Prologue
Spoiler:
Three wolves.
Land, sea, and sky.
Reuha, the wolf of the land. He has blazing red fur, with hints of rusty red and crimson. His leading qualities and short temper are a force to be reckoned with. However, Reuha is hard to deeply provoke. They say if he is angered, the earth blows its top. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes would abound, and only the other two wolves could truly calm him down. He directs and guides them, and is also said to be very territorial.
Maeda, the wolf of the sea. Her fur is a shimmering cobalt, with traces of turquoise and aquamarine. She is known to be the levelheaded one. Cool and calm, like the seas, and yet hard to churn a change of heart. It is said that there is yet a day when Maeda is dissuaded by anyone other than the wolves that companion her. She is the analyst of the group, as she can take the most objective angle due to her rarely ever stirring emotions.
Aetha, the wolf of the sky. Her fur is a grassy green, with streaks of lime and camouflage green. She is supposedly the dreamy one, with her head in the clouds, always thinking of possibilities of a perfect world. It is said that she is the one who comes up with the ideas, while the other wolves figure out how to put them into action. She is generally calm, but more prone to emotion than Maeda.
All three wolves have shining, sparkling golden eyes.
Each wolf was to choose a human hero to bond eternally with, for the day that calamity strikes the earth. They searched all the corners of the land for a very long time, making sure that their choice was the right one.
Reuha chose first: a robust young lady who is fiery with passion, but rude to anyone and everyone that disagrees with her point of view. She is also quite stubborn, with a short temper to rival a bomb’s.
Aetha chose second: a sociable, friendly young woman whose head is constantly in the clouds, much like the wolf that ordained her. They say she’s the one who never instigates a fight, ever.
But, for reasons unknown, Maeda is still searching.
Once the young heroes were chosen, their hair was changed to match the color of their patron wolf’s fur. Their hair was also given a lighter streak on their right side of their head, about two centimeters wide. Their eyes were also changed; they now matched the wolves’ eyes, as they were a shimmering shade of golden amber.
After fifty years of waiting, the two heroes were suspended into a state of magical dormancy. Their bodies were transformed into gemstones corresponding to the colors of their patron wolves. Reuha and Aetha then searched the globe once more in order to find a resting place for the precious stones, and this time, Maeda came with them.
They settled in what is now Mountain Point, Kentucky.
The stones lie hidden from the rest of humanity, waiting for the arrival of the third hero’s choosing. The three wolves guard the forest around the sacred stones, making sure no human falls upon their location.
Yet civilization still thrived in that forest, and my hometown was built. At some point or another this legend was found, and now everyone believes it to be true.
Except for me, Carla Waters.
An eighteen year old girl is the only one who doesn’t believe this legend to be reality in a place like this.
Land, sea, and sky.
Reuha, the wolf of the land. He has blazing red fur, with hints of rusty red and crimson. His leading qualities and short temper are a force to be reckoned with. However, Reuha is hard to deeply provoke. They say if he is angered, the earth blows its top. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes would abound, and only the other two wolves could truly calm him down. He directs and guides them, and is also said to be very territorial.
Maeda, the wolf of the sea. Her fur is a shimmering cobalt, with traces of turquoise and aquamarine. She is known to be the levelheaded one. Cool and calm, like the seas, and yet hard to churn a change of heart. It is said that there is yet a day when Maeda is dissuaded by anyone other than the wolves that companion her. She is the analyst of the group, as she can take the most objective angle due to her rarely ever stirring emotions.
Aetha, the wolf of the sky. Her fur is a grassy green, with streaks of lime and camouflage green. She is supposedly the dreamy one, with her head in the clouds, always thinking of possibilities of a perfect world. It is said that she is the one who comes up with the ideas, while the other wolves figure out how to put them into action. She is generally calm, but more prone to emotion than Maeda.
All three wolves have shining, sparkling golden eyes.
Each wolf was to choose a human hero to bond eternally with, for the day that calamity strikes the earth. They searched all the corners of the land for a very long time, making sure that their choice was the right one.
Reuha chose first: a robust young lady who is fiery with passion, but rude to anyone and everyone that disagrees with her point of view. She is also quite stubborn, with a short temper to rival a bomb’s.
Aetha chose second: a sociable, friendly young woman whose head is constantly in the clouds, much like the wolf that ordained her. They say she’s the one who never instigates a fight, ever.
But, for reasons unknown, Maeda is still searching.
Once the young heroes were chosen, their hair was changed to match the color of their patron wolf’s fur. Their hair was also given a lighter streak on their right side of their head, about two centimeters wide. Their eyes were also changed; they now matched the wolves’ eyes, as they were a shimmering shade of golden amber.
After fifty years of waiting, the two heroes were suspended into a state of magical dormancy. Their bodies were transformed into gemstones corresponding to the colors of their patron wolves. Reuha and Aetha then searched the globe once more in order to find a resting place for the precious stones, and this time, Maeda came with them.
They settled in what is now Mountain Point, Kentucky.
The stones lie hidden from the rest of humanity, waiting for the arrival of the third hero’s choosing. The three wolves guard the forest around the sacred stones, making sure no human falls upon their location.
Yet civilization still thrived in that forest, and my hometown was built. At some point or another this legend was found, and now everyone believes it to be true.
Except for me, Carla Waters.
An eighteen year old girl is the only one who doesn’t believe this legend to be reality in a place like this.
Spoiler:
Considering there’s no evidence, I can safely say my entire town is deluded.
There’s no photographs, no footprints, no fur tufts, no evidence whatsoever of the wolves’ existence. It could literally just be a story somebody made up.
But my skepticism is heavily frowned upon by the townspeople, who are solely convinced in this fairytale and want me to be as well. It’s over a matter as simple as this that I’m losing my friends.
My family doesn’t like me either; they clearly play favorites on my seven year old brother, Carter. Good thing I’m going to move out once I finish high school. Then I won’t have to deal with my annoying family anymore. Only a few more months.
As I’m trying to study for my social studies test on Monday, Carter bounds into my room. “Carla! Can you buy me a Hershey’s bar? Please?”
“Sorry, Carter, I’m trying to study,” I answer calmly.
“Please?” Carter gives me those puppy-dog eyes that he seems to have mastered. Unfortunately for him, I’m hopelessly immune to them.
Secretly annoyed, I tell him, “I already told you, I’m trying to study.”
“MOMMY!” Carter shouts. “Carla won’t buy me a Hershey’s bar!”
“I’m trying to study, and he’s bothering me!” I interject.
“Carla, go and get him the candy bar!” she responds.
“I’ll do it after I finish my notes!” I huff.
I look at Carter, making sure my expression looks perfectly neutral. “I’m gonna get you a Hershey’s bar after I finish my notes, okay? It’s not gonna be too much longer, maybe about fifteen minutes or so.”
Carter beams. “Okay!”
With a sibling as annoying as him, I’ve had to master the art of remaining calm so he doesn’t tattle on me or something. I’m lucky he’s a lot more compliant when I address him calmly. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way many times. And I might as well pick up a few things I need to get while I’m out at the store. At least it’s not going to be a complete waste.
After finishing my notecards, I grab my purse and put on my cute black boots.
I shout up the stairs, “Hey, Carter! If you want that Hershey’s bar, come on!”
“Comiiiiiing!”
He bounds down the stairs and grabs the toy truck he takes absolutely everywhere, slipping his Crocs on.
“Silly goose,” I say, giggling slightly, “don’t wear Crocs with socks!”
“Why can’t I wear my Crocs?”
“They look really silly on you like that!”
“Why do they look silly?”
“Just get your gym shoes on. If you do it, I’ll get you an extra trinket as long as it’s under five dollars!”
“Okay!” he chirps, bounding back up the stairs and switching from his green Crocs to his black tennis shoes.
“That’s better,” I say, before heading out to my silver Chevy Spark. I bought it a month ago, because I was saving up my money to buy a car in decent condition. I don’t regret my decision at all.
Carter heads in the back, because it’s too dangerous for a seven year old to sit in the passenger seat. I don’t know how he will fare if I get into an accident and the airbag launches itself straight into his face. Not that I’m planning on doing that, but still.
The two of us buckle in, and we head to the nearest convenience store. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get there, but they feel like forever. The scenery whizzing past us is a little hypnotic, making me glad that the drive is quite short.
Pulling into the parking spot closest to the door (without being reserved for the handicapped), Carter and I get out of the car and head into the store. I tell Carter to find a Hershey’s bar and a cheap trinket he wants, while I grab myself some yogurt, bread, cheese, salami, mayonnaise, and feminine products. (I have a mini fridge in my room for when I move out.) It’s a small store, but it has a lot of variety.
I browse the aisles for a little bit until I run into Carter. He’s holding his desired Hershey’s bar, as well as a small, flat piece of cardstock wrapped in clear plastic. Upon closer inspection, I find there are three wolf pins on the cardstock. One is a red wolf facing forward, the next is a green wolf facing the right, and the last is a blue wolf howling. All three pins are silhouettes, meaning they are each made up of a singular color. I check the price tag. $1.50.
I sigh. “Carter, what is it with you and these wolves?”
Carter looks at me. “Whaddaya mean? They’re so cool! I can’t believe how they protect and guard us! Mountain Point!”
I mutter, “I can’t believe it either, that’s why I don’t.”
Carter hears my response and huffs as I go to the checkout. I pay, and hand him his chocolate and pins. Any negative emotion in him disappears as his face lights up upon receiving the items I bought him. He’d better like those wolf pins he picked out. I mean, he did pick them out for himself. So he should like them.
As we drive home, Carter asks me, “Why don’t you believe in the wolves?”
“Carter, we’ve been over this a million times.” I sigh again. “There’s no evidence of their existence at all. Nobody’s found hide nor hair of them, and they can’t find the jewels either.”
Carter looks at me, outraged. “I don’t need evidence to believe!”
“That’s great,” I say, “because I do. But since there’s no evidence, I think I can safely say that the legends are probably just some storybook tale someone wrote a long time ago when they were thinking of ways to entertain their kids. So have fun with your wolf pins. I hope you enjoy them.”
I pull into the driveway, and we both exit the car. We head up to our respective rooms, and I can hear Carter crinkle the outer wrapper of his pins as he opens up the package. I also hear him opening his Hershey’s bar and squealing from the taste of it. Maybe I should’ve gotten myself a candy bar. Too late now.
I still don’t get what the hoot is about these wolves. They’re most obviously fake (I mean, come on, wolves aren’t naturally fiery red, grassy green, or watery blue), and the supposed powers they have don’t even exist. Nobody and nothing can have them. I’m sorry. And besides, the concept is so ridiculous that it sounds like it came straight out of a fairytale. Sure, it’s a cool concept, and the idea is nice, but there’s no evidence to support it and believing that kind of thing is immature. Which makes me the most mature person in my entire hometown.
To be completely honest, that is really sad.
Carter knocks on my door (for once!) and calls my name. “Carla?”
“Hm?” I’m curious as to what he wants if he’s knocking. He almost never knocks.
“I know you don’t believe the legends, but who’s your favorite wolf?”
“Out of the concepts?”
“Yeah.”
“Probably Maeda.”
“Is it ‘cause she hasn’t chosen a hero yet?”
“Nah, it’s cause I like the color scheme. Neither the heroes nor the wolves exist. I mean, my favorite color is blue.”
“Okay!” Carter’s footsteps fade into his room, and a few seconds later, he comes back.
“Can I come in?” he asks tentatively.
“Sure.”
He quietly opens the door, with my favorite hat in hand. Hesitantly taking a few steps, he places the hat on my desk.
“This isn’t like you, Carter. What’s up?”
He doesn’t say a word, and places the blue wolf silhouette pin on the front of the hat. (It’s a black winter hat, so it doesn’t get damaged.)
“You want to give this to me, don’t you?”
Carter nods.
“Why are you being so quiet?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“And why are you giving this to me? I mean, everyone knows that I have nothing positive towards the wolves.”
“I felt like I should give you one of the pins for some reason.”
“Where are the other pins going to go?” I inquire, curious.
“I think I’m going to give the Aetha pin to my friend Ethan. He’s gonna love it!”
“Okay. But I’m still wondering why you gave the blue one to me and not one of your other friends.”
“Like I said,” Carter responds, “I had this weird feeling that I should give one of the pins to you. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“But I don’t really want it,” I explain. “Take it back and give it to one of your other friends. Luke, maybe.”
“No, you take it. It’s for you.”
“I bought them for you, not for me. Give it to one of your other friends.” I remove the blue pin from my hat and clasp it in his hand.
He huffs, “Take it, Carla!” and puts it on top of my hat, but doesn’t pin it on.
“Okay. Geez. Chill.”
He leaves the room, satisfied, and heads downstairs. Once I’m certain he’s gone, I sneak to his room door and peek inside. It’s a mess, but at least I can still see the floor. I quickly toss the pin under his bed. He won’t find it there. It slides a bit, lodging itself behind a bin he hasn’t touched in months. Perfect.
I sneak back into my room and sit down at my desk. I eye my favorite hat and then grab it, tossing it into my backpack. Looking at the clock, I realize how early it is. Only 5:46 PM. (That’s not exactly early, but I go to bed at ten.)
I flop on my bed and grab my phone, ready to chill out and watch some YouTube. Before that can happen, though, I get a text from my group chat with my two best friends, Adrien and Elise.
Adrien: Hey Elise!
Elise: Huh? Sup?
Adrien: You know how carla doesnt believe the legend about the wolves?
Elise: Yeah so?
Adrien: has it been getting on ur nerves lately?
Elise: no
Elise: well maybe sort of
Adrien: well it’s been getting on mine
Adrien: so ive been thinking
Elise: wat
Adrien: maybe if we stop hanging around her we can become more popular and get real friends
Elise: I dont wanna ditch carla!
Adrien: then ill have to stop hanging around u too, and ill tell everyone that u chose a stupid skeptic over me
Elise: okay okay fine ill do it with u
Adrien: that’s better
Adrien: we start on monday okay?
Elise: okay…
I stare at my screen in shock, and quickly text the group chat.
Carla: why are you doing this in gc??? if ur gonna ditch me, at least have the decency to plan it in private!
They quickly text back.
Elise: im so sorry carla! Adrien made me do it!
Adrien: if u want a bf then hanging around carla isnt the way to get 1
Adrien: nobody likes a skeptic
Carla: if ur so intent on ditching me then ill have to block u two
Adrien: ifne with me
Adrien: fine*
I go into my contacts and hunt for Adrien Mella, and then block any calls or messages that come from her. Soon, I find Elise Cherie’s contact, and text her.
Carla: I havent blocked u so we can still chat in secret
Elise: my mom wont let me text u anymore tho..
Carla: is she making u listen to adrien?
Elise: yeah sry
Carla: oh its fine
Carla: at least its not something ur doing willingly rite?
Elise: yeah but I still cant do anything about it
Carla: so is this goodbye or what
Elise: yeah pretty much
Carla: should I block your number?
Elise: u can if u want
Carla: okay, this is it
Carla: goodbye
Elise: bye
I block Elise’s number for good measure, and so I can be truthful with that text from the group chat. I pull up YouTube, but this time for a different reason. I load up a Vine compilation to watch as I try not to cry.
Adrien is my new worst enemy.
There’s no photographs, no footprints, no fur tufts, no evidence whatsoever of the wolves’ existence. It could literally just be a story somebody made up.
But my skepticism is heavily frowned upon by the townspeople, who are solely convinced in this fairytale and want me to be as well. It’s over a matter as simple as this that I’m losing my friends.
My family doesn’t like me either; they clearly play favorites on my seven year old brother, Carter. Good thing I’m going to move out once I finish high school. Then I won’t have to deal with my annoying family anymore. Only a few more months.
As I’m trying to study for my social studies test on Monday, Carter bounds into my room. “Carla! Can you buy me a Hershey’s bar? Please?”
“Sorry, Carter, I’m trying to study,” I answer calmly.
“Please?” Carter gives me those puppy-dog eyes that he seems to have mastered. Unfortunately for him, I’m hopelessly immune to them.
Secretly annoyed, I tell him, “I already told you, I’m trying to study.”
“MOMMY!” Carter shouts. “Carla won’t buy me a Hershey’s bar!”
“I’m trying to study, and he’s bothering me!” I interject.
“Carla, go and get him the candy bar!” she responds.
“I’ll do it after I finish my notes!” I huff.
I look at Carter, making sure my expression looks perfectly neutral. “I’m gonna get you a Hershey’s bar after I finish my notes, okay? It’s not gonna be too much longer, maybe about fifteen minutes or so.”
Carter beams. “Okay!”
With a sibling as annoying as him, I’ve had to master the art of remaining calm so he doesn’t tattle on me or something. I’m lucky he’s a lot more compliant when I address him calmly. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way many times. And I might as well pick up a few things I need to get while I’m out at the store. At least it’s not going to be a complete waste.
After finishing my notecards, I grab my purse and put on my cute black boots.
I shout up the stairs, “Hey, Carter! If you want that Hershey’s bar, come on!”
“Comiiiiiing!”
He bounds down the stairs and grabs the toy truck he takes absolutely everywhere, slipping his Crocs on.
“Silly goose,” I say, giggling slightly, “don’t wear Crocs with socks!”
“Why can’t I wear my Crocs?”
“They look really silly on you like that!”
“Why do they look silly?”
“Just get your gym shoes on. If you do it, I’ll get you an extra trinket as long as it’s under five dollars!”
“Okay!” he chirps, bounding back up the stairs and switching from his green Crocs to his black tennis shoes.
“That’s better,” I say, before heading out to my silver Chevy Spark. I bought it a month ago, because I was saving up my money to buy a car in decent condition. I don’t regret my decision at all.
Carter heads in the back, because it’s too dangerous for a seven year old to sit in the passenger seat. I don’t know how he will fare if I get into an accident and the airbag launches itself straight into his face. Not that I’m planning on doing that, but still.
The two of us buckle in, and we head to the nearest convenience store. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get there, but they feel like forever. The scenery whizzing past us is a little hypnotic, making me glad that the drive is quite short.
Pulling into the parking spot closest to the door (without being reserved for the handicapped), Carter and I get out of the car and head into the store. I tell Carter to find a Hershey’s bar and a cheap trinket he wants, while I grab myself some yogurt, bread, cheese, salami, mayonnaise, and feminine products. (I have a mini fridge in my room for when I move out.) It’s a small store, but it has a lot of variety.
I browse the aisles for a little bit until I run into Carter. He’s holding his desired Hershey’s bar, as well as a small, flat piece of cardstock wrapped in clear plastic. Upon closer inspection, I find there are three wolf pins on the cardstock. One is a red wolf facing forward, the next is a green wolf facing the right, and the last is a blue wolf howling. All three pins are silhouettes, meaning they are each made up of a singular color. I check the price tag. $1.50.
I sigh. “Carter, what is it with you and these wolves?”
Carter looks at me. “Whaddaya mean? They’re so cool! I can’t believe how they protect and guard us! Mountain Point!”
I mutter, “I can’t believe it either, that’s why I don’t.”
Carter hears my response and huffs as I go to the checkout. I pay, and hand him his chocolate and pins. Any negative emotion in him disappears as his face lights up upon receiving the items I bought him. He’d better like those wolf pins he picked out. I mean, he did pick them out for himself. So he should like them.
As we drive home, Carter asks me, “Why don’t you believe in the wolves?”
“Carter, we’ve been over this a million times.” I sigh again. “There’s no evidence of their existence at all. Nobody’s found hide nor hair of them, and they can’t find the jewels either.”
Carter looks at me, outraged. “I don’t need evidence to believe!”
“That’s great,” I say, “because I do. But since there’s no evidence, I think I can safely say that the legends are probably just some storybook tale someone wrote a long time ago when they were thinking of ways to entertain their kids. So have fun with your wolf pins. I hope you enjoy them.”
I pull into the driveway, and we both exit the car. We head up to our respective rooms, and I can hear Carter crinkle the outer wrapper of his pins as he opens up the package. I also hear him opening his Hershey’s bar and squealing from the taste of it. Maybe I should’ve gotten myself a candy bar. Too late now.
I still don’t get what the hoot is about these wolves. They’re most obviously fake (I mean, come on, wolves aren’t naturally fiery red, grassy green, or watery blue), and the supposed powers they have don’t even exist. Nobody and nothing can have them. I’m sorry. And besides, the concept is so ridiculous that it sounds like it came straight out of a fairytale. Sure, it’s a cool concept, and the idea is nice, but there’s no evidence to support it and believing that kind of thing is immature. Which makes me the most mature person in my entire hometown.
To be completely honest, that is really sad.
Carter knocks on my door (for once!) and calls my name. “Carla?”
“Hm?” I’m curious as to what he wants if he’s knocking. He almost never knocks.
“I know you don’t believe the legends, but who’s your favorite wolf?”
“Out of the concepts?”
“Yeah.”
“Probably Maeda.”
“Is it ‘cause she hasn’t chosen a hero yet?”
“Nah, it’s cause I like the color scheme. Neither the heroes nor the wolves exist. I mean, my favorite color is blue.”
“Okay!” Carter’s footsteps fade into his room, and a few seconds later, he comes back.
“Can I come in?” he asks tentatively.
“Sure.”
He quietly opens the door, with my favorite hat in hand. Hesitantly taking a few steps, he places the hat on my desk.
“This isn’t like you, Carter. What’s up?”
He doesn’t say a word, and places the blue wolf silhouette pin on the front of the hat. (It’s a black winter hat, so it doesn’t get damaged.)
“You want to give this to me, don’t you?”
Carter nods.
“Why are you being so quiet?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“And why are you giving this to me? I mean, everyone knows that I have nothing positive towards the wolves.”
“I felt like I should give you one of the pins for some reason.”
“Where are the other pins going to go?” I inquire, curious.
“I think I’m going to give the Aetha pin to my friend Ethan. He’s gonna love it!”
“Okay. But I’m still wondering why you gave the blue one to me and not one of your other friends.”
“Like I said,” Carter responds, “I had this weird feeling that I should give one of the pins to you. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“But I don’t really want it,” I explain. “Take it back and give it to one of your other friends. Luke, maybe.”
“No, you take it. It’s for you.”
“I bought them for you, not for me. Give it to one of your other friends.” I remove the blue pin from my hat and clasp it in his hand.
He huffs, “Take it, Carla!” and puts it on top of my hat, but doesn’t pin it on.
“Okay. Geez. Chill.”
He leaves the room, satisfied, and heads downstairs. Once I’m certain he’s gone, I sneak to his room door and peek inside. It’s a mess, but at least I can still see the floor. I quickly toss the pin under his bed. He won’t find it there. It slides a bit, lodging itself behind a bin he hasn’t touched in months. Perfect.
I sneak back into my room and sit down at my desk. I eye my favorite hat and then grab it, tossing it into my backpack. Looking at the clock, I realize how early it is. Only 5:46 PM. (That’s not exactly early, but I go to bed at ten.)
I flop on my bed and grab my phone, ready to chill out and watch some YouTube. Before that can happen, though, I get a text from my group chat with my two best friends, Adrien and Elise.
Adrien: Hey Elise!
Elise: Huh? Sup?
Adrien: You know how carla doesnt believe the legend about the wolves?
Elise: Yeah so?
Adrien: has it been getting on ur nerves lately?
Elise: no
Elise: well maybe sort of
Adrien: well it’s been getting on mine
Adrien: so ive been thinking
Elise: wat
Adrien: maybe if we stop hanging around her we can become more popular and get real friends
Elise: I dont wanna ditch carla!
Adrien: then ill have to stop hanging around u too, and ill tell everyone that u chose a stupid skeptic over me
Elise: okay okay fine ill do it with u
Adrien: that’s better
Adrien: we start on monday okay?
Elise: okay…
I stare at my screen in shock, and quickly text the group chat.
Carla: why are you doing this in gc??? if ur gonna ditch me, at least have the decency to plan it in private!
They quickly text back.
Elise: im so sorry carla! Adrien made me do it!
Adrien: if u want a bf then hanging around carla isnt the way to get 1
Adrien: nobody likes a skeptic
Carla: if ur so intent on ditching me then ill have to block u two
Adrien: ifne with me
Adrien: fine*
I go into my contacts and hunt for Adrien Mella, and then block any calls or messages that come from her. Soon, I find Elise Cherie’s contact, and text her.
Carla: I havent blocked u so we can still chat in secret
Elise: my mom wont let me text u anymore tho..
Carla: is she making u listen to adrien?
Elise: yeah sry
Carla: oh its fine
Carla: at least its not something ur doing willingly rite?
Elise: yeah but I still cant do anything about it
Carla: so is this goodbye or what
Elise: yeah pretty much
Carla: should I block your number?
Elise: u can if u want
Carla: okay, this is it
Carla: goodbye
Elise: bye
I block Elise’s number for good measure, and so I can be truthful with that text from the group chat. I pull up YouTube, but this time for a different reason. I load up a Vine compilation to watch as I try not to cry.
Adrien is my new worst enemy.
Spoiler:
After binge watching some Vines for two hours, I’ve calmed down completely. I’m actually in a better mood than I was before, because let’s face it, Vines are pretty funny. And, the door was closed the entire time, which makes me feel even better.
I don’t keep water in my room at all. For my entire life, I have felt watched almost everywhere I go. When I was around eight years old, I figured out that the watching feeling goes away once I dump all water in the room down the drain, or when someone drinks it. Ever since then, I have been dumping out every single cup of water I see unless I know who it belongs to. I then flip the cup over and bang it down right next to the sink (if it’s not my duty to wash said cup, anyway).
Unsurprisingly, I’ve sometimes wondered if I have some sort of mental disorder. I don’t ever bring it up, because I know I would get strange looks and my parents probably wouldn’t even care. Other than this odd habit (and my skepticism), I’m a perfectly normal Mountain Point resident.
I head downstairs and make my way to the fridge. I grab the leftovers from dinner and stick it in the microwave, making sure to pop the lid before letting it whirr into action. But the feeling of being spied on suddenly makes its unwelcome appearance in full force. I look over at the kitchen table, and sure enough, there’s a glass of water. I pick it up and inspect it.
“Whose cup of water is this?”
“It’s mine, but you can dump it out,” Dad shouts up the stairs.
Phew. Thank goodness.
I head over to the sink and hold the cup over it, as per routine. I flip it over not even a second later, but this time, something odd happens.
The water stays glued to the inside of the cup. Even though it’s upside down, the water is still sitting at the bottom of the cup like everything’s perfectly normal.
“What the heck?!”
I flip the cup back over, and fetch some ice cubes. I stick them to the inside of the cup, and turn the sink on to the highest setting of hot. In preparation, I grab a small hand broom.
After a few minutes, the water starts to steam. The microwave dings, but this should be finished first before I eat. I hold the cup of water over the sink once more, flipping it again, and the water indeed stays inside the cup.
I then flip the cup right side up again and drop it into the sink. Even though it’s pretty thick glass, it shatters.
My plan worked perfectly.
I turn off the sink and wait for both the scalding and freezing water to slide down the drain. The heat of the hot water melted the ice cubes, so everything ends up winding down the pipes.
I clean up the glass mess, deliver the shards to the trash can, and dry out the sink completely.
Only now is it time for me to eat.
I grab my leftovers from the microwave (which are still hot, thankfully) and head over to the table. Mom and Dad left me a fork, at least. I toss the tupperware container’s lid into the sink and begin eating my meal, which consists of two chicken strips, some corn, and instant mashed potatoes. It doesn’t taste too bad, actually. My mom’s a pretty decent cook. She’s not great, but she doesn’t burn everything she tries to make, either.
Once I finish the leftovers, I quickly wash my dishes, dry them, and put them away. The oven clock says 8:31 PM. Maybe I can take a little walk before getting ready for bed. I do have some time to spare.
I grab my phone so my parents can call me if they need me, and so I can call 911 in the off chance that I get involved in an emergency somehow. I stick it in my back pocket and wiggle my feet into the cute boots I wore to the convenience store with Carter.
I then head out into my neighborhood, securely shutting the door behind me.
Maeda stares at the now normal reflection of the small pond in shock. How did that girl (who she found to be named Carla) figure out how to evade her gaze so fast? Somehow, Carla knows she’s being watched, but not from this deep in the woods. There’s no way Carla knows how to track her here.
[It is time,] Maeda mutters to herself. [This cannot go on any longer. For ten years she avoided my watch, but this time I will make sure I can observe longer. I must go up close.]
With that, the cobalt wolf bounds through the woods, heading for the edge.
Carla can’t avoid her now.
After a few minutes of walking, I get the familiar watching feeling. Again. I quickly glance around to find there’s not a single glass of water (or any liquid, for that matter) in sight. The general rule of thumb with this feeling is that if I can’t see the glass of water, then the watching feeling can’t see me. The fact that it’s here now baffles me. The strength of it doesn’t help either, considering the fact that this is the strongest it’s ever been.
I walk a little faster, and I suddenly hear rustling in the woods. It’s very nearby, and it sounds like it’s quite big, too. I don’t think it’s human, because the footsteps go faster than a human’s ever could.
I don’t know what’s out there, but it’s following me.
The sun has dipped its head for the day, and the streetlights flicker on. They’re paced every hundred meters or so, and aren’t in the best condition. I examine my surroundings carefully, only to find I’m in the sketchy side of town. Great. I’m walking down the street at 9:00 at night, on the wrong side of the tracks with something big following me. I space my feet out a little bit, ready to stand my ground if I need to.
It’s a two lane road, with the standard yellow stripes down the middle. On the right side (which I’m on), there’s a few houses, each one separated from the others around it by about fifty meters. They all have peeling paint and barred windows. Most of them are white or a light shade of gray. The porches are empty, and the cars are probably in the closed garages, because I don’t see a single car sitting in the driveway. The backyards are fenced, and behind them is forest. Some of them have lights on, but the ones closest to me are both dark. The only light I have is the flickering streetlight in front of me. On the other side of the road, there is a sidewalk next to the fenced-off woods which the creature following me is in.
The streetlight in front of me flickers, and I step in front of it bravely, spacing my legs out a little bit again like I did earlier. I’m right in front of the curb, standing at the very edge of the road.
“I know you’re out there,” I shout courageously to whoever’s watching me, unsure if they can hear my words. “Come out and show yourself!”
I hear rustling along the ground as the creature takes a few steps, then I see a flash of cobalt blue as it jumps past the open space between the two trees closest to me from behind the fence. The creature, which looks to be some sort of wolf, then darts into the woods.
Wait.
Blue?
I rewind the scene in my head to find that the creature was most definitely blue. It takes me a minute to realize that not only is the blue “wolf” gone, but so is the feeling of being watched.
I run the rest of the way home.
Upon arriving in my room, I plug in my phone and grab a nightgown. It’s already 9:45, so I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, and since it’s already so close to my bedtime, I might as well go to sleep. So I do.
I suddenly find myself fully clothed, standing in the middle of an open, grassy clearing. Woods are all around me, and they seem to be sloping downwards. I’m guessing I’m on top of a mountain.
Looking up, I see cirrostratus clouds floating through an otherwise cheery blue sky. The wind blows through my hair, and the air is crisp and clean. It takes me a moment to realize I’m far away from any civilization. The air doesn’t smell like humans dwell here. It’s too fresh-smelling.
I hear footsteps padding towards my general direction, and I look in front of me. On the other side of the small meadow stands a large cobalt blue wolf with shimmering golden eyes. Its fur is laced with hints of aquamarine, turquoise, and sea blue.
The wolf looks at me with its shining eyes, and a feminine telepathic voice enters my mind, loud and clear, pleading, [I do not know if you know who I am, but I badly need your help.]
I raise an eyebrow. “Okay. . . And? What is that supposed to mean? Who the heck are you, anyway?”
[I am Maeda, the Wolf of the Sea. I already know who you are, Carla.]
I mutter, “Yeah, ‘cause that’s totally not creepy or anything.”
[I need your help.]
“You already said that.” The oddness of this whole situation starts to set in. This has got to be one of the most awkward points of my current life. I mean, come on. I’m getting asked for help for I-don’t-even-know-what by a blue wolf.
[There must be three heroes. Reuha and Aetha have both chosen already.]
“And why did you come to me? Anyone else would’ve taken this in a heartbeat.”
[Everyone else is blindly following this legend. You have the strength to make a path for yourself even when being put down for doing so.]
This is starting to sound pretty whacked out.
[Destruction is coming soon. Everything you know and love . . . well, everything in general will be destroyed.]
“And this entails me because . . . ?”
[There must be three heroes. You are the third chosen.]
Those words hit me like a brick to the gut. With something so strange and alien and frankly life-changing, this had better be some sort of strange dream.
“W-Why me?! I’m no hero, just your average ordinary skeptic!” I wave my hands in front of me in a manner that says “What?! No!”
[Whether or not you think you are capable does not make any difference to me. I know that you are perfectly capable of this daunting task.]
“One last question.”
[What is it?]
“Were you the one making me feel watched every time there was a glass of water in the same room as me?” Crap, this is a ridiculous question. Asking her about my delusions, is that really a good ide-
[Yes. That was me watching you.]
“Creep!”
The wolf telepathically chuckles, and the entire scene starts changing into a bright white. Soon, it’s too much, and I wake up.
Deep in the woods, at the bottom of a seemingly shallow pool, two gemstones, each about the size of an apple, start to illuminate the inky bottom. One shines ruby, and the other glows green. A string of stray light begins to trace its way to the surface for each of them. They rise at the same rate, and break out of the water, facing opposite of each other. The light then plants itself on the ground, and each string starts pouring more and more light into the chosen spot, until each area now holds the shape of a girl. The light then solidifies, leaving two young women standing at the edge of the pool, facing each other.
“Celia?” the green one says. Her hair is a dark, grassy green with a very light green strip about two centimeters wide flowing through the right side of her head and her ponytail. She wears a strapless green dress with a gradient of light green at the top fading down to dark green at the bottom. Her shoes are shiny, black flats with cute bows on the toes. The girl’s golden eyes shine in the moonlight, glad to see her friend again.
The redhead looks at the other young woman. Her hair is a short, deep crimson bob with a two centimeter strip of almost white red falling down the right side of her hair. She wears a dark red tank top, a light denim skirt, black leggings, and black and white checkered Vans loafers.
“Oh dang, Charm. How long were we out?” the redhead asks, dazed.
“I think maybe a few days? A week? It didn’t feel very long,” the green girl replies.
“It would probably help if we found some civilization,” the red-haired young lady suggests.
The green-haired girl, Charm, replies, “Good idea, Celia. Let’s go.”
I sit up, dazed. My room is bathed in moonlight, and I have no idea what time it is. That was definitely a strange dream, though. I check my alarm clock. 1:36 AM. I kind of need to go to the bathroom.
I quietly get out of my bed, and tiredly walk to the bathroom. After doing my business in there, I wash my hands, and look up at the mirror.
I gasp. My hair is very blue.
Most of it is a deep cobalt, but there’s this one strip on the right side of my hair that I’d say is about two centimeters wide, and it’s a much lighter blue, almost white. I finish washing my hands, dry them off, and then search in the cabinet underneath the sink for the black hair dye I bought a few months back, when Carter decided to be a little prick and tried to dye my hair in my sleep. He must’ve come back with a rematch.
There we go! Found it!
I grab it and set it next to the sink, closing the cabinet. I hold my head over the sink, take the bottle, and squirt some of the dye on my hand to test on my hair. I rub the dye on, putting it on a random strip of hair from top to bottom.
I’m about to start officially when the black dye starts sliding – yes, sliding – right off. It makes its way down the strands of hair and pools in the sink, swirling down the drain.
My eyes widen, and I mutter, “I’m doing this in the morning.”
I place the hair dye bottle back in the cabinet for now, and head to bed again. Maybe this is part of the strange dream I had, and am still having.
I soon drift off to sleep.
I wake up, and stretch. What an odd dream last night. The weird wolf and the hair dye? Never thought I’d have a dream like that. Then I catch sight of the mirror.
Oh.
“CARTER!” I shout.
“What?” I hear him yell from his room.
“Why’d you dye my hair last night?!”
“I didn’t!”
I stomp over to his open room door, still in my pajamas. “You’re saying you didn’t do this?!” I point to my hair.
Carter’s halfway under the bed, searching for something. He pulls himself out, and looks at me.
“No! It wasn’t me!”
I notice the Maeda pin sitting under there, but don’t say anything about it.
“Well then, who did do it?”
Carter shrugs.
[I did.]
I jump. That’s the voice of the wolf from my dream! Have I finally lost it?!
Carter doesn’t seem to notice, and is about to go back under his bed to search when he sees the Maeda pin.
“Carla! I gave this to you!”
He presses the pin into my hand and closes it, huffing, “Keep it this time!”
I sigh, and go back to my room. No point fighting him a second time. I find my favorite hat, and attach the Maeda pin to the outer rim. I close my door and change into a pair of short shorts and a black V-neck shirt. I slip on some black ankle socks, and brush my hair real good so I can put it up into a bun. Unfortunately, there’s this one small section of my hair that’s just barely too short to join in with the rest of the bun. I grab a bobby pin and pin the section to fit in with the rest of the bun. I then slip on the hat, making sure to cover up as much hair as humanly possible. Blue may be my favorite color, but having it as a permanent hair hue is a bit much.
I grab my brown A & W hoodie and slip it on, putting the hood up for good measure. I then tighten the drawstrings and tie them into a nice little bow so that nobody can put my hood down randomly.
I head downstairs, grab a banana, slip on my cute black boots, and shout upstairs, “I’m heading out, see ya later!”
“Okay!” Carter shouts down.
“See ya later, honey,” Mom replies.
“See you later,” Dad responds.
I’m about to go outside when Carter shouts, “Wait! I wanna come with!”
“You sure?”
“Yeah!”
I grab my phone and shove it in my pocket. “Grab a banana and let’s go.”
Carter already has his shoes on, so we both go outside and start taking a walk. I don’t tell him that I’m planning on going to the therapist to get my mental health checked.
The much brighter streets calm my mind a little bit, and I have the opportunity to think things through in a rational manner.
Why did the blue wolf claiming to be Maeda spy on me for practically my entire life? Why did it show itself last night? What was that weird dream all about?
[All will be explained in due time, Carla. Be patient.]
There it is again! That weird voice! Why is it plaguing my thoughts?!
Said thoughts are interrupted when Carter tugs on my sleeve. “Can we go into the forest, Carla? I wanna explore!”
“Carter, it’s dangerous in the forest! Who knows what’s lurking in there?!”
But he runs off into the forest, forcing me to follow him. “Carter! Get back here!”
The trees and underbrush get thicker and thicker as we go deeper in. The fact that we’re also climbing upwards doesn’t help either. It’s about thirty or forty minutes in that he finally stops. I push away the last of the shrubbery to finally find a clearing.
It’s oddly grassy, with a clear pond in the center. The pond is about five or six feet across, and looks about a foot deep from here. Carter’s at the edge, staring in.
“Wow, it’s so pretty!”
Then I realize something. This area is beautiful, and quite tranquil, but it’s silent.
“Carter, do you hear that?”
“Huh? Hear what?”
“Listen carefully.”
He pauses for a few moments, then looks at me. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly. It’s too quiet. It’s almost like we’re not supposed to be here.”
Carter looks nervous. “Carla, I don’t remember the way out. . .”
“And neither do I. We’re lost deep in the woods in a clearing that’s way too quiet. I told you we shouldn’t go in the woods, Carter. Yet here we are.”
I pull out my phone. “And we can’t call for help, either.”
“Why not?”
“No reception. We’re probably half an hour’s run away from where we started, and I don’t know how far away the next point of civilization is. They’ll have to run helicopters to find us.”
The area does look like it should be full of life. All of the trees are lush and green, and the grass is short, but healthy. The pond is so clear you can see straight to the bottom. The sky is cheery blue, and a few cumulus clouds are floating by, like they’re boats just floating off on the water. But there’s not a sound being made except for Carter and I.
Suddenly, I hear a footstep right outside the clearing. Carter and I both stand perfectly still, waiting to see if it would happen again. Another footstep, and another. They’re slow and careful. Calculating. Sneaky. Carter and I hold our breath.
“Carla, what’s going on?” Carter whispers.
I jump, startled. “We need to get out of here, now. Something’s out there, and it’s after us.”
Carter nods, and we turn around. I’m about to start running through the shrubbery I broke through earlier when suddenly the footsteps resume. They’re much faster this time. The creature is running. And right towards us, too. I sharply inhale just as something breaks through the shrubbery I’m just about to go through.
It’s a large, red wolf. And it’s terrifying.
I’m not talking about the species of red wolf, this thing is literally a red wolf. It’s fur is a blazing, fiery color, with traces of rusty red, maroon, and crimson on it as well. It’s got golden eyes, just like “Maeda” the dream wolf.
The wolf bares its teeth at us, and growls. A deep, gruff telepathic voice enters my head. [What are you doing here?]
Startled, I step back. They say dogs can smell your fear, and I’m assuming that’s probably the same case with wolves, considering they’re both canines. Meaning I’m probably pretty fragrant right now. I wonder if it can hear my heart beating, trying to escape my chest.
[Well?]
“Carter?” I whisper. “Can you see it too?”
He nervously replies, “The wolf? Yeah. . .”
The wolf seems to be growing impatient. I take a deep breath in an effort to calm myself down.
“So my brother Carter here wanted to go into the woods and I said no and he ran off and I followed him to try to catch up to him and he ended up getting tired and rested here and we’re just trying to get out of here now so could you please let us through? We mean no harm!”
My nervousness shows clearly through my voice. The wolf notices, and pauses. It circles around the two of us.
I whisper to Carter, “Don’t make any sudden movements!”
He nods, and both of us try to stay as still as possible. The wolf seems to be observing us. It sniffs both of us for a bit, and there’s even a point where it looks me straight in the eye. It lasts for about ten seconds, and a cold sweat runs down the back of my neck.
The wolf stops circling us. It looks at Carter. [The boy is free to go.]
I sigh in relief, but my reaction comes too early. The wolf then shifts its gaze to meet me in the eye. [You have an odd aura about you. You are coming with me.]
My eyes widen in terror, and I look back at Carter to find him staring at me in worry. “I’ll be fine, just go on ahead!”
He nods, and runs out of the clearing as fast as he can. I turn back to face the wolf, and I ask it, “What do you want?” I try to sound confident, and to keep the fear out of my voice. It mostly works.
It looks at me. [Follow me.]
I oblige, too scared to find out what’s gonna happen if I don’t. Adrenaline pumps through every cell in my body, and I’m so nervous I can’t quite think straight.
Actually, not quite. There’s this part of me at the back of my mind that is somehow perfectly calm. I focus on that calmness, and take deep breaths. As I follow the wolf, I find that my coping method works wonders. I can finally analyze the situation rationally.
First, I should find out what the wolf’s name is. Then, I should figure out what it wants from me, and finally, where it’s leading me and why. (And then ask for directions back home.)
I look at the red wolf, who has been silent ever since I started following it. I gather up a bit of courage, and, feeling a bit silly, ask it, “Um, w-what’s your name?”
[Be quiet.]
Well, that’s a bit harsh. But then an idea pops into my head.
With a poker face, I say, “Nice to meet you, Be Quiet.”
The wolf looks at me, incredulous. [Seriously?]
“You walked right into that one, buddy.”
The wolf sighs and turns around, walking a little faster. Feeling a little more bold, I wonder how much crap it can take.
“So, how’d you get a name like Be Quiet?”
[That is not my name.]
“Then what is your name?”
[Shut up!]
“Now I’m confused. Is it Be Quiet or Shut Up?”
[I said shut up!]
“So Shut Up is short for I Said Shut Up?” I giggle.
The wolf growls in frustration.
“Well then, nice to meet you, I Said Shut Up.”
The wolf growls again and starts running. “Hey, wait up, I Said Shut Up! I can’t keep up with you!”
[Good!]
“But you wanted me to follow you!”
[Fine! You are free to go!]
“Yusss!” I say under my breath, and do a quick happy dance. I start running in the opposite direction, and I Said Shut Up seems to realize what just happened, as I’m soon being pursued by it. It catches up to me, and then blocks my path.
[You are not getting away with that this time, Carla.]
“How do you know my name, I Said Shut Up?”
[Maeda told me. And my name is Reuha, so stop calling me I Said Shut Up.]
That explains a lot. It explains his color, his grumpiness, and why he’s kidnapping me.
[I heard that! I am not kidnapping you!]
And his insecurity, because he has to read everybody’s mind before feeling good about himself.
[Stop that!]
Nope.
It also explains why the earth has natural disasters. Reuha blows his top too often. I wonder what part of Hawaii is dying right now because of that.
And I didn’t know that his full name is Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up.
[What am I going to do with you?!]
I giggle. “Let me go?”
He growls, and bares his teeth. [No. You are coming with me.]
“Okay, okay. Chill.”
[Get on my back.]
Due to a certain meme-obsessed little brother, the first thing that comes to mind is He protecc, he attacc, and most importantly, he lets people ride on his bacc.
[What on earth is wrong with your thought life?]
“Blame the Internet.”
[What is the Internet?]
“Newfangled technology that wolves don’t use.”
[Thanks.] The wolf sounds sarcastic.
I get on Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up’s back, and he says, [Hold on tight. This might get a little bumpy.]
He bounds off, and we soon get into a part deeper into the woods than anyone I know has ever been. Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up soon finds a clearing, and two other wolves appear to be there. One is grassy green with lime and camouflage greens mixed in, and the other is the wolf from my dream last night.
“So, Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up, who are they?” I gesture to the two wolves in front of us, as I get off his back.
[The green one is Aetha, and the blue one is Maeda. And my name is Reuha.]
“You mean to tell me your full name isn’t Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up?”
[Yes.]
[You two seem to be getting along quite . . . swimmingly.] Maeda laughs at her own little pun. Then she seems to realize something, and walks over to me.
[Why are you covering your hair, Carla?]
Reuha notices something too. [How do you know her name, Maeda?]
Aetha seems to be curious for both questions.
Great. I’ve trapped myself.
“Um. . . hehehe. . .”
Splish!
A splash resounds in the distance, and it sounds like someone fell in somewhere. Sensing trouble, I run towards the source of the sound, and away from the wolves. Pushing the underbrush aside, I soon find myself at the same, crystal clear pond, but there’s one difference.
Carter is in the center, drowning.
I rush towards the pond, closing my eyes, and toss my phone out of my pocket at the last possible second. When I splash in, I find my entire body goes several feet underwater, and I still don’t touch the bottom.
I quickly swim upwards. Every second feels like an eternity as I can’t seem to find much buoyancy. If I can’t make it up there in time, Carter’s gonna die!
My lungs start to burn from holding my breath for so long. I’m almost there, just a little bit longer. . .
I manage to find Carter and push him towards the edge of the pond. I can’t do very much, but what I do manage to do seems to be enough as Carter seems to be lifted from the water.
But then I notice the water currents in here. The pond certainly didn’t look like it has water currents from the outside, but these water currents are spinning and dragging me downwards. Fast. I try to make my way to the surface, but my efforts are futile. The currents just drag me down even harder. My lungs can’t stand it anymore, and I realize my fate.
I’m going to die down here. Carter, please remember me. . .
I’m forced to take a breath, and start the process of my death. But as I inhale, expecting to cough, I realize nothing happens. Did I get into an air chamber? I don’t think so, as the cold water currents are still pulling me downwards. I tentatively open my eyes, and find I have perfect vision. Perfectly useless vision, that is.
I close my eyes again and feel the water currents around me. I’ve touched the bottom. It seems I can breathe underwater for some reason, and I realize I also feel . . . powerful down here. But why?
I need to focus on getting back to the surface. I can’t swim upwards, because of the water currents pulling me down. If only they would just go upward . . .
As if hearing my thoughts, the water currents start spinning in the opposite direction and I’m hoisted up through the water at speeds that could rival a jet’s. I feel the water pushing me up from below, and the water around me helping me up. I soon find myself out of the water, and a few feet in the air before I fall down to the ground with an “oof!”
I cough a bit, sputtering as all of the water I inhaled comes spewing out of my nose and onto the grass in front of me. Ew. I get up and try to wring some of the water out of my clothes, and notice Carter standing in front of me, eyes wide.
“How did you survive that, Carla?”
I shrug. I have absolutely no idea. But I tell him, “Let’s get out of here.”
We run through the forest, making our way past the shrubbery and underbrush. The areas we travel through are still lush, but they have no grass on the ground and there are actually animals here, making noise as we go along. I start to shiver; the water from the pond is getting to me. The only thing keeping me from freezing to death in this morning chill is the heat being generated from my running.
After about forty-five minutes, we manage to make it out of the forest. I’m sopping wet, and since I’m not moving anymore, the cold of the water that’s soaked into my clothes takes a full grip on my body temperature. I start shivering to the point that my teeth are chattering. It doesn’t help that it’s mid-October and I decided to wear shorts on a day that’s supposed to be real nice. I guess that didn’t work out, since it’s already 11:00 AM and it’s only 62 degrees out here. According to what my phone said earlier, anyways.
I examine my surroundings. Behind us is the forest we just came out of, and a few hundred feet away is a drugstore. Next to that is Annie’s Inn (it’s actually a lunch and dinner restaurant), and next to that is a doctor’s office. Perfect! I’ve finally found the place I was originally looking for. But maybe we should go out for lunch before I go in to get my head checked, after all, who knows how long that evaluation is going to take?
I reach for my pocket to grab my phone, so I can call Mom and Dad and let them know we’re going out to eat.
But my phone is gone, and I know exactly where I left it.
It’s sitting not even five feet away from the pool Carter almost drowned in.
I don’t keep water in my room at all. For my entire life, I have felt watched almost everywhere I go. When I was around eight years old, I figured out that the watching feeling goes away once I dump all water in the room down the drain, or when someone drinks it. Ever since then, I have been dumping out every single cup of water I see unless I know who it belongs to. I then flip the cup over and bang it down right next to the sink (if it’s not my duty to wash said cup, anyway).
Unsurprisingly, I’ve sometimes wondered if I have some sort of mental disorder. I don’t ever bring it up, because I know I would get strange looks and my parents probably wouldn’t even care. Other than this odd habit (and my skepticism), I’m a perfectly normal Mountain Point resident.
I head downstairs and make my way to the fridge. I grab the leftovers from dinner and stick it in the microwave, making sure to pop the lid before letting it whirr into action. But the feeling of being spied on suddenly makes its unwelcome appearance in full force. I look over at the kitchen table, and sure enough, there’s a glass of water. I pick it up and inspect it.
“Whose cup of water is this?”
“It’s mine, but you can dump it out,” Dad shouts up the stairs.
Phew. Thank goodness.
I head over to the sink and hold the cup over it, as per routine. I flip it over not even a second later, but this time, something odd happens.
The water stays glued to the inside of the cup. Even though it’s upside down, the water is still sitting at the bottom of the cup like everything’s perfectly normal.
“What the heck?!”
I flip the cup back over, and fetch some ice cubes. I stick them to the inside of the cup, and turn the sink on to the highest setting of hot. In preparation, I grab a small hand broom.
After a few minutes, the water starts to steam. The microwave dings, but this should be finished first before I eat. I hold the cup of water over the sink once more, flipping it again, and the water indeed stays inside the cup.
I then flip the cup right side up again and drop it into the sink. Even though it’s pretty thick glass, it shatters.
My plan worked perfectly.
I turn off the sink and wait for both the scalding and freezing water to slide down the drain. The heat of the hot water melted the ice cubes, so everything ends up winding down the pipes.
I clean up the glass mess, deliver the shards to the trash can, and dry out the sink completely.
Only now is it time for me to eat.
I grab my leftovers from the microwave (which are still hot, thankfully) and head over to the table. Mom and Dad left me a fork, at least. I toss the tupperware container’s lid into the sink and begin eating my meal, which consists of two chicken strips, some corn, and instant mashed potatoes. It doesn’t taste too bad, actually. My mom’s a pretty decent cook. She’s not great, but she doesn’t burn everything she tries to make, either.
Once I finish the leftovers, I quickly wash my dishes, dry them, and put them away. The oven clock says 8:31 PM. Maybe I can take a little walk before getting ready for bed. I do have some time to spare.
I grab my phone so my parents can call me if they need me, and so I can call 911 in the off chance that I get involved in an emergency somehow. I stick it in my back pocket and wiggle my feet into the cute boots I wore to the convenience store with Carter.
I then head out into my neighborhood, securely shutting the door behind me.
Maeda stares at the now normal reflection of the small pond in shock. How did that girl (who she found to be named Carla) figure out how to evade her gaze so fast? Somehow, Carla knows she’s being watched, but not from this deep in the woods. There’s no way Carla knows how to track her here.
[It is time,] Maeda mutters to herself. [This cannot go on any longer. For ten years she avoided my watch, but this time I will make sure I can observe longer. I must go up close.]
With that, the cobalt wolf bounds through the woods, heading for the edge.
Carla can’t avoid her now.
After a few minutes of walking, I get the familiar watching feeling. Again. I quickly glance around to find there’s not a single glass of water (or any liquid, for that matter) in sight. The general rule of thumb with this feeling is that if I can’t see the glass of water, then the watching feeling can’t see me. The fact that it’s here now baffles me. The strength of it doesn’t help either, considering the fact that this is the strongest it’s ever been.
I walk a little faster, and I suddenly hear rustling in the woods. It’s very nearby, and it sounds like it’s quite big, too. I don’t think it’s human, because the footsteps go faster than a human’s ever could.
I don’t know what’s out there, but it’s following me.
The sun has dipped its head for the day, and the streetlights flicker on. They’re paced every hundred meters or so, and aren’t in the best condition. I examine my surroundings carefully, only to find I’m in the sketchy side of town. Great. I’m walking down the street at 9:00 at night, on the wrong side of the tracks with something big following me. I space my feet out a little bit, ready to stand my ground if I need to.
It’s a two lane road, with the standard yellow stripes down the middle. On the right side (which I’m on), there’s a few houses, each one separated from the others around it by about fifty meters. They all have peeling paint and barred windows. Most of them are white or a light shade of gray. The porches are empty, and the cars are probably in the closed garages, because I don’t see a single car sitting in the driveway. The backyards are fenced, and behind them is forest. Some of them have lights on, but the ones closest to me are both dark. The only light I have is the flickering streetlight in front of me. On the other side of the road, there is a sidewalk next to the fenced-off woods which the creature following me is in.
The streetlight in front of me flickers, and I step in front of it bravely, spacing my legs out a little bit again like I did earlier. I’m right in front of the curb, standing at the very edge of the road.
“I know you’re out there,” I shout courageously to whoever’s watching me, unsure if they can hear my words. “Come out and show yourself!”
I hear rustling along the ground as the creature takes a few steps, then I see a flash of cobalt blue as it jumps past the open space between the two trees closest to me from behind the fence. The creature, which looks to be some sort of wolf, then darts into the woods.
Wait.
Blue?
I rewind the scene in my head to find that the creature was most definitely blue. It takes me a minute to realize that not only is the blue “wolf” gone, but so is the feeling of being watched.
I run the rest of the way home.
Upon arriving in my room, I plug in my phone and grab a nightgown. It’s already 9:45, so I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, and since it’s already so close to my bedtime, I might as well go to sleep. So I do.
I suddenly find myself fully clothed, standing in the middle of an open, grassy clearing. Woods are all around me, and they seem to be sloping downwards. I’m guessing I’m on top of a mountain.
Looking up, I see cirrostratus clouds floating through an otherwise cheery blue sky. The wind blows through my hair, and the air is crisp and clean. It takes me a moment to realize I’m far away from any civilization. The air doesn’t smell like humans dwell here. It’s too fresh-smelling.
I hear footsteps padding towards my general direction, and I look in front of me. On the other side of the small meadow stands a large cobalt blue wolf with shimmering golden eyes. Its fur is laced with hints of aquamarine, turquoise, and sea blue.
The wolf looks at me with its shining eyes, and a feminine telepathic voice enters my mind, loud and clear, pleading, [I do not know if you know who I am, but I badly need your help.]
I raise an eyebrow. “Okay. . . And? What is that supposed to mean? Who the heck are you, anyway?”
[I am Maeda, the Wolf of the Sea. I already know who you are, Carla.]
I mutter, “Yeah, ‘cause that’s totally not creepy or anything.”
[I need your help.]
“You already said that.” The oddness of this whole situation starts to set in. This has got to be one of the most awkward points of my current life. I mean, come on. I’m getting asked for help for I-don’t-even-know-what by a blue wolf.
[There must be three heroes. Reuha and Aetha have both chosen already.]
“And why did you come to me? Anyone else would’ve taken this in a heartbeat.”
[Everyone else is blindly following this legend. You have the strength to make a path for yourself even when being put down for doing so.]
This is starting to sound pretty whacked out.
[Destruction is coming soon. Everything you know and love . . . well, everything in general will be destroyed.]
“And this entails me because . . . ?”
[There must be three heroes. You are the third chosen.]
Those words hit me like a brick to the gut. With something so strange and alien and frankly life-changing, this had better be some sort of strange dream.
“W-Why me?! I’m no hero, just your average ordinary skeptic!” I wave my hands in front of me in a manner that says “What?! No!”
[Whether or not you think you are capable does not make any difference to me. I know that you are perfectly capable of this daunting task.]
“One last question.”
[What is it?]
“Were you the one making me feel watched every time there was a glass of water in the same room as me?” Crap, this is a ridiculous question. Asking her about my delusions, is that really a good ide-
[Yes. That was me watching you.]
“Creep!”
The wolf telepathically chuckles, and the entire scene starts changing into a bright white. Soon, it’s too much, and I wake up.
Deep in the woods, at the bottom of a seemingly shallow pool, two gemstones, each about the size of an apple, start to illuminate the inky bottom. One shines ruby, and the other glows green. A string of stray light begins to trace its way to the surface for each of them. They rise at the same rate, and break out of the water, facing opposite of each other. The light then plants itself on the ground, and each string starts pouring more and more light into the chosen spot, until each area now holds the shape of a girl. The light then solidifies, leaving two young women standing at the edge of the pool, facing each other.
“Celia?” the green one says. Her hair is a dark, grassy green with a very light green strip about two centimeters wide flowing through the right side of her head and her ponytail. She wears a strapless green dress with a gradient of light green at the top fading down to dark green at the bottom. Her shoes are shiny, black flats with cute bows on the toes. The girl’s golden eyes shine in the moonlight, glad to see her friend again.
The redhead looks at the other young woman. Her hair is a short, deep crimson bob with a two centimeter strip of almost white red falling down the right side of her hair. She wears a dark red tank top, a light denim skirt, black leggings, and black and white checkered Vans loafers.
“Oh dang, Charm. How long were we out?” the redhead asks, dazed.
“I think maybe a few days? A week? It didn’t feel very long,” the green girl replies.
“It would probably help if we found some civilization,” the red-haired young lady suggests.
The green-haired girl, Charm, replies, “Good idea, Celia. Let’s go.”
I sit up, dazed. My room is bathed in moonlight, and I have no idea what time it is. That was definitely a strange dream, though. I check my alarm clock. 1:36 AM. I kind of need to go to the bathroom.
I quietly get out of my bed, and tiredly walk to the bathroom. After doing my business in there, I wash my hands, and look up at the mirror.
I gasp. My hair is very blue.
Most of it is a deep cobalt, but there’s this one strip on the right side of my hair that I’d say is about two centimeters wide, and it’s a much lighter blue, almost white. I finish washing my hands, dry them off, and then search in the cabinet underneath the sink for the black hair dye I bought a few months back, when Carter decided to be a little prick and tried to dye my hair in my sleep. He must’ve come back with a rematch.
There we go! Found it!
I grab it and set it next to the sink, closing the cabinet. I hold my head over the sink, take the bottle, and squirt some of the dye on my hand to test on my hair. I rub the dye on, putting it on a random strip of hair from top to bottom.
I’m about to start officially when the black dye starts sliding – yes, sliding – right off. It makes its way down the strands of hair and pools in the sink, swirling down the drain.
My eyes widen, and I mutter, “I’m doing this in the morning.”
I place the hair dye bottle back in the cabinet for now, and head to bed again. Maybe this is part of the strange dream I had, and am still having.
I soon drift off to sleep.
I wake up, and stretch. What an odd dream last night. The weird wolf and the hair dye? Never thought I’d have a dream like that. Then I catch sight of the mirror.
Oh.
“CARTER!” I shout.
“What?” I hear him yell from his room.
“Why’d you dye my hair last night?!”
“I didn’t!”
I stomp over to his open room door, still in my pajamas. “You’re saying you didn’t do this?!” I point to my hair.
Carter’s halfway under the bed, searching for something. He pulls himself out, and looks at me.
“No! It wasn’t me!”
I notice the Maeda pin sitting under there, but don’t say anything about it.
“Well then, who did do it?”
Carter shrugs.
[I did.]
I jump. That’s the voice of the wolf from my dream! Have I finally lost it?!
Carter doesn’t seem to notice, and is about to go back under his bed to search when he sees the Maeda pin.
“Carla! I gave this to you!”
He presses the pin into my hand and closes it, huffing, “Keep it this time!”
I sigh, and go back to my room. No point fighting him a second time. I find my favorite hat, and attach the Maeda pin to the outer rim. I close my door and change into a pair of short shorts and a black V-neck shirt. I slip on some black ankle socks, and brush my hair real good so I can put it up into a bun. Unfortunately, there’s this one small section of my hair that’s just barely too short to join in with the rest of the bun. I grab a bobby pin and pin the section to fit in with the rest of the bun. I then slip on the hat, making sure to cover up as much hair as humanly possible. Blue may be my favorite color, but having it as a permanent hair hue is a bit much.
I grab my brown A & W hoodie and slip it on, putting the hood up for good measure. I then tighten the drawstrings and tie them into a nice little bow so that nobody can put my hood down randomly.
I head downstairs, grab a banana, slip on my cute black boots, and shout upstairs, “I’m heading out, see ya later!”
“Okay!” Carter shouts down.
“See ya later, honey,” Mom replies.
“See you later,” Dad responds.
I’m about to go outside when Carter shouts, “Wait! I wanna come with!”
“You sure?”
“Yeah!”
I grab my phone and shove it in my pocket. “Grab a banana and let’s go.”
Carter already has his shoes on, so we both go outside and start taking a walk. I don’t tell him that I’m planning on going to the therapist to get my mental health checked.
The much brighter streets calm my mind a little bit, and I have the opportunity to think things through in a rational manner.
Why did the blue wolf claiming to be Maeda spy on me for practically my entire life? Why did it show itself last night? What was that weird dream all about?
[All will be explained in due time, Carla. Be patient.]
There it is again! That weird voice! Why is it plaguing my thoughts?!
Said thoughts are interrupted when Carter tugs on my sleeve. “Can we go into the forest, Carla? I wanna explore!”
“Carter, it’s dangerous in the forest! Who knows what’s lurking in there?!”
But he runs off into the forest, forcing me to follow him. “Carter! Get back here!”
The trees and underbrush get thicker and thicker as we go deeper in. The fact that we’re also climbing upwards doesn’t help either. It’s about thirty or forty minutes in that he finally stops. I push away the last of the shrubbery to finally find a clearing.
It’s oddly grassy, with a clear pond in the center. The pond is about five or six feet across, and looks about a foot deep from here. Carter’s at the edge, staring in.
“Wow, it’s so pretty!”
Then I realize something. This area is beautiful, and quite tranquil, but it’s silent.
“Carter, do you hear that?”
“Huh? Hear what?”
“Listen carefully.”
He pauses for a few moments, then looks at me. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly. It’s too quiet. It’s almost like we’re not supposed to be here.”
Carter looks nervous. “Carla, I don’t remember the way out. . .”
“And neither do I. We’re lost deep in the woods in a clearing that’s way too quiet. I told you we shouldn’t go in the woods, Carter. Yet here we are.”
I pull out my phone. “And we can’t call for help, either.”
“Why not?”
“No reception. We’re probably half an hour’s run away from where we started, and I don’t know how far away the next point of civilization is. They’ll have to run helicopters to find us.”
The area does look like it should be full of life. All of the trees are lush and green, and the grass is short, but healthy. The pond is so clear you can see straight to the bottom. The sky is cheery blue, and a few cumulus clouds are floating by, like they’re boats just floating off on the water. But there’s not a sound being made except for Carter and I.
Suddenly, I hear a footstep right outside the clearing. Carter and I both stand perfectly still, waiting to see if it would happen again. Another footstep, and another. They’re slow and careful. Calculating. Sneaky. Carter and I hold our breath.
“Carla, what’s going on?” Carter whispers.
I jump, startled. “We need to get out of here, now. Something’s out there, and it’s after us.”
Carter nods, and we turn around. I’m about to start running through the shrubbery I broke through earlier when suddenly the footsteps resume. They’re much faster this time. The creature is running. And right towards us, too. I sharply inhale just as something breaks through the shrubbery I’m just about to go through.
It’s a large, red wolf. And it’s terrifying.
I’m not talking about the species of red wolf, this thing is literally a red wolf. It’s fur is a blazing, fiery color, with traces of rusty red, maroon, and crimson on it as well. It’s got golden eyes, just like “Maeda” the dream wolf.
The wolf bares its teeth at us, and growls. A deep, gruff telepathic voice enters my head. [What are you doing here?]
Startled, I step back. They say dogs can smell your fear, and I’m assuming that’s probably the same case with wolves, considering they’re both canines. Meaning I’m probably pretty fragrant right now. I wonder if it can hear my heart beating, trying to escape my chest.
[Well?]
“Carter?” I whisper. “Can you see it too?”
He nervously replies, “The wolf? Yeah. . .”
The wolf seems to be growing impatient. I take a deep breath in an effort to calm myself down.
“So my brother Carter here wanted to go into the woods and I said no and he ran off and I followed him to try to catch up to him and he ended up getting tired and rested here and we’re just trying to get out of here now so could you please let us through? We mean no harm!”
My nervousness shows clearly through my voice. The wolf notices, and pauses. It circles around the two of us.
I whisper to Carter, “Don’t make any sudden movements!”
He nods, and both of us try to stay as still as possible. The wolf seems to be observing us. It sniffs both of us for a bit, and there’s even a point where it looks me straight in the eye. It lasts for about ten seconds, and a cold sweat runs down the back of my neck.
The wolf stops circling us. It looks at Carter. [The boy is free to go.]
I sigh in relief, but my reaction comes too early. The wolf then shifts its gaze to meet me in the eye. [You have an odd aura about you. You are coming with me.]
My eyes widen in terror, and I look back at Carter to find him staring at me in worry. “I’ll be fine, just go on ahead!”
He nods, and runs out of the clearing as fast as he can. I turn back to face the wolf, and I ask it, “What do you want?” I try to sound confident, and to keep the fear out of my voice. It mostly works.
It looks at me. [Follow me.]
I oblige, too scared to find out what’s gonna happen if I don’t. Adrenaline pumps through every cell in my body, and I’m so nervous I can’t quite think straight.
Actually, not quite. There’s this part of me at the back of my mind that is somehow perfectly calm. I focus on that calmness, and take deep breaths. As I follow the wolf, I find that my coping method works wonders. I can finally analyze the situation rationally.
First, I should find out what the wolf’s name is. Then, I should figure out what it wants from me, and finally, where it’s leading me and why. (And then ask for directions back home.)
I look at the red wolf, who has been silent ever since I started following it. I gather up a bit of courage, and, feeling a bit silly, ask it, “Um, w-what’s your name?”
[Be quiet.]
Well, that’s a bit harsh. But then an idea pops into my head.
With a poker face, I say, “Nice to meet you, Be Quiet.”
The wolf looks at me, incredulous. [Seriously?]
“You walked right into that one, buddy.”
The wolf sighs and turns around, walking a little faster. Feeling a little more bold, I wonder how much crap it can take.
“So, how’d you get a name like Be Quiet?”
[That is not my name.]
“Then what is your name?”
[Shut up!]
“Now I’m confused. Is it Be Quiet or Shut Up?”
[I said shut up!]
“So Shut Up is short for I Said Shut Up?” I giggle.
The wolf growls in frustration.
“Well then, nice to meet you, I Said Shut Up.”
The wolf growls again and starts running. “Hey, wait up, I Said Shut Up! I can’t keep up with you!”
[Good!]
“But you wanted me to follow you!”
[Fine! You are free to go!]
“Yusss!” I say under my breath, and do a quick happy dance. I start running in the opposite direction, and I Said Shut Up seems to realize what just happened, as I’m soon being pursued by it. It catches up to me, and then blocks my path.
[You are not getting away with that this time, Carla.]
“How do you know my name, I Said Shut Up?”
[Maeda told me. And my name is Reuha, so stop calling me I Said Shut Up.]
That explains a lot. It explains his color, his grumpiness, and why he’s kidnapping me.
[I heard that! I am not kidnapping you!]
And his insecurity, because he has to read everybody’s mind before feeling good about himself.
[Stop that!]
Nope.
It also explains why the earth has natural disasters. Reuha blows his top too often. I wonder what part of Hawaii is dying right now because of that.
And I didn’t know that his full name is Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up.
[What am I going to do with you?!]
I giggle. “Let me go?”
He growls, and bares his teeth. [No. You are coming with me.]
“Okay, okay. Chill.”
[Get on my back.]
Due to a certain meme-obsessed little brother, the first thing that comes to mind is He protecc, he attacc, and most importantly, he lets people ride on his bacc.
[What on earth is wrong with your thought life?]
“Blame the Internet.”
[What is the Internet?]
“Newfangled technology that wolves don’t use.”
[Thanks.] The wolf sounds sarcastic.
I get on Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up’s back, and he says, [Hold on tight. This might get a little bumpy.]
He bounds off, and we soon get into a part deeper into the woods than anyone I know has ever been. Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up soon finds a clearing, and two other wolves appear to be there. One is grassy green with lime and camouflage greens mixed in, and the other is the wolf from my dream last night.
“So, Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up, who are they?” I gesture to the two wolves in front of us, as I get off his back.
[The green one is Aetha, and the blue one is Maeda. And my name is Reuha.]
“You mean to tell me your full name isn’t Reuha So Stop Calling Me I Said Shut Up?”
[Yes.]
[You two seem to be getting along quite . . . swimmingly.] Maeda laughs at her own little pun. Then she seems to realize something, and walks over to me.
[Why are you covering your hair, Carla?]
Reuha notices something too. [How do you know her name, Maeda?]
Aetha seems to be curious for both questions.
Great. I’ve trapped myself.
“Um. . . hehehe. . .”
Splish!
A splash resounds in the distance, and it sounds like someone fell in somewhere. Sensing trouble, I run towards the source of the sound, and away from the wolves. Pushing the underbrush aside, I soon find myself at the same, crystal clear pond, but there’s one difference.
Carter is in the center, drowning.
I rush towards the pond, closing my eyes, and toss my phone out of my pocket at the last possible second. When I splash in, I find my entire body goes several feet underwater, and I still don’t touch the bottom.
I quickly swim upwards. Every second feels like an eternity as I can’t seem to find much buoyancy. If I can’t make it up there in time, Carter’s gonna die!
My lungs start to burn from holding my breath for so long. I’m almost there, just a little bit longer. . .
I manage to find Carter and push him towards the edge of the pond. I can’t do very much, but what I do manage to do seems to be enough as Carter seems to be lifted from the water.
But then I notice the water currents in here. The pond certainly didn’t look like it has water currents from the outside, but these water currents are spinning and dragging me downwards. Fast. I try to make my way to the surface, but my efforts are futile. The currents just drag me down even harder. My lungs can’t stand it anymore, and I realize my fate.
I’m going to die down here. Carter, please remember me. . .
I’m forced to take a breath, and start the process of my death. But as I inhale, expecting to cough, I realize nothing happens. Did I get into an air chamber? I don’t think so, as the cold water currents are still pulling me downwards. I tentatively open my eyes, and find I have perfect vision. Perfectly useless vision, that is.
I close my eyes again and feel the water currents around me. I’ve touched the bottom. It seems I can breathe underwater for some reason, and I realize I also feel . . . powerful down here. But why?
I need to focus on getting back to the surface. I can’t swim upwards, because of the water currents pulling me down. If only they would just go upward . . .
As if hearing my thoughts, the water currents start spinning in the opposite direction and I’m hoisted up through the water at speeds that could rival a jet’s. I feel the water pushing me up from below, and the water around me helping me up. I soon find myself out of the water, and a few feet in the air before I fall down to the ground with an “oof!”
I cough a bit, sputtering as all of the water I inhaled comes spewing out of my nose and onto the grass in front of me. Ew. I get up and try to wring some of the water out of my clothes, and notice Carter standing in front of me, eyes wide.
“How did you survive that, Carla?”
I shrug. I have absolutely no idea. But I tell him, “Let’s get out of here.”
We run through the forest, making our way past the shrubbery and underbrush. The areas we travel through are still lush, but they have no grass on the ground and there are actually animals here, making noise as we go along. I start to shiver; the water from the pond is getting to me. The only thing keeping me from freezing to death in this morning chill is the heat being generated from my running.
After about forty-five minutes, we manage to make it out of the forest. I’m sopping wet, and since I’m not moving anymore, the cold of the water that’s soaked into my clothes takes a full grip on my body temperature. I start shivering to the point that my teeth are chattering. It doesn’t help that it’s mid-October and I decided to wear shorts on a day that’s supposed to be real nice. I guess that didn’t work out, since it’s already 11:00 AM and it’s only 62 degrees out here. According to what my phone said earlier, anyways.
I examine my surroundings. Behind us is the forest we just came out of, and a few hundred feet away is a drugstore. Next to that is Annie’s Inn (it’s actually a lunch and dinner restaurant), and next to that is a doctor’s office. Perfect! I’ve finally found the place I was originally looking for. But maybe we should go out for lunch before I go in to get my head checked, after all, who knows how long that evaluation is going to take?
I reach for my pocket to grab my phone, so I can call Mom and Dad and let them know we’re going out to eat.
But my phone is gone, and I know exactly where I left it.
It’s sitting not even five feet away from the pool Carter almost drowned in.