Kayla sat alone in the house, unable to get comfortable. She was about a foot too tall for any of the furniture, and the bed she had slept in every night for the last two months was about a foot too short. She was going completely stir crazy. The coven was great. In the time that she had been a guest at their home, they had become her family. Joy and Doc were like the parents she never had, and Daisy and Violet were just like long lost sisters. Jess had become her best friend, and Gus and Mooney were great brother figures, but it just wasn't enough. She needed to get out for a while. She looked totally different, and she knew no one would recognize her, so one little trip outside wouldn't hurt. She needed to get some new clothes and other things, anyway. She realized she was trying to convince herself, and it was working. She left a note for the group, telling them she was going out shopping and would be back soon. When her cab arrived, she raced out the front door and off to enjoy a little alone time.
When she arrived at the mall, she felt free. It was like coming to the end of a long crusade or pilgrimage. She walked in, and the scents from the food court overwhelmed her senses. She went to the nearest burger restaurant and ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a large Coke. After getting her order, she sat down in one of the booths and people-watched while enjoying her meal. She felt like a pig after she scarfed down the delicious greasy food, but she figured she could walk it off shopping.
She hit several department stores and bought new jeans, underwear, shirts, and a good pair of sneakers. As she wandered around, holding her bulging shopping bags, she noticed a bookstore nestled in between the sunglasses store and a beauty supply shop. She walked in, hoping to stock up on a few titles that would help to pass the hours.
She selected three books, each over eight hundred pages, and a little metal bookmark that had hearts and skulls on it. This should keep me busy, she thought while she paid the cashier and collected her bag. She walked out of the bookstore and thought that she might have some ice cream and then head home.
Home, she thought, and snickered. She had never once called Carolyn's house "home," but staying with these seven little people, that is exactly what it felt like to her. Home. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes; she quickly collected herself. She wondered when she had become such a crier.
She called the cab back from the payphone in the food court and sat down at a community table to wait. Groups of teenagers walked by using headphones, smartphones, PDAs, Kindles, and every other electronic device imaginable, not paying any attention to the world around them. Adults wandered aimlessly, looking lost and confused. A young couple passed her by, holding hands, completely oblivious to anyone but each other. They reminded Kayla of David and herself. She would call him tonight, tell him how much she missed him and let him know everything was okay, she decided, smiling at the thought of hearing his voice.
Out of nowhere, a gruff-looking young man sat at the table next to her. He looked to be about twenty-five years old, wearing dark jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. It appeared that he had not bothered to shave or brush his hair for the better part of a week. He had a patch on his sweatshirt that read Ray. Kayla smiled politely as he took his seat a foot away from her. She went back to eating the scoop of white chocolate ice cream she'd bought. As she started to take the last bite, the young man leaned over to her and took a deep whiff of the air. He just looked at her for a second, and then sat back with a chuckle. She got a creepy feeling from this guy and moved to get up from the table when he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Where ya going in such a hurry, Red?"
Kayla's blood ran cold. She had only been called that one time before. In the desert.
"Let go of me."
"So, you're the one that put down Lou, huh? Don't look so surprised, I can smell him on you." He sniffed at the air and then latched his strong hand on her thigh, reopening the wound Lou had given her. Even though it had been a few weeks, the cut had still not healed completely.
"He didn't bite you, though. Just a scratch, but sometimes that's enough." He leaned in close as she tried to squirm out of his painful grip on her leg and sniffed her hair, nuzzling her cheek with his rough beard. She felt dirty after such an intimate gesture.
"Let go of me, now," she said again through gritted teeth, trying to sound more forceful.
"I expected you to look a little tougher." He was still right next to her ear. "I told Lou not to play with his food. But he liked his games."
"He was nothing but a rabid dog that deserved to be put down." Kayla spat the words at him.
"That's my brother you're talking about, bitch. You gunned him down in the desert like a wild coyote. Now, I'm gonna kill you for it." He squeezed her leg tighter, sending a shooting pain all the way up to her hip. She fought the urge to cry out.
"Now, get up slowly and take a walk with me. Don't forget your bags; we don't want to arouse any suspicion."
Kayla slowly rose from her seat and collected her bags. She picked up the bag containing her new books last. Ray grabbed her by the upper arm, and she allowed him to lead her to the automatic doors that opened to the parking lot.
As the doors opened to the outside, Kayla swung the bag containing the three huge hardcovers at the wolf's head. She felt the reverberation as the corner of one book connected with his temple. When his grip loosened, she twisted free and ran out into the parking lot. The cab pulled up while she got to the other side of the crosswalk. Fumbling with the door, she tried to get in, but Ray caught up to her and grabbed the back of her shirt. She had already tossed her bags into the back seat, so she grabbed the doorframe of the cab to stop herself from being pulled completely out.
"What the fuck is going on?" the cabbie asked, obviously scared and horrified by the scene unfolding before him.
Kayla kicked with her now throbbing right leg and connected with the wolf's groin. He let out a howl that surely caught the attention of everyone at the mall, and maybe even a few blocks away. He was transforming right in front of her. Kayla took the opportunity to get herself fully into the cab. She fumbled with her bags and pulled out the metal bookmark she'd purchased.
The wolf had recovered from the throbbing pain in his scrotum and laughed as he popped his head into the cab. He looked at the stunned cabbie and growled a deep guttural snarl. The cab driver just looked on the scene, petrified. Kayla scrambled further into the cab as Ray turned his attention back to her. He snarled again and snapped his elongated teeth at her.
She flung her right hand at his throat and felt the pointed end of the metal bookmark sink into his flesh. A rush of hot blood covered her hand while he stumbled backward from the cab, howling again, but this time even louder than before. She bolted forward as soon as he was out of the way and shut the cab door.
"Drive!" she instructed the cabbie who stared back at her, looking confused and frightened.
"Drive, now!" she repeated with more forcefulness, snapping the cab driver out of his trance. He hit the gas with all of his force and the tires squealed and let out clouds of smoke as he peeled away from the scene. Kayla looked back and saw Ray get up from the ground and pull the bookmark out of his neck. People had gathered around him to see if he was all right. One woman took his arm to try to help him get inside, and he pushed her to the ground with no effort at all. The last thing Kayla saw was Ray sprinting away from the scene as a police car pulled up to assess the situation. Great, she thought as the cab continued toward the cottage, now what am I going to do?