Chapter 5 : Stuck

AJAX. My whole body is numb. I want to tell Father that the punishment he has in mind does not fit the criteria at all, but I keep my mouth shut. Even when he just motions me to leave like a dog, I say nothing. I just leave his study and make my way back to my room. I’m now back in Los Angeles. Here, I don’t have to hide who I am. Everyone here is a Werewolf. Spending summers in Kansas has always drained me, and usually, coming back home would perk me right up. But not this time. Even though I should be freer here, I feel more enclosed. More isolated from everything and everyone. I reach the door of my bedroom, and I’m about to push it open when suddenly, the room across mine opens. My older brother Draco peeks out, frowning. “Why are you dragging your feet across the floor like some kind of bum?” he asks, raising his eyebrow. “Just had a talk with Father,” I say. “Father,” he repeats, smirking. “Why don’t you just call him Dad? I call him that, and surprise, he hasn’t kicked me out yet.” “That’s because you’re his favorite,” I almost say, but instead I just smile and reply, “Maybe that’s because you wore him down to the point of submission.” We smile at each other, and I have to admit that I feel slightly better. Draco is seven years my senior, and he might be the favorite of pretty much everyone, but he never really made me feel out of place. He never made me feel like I was unwanted, even though my parents seem determined to plant that in my head every chance they get. “You can talk to me, you know,” he says, opening his door wider. “I know from the look on your face that it wasn’t a very good talk with Dad, and I can help. He’s putting me in charge of quite a few things now too. Maybe I can hook you up.” Without hesitation, I enter his room and sit down next to him on his sofa. His room can fit two of mine easily, but I try not to be jealous, even as I catch a glimpse of the Los Angeles skyline from his window. Perks of being the perfect firstborn. “So, what happened?” he asks, opening a can of beer from his mini-fridge and handing it to me. I swirl the contents of the can around and start to tell him everything. And by everything, I mean even the parts that I didn’t and would never tell Father. The girl in the party, how she escaped in a rush, how I might have been the one who caused her accident in the first place, the Rogue attack…. When I finish, I feel ten times lighter, but when I look at the worried expression on Draco’s face, the weight comes rushing back. “So that is the girl in the reports circulating,” he whispers, sipping his beer. “Her name is Maxine Kane, and I did actually handle her case until yesterday when Dad took over. I didn’t know she was involved in your party at all, and I’m really sorry for that.” “It’s alright.” It’s totally not, but what else can I say? “I just need to figure out a way to fix it somehow. To maybe shake her off my name. I also need some information about who exactly bit her.” “I'll try to do that, but it would be difficult to pin it on one person,” Draco says, his eyebrows furrowed. “As for the girl... well, I don't think she told anyone about a Werewolf party yet, and all you have to do is make sure she keeps quiet about that. Make sure she doesn't accuse you, either. Make yourself known to her before she talks to anyone about knowing you and your celebration. Win her over. Make sure she shuts up.” I let his words sink in, and I realize that he’s right. If no one else knows that she was an uninvited guest to my party, then the only person I have to please is Father. If I make sure the girl makes no fuss when she gets to her own pack, then I’m all set. Now all I need to do is find her. * * * MAXINE. I lost all the fight in my body. Even as the men lead me out of the glass enclosure, I don’t struggle. I don’t move. I’m not sure I’m even breathing properly. All I can feel is this sinking dread that gets bigger and wider with every passing second, a yawning abyss that is not satisfied with anything it’s feeding on. The men take me to another room, but this time, there are windows. There is a very visible door in the corner. It’s daylight, and the summer sun is beaming through the windows, painting the white walls pale yellow. The sky is bright blue, the kind that lets you know that rain is not even on the cards. However, I feel nothing. In fact, I feel worse. Because as soon as I enter, I notice the person sitting in the corner, watching me wearily. It’s Paul, my stepfather. He gets to his feet as soon as he sees me, and the Ambassador appears from somewhere behind me. She approaches him and they shake hands. There’s a sheet of paper clasped in his hands, and Ambassador Finnegan holds out her hand for it. She peruses it as soon as she takes it, only to end up frowning at him. “Are you certain, Mister Graham?” she asks. “In her case, it would be better to—” “I’m quite sure,” he interjects, facing me. “I can handle her from here.” “What’s that about?” I demand, but he just takes me by the arm and yanks me to his car. He basically shoves me in, looking around as though to check if someone is watching him. He starts to drive, and as soon as he pulls out of the driveway, I notice the discreet sedan following us. I know that those are the guards that the Ambassador said would watch me, but I did hope that somehow she would forget to send them. The ride is silent, as all rides with Paul. We don’t have the same last name because even though he married my mom, he never attempted to adopt me. Our relationship has always been strained, even when Mom was alive. I don’t think they had it all that great either. I actually have no clue why they were together. We arrive at our house, and he doesn’t even bother helping me out. He just gets out of the car and leaves, heading straight to the living room and cracking open a fresh bottle of whiskey. He pours himself a generous shot while I look out the window and see not one but three sedans parking in the block. I’m about to head to my room and call Livia, but then Paul turns around. “So you ran away to party and got bitten by a Werewolf,” he says, shaking his head with a dry smile on his lips. “I have to hand it to you, Maxine. You really know how to fuck things up.” Anger bursts out of my chest, but I try to reel it in. I know how much he enjoys getting a rise out of me. “Yeah, now leave me alone.” I take one step up the stairs when he comes around and grabs my arm. “You know what the paper the Ambassador gave me? It’s a waiver. I can actually petition for you to skip that camp and just learn to live among Humans, as long as you’re hidden well. Guess what? I refused to sign that shit.” I freeze in my spot. I yank my arm out of his grasp but I feel so weak that he holds onto me just fine. Disbelief is pulsing through my veins. The possibilities of being petitioned to coexist start to sprout in my mind, and I find myself reeling. It could have been good. Everything would have been okay. But he just won’t give me that chance. “Why?” is the only thing I manage to say. Paul walks closer to me, his eyes burning with hate. “Because you don’t deserve anything remotely good happening to you. You’re a bringer of the worst luck—” “Shut up,” I hiss, clenching my fists so hard that my nails are now biting into the flesh of my palms. “Shut up, now.” He doesn’t listen. He just bulldozes on. “You had your own mother killed,” he says triumphantly. “You put your best friend in an accident and she could have suffered the same fate as you. Or worse, she could have died. You bring bad luck everywhere with you. You screwed the only people who dared to be close to you, and I’ll be damned if I let myself suffer like they did. No, thank you. I’m not taking any chances—” “Fuck you!” I scream at the top of my lungs, with every single bit of loathing and fury I have collected over the years. And that’s when something strange happens. My body starts to grow. I can feel my bones expanding. Heat rushes through my veins, giving me a similar feeling to the burning sensation of the bite. I step back, and my footstep sounds heavier than usual. In fact, the wood plank breaks under my foot. Paul’s eyes go wide, and he lets me go, scampering to get away from me. I look down at my own hands, and that’s when I see fur sprouting out of my skin and sharp spikes replacing my nails. I’m turning into a wolf.