Chapter Three, Part One.

I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine for the second time in under twenty-four hours. This could be slightly problematic.
After stretching like a cat, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. The room I was in was much more plush than the room I had been in earlier. I was stretched out under silky sheets and a black velvet coverlet stitched with silver in a big, four-posted canopy bed that sat against the wall in a spacious, elegantly decorated room that I viewed from behind a sheer black canopy. I slid out of bed and padded to the window, barefoot on the black marble floor. The night's cape was beginning to blow back in the face of the dawn, with a golden glow that purpled the hem. It was beautiful. I admired the view for a while before pulling the thick silver drapes shut in favor of exploring the rest of the room. The room was dimly lit by a few wall-mounted lanterns near the arched doorway. After coming across a large candle lighter sitting on a table near the doorway(A pretty strange thing to find in a room so medieval-looking), I lit a few more lanterns around the room. The room glowed.
Satisfied with the lighting, I proceeded to the armoire that stood against the wall across from the bed. I opened the doors of the closet-like top half and found lots of threads that I thought might wrinkle if I stared at them too hard. High maintenance? Not interested. I flipped through the hangers anyway and came upon a white button-up that was just sturdy enough to not crease at the touch. It seems weird to want to put on some random clothes I came across in a room I had never been in before, but somehow I felt comfortable doing it. The clothes in the armoire smelled familiar, but it was faint and I couldn't place the scent. All I knew was that it made me feel at home. I pulled out the white shirt and shut the doors. Still curious, I opened up the drawers below the doors and found a black waist corset with purple stitching. Further down, I found a pair of stretchy black pants. Whoever owned that wardrobe had really good taste. After closing the drawers, I swapped my clothes from the night before with the ones I had just pulled out of the armoire. Everything fit perfectly. How completely weird.
Not wanting to leave the room to explore the hall -or whatever was out there- quite yet, I walked back over to the curtains and stepped through them to the balcony. It wasn't too cold outside, just pleasant enough for me to leave my black jacket where it was on the bed. I stood at the balcony railing, looking out over the forest. From there, I could see all of the courtyard. It was as eerily still as the forest immediately surrounding it. There was no sound aside from the rustling of the leaves as the wind made its way through. No birdcalls or anything. It was a little creepy, like something wasn't right and the forest was holding its breath, waiting for the final straw.
"Quiet, isn't it?" a voice said softly by my ear.
I turned to see Vera a little too close to my face, bent down over my shoulder. "Yeah... Are you all that stealthy?"
"Most of us are," she laughed. "It comes with time and the turning. Figured out why it's so quiet?"
"I think so. The animals know there are wolves here."
"You've got it."
"Doesn't that make us look like the bad guys? Even though they could possibly be eaten, you can still find birds near the caves of bears and stuff."
She shrugged. "I don't know, hon. No one's ever asked me that, so I've never considered the answer."
"Oh... So, um, Aubrey said my Blood Trial is today."
"Yes. It will be tonight, after the moon rises. You will be kept from direct moonlight until you're on the table, though. The first turn is unpredictable, and we don't want you to cause any damage to yourself or anyone else." I made a face, and she smiled reassuringly in response. "It isn't bad. You're a Shadow Child, after all."
"Well, I think I'll go pass out for a few hours. It's probably better if I'm not drowsy during the Trial." I walked back through the curtains.
"Okay. See you later." She opened the door to leave, but stopped and turned back to me. "By the way, your mom's clothes look fantastic on you. You look a lot like her." And then she was gone.
My... Mom...? I turned to look back at the room. This must have been hers. She was here, maybe when she was my age...And these clothes were also hers. I smiled as I was struck with an inconsequential concern, and carefully took off her white shirt and put it back on the hanger in the armoire. Can't have sleep-wrinkled clothes at my Trial.
Back in my own shirt, I crawled back into the big bed and went to sleep.

End of Chapter Two.

Hey, all.
This first post for chapter three is going to be very long. Already, I have one and a half written pages, and I haven't hit a pause point yet. We'll see how this goes. I may have to devise a new system of when to stop each update.
But until then, I've been looking for a good publisher and have found a large list of them. These are publishers that have bought the rights of a book from the author, instead of having the author pay for them to print it.
However, if anyone knows any published authors who've had the rights bought from them as debut writers, it would be great if you'd let me know which publishing company it was. Thanks in advance.
If you can't leave me comments here, I'll be creating a MySpace to make this more available to everyone.
*Update: The MySpace URL is www.myspace.com/janelleavalon. Please add me if you have MySpace.

~Janelle

Chapter Two, Part Nine.

I looked at him blankly. "Uh...huh... So, my mother was a Pathguide? Was she royal, too?"
"Yes. She didn't need to become one, but with her nurturing personality, the position spoke to her. She was loved even by newborns who weren't technically under her guidance, just because she cared for everyone without regard to who they were."
"Oh, I remember her being that way," I smiled. "But I don't understand something. Why didn't she ever tell me about what I was? She had to have known."
"You were too young. She wanted to protect you from, as you put it so well, 'the stuff of nightmares'. She talked to me about it once, and asked me what I thought of telling you. I think the reason she asked me is because I turned when I was very young, because of the strong blood of the Alpha."
"She... She talked to you? But you can't have been much older than me!"
His eyes twinkled. "Oh, can't I?"
"...What?!"
"Well, princess, the way we age is much different than how humans age. We grow to our peak, and then stop. Unless acted upon by an outside force, we can live forever. So I," he smirked. "Am much older than I look."
"...Then how old are you?"
"I'm about 110, give or take," he said, casually plucking a blade of grass beside him.
My jaw dropped in stupefied shock for a few seconds before I pulled it together. "110... Well, uh, looking good, I guess." Wait a minute, what the-? "What?!" I exploded.
He laughed. "I always did look young for my age."
"That doesn't even cover it," I snorted.
"I suppose not."
"So, you attending the Academy is just a cover?"
"Basically. It also serves as a way for us to discreetly congregate the Shadow Children."
"So that's why Carmen and I are here."
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"Sneaky."
"So it is." he looked to the darkened sky. The stars stood out clearly like pinpricks in the navy blue velvet. "Do you have anything urgent scheduled tomorrow? Any tests or the like?"
"Nothing academic, but I need to take care of my sister."
"She's a big girl, Princess." he looked back at me. "We'll arrange for her to be looked after by one of the house-mothers in the elementary wing."
"Why?"
"Your Blood Trial is tomorrow, and you've stayed out rather late tonight," he answered. I opened my mouth to speak, but I lost the thread of what I was saying and shut it. "Well, it's tomorrow unless you want to try to forget what you are and what you've learned tonight. If that's the case, I wish you luck. You'll need it."
"No, no, that's not it." I yawned. "I think I'm just tired."
"And you have all the right in the world to be. It's late." He brushed a lock of hair out of my face as I yawned again. It was strange how tenderly he treated me. If I didn't know better... The thought trailed off as he whispered, "Good night, Princess."
The last thing I remember was foggy... I was being carried and tucked into a bed by someone who was tall, strong, and smelled like the woods after it rained.
I thought it was Aubrey.
But, then again, I could have been just dreaming.

Chapter Two, Part Eight.

"But I'm getting off-track," he said, breaking the line of discussion. "After their Pathguides assess them, New Bloods are brought before the Council, where they are evaluated, and then, if they pass, undergo a Blood Trial."
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"What exactly is a Pathguide?"
"A Pathguide is an older wolf whose responsibility is to determine whether or not a New Blood should be recommended, and mentor those who pass the Trial. Though we decide our own rulings, the Pathguides' recommendations are crucial in determining the future of the New Blood.
"Now, the Trial. During a Blood Trial, a New Blood is brought into the main chamber of the Den."
"The Den?"
"Yes. The Den is what we call this area within the ivy walls." I nodded, connecting the dots, and he continued. "This may panic you, but you must know the truth first off. The one at Trial is strapped to a table, where one of the Council members, usually Adellinde, will perform the Trial. She takes a knife and draws it across the top of the collarbone. It's very sharp, so, initially, the New Bloods don't react. Then comes the real Trial, the real Blood test. She uncorks a vial of vapor, and pours it into the cut.
"You see, the Human hunters and the Shadow Children -us- evolved slightly differently. Vapor causes extreme pain to us both, and forces us to change. The Hunters, however, change into black wolves. We, the Shadow Children, change into brown wolves. Additionally, our slightly divergent evolution led to our ability to stave off the change when we're out of direct moonlight during a full moon. The Hunters do not have that ability."
"What do you do if they turn out to be Human hunters? You don't kill them off, do you?"
"No, we don't. We've found that if we inject silver nitrate, a small dose, into the bloodstream, the change can be permanently halted."
"So wolves have an aversion to silver, like in the myths." He nodded. "What if there is a new Shadow Child who doesn't want to join... this?"
"Well, we never force anyone into joining the clan, but we don't take any steps to prevent their transformations. Without guidance, they will be unable to control their own bodies over their instincts. Suffice it to say, they all come back eventually."
"So there is no real choice."
"In the end, no."
"Oh..."
"What is it? Do you wish to deny your birthright?" He smiled to alleviate the heaviness of what he had said.
I smiled back crookedly. "I don't know my birthright."
"Ah, right. Well now, princess, first, you are of Shadow Child descent. Second, you are no ordinary wolf. You are of the Cavailier bloodline."
"What makes the Cavailiers so important?"
"They are the original bloodline. Our version of royalty." My jaw dropped. Carmen and me? Royalty?! He laughed at my expression. "Not even blooded, and you're already of pretty high rank."
"What about my sister? Is she royal too?"
"Well, she's still a little young. The Blood doesn't always present in all descendants of wolves, either. Some are born human. As for your sister... I really don't know for certain. I don't think so, just based on her appearance."
"Her appearance?"
"You haven't noticed? We all have dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin."
"Ohh." Carmen had a slightly darker complexion than I did, with black hair and brown eyes. "Oh! What's with the yellow eyes?"
He was caught off-guard by the question. "I didn't know you'd seen that."
"I saw yours, Rafael's, and... and mine."
"Yours? But you haven't undergone your first change yet; your eyes shouldn't be turning at all yet." I gave him a quick run-down of the dream I'd had. His expression hardened. "This is troubling. Proceed with caution, Athaliah. Our dreams are more than works of the imagination." He chuckled. "Maybe our princess is in need of a bodyguard."

Chapter Two, Part Seven.

The doors shut, and it was Aubrey and me alone. I felt my face flush as he gazed at me openly, then stepped away from his chair and walked closer.
"We haven't been formally introduced, have we? My name is Aubrey," he put out his hand, and I took it, to shake it, I thought. Instead, he went all old-timey gentleman on me and kissed my hand. My ears burned in response. "And we have met before."
"We... We have?" I stammered. He smiled, still holding my hand to his face.
"Yes. Mr. Conrich's AP American History class, third period?"
And then it clicked. That kid Trent and Brenner always picked on! It was him! How come he didn't make my heart beat at a million beats per second before?
"Oh my god! You?!" He gently released my hand, chuckling. "Sorry if this is out of line, but, ah, why are you such a pushover in there, when you're so high up on the food chain here?"
His chuckling crescendoed into a full-bodied laugh. "Because those jerks aren't worth it, Athaliah. It's worth more to me to ignore them, knowing I could easily dispatch them. Plus, it allowed me to watch your reaction, observe your character. And your temper." He winked at me. "You're kind of cute when you're mad."
Thrown off-guard by the small flirtation, I didn't answer. He continued. "Now, then. To address your history. Our history. And what it is to be of the Blood."
He turned and strode past me, opening the doors the same way Vera had. Still a bit dazed, it didn't really register that he wanted me to follow him until he turned back and beckoned.

He led me out, down a hallway, and into a courtyard within the building. Everyone else had disappeared into the other parts of the building, I assumed. Even though he was the Alpha, which I understood meant the leader of the group, I felt more at ease with him than with anyone else, even Vera, who I had instantly felt comfortable with. He sat on one of the wrought-iron benches sitting in a semicircle in the center and gestured me to follow suit. After thinking about it for a minute, I plunked myself down on the soft grass instead and grinned up at him, trying to avoid offending him. He didn't seem to get ruffled feathers too easily, though, and smiled back with a laugh.
"So, let's play a little Q and A," he said, moving from the bench onto the grass in front of me.
"Okay," I replied. "What is the importance of the Cavailier name?"
"Ah, the big question. Well, to first answer that one, I have to address a few other things first, such as what the Blood is."
"Well, that's good, because I was wondering about that, too."
He smiled, but not as widely as he had before. "The Blood is... Well, we're not sure exactly what it is. Scientists are more eager to disprove its existence than to find out what it is. But anyway. The Blood is passed on through infection and through mating. It causes a change in us. All of us. The first full moon after our Blood awakens in us, we transform for the first time. For a while, it occurs every full moon, but with time, with training, the change can be controlled at will."
"So you're... you're..."
"Go ahead, say it," he smiled.
"You're werewolves! Hell, if I have this Blood, then I'm a werewolf!"
"That's right. See, fairy tales all have some sort of truth to them."
"Don't you mean horror story?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Athaliah, we don't turn into mindless beasts who run rampant and rip people to shreds under a full moon."
"No, that isn't what I meant. Fairy tales are usually pixie dust, dancing babies, and pretty princesses in castle towers. What you are... What we are... Well, we're the stuff of nightmares." I curled up on the ground.
He sighed. "You're right. And it's sad that we've been painted that color." Stretching out his legs, he groaned. "But I can't say that our predecessors didn't earn the reputation. At least not truthfully." I looked at him questioningly, and he sighed again. "Our ancestors were brutal animals. They did, in fact, tear humans to pieces and feast on their flesh." I cringed. "But we evolved. A few of us developed past our primitive instincts, and broke off from the rest of the pack, choosing to coexist with humans instead of prey on them. The rest... Well, they ended up being hunted to extinction. Many by our own hands, some by the hands of the humans."
"You... You killed your own?" I asked in horror.
He looked at the ground. "We had to." he said softly. "Any rift will cause violence; all it needs is extremists to push war, and war will follow. There were many casualties on both sides, and many of us watched those we loved die." he pressed his fingers to his eyes, as if trying to block the memories. But why would he have memories? He was only about eighteen...Right...? "And so we vowed that it would never happen again. This is why we have the protocol for the New Bloods.
"Some wolves show very early that they would be hungry for the taste of flesh. Although many of us are opposed to the killing of humans, some show very early that they would hunt at every opportunity. Not all of us are able to responsibly bear the ability to kill. So we formed a Council. There is me, Rafael, who you already met, obviously," he raised an eyebrow. "I do want to hear about that, by the way." I shifted uncomfortably. "Adallinde, the girl who probably argued with him while you were there; Tassilo, the one who I was talking to before the Council was dismissed; Celestria, who usually holds her tongue unless her diplomatic skills are absolutely necessary; and Dionisia, who keeps documentation of Council meetings. The reason we repeat names and such is for her."
"These are all really far-out names. Am I going to get attacked for forgetting any of them?"
"They do have nicknames, you know," he laughed. "You probably already heard that Rafael goes by Ray sometimes, and Adallinde goes by Addy or Linde, Celestria goes by Cele, and Dionisia goes by Di. Tassilo and I are the only two without them, but you see me a lot," he winked. "And Tassilo's name is kind of hard to forget."
"But...But that doesn't answer the question..." I protested.
"It's alright, Lali," he said. "they won't hurt you. There's no reason to be freaked out; we're just wolves. Like you."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
"My mother always called me that because she thought it was cute that my sister couldn't pronounce my name." I whispered.
He didn't answer right away. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry about what happened to her. Your mother was an incredible woman... I miss her."
I reached for the pentagram I wore. "Me too." Then something registered. "Wait, how did you know my mother?"
"Ahh, nice catch. I wondered if you would notice." he smiled. "Yes, I knew your mother. She was my Pathguide when I was a New Blood."

Chapter Two, Part Six.

As my eyes adjusted to the low lamplight of the chamber, a long table covered by a thick linen tablecloth became visible. A group of older teenagers and some who looked a bit older, male and female, all clothed in velvet, leather, and lace. Their faces were blank, and they all shared the same light complexion and their eyes and hair were all colored similarly. It was like a creepy old horror movie. How cliche. My mouth twisted into a smile that I hid quickly. The "Council" that the girl had mentioned would probably not appreciate my humor.
"I humbly approach the Council with a New Blood," she said, kneeling beside me. As I looked at her, bewildered, she waved to me to kneel. I hurriedly followed her example.
"Vervain Chalmers, Pathguide, you are admitted, as is this New Blood," a slender girl with a ringing voice replied. "The Council will now convene." I looked to my companion, but her eyes were on the Council.
"Now that that's out of the way..." her serious expression dissolved, and she smiled. "Can't a couple of pretty ladies get some chairs?" What in the hell?! What happened to the seriousness?
"Vera, you really should abide by the rules better," grinned the guy who had attacked me earlier. Vera had said his name was Ray, and that he was the Beta. No excuse for being a jerk. As if he had heard my thoughts, he looked at me and winked. I almost toppled over in surprise, making his smile wider.
"Ahh, to hell with the rules," Vera said as she walked over to a corner of the room and brought over a couple of velvety chairs for the two of us. "Here, sit. This could take a while."
I obeyed. "I-, uh, do I have to ask permission to speak or something?" my voice sounded small in the large space, in sharp contrast to the other voices that had only just finished echoing.
"No, you don't," chimed the slender girl who had "admitted" Vera. She smiled kindly. "One thing first though. What is your name, just for the record?" Upon hearing the question, Ray smirked. Perhaps he was more informed than the rest of the Council.
"Athaliah Cavailier."
The girl's eyes widened. "Did...Did you say Cavailier?"
"Uh...Yes?" Even Vera was staring at me with eyes wide. Only Ray didn't react, aside from the smile that still played across his lips. He was kind of a creeper when he did that. Again, he reacted as if he had heard me, this time chuckling. Seriously creepy. The Council muttered to each other.
Vera turned to face me. "Do you fully grasp what you've just said?"
"What did I say...? Did I say something offensive or something?" Her jaw dropped. "Why are you staring at me like that?!"
"You don't know anything about your history, do you?"
"I... My what?"
The slender girl sitting at the Council table spoke up. "Rafael Cacciatore."
"Ye-es?" he answered slowly.
"Did you know of this girl's parentage before this assembly?"
"Adallinde Sebas," he accented every syllable mockingly. Either he didn't like her, or he didn't like protocol. "You, and all at this table, know that I research every New Blood in great detail before they are even aware that they carry the Blood."
"Why did you not inform us of the lineage of this one?"
His eyes sparked. "You seem to have forgotten that I am the Beta, and I answer to the Alpha, and only to the Alpha. I may be younger than you are, but I am not below you. You will do well to remember this fact." With every word, his eyes turned golden yellow, and his laid-back, know-it-all demeanor vanished, replaced with an icy anger. Adallinde stared back, chin jutted out stubbornly.
Suddenly, I felt as if I were intruding. The Council sat in silence during this exchange, some with an here-they-go-again vibe rolling off of them, some looking as uncomfortable as I felt.

The doors suddenly burst open, popping the tension like an overinflated balloon.
"I apologize for being so late. The gardeners were being extraordinarily nosy. Lucky them, they didn't get those noses bitten off, " quipped a tall, wiry boy who looked to be my age. He seemed so familiar. As he swept past me, he fixed his collar and buttoned his long trenchcoat. Pulling a leaf out of his long, wavy hair, he sat at a slightly elevated seat in the center of the table, Ray to his right. "Aubrey Champlain, Alpha, is in attendance. Now then," his velvety voice echoed around the room, sliding around every crack in the floor and walls. I bit my lip, trying to ignore how much I liked hearing him talk. Those annoying, giggly girls who would swoon over boys right after they asked them to "say more words" did not have the attitude I was trying to channel. "What's going on with this New Blood?"
Adallinde and Rafael sat in stubborn silence, glaring in opposite directions, away from each other. Way to act like two year olds, I thought, and Rafael smirked.
A deep male voice, issuing from a bulky older guy sitting at the end of the table, answered. "The Council has convened to discuss the birth of this New Blood."
The boy frowned. "Why did the Council deem it necessary to assemble so quickly?"
"Because this girl is Athaliah Cavailier."
"That makes it all the less necessary. She will be initiated immediately."
"What of her Blood Trial?"
The Alpha, Aubrey, stared at me, silent. Uncomfortable and completely confused, I raised my hand. He looked at me and smiled. "You don't need permission to talk, Athaliah."
I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, it um, it seems that everyone here knows something I don't."
He chuckled. "We know a lot that you don't, considering you obviously know nothing of your origins."
Gee thanks, I thought. Because I didn't feel inferior already. Ray snorted. Aubrey turned to him, then to Vera. "How long has he been doing that?"
She burst out laughing. "The whole time, sir."
"Dammit, Ray! The poor girl's already lost as it is and you're not helping!" he smacked the Beta lightly upside the head. I stared in shock. "Knock it off."
"Fine." he pouted like a toddler.
"Wh-?" I began to ask.
"He reads minds," Aubrey answered, grinning from ear to ear. "A neat parlor trick, but very annoying when he does it that much."
My jaw dropped. "He does what?!"
Most of the Council smiled, except for a grave-looking guy who had spoken to Aubrey earlier.
"Many of us have talents like that," he explained. "It's something that goes along with the transformation, for whatever reason."
"The...The what?"
He sat up straight. "You know what? I think I'll just have a conversation with you privately." My heart did a backflip. Talking to him? Alone? I think I'd rather not have a myocardial infarction. "The Council is adjourned."
"Good luck," Vera said, gripping my arm as she walked out. I stood up, moving to follow her, but she stopped me. "You have to talk to Aubrey," she smiled. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you." And then she was gone, with the rest of the Council.

Chapter Two, Part Five.

She smiled brilliantly again. Must be nice to be that cheery. "Anyway, you've slept for longer than we expected! It's time for you to meet the Alpha."
"The... The what?"
She stood up. Damn, she was a lot taller than I originally thought. "Come along, you'll find out soon enough."
I followed her out of the room. Even with my long legs, it was tough to keep up with her pace, and she seemed to be walking leisurely. There was definitely more to this girl than met the eye. As we walked to "meet the Alpha", whatever that meant, I looked around in an attempt to do some mental-mapping, but there were so many twists and other corridors that I lost track. Judging by the stained glass set into ceiling panels every so often, we were still in the cathedral-like building. We reached a set of doors with etchings across them and gold inlaid into the wood in ornate patterns. There were no doorknobs or handles or anything, just the decorations. I wondered how we would get in until she deliberately placed her palms flat on the door and leaned forward, so that her face was almost touching the wood. She breathed on it, and mumbled something incomprehensible but most definitely not English.
The doors rumbled open as she straightened up and stepped to the side, looking at me. "Go ahead." She smiled, noticing my hesitation. "It's okay; the Council won't bite. Unless you bite first, of course." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," I replied, sarcasm dripping off my lips.

Chapter Two, Part Four.

My eyes fluttered open. I was lying on a small cot in a darkened room, and the thrum of silence surrounded me like a thick blanket. I sat up quickly, throwing off the light coverlet that someone had placed over me.
"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty," drawled a feminine voice from a shadowy corner behind me. Startled, I leaped up, turning to face the source. A tall girl with copper curls tied into a tight ponytail winked at me, her athletic body slumped into a hard wooden chair. "Have a nice nap?" she grinned, her smile less threatening than the boy who'd knocked me out earlier. Then I remembered: The boy!
"What happened to that guy?" I asked hurriedly.
"What guy?" she answered slowly, tilting her head. "Oh! You mean Ray, don't you?" My mouth twisted in thought. He had never mentioned his name. "Tall, curly brown hair, wears lots of black and a pair of big boots?" I nodded, and she laughed. "Don't worry about him, honey. He's our Beta, and likes putting all of our babies to the test."
"'Our'? 'Babies'?" I asked.
She shook her head, face suddenly serious. "You don't-? Never mind. Not now. Everything will be explained to you later."
"Why later?"
"I can't be the one who tells you."

Author's Note:
Updating my own manuscript takes a lot of time, because I don't get a lot of opportunities to just sit and write. Sorry for the delay!
~Janelle

Chapter Two, Part Three.

My footfalls echoed as I walked across the cold marble floor. I had never before been here, but the same instinct that had called me from my bed sang "Home!" in my head.
"Welcome," a voice shattered the silence, echoing in the massive, empty space. It was deep and male, velvety soft and flavored with bittersweet dark chocolate. I whirled.
"Who are you?" my voice snapped sharply against the walls as I dropped defensively into a fighting stance, fists clenched.
"Come now, no need to be so skittish," crooned a tall boy, a year or two older than me, as he stepped into the square of moonlight that had been sneaking through a window. No wonder I hadn't seen him initially- he was clothed entirely in black: a black turtleneck and slacks over a heavy pair of motorcycle boots. What stood out, though, was his hair and eyes. He had dark, chestnut curls, and gleaming yellow eyes. "You don't know me, but I know all about you, Athaliah Cavailier."
I straightened up and stepped back uncertainly. "Wh- How do you know my name?"
He shook his head for a minute, eyes to the floor. I was getting even more nervous with each move he made.
"Like I said, Athaliah," his head snapped up with a predatory smile, "I know all about you."
And then he lunged at me, teeth bared, aimed right at my throat.
I dodged the attack reflexively, moving to the side and throwing a punch at his jaw in one smooth movement. He abruptly stopped his charge and caught my fist in his palm with a motion even more fluid than mine. "Very nice, for being untrained. A little time, and..." He chuckled. "We'll see." And then he pinched a nerve in my neck, and I passed out.

Chapter Two, Part Two.

I followed them deeper into the woods, beginning to gain my wits back. Curiouser and curiouser... Next thing, I'd be seeing a white rabbit with a pocket watch, and I'd follow it down a hole. I grinned at the thought.
We reached an open set of heavy wood doors, covered thickly with ivy. I looked around the arched entry; this was so deep in the forest, I had never caught a glimpse of it. The walls surrounding the courtyard we were entering were as covered in vines as the doors, and were covered in hairline cracks. The ground of the courtyard was barren, but still held a contrary, regal sort of beauty to it. Strange... The isolation of the area should have made it impossible to keep the plants neat. But the most striking thing about where we stood was not the ivy walls or mysterious courtyard, but the cathedral-like building standing in the dead center of the garden.
But this was no church.
In front of the doors, a tiled pentacle was inlaid into the ground, top point aimed at the threshold. My breath caught in my throat. It felt familiar, tugging at a part of me that I didn't understand. Gothic and dark, the symbol carried an air of power of secrecy, silent as the grave. This building called out to me, pulling me towards it, beckoning me closer. I obeyed.
As I walked towards the doors, the wolves fell into step behind me upon some silent signal from the leader. But I didn't notice.
With each step upon the pentacle, my body tingled from the soles of my feet to my fingertips, and chills ran up and down my spine. Reaching the doors, I placed my palms flat onto the wood, feeling them with every inch of skin, pushing them open.

Chapter Two, Part One.

The pack regarded me, unmoving. Frozen, I stared back.
Then the leader rose from its haunches and walked towards me. Breathing shallowly, I stepped backwards for each step it took forward. Suddenly, my heel caught on a tree root, and I fell on my back.
When it got close enough, it leaned its head towards my neck, and I'm almost sure my heart stopped. But, for some reason, it sniffed me, and didn't tear out my throat. My heart resumed beating after that.
It turned to the rest of the pack and barked something before walking away to join them. Another smaller wolf trotted over to me and looked me in the eyes, then at the pack, and then followed them as the group began to leave. It paused to look back at me, then back at them meaningfully. I got up and followed it, wondering why it wanted me to.
The moon illuminated the way, cutting through the trees.

Author's Note:
Happy, Paige?
I decided to alleviate a little of the vicious cliff-hanger.
More LATER.

End Of Chapter One.

Ha ha! A cliff-hanger!
Don't hate me, you guys. It read really well like this.
Okay, maybe not to you [*cough cough* PAIGE *cough cough*], but to me, it works.
And, don't worry, I won't leave it where it is for too long.

Thanks for reading!
~Janelle

Chapter One, Part Six.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, as did the rest of the week. There were no other strange dreams, and the boy's eyes stayed hazel. After that one tense day and the following night, I fell into a sense of security. It was just my imagination, after all.

Or at least that's what I thought.

Things had settled down, thought I hadn't forgotten about the nightmare. It had just receded to the back of my mind, and I only reflected on it when I saw any references to wolves, which there were a lot of around school for whatever reason.
Yeah, things were chill again.
At least, until one night about a month later.
I was out cold after a particularly tiring day, and Carmen was out on an over-night trip to the zoo. Sprawled facedown on my bed (Probably drooling into my pillow... Eew.), feet dangling off of one side of the bed and one arm off of the other, I was dreaming happily of snapping Trent in half when a long, drawn-out howl punched my eardrums from the other side of the closed window. My body went rigid, and I nearly fell off the bed. Clawing back onto the mattress, I was instantly alert, listening for answering calls.
It was strange; I wasn't afraid, although I should have been and knew it.
Back rigid, my ears strained for sound. Answering cries echoed through the trees. Something was going on out there.
I could feel an instinct tugging me, straining to shove that window open, jump through it, and run towards the source of the howls.
To answer the call.
I quickly dressed in jeans and a jacket, tying my hair up and pulling on leather calf boots. My mother's. A bolt of fear suddenly streaked up my spine, and I clutched the pentacle at my neck. Also my mother's. I don't know why, but doing that got me to shake off my fear. I kept going.
Locking the door behind me, I padded down the hallway, senses alert. Not a sound issued from the dormitory. The darkness felt like home. One strange thing after another.

Finally out of the building, I tilted my head back, breathing in the air. Everything was instinct, from my stride to my gaze. The moon stretched its silvery tendrils across my skin as I broke into a run, howls erupting in the forest.
I ran through the woods at breakneck speed. Never had I run that fast before. I hadn't even been in that forest before, but somehow I knew where to go, when to move to avoid obstacles and clearing which ones I could. The howling synchronized as I drew nearer.

After what felt like an eternity of running, I hit a clearing, and all sound deadened.
A pack of huge, russet wolves stared at me with yellow eyes.
In that moment, I knew.
I was an idiot. And I was going to die.