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DAKOTA
I look over my shoulder at Ava. It’s been awhile since I looked into the depth of those beautiful grey eyes. I notice her holding onto the pendant I left at Sam’s house, before she tucks it away under her shirt. Ava walks into the girl’s bathroom while I walk down the corridor to the auditorium for the graduation ceremony. With my extra sensitive wolf senses, I seek Ava out. I can’t help it; my consciousness needs to follow her, so I leave my body to be with my Angel.
Ava puts her hand on the mirror in the girl’s bathroom and takes deep breaths. She has closes her eyes as she sucks in some air to concentrate on her breathing. The smell of perfume close by tickles my nose.
Something is happening to her body. She woke up the other night on the floor in the hallway breaking out in a sweat.
And I know that her sense of smell has been so heightened and that she’s been feeling so trapped in her own skin, because my wolf has been going crazy, trying to get closer to her.
I hear Ava’s thoughts as she speaks loudly in my head, without realising she’s doing it. The pendant, my pendant, has made her wolf senses stronger. What if I’m just as crazy as Sam or suffering the side effects of depression like my mum? I haven’t heard her voice in so long; that I hold onto the sound, even though I feel guilty. She’s trying to make sense of the werewolf change that is happening to her. I listen in some more.
But they both turned to drugs to cope with life.
I shake my head. Doesn’t she realise that she is better than Sam and her mum put together?
Do I need something to help me cope with these smells and heavy sleeping?
Maybe when I travel to meet my dad, my life will be complete.
This comment stumps me. Ava’s planning on leaving. That means I will have to leave the pack. Wherever Ava goes, so does my wolf. That’s how wolf mates work!
Everyone has been looking forward to the party this Friday night. I told Dash that I wasn’t going and that maybe he can let Katzé tag along. He wasn’t too happy when I asked him, but now I owe him a favour since he agreed to take her.
My friends, who I’m going to miss like crazy, will be heading off to Campbelltown for Leavers Week event. Their parents only let them go because of Dean and Lake, who are also graduating, which of course seems kinda weird because the twins were born in July, and Jess was born in June the following year. We always celebrate a white Christmas in July for the three of them. I don’t even remember this year’s party.
This is something Ava will have to get used to. Jackson and us boys don’t normally stay in one place for too long. It attracts rogue werewolves who will attack anyone in their way.
In the auditorium, the teachers have marked each chair with a piece of paper showing our names. We have been seated in alphabetical order. I notice Ava has taken a seat next to Sienna in the letter M section.
We have all been given light blue robes to wear. I feel hot and bothered in mine. I pull at the collar to let some air in. Then I roll my shoulders. I wonder if Ava feels the same in these robes or if these are all her feelings.
Loud chatter from students and scraping of chairs echo throughout the assembly hall. Mr Mason, the principal, and his deputy are seated on stage. Mr Mason walks to the podium and everyone quietens down. He addresses the assembly and then introduces the Dux of the School.
Parents and families surround the hall.
Ava is sitting a few seats away from me. Her heavenly scent is the only one I can smell. It overrides all the other smells in the room.
‘See— what I mean?’ I hear Sienna whisper. ‘How boring was that speech?’ she asks Ava.
I frown because Sienna clucks, and I can’t see Ava’s reaction.
‘Weren’t you listening at all?’ Sienna berates Ava.
I look towards the door so that I can see Ava out of the corner of my eye. She opens her mouth to say something while crossing and uncrossing her legs.
The heat underneath this robe is getting to me. I wipe the sweat from my forehead with the sleeve of the robe. I fan myself with the fabric, flapping the robe against my chest to cool down.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Sienna slumps back into her chair. Ava clasps her hands on her knees.
My knuckles turn white.
Students start moving one by one after their name is called up by the principal. He had asked if the applause could be held until the very end. Each student walks up to the platform, shakes hands with the principal and then they both smile at the waiting photographer, before returning to their seats.
The chairs start emptying at an alarming rate.
I suck in some air in to bottle up my breaths to try and calm down.
It’s almost my turn.
Ava’s heartbeat has picked up, and it is racing, drumming in her chest.
Ava starts bouncing her knee nervously.
The blood pounds in my ear, and I know that she can hear everything that I can hear—every scrape, along the floor; the thousands of heartbeats thrumming against a cage; and the ticks from all the clocks and watches in the room.
Ava leans forward in the chair.
Gasping for air, I reach under my robe and loosen a few buttons on my shirt.
Sweat rolls down my face and onto the floor.
Who turned up the heat?
My body is burning up.
‘Geez, Ava. Are you okay?’
I turn around.
Sienna leans forward. Her face is full of concern as she looks at Ava.
I turn my head slightly and look at Ava from the corner of my eye.
‘Uh ... Ava ... your eyes,’ Sienna stutters.
Ava pushes the chair back and run out of the auditorium and into the corridor.
Shit! I can feel what she feels, even though I’ve been blocking our bond for weeks.
Ava is turning into a werewolf.
I walk into the girls toilets and lean against the blue and white tiled walls. There are five small toilet cubicles in here. Ava is leaning on the basin and looking into the mirrors.
The mirror warps and moves when Ava looks into it. Am I swaying too?
Her hands frantically feel her face as though they seem distorted and sagging on the sides.
Ava’s grey eyes are a bright blue almost the same colour as lightning. I feel them pulse with the room.
Ava shakes her head, and my body trembles.
She presses her fists to the side of her head.
My nostril flares as a primal scream escapes Ava’s mouth.
She slams her fist through the mirror and into the brick wall behind.
Iron and sulphur lifts into the air. The pungent smell of blood burns in my nostrils.
Footsteps scuffle outside the door and into the hallway.
The sound gets louder as they get closer to the girls toilets.
Ava’s new blue eyes scan the area. She sees me standing not too far from her. Ava looks around and notices a window is open.
She climbs up and out with ease, and runs once she gets to her feet, before I can even reach her. My consciousness follows her as she runs. Ava has reached the line of trees before I even register which direction she is running or where she’s running to. The muscles in her legs move double time. My arms move swiftly by my side as I try to catch up with Ava. Each tree has its own markings, and she feels alive with each stride as she runs past them.
The blood is pumping in my ears and pulsing around my body.
Ava’s looking for an escape; she needs to get away from it all.
Her heavenly scent mixes with the smell of blood, and the eucalyptus leaves brush past my skin.
Ava has stopped running. I slow down too. My eyes scan the area in search of her.