Episode 10

Narrated by Elizabeth

It's been three months since I started school, and it's not time to boast, but I have perfect grades. I have a few friends, but my best friend is Samuel. This weekend, I invited him to my house along with some other classmates. We're having a small pool party, which of course was my aunt's idea—I would have only invited Samuel otherwise.

Everything is ready at the pool; we're just waiting for the people to arrive. My uncle has set up a tent near the pool with food and drinks. I think it will be fun having the gang here.

We're all playing, the music is loud, but of course, my aunt is keeping an eye on everyone. It’s lunchtime, and my uncle has prepared a barbecue, and for dessert, my aunt made milkshakes. I hate them—not the taste, but the bad feeling they bring me.

"Auntie, you know I don't like milkshakes?"

"I brought you a piece of cake with ice cream instead." Much better.

"Thanks, Aunt Emmy."

After lunch, everyone took a break before playing volleyball. My uncle miscalculated; he only put up five hammocks, and we are six. Since I don't have a hammock, I will ask Samuel to share his.

"Is there room for me there?"

"With the way you are, no, I would be squashed," he says and starts laughing like a fool by himself.

"Very funny, you'll pay for that remark," I say as he continues laughing uncontrollably. I approach, grab the edge of the hammock, and tip it over with him inside. I fall sitting and laugh so hard my stomach hurts.

"I told you you would pay."

"I was only joking. You know you're beautiful, and I would share even my life with you," his comment makes me blush. He gets up, sits back in the hammock, and I sit beside him. As the hammock swings, I fall asleep.

Dreaming

I thought I was still in the hammock, but now I'm walking around the pool area, which is strange because there is no one in sight.

"Eliz... Elizabeth," I heard someone calling, but it's far away, and I can't tell where the voice is coming from.

"Who's there?" I ask, only to hear my name called out again.

When I look toward the orchard, I see Athos and assume I am dreaming.

I head toward him, not fighting the dream anymore. I've learned that it's a part of me, and if I want to find myself, I can't run from myself.

"Hi, Athos," I say with a huge smile.

"Hello, Eliz. You seem happy."

"I am very, very happy."

"That's good. I like to see you smiling."

"I've finally accepted that I can't run from myself anymore," he looks at me, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"I wouldn't let anyone get too close to me before, but now I have some friends and my best friend, Samuel. He's always by my side, so soon I won't need imaginary friends anymore." That's what Athos is.

"I am real," he exclaims. I'm not going to contradict him; he'll probably disappear over time.

"If you say so, I believe you," I lie to an hallucination.

"Where did you make these friends?"

"Where people my age do, at school."

"Could you tell me the name of your school?" He lives in my head and doesn't even know that. My friend is really fading from my life, which is both good and sad.

"My school is called Waldo..." I'm interrupted.

End of dream

"Elizabeth, come on, wake up," I open my eyes slowly to see Samuel shaking me.

"Hmm?"

"You're drooling on my shoulder," he says, holding back a laugh.

I jump up, startled.

"I don't drool in my sleep," I say, annoyed.

"You didn't drool; I just wanted you to wake up." He pats my head as if I were a puppy.

"Let's go, Elizabeth. It’s volleyball time, and then the others are leaving."

"Okay, I'm getting up."

I've slept so long it’s already 3 in the afternoon. We head to the improvised court for girls vs. boys volleyball. We play for two hours, and of course, the girls win. Aunt Emmy prepares an afternoon snack before everyone leaves, and all say their goodbyes.

The only one who stays is Samuel. His father has traveled, and he will be staying until Monday. He brought his video game to play with me. We set it up on the living room TV and play until midnight. We would have played longer, but my aunt insists we go to bed since we have school early in the morning.

"I wish this weekend would never end—it was the best of my life."

"Good night," I say as I head to my room...

Feeling cheerful, I get ready and go down for breakfast, where I bump into my uncle, which is a miracle.

"Good morning, Uncle John," he smiles back.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," he returns my greeting with a strong hug, which is odd.

"I got up earlier just to hug you."

"Why?" I ask, knowing he always wakes up at 7 in the morning, which is why I never see him.

"I felt I needed to show you how much I love you." It's confusing, but alright, I also miss seeing him in the morning.

"I love you too, as if you were my father." He gets emotional and cries while still hugging me.

After he lets me go, I finish my breakfast, give a tight hug to my aunt (it seems today is hug day, and no one told me), and grab Samuel by the hand, dragging him out before she can hug him too—I'm just a bit jealous.

We arrive at the bus stop just as the bus pulls up.

"One more minute and we would have had a day off," I say, laughing at Samuel's disappointed face.

We're the first to enter the classroom as always. I sit in my usual spot to watch the wind blow through the trees, lost in thought.

Narrated by Samuel

I hated school, being a wolf among humans made me feel out of place, but I adapted after meeting Elizabeth. She was like a beacon of light; she has a family of wolves, even though she's unaware of that, and this makes me feel comfortable around her. I promised not to tell her about being a wolf, but it's like lying.

It's just the two of us in the classroom. As always, she arrives and stares out the window, so lost in thought I could yell and she wouldn't hear me. I hear the door open and see Manuela entering, spewing her venom.

"Wow, the retard is already gazing at nothing." Manuela always picks on her, and the worst part is I can't do anything because if I lose control, I might end up killing her.

Manuela sits behind Elizabeth and starts pulling her hair. I'm angry now.

"Manuela, leave Elizabeth alone," I say, trying to stop the harassment.

"Samuel, let her. I don't care what she does or says to me," Elizabeth remains silent, gazing outside.

Unexpectantly, Manuela takes things too far.

"You think you're so special, but you're a retard who was even in a sanatorium for being crazy." She pauses, and I see a different shine in Elizabeth's eyes—a fury I've never seen before.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, MANUELA! STOP BOTHERING HER!" I almost lose my composure, shouting, but she keeps taunting Elizabeth.

"I heard that your parents killed themselves to get away from you, and that your uncle and aunt won't be able to stand having a lunatic in the family either, and they'll probably jump off a bridge." I open my mouth to defend Elizabeth, but in a split second she stands up, grabs Manuela by the neck with one hand, and lifts her about 6 inches off the ground. If I didn't have good vision, I wouldn't have been able to follow her movements. I approach, trying to calm her before Elizabeth kills Manuela. I notice Elizabeth's eyes have changed color; her irises are a glowing yellow, resembling a wolf's gaze.

"ELIZ, LET HER GO, NOW!" I shout, startling her. She realizes what she's doing and drops Manuela abruptly. She looks at Manuela, coughing on the ground, panics, and starts to cry. Manuela gets up and leaves the room, very scared. I approach Eliz, noticing her eyes returning to green.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened here?" She looks at me, just as clueless about what just happened.

"I...I don't know. Anger took over, and I acted on instinct." She continues crying. There are 10 minutes before class starts, and before anyone else arrives, I decide to take her out of there.

I offer my hand to help her up, and a walk to her house might clear her thoughts.

"Let's leave." It's better this way. She nods, and we walk together, more serene as we leave the school grounds.

She remains silent for 30 minutes. I decide to break the silence; I want to understand what happened to her today.

"Has this happened before?"

"Not that I recall, at least not since I moved here."

"What do you mean, Eliz?" She looks reluctant to tell.

"Tell me, I want to understand what's happening so I can help you. You know you can trust me." She sighs and shares her story about being in a hospital before coming here, believing in a tribe of wolves. I feel confused—she lives with her uncles who are wolves, and they made her believe we don't exist.

But her story doesn't explain her fit of rage or the sudden change in her eye color. We continue walking along the roadside when a car reeking of power drives past us, then turns around.

It approaches us slowly, and out of instinct, I hold Eliz's hand. She pulls me close and buries her face in my chest, scared of whoever is in the car. It stops in front of us, and the window rolls down. To my surprise, it's the Supreme Alpha.

"Good morning, sir," I manage to say, almost stuttering; I can't believe I'm meeting the leader.

"Hello, young man. What are you doing walking alone out here?" He might not have realized that I am an exile.

"I'm just accompanying my friend to her house," I reply, and Eliz doesn't move an inch, still scared.

"What's wrong with her?" the Supreme asks curiously.

"She had a difficult morning and is frightened by your presence," I say, almost pleading for him to leave.

"I feel like I know her. Hey, young lady, can you turn your face to me?" He's somewhat authoritative, but that won't work with her. She turns her face without looking at him or even opening her eyes, then quickly hides again and whispers to me.

"I want to go home." I speak loudly enough for him to hear.

"We're going now." I say goodbye and continue walking, seeing the car drive off. What an odd day. We reach Elizabeth's house, and her aunt rushes out to meet us.

"I got a call from the school saying Elizabeth wasn't in class," Emmy says with a mix of worry and anger, giving me an accusing look. I immediately defend myself.

"If you think we skipped class to make out, you're mistaken. She had an issue with a classmate, and I thought it was best she walk it off."

I finish explaining, and she rushes into the house. I tell her everything that happened in the classroom but omit the encounter with the Supreme Alpha.

"I want explanations. I've noticed she's no ordinary girl," she says, taken aback.

"I don't know either. It's the first I've heard about her changing eye colors," she seems sincere. Then I address the other issue.

"And why was she hospitalized, forced to believe we don't exist?" I ask pointedly.

"We weren't involved. I just ensure that she has a happy life with us," she seems to think I'll believe that.

"Was she raised by wolves?" I ask seriously, almost losing control.

"Yes, she was found in the woods by a wolf who raised her as his daughter, and later that wolf found a mate who thought it best to send her back to the human world. That's all I can tell you."

"And with that, you contribute to her lack of memories? I don't think that's right. We have to tell her we're real."

"Think about it. She's already confused about reality. If you tell her, you might break what little sanity she has left."

Considering that might be true, I won't give up on helping her and uncovering what's behind the Drummonds. I turn and leave. The day was full...

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