Home? I had wondered, did we even have a home?
"Aria, this is Detective Sergeant Mark James and Detective Constable Caitlin McGowan," she pointed the two tall people in police uniforms next to her, "they're just here to speak to you."
She must've seen me looking worried because she then quickly added, "I'll just be at my bay if you need me, dear, you can press that button by the bed, ok dear?"
I bite down on my lower lip and nodded. I didn't deserve any kindness off of anyone.
The handsome police officer smiled at me warmly and sat down on the chair next to my bed whilst the young policewoman, who had an emotionless look on her pretty face went over to the desk and sat on the edge of it.
"Hello, I'm Detective Mark James, this is my colleague Detective Caitlin McGowan. We're here to ask you a few questions, there's nothing to worry about. Are you Aria Brown?" He asked.
I nodded again.
"How's your arm, Aria?" His intelligent eyes glanced over my broken arm.
"It's fine, thank you." I said quietly.
"How did it end up like that?" He asked as if he was genuinely curious.
"I was in a car accident." I looked at him in the eye. This was the answer my father told me to give if anyone asked.
"Who was in the car with you?" He returned my gaze, his tone of voice was soothing and tranquil as if he could hypnotise you and get you to tell him everything he wanted to know even your deepest and darkest secret.
"Me, my Dad and Uncle Colin."
"How old are you, Aria?"
"I'm 16."
"What school do you go to?" He was looking at me more intently now.
The questions were starting to get weird now, what did that have anything to do with the car accident? "I'm homeschooled."
Upon hearing her words, something changed inside Mark's brain, as if a far and distant memory had been unlocked. He studied the young woman in front of him as though he was truly seeing her for the first time.
She had the delicateness of a flower soon to blossom into full bloom. Her heart-shaped face was small and pale, along with the broken arm she also had a few small cuts and grazes on her cheeks and forehead, but even in a state she still managed to radiate natural beauty. She was small built and slightly waifish, her long black hair floated over her shoulders and her huge brown eyes had glints of fierce determination.
He could see her for exactly what she was, or perhaps more accurately who she was. All the telltale signs were there, all the travelling around and the homeschooling, it was strange to say this but she reminded him a lot of himself at that age.
If he hadn't been given a second chance as he did, then he would never have gone to Werewolf High, never became a police officer, he probably would've been found dead a long time ago. Now he wanted to reach out and help her, just like when a stranger had helped him all those years ago...
Ignoring DC McGowan's look of disapproval, he 'thanked' the young girl for her time and gave her his card.
As soon as they left the room, Caitlin McGowan didn't even pretend to hide her disapproval, "Detective James, that was a complete waste of time. I hope you know that she's lying."
Mark gave her a nonchalant shrug, "Lying about what, Detective McGowan? She's a young girl who has just been in a car accident. I'd be shaken too if I was in the same situation."
"She's 16, which is the legal age to give consent." Caitlin dismissed him. Mark James was well known in the CID, not just for his utter brilliance at solving crimes but also for his unruliness to follow rules. She didn't know if she had won the jackpot by being partnered up with him or drawn the short straw because he was like the last kid in P.E class that no one wanted to pick for their team!
"I need to go to the toilet, I'll meet you back in the car," Mark said, walking towards the bathroom.
Well, you shouldn't have drunk two cups of coffee then, should you? She wanted to say but didn't want to come across as being petty.
She'd definitely drawn the short straw. She decided, still huffing as she walked down the corridors.
Mark turned around to watch her leave and smiled to himself. She was easy on the eye, shame about the temper though.
Joseph Brown was surprised to see the Detective returning. "Is everything ok, Detective?"
Mark smiled at him, "Mr Brown, I've just spoken with your daughter, Aria. She's a very intelligent young lady."
Joseph blinked a few times to register his words, then smiled back at him. "Thank you."
"Have you thought about sending her to school?" Mark said.
"We home school." He said calmly.
There was a time when Joseph would worry constantly about social services taking her away because they didn't have a permanent address or that she didn't attend a real school but she was 16 now, she was free to choose where she wanted to be, no one could take her away.
"There's a school in West Sussex especially for kids like her..."
"Kids like her?" Joseph angrily dejected before Mark even finished his sentence. "There's nothing wrong with her."
Mark held his gaze, his voice was calm and collected, "Please let me finish, Werewolf High is a full boarding school for young werewolves..."
"She's not a werewolf!" Joseph managed to cut him off again. This was not entirely a lie, she has never transformed and she was only half werewolf. The werewolf gene was a recessive gene, when it is paired with the dominant human gene, it remains "inactive", she may never transform and remain a human for the rest of her life.
"Mr Brown, now you know as well as I do that the bullets used by the men who killed members of your pack were made of silver. Why would the average person use silver bullets? Lead bullets fired much better, has more power, not to mention much easier to get hold of."
Joseph's face paled. He knew what the Detective said was making sense, whoever sent the men knew they were werewolves, that's why they used silver bullets. They weren't out of the woods yet. Once they realise the two men hadn't returned then they would send in more men to hunt them down.
Mark was pleased to see Joseph understood the gravity of the situation. "Werewolf High is the only place on earth where no werewolf can be killed on its premises. It is perfectly safe, they have a signed treaty. The kids will be properly looked after and it's completely free. They can leave once they turn 18 and hopefully by then, they would've learnt something useful in the school and can fend for themselves."
"Who are you?" Joseph suddenly asked. What he wanted to know was why would he want to help them?
"I'm Detective Sergeant Mark James, some call me "The Werewolf Detective'." Mark laughed, his intelligent eyes sparkling.
"Does your colleagues know what you are?" Joseph still looked bewildered.
Mark chuckled before shrugging his shoulders, like a mischievous little boy, "I sometimes phone in sick or I put in a day's holiday, I mean, it's only one day per month, not a big deal. Soon there will be a time where werewolves can live and work alongside men without the fear of being found out."
"Thank you for helping us." Those words were truly heartfelt, he never would've expected a stranger to help them.
"No problem, I'll contact the Head Master today and they'll probably be in touch later today. They usually send two members of staff to do the interviews, that was what I remembered from my days anyway."
Joseph watched the man leave and thought hard about what he would say to Aria. She probably would think he was sending her away because he was angry with her, but even at that, she still had to go.
The Detective was right, those people would be bound to seek revenge and neither Colin nor him were in a position to protect her.
He got off the bed with difficulty, his right leg was fractured and had to be put into a cast. Every step he took felt painful but luckily he didn't have too far to travel.
****
I heard another knock on the door, thinking it was maybe those Detectives again I looked over uninterested. To my surprise, it was my father!
"Dad! What are you doing?" I practically jumped off the bed and ran over to him. "you shouldn't be walking around like that! Shall I go get you a wheelchair?"
"No, it's ok, Aria." He held onto my good arm. Sweat was already forming on his forehead as he struggled and limped over to the chair.
"Are you ok?" I asked. Him with his broken leg, me with my broken arm, if the situation wasn't so sad it would've been quite funny.
"I'm fine. There's something I wanted to speak to you about. For your own good, I've decided to send you to a boarding school in West Sussex..."
"You're sending me away?" I looked at him accusingly. It felt as if I'd just been slapped across the face.
"No, Aria, I'm not sending you away." He tried to explain but I could already feel myself starting to cry.
He was punishing me for what I did, I knew it, for all those deaths that I had caused.
"Don't cry, sweetheart. It's a school for young werewolves, the Detective went there himself."
Of course, it would have to be that stupid idiot Detective to come up with this bright idea! Why doesn't he just mind his own freaking business! He should be chopped up into a million pieces then fed to the dogs! I thought angrily.
"I'm not going." I repeated stubbornly, wiping my tears away, "you can tie me up but I'm not going." My wrist still bore the rope marks from earlier when those men had tied me up.
"Aria, you have to go. We can no longer keep you. My decision is final."
My jaw dropped in shock, those words were like a sharp knife stabbing me in the chest. I could feel the pain as if my heart was bleeding. They were casting me out of the pack because they no longer wanted me around.
He got up from the chair slowly using all of his upper body strength and walked out.
I continued to sit on the edge of my bed without even attempting to get up and help him. He probably wouldn't want my help anyway. I couldn't even look in his direction, it was too painful to watch him go. Once I heard the door shut, I started crying again.
When the Alpha tells you to leave, you do as you're told.