The Outcome

When Brayden walked into my room, I was staring up at the ceiling, counting the wooden boards. I had talked to Jake earlier, but didn’t have the nerve to ask him about the dark haired girl in the Volvo. Instead, we just had small talk during woodshop; playful flirting in between threats of detention.

“Brayden, can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“It’s kind of a secret. So, you can’t let on that we talked or Erick will force it out of you.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best. Is this about a certain werewolf from school?” He sent me a knowing grin, but I wasn’t in the mood to return the humor.

“Kind of, I had a vision.”

“About Jacob? What was it about?”

“It wasn’t about him, but he was there. I had a vision about myself.” I explained. Brayden grew quiet. His smile dropping.

“What happened?”

“I’m not really sure. It wasn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before. It felt more like looking into the future, not just the end of something.”

“What happened, Mace?” he repeated like he hadn’t heard me, but I didn’t really take offence to it.

“I was looking at Jacob and something broke in me, but it was like didn’t even notice. There were vampires there, just watching, and Jake was holding something in his arms…”

Brayden cut me off. “What was he holding?”

“I didn’t see. I came back to reality before I could see him turn all the way around.”

Bray had been leading toward me as I spoke, but as I finished he leaned back; satisfied with my story. “What do you think it means?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think you should worry about it. Don’t let it affect any of your decisions.”

“How can I not let it affect anything?” I scoffed at him. Didn’t he realize the gravity of the situation? “Something inside me broke, I saw it. I yelled out and fell to the ground, it was a seen out of a lifetime movie, just no happy ending.”

“But you didn’t see an ending, this was different. Maybe if you hadn’t snapped out of it so soon, you might have seen a ending.” He reasoned.

“That might be true, but it might not be. I need answers, but no where to get them. I’m scared.” I admitted.

That was the thing I loved most about Brayden, I could tell him anything. I never felt forced or tricked into giving up information to him. He listened and then gave me the advice I sometimes knew I didn’t want to hear. He didn’t care if he hurt my feelings at the time; he cared about my wellbeing in the long run.

“I know how much you like Jacob, but he isn’t one of us. Maybe this vision if just your blood getting used to the change he brings. If things work out between the two of you, your whole outcome has changed. So, just keep it up.”

“I know you’re probably right, but this is Hell, I swear it.”

“Just follow Winston Churchill, babe.” He told me, pulling into a hug. But I didn’t quite get what he was trying to say. “Churchill? I don’t get it.”

“If you’re going through hell, Macie, keep going.”

~~

“You’re not going to the bonfire tonight, Macie.” Donovan announced over breakfast the next morning.

“Excuse me?” I thought Donovan was nice and everything, but I still wasn’t too keen on having a babysitter. I hardly took orders from Erick, so I definitely wasn’t about to take orders from him without a fight. “Why can’t I go to the bonfire?”

“I got a call from your science teacher this morning. You failed your last test and now you have to stay after school to make it up.”

I rolled my eyes at his weak explanation. “Okay, I’m sure I won’t be there all night. I can make up the test and then go. What the fuck?”

“You have to think about what that looks like. You’re supposed to be a genius at this stuff. Failing a test, then not taking the make up exam seriously is not a good look you your cover story.”

Max burst out the laughter he must have been holding in the whole conversation. “That’s right Mace. No dummies allowed in this house. No TV for a week.”

“Shut the fuck up Max. If freedom was based off grades, you’d never leave the house Gumby.” I sent back his way.

“Ohhh, burn! I guess you weren’t such a smartass on that science test, huh?”

I flicked a spoonful of cheerios in his face. Bray decided it was time to chime in on the conversation. “She’s just mad since she’s losing Jacob time.”

Erick scowled into his cereal bowl. I chose to ignore it.

“That’s not true, I have a real date with him at the end of the week anyway, so there.” The silence that followed let me know this wasn’t something to be proud of.

“So, you’re really gonna date him?” Max asked me. I nodded my head in response. “That’s what I’m here to do right?”

There was a mumble of agreement around the table. “So it’s settled then.” Donovan chimed in. “Macie will have the house to study tonight after her make up test, and well head to the bonfire. Everything’s working out fine.”

Famous last words.

~~

The school day was finally over and after a month, I was pretty used to the routine. Go to school, deal with class, deal with Erick, then go home and hang with the La Push pack until Erick got back from patrolling.

Today, however, since my teacher told Donovan I’d bombed this science test so I had to stay after school make it up and do test corrections. A painstakingly long three hours later I was finished. On my way out I stopped at my locker to put my things away, unaware Erick would be waiting for me there.

“Hey Macie, I was waiting for you. You look beautiful today.” He tried to catch my eyes but I ignored both his eyes and his words.

“Shouldn’t you be out getting ready for the bonfire by now?” I asked him, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, I would be, but I thought I might skip out on it today.” His tone was smooth and nonchalant. I knew something was up.

“Why are you skipping out? Isn’t that the whole reason we’re here? To get information?”
I could hear the suspicion in my own voice, but I wasn’t really worried about hurting Erick’s feelings.

“I thought maybe we could just hang out today. Try and reconnect, like the way we were before.”

“No.”

Slamming my locker door shut, I didn’t wait for him to reply. I’d heard this a million times before. He didn’t want to just ‘hang out’; he just wanted to finally get into my pants. It was the same thing over and over and over again, I was getting seriously tired of it.

I started to walk away, towards to door, when Erick’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Stop, Macie”

I felt the wolfy law cascade over my muscles, stopping their ability to move, and now attuning them to the command of the pack leader. This, above all else, was what made me hate Erick over all the other reasons I had contrived.

He was the leader of the pack I was born into. Whatever he said was law and by blood every member was bound to obey, if they wanted to or not. But, the unfairness of it all was that I wasn’t a wolf. I didn’t get all the perks like Lead did, but all the disadvantages. This fact was often the center of my nightmares. Erick loved me and I didn’t return the feelings. How long would it be before he got fed up with my attitude? When would the day come that he would stop asking and start commanding?

“Turn around, Macie” The edge was undeniable in Erick’s voice. It made me think that today was the day. My body began to turn, slightly sweating from my feeble attempt to stop myself.

“Do you know how hard I work to keep this pack together? I could have any woman back home, any woman here, but I devote my time to you. Why are you so ungrateful? Why can’t you accept your ending here, with me?”

I couldn’t speak and tears were prickling in the back of my eyes. I was pushing so hard against Erick’s will. Expending all the strength the human side of me could offer. I could feel his force propelling me towards him, but I refused to give in. The muscles in my body shook, coiling and uncoiling around my bones, as I worked against his current.

“What the hell are you doing, Macie? Quit trying to fight the law, quit trying to fight me. I’m the one that loves you. So much.”

“Please stop it, Erick. Stop trying to make me obey.” I begged him through clinched teeth. The current slacked and I lurched forward at the new leeway, grabbing onto a locker lock to keep myself from falling.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of tanned skin and chopped black hair. My stomach perked up and filled with butterflies despite my current situation.

“Jacob, is that you?” I called out in question. That was when Erick’s temper broke.

I felt that anger and his words poured into my head without being in wolf-form. He was livid at the thought of Jacob and I together, he couldn’t handle to feelings I had for Jake, the feelings I didn’t have for him.

“MACIE!” he screamed.

My body slammed down into the tile flooring of the hallway, my will to fight useless against Erick’s rage. Feet first, I began to slide backwards towards Erick on the dirty school hallway faster than I thought possible, skidding to a stop in front of his shoes. Then my body jerked upright again, right into his arms. It was impossible, I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but Erick’s arms were gripping me too tight, cutting off my supply of air, dimming the lights, and leaving me lightheaded.

“You are mine Macie, your hear me? You were born to be my wife and have my cubs! You will love me back or I’ll take everything away from you, I swear it!”

I passed out in the arms of my ending.