I sat with my legs tucked underneath me in a quiet corner of the ancient library, watching the rain patter down the window next to me. For the past few hours I've rotated between doing my readings, watching Vine compilations and exhale laughing through my nose, and listening to Spotify as I watched the rain.
I had an essay due tomorrow on the origin of the checks and balance system, but my mind kept wandering back to a certain friend of mine.
I hadn't spoken to Wick since our conversation. I actually hadn't even seen him, besides for a moment at a required assembly. He didn't show up to any of the lectures we shared, he didn't come to the movie night we all had, or the study session the twins hosted at their house. Fox and Nathan even avoided the subject when I asked them where he'd been.
I was doing fine in school, well, even. I had maintained a 4.0 throughout all my classes so far, and I was feeling just challenged enough. But as for my social life... I was beginning to get insecure. I thought that after we all stayed over at Kiera's house we'd become closer, like they'd welcomed me into their group, but with Wick now avoiding me, Jess and Kiera officially dating, and Kolt being busy all the time...
Maybe I'd assumed something that wasn't true. Maybe I had mistaken their kindness for friendship.
I closed my laptop and stood up to stretch. I needed to clear my head and get these obtrusive thoughts far away from me if I had any hope of finishing this paper. I put my stuff in my bag and stuffed it under my chair before I went on a little library stroll.
The stacks were pretty empty, which probably could be attributed to the fact that it was the Thursday afternoon before Hallo-weekend. The spooky holiday was tomorrow, and Jess and I had gone all out with our costumes. However, the emptiness could also be because of an assembly we were all required to attend this past Monday.
Mayor Arenthe, her husband Chief Arenthe, and the Dr. and Mr. Adams (Kiera and Kolt's) parents were among some of the members of the town council that stared us down from the stage of the packed lecture hall. They warned us all that while the culprit of the attack had been caught, it was imperative that we stick together and "maintain the pack no matter what." While the wording seemed a little extravagant to me, every other student I could see was nodding their heads solemnly. As I continued my survey of the crowd I found Wick's eyes staring right back at mine from the back of the hall. He was standing, and when he saw me he literally left. Like sheesh.
I didn't see anyone in the library at all as I continued my wandering, just trying to reset my mind. I found myself in the basement where the records and photographs of the town and university were kept. I'd never been down here, and the layer of dust and lack of light told me that this was a rarely utilized area. Then, as I rounded a corner, I heard voices coming from an empty study room. They were loud and emotional and I stopped right before the opening, unsure if I should keep going beyond the door or turn around. What I heard planted me into the ground and I couldn't move if I wanted to.
"What are you waiting for? They've made numerous threats to the council and the pack already, the Sunken Hollow's Beta was murdered yesterday, and the Blue Claw lost 8 of it's warriors during a border attack. And that's just in our region!" Fox's voice echoed through the room and carried down the hallway. Kolt's voice growled back at her outburst.
"He's waiting because she's not a Were yet. Just because the Vere think that Fayelle is back doesn't mean she's actually here."
"Lupin knows she's back, you can't deny it anymore, Wick. Jess had her suspicions before they met, Kiera and Kolt sensed it from one conversation. If we can all feel it too who knows who else realized it. Somehow, in someway, the Vere knows Fayelle is here, and until we figure out what they're planning, she's a target." Fox spoke with such conviction, such passion, I felt myself quiver with appreciation of her authority.
Then a sobbed growl ripped through the hallway and I felt my heart constrict for a second. Wick's shaky, unstable voice met my hears as his cries intensified.
"I don't know what to do, I know she's here. I know she's in there, Lupin has been warning me from the moment I saw her. I just can't put her in danger- or force her to be something if she's not ready." His voice trembled and I could hear his sobs.
I shouldn't be listening to this. This wasn't a conversation meant for my ears. I was eavesdropping and worse than that these were the people I was trying to call my friends. I turned around to sneak away when I heard Wick say:
"It's not just Lupin. I've never felt this before, but Fox, you know what this is like. I'm meant to be with her, everything about her makes me gravitate closer, I'm falling fast. And Rose has no idea what's going on cause she hasn't woken up."
I stumbled back and knocked into a cart of boxes. The cart clattered against the wall and by the time I looked back towards the doorway Wick was standing before me.
His eyes were bloodshot, and tears were visible on his cheeks and on stains on his shirt. His dark hair was messy and unkempt and his clothes looked wrinkled.
"Rose, wait..."
I was already rushing down the hall trying to make sense of what I'd heard. Or thought I'd heard. Just running from the situation in general.
I reached the stairs and took them two at a time, desperately trying to outrun my embarrassment and confusion.
"Rose, stop, please."
I paused on the landing and turned to find Wick standing at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the railing the other tangled in his hair.
"I can explain it all- I didn't want you to find out this way-"
"Is this just some big elaborate joke?" I cut him off sharply.
"Did you all decide it would be funny to freak me out with that stupid story- and, and now what?" I a tightness in my throat and refused to cry in front of him. In all honestly I had no idea what they were talking about, or if they even knew I was there. But it didn't feel like a coincidence that I had heard what I did.
"Rose, please, I can explain it all to you now... this is what she wanted, she wanted you to come down and hear this so that she could finally wake up!" Tears were now flowing from his eyes again, and I had to resist the innate urge to comfort him.
"Stop. Wick," I sighed, "I don't know what I heard, or what the fuck you're talking about, but I'm gonna go. Let's just pretend this didn't happen, and we don't need to act friendly anymore. You can tell Fox and Kolt the same thing. Just... just stay away from me and I'll stay away from you, okay?"
He stood there, his mouth slightly ajar as if he had more to say, and then slowly steeled his features.
"Okay."
And with that I continued up the stairs, grabbed my bag and headed to my room to rant to Jess.