LANA
Lana felt like she was swimming through thick fog. Trying to reach an unreachable surface. She perceived isolated details: the smell of alcohol flooding her nostrils; voices interrupting a conversation and saying her name; the sound of the police sirens. Nothing she heard made sense. She made her greatest effort to return to reality.
"Voices," she thought. "Familiar voices, both."
When she finally managed to open her eyes, the person holding her moved back a little, giving her space. Without words, stunned, she looked at him, open-mouthed. She recognized that short hair and dark eyes, that tattoo on his shoulder clearly visible since he was shirtless. It was Jacob Black, and he looked worried.
—You—was all that came out. She tried to sit up, holding her head—. What're you doing here? Or, actually, where the hell am I?
—Take it easy—he tried to grab her arm but she pulled away. Jacob sighed—You're in an ambulance. You smacked your head pretty good.
Suddenly, Lana remembered everything. Getting thrown against that tree. The wolves coming out of nowhere. She tried to bolt upright, but nearly face-planted. Jacob caught her before she ate pavement.
—Slow down, you're still shaky—he said. But Lana pulled free when she saw Officer Swan heading over.
Stumbling, she went to him.
—It's not bears. They're wolves. —she started, all worked up. She tried to calm herself to explain—The ones attacking the town, they're wolves. I saw 'em. In the woods.
By the officer's face, he seemed to be aware of that situation.
—I know. My daughter mentioned the same thing.—Concerned, he made her sit in the patrol car—How you feeling? They hurt you bad?
Lana shook her head, feeling Jacob's eyes boring into her back.
—It wasn't them. I don't know who or what hit me, but it wasn't... a wolf.—She blinked at the officer's confused look—Look, I just know I saw 'em. Three of 'em, and huge as bears.
—Alright. Tomorrow you'll need to come down to the station and give a statement. Can you stand on your own?—he asked, seeing her swaying. She nodded, but when she tried, she nearly went down, and he caught her—Better get you to the hospital.
Lana shook her head quickly.
—I'm fine. Just dizzy.—She closed her eyes to recover—Gimme a second.
She lost track of time, had no clue what happened to the party, or Quinn, or Morgan. But all of that felt secondary now.
—We need to get you home. —Officer Swan said, holding her up again.
—I got it— Jacob butted in—I know where she lives, don't worry.
Lana wanted to argue, to say hell no. But she felt so wrecked she could barely breathe. Nauseous, throat dry and thick. Almost without thinking, she let herself lean on her enemy. His skin threw off this comforting heat in the freezing night air.
Took her forever to realize she wasn't in the street anymore, or at the party. She was in the passenger seat of some truck, and right next to her, Jacob Black was driving. She couldn't figure out which part of the night sucked more: getting driven home by Jacob again, or getting attacked in the woods and almost dying.
—Morgan... and Quinn—she mumbled—I gotta know... what happened to them.
—They're good. Officer Swan calmed 'em down.
—Calmed them down?—She frowned, confused.
—Yeah. When they saw you passed out and bleeding...— He gripped the wheel hard, like he didn't wanna remember—It messed them up pretty bad. Lucky you're okay and it didn't get worse.
When Lana started recognizing stuff from her neighborhood, she made him stop. Couldn't go through the front door. Her mom would murder her.
—I gotta go in the back way—she said, a bit more lucid.
Jacob frowned. Getting the picture.
—You seriously snuck out for some party?
—Shut up and help me down. — she shot back, bitching about it.
Jacob walked to her side of the door, opened it, and leaned in so she could hold onto him. Lana made a disgusted face doing it. Hated depending on him.
—See you're feeling better. Haven't stopped complaining since you hit the ground.
Lana narrowed her eyes and stopped her steps, still holding onto him.
—If it bugs you that much, you shouldn't have offered.
—Didn't see you saying no—he fired back, smirking.
—Excuse me, but I was too busy trying to stay conscious. —She glared at him. He stared back, still with that stupid grin.
—And now?
His eyes pierced her in a way that made her tremble.She just stood there, looking at him, the world fading out. Until reality crashed back in and she jerked away. She really had whacked her head good.
—Don't need you. So you can take off, Black.
He looked up at the sky, controlling his temper.
—You can barely stand. At least lemme walk you to the door.
—So you can hold another favor over my head? No thanks. I'd rather fall on my ass.
Lana started walking, holding onto the stone wall.
—Can you drop the attitude for one second and accept that people wanna help?—he snapped, starting to shake. Lana looked at him, brow furrowed.
—It's not attitude. It's dignity. So beat it. Not saying it again.
Their eyes locked. He wasn't smiling now. Something hid in his eyes that she couldn't read; then they filled with straight-up rage.
—What's your damage?— he said, so pissed it actually made her flinch—You think you can handle everything? That nothing can touch you? Well, look how tonight went. If I hadn't been close by, who knows what would've happened. Or who would've found you.
Lana laughed, but it came out bitter.
—That's exactly the problem—she got in his face, stepping closer—You're the problem. You follow me everywhere. You're everywhere. Suddenly you're being all nice to me. Please, we don't even like each other. What's your game?—She poked him in the chest with her index finger. He didn't move an inch—What do you want from me?
Jacob went quiet for a second. Then he snorted.
—I don't want anything from you. I just grew up. And apparently, I'm the only one of us who did.
Without another word, he walked off, got in his truck, and left her there. Exactly what she'd wanted from the start, but now she was totally confused by his reaction.
●●●
—Let me make sure I got this. —Officer Swan said once Lana finished recounting the events of the previous night—You followed what you thought was your friend into the woods. Then someone slammed you into a tree; the wolves show up, and none of 'em hurt you, they just chase after someone else, right?
—Yeah, that's it— she confirmed, crossing her arms. She had repeated the story several times since arriving, and she only saw him scribbling in his notebook.
—You see anything else? Who pushed you? Or who they were chasing?
Lana frowned, trying to remember. Red hair came back to her. A woman's hair.
She blinked before speaking:
—I think it was a woman. Had red, wavy hair.
The officer went back to writing.
—Like your friend? You sure it wasn't her?
Lana opened her mouth, but closed it without knowing what to answer.
—I... I dunno, she looked older.—She shook her head. Sure it wasn't Quinn—I'm positive it wasn't her.
The officer nodded.
—And the wolves? Remember what color they were? Would help to know.
Lana sighed.
—Well, it was dark, but I think one was black, one gray, and one reddish.
After writing it down, he smiled at her and closed his notebook.
—Good, that's everything. This'll help us track 'em.
—What'll you do if you find them?—she wanted to know. She knew they were wild animals, but she didn't want them hurt—You won't kill them, right?
The officer's sigh confirmed her fears.
—They've caused too much trouble for this town. We don't have a choice.—He stood up from his seat and she did the same—Thanks for the info, it'll help. If you remember anything else, give us a call.
Lana nodded, feeling this weight on her chest. She'd done the right thing, so why did she feel like she'd screwed up?
When she got home, she showered, hoping the weight would lift. But the guilt and everything from last night wouldn't let her be.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but she dreamed about Quinn. Standing in the middle of the dance floor at her house, surrounded by people. Hot, packed, no air. Quinn needed to breathe, needed out. Wanted to feel the fresh night air. She'd just step out for a sec...
Someone in the dark woods. Watching. A weird, intense gust of wind blowing past her. The flash of her dress as she turned. The silhouette of her throat in the moonlight. Red hair biting her friend's neck. That's what had led her out there. That's what had been waiting.
Lana woke up gasping, staring at the afternoon light filtering through her window. Could barely get air into her lungs. Because it hadn't been just Quinn. In the last flashes of color from her dream, she'd seen something else: the dark, massive, dead shadow of a wolf.