“And then Damien shows up out of nowhere saving me from Zack. Can you believe that?” I said, taking a bite of my free burger.

“Zack really punched you?” Evelyn asked in disbelief.

“Yeah look,” I lifted my shirt revealing the dark bruise, “It probably would have been worse if Damien didn’t show up. Zack was about to knock my face in.”

“Shit. I feel really bad Kady.” Evelyn grimaced.

“As you should. But this isn’t the craziest part. Damien showed up at the library today and apologized,” I boasted.

“W h a t?” Evelyn choked on her burger.

“Yeah, we talked a lot after that. It was oddly nice.” 

“So you guys are like… friends now?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. I still don’t completely trust him. It wouldn’t be the first time he was my friend and then did a complete 180 the next day.” I frowned at the memory. “Anyway, I think I won the bet,” I smirked.

“Fine. A month of me treating you to lunch. Now I gotta see your face every day for a month straight,” Evelyn sighed.

“You should be honored,” I chuckled. “So how’s it going with Emma?”

Evelyn perked up and almost started glowing. “Oh Kayden, she’s amazing,” she swooned, “I’ve got a date with her after this.”

“I’m happy for you Eve. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in full heart eyes mode for someone.” 

“Shut up,” she giggled. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Absolutely nothing,” I said, smiling, but you could probably see the obvious despair evident in my eyes.

“That’s kind of sad. Anyway, I should get going. Don’t want to be late.” Evelyn winked, standing up and collecting her things.

~~~

The sound of running water signified I was close to my favorite place in the world. Since I had nothing else to do for today, I decided to spoil myself and relax by my little creek. You have to hike a bit to get there and it’s a little off the path but it’s a gorgeous little spot. It’s a rocky bank next to a creek. The water is as clear as glass so you can see little fish and plants growing at the bottom of it. There’s a small little waterfall that doesn’t make too much noise but just enough so you’re not drowned in silence. The creek opens up into a lake but from where I usually sit, you can’t see it. Surrounding the rocky bank and creek are Oak and River Birch trees along with tons of wildflowers. I normally come here to either read or relax after a stressful day. I’ve never seen another soul here and I don’t plan on inviting anyone to my little spot.

Lying down on the rocks, which is more comfortable than it sounds, I breathe in the scent of soil and water, getting lost in my thoughts for a while. I mainly thought about Damien and if it was even possible for me to accept him as a friend again. He’s still friends with Zack and Griffin right? So how could we possibly be friends? 

crack

I sat up, startled looking around. The noise sounded like it came from the other side of the creek. “What was that?” I whispered to myself.

The same noise sounded again but this time I saw a dark figure dash toward the lake and behind a wall of trees. Fuck this, I thought as I got up, sprinting towards the hiking path. Whatever that thing was, it was huge. Shit. I would probably be nothing but a snack for it. In my panic to get back to the path, I ended up tripping on a fallen log and landing on a sharp rock that dug right into my knee.

“Shit! Ah, fuck.” I panted, holding my knee which was now bleeding. My lungs were burning. I haven’t run that much since PE in high school which was ten years ago.

crack

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. What do I do? 

crack

Oh God, this is how I die right? I’ve been so unlucky lately. And I only got one free lunch out of Evelyn.

crack

Suddenly a large, dark-brown, wolf appeared. My breathing started to pick up and I was really panicking now but I couldn’t move out of fear. The wolf was crouching as if it was about to pounce on its prey. I watched as it got lower and lower to the ground as it got closer. Eventually, its hind legs stopped moving while the rest of its body continued inching toward me. It finally stopped moving when it was lying on its belly with its hind legs stretched back and its nose only inches away from my hurt leg. At this point, I was shaking uncontrollably and my breathing was coming out ragged. This can't be real. I couldn’t take my eyes off the horrifying creature. It let out a small whimper before opening its mouth and…

I shot up into a sitting position, gasping. I looked around. I was now in my bedroom in my apartment. What? Was that a dream? I ripped the blankets off to inspect my leg. There wasn’t even a scar. Is it possible to feel that much pain from a dream? I winced just thinking about it. That felt way too real. I was still wearing the same pair of shorts and t-shirt I had worn to the lake but not even a speck of dirt littered them. Did I fall asleep after getting ready? I ran my fingers through my hair trying to calm myself down a bit. It was just a nightmare. Oh god, what if it was a precognitive dream? No no. Not helping. Taking a few more deep breaths, I looked out the window, seeing it was still dark. I should probably go back to sleep huh? Laying back down, I kept repeating ‘just a dream' in my head until sleep overcame me.