Chapter Seventeen
The next morning was peaceful, I wanted to at least have a normal life today and spend some time with my friends. It was sad I could not tell Tanya and Mal anything that was happening but I couldn’t risk everything at stake and also probably risk their life.
I picked up my phone and dialed their number it was a group call. “Hey girls, what you up to?”
Mal answered first. “Nothing much, just lounging around. What about you?”
Tanya chimmed in right after. “Same here. I was thinking about going shopping later, though. Wanna come.”
“Who would say no to that!” I replied. feeling a flicker of excitement. A day out with my friends was exactly what I needed-a break from all the craziness.
“Great! Let’s meet at the mall in an hour,” Tanya said, sounding pleased.
“Perfect, see you there!” I hung up, feeling a bit lighter already.
I quickly got dressed, throwing on a simple pair of jeans and a comfortable top. As I looked in the mirror, I told myself this was going to be a normal day. No secrets, no mysteries, just some fun with my friends.
By the time I arrived at the mall, Tanya and Mal were already waiting for me outside one of our favorite stores. Tanya waved me over, her bright smile making me feel even more at ease.
“Like I have any to begin with,” I joked, feeling more relaxed than I had in days.
We spent the next few hours wandering from store to store, trying on outfits and giving each other terrible fashion advice.
Tanya found a ridiculously oversized hat and insisted on wearing it around the entire mall, making us all burst into laughter. For a little while, I forgot about everything else.
At one point, we stopped at a small cafe for iced lattes and sat down to rest. Tanya and Mal chatted about school and the latest gossip, but my mind started to drift back to the secrets I was keeping.
“Earth to Audrey!” Tanya waved her hand in front of my face, pulling me back to reality.
“You’ve been kinda quiet today. Everything okay?”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… tired, I guess.”
Mal gave me a skeptical look. “Are you sure?
You’ve seemed a little off lately.”
I hesitated, not sure how to respond. Part of me wanted to tell them everything-about Logan, about the strange things I had been uncovering-but I knew I couldn’t. It wasn’t just about protecting them, it was about protecting myself too.
“Just some family stuff,” I said, keeping my voice light. “Nothing to worry about.”
Tanya nodded, though I could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. “Well, if you ever need to talk, you know we’re here, right?”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks,” I said, grateful for their support, even if I couldn’t let them in on everything.
We got up from the cafe, tossing our empty cups in the trash, and headed toward the clothing stores. Tanya led the way, determined to hit every shop she could in one afternoon. I smiled to myself,
appreciating how easy it was to get swept up in her enthusiasm.
The first store we entered was a trendy boutique, full of racks with new arrivals.
Bright colors, bold patterns, and everything in between hung from the walls.
Tanya grabbed a handful of clothes almost immediately, ready to try on anything and everything. Mal, on the other hand, took her time, flipping through the hangers more thoughtfully.
“I need a new outfit for Friday night,” Tanya announced, eyeing a sparkly top.
“Something that screams, ‘I’m here, and I’m fabulous!”
I laughed. “You’ve got plenty of those already.”
“I know, but you can never have too many, right?” She winked and disappeared into the fitting room.
“I know, but you can never have too many, right?” She winked and disappeared into the fitting room.
Mal picked up a pair of black boots and turned to me. “What do you think? Too much?”
I shook my head. “They’re perfect. You’d totally pull those off.”
“Yeah, they’re kinda cool,” Mal said, sliding her feet into them and checking herself out in the mirror.
I wandered over to a rack of dresses, thumbing through the fabric absentmindedly. I didn’t really need anything, but it was nice to just look around.
The atmosphere in the store was light, filled with laughter and casual chatter. It was easy to forget about everything else, at least for a little while.
“You like those?” Tanya asked as she saw your gaze.
I looked up, startled from my thoughts as Tanya appeared beside me, still holding a few items she hadn’t tried on yet. She motioned toward the dress I had been absentmindedly staring at, a simple but elegant sundress in a soft lavender shade.
“Oh, uh, yeah. It’s cute,” I said, holding it up against me. “But I don’t really need it.”
Tanya raised an eyebrow. “Need? Girl, since when has shopping ever been about need? If you like it, try it on!”
I hesitated for a moment but eventually caved. “Alright, why not?” | grabbed the dress and headed toward the fitting room.
Mal joined us a few minutes later, carrying her boots along with a cozy sweater she had picked out. “How’s the dress looking?” she asked, leaning against the door to my fitting room.
“About to find out,” I replied, slipping into the dress. When I stepped out, I saw both of them waiting with expectant looks on their faces.
Tanya’s eyes lit up immediately. “Oh my gosh, that color is perfect on you!”
Mal nodded in agreement. “She’s right. It’s simple but looks really nice.”
I looked at myself in the mirror, turning slightly to see how the dress moved. It was a little different from what I usually wore- softer, more delicate-but I liked it. I smiled a little, feeling good for the first time in a while.
“You think?” I asked, still unsure.
“Absolutely,” Tanya said, grinning. “You’ve got to get it.”
After a few more moments of deliberation, I decided to go for it. “Okay, you convinced me.”
“Good! You’ll thank us later,” Mal teased.
As we walked out of the boutique with our new purchases in hand, I felt lighter, almost like things were normal again. But just as we headed toward another store, Mal turned to me with a sly grin on her face.
“You never told us how your dinner went with Warwick,” she said casually, though her eyes were glinting with curiosity. “You’ve been avoiding that topic all day.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I could feel my palms getting sweaty. I hadn’t expected them to bring up Warwick, and suddenly the carefree mood l’d been in felt shaky. “Oh, uh… it was fine,” I mumbled, trying to play it off as casually as I could.
“Fine?” Tanya cut in, her voice full of disbelief. “Girl, please. We need details!”
I forced a laugh, even though I could feel the tension rising inside me. I couldn’t tell them about what had really happened.
“There’s really not much to tell,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “We had dinner, talked a bit… and that’s about it.”
Tanya gave me a skeptical look. “Audrey, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re holding out on us. Come on, was there flirting? Did he do that intense stare thing he’s so good at?”
Mal chimed in, “Yeah, and what about that deep voice of his? I swear, half the girls in school get weak-kneed just hearing him say
‘hello.'”
laughed nervously, not sure how to navigate this. Warwick was charming, yes, but everything about that night had been too complicated to describe without revealing the bigger secrets I was keeping. “Okay, yeah, maybe there was some light flirting, but nothing serious.”
Tanya gasped dramatically, grabbing my arm. “Light flirting? Audrey, you’re killing me!
Spill the tea already. Did he ask you out again?”
Mal nodded eagerly. “Yeah, was there a second date planned?”
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.
“Uh, not exactly. It’s just… complicated.”
“Complicated how?” Mal pressed, clearly not letting this go.
Before I could stumble through another vague answer, Tanya let out a loud sigh and shook her head. “You’re hopeless. But fine, we’ll let you off the hook this time. Just don’t think you can keep secrets from us forever.”
I smiled gratefully, relieved that they were letting it go, at least for now. “Thanks, guys.”
As we left the clothing boutique, Tanya suddenly stopped in her tracks and dramatically fanned herself with one hand.
“Oh God, I am in dire need of a new perfume,” she announced, with the same flair she used whenever she was making a big decision.
Mal laughed. “Since when are you ever in
‘dire need’ of anything?”
Tanya smirked. “Since right now. Come on, let’s hit up that perfume shop on the corner.
They always have the best new stuff.”
Without waiting for a response, she led the way toward the shop, her energy contagious.
I followed, my mood lifting again despite the earlier awkward conversation. This was exactly what I needed-a distraction from everything that had been weighing me down lately.
As soon as we stepped inside the perfume store, we were hit with a wave of different scents-floral, fruity, and musky. Shelves lined the walls, filled with glass bottles of all shapes and colors. Tanya immediately gravitated to the display of new arrivals, spraying samples on those little paper testers with intense focus.
“Try this one,” she said, shoving one of the papers under my nose. “It’s got this really nice vanilla undertone.”
I sniffed, nodding in approval. “Yeah, that’s nice.”
Mal wandered off to another section, her eyes scanning the shelves for something more subtle. I took a step back, soaking in the calm atmosphere of the store, until I felt it-the strange sensation of someone watching me.
It was the kind of feeling that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, a quiet but insistent awareness that something wasn’t right. I slowly turned my head, scanning the store until I saw him.
A man stood near the back of the shop, leaning against one of the shelves. He was bald, with an eyepatch over his left eye, and his arms were covered in intricate tattoos that snaked up from his hands to disappear under the sleeves of his worn leather jacket.
A jagged scar ran down the left side of his face, just under his eye, and his one good eye was locked on me.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat. The way he was looking at me-it wasn’t just casual curiosity. It was intense, like he was staring straight through me, reading into my thoughts. There was something unsettling about him, something dangerous, and I felt the discomfort settling deep in my bones.
“Audrey, you okay?” Tanya’s voice snapped me out of my trance.
I blinked and quickly looked away from the man, forcing a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… distracted.”
Tanya tilted her head, giving me a curious look. “You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I glanced back at the man, but he had moved further into the shadows, still watching me out of the corner of his eye. I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the eerie feeling.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Just… tired, I guess.”
Mal appeared beside us, holding a bottle of perfume. “What do you think of this one?” she asked, holding it out for us to smell.
I took a step closer, pretending to focus on the perfume, but my mind kept drifting back to the man in the corner. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t just a random shopper.
There was something about the way he looked at me, like he knew something, like he was waiting for something.
I shot another quick glance in his direction, but this time, he was gone. The spot where he had been standing was empty, and I felt a chill crawl down my spine.
Who was that man? And why had his presence made me feel like I was in danger?
After a long day of shopping, it was already
5:00 pm, and we were all carrying lots of bags. Tanya, of course, had the most, looking like she was going on a long trip. We stood outside the mall, saying our goodbyes as we prepared to head home. Tanya and Mal, who lived close to each other, walked off together, happily chatting about what they bought.
I waved them off and started walking toward the bus stop. My arms were tired from carrying my bags, and all I wanted was to get home. But as I walked, a strange feeling crept over me, like someone was watching me.
I glanced around, but the street was busy, full of people going about their day. Nothing seemed out of place, but the uneasy feeling stayed. I quickened my pace, hoping I was just imagining things.
As I got near an alley that led to a shortcut, l hesitated. It would get me to the bus stop faster, so l decided to take it.
Halfway down the alley, I heard someone call my name.
“Audrey Coleman!”
Fear gripped me. I turned around and saw him-the man from the perfume shop. The bald man with the eyepatch and scar. He stood at the entrance of the alley, staring straight at me.
“How do you know my name?” I asked, my voice shaky.
He smiled, and it sent a chill down my spine.
“You’ve got something I want,” he said in a low, threatening voice.
“I don’t have anything for you,” whispered, my heart racing. “Please, leave me alone.”
But he didn’t leave. His smile turned dark, and suddenly, his body began to change. His bones cracked, and his muscles shifted as he transformed into a huge wolf. His claws dug into the ground as he jumped toward me.
I panicked. I didn’t know how to fight back-l couldn’t even transform into a werewolf like Logan. So I did the only thing I could. I ran.
I sprinted down the alley as fast as I could, the wolf’s growls growing louder behind me.
I could feel him getting closer, his breath hot on my neck. Just when I thought I wouldn’t make it, I saw the end of the alley leading back to the main street.
With one last push, I burst out of the alley and into the busy street. People were walking by, unaware of the danger I had just escaped.
I stopped, gasping for air, my heart pounding. I looked back, expecting the wolf to be right behind me, but the alley was empty. He was gone.
Had he left? Or was he waiting for another chance?
I boarded the bus quickly, still shaken from the encounter in the alley. My hands trembled as I fumbled for my bus fare, barely able to focus. The doors closed with a hiss, and I sank into a seat near the back, trying to calm my racing heart. The engine rumbled to life, and the bus pulled away from the curb.
As we moved down the street, I glanced out the window, unable to stop myself from looking back at the alley. My breath caught in my throat.
There, standing in the shadows, was the man-still in his human form, watching the bus as it drove away. But there was something different now. His left eye, the one not covered by the eyepatch, glowed with a fierce, unnatural light.
Our eyes locked for a moment, and a cold, menacing smile curled across his lips, as if he knew I was watching. Then, as the bus turned the corner and the alley slipped from view, he disappeared from sight.