Howl.

From: Embry
I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me.

I sighed, trying to decide if I was going to respond or not. None of this was Embry's fault. It hadn't been anything he said, or done. Perhaps I would've let him kiss me if Freddie hadn't scarred me. He was a bastard, and if I ever saw him again I would make sure that he never had children.

Turning my eyes back to the screen of my phone, I hit reply.

To: Embry
I'm not mad.

My body ached as I threw off the covers. It was the kind of ache that went from the inside of the bone and out. I was uncomfortable, and there was no stretching, or amount of hot showers that I could take that would make me feel better. Groaning, I stood, and slipped my phone into my pocket.

Putting a hand to my forehead, I shuffled into the hallway and prayed that Mom was still home. It was a Saturday, and she normally didn't leave for work until around noon. I could hear dishes clanging as I stepped into the living room, and called out, "Mom?"

"Lilly?" She appeared in the kitchen doorway, a dishtowl clutched in her hands. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

I took a deep breath, and sat down on the stairs, holding my forehead. "I feel sick."

She toddled over to me, and pressed the back of her hand to my cheek. "Oh, Lilly. You're burning up." I listened as Mom ambled up the stairs, and trifle through the medicine cabinet. "Go hop back into bed, Lilly. I'll get you some medicine and some water."

I did as she told, pulling my blankets over my body. It was almost as if the aches had gotten worse in the ten minutes that I had been awake. I coughed, and groaned loudly. Mom came in a moment later, a thermometer perched between her fingers and a glass of water. "Here, sweetie," she said, handing me two pills of aspirin. "Do you need me to stay home?"

"No," I whimpered. My whole body ached, and I felt like crying. She put the thermometer in my mouth and I closed my eyes. My eyelids were so heavy. When the stick beeped, Mom pulled it out, and clicked her tongue against her teeth.

"101.3. You're not going anywhere. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

I shook my head, and took a deep breath. "No. Go to work." I shivered underneath the layers of blankets, and I could imagine a frown on her face. My eyes had grown so tired that I could hardly keep them open. I listened to her leave my bedroom, closing the door quietly.

I rolled over onto my back, taking a deep breath. My skin felt as if it were on fire. My fingers dug around in my pocket for a moment, until I found the familiar form of my cell phone. I pulled it out, and checked to see if I had any new messages. Sure enough, there was one from Embry.

From: Embry
Can we talk?

*

"My mom said I had a fever of like, 101." I pulled my blanket over my legs and wrapped my arms around myself. Embry sat beside me in the chair that I always had tucked underneath my desk.

"Geez," Embry said. He had come over as soon as I told him that I was sick, despite my protests.

I sighed, and let my head fall back against my pillow. I hadn't had a chance to get some real sleep since this morning, because of the painful body aches I'd developed overnight. It was like there were one hundred pound weights on each of my joints. The light of my television lit up the otherwise dark room, and I tried to stay awake, but my eyelids were becoming so heavy it was becoming difficult to keep them open.

"You look so miserable," Embry said, rubbing my arm.

I groaned. "Don't touch."

"Sorry." He drew his hand back, and I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "It's weird that this started from a headache."

I looked at him. I didn't remember telling him about my headache, but there were a lot of things that I didn't remember. "It's not uncommon," I mumbled. He stared me, almost disbelieving.

"You know, with a fever like the one you have, I'm surprised that your mom didn't just take you to the hospital." His voice was warm, and for a moment I forgot that I was sick.

"She hasn't exactly been the best parent ever," I said, lying on my back with the blankets up to my chin. "My dad left right after you changed. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with."

Embry sighed, and rubbed his face. I knew that he hated it when I talked about it. "You told me," he whispered. "I wish I could've been there for you."

I didn't respond, only thought about the increasing pain in my legs. We stared at each other for a long moment, before he turned his attention to his hands, which were folded in his lap. The sleeveless shirt Embry wore made his biceps look huge, which only accentuated the tattoo on his right shoulder. I hadn't noticed before that it was a circle of wolves, with a tribal design around the outside. "When did you get that?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

He looked down at his arm, and shrugged. "About a week after I changed."

I coughed, and sat up, hoping to breathe easier. When all it did was make me cough harder, I threw off my blankets and, with a shaky hand, lifted my water to my lips. I hadn't even realized how dry my mouth had been until then, even while I continued to hack away.

The sound sickened me, and even though I couldn't breathe, my chest still convulsed, turning into dry heaves. I stumbled out of my bed, and headed towards the bathroom where I could shut Embry out.

By the time I reached the toilet, the coughing had died down to a quiet, pathetic little breath of phlegmy oxygen. I stood at the counter, pulling my eyelids downward. My skin was pale, with a sheen of sweat covering it.

I could hear Embry talking in the other room, but didn't want to eavesdrop on him. It was probably Sam on the phone, and as I splashed my face with cold water, all I heard were glimpses of the conversation.

"But Leah has it, so that doesn't make it impossible, does it?"

Leah Clearwater? Why were they talking about her?