Hidden in Sheridan (Tainted Series: Book 1)

Moon: FIRST QUARTER

Levi - “Levi? Levi?” My name slides through the black, but it sounds like it’s far away. They certainly cannot be calling out to me.

A sharp scrape of metal against metal echos, closer than the call of my name. My head twitches, and boy was that a mistake. Sharp needles shoot behind my eyes, from temple to temple. My hand flinches up to stop them, but a muscle cramps in my wrist, a small muscle but large pain. Involuntarily, I whimper.

“Levi!” The voice is right over me now, its owner’s hand pressing against my shoulder. “Levi, you’re alive. Are you okay?”

Stupid question, I think

“Press this to his eyes.” Interrupts a woman’s voice. It’s familiar.

Something cold is laid over my eyes, numbing the sharp needle-like pain to dull spasms, giving me the relief needed to release my jaw. A whoosh of air rolls from my mouth.

“Better?” The voice asks.

“Ow.” I say. The expression prompts the return of my own vocabulary. “I thought I was dead.”

Shuffling of dirt beneath shoes is followed by an additional set of hands on my other shoulder. Together, the two sets of hands lift me into sitting position. I let the cold pack fall from my eyes into my lap. The light is so intense I struggle between staying blind or forcing my eyelids to open.

“Take it slow, Levi.” The woman’s voice encourages. I recognize the voice now. Sterlings mother. She’s holding me up, which also helps me conclude the first voice, belongs to Sterling.

After multiple blinks my vision returns and I confirm the suspected scene.

“How long?” I ask.

“You slept in the cage for two nights.” Sterling answers.

“My mom!” I gasp, panic rushes through me, I push myself out of the chair but my legs disagree leaving me to crash back down like a discarded sack of flour. My legs haven’t worked at all since they pulled me from the basement. Sterling, carried me on his back all the way up the steps and into the kitchen.

Barely coming to this realization now brought an embarrassed flush rushing to my face. I need to distract myself. I look around the kitchen, avoiding the worried gazes from three members of the Wolfe family.

It’s a quiet morning at the Wolfe’s home. The cubs must not have woken yet. Daylight was still going about its work swallowing the stars in the sky. A slight tingle ran down my spin as I realize the moon is still resting on the horizon. Though I can’t see it directly through the large kitchen windows, I somehow know exactly where it is, and where it’s going.

I study my body for a moment, the tingle hums on the top layer of my skin, but there is no pain.

Sterling helps me straighten back in the hard kitchen chair, stabilizing me for the conversation to come.

“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Wolfe sighs from her chair across the table. Her hair is carefully pulled back in a twist low behind her head. She doesn’t appear tired but her voice flexes a bit more than usual. “I’ve spoken with your mom. You and the boys are on a camping trip with no cell reception. She’s okay and grateful you were feeling brave enough to camp.”

A legitimate excuse, as it’s a scenario that has happened before. Mom was used to the spontaneous trips the Wolfe’s take, many I may have invited myself along on, once or twice.

In hindsight, I suspect my presence had been an inconvenience during those trips.

“Good news though, the second night you didn’t look like you were in pain.” Sterling says, clearly hoping to offer up some form of comfort but it fell flat against the brick wall of worry built in my chest.

“Is it going to happen again?” I try to keep the shriek from my voice but that’s not easy. The exchange of glances from my question did not instill any confidence in me either. Finally Mrs. Wolfe spoke up. She kept her voice calm and even, giving off the impression she knew exactly what she was talking about.

“There are many phases to the moon. The three days of the full moon being the most influential. Your pain came and went with the moon. Which means it is the same gravitational pull we feel, so - yes, we can suspect it will happen again. Tonight, in fact, as the moon is gaining in size.”

Eyes closed I tip my head back, but only for a second. As the next urgent thought rolls from the dark corners of my mind. My eyes snap back open to look at Sterling. “Did I change?”

“Nope you were human the whole excruciating time.” Sterling says, his smile as blinding as the sunlight. My eyes squinted questioning whether or not that was a good thing. Sterling read my reaction accurately, “We think it’s good you didn’t change. Our bodies were made for the change, you - you’re not. So it could have been permanently damaging.”

My eyes roll back into my head and I return to my previously defeated posture.

Mrs. Wolfe’s soft voice travels through my foggy mind. “What this means is the bite is reacting more like a poison and a poison is something I can figure out, honey.”

A small flicker of hope lights beside my thick wall of worry. “I guess it doesn’t matter. If this doesn’t kill me, you all will.”

Silence follows.

I figure silence is the best answer to that statement. Wolves are predatory animals, protect the pack and get rid of anything that threatens their safety. So even though I don’t like the idea of being killed by my best friends family, I understand the why.

“All we have to do is find the cure, save your life and then finish High School.” It was Rory’s voice that broke the silence. That fact alone brought a new level of speechlessness into the room.

I eye Rory for a long moment.

“Before the full moon, because that’s sure to kill you.” Rory finished and normalcy returned to the atmosphere.

“So I’m not turning into a werewolf?” I ask.

“Nope.” Sterling says but I hear it. Three heartbeats beating irregularly, and all of them in this room. “I’m starting to understand your uncanny skill for knowing I’m lying.”

Sterling’s pulse hiccuped again.

“I’m running some blood cultures to test the poison theory. It’s flimsy, but it’s a direction.” Mrs. Wolfe’s voice holds a sound I’ve never heard before. I easily forget her heart-murmur and trust every word she speaks.

“How do you cure a poison?” I ask rubbing the threatening tears from my eyes.

“Find the source.” Rory says. I couldn’t help but feel inspired by his decisive solutions, but apparently I was the only one. A slim feminine hand slaps loudly across Rory’s forehead. Stunned, Rory steps back. “Mom! I was being helpful.” He insists.

Mrs. Wolfe smiles cooly, as if she knew something Sterling and I didn’t. “Go to school, Rory, and NO looking for him! If you catch any irregular scent you call for me. We cannot have any risk of him running before your father gets home.”

A hint of light pink appears in Rorys cheeks and he rubs the spot on his forehead. Then without protest, Rory slings his bag over his shoulder, grabs a waffle and wraps it around three sausage link, for on the go.

“Him? Who Him?” I ask, since it seems no one was going to fill me in. Rory pauses at the door.

“The one who bit you.” Sterling states rising to his feet. “I’m going to school too.”

“You and Levi can search the library.”

“We did that, mom.” Rory states, his mouth only half full of sausage, “All night, Sterling and I found nothing. It’s better for him to come to school. If he’s there it’s better to look as close to normal as possible.”

I shot onto both feet, the chair falling loudly behind me, “Who is it?”

Everything in the room paused for a moment, each of the Wolfe’s eyes on me their heartbeats steady as their eyes calculated what to tell me. Mrs. Wolfe looks to Sterling, she gives a small nod and Sterling turns back to me.

“Rory and I searched through our library all night looking for proof that this accident happened before. But that got us thinking, what if this is the first time? What if someone did this to you on purpose?”

“You’re an experiment.” Rory says pointing at me with his waffle burrito.

“Experiments require a lot of trials.” Starling says and my heart starts to hammer against my ribcage as he continued. “Accident or experiment, this all started with one person…”

“The wolf that bit me.” I say to Sterlings nod.

“And I’m betting he stuck around to see the result.” Rory finishes. He slips closer to the doorway, a wicked look across his face, clearly eager to hunt.

Sterling continues, “From what I saw that night, he’s probably in high school.”

Without another word Rory slips out the door. I wouldn’t have noticed except, Mrs. Wolfe releases a low growl which vibrates my bones enough to keep me rooted in place. Another sound returns, it’s distant maybe down the lane. A howl. I know it’s Rory answering his mother command with complete loyalty.

Goosebumps ripple down my arms as I realize, I can understand. It wasn’t words it’s just that, ‘understanding’. Sterling nudges me, blood returned to my face and I begin to breathe again.

“Is that what you meant by communicating?” I ask. Sterling eyes widen as he nods. Mrs. Wolfe eyes narrow at me, and suddenly I can’t look at her anymore. My eyes slide down to where her feet meet the kitchen floor.

Mrs. Wolfe sighs then gives her youngest son her full attention before she sighs, “Fine.” Sterling and I look at each other, his startled expression mirroring my own. “Take Levi home first. He needs to talk to his mother and get some new clothes so she doesn’t worry.”

“I got it mom!” replies Sterling, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing my arm to lead me toward the door. I shuffle along, my legs steadily find their strength but I don’t push them until I’m absolutely sure they can hold the added weight I have on my shoulders.

It takes a few six yards of being outside, before my jello legs solidify into something stronger.

It’s possible someone had done this to me on purpose. Used me as an experiment, maybe with the intention of killing me. Surely they’d be curious to see if it was a success or failure.

Well, I’m still alive. Let’s see what he thinks of that.

CHAPTER END