Chapter Two

Ariya

Things used to be peaceful. I remember I used to love going down by the pond, laying under the tree, and looking up at the sky with Keo. But that’s not how life is anymore. I don’t think life will ever be that way again…

Fire. Fire is everywhere. The sounds of screams are heard throughout our little town. People are scared. People are running for their life. People are on fire, and they’re still running. Still screaming. I hear someone calling out for me. Who is that? Oh, it’s my Grandfather. “Hey! Listen to me, okay? We don’t have much time. You have to go now. You have to go and not come back here. Do you understand? I can’t go with you right now. But I’ll find you. One day, I’ll find you and we’ll all be together again okay? I need you to be good for him okay? Be good for him. He’s going to protect you. I’ll see you again one day. I promise. Now go! Get out of here!”

I jolted upright in bed, a cold sweat coming over me. I’m breathing heavily, trying to make sense of what is going on. A pair of yellow eyes are looking over at me.

“It’s ok…I’m ok,” I say while I try to slow down my breathing and convince myself of what I just said. “I’m going for a walk.”

Caleb continues to look at me, as if he is trying to decide something. Then he gets up and walks to the door.

“You don’t have to come with me. I’ll be fine. I’m not some weak little girl, you know that.”

Caleb walks over and nudges the watch on the table with his nose. I pick it up and look at it: 2:35am. No wonder. He’s not going to let me go anywhere at this time, not without him. It doesn’t matter how much I argue, and it’s not like I can keep him inside.

“Alright, fine. Let’s go.”

The cool air felt good. Caleb knew I needed to go for a walk to clear my head. He knew that I had that dream again. That I basically just went through everything I did that night. The fire, our home being burned down, and with so many people dying. It was a horrifying night. I was 9 years old when it happened, but I remember it like it was yesterday. We continued walking for a long while. I was lost in my thoughts but I knew Caleb was watching. He was always looking out for me. He practically raised me. He always made sure I remembered who I was, that I was…

“Well, well, well. Out for an early morning stroll are we? That’s not exactly safe now is it?”

My head snapped up and I froze. “Boss…”

“What are you doing out here at this time, Ariya?” Boss asked.

“Just going for a walk, I couldn’t sleep. What about you?” I asked, getting my composure back.

“Oh I couldn’t sleep either, with this whole…issue going on. Who is this? Your…dog?” Boss asked.

I had forgotten for a moment that Caleb was with me. Not good. I could tell that Boss was suspicious. He didn’t think Caleb was a dog. If Boss found out that Caleb was a lycan, we would be in some serious trouble. The lycans were close to the Navi. They lived in the same area and protected one another. It was hard finding one without the other.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You forgot his leash?”

“Oh, yeah…well, he doesn’t ever leave my side, so I stopped using one.”

“Hmmm…well okay then. I’ll see you later at work.” Boss said.

“Yeah. See you later.”

“Oh and Ariya, I know you are strong but be mindful of the time, you never know what’s lurking around the corner. I’m glad you have a dog though. Hopefully he is somewhat able to protect you. Wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you.” Boss said before taking his leave.

We continued walking. My mind was racing. I was frustrated. That was typical in our world. People see a female and automatically assume we’re some weak little girl. I know I wasn’t impossible to beat in a fight, but I wasn’t going to just let something happen either. One day. One day, I’ll activate my ability and then no one will be able to even lay a hand on me in a fight. No one would ever have to protect me, not even Caleb. I’d be the one to protect him instead.

We were heading back home when I realized if we went straight there it might look suspicious. But if we stayed out too much longer, then that could also look suspicious. I had gotten lost in my thoughts and couldn’t make up my mind on what we should do. Then out of nowhere Caleb growled. I paused. We were being followed. By who? Boss? Someone Boss is in charge of, like me? Someone not even connected to Boss? Drake? No. If it was Drake, Caleb wouldn’t have growled. He would have whined, maybe nudged me, but definitely not have growled. Caleb growled again. He couldn’t tell me who it was or where it was coming from, not without giving away that he was a lycan.

I decided that it was best if we headed back. But first, we had to lose our followers. My heart was racing. I wasn’t sure how we were going to do it without getting found out. I looked over to Caleb, hoping he would decide to use the bathroom to give me a chance to plan something. Knowing what I wanted, Caleb stopped in the grass for a moment, sniffing. I looked around, an alley was nearby. If we could get there, we could turn the corner and take off before our pursuers even knew where we went. It was our best option. Either that or lead them straight home. I started walking, fighting my nerves to keep from walking faster. I turned down the alley, took a couple steps and then ran. I started following Caleb because his nose was better than mine at the moment. He led us through all sorts of twists and turns. Left turn, right turn, left, left again, right. Suddenly, Caleb stopped running and bowed his head towards the ground. He wanted me to get down, I did as he instructed. The sound of footsteps heading toward us had my heart pounding. Calm down. I told myself. The problem was that if we got caught, we wouldn’t be able to gather all the information that they had on Drake. Not only that, but we would also be on the run. Eventually the sound of the footsteps started fading away. We were safe…for now.