Carefully avoiding eye contact, I grabbed a chair and had a seat.
"You know if you continue boring a hole through my head I might not be able to get home safely," I smirked. He spun the chair so I could face him.
"I thought I told you not to leave the room."
"You did. But I didn't leave the room! I left the house via the room." I said, grabbing a cup from the bartender.
"You don't drink while I'm talking to you." Hunter grabbed the cup and put it down with a heavy thud and spilt some on the contents. "You-" He was interrupted by a group of people calling his name. "Stay with Claire." He said before getting up to meet the people calling him.
I looked up to see Claire dancing at the table. I joined the people clapping for her. Before I knew what was happening Claire pulled me up to dance with her.
"Dance!" She shouted to me over the booming music.
"Don't know how to," I shouted back.
"C'mon, everyone knows how to!" She bumped her hips with mine
"I'm not everyone. " I stated the obvious with an eye roll.
"Yeah. I know. Not everyone breaks Hunter's glasses for punishment."
"That was by accident."
"Yeah right. Just move your body like so..." She shook her hips and I followed. "You're too stiff. Something more like..." She shook her whole body and I copied. "Yeah. Better now dance." I closed my eyes and let the music take control. Once the song ended Claire and I took a bow. I was about to hop off the table when Claire grabbed my hand.
"Have you ever been crowd surfing?" I shook my head. "Do you wanna?" I shook my head vigorously in the negative. "Too bad! On the count of three jumps! 3!" We both jumped and I closed my eyes for the fear of meeting with the cold tiles. Fortunately, I was caught by a load of people.
"That wasn't too bad now was it?"
"Nope. This is fun!"
"Sure it is."
"Claire, a woman from Hunter's house says she said her best wishes," I remember.
"There are many women who go to Hunter's house. I'm sure you have heard. He's a team player, but just without the team part." Yeah, I'm pretty much aware. At school, he's crowned, Baddie king, Hotshot, The single-player, The hooker, girls' guy. You name it, He's it." You've got to describe her, Short? Tall? Pretty? Fine? Hottie?"
"This one is pretty...old. She has a Scottish accent."
"Oh Nah Nah Nah. This one Is different. Grace. She's Scottish but has lived in America for a long time. She was there when Hunter was born. I send my best wishes back. It's been a while though."
I relaxed listening to the heavy thump of the music and the comforting flow of hands.
"Claire, thank you for making me do this." When I don't get a reply, I look around I don't see Claire. "Claire?" I shouted getting down. I walked over to the pool and all I got was to get my eyes tortured by the site of merciless grinding. I turned and entered the elevator and pressed the button to go up. Remembering the way, I walked through the hallway and out the door. Walking towards the fountain from earlier on, a gust of cold air hit my face making me realize that I was crying.
Why? Why did it hurt so much when she left me? It's not as if I'm important to her. If I left her would she be crying? I get I can't blame her, no one would want to stay with me, not even my parents.
I sat on the rim of the fountain and ran my fingers through the water.
What's so detestable about me is that everyone wants to stay away from me like I'm a virus.
I looked into the water and instead of seeing my reflection, I saw the reflection of the wolf I saw in my dream. What's her name again?
"Victoria Beckham," Says the voice I've been hearing, I look around and saw nobody. I looked back into the water and the wolf spoke to me. " I'm Victoria Beckham, your wolf. Every werewolf has their wolf and I'm yours." "Every werewolf is tethered by their wolf and can hear each other's thoughts."
"Hey!" Someone shouted from behind me.
"Aah!" I screamed, falling into the water. I removed the hair scattered all over my face to see the sandpaper-haired boy from the pool laughing. "Ha Ha laugh it up," I said sarcasm evident in my voice. "Now help me up bozo," I said while stretching my hand for him to take.
"Who still says, bozo? I mean..." The boy said reaching for my hand. I smirked at the gruesome plan I had brewing in my head while the boy continued babbling away. Once he got hold of my hand I pulled him into the water.
"Do you realize how cold the weather is?" He said glowering at me.
"You should've thought about that before you scared me into the water!" I shot back.
"I just said 'hey', as a normal person would! And I wasn't the one talking to the water!"
"You didn't just say 'hey', you shouted it LIKE.A.MANIAC, and FYI I wasn't talking to the water!"
"Then what were you doing? Talking to your reflection and expecting it to respond? That's even worse!" He folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes.
"I don't even know your name and we are already arguing."
"Fine. Ash Finner a.k.a Mayhem. 18years. You?"
"Okay, Ashie. I'm Eleanor Florence a.k.a Eleanor. 16years."
"Good now introductions are done can we go back to arguing?"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"That last fine wasn't necessary." We sat in the freezing water just glaring at each other when suddenly we started to laugh.
"We. Better. Get. Inside. Before. We. Catch. A. Cold." I said in between laughs.
"Good. People. Are. Already. Coming. Out." I turned back to see a load of people pouring out of the house.
"Okay let's go," I said as I stepped over the rim of the fountain unto the patch, then helped Ash out.
"Why is your nickname Mayhem?" I asked as we walked towards the house.
"I guess I kinda earned the name. Everywhere I go Mayhem seems to follow."
"Well, I'd say." I snorted.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." I quickened my steps.
"Nah! You said something. What?" He laughed
"Nothing." And soon enough we were running up the stairs taking it two by two. "You can't catch me!" I shouted.
"We'll see about that." He said laughing. I looked back to see he was catching up when I bumped into someone. I was about to apologize until I saw who it was.
"Are you ready?" Hunter asked whoever was behind me. I turned to see Ash with his hair still dripping wet and his clothes clinging to his body showcasing his total hotness.
"Yes, pretty much," Ash said.
"What about your clothes?" Hunter inquired.
"Oh don't worry I won't be needing them soon enough," Ash said, waving his hand and letting out a laugh. His laugh... It sounded like sleigh bells, harps, rushing rivers, any wonderful sound you could think of. He made eye contact and I looked away. I noticed he was making his way over to me.
Leaning into my neck, he whispered, placing his hands on my upper arms.
"Hey, El?" He breathed, his hot breath fanning my neck.
"Mhn?"
"I caught you and stop ogling at me."
"I wasn't ogling."
"Shh. I saw you. I know I'm hot."
"Ya full of yourself, aren't ya?" I prodded his chest. " And Hot breath for a cold-weather don't you think? Also, can we for a second discuss whatever you just called me? El, seriously? It sounds like L. You know? The letter?!"
He moved back with a hint of mischief in his eyes, removing his hands from their position, and started to laugh, again. I rolled my eyes at the boy in front of me.
"I mean you call me Ashie for Christ's sake! Can't I create one for you?" He said giving me puppy dog eyes. Now he was just standing in between total hotness and absolute cuteness.
"Yo-you can but at least make it reasonable!" I said.
I felt someone's hands on both sides of my waist, immediately tensing at the contact made.
"Eleanor," Hunter said my name as if he was testing how it sounded with his British accent. This time I couldn't respond. "I and a handful of people have been watching you argue with Mayhem., it's kind of cute and all but I have a lot of things planned for the next six hours, and punishing you for disobedience is topping my list." His breath was a hundred times hotter than Ash's but it still sends shivers down my spine.
"What are you going to do? Bite me?"
"I could add that to the list of suggestions but remind me when we get home, will you?" He replied, moving me out of his way.
"Eleanor!" I heard someone call, turning I saw who it was.
"Claire." I groaned with mock excitement from how tired I was. Soon the tiredness changed to anger then to sadness.
"What?" I asked in a monotone voice once she got to me.
"I've been looking for you everywhere!" She said hugging me.
"Really?" I drawled.
"Yes...you don't believe me do you?"
"Ya think? You left me without even a warning." I boomed. " But I guess it doesn't matter because we only just met and you wouldn't even care if I died." At the end of my tantrum, I noticed her arm was bleeding, "What happened?"
"Oh, I just fell." Her voice dripping with sarcasm and venom.
"When? where?" I asked moving closer to her.
She rose her non-bleeding arm, stopping me from moving forward, and shrugged, "When we went crowd surfing. See, I didn't leave you, at least not on purpose, I fell and hurt myself. You just jumped to conclusions. I hope you aren't like this all the time." She walked down the stairs, leaving me guilty and cold. "Max! I'm bleeding again!"
"El are you coming?"I looked down to see Ash at the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah. I'm coming." I said then hurried down the stairs and stood in front of Ash. It was cold.
"You're cold, aren't ya?" Ash said eyeing my face.
"How do you know?"
"Your lips are pale white and they are trembling. Cherry! Please get a coat from inside." A few moments later, a girl with jet black her and cold blue eyes came out holding a coat.
"Who's she?" The girl asked.
"Eleanor," I said jutting my hand out for a handshake. She eyed my hand suspiciously, making me put it back in its former position.
"Cherry." She said before shoving the coat into Ash's arms. "Wait, aren't you the girl Claire is looking for?"
"I am but I've seen her," I said thinking back to the moments past. I was so inconsiderate, she was bleeding and all I could do was throw a tantrum about how I thought she left me.
"Okay. Better be careful, Claire is closer to you than she is to other people she just met." And with that, she walked away.
I felt a warm hand on my shoulder as I watched Cherry walk over to a group of people leaving the gate.
"El, you good?" His warm brown eyes bore into mine.
"Yeah. How is your hand still warm?" I asked, taking the coat from him. It was a familiar scent but I just couldn't place my finger on it.
"I told you El, I goddamn hot." He said smirking. "And also I've been rubbing my palms together." His smirk morphed into a cheeky grin.
"Okay. Your coat smells heavenly." I started my assumption whilst wearing the coat.
"It isn't mine." He said as we followed a handful of people behind the house.
"Whose?" I asked buttoning up the coat.
"Hunter's " I stopped in my tracks.
'What?" I looked ahead and saw the person the voice belonged to.
"Well well well, speak of the devil and he shall arrive," Ash said.
"Isn't that my coat?" Hunter asked eyeing the coat.
"I could take it off if you want!" I said and started to unbutton it.
"No, keep it on. You look cold."
"Your coat smells nice. " I blurted out before I could stop myself.
He looked at me awkwardly, and with that, he walked away to join a pack of people behind the house.
What's up with him? I thought.
"He doesn't take compliments well," Ash stated, answering my thoughts.
We finally got to where the others were. Once again, I was beside Hunter.
"Ready?" He roared. Everyone, excluding me, replied with a nod of their head. There had to be at least 21 people there but I could only Identify Claire, Andrew, Hunter and Ash, The rest were foreign to me.
They all shifted into werewolves. I. WAS. AWESTRUCK. Some had white fur, others black.
You can't shift yet, can you? I heard Hunter's voice but when I looked at him he hadn't spoken.
Just because I'm not visibly talking doesn't mean we can't communicate. Just think and I'll hear. It's called Tethering.
Uh okay. And yes, I can't shift. I thought awkwardly.
Okay, get on.
I looked at him and he lowered himself. I got on and gripped his jet black fur tightly
Would you release your grip?
I loosed my grip and relaxed taking in his scent.
Ready?
Yeah.
Soon enough we were galloping down the hill behind the house as the wind whipped my hair around. I laugh because I was having so much fun.
Fuck. Came Hunter's voice in my head.
You know I can still hear your thoughts? I notified him
Fuck.
After minutes later we came to a stop at a castle that was in ruins.
"What are we doing here?" I thought aloud.
Hunter lowered himself and I got off and waited patiently as they went behind the house.
You might want to go inside. Hunter tethered.
I looked at the ruined castle and looked back at Hunter to see if I had any more options but he wasn't there anymore. I rushed to the door, not wanting to be left outside alone.
The inside was contrary to the outside. Gold embroidered seats, Huge flat-screen TV, a chandelier hung from the ceiling, a glass dining set...
"Maybe I will be of assistance?" I was interrupted by a girl with emerald green eyes, green streaks in her black hair and full pink lips. She was adorned with flowers on her wrist, ankles and hips.
"Venus, don't worry she's with me. " Hunter's voice echoed through the room
"Hunter!" Venus screamed, partially deafening me, and skipped to Hunter with her pumps making sounds on the tiled floor and her knee-length green dress jumping to expose her thighs. She hugged him and he hugged back, something I never thought he would do in a thousand centuries. "Where is your coat?" She asked detaching from him.
"It's with her." He said motioning to me.
"Who is she?" Venus asked, looking at me as if I sinned by wearing Hunter's coat.
"She's Eleanor, a...a...a...a...a...friend?" He finally completed his sentence. I glared at him before nodding. "So Venus, what did I miss?"
The two were acting as if I never existed... They started to walk into the living room, talking about the most random things.
"I'm going outside," I said leaving the possible couple to catch up.
"You might not want to do that," Hunter said.
"Why is that?" I asked.
He seemed to suddenly be annoyed, by the look he was giving me.
"You full of questions aye? You should go outside and see for yourself. If you see anyone butt-naked don't come back saying you are blind."
"You're quite cocky, aren't you?" I asked him with my hands on my hips.
"Probably I am but I'm not the one with their hands on the hips." He said walking towards me.
"Oh shut up. You annoy me. Pig."
"Oh, I annoy you?"
"Yes, dog you do."
"Goat"
"Whale"
"Hen."
"Gorilla"
"Chick-"
"Thanks," I said without letting him complete his word.
"You are tiresome." He said then walked back to Venus and sat beside her.
I guess I have to third wheel. I groaned before sitting on the floor in front of the TV.