章節 15: | Little Miss Friendless

They came to an unruly row of bramble bushes blocking their way. 'You know, Ava, I … I'm sorry.' Jack took a deep breath. 'None of this is your fault. Not me … not Mark.'

Ava said nothing for a whole minute.

'How'd it happen with him?' he prompted gently.

'Last year my tutors made me go to summer school,' she said. 'To help me get extra credits in Literature and a shot at a college scholarship. Mother wasn't happy, but Dad overruled her. For once. Anyway, there were kids there from all over the country.'

'And Mark was one of them?'

'Yeah.' She was quiet for a while. 'I make it a rule not to get close. Never to get close, not to anyone. But stuff just … kinda happened.'

Jack nodded. 'Holiday romance, huh?'

'Hopeless, doomed romance more like.' She snorted softly. 'Afterwards, when we'd both returned home, we'd talk for hours in chat rooms online. We had so many crazy plans. We figured, maybe someday when I was out of here … '

'Did you tell him about the wolf stuff?'

'Get real! I just said my mom and dad were total psychos about their precious darling daughter and that they'd kill him if he even came near me.' Ava looked down at her boots. 'Guess he didn't believe me. Reckoned he couldn't wait and tracked me down. Came out here from Michigan. And since no police ever came looking, I guess he didn't tell anyone where he'd gone.'

'Jeez, big mistake,' muttered Ava.

'When he turned up, I guess Mom thought the perfect opportunity had fallen into her lap, figuring I'd let him …' Ava pushed out a deep breath. 'So she bit him. Unlike you, he had no resistance. But when I said there was no way I was going to mate with a lupine – not even him – Marcie killed him. Just like that. I couldn't believe she would just … ' Ava shuddered. 'I wish to God I'd never so much as spoken to him. If I'd left him alone it would never have happened.'

'You warned him to stay away,' said Jack awkwardly. 'What else could you have done?'

Ava seemed not to hear him. 'Marcie reckoned she was teaching me a lesson. Showing me she was serious. That there was no way out for me.'

They stood side by side, staring at the thick thorny tangles barring their way.

'Mark's dead. But we're alive, Jack.' He could barely catch Ava's whisper. 'We have to make that count.'

Gently, Jack took the flashlight from her and began skirting around the thick bushes until he picked out a clearer path. Ava followed after him in silence.

'You said you could help me,' Jack said after a while.

'I said maybe. It means finding someone.'

'Who?'

'He's not local. I'll explain once we're on the road. And try not to change again till we're well underway, OK?' Ava's voice grew still more deadpan. 'You might cramp our chances. Wolf hair is a bitch to shift from car seats.'

Jack guessed the joke was well-meant, but right now he didn't much feel like laughing. 'How come you're only running away now, anyway?' he blurted out. 'If my family were werewolves—''

Jack turned back to the bushes, baffled and intrigued. Her skin was flawless. But that was a matter for another day.

'It's not a very sociable time for traveling,' she reminded him, pulling her coat back on. 'If a man sees a girl dressed like this at the side of the road they'll be quicker to stop if you're not standing next to me, don't you think?'

Jack made a big show of considering this, trying to focus on her words and not her pale smooth skin. 'Maybe you should lose the jeans as well,' he grunted before he could stop himself.

'Watch it,' Ava told him. 'Or I might just hitch that ride and take off without my bodyguard.'

Jack grinned. Then he realized just what she'd said.

'Bodyguard?' he echoed darkly. 'Oh, I get it.'

Ava looked down at the ground awkwardly. 'Get what?'

'That's why you brought me along, isn't it?' Jack swore. 'Little Miss Friendless thinks she stands a better chance of getting away with a tame 'wolf on her side.'

'It's not that, you idiot!' she hissed.

'Not just that. We can look out for each other! Right now, I'm all you've got.'

Jack sneered. 'That crap you fed me about being able to help. It comes down to this? Feeding me some bull about a cure to stop me running off too soon?'

'Keep your voice down!' Ava urged him. 'Jack, I do think someone might be able to help you, OK?'

He wanted to believe her. But then, he'd believed Marcie Dane when she said he was getting better.

'Good luck, Ava. See you around.'

Leaving Ava alone at the edge of the forest, Jack turned and walked off down the highway. Somewhere, miles up ahead was the winding track that led down to that little group of log cabins for hire. Bitter tears welled up. If he could only go back to that morning he walked away from his family, and this time live it differently. Keep his mouth shut instead of having to argue. Would it have killed him to be the dutiful son for a week? Just to hug his mom again, see his dad's smile, or swing Joe around through the air by his ankles. Joe used to love that …

He stopped. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face. The path ahead was pitch black. The kind of path monsters would take.

And there was nothing for him down that road now, anyway.

Somewhere distant he heard the undulating whine of an approaching car. He glanced back to Ava. She was standing right where he left her, watching him. Her flashlight made a pool of weak light around her feet. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Jack turned and walked back to her as the noise of the car grew louder. 'Guess it's time to try out your hitching theory.'

Ava stepped out into the road, and let her coat fall open. 'Guess it is,' she said quietly, glancing back at him. She held out her thumb. The car rolled by, ignoring her. With a heavy sigh, they waited quietly for the next car to come, together.

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