-Oliver-

I wasn't sure what time it was, when I finally managed to get a grip. The wolf was still sitting patiently in front of me while I finally let go of him and wiped my face dry. I wasn't sure how, but I had the feeling he was worried about me. When I looked at him, he tilted his head a little, his ears pinned back, and let out a silent cry.

"It's been a long week," I muttered as a reply. "There's this guy at school, and he won't leave me alone... I didn't even do anything to piss him off but he's still mad at me..."

I stopped to take a breath, and took a closer look at the wolf. It was almost like he was listening to every word I said.

"I'm sorry – I wasn't supposed to bore you to death," I said, forcing a chuckle out of my mouth. "You look great, by the way. And scary. I didn't know wolves could grow so big."

He sure was big. I hadn't even noticed it until he was right in front of me. I had seen big dogs before, but never anything as big as this wolf. He stood up and shook himself shortly to get rid of the snow, and I had to admit, I had never seen anything as impressive as he was. Even his paws were bigger than my hands!

"Sooo...? What's the deal?" I asked him, touching his side gently. "You can't decide if I'll make a good meal or not?"

The wolf scoffed at that point, but I was pretty sure it was just a coincidence. I mean... last time I checked, wolves couldn't understand human languages. Then, he suddenly lifted his head up and perked his ears, staying perfectly still. He was looking somewhere towards the street.

"What is it?" I asked, and stood up to listen. I was fairly sure I heard a female voice calling my name. The wolf next to me let out a whine and poked my arm with his nose. "Yeah, I heard it," I muttered, but then I frowned, and looked at him.

There was no way he could understand, right? He just got restless because he heard other humans close by. Right?

He looked up at me, and took a step towards the street, keeping his eyes still in mine. In curiosity, I took a step as well, and he continued walking. It was as if he was making sure I was following. He walked slowly right next to me as I made my way through the snow. When we finally reached the street, he stopped behind the last tree. I saw Mrs. Bundt outside in our yard, standing there with a blanket over her shoulders. She had probably noticed me, since she seemed to be looking in our way – it was hard to tell in the darkness, but she had stopped yelling my name a few moments ago.

I looked down at the wolf, who looked up at me.

"Thanks for keeping me company," I told him, and touched his head. Why I was not scared to do so was beyond me, but I still had that weird feeling that he didn't mind. "I hope to see you again soon."

Then, out of whim, I kneeled down and hugged him once more, before I stood up and started walking to Mrs. Bundt.

I couldn't help but feel reluctant when I walked away from him.

"So, you had to use the bathroom, huh?" Mrs. Bundt said when I stepped in front of her. I peeked at her, but instead of being mad at me, she had a small smile on her lips.

"Sorry..." I muttered. "I was just... I needed some fresh air..."

She looked at me closely, and I knew it was obvious I had cried again. Her smile trembled when she saw my eyes, but she didn't say a word about it. Instead, she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and started leading me inside.

I turned to look over my shoulder. I could feel the wolf standing where I left him. Suddenly I felt horrible for leaving him behind.

"Ollie?"

I didn't notice I had stopped by the door. I looked at Mrs. Bundt, who was now looking towards the woods as well. Soon, she turned to look at me, and gave me a warm smile.

"Come – I bet you're freezing."

I nodded and stepped inside.

Later that night, when I was trying to fall asleep, I stared out of the window. I hoped the wolf had found a warm place to sleep. I wondered if he had a family of his own. For some reason, whenever he was on my mind, I felt calmer and stronger, so I kept thinking about him.

It wasn't that hard though. For a second, I felt like I had stepped into a fantasy world. Oh, I really wished it was true. I smiled when I thought about it. But what kind of world would it be? Would there be old elves, or schools for witches, or something medieval with proud kings and courageous princes and princesses, or a place where the normal, boring world and the magical one collided?

My smile vanished, when I looked out the window again. What was I thinking...? It was just a normal, gray world where a mentally unstable teenager saw things that weren't there.

The next day, when I arrived at school, I felt... hopeful. I almost believed that I could actually make it through the day, maybe even the entire rest of the week. Knowing that I still had someone to turn to, someone who wanted good things for me, gave me positive energy, and I wished with my whole heart that today would be a better day.

I was also hoping to see the wolf again.

But my hopes were crushed almost immediately after I stepped into the school. I didn't even have time to look around when someone already grabbed me, and slammed me into the wall. The impact was so strong it really felt like I just got buried deep into the wall.

And I saw the darkest eyes I had ever seen. Jack. His anger was once again so overwhelming I thought I would now die.

All I could think of was, why? He didn't say a word when he started dragging me somewhere, and the anger in him kept me paralyzed. I couldn't even think about escaping. I could hardly even see around me. And then, he threw me into an empty room.

"I'm losing my patience with you!" he growled at me, closing the door behind him. "Why are you not obeying me?!"

"I – I – I'm trying...! I k-keep f-following them, but they don't s-say anything!" I spoke hastily in desperation. He was really mad at me.

"Don't try me! And stop lying to me! I know who you are!" Jack hissed just before launching at me. He pushed me hard on the ground, kneeling over me and grabbed me by my collar. "It should be easy to someone like you, so why the fuck do you keep testing my patience?!"

I lost my voice. I was too scared to even blink. I just stared up at him. Into his darkness that suddenly surrounded us. I couldn't even see the room behind it.

"Answer me!" he yelled, shaking me so hard I hit my head on the floor a few times. "Do you think you're smarter than me, huh?! Do you think you can somehow wiggle yourself out of this by playing dumb?!"

I couldn't answer him. I was paralyzed from head to toe. It made things only worse for me. I knew it already.

"I should fucking bash your head in!" he yelled, moving his fist back, ready to put his words in action.

"Please don't do it!"

I didn't know I had opened my mouth. The voice didn't sound like my voice, but I was so afraid I was losing my mind. I looked up at Jack, who was staying still, his hand still in mind-air, balled into a tight fist of anger and hate. He stared down at me with so much rage in his eyes that he couldn't possibly be human. The darkness was still all around us, and I felt like I was suffocating in it.

"Unless..." he suddenly said, leaning closer to me.

I tried to get away from him, but the cold, hard floor didn't let me. My heart felt like it was going to rip apart from fear.

"Why are you not obeying me?" he asked again with a quiet voice.

I suddenly got my voice back. "I am trying! Please, you have to believe me! They're not saying a word!" I spoke with a pleading voice.

He didn't reply to me. He let out a hiss between his teeth and pushed me harder against the ground, before releasing me and standing up.

"You useless piece of shit! I should have fucking known!" he spat at me. "You have no idea what you've done! You have no fucking clue...!"

He snapped his mouth shut, and squinted his eyes. "If you say a word to anyone, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you, and everyone you hold dear. Do you understand?"

I frantically nodded my head. I couldn't believe my ears. Was he...?

"You better stay out of my sight or I will bash your head in for wasting my time!" he shouted. "And I swear to God, you are a dead man if someone finds out about what I asked you to do."

And with that, he left. He and his darkness were gone. I stayed still, sitting on the ground. I was hardly brave enough to even breathe. I stared after him, trying to understand his words. Did it... sound like... No, I wasn't that lucky... Or was I...? He told me to stay out of his sight. Didn't it mean he was... going to leave me alone?

But why would he do that? Why so suddenly? What happened?! What did I say? Did I say something weird? I only told him I was trying my best and he... just believed me? He was about to beat the shit out of me, and he suddenly decided I wasn't worth of his time? Why?

What was going on?