As we enter the cafeteria everyone stares at us as they go quiet. "What the hell is going on?" Dani questions quietly as we go to a table.
"I have no idea," the five of us look around as Jack shrugs.
"Think it has something to do with Leo?" Riley suggests.
"Whatever the reason. It's fucking creepy!" Dani raises her voice as she says the last bit, so everyone can hear her.
"Speaking of Leo, he's not here. Neither is Kayla," I tell them.
"Maybe they got sick?" Lizzy shrugs.
"I don't think so," Dani says. "Kayla has never missed a day of school. Even when she was sick. She just wore a mask. She even threatened to sue the school if they tried getting her to leave, once."
"The only way she would ever miss school is if she physically can't go," Jack adds.
"Think it's something serious?" by now the cafeteria has gone back to the noisy place of students talking and eating.
"If she isn't back tomorrow, then I think it's serious." We talk about random stuff until the bell rings, and we all go to our classes. After school, we go our separate ways after agreeing to hang out tomorrow.
"Hey," Olivia says from the couch with Bree as Lizzy and I come in. Sarah is sleeping across both their laps.
"Hey," Lizzy and I say as we take our shoes off. As we step further into the house Olivia and Bree become more visible. Olivia's hair is shaved on one side and has a single blue streak in the front.
"Nice hair," Lizzy says as we join them on the couch.
"You look like a blond version of Skipper," I smile.
"Shut up," Olivia shoves me lightly.
"Don't get me wrong," I put my hands up in surrender. "It looks cool. I'm just stating a fact."
"Whatever," we all chuckle and watch the show that Olivia and Bree were watching. After a while, we go out to the trails to see if I can change into what I intend to. I get it a few times but all the others it's what I don't want. I also try to get used to the wolf as best I can, but it still feels awkward. I've had seven years of knowing how to maneuver as a dragon. How am I supposed to get the hang of being a wolf before Shawn pulls more shit?!
The next day goes by quickly until lunch. As we sit in the cafeteria everyone watches us again. Like we did something extremely stupid, and they all saw it. "Kayla and Leo aren't here again," Dani points out quietly.
"After school, we should stop by her house, see if she's there," Riley shrugs.
"Does anyone know where she lives?" Jack questions.
"I do. I took her home after the whole thing in the trails the other night," I explained what happened to them, but I must not have mentioned that I drove her back to her house.
"Oh, yeah," Dani nods.
"Is it true?" some guy comes over and looks directly at me and Lizzy. I think his name is Simon or something like that. Maybe, Theo? I have no idea.
We look at each other in confusion before I ask, "Is what true?"
"You don't know what's been going around?" we all shake our heads. He pulls out his phone and taps around for a few seconds before speaking again. "Someone posted these on Twitter saying it was you and someone you live with." He turns his phone to us to show three images. Two of them are on top while one sits below.
"Can I?" I nod to the phone, asking if I can take it for a second. He nods and I grab it. The picture on the left is of me and Bree while we were sparring the other day. It was as Dani and the others were coming down the trail and they were all laughing as Bree beat my ass. The image on the right is from Sunday. When I changed into the wolf instead of the dragon. How the hell did someone get these? The last picture is in the middle of changing. While my bones shift and crack. I look like some sort of alien thing. I have scaly patches and the only way you know it's me is from my barely visible face.
"What the fuck?" I set the phone on the table and run my hands through my hair.
"Holy shit," Jack says as they all look at the phone on the table.
"Who the fuck posted that?" Dani stands and the guy backs up a step.
"I-I don't know. It was just a random account. The only post was those pictures with the caption that it's you and some girl," he quickly says as I give him his phone back.
"Those aren't even real pictures. It's some guy that's good at editing," I lie. "Let's get some pizza or something." We quickly leave the cafeteria and get to our cars before anyone says anything.
"How the fuck did someone get those?" I pace in the space between my and Jack's trucks.
"I never saw anyone while we were out there," Lizzy says.
"Son of a bitch," I have to stop myself from kicking the tire of my truck as I realize. "It was Shawn. He shows up and disappears all the damn time."
"So, what do we do?" Dani asks.
"We find Kayla, then we can go to my house and figure something out," they nod, and we get our cars. They follow as I drive to Kayla's house. We get out of the cars when we stop in front of her house. Her car is sitting in the driveway as we go to the door. I knock and after a few seconds without an answer, I try again.
"Maybe she-"
"Quiet," I whisper as I hear something inside. It sounds like muffled screaming. I quickly try to open the door only to have the door be locked. I ram my shoulder into it, but it stays shut. I step back and kick the door as hard as I can but it still doesn't open.
"What are you doing?" Lizzy questions.
"Somethings going on in there." I kick at the door a few more times before it flies open. As we go in I follow the muffled yelling to a bedroom with light blue walls and posters all over.
"Kayla?!" Jack and Dani yell. She's in the corner of the room with a gag in her mouth and she has a rope tied around her wrists and ankles. Her face is stained with tears as her knees are close to her face. Her eyes are wide as she tries to yell something at us. Before we can comprehend anything, I'm being pushed against the wall harshly. Everyone jumps.
"Get Kayla and go!" I order before Leo hits my stomach, causing pain to shoot through me. Before he can hit me again I launch my fist into his nose as my friends help Kayla. Leo stumbles back as something tumbles off of the dresser next to us. I hit him again and again before he regains his balance and tries to charge me. I sidestep out of his way and let him hit the wall behind me before shoving him back into it as hard as I can. I hold him there firmly. "What the hell are you doing?!" I pull him away from the wall before shoving him back against it.
"What I'm supposed to!" He spits in my face. I ignore the disgusting action and continue
"So you're just going to take orders from Shawn?!" I throw him onto the floor. "That makes you just sick as he is!"
"Is that really a bad thing?" he smirks and gets up and manages to punch me in the eye before tripping me so he's above me. "Don't act like you aren't just like him. Like father, like son, right?" I grab his ankle and pull it out from under him before quickly moving so I can punch him.
"Stop!" he yells as I raise my hand. I pause. "Please, just leave. I won't try anything." He's crying at this point. I sigh and decide to believe him as I leave the house. Kayla is in Jack's truck with Riley as Dani, Jack and Lizzy walk toward me.
"We were about to go in and help," Dani says.
"How's Kayla?" I nod to the truck.
"She's fine. Just scared, I think," Jack answers.