Without warning, she grabbed the old heavy lamp on the end table next to her and swung it at Zack’s head. He fell off the end of the couch and Cindy ran for the front door. Kevin swung around with his arms out to the side to stop her. He blocked her path to the door. Cindy looked at him then at the window. There was no way she could get past him but she could call for help. She retrieved the lamp from the floor and put all the force she could into throwing it through the window. The glass shattered and Cindy started screaming.
Kevin brought back his fist and punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor. Before she had the chance to scream again, he grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth then glanced out the window. The men he saw washing the car earlier were still outside across the street and now they were looking over at the house. One of the men started toward them while the other pulled out a cell phone to make a call.
“Damn it!” Kevin growled and looked down at Cindy. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Before she could say anything, Kevin placed his hands on both sides of her head and twisted it, breaking her neck. Without remorse, he let her head fall back to the floor with a thud. Then he looked over at Zack who was sitting on the floor holding his hand to the side of his head. “Shift now!” he growled.
Within seconds, both men shifted into wolves. Kevin turned into a beautiful grey and white wolf, and Zack was a sandy brown wolf. Zack ran for the backdoor while Kevin grabbed the blanket that Lacey had been sleeping with in his mouth and followed behind him. They had just made it out the backdoor when they heard someone kick in the front door. Then a man yelled, “Call 911.”
Chapter Four
Lacey walked down the sidewalk back to Cindy’s house with her backpack full of new clothes and a bag filled with breakfast supplies. She was surprised at how much her hundred dollar’s had gotten her. Of course, the five dollar tee’s and ten dollar jeans weren’t what she was used to wearing but they looked nice and they fit her. For the time being, that was good enough. She had a nice place to live with a great roommate and soon she would find a job and her life would be normal. The thought made her smile. Things were finally looking up for her.
The closer she got to the street where Cindy lived, the more excited Lacey became about having a good home cooked meal. Her mouth watered with anticipation of a double-decker BLT sandwich. It was one of her favorite foods and she hadn’t had one in a long time.
Lacey had just turned down Cindy’s street when she heard the faint wail of sirens coming behind her. With every step she took, the sirens got louder and louder until a police car zoomed past her. She stopped to watch two more police cars drive by. When they stopped at the end of the road just a little ways down from where Lacey stood, an uneasy feeling came over her. It looked like they were in front of Cindy’s house.
Lacey watched as the police got out of their cars and ran up the sidewalk to the house. Fear swelled inside her and she dropped her bag of groceries and ran to see what was going on. All thought of what would happen to her if the police recognized her as a runaway forgotten. Her only thought was of Cindy. By the time she got to the house, she was nearly out of breath. She stormed up the steps of the porch and was about to enter the house when a cop stepped in front of her with his arms held out to block her. “Whoa, you can’t go in there.”
Lacey looked up at him with worried eyes. “What happened? Is Cindy okay?” she asked in a rush.
The cops face softened and he glanced over his shoulder, inside the house. He gently grabbed Lacey’s arm and led her down the steps of the porch. “You know the woman that lives here?”
“Yes. She’s my friend. Now tell me, is she okay?” Lacey practically yelled.
The officer ignored her question. “What’s your name, Miss?”
Lacey looked past him toward the house, hoping to get a glimpse of Cindy. “My name is Lacey” she said without thinking.
“Well Lacey, I’m Officer Jacobs. Can you tell me how you know the woman who lives here?”
Lacey was getting frustrated. “Her name is Cindy and I’ve already told you that she’s my friend. Now, can I please go in and see her?”
Officer Jacobs frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but...” He stopped talking when the coroner rolled a gurney out of the house with a body on it covered by a sheet. A hand fell from the side and Lacey noticed the bright red nail polish that Cindy was wearing last night. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. A swarm of different emotions suddenly attacked her, making it difficult to think straight. Cindy was dead.
Lacey stumbled backwards and nearly fell. Officer Jacobs caught her by the arm. “Are you alright?” he asked gently.
“What happened?” Lacey asked in a cracked voice as she tried to hold back the tears that were building in her eyes.
“I’m sorry but your friend was murdered. Someone broke her neck. Do you know of anyone who had a problem with her?”
Lacey watched in horror as the coroner put Cindy in the back of a white van and closed the doors. Her heart ached at the loss of the only friend that she had. She looked at the officer, the hairs on her arms stood on end as the familiar buzz of energy soared through her. She was getting emotional and her powers were starting to surface. She wanted to lash out at someone, anyone. She was hurting and the hold on her powers was slipping.
The leaves on the ground in the yard lifted into the air and started swirling around Lacey like a mini tornado. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down before things could go any further. If she lost control in front of the police, she would be in big trouble. She took a couple of deep breaths and forced her powers to the back of her mind. Slowly, little by little, the leaves fell to the ground.
“What was that?” Officer Jacobs asked as he looked at Lacey with curiosity. “Did you make that happen?”
Lacey looked at him for a second. She could see the disbelief on his face but he also had a bit of interest on it as well. He reached for her arm and she took off running. She ran harder and faster than she had ever run in her life. Officer Jacob’s voice rang out behind her, telling her to stop, but she didn’t dare.
When she got to the end of the street, Lacey looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her, to her relief they weren’t. She kept running until she got to the shopping center where she had bought her clothes earlier. She ran behind the building and collapsed by the dumpsters.
The strain on her to keep her powers under control combined with the pain of losing Cindy and the reality that she was now homeless again was too much. Lacey let go of everything and allowed herself to wallow in her grief. Trash from inside the dumpsters swam in the air as the lid bounced open and closed. The metal backdoor to one of the businesses began shaking like it was going to bust from its hinges. Nothing around her was still as her powers surged through her. Not even the blood that trickled into her mouth or the headache that was starting in the back of her head was enough to calm her down. She had never felt more scared, desperate and alone in her entire life.
*****
“What are you doing back here without the girl?” Cole yelled at Kevin and Zack when they came in the door of the pack hangout in their wolf forms.
They quickly shifted and stood before Cole, naked. Kevin held out the blanket he had taken from Cindy’s while Zack walked past him into one of the other rooms.
“What the hell is this?” Cole asked and looked down at the blanket.
Kevin walked over to a box and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt and put them on, then faced Cole. “We tracked her down to a house on Baker Street but she was gone before we got there. Her scent is on the blanket. We can pass it around, let everyone smell it and we’ll find her in no time.”
Cole stared at him, then brought the blanket up to his nose and sniffed. “Yes, this is her scent.” He smiled before ripping the blanket into shreds. “Make sure everyone gets a piece of this” he said and threw the pieces at one of his pack members, a young boy barely more than a
teen.
Cole stood in front of Kevin. “Did you find out anything about her?”
Kevin nodded. “Her name is Lacey and she’s a runaway.”
Cole walked past him whispering her name. “Lacey...such a pretty name for my little witch.”
“Do you really think she’s a witch?” Kevin asked.
Cole smiled. “I don’t know what she is but I do intend to find out.”
*****
Lacey woke up next to the dumpster and realized that she must have cried herself to sleep. She lifted her head from the ground and looked around. The trash on the ground around her reminded her of her earlier breakdown. She pushed herself up from the ground and a wave of dizziness hit her. She leaned against the dumpster to steady herself. “What’s happening to me?” she whispered. She was starting to think that there was something seriously wrong with her, besides the fact that she could move things with her mind.
Over the last couple of months she had been having nose bleeds every time she used her powers and a few weeks ago, she started getting headaches. And now, dizzy spells. Something wasn’t right, and she knew it. But her fear of hospitals and doctors kept her from seeking out the help that she needed. No way was she turning herself over to the mercy of the people she feared most.
Lacey looked up at the sky and shook her head. The sun was setting. She had spent the entire day asleep on the ground when what she should have been doing was looking for a place to stay. The thought brought back the image of Cindy’s body being loaded in the back of the coroner’s van. She closed her eyes and pushed the image away before it caused her to cry again. Why would anyone want to kill Cindy? She was so nice and friendly. Lacey tried not to think about it as she made her way around to the front of the shopping center.
Her stomach growled. She pulled her money from her pocket. Three dollars and twenty cent. What was she going to do with that? Once again, she found herself starving and with no money. Regret for spending all of her money on clothes hit her and she shook her head at her own stupidity.
She found the receipt in her pocket and went back to the store where she had bought the clothes, hoping to return them and get her money back. But the store was closed. She rested her head against the door as a feeling of helplessness overcame her. She stayed like that for a few minutes before walking off with no particular direction in mind.
An hour later, Lacey found herself in the middle of downtown. The city was beautiful at night. White and neon lights from the many businesses that lined both sides of the street shined brightly. The six lane road through town was full with bumper to bumper traffic. And the sound of music blasting from the passing vehicles and honking horns assaulted her ears.
Lacey stayed on the sidewalk as far away from the road as possible for fear that she might have another dizzy spell and fall into the street. Her stomach growled again and she wrapped her arms around herself as she walked. The smell of Italian food caught her attention. She stopped outside a small restaurant named, “Little Italy” and looked in the window. Her mouth watered when she saw the two plates of lasagna that were just brought out to an older couple at the table by the window. The old woman looked at Lacey and she quickly walked away feeling embarrassed and ashamed that she couldn’t even afford to feed herself.
She continued down the sidewalk until she came to a market that had fruits and vegetables displayed in boxes on the sidewalk. She stared at the apples and oranges with yearning. She had never felt so hungry in her life. And she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to just walk away this time. She peeked inside the market and saw a middle aged man behind the counter ringing up a customer’s purchase and made up her mind about what she had to do. She wasn’t proud of herself but she didn’t have a choice.
Lacey walked around to the side of the market and pulled her hoodie out of her backpack and put it on. Then she pulled out a piece of crumpled paper and a pen and scribbled an IOU on it. She left her first name and promised to come back and pay for the fruit that she was going to take as soon as she could. She folded the piece of paper up and held it in her hand as she walked into the market.
She went straight to the back of the store and looked around nervously. When she was sure that no one was watching, she opened the drink cooler and grabbed a couple bottles of water and slipped them into her backpack. Then she walked over to a large table in front of the window that was filled with fruit. She sneaked a look over her shoulder at the cashier. He was watching a small television in the corner behind the register. With shaky hands and no regard to the people who might be watching her through the window, Lacey started filling her backpack with apples and oranges.
*****
“Hey Jesse, take a look at that” Scotty said and nodded toward Manny’s Market.
Jesse turned around on the bench he was sitting on outside the market and followed Scotty’s gaze to see a girl stuffing her backpack with fruit. He couldn’t tell what she looked like because she was wearing a hoodie but from the way she was shaking, it was obvious that she was scared. Probably not someone who made a living out of stealing. Jesse was still looking at her when Scotty chuckled, “looks like she’s about to get busted” he said and pointed to the cashier looking up at the mirror above Lacey.
The cashier saw her put some fruit in her bag and came around the counter to confront her. Jesse jumped up from the bench and hurried inside to intercept him.
“Hey Manny” Jesse said and stood in front of him, blocking him from Lacey. “You wouldn’t happen to have some more energy water, would you? You know the kind of water that’s good to drink when you’re running.” He put an emphasis on the word running.
“I’ll help you in a minute” Manny said and started past him with his eyes set on Lacey. Jesse stepped in front of him again. “But I really need that water Manny, it helps me run faster” he said. Again, emphasizing the word run.
Lacey looked up when she heard someone talking near her. She saw a young guy with short black hair with his back turned to her, talking to the old man from behind the counter. Only he wasn’t behind the counter anymore. He was just a couple feet from her and he was giving her a mean look. She quickly looked away as fear of getting caught ripped through her. She listened as the young guy talked and noticed the way he kept saying “run”. It took her a second to realize that he was saying it to her. She was busted and she knew it.
She dropped the apple that she was holding and ran toward the door. Manny dodged around Jesse and grabbed Lacey by the arm. Without thinking, she lashed out at him, using her powers to throw him backwards. The IOU that she had been holding fell to the floor as she ran out the door.
Jesse stared at the door, not really understanding what he just saw. Manny moaned and Jesse knelt down to help him up from the floor.
“Did you see that?” Manny asked.
Jesse noticed a piece of paper on the floor and quickly picked it up. He turned his back to Manny and read it. Then shook his head and smiled before facing the angry store owner. “Did I see what?” he asked.
Manny stared at him with wide eyes. “That girl pushed me without even touching me.”
Jesse raised his brows questioningly. “I didn’t see her push you. I thought you fell.” He tucked the IOU into his pocket and half smiled. “You know Manny, you’re too old to be chasing after girls.”
Manny gave him a mean look. “You were in on it, weren’t you? You helped that girl steal from me. Get out!” he yelled and pushed Jesse toward the door. “Don’t ever come back to my market again!”
Jesse let Manny push him outside where he rejoined his friends. Scotty was smiling from ear to ear while Tonya and Kindal pretended that nothing had happened. Trevor shook his head and put his arm possessively around Tonya.
“What the hell are you smiling about, Scotty?” Jesse asked and walked past him, down the sidewalk. His friends fell in step behind him.
“Nothing really” Scotty said. “I’ve just never seen you do anything like that before. You don
’t usually get involved with human issues and I’m curious as to why you helped that girl.”
“Because I wanted to and that’s all you need to know” Jesse said and reached into his pocket to pull out the paper that Lacey had dropped. He read it again. His assumptions about her had been right, she wasn’t used to stealing. He had never met a thief who left an IOU before. He thought about how scared she looked. “Did anyone see which way she ran off to?” he asked.
Scotty smiled again. “Yeah, she ran off toward the hole. I don’t know why she’d want to go to that part of town but that’s the way she went.” He hit Jesse on the arm playfully. “Don’t tell me you got a thing for the little thief.”
Jesse ignored him. His thoughts centered on Lacey and why she was headed toward the hole. She didn’t strike him as the kind of person who would live there. She seemed scared and fragile, probably not someone familiar with the city. The thought bothered him. Someone like her could get into a lot of trouble. Jesse stopped and faced his friends. “I’ve got something I need to do. I’ll meet you guys at the warehouse later.”
Scotty laughed and made kissing noises. “Yeah, I bet you do have something to do” he teased.
Jesse narrowed his eyes. “Will you shut the hell up? I have no interest in human girls and you know that.”
“Yeah, you look totally uninterested right now, buddy. But hey, whatever you say” Scotty said with a big grin before walking off.
“Be careful” Trevor said and rested his free hand that wasn’t wrapped around Tonya, on Jesse’s shoulder.