Mark of the Wolf by T. L. Shreffler

as though she were somehow living in
a parallel world. She could see them, but not touch or feel them,
and interaction was impossible.
    As she neared the place where Gareth was
supposed to pick her up, she saw two things that made her heart
sink. One, that he wasn’t there yet – there was no sign of his
rusty blue Camaro, and it crossed her mind that he wasn’t coming.
Then her eyes were drawn to the three skinny blond girls that were
hanging out on the sidewalk, twirling their hair and shrieking with
laughter, and she immediately felt sick. There they were again,
always right where they could cause the most trouble. She blew out
an annoyed breath and brushed her unruly bangs from her face. She
couldn’t ignore them this time; they were standing right where
Gareth was supposed to meet her, and she couldn’t miss him, even if
he never showed.
    As she approached, the three blond girls
turned to stare at her, Alex in the middle, as usual. Her two
cronies sneered.
    “ Hey Muddy Maddie… heard you got eaten
by a wild animal.”
    “ Yeah, but it spit you back out cuz
you were so nasty!” another jeered, and they giggled. They looked
at her like she was an insect.
    “ Oh my god, Maddie... do you shower? I
mean, how does your hair get like that? Is it natural ?” the one on the right taunted.
“Messy hair is gross. And nice bandage – what is that, a new
style?”
    Maddy’s hand went unconsciously to the gauze
along the side of her head.
    “ Seriously, and what kind of shampoo
do you use? Cow shit?” the other giggled.
    “ Cuz you smell like ass!” they
laughed.
    Alex held up her hands like a queen ready to
speak. “Alright girls, enough fun.” She smiled that cold smile
again. “Maddy, it’s so sad the way you don’t take care of yourself,
maybe more people would like you if you stopped being such a slob.
I mean really, can’t you put a little effort into dressing
yourself? You’re like a child.” She grinned, and Maddy held her
breath, telling herself to let her anger pass, that it wasn’t worth
getting into a fight over. She had just talked to the sheriff of
the police an hour ago, explaining her story and everything else
that had happened. They had let her go reluctantly; in a small town
like this, nobody wanted to cause much trouble. But she had been
given a warning – one more strike, and she was out. Suspension.
Probation. Court. That was the last thing she needed.
    Alex took a step towards her, her trendy
boots clicking against the pavement. Each step caused a bubble of
rage to burst in Maddy’s chest, but she bit her lip hard,
remembering the taste of Gareth’s kiss, the blood he had left on
her lips. She took strength from that.
    “ So four guys were found dead outside
your cabin, huh Maddy?” she taunted, her voice smooth and as
flawless as her deep blue eyes. “I wonder if your daddy had
anything to do with that. He is a no good loser anyway. Good thing
your mom died and got out of that marriage – I would have killed
myself too.”
    Something popped in Maddy’s brain and she
momentarily saw red. Tension and heat flowed through her. She was
about to fling herself forward, wrap her hands around the bitch’s
scrawny neck and choke the life out of her when a loud, rumbling
engine caught her attention. She paused, her breath hitched, and
she turned as the rusty blue Camaro pulled up. For a moment she
couldn’t believe her eyes – it was too good to be true.
    “ Wow, what a shitty car,” one of the
girls said. Then the car shut off and the door opened, and there
was Gareth, climbing from the seat and stepping into the sunlight.
He wasn’t wearing his sunglasses this time, and his eyes were
brilliantly green, gleaming like two emeralds.
    The girls stared. One had her mouth hanging
open.
    Alex recovered the fastest and flipped her
hair, straightening her jacket quickly. “Hi there!” she purred,
taking a flirtatious step forward. “Can I help you with
anything?”
    Gareth didn’t even