Authors: Renee Thacker
Tarun wore a fur shawl,
Victorian
dress, and a cruel blade in hand.
“Y-you said you would leave them alone if I came,” I struggled to my feet.
“Humans,” Tarun cackled. “Are so gullible.”
“You’ve caused way to much trouble for us.
In return you can see how much pain you gave us.”
Damen sighed like it was no big deal.
“But you’re a werewolf, and there a werewolf,” I counteracted.
“And you’re supposed to be a werewolf
protector
not
murderer
.”
“That’s not how it works
darling
’
” he
turned to Tarun.
“Do the honors.”
“You would not,” I gulped.
“Oh yes I would,” She arched the knife over her head aiming it straight at Rosa.
“Nooo!” I screamed breaking my wrists free.
It was too late.
In a split second the knife soared expertly through the air digging itself deep in Rosas throat.
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t think.
Couldn’t live with myself for letting this happen.
My whole body shook with fury.
I broke myself free from the trance and charged at Tarun.
All she did was
standing
there smiling at my slow human
reflexes
.
All other sound was
blocked
out except for my own screaming.
No matter
how many times she threw me across the room I got up again.
Damen was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette casually.
But I didn’t care for a girl who had lost her will to live.
The tears coming down my face were for others, not my own self.
This time my body couldn’t get back off.
Tarun walked toward my crippled body enjoying every last moment of torcher.
But that’s when it all happened.
The door crashed down as three hooded figures came in to view.
Regan.
Dimitri.
Jeremy.
Tarun whipped around trailing her
Victorian
dress behind her.
“Drop the knife,” the deep voice of Regan co
mmanded.
“And let the girl go.
“Not so fast,” she sneered.
“Damen we have visitors!” she called over her shoulder.
Damen threw his cigarette against the floor of the barn lighting it on fire.
Dimitri, Jeremy, and Regan all threw there hoods off stepping in to the dim light.
Regan growled like a wolf and lunged on to Damen.
He bashed his head and tossed him into the fire.
I thought it was over until Damen stepped back out unscathed.
It was his turn now.
He threw Regan across the room landing him next her.
I watched a new fury build up inside of him.
He screamed curses swearing mad as hell.
Jeremy and Dimitri were in the process of tying up Tarun.
We didn’t have much time.
The barn was rapidly burning down.
“Leslie!”
Loren shouted.
I looked over to her.
The fire was inching closer and closer.
With all my might I stood up and limped as fast as I could towards her.
Painfully,
painfully
, I took the knife out from Rosas throat and cut Loren free.
“We need to get her body out of here,” she told me.
“I-I can’t my I,” I gasped for air.
“I can’t do it.
M-my body can’t.”
“Yes you can Leslie!
Look at me!”
She shook my shoulders.
“You have to do this.
For Carson.
For all of us.
You know he couldn’t live without you.
He would never forgive
me
for letting this happen.”
I knew what she said was true as both of our tear streaked faces met.
In all of the chaos we managed to get her body to the back of the convertible.
She was dead.
She was dead.
And it was my fault.
That knife should have been in my throat not hers.
A couple of seconds later Dimitri, Jeremy, and Regan ran out to the car, started the engine, and sped off.
I looked back one more time to see the burning barn and the body of Tarun standing in front of it all, still in her Victorian dress.
I knew, I knew, that at all costs, she would come back for me.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“We’re trackers.”
Jeremy answered.
“We killed Damen but left the girl.
We need to get
out
to a hospital.
“No!!” I screamed.
“Rosa is dead!
She is dead! Don’t you understand?!
I shouldn’t be alive right now!”
I broke into sobs.
Then blacked out.
I don’t know how or when I got there but an IV was being stuck in my arm while nurses started hooking tubes to me.
They gave me some sort of syrup which immediately put me to sleep.
When I woke up later nurses kept rambling on about stuff.
I didn’t pay attention to anything until I heard the word “visitor” then “Carson”.
Five minutes was a painful thousand years waiting for
Carson.
No sooner he came in to view, looking as brilliant as ever before.
He dragged a chair from the wall and came over to sit by me.
“She’s dead,” I sobbed.
“Shhh sh,” he stroked my cheek with one of his strong gentle fingers.
When I looked in to those brilliant green eyes it was like all the answers were there,
lay
out in front of me.
Crying would do no good.
It wasn’t going to bring Rosa back from the dead.
And my parents-my parents.
“Do my parents know about this?”
I asked.
“They’re in the waiting room.
It’s visiting hour I have ten minutes more.”
“You don’t understand what I’m going through.”
I cried.
“I do,” he said.
“And you deserve better.”
“Carson what’s going to happen now?” I asked.
He hesitated then said, “I have to hide you, protect you.
We covered up everything for your parents and the school already.
The story is you got in a car accident and the other person just drove off.
Trust me we gave a pretty generous amount for the car.”
He took my hand in his and held it close to his heart.
“And I promise I won’t ever leave you again.”
“I believe you,” I whispered.
That’s when I thought of it.
“You know you’re immortal, a werewolf.
You’ll be a werewolf forever, you’ll never get older.
I will.
W…will you-you know, turn me… someday…?
He shook his head then looked at me with sad eyes.
Leslie, let’s not get in to this right now but I brought you this-here.”
Carson pulled out a piece of paper, unwrapped it, and
laid
it on my lap.
It read:
Cordova High: summer dance formal