My back was pressed hard into the wood, I had my hand covering my mouth as I peered through the crack in the closet door. The hangars were nestled in around my face, and I was doing everything I could not to move an inch, lest they jingle together and alert the people to my whereabouts. As I stood in the closet cursing what had brought me to this moment. If only I hadn't gone to the interview than I would have never seen the things I had tonight.
Helena Vanderville was stunning, like a goddess amongst mere mortals. Her blonde hair fell around her face in perfect beach waves, not a strand out of place. Her heart-shaped face was free from any signs of aging. Not a wrinkle or spot of dis-coloring in sight. I couldn't image people around her enjoying being around her for long unless they didn't care about their ego's.
She was perfect.
Suddenly I felt very underdressed and more aware than ever that I was thirty minutes late to my interview. I gave her an apologetic smile, trying to keep my shoulders from hunching forward as I entered her neat, and well-put together office. Her blue eyes were piercing in a way that made me feel like a deer in headlights, looking for a way to escape.
Her red lips curled up into a smile, reveal a set of perfect white teeth. I half expected to see fangs, at least that would have been better explanation for her ethereal beauty than genetics. All I saw was blunt edges, very human. She pushed up from her seat, revealing that she was tall as well.
"You must be Lucinda. It is nice to finally put a face to the name." She held out a hand toward me.
I hesitated for a moment before I took it in mine, "Likewise." I mumbled as she thin fingers curled around my hand, in a firm grip. It was shockingly firm, teetering on the edge of painful. I tried to smile through it, hoping that it was either an intimidation tactic or that she didn't know her own strength. The thought of this perfect female being my enemy had a anxious bubble building in my stomach.
Helena broke her hold, still smiling, "I was expecting you a little earlier, though. I was beginning to think you had changed your mind, that perhaps a couple of the townie's had scared you off already." Her tone was teasing, and she gave a small hollow laugh.
I held my own smile, even though my cheeks were starting to hurt, "I am sorry about that. I had planned to be on time but my truck broke down on the way in. Luckily, Mr. Wolfe found me or I'm sure I'd probably still be stranded."
I watched as her nostrils flared slightly at the mention of Cal. Her expression becoming slightly more pinched. Paige hadn't been kidding when she said that people around here didn't have the best ideas about him. I mean sure he had been a complete jackass but he had also helped me without much question. My stomach flopped around as my brain decided to recall what it felt like to have him close in the truck, his masculine scent had invaded my senses and made me dizzy. Those green eyes had me thinking indecent things, very indecent.
"Well it's a good thing Mr. Wolfe was around. I would hate to have thought of what would have happened without him." Her words snapped out of my wandering thoughts. My cheeks felt hot, as if she could see what and who I had been thinking about.
I licked my lips, nervously laughing, "Yeah."
Her eyebrows pulled together, "Well why don't we get to the interview?" She motioned for me to take a seat in the lemon yellow chair in front of her desk. I was more than happy to plant myself in the seat, when I realized that my legs were shaking slightly from my overwhelming nerves. I really wished that I had been able to shower now. I could feel sweat building up on my lower back, which was likely to soak into the thin cotton of my blouse.
"So I want you to understand that this position would require a lot of you, Miss Cartwright. You see my husband and I run a very tight ship around here. Everything has it's place and a particular order. We need someone who can understand this." Her tone was one of authority. It reminded me a bit of my aunt Margery. My father's sister had been a hard woman, who rarely smiled about anything. I hated when we would go in the summer to visit her, I was treated more like a soldier than a child. I couldn't have been happier when I found out the two of them had a falling out.
Straightening my back, "I can assure you that I am a very hard worker."
Helena eyed me before giving her another smile, "You've got quite good reviews from previous employers. They all spoke highly of you but I think for now I would like to hire you under trial basis, to see for myself how you work. This weekend we are having a get together with several people from the town. We need some extra waiting staff..."
I tried to keep my shoulders from slumping. I had gone to a prominent college, gotten my master's degree in Art history. I had wanted to be a curator but here I was, trying to prove myself so that I could hopefully be hired as a damned maid.I had to remind myself that I was doing this for Mary-Beth. I couldn't live selfishly anymore, "What time do you need me to be there?"
The sound of heavy footsteps had me sucking in a shuttered breath behind my hand. I pressed my back harder into the wall behind me as if that would make me meld better into the shadows of the cramped space. I should have left the party the moment I had seen Callum Wolfe walk through the door in a nice suit. His face clean shaven and his eyes more vibrant than I had remembered them to be. Honestly, it wasn't fair that one man should be so obscenely handsome.
I watched him come toward me with a powerful stride, and a heavy look in his eyes. His gaze roamed over the people nearby before gripping my arm in his hand and dragging me away from curious eyes. The tray of hor d'oeuvres that I was holding shook as I staggered over my own feet to keep up with him.
I gritted my teeth as we passed into the kitchen, and he released his grip on me, "What are you doing here, Lucinda?"
"What does it look like I am doing here, Cal?" I questioned back, lifting a brow in a sarcastic gesture, "I'm working, or I was until you decided to show up an manhandle me." He wiped his hand down over the front of his face with a deep growl of frustration, radiating from his chest. The sound sent a shiver of discomfort through me, and I leaned away from him on instinct.
He leveled me with his green eyes, "You need to go, Lucinda. This isn't a place for someone like you to be."
"Someone like me?" I hissed the question at him. What the hell was that supposed mean? Was I somehow less than these people? I noticed the way the Kitchen grew quieter as the other waiters tried to escape from the tension that was building in the room, the air thick and suffocating. I stood up a bit straighter, making sure I held his gaze even though It made my skin crawl. There was something feral and dangerous in his gaze, it wasn't always there but when it was--it terrified me.
"I'll have you know that Helena hired me for this job. So it seems she disagree's with you on whether or not I should be here." I snapped at him, feeling a twisting in my stomach as my anger coiled around my insides, "I'm more curious about why you're here Mr. Wolfe from all I've gathered you and the Vanderville's aren't even friends. So why would you come to a house full of people who for all you know, hate you?"
His face turned a light shade of red like he was trying to hold back his own anger, "I don't need to explain myself to you, much less why I do what I do."
I sucked in a calming breath before forcing myself to smile at him, "My point exactly. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a job to do. I do hope you enjoy your evening Mr. Wolfe." I had felt vindicated as I walked out of the kitchen into the crowd of smiling townspeople.
I had spent the rest of the night trying to avoid Callum, making sure to stay as far away from him as I possibly could. It seemed helpful that I was so attuned to his presence. It made avoiding him a much easier task then I expected it to be.
The man in charge of waiting staff congratulated me at the end of the night, "That was good work Miss. Cartwright. If the Vanderville's don't hire you than I certainly will." He gave me a rough pat on my shoulder that jostled me forward. I reached up and rubbed my shoulder with a tight smile, feeling happy that I had done well and more then ready to head home. I glanced at the clock noting that it was only nine thirty which meant I probably had at least three hours left to my shift.
"So what's next?" I questioned
"Next?" His asked back, conducting the other waiters as they dropped of their empty trays. He glanced in my direction, "Next we go home. The rest of this event is private, meaning invitation only." His voice became a bit gruffer. I couldn't help but feel slightly curious as to what this group of people might be up to that needed so much privacy for. Unless it was simply a play for elitism, which from the face I had seen to tonight would have made sense.
"Here's your half of the tips for tonight." He held out a smooth looking wad of cash. My eyes widened at the sight of it. I may not be in Kansas anymore, but there seemed to be young, rich and beautiful people willing to spend there cash even out in the middle of nowhere. He chuckled as I took it from him hesitantly, "Don't spend it all in one place."I watched him walk out of the kitchen with a couple of other waiters.
The floorboards creaked slightly, which was the only way I knew someone was in the room now. Every long creak had me certain that I was going to die of fear right there in that stupid closet. I cursed myself for locking my keys in the car August had lent me. I cursed myself for being to curious for my own good. I cursed myself for buying the beautifully haunting house in the woods. I hoped that I would get to have that special moment people said happened before you died, the one where you saw your loved ones--reliving happy times. Instead all I could see in my head was tattered heaps of skin, and glowing eyes. I was reliving the nightmare that had me hiding in this closet, waiting for my own demise.
The glow of the bonfire had enticed me toward the woods. I had meant to find someone who might help me retrieve my car keys or someone who might be headed out my way. However all I found was an empty house and boredom. I had waited patiently for a good thirty minutes hoping someone would need to stop in for the bathroom but when that didn't happen I decided to locate the party goers. My curiosity had won out, which is how I had ended sneaking through the woods towards the fire and voices.
I hung back in the shadow of the trees, breathing heavily as I watched the crowd around the large fire. Bradford and Helena stood next to each other with proud expressions, "Tonight is a very special night. Tonight we welcome in the next generation of the pack and leaders in our community." The crowd cheered and clapped. I let my eyes roam over the group warily. What was this some secret society out in the middle of nowhere? The thought was slightly unsettling. All the strange vibes I had gotten from the towns people seemed more legitimate.
My eyes found Callum standing on the other side of the clearing, separated from the thick of the crowd of fine dressed members to the community. Near him stood a woman with his familiar green gaze and a girl about Mary-Beth's age, hair the color of cotton candy. As if he sensed her gaze on him from the shadows he tilted his head in her direction. She sucked in a breath, it was as if he was staring right at her, even though there was no way he could see her.
"Will the juveniles taking the oath please step forward?" Bradford motioned with a hand. Slowly out of the crowd filtered several teenagers. None of them looked familiar to me but I did recognize the Vanderville twins from the picture that had been setting on Helena's desk. "Tonight you will become full fledged members of the pack. Tonight you will be branded, but first you must hunt down your token of fealty to your alpha."
With that they all began to strip as if it was not a big deal. I felt my cheeks heat at the sight, what the hell kind of freaky stuff were these people into? When one of the girls on the end collapsed to the ground with a scream of agony. I shifted  to get a better look, and when they all began to drop in states of distress I felt a strange tingling sensation at the base of my skull. It was the same feeling I had gotten the night the police had called my house to tell me that my father was dead.
I watched in horror as they shed there skin like dirty clothes, becoming something else altogether, something that wasn't human. My mind was struggling to comprehend what I was seeing. They had been humans teenagers moments before but now they were wolves, with large fangs and glowing amber eyes. I took a step back in surprise, a twig snapping under the heel of my shoe. The beasts turned in my direction with snarling teeth, and hungry gazes. That was all I needed before I took off, my long legs carrying me with purpose and speed. Something in my mind was screaming that I needed to get away, that if they caught me I would be dead. Perhaps it was my primal need to survive.
Either way I charged out of the woods, legs and arm pumping--the sound of voices yelling out to one another. The Vanderville home loomed before me like a giant fortress, a fortress with rooms that could hide me.
The door swung open and I was blinded by white light as strong hands wrapped around my arms, pulling me free from my hiding spot. I struggled as much as I was able in the vice like grip of my captor. I wanted to scream for help. I could feel it building up in the back of my throat like the rising crescendo in a symphony. That scream was cut off when a familiar voice growled in ear, "Why can't you ever do as you are told, woman?"
My body stilled and I blinked back the tears that had been building in my eyes, "Cal?" I couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that he was the one who found me. His lips parted as if he was about to respond but when he caught the sound of voices in the hallway the words lodged themselves in his throat. I watched the expression on his face become more wary as the voices got closer. I glanced over my shoulder at the bedroom door, fear building in my stomach.
Was Cal here to save me or was he planning on handing me over? I turned my eyes back to him, pleading with him silently. There was a long pause between our breathes before he was dragging me back to the closet he had pulled me out of, shoving me all the way to the back. His green eyes met mine with quiet madness, "Don't. move." His words punctuated in a way that had my knees locking and my feet growing roots. He pulled back, closing the door on me and casting me into darkness.
My heart was beating hard against my chest. I imagined this is what it felt like for all the heroines in those horror movies that Mary-Beth had been watching on our traveling DVD player. I had never been one for blood and guts, probably cause deep down I had always had the irrational fear that the monsters in those movies were real. That I truly had a reason to be afraid.
Now I knew for sure that I had a reason to be afraid. We all did.
"You see anyone running around up here, Cal? Denise said she smelled a human in the woods." A deep voice questioned.
Callum paused for a moment and I was certain he was going to tell the guy he had stashed me in the closet, "Can't say that I have. Now I don't know why you'd go around believing anything that comes out of Denise's mouth, that woman has been nothing but paranoid since her son got shot up by those hunters last fall."
The person in question snorted, "Yeah well can't be too safe. Wouldn't want someone's curiosity to land them in a place they hadn't meant to go." There was a tone to his words, as if he knew that Callum was covering something up. Or maybe they were all suspicious of him.
"We wouldn't want another Redford case on our hands. Huh, Cal?" That was a purposeful dig, maybe even a threat. I couldn't see Callum but I could already envision the tensing of his jaw and heated glare. Sometimes it felt like I had knew the man as well as the back of my hand even though we had only met a few days ago.
"No. We don't." He snipped back. My skin crawled with the tension as it leaked through the small crack in the door, twisting the air around me.
There was a lingering moment of silence before the floor creaked, "Well if you see anything let me know." Slowly the feeling of danger drifted away from me and I knew that I was safe for the moment. I let out a heavy sight as Callum opened the door for me, blinding me with the light once again.
He was wearing a dark expression, "Let's get you the hell out of here."
--------------------
He dragged me out of the house, hand clasped tightly to my arm, "Why didn't you leave like the others?" He hissed under his breath, casting a look over his shoulder.
"My keys they were locked in the car. I was looking for someone to help me..." I didn't feel like I had anymore strength in me to fight. The night air helping me to breathe easier the further from the house that Callum dragged me. I just wanted to pretend that everything that I had seen, that had happened was a terrible dream.
He heaved a sigh as we came up alongside his truck, popping the door open for me, "Get in."
"Cal?"I gave him a fleeting look to find him starring off toward the woods with a tense expression, eye searching for unseen predators.
"I said, get in." He growled as he turned to me, catching my gaze. His eyes burned brightly, inhumanly in the dark night. I scrambled up into the truck as my mind flashed the image of teenagers turning into monsters.
The drive back to my house was a silent one, but my mind was churning over the new information that I had received. Over and over, I saw them shedding flesh and becoming beasts. It had my stomach rolling and my body sweating from the anxiety. I wished I hadn't seen it. I wished I could back to being oblivious like the other people in this town.
"Lucinda?" I turned quickly to see Callum looking at me with an unreadable expression, out the window my house sat silent. The light in Mary-Beth's room shining like a beacon in the night.
"Are you like them?" I questioned softly, feeling like my world was spinning. I had only been in this town for a week and too much had happened. Callum turned his head in my direction, even in the darkness of the truck his eyes seemed to glow with there own inner light. My heart took off like hummingbird wings, crashing against my chest with painful thumps.
"Are you?" My words danced on the silence between us.
He heaved a breath, "I tried to warn you when we first met, Lucinda..."
"Oh my god..." I sucked in a breath after breath, feeling like the weight on my chest was slowly suffocating me. I had seen too much, learned to much about my new neighbors, "I have to get out of here. I need to get out." I snapped, struggling with my seatbelt as the panic invaded my mind and body. My fingers kept slipping over the red button, not enough pressure to release me from my cage of perceived safety.
Callum's hand reached for me and I felt something in my mind snap, "Don't touch me." I screeched pushing myself back into the corner of my seat as far as I could go. His hand remained frozen in the air between us, green eyes focused on my face in a pitiful stare. I knew I was acting completely out of mind but I had been so calm about everything up until this point. This reaction seemed warranted. I was like a wounded animal.
"Don't touch me..." I repeated myself more softly, barely a whisper.
He let his hand drop to the space on the bench seat between us, "I'm not going to hurt you, Lucinda. If I wanted to hurt you I had more than enough opportunities to do so already..." he pointed out, lifting his brow. Another silence feel between us. I stared at him for a moment, letting my body relax slightly though I couldn't get the image of the young Vanderville boy turning into a something beyond human, something out of a fairytale or nightmare.
"What now?" I let my eyes drink him in.
He leaned back in his seat, the tension in his own body easing slightly, "Well now you live like you were before, completely unaware."
"But..."
"If any of them find out you know the truth then you will only have two options, join them or die." His words were so final. There was no questioning. I was going to have to play my best game of pretend, my life depended on it.