I was still disturbed by everything that had happened, Clary and I having the same dream, and discovering that Nemus was trying to get back to the school. But I refused to believe it.
I walked absentmindedly through the hallway, counting every step I took. Then I stopped at my locker to grab my books for the next class.
I took out my math notebook and textbook, placed the test result in my bag, and closed my locker.
I was about to leave when I bumped into Jesse, falling to the ground and dropping my books.
He looked spaced out, like he was in a hurry to get to somewhere.
He glanced down at me on the floor; his face wasn't as harsh as it used to be. It had softened a little.
"I'm sorry," he said, helping me up and picking up my books before handing them over.
I was surprised, seriously, did he just apologize? I was expecting him to sigh and walk away, but instead, he did the opposite.
It gave me a warm feeling inside.
As soon as I took the books from his hands, he dashed off without waiting for me to express my gratitude.
What's up with him?
Was all I could think about at that moment. I shook my head, so as not to entertain any thoughts, and I turned to leave.
A few minutes into class, I had an uncomfortable ache in my head, so I asked for an excuse and left for the bathroom.
When I got there, I turned on the tap and let the water flow, cupping my hands together to splash the water on my face to calm down.
I did this several times, then stopped, panting.
Images flashed before my eyes, I couldn't recognize them. I began hearing whispers and strange laughter. I could feel my eyes starting to close.
What is happening to me?
Suddenly, I stood still, my head tilted up. The black part of my eyes disappeared, and I saw myself running through the school hallway, being chased by an animal in human form. Then, all of a sudden, I snapped back to reality.
Panting, I turned the tap on again and splashed more water on my face. I must be going crazy.
Then, out of nowhere, I heard a sweet, angelic voice cut through the chaos in my mind, saying,
"Careful, you might hurt yourself."
I looked up to see who had spoken and saw Jennie in one corner of the bathroom, smoking.
She looked frustrated. The smell of smoke hit me, making me realize just how long she must have been standing there.
She stubbed out the cigarette after finishing it and threw it to the floor, then smiled at me.
"Is something wrong?"
"How long have you been there?" I blurted out.
"Long enough to tell you're going crazy," she said, walking over to turn off the running tap.
I wanted to ask if she knew what was happening to me, but I decided to leave it alone.
She returned to where she was standing, staring at the ceiling. I noticed something was bothering her, so I asked,
"What's going on up there?"
She looked at me, somewhat amazed, and let out a smirk.
"So you're suddenly interested in my business?"
I scoffed.
"I wouldn't say interested, just a bit curious about your sudden quietness."
I could have sworn I saw her frown, but she quickly replaced it with a sneer.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, the Jennie I've known these past few weeks is always out looking for trouble and breaking rules. This version of you is different."
She laughed loudly enough to be heard outside.
"Looks like you know me better than I know myself."
I glanced at the time, I had already spent half of the class period.
Smiling at her, I said,
"I like the new improvement. Keep it up," and I left.
When school was over, Pink and the others stayed back for practice, but I left.
As I stepped out of the school building, I spotted Jesse sitting alone at the school park. Seeing him gave me a fuzzy feeling inside, and since he'd been nice to me earlier, I decided to try my luck.
I approached him, and he didn't notice my presence until I waved in front of his face.
"Hello,"
He looked at me without showing any irritation.
"Hey."
My heart started pounding. I didn't know what to say; he was staring straight into my eyes.
Oh God, what do I say?
I kept asking myself that, then yelled inwardly, Say something!
"Erm... thanks for not ignoring me today," was all I managed to say. I felt like hitting myself, what was that?
"And?" he asked, still not showing any emotion.
"And..." I tried to think of something quickly, but before I could, he stood up, glanced at me briefly, and walked away without saying another word.
Fuck.
I felt so stupid. It would have been better if I hadn't approached him at all. I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed our awkward exchange, but everyone was too focused on what they were doing.
Sighing in embarrassment, I walked away.
That night, we went to a bowling alley to have some fun, and I decided to use the opportunity to clear my head.
The place was filled, but we managed to find a table.
"Three bottles of beer and a soft drink, please," Pink ordered.
"My parents are coming back this weekend," Clary said with a sigh. "They don't want to miss the games."
"Who are we playing against?" I asked.
"Alvin High School," Eska replied. "If we win, we make it to the semi finals and play against a college team. If we win that, we'll go to the nationals."
"That sounds intriguing," I said, almost in a whisper.
After a while, a young waitress came by with our drinks.
"Enjoy," she said with a smile and walked away.
Pink picked up a bottle, rising to her feet.
"Let's do shots. Whoever fails to knock out all the pins has to take a drink," she said with a grin. "Let's see who gets drunk first."
We all agreed, and the game began.
Clary was losing. I, on the other hand, was competing with Eska, and men, she was good. But I was better.
We played until we were exhausted, then took pictures and ordered some snacks.
A few minutes later, we heard howls.
"The wolves!" the shop owner alerted, already trembling. "They're here." He locked the doors, urging everyone outside to come in, then he and his staff closed the windows and turned off the lights.
The room became eerily quiet.
"What's happening?" I whispered to a guest at the next table.
"It's the night of the full moon," he replied in a fearful voice. "The wolves usually go on a hunt. It's best to stay hidden, or you'll become dinner."
One of the waitresses near the window said softly,
"The alpha."
Everyone gasped and hid under their tables, including us.
Pink was shivering with fear, and Clary held her close. Eska sat beside them, unfazed by the incident, probably because she's a vampire.
I crawled to where the waitress was and peered out the window.
I saw the beast on a rooftop, howling while its pack ravaged the street. It must be the alpha. I gasped, there were so many of them.
Suddenly, it stopped howling and looked directly in my direction, sending shivers down my spine. Before I knew what was happening, it was staring right into my eyes through the closed window. Its eyes glowed red. It was covered in fur like a wolf but stood like a man. I couldn't make out its face; it seemed to vibrate with its entire body.
"Terra, get out of there," I heard Eska say softly, trying not to be heard. But I was still, compelled to keep looking. Then, like a flash of light, it disappeared, like it was never there.
When it was gone, I collapsed to my knees, my eyes wide with shock. I couldn't make sense of it. It had happened so fast and caught me completely off guard.
"Are you okay?" a waiter asked, shaking me. He turned to the crowd. "She's not responding."
Pink gasped. I could see the fear on her face, it was almost like I could feel it.
The waiter kept shaking me until I fell to the floor, unable to feel my body. Tears streamed from my eyes as they slowly closed.
What's happening to me?