for, the one he wants to be with.” The wolf looked at her in a way that she pitied that she wasn't the right one for the boy.. “But, I’m hungry, and you're not afraid, so I gotta run and find something to scare to death. But if I’ll see you again in my town I’ll rip your head off, understood?”

In a daze, Garyl nodded and watched the black shadow leave.

The one he wants to be with. The one he wants to be with.

The words sang over and over in her mind and confused Garyl turned home.

Saturnight

With pain in his heart, Adras let Garyl go. Her thoughts were almost written on her forehead and again he felt sorry for her. And for himself.
Was it fair of him to bit her? No. But somehow yes. 
He had been alone too, those four years. No one to share his deepest feelings with, no one really understood, not even the six other wolves. 
And although Garyl claimed that he wasn't there for her, he knew that that wasn't true. He'd always kept his eyes on her. Now he just wished that he could take it all back. But he couldn't. And that was something he had to live with.
With his hands in his pocket he slowly walked back. Since a couple of month his view on Garyl has changed. And now he had screwed it up. 
Garyl wanted to become a wolf so badly, it was almost frightening. Adras doubted his actions now, maybe she wasn't meant to be. If she wouldn't change, she could turn into a problem, into something very dangerous. And if so, it was his duty to stop her, a duty he wasn't sure about having the ability to fulfilling it.
He decided to go to her. Perhaps they could talk a bit more. Maybe he could even explain his loneliness to Garyl. 
His feet went faster and before he reached her house, he already knew something was wrong. There was no trace of her scent. He frowned and walked back, until he caught her scent again and followed it though alleys, lanes and many streets. 
"Why won't you leave me alone?" 
Her voice came from above and while he looked up, she jumped down. 
"I mean it, Adras. You've done enough!" Her dark eyes sparkled.
"I just wanted... I'm sorry, Garyl. I thought..."
"I don't care!"
His shoulders hung and for a couple of seconds he couldn't bare to look at her.
"Garyl, just..."
"Adras. You're not my brother. Don't pretend to care!"
"But I do care!" He yelled back, his hands became fists and Adras' eyes fixed on hers.
"I wanted us to be on the same line again, like we always were. That we could share everything again. That we were the same."
Garyl fell silent and uncertainly looked up at him.
"I know I was being selfish doing so, but you were lonely, and so was I, and..."
"It can never be the same, Adras. Never."
Her words, almost whispers came to him like punches.
And he had to watch her leave again.

Saturday

The wound was finally healed. Garyl realized that Adras had been kind to her; it could have been a lot worse. Luckily, these scars could be hidden under clothing. 

Her first bite marks were on her left arm and ran from her elbow till her fingers. You'd say that that wasn't a problem, but it was. It was spring time and really warm, so whenever she was outside, wearing a T-shirt, most people stared at the long, white, bit messy scars. Dog bite, she always said and then they dropped the topic. Some boys did quite like it though, which Garyl didn't understand at all, but she let them be.

However, her scars weren't the problem. At least, not today. No, she was just working on her homework. She had an assignment to write about her family. There wasn't much to write about. At young age she and Adras learned to take care of their selves. Their father was always away for work, or with other woman -she later found out- and mommy wasn’t much better. She worked as a librarian and when she wasn’t there she was working on her game addiction.

Since Adras was older, he was always protective over her, but that changed about four years ago. He was seventeen back then and on summer camp. When he came back, everything was different. He got mad quickly and more and more he left her alone. Garyl, one and a half year younger, didn’t understand at all at that time, but now she did. On that camp he was bitten.

There was just one problem with writing this assignment. She wasn’t quite sure that Adras was her brother. Both her parents had dark hair and eyes, and so had she, but Adras was blonde and had light blue eyes. Who was he, really? And why did he bite her? Is was like he had known she wouldn’t change…

Garyl sighed and walked around a bit, perhaps then the inspiration would come. She stopped in front of the mirror and stared at herself. It was like she could see the wolf in her glancing back. Quickly she walked back at her desk to write a bunch of lies.

“Adras?” She walked to a couple of boys sitting by a fire. That was one of the downsides of living here; at night there were fires everywhere.

“Garyl! Sis, where’s the beer?”

“In your stomach, I believe,” she said.

He smiled and stood up. “Coming already.”

Together they walked away.

“Adras, you have to tell me something,” seriously she looked him in the eyes. He was in his human form again, meaning that the days he was a wolf 24/7 were over.

“Sure, shoot.”

“Are we really brother and sister? And why did you bite me? I mean… It’s like you knew I wouldn’t change…”

“I hoped, I didn’t knew. It was hard for me, not to tell anyone, Garyl. And you and I… Well, we’ve always been together.”

Garyl made a ‘hmpf’sound. “No, we haven’t. I was on my own, the last four years, so don’t you dare say that! And why don’t you just answer my question?”

“Alright then…” Adras sighed and they walked a bit further, where they were really alone. There they sat, Garyl in tension and Adras with reluctance.

“No, we aren’t brother and sister, although we are some sort of family because I bit you, but you can forget about that. My mother placed me in your family for your sake.”

“For my sake?”

“Yeah. I come from a long line of werewolves, it was just a matter of time before I would change, but you… you were meant to be one, and you weren’t. We had to bond and I was supposed to make you one of ours as soon as I changed. But when I did…” Adras looked away. “I don’t know, I didn’t want it, although we could do more things together again, then. Later I saw how strong you had become, and..”

“You thought I was ready…”

“Indeed.”

“So, why did you hope that I wouldn’t change?”

He smiled sadly. “You don’t understand what it is to be a partly wolf, Garyl.”

“Yes, I do! I can feel it inside! I want it to come out, but it’s just.. hiding somehow.”

“Garyl! Don’t talk like that! Trust me, you don’t know anything!”

“Well you weren’t there to tell me, either!” she yelled back and pushed him in her anger. Adras fell on his back, but calmly came back up.

“That’s fair.” His voice was a soft whisper and Garyl looked at him. Something was different at him. The way he looked at her… there was something in his eyes she didn’t know.

“But if I was meant to be, why…”

“I don’t know, Garyl.”

Night after - Wednesday

Anger. Adras felt it, even though he was five miles away. He stopped suddenly and the wolf behind him could barely avoid bumping into him.

Adras, he growled, what the moon was that?

Garyl, Adras answered and looked in the direction where he came from. It was hunting time, and they always did that as a pack, never leaving one of its members behind. He hesitated.

Move! Hunt and feed yourselves. I’ll join later! And off he was.

Dirt flew by as Adras ran faster, his paws hardly touching the ground. He thought only about one thing: getting to Garyl, as quickly as possible.

He slipped and stopped. Garyl stood on the street, waiting for him. Adras tilted his head and frowned a wolf frown. The smile on Garyls face was… scary.

“So, you’re fast.”

He couldn’t change back but he hoped that his thoughts reached her. What’s going on?!

“It’s your fault I’m like this! I want you to take it back!”

I can’t. Once bitten, there’s no stopping.

Then there’s no stopping me, either!

He was just over his surprise about hearing her thoughts when Garyl stormed his way. Adras dodged her clawing hand and he growled.

Garyl! Don’t.

There was no use and this time he couldn’t… Garyls fist made him move to the left. But when she turned to hit him again, this time Adras was ready.

He stretched his legs and jumped for her throat. Garyl smacked to the ground, cracking the asphalt. His fangs sank into her shoulder with ease. Adras jerked back and stepped away, his yellow eyes fixed on the blood, dripping from her shoulder. Carefully he licked his lips. It was delicious...

But as if Adras blow was nothing, she stood up and looked at the wound. Garyl smiled.

Maybe this time it works, she ‘said’ and turned her back to him and walked away.

Adras knew it wouldn’t. 

From Two Months Ago Till Now

The full moon was fading. Yesterday night Adras went away and now Garyl was sitting on the roof of her home. It was cold, but she didn’t feel it. She didn’t feel cold since a month or two. And she wasn’t scared in the dark anymore.

Two months ago everything had changed. She was just a girl back then, very normal and like every normal girl she didn’t like walking in the dark.

That night she was attacked by something but soon after that she felt something. Something crawling through her veins. That night Garyl felt like she was finally alive.

From that night on she loved the night. She wasn’t scared for the dark, it was more like she belonged there.

And now she was here. Still normal from the outside. But she wasn’t and Garyl knew this. She was far from normal. She was just like her brother, only she was still human.

Jealous, she turned her head from the moon and climbed back through the window. If only she could turn into a wolf, follow her instinct, howl to the moon and run like the wind.

Two months ago she wouldn’t even think about that, but everything was different now.

Adras was of, running with his fellow wolves, and she was still trapped in this human body she would never leave.

The bite marks were still visible and Garyl looked at them with disgust but also with a secret smile. Somehow she’d always known she wasn’t like the others. And now she knew that that was true. She had survived the wolf in herself and now she was a sort of super developed creature. Garyl could hear more, move faster and more silent, and see farther than any human being.
The only thing she hadn’t tested yet was her strength…

Tonight

The moonlight reflected in her eyes. From where he was sitting he could follow her every move. It's been three days now. It's a miracle that she's still the way she is. 
Silent as the unexpected death he jumped to the next building. Although the girl was a walking miracle, that was exactly the reason why Adras had picked her. 
If she stays herself, that could be the answer. He hoped. And so he followed her, every day and night and almost every second of every minute.
Tonight, it must happen tonight.


He jumped to the ground and chased her through the streets. She was fast and smart, but with his years of experience she wasn't smart enough.. Or, was she?
Adras stopped in the shadow and smoothly he became 'one' with the brick wall against his back.
Not long after that the girl walked by, carefully glancing over her shoulder. Adras smiled. Not careful enough. He grabbed the girls arm and pinned her to the wall.
"Hello," he growled.
Eyes wide with terror the girl looked back. "It's... it's you!"
"Of course it's me!" Adras answered and his eyes became a bit yellow.
"But it's not about me tonight, it's about you. Do you remember anything about three nights back?"
"No..." she cried.
"Good. Now follow me." 
Hesitating she watched him walk away. Then she came, with a sigh.


At the edge of town Adras stopped and he felt his power growing. 
"You are special, girl."
"My name is Garyl, not girl."
"Garyl it is then. You know why?"
"Because I'm just as fast as you are and I'm still human."
"Precisely."
Adras' eyes became yellow and with a growl and a howl he changed. The enormous wolf before Garyl didn't scare her at all. She smiled and ran her fingers through his fur.
"Adras... Brother.."