~Layla~
The following day brought nothing but mystery and misery. Wherever I looked someone was already staring at me. Their eyes bored into me even when I caught their glances, when they saw that I looked at them they didn’t turn away like normal people usually do. Their eyes seemed to narrowed in a sick judgmental way and I couldn’t help but feel scrutinized wherever I went.
They weren’t cheery and happy anymore. Normally my neighbors would wave their hands and smile at me each morning. The others would always say hi or ask how I was doing but today it was like someone had turned a switch in their heads and they were mad about something.
The parents even pulled their pups away when they tried to come up to me. The doors closed and even then they would stand glaring in the windows.
Their sinister gazes followed me until I went into to the little bakery they had and I thought it would stop.
“One large coffee please.” I smiled even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.
The barista looked at me while chewing on her gum. She flicker her hair over her shoulder and prepared the coffee, filling the cup halfway and then throwing a lid on the counter for me to put on myself.
’They hate us’
I walked with quick steps away from the houses and the people. I sought out sanctuary in the little dark knock by the farthest end of the river.
Slumping down I spilled the cup and the coffee ran out as I hurried my face in my hands and cried.
My chest pressed abasing my knees and breathing got harder to do.
The moss covered rocks were great targets as I threw pebbles and saw how close to the flower I could hit.
The tears still streamed down my face and I hiccuped every few seconds but the sobbing had stopped.
The sound of branches cracking under heavy streps and moist moss being stepped on didn’t bother me. I didn’t break eye contact with the rock in front of me and continued throwing pebble after pebble.
A cup was reached out in front of my face and the smell of coffee seeped out from the lid.
“I figured you could use some,” he said and placed it next to me on the ground. Justin pressed and screwed the bottom of the cup to make a little holder in the damp soil.
He looked at the spilt coffee and the paper cup that I had brought which laid not he ground and sighed as he picked it up.
He slid down the tree and sat down beside me.
“I’m sorry that you’re upset.” He said and threw his own pebble on another rock.
“Will you tell me why?” I didn’t answer him, there was nothing to say. Justin was one of them and they were friends, why would he ever be on my side.
“Maybe I can help.”
“You can’t.”
“So you won’t even let me try?” I felt defeated and alone. There was nothing for me to do, to that I could think of at least and Analyze telling me that I already have all the answers only made it so much worse. Because if I had the answers then why did I feel so useless?
“There’s nothing you can do about it.” I said and threw the pebble. I took another one and tossed it but Justins hand shot out and grabbed the pebble. He grabbed my legs that were pulled up and shifted me so that I faced him.
“Let me decide that.”
“Fine. The second I stepped outside people started glaring, they are hiding their children, closing their doors and not even saying hi. The barista was a bigger bitch than anyone I’ve ever met and I’ve met some bitchy people in my life. So tell me, now that you so valiantly want to help, why are they treating me like an enemy who has uprooted their lives and killed their loved ones?” His eyes sunk back and his jaw dropped.
“Because you have.” He said and clenched his jaw. His eyes were cast down on his hands and he wasn’t looking at me but what the fuck did mean by that?
“Because you’re not learning-“
“Because you told me not to,” I interrupted.
Justin nodded his head and continued, “Since you haven’t been learning, Nathaniels plan has been pushed back. Everyone is scared, they know that it all will come down to you wether or not we succeed.”
“But why do they hate me”?
“If the plan doesn’t go through then they will all be killed. Nathaniel has been told that there are two possible futures, one where you rise with us and help Nathaniel with his plan and another where all Emberclaws are killed.”
“Why would they be killed?”
“Not they, Layla, us. We would all be killed.”
“But why?”
“He wouldn’t say, only that other packs will start to question our strength. That’s all he said,”
“We’re all still stronger than regular werewolves.”
“Not every werewolf in the country.” He said and looked at me with worry.
Justin was desperately trying to make me understand the significance of what he was saying but what he was saying was directly pressing up against what he had said when I first came here. Why had he suddenly changed his mind? He was so filled with opposing theories that he voice without any concern for me and I was the one stuck in the middle of it.
“What do you want me to do exactly?” I asked lowly. He seemed torn with his answer and his cheeks were flushing but eventually he mustered out, “Whatever Nathaniel says.”
We were walking back and I was heading home, I needed time to think. I grabbed Justins arm and stopped before we reached the mass of people.
“How did Nathaniel see the future?” i couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked him before.
“He has a friend, a siar who can see the future and she told him what awaited,”
“She?” He nodded his head.
“What’s her name?” Justin scoffed and shook his head.
“I don’t know, nobody does. Nathaniel likes his secrets but she doesn’t live far away from here, she’s the only neighbor we have.”
Could he mean Analise?
’Kade needs to find her and fast’
I closed the door to my house and went into the kitchen. With each breath it felt like the weight of the world sunk down on my shoulders and grabbed the counter to steady myself.
’Does he really want us to trust Nathaniel?’
Someone knocked on the door and I wish I could ignore it and just go to bed but I couldn’t.
I don’t know but we’ll figure this out
’How much time do we have?’
“Hey there, Layla. I heard that you’re ready to practice.” Nathaniel stood tall outside and lifted his head with a devilish look in his eyes.
Not much
