Goldilocks (8 page)

Within a few seconds she was only a blurred flash between the trees,
the smell of her fear still heavy in the air. The wolf had begun to move beneath him, its head dangling at an awkward angle as it forced itself up onto the bank. Jake let it go, moving himself from the creek so that he wouldn’t be hampered by the weight of the water when he delivered the final blow.

YOU!
He roared, knowing full well that the beast understood him, its growl more of a halting laugh as it stared up at Jake through soulless eyes.
You almost killed her!

One
mighty swipe of his razor sharp claws cut deep enough to immobilize the wolf right then and there, its guts spilling in a steaming pile from the jagged opening Jake had left in its stomach. But it wasn’t enough for what it had almost done to Hannah. His anger was blind now, the wolf’s body nothing but a bloody pulp of fur and organs when he was done taking out his revenge. Even still, it breathed, its tongue lolling out onto the ground as it wheezed out an eerie warning.

Creed. Will. Be. Free.

It was exactly what Jake had feared, but the words only fueled the rage that had taken over him, Hannah his only concern as he closed his wide open jaws down over the wolf’s head and crunched once.

Not today; H
e wont!

Chapter 8:

“You listening?”

Hannah jumped as her father’s hand squeezed her knee, her empty gaze ripping from the stretch of roadway ahead to his concerned face. She forced a tiny smile, pushing away the thoughts she’d been struggling with since her run to the base of the mountain. She’d been so scared that the bear had followed her that she’d locked herself inside the cabin until her father had gotten home that day, and then retreated to her room without eating dinner. Telling him about the near loss of her life would have just made him worry, and after surveying the woods from the living room window all day yesterday, she was pretty sure there weren’t any more unnaturally large animals lurking around.

“I’m sorry what did you say?” Hannah asked, shaking her head in apology when her father repeated himself.

“I said, are you sure you’re okay. I know you’re nervous about your first day at a new school, but you’ve been kind of out of it since…”

“I’m fine,” Hannah interrupted him, not wanting to discuss the real reason why she’d been lost in thought since leaving the cabin earlier.

“You don’t seem fine,
” Paul pressed, his eyes locking with hers for a moment before moving back to the road.

“Dad,
really…” Hannah assured him, pulling her backpack from between her feet and into her lap. “You worry too much,” she smiled this time, shrugging as she looked at the rectangular brick building they were coming up on. “It’s just school, right?”

“Right,” Her father nodded slowly, pulli
ng into a parking lot that was already flooded with students.

Hannah didn’
t have to tell him not to pull right up front. He’d been thinking exactly what she was thinking, maneuvering ‘Big Red’ to the end of the marked exit lane before stopping to let her out. For once the ugly old Jeep didn’t backfire when he put it in park, and Hannah exhaled the breath she’d been holding with a laugh, accepting the kiss he planted on her forehead before jumping out.

“Knock ‘em dead,” Paul pretended to pump his arms back and forth like a runner, giving her a tiny wave as she shut the door, still shaking her head.

Hannah refused to look back as she turned and started up the long sidewalk towards the entrance of Lake City High, her head down so that her long hair shadowed the sides of her face. At least it was the first day of school for everyone, and she wouldn’t be forced to stand up in front of every class and introduce herself. But the school’s website had said that the entire study body only totaled three hundred and twenty six, so everyone was bound to know everyone else, and being that she knew no one, she wasn’t interested in being stared at.

Finding the office was as easy as following the signs they had posted, welcoming new and returning students from summer break. Hannah waited patiently while the secretary pulled her file and printed her schedule, instructing her to have a seat in one of the lounge chairs while she called their guides over the intercom. Within a few minutes, the door to the office swung open and a cute blonde guy popped his head in, a wide smile on his face as he looked from the notecard he was holding to the three girls
staring back at him.

Hannah immediately shrank back in her seat, swallowing hard as she stared at the ferocious
looking timber wolf decorating the front of the blue and gold football jersey the guy wore. It was just a picture, but the bared teeth, the empty eyes... Her heart beat quickened as she thought back to her run to the base. The wolf had come out of nowhere; but then again so had the bear. She’d been shocked at first when the bear didn’t try and chase her down the mountain, but the more she’d thought about it -over the last day and half- she was almost certain that the bear had been trying to protect her.

In that moment, she’d been scared, yes, but there was no forgetting the way the bear’s eyes had locked with hers, widening as he’d charged forward to take on the wolf. He’d looked at her again after he’
d broken the beast’s neck with his crushing teeth, his roar sounding more like a warning than it was a threat.

“Kolby?” a voice broke her train of thought, and Hannah’s eyes jerked up to see that one girl was gone, and the other was getting up and collecting her things.

Hannah was just about to ask the secretary where her guide was when the door to the office flew open yet again, a pint sized kid with thick black rimmed glasses panting to catch his breath.

“Sorry I’m late!” he grinned wide, showing off a set of shiny silver braces. “Hannah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, her brows knitted as she stood and swung her backpack over her shoulder. “There’s no way you’re a senior…right?” she asked, following the boy out into the hall just as the last bell rang.

“Nope, freshman,” h
e laughed, his shoulder length silky brown hair bouncing as he strode down the hallway towards her first class. “Lockers are that way, he pointed down a hallway to their right, tugging her arm as he turned left and nearly broke into a jog. “Chase was supposed to be your guide. My big brother…” he explained with an eye roll, and look over his shoulder at Hannah –who was right on his heels-. “His stupid girlfriend didn’t want him leading some other girl around school all day, so he asked me to do it, and I see you have Ms. Holley for your first class. Ugh!” he shook his head apologetically, pretending to gag himself with his index finger. “Heard she’s a witch, and gives detention for even being one minute late to class. Glad I won’t have to worry about her until senior year, and hopefully by then she will have croaked,” he laughed, coming to a stop so fast that Hannah bumped into him.

“This is you…” he pointed to the closed classroom door, taking a look at the notecard in his hand. “Looks like you’
ve got Raines next for Calculus, and then Goodall for government. I’ll meet you back here when the bell rings, and show you to your locker and how to get to the next hall. Gotta go,” he gave her a sharp military salute, his braces flashing as he smiled wide at her once again.

“Hey!” she called
out just before he made it back to the main hall, causing him to turn and jog backwards. “I didn’t get your name…” she smiled, covering her laugh when he smacked his palm to his forehead.

“My friends call me Charlie!”
he threw back tossing his hand up in a wave before disappearing around the corner.

If only everyone here were that friendly, her dad might finally get his wish and she’d finally have some friends. Not that she wanted any, but it was a nice thought. Hannah took a deep breath, her fingers trembling as she gripped the knob of the door. Being late to class on the first day was never good. Her plan to go unnoticed was already shot, all eyes on her as the hinges squealed in protest announcing her arrival.

***********

“What’s with all the plaid?” Hannah asked the second Charlie popped into sight, her head nodding to the sea of students flooding the hall.

She’d never been one to keep up with all the fashion trends back at her old high school, but where she’d felt out of place there because of her lack of high heels, make up and jewelry, she felt severely overdressed here in her flats, khaki skirt and plain white t-shirt. She’d normally have just thrown on a pair of jeans, but in an effort to fit in at this new school she’d grudgingly pulled out one of the three skirts that she owned in an effort to be more ‘girly’ as her father liked to say. It was obviously the wrong choice. Every other kid in the hallway had on some type of plaid top, worn jeans and tennis shoes, none of them seemingly into any sort of fashion trend.

“Small town and all that,” Charlie shrugged, already leading the way to the
hall of lockers he’d promised to show her. “Not much of anywhere to shop except the mom and pop stores. Everyone keeps it pretty simple around here,” he explained, tugging her schedule from her hand. “You can tell the cliques of girl by how they wear their hair,” he smirked, pointing to a group of girls all huddled together in the middle of the hall. “Big and curly…those are the snobs. Ponytails…jocks. Plain…nerds,” he glanced up at her, his face reddening as his eyes fell on her straight gold locks. “Well I didn’t mean you, you’re…you’re…pretty,” his cheeks flushed crimson as he said the word, his eyes jerking away when she gave him a smile.

“So those numbers are my locker combination then?” Hannah changed the subject, watching as he spun the set of numbers –at the top of her schedule- into the silver padlock on her assigned locker.

“Yup,” don’t lose it. “It’s a pain in the butt to have the office look it up for you.”

“I thought you were a freshman,” Hannah pointed ou
t, shoving the books in her arms into the locker as he opened it for her.

“I am, but the middle school is attached, we share the same office. So I’ve technically already been her
e for three years,” he winked at her, pointing to her schedule and then back down the hall. “I’ve really got to run, you think you can find the next class on your own?” he asked, already rattling off directions before she could answer.

Hannah wanted to beg him to stay by her side, but she only nodded and gave him another smile as h
e slipped off, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as she took a look around the nearly full hallway. No one was paying her any attention or giving direct eye contact as they passed, but the uneasy feeling she suddenly had was unmistakable. Looking around once more, she shook her head at the silly thought, squaring her shoulders as she slammed her locker door closed. She’d never depended on anyone back at her old high school, and Charlie was only her guide for the day. She didn’t expect him to stick around any longer than he had too. It was stupid of her to even want him too.

Hannah started in the direction that Charlie had pointed in, almost immediately stopping
in her tracks when she spotted the football player she’d seen in the office earlier. There was a whole group of them now; their matching jersey’s a draw to the blue and gold semi-circle they’d formed around a stocky looking guy backed against a locker.

Dark sable colored
eyes locked with Hannah’s and she immediately tensed, a shiver running down her spine as she looked quickly over and away from the guy’s face. He was paying the jocks no mind, his shoulders locked, fist curled and face tight as he blatantly stared at her. She could feel his eyes on her face, his mouth drawn into a tight line when she chanced a second glance.

“Whatcha looking at Bear?” one of the jocks taunted, shoving the guy in his chest so that his back hit the locker
behind him with a thud.

The group all turned to look in Hannah’s direction and her cheeks
heated when they caught her staring, her feet refusing to move her in the opposite direction.

“Oh she’s cu..!”

Hannah’s hand flew over her mouth to cover the tiny cry that tried to escape as the guy who’d just been trapped shoved the two boys in front of him harder than she would have thought possible. They stumbled backwards, both of them slamming into the bank of lockers on the other side of the hall just as the warning bell rung.

“Someone’s been eating their Wheaties!”
one of the jocks joked with hands raised as the guy they’d called ‘Bear’ stepped free of their circle.

“Just wondering when you’re coming back to the team! Don’t take it personal!”

Hannah glanced over her shoulder as those same sable eyes found her again, her face flushing when she realized that the hall had almost cleared. The second warning bell sounded, and she spun on her heels, just as his mouth opened to speak, her long legs carrying her towards her next class as fast they could go without her breaking into a run.

“Dork!” she chided herself through gritted teeth as she found the right classroom and slipped inside just as the final bell rung.

He’d probably just wanted to speak; she
had
been staring after all. He’d certainly held his own against the jocks that had surrounded him, but there was no reason that he couldn’t. She could see why they’d called him bear, and why they’d probably want him on the football team. He was more than a head taller than any of the other guys that had been in uniform, thick broad shoulders and an even broader chest making him look way older than any of the students here. His shoulder length brown hair was straight and full, almost hiding the thick dark brows he’d lifted when he’d first spotted her. If she didn’t know any better, it had almost looked as if he had been surprised to see her, but that was impossible. She’d never seen him before in her life.

He
was
cute; she had to give him that, not that she’d ever express it to anyone. At almost eighteen years old she’d never even been on a date; boys didn’t seem to notice her, and she hadn’t given them much thought at her old school. Cross country took up too much of her time. But that wouldn’t stop her from saying ‘Hi’, the next time they bumped into each other. For whatever reason, she didn’t want him to think she was a complete loser. Maybe they’d even become friends.