She Fell For The Boy Next Door

Alice’s alarm clock beeped at 6.30 am on the first day back at school. She groaned and flicked it off, rolling over onto her other side. She giggled when she came face to face with Cassi. Her little sister was still sleeping so she got up quietly and put on her school uniform; white short sleeved blouse, black skirt just above the knee, white knee length socks, black lace ups and black tie. She brushed her hair, fixed her fringe and traipsed down to the kitchen.
“Do you have any idea where your sister is?” Annabelle asked.
“She’s asleep in my bed” Alice told her.
Annabelle laughed and nodded.
“Yes, she hasn’t been sleeping well lately, poor thing” she said.
She passed a plate of toast to Alice as she hopped up at the table.
The screen door slammed loudly and Cale ran inside, his hair drenched and dripping onto his black school blazer.
“It’s raining” he stated, blinking rain water out of his eyes.
Alice laughed and waved at him.
Cale scuffed his shoe awkwardly back and forth on the kitchen tile. He stared at his feet and wiped his hair out of his eyes.
Alice watched, her head tilted to the side, curious.
‘Why’s he acting all nervous? He practically lives here!’ she thought.
She stepped away from the table and walked over to Cale. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes.
“I’ll just go and brush my teeth and then I’m ready to go, OK?” she told him, muffling her words in his wet jacket.
“Sure” Cale replied, nodding, his chin resting on the top of her head.
Alice dashed upstairs and into the bathroom, brushed her teeth carefully, rinsed, and ran back down to the waiting Cale.
He smiled at her and held out his hand; Alice took it and they walked out the door, calling goodbye to her mom. They ran the ten minute walk to school, becoming soaked very quickly.
“I so should have worn my raincoat” Alice complained, laughing.
Cale looked down at her and shook his head, sending droplets of water all over her already wet face. Alice wiped her face with the damp sleeve of her blazer. She combed her fingers through her hair and attempted to flatten her fringe. Both of them froze as Steffie Miller waltzed past. She smirked at them and pointed at Alice’s hair.
“What’s this? Trying for a new fashion statement, Al? What is it, wet rat? It’s not working for you…sorry!” she squealed, laughing loudly.
Alice glanced down at the ground and saw Cale’s hand slowly flexing into a fist.
She elbowed him gently.
“Shh, no, don’t do that” she muttered under her breath to him.
Steffie looked over her shoulder, still cackling, as she walked away from them down the school corridor.
“I really wanna knock her block off” Cale hissed to himself.
“If you do, the only thing that will happen is that you’ll get in huge trouble and you will probably end up getting suspended” Alice said, trying to calm him down.
“I know” Cale sighed, frustrated.
Alice patted his shoulder, then pulled his blazer off. She shook it out and draped it over a hall heater. It let off a slight hissing sound. Cale leaned against the heater, attempting to dry the rest of his clothes while he was wearing them. His white shirt was clinging to his skin, and Alice forcefully tugged her eyes away from his torso. She checked in her backpack for her photo portfolio. They were pictures of Cale that he didn’t have any idea she’d taken. Alice took them out and looked through them every so often.
Cale’s hair was slowly drying, but Alice’s wasn’t. She pulled a hair tie off of her left wrist and swiftly tied her hair in a messy ponytail.
“All right, come on. We might as well head to class, now” she decided, pushing Cale off the heater and moving with him along the hall.
Cale looked beside him and grinned to himself.
“What do I have first, sugar?” he asked.
Alice rolled her eyes and smiled.
“History” she replied, quick off the mark, as per usual.
“Thanks” Cale said, stooping to kiss her cheek before disappearing into a classroom by himself.
Alice hummed to herself as she carried on to English.

Just before lunch, the entire school was called into an assembly. Cale joined up with Alice in line and sat with her in the middle of the crowds.
“Do you know what this is about?” Alice whispered.
Cale shrugged and shook his head.
“No clue” he murmured.
Alice shrugged too, and straightened in her seat to face the front of the school hall.
Cale wrapped his fingers around Alice’s hand and faced the podium on the stage as the school’s headmaster stepped up to it. He narrowed his green eyes at the man, noticing that he looked nervous, borderline panicky, and his hands were shaking.
“Now, children, I do not want any of you to worry, but the school has gone into lockdown” Mr. Granger began.
The whispers started immediately.
Granger banged on the top of the podium with his closed fist.
“Excuse me! We don’t know who is on the school grounds at this moment, but you are all strongly advised to remain in the hall until further notice. As it is already, you are unable to leave because the doors are all shut and locked. Please remain seated” he said loudly, before returning to his seat at the very front of the hall.
Alice swiveled on her chair to face Cale.
“Could it be Vladimir?” she whispered frantically.
Cale squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“No, he’s dead” he told her confidently.
Alice nodded and stared at nothing.
The lights went out and footsteps were heard, approaching from one of the rear corners of the hall.
As everyone’s eyes adjusted to the new darkness, students flinched away from the dark robed figure striding down the center aisle. The man stood on the stage, staring down at them all through coal black eyes. He had a light brown curl hanging over his forehead, and despite the scent of fear, Alice could hear some of the girls swooning over the man who was preventing them from leaving, and who possibly wanted to kill them. She couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she gripped tighter to Cale’s hand.
The shadows swirled around the man on stage. Cale was forced to focus his senses, sharpening them until he could see the type of weaponry the man carried on him.
He leaned slightly to his left and whispered in Alice’s ear.
“He’s got a double barreled shotgun, a machete and a saber” he informed her, keeping his voice low and soft.
Alice stared over at him, her shock plainly evident on her face.
“A machete??” she mouthed.
Cale nodded and Alice sat very still, watching the strange dark eyed man. He smiled.
“We are going to play a game of tag, children. The doors to the hall are, in fact, not locked. I will give y’all a five minute head start. However, the exit doors throughout the rest of the school are locked, so your hiding skills, I sincerely hope, are exemplary. Run, children. Run” he said, his hand on his gun holster.
There was a moment of indecision then everyone made a dash for the doors at the back of the hall. Cale jumped up, snatched Alice’s hand again and pulled her after him at a run.
“Five minutes” he muttered.
Footsteps behind them. They ran harder, their feet pounding against the cracked linoleum floor.
The corridor had emptied and the sound of slamming doors echoed in the air, frantic whisperings and shouts of fear. One last door shut and after there was only silence.
Alice felt her hand as it was torn from Cale’s, and screamed.
Cale whipped around and saw her as she reached for him with both hands. The sharp sound of his own name filled his ears as Alice screamed it, over and over again.
‘NO!!!’ his mind shouted at him. ‘Not again!’
The man in the black coat smiled at him, baring sharp white teeth. He turned and half carried, half dragged Alice around a corner.
Cale could feel himself heating up dangerously fast, and tried to calm enough to cool down again, but nothing was working. He allowed a snarl to rip up his throat before his form blurred and darkened and he was replaced by his stronger self; his wolf.

Alice stayed silent as her captor moved her into an empty classroom and locked the door behind them. She didn’t want to die, so she started talking.
“Who are you?” she asked, staring at the man’s back until he faced her.
He shrugged nonchalantly.
“Nobody particularly important to you. Important to Vladimir, though” he said, a slight frown creasing his features.
“What are you to him?” Alice demanded, understanding dawning even as she spoke.
“I am his brother, Drake. Your boyfriend killed him” Drake sneered the word ‘boyfriend’.
Alice nodded; she had guessed correct.
“Cale was simply better” she said smartly.
“Wolves? They’re not better than us” Drake retorted, his eyes seeming to blacken more.
“Mine is” Alice persisted, smiling secretly to herself.
Drake suddenly growled and swiped the back of his hand across Alice’s cheek. At the last second, he flipped his hand and raked his nails over her skin.
Alice tried to make no sound as she felt rivulets of blood run down her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Drake stiffen and turn in her direction once again.
‘Not again’ she thought, remembering the last time her blood had been removed from her body.
A noisy thump on the door made them both focus their attention on the shaking wood.
Alice glanced up at Drake and saw him smiling widely and reaching for his machete. She leapt up and ran at the classroom door. She managed to turn the lock before Drake knocked her to the floor. He attempted to lock the door again but was too late; Cale came rocketing into the room and pinned Drake on the carpet.
Alice scrambled up off the floor and threw the rest of Drake’s weapons arsenal out the window at the opposite side of the room. She heard a strangled noise come from Cale and hurried to him, staying well clear of Drake’s flailing stone hard hand. The massive wolf rolled off Drake, taking his head with him in his steel like teeth. Drake had ceased any form of movement, but Cale stayed in place where he had rolled over. Alice went to him again and saw with horror that before Drake had died, he’d managed to bury his machete in Cale’s chest.
In front of her eyes, Cale changed back into himself, the machete clattering onto the floor beside him. Alice eyed it nervously, seeing half the blade coated with Cale’s dark red blood.
“Cale? Please wake up!” Alice pleaded quietly.
Cale groaned and coughed, bringing up more blood. As carefully and gently as she could, Alice helped him onto his feet, though he slumped heavily against her, one of his arms slung around her small shoulders.
“Come on, we’ve gotta get you to the hospital” Alice coaxed, walking slowly but steadily towards the front of the school.
She tried the door handle, remembering what Drake had said, but it turned out that it was a bluff to get everyone scared out of their wits. The door opened without a hitch.
‘Thank the Lord I just got my driver’s license’ Alice thought, heading straight for her car, at the same time wondering why it had stayed in the school parking lot throughout the school holidays.
She unlocked it and assisted Cale as he half fell onto the back seat. Alice pushed his legs and feet inside the car as well and closed the door. She climbed in the front and twisted in her seat to check on Cale. He was unconscious, lying on his stomach, soaking the seat with his blood.
‘Hurry, hurry, hurry’ Alice told herself, shoving in the key with trembling hands and turning it.
The car rumbled to a start and she sped to the closest hospital to the high school.

Half an hour later, both Alice’s parents and Cale’s parents had joined her in the hospital waiting room. Cale was currently being examined in a hospital room by a doctor with blue eyes and a surfer look. He barely looked like he was out of medical school to Alice, and she hoped that Cale would be safe.
Emily held Alice’s hand tightly in hers, bowing her head and murmuring prayer after prayer under her breath. Ten long minutes later, the doctor returned to the white waiting room and smiled at them. His teeth were too falsely bright and Alice absently wondered who his dentist was.
Emily and William stood up at once, waiting impatiently for the physician to speak the long awaited verdict.
“Are you Cale Vreeland’s parents?” the guy asked, still smiling infuriatingly at them.
“Yes, we are” William said crossly, staring hard at the doctor.
“I’m Dr. Palmer. Your son is in a stable condition, although the gash in his chest is severe and quite deep. Do you know what caused it?” Palmer said, raising his eyebrows.
Emily turned round and looked at Alice. She swallowed and stood up to stand next to her.
“Yes?” Palmer asked.
Alice bristled at the tone in his voice that said ‘what could this kid possibly know about anything?’
“Cale got the slash from a machete” she said, with as much teenaged dignity that she could muster.
Emily gasped and William turned his stare incredulously onto Alice. She felt her father’s hands clamp down on her shoulders and her mother’s arm slide around her waist.
“Honey, a machete? Are you sure?” Jared asked uncertainly.
“Yep, I’m sure” Alice replied stoically, setting her jaw firmly.
William faced Dr Palmer again and nodded.
“If Alice Nichols says that my son got hit by a machete, then I’ll believe her. I’d stake my life on anything this girl says” he said, his gaze steady.
The doctor shrugged and shook his head, obviously not believing it.
“Fine then. A machete. Anyway, the boy is going to be fine; he suffered seriously from loss of blood though. It’ll be a while before he’s completely back to normal again” Palmer told them, beginning to wander away.
Alice took a step after him.
“Wait a minute! When can we see him?” she called obstinately.
Dr Palmer turned back and looked at her skeptically.
“Did I not mention that? You can see him now” he said, then walked off again.
Alice looked back at the small gathering of relatives behind her and waved them forward.
“Come on you lot! We can see Cale now” she told them, hurrying after Dr Palmer.
The others followed her and soon they were all inside a pristine white room with Cale lying flat on his back in a hospital bed.
He heard them enter and strained to lift his head and look at them. An expression of confusion passed over his face as his eyes clocked his mom, his dad, Alice’s mom, then her dad, but not Alice. She walked in last, at the end of the line.
Cale’s eyes lit up and a broad smile stretched his mouth wide. Alice walked to the side of the bed and sat on the edge of the white mattress, trying hard not to jolt Cale with the sudden weight. She slipped her small hand into Cale’s bigger one and squeezed gently. She leant down and softly kissed his cheek, then his forehead. Resting her cheek on his, Alice felt something hot and wet on her skin. She pulled away and looked down at Cale. He was crying, sobbing silently, his shoulders shaking. Alice tightened her hold on his hand and tousled his hair gently.
“Hey, hey, shh” she murmured, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.
Emily came forward with her husband and kissed her son’s damp cheek, brushing his fringe away from his face; it was no use, it fell back anyway. William awkwardly side hugged his son, followed by Annabelle and Jared.
Cale was silent throughout all of it, still staring at Alice’s hand in his.
“I love you, Cale” she whispered to him, her lips pressed to his left temple.
She waited patiently for a reply, but none came. Worry settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach.
“Mama, can you go get Dr Palmer, please? Quick!” Alice begged.
Annabelle jumped up from her chair and ran out the door. A few seconds later, she ran back in with the doctor close on her heels.
Dr Palmer quickly ran through several checks of Cale, but came up with nothing new that was seriously wrong with him. He called in a nurse and she ran one more examination on Cale. This time, the test was one for any reactions to a trauma of any type. Some part of the test came up positive. The nurse told them the results and Emily started crying immediately. William appeared too shocked to move and Annabelle comforted Emily while Jared just sat in his chair, watching his daughter for her reaction. There wasn’t much of one that was noted. Alice merely stayed sitting, holding Cale’s hand in both of hers, not saying anything at all as he continued to cry.
She was eerily calm, seeing as she had just been informed that her best friend and boyfriend had been rendered mute. They wouldn’t hear his distinctive Southern drawl again.