Innocent

NIKKI:

The wind was picking up, and it meant a storm was coming. I regretted the decision to go for a run, but it was the only thing that would clear my head. 

Beth was pissing me off. She does this older sister thing where she thinks she's right all the time and I'm wrong just because I'm younger. So, I decided to go for a run instead of kicking her ass. 

Which wasn't smart, since it looked like it would downpour any second.

I was mad at her. She thinks she can just do whatever she wants, like she doesn't have to take care of me. Not that I need somebody to take care of me, but still. I haven't decided if Seth was telling the truth about Tyler being dangerous, but even if it wasn't true I would still be worried about her. And I am. But she doesn't get it.

I scuffed my sneaker as I stumbled over some sort of rock. It only frustrated me more. I started walking.

I looked up in the sky and wanted it to start raining. I wouldn't care if I got soaked. It would give me something else to worry about.

It was the stumble from before that   my ears to be curious when another set of footsteps were on the offbeat of mine.

I turned slightly to glance over my shoulder and realized someone was a few yards behind me. It wasn't uncommon for people to jog along here, but I could see enough of this person to guess they weren't out here for the same reasons as me.

I quickened my step gradually without showing alarm. I checked over my other shoulder and decided it was a man, wearing basically the same sort of sweats that I was, but he followed me with an intense stare. I could almost feel it on my back.

"Excuse me." 

My stomach jerked at his voice. I wanted to pretend I didn't hear it.

"Wait, please. I need help."

There wasn't a bone in my body that trusted him. "I can't stop, I have to be somewhere." I yelled without looking back.

"But my son - he's lost, and my car won't start."

I slowed down, even though my brain told me to run for my life.

"He was walking our dog along here, and he hasn't returned home."

I stayed frozen, trying desperately decide what to do.

"Please," The stranger begged. "He's only ten years old."

I bit my tongue and dragged my feet back. "When's the last time you've heard from him?" I refused to look the man in the eye.

"It was just a short time ago -"

He got cut off by a rustle in the forest. I took this opprotunity to get a look at him, but I flinched at the strikingly red eyes that connect with mine.

"I really can't help you...I'm sorry." I started to back away, unable to break the stare. But that damn rock got caught in my step again, sending me onto my ass and scraping the heels of my palms. I huffed at my klutziness.

It was just a little layer of blood, but the man gazed at my hands like they were the multi-million dollar lottery tickets he so desperately wanted. His eyes glowed a more evil red, and I started regretting everything that I'd done in the last five minutes.

We were both startled by a guttural growl that sounded somewhat familiar to me. It was then that a silver and massive creature leapt from the depths of the trees and tackled the red eyed man to the trees on the other side of the road.

A strange noise broke my throat. I was nearly tackled along with that...that...

What was that?

The silver creature revealed itself again, and my heart eventually started beating. I couldn't feel my legs, so I let the wolf approach me.

His dark eyes were menacing, but there was a strange human quality in them that calmed me down.

Until he started snarling again.

I scooted backwards onto the grass. "No, wait, I'm -"

The snarls grew, and his powerful figure enclosed on me. Was this not a wolf that belonged to the same group as Seth? Or did he think I was some crazy red eyed monster too?

I pretty much braced myself to be mauled.

"Wait!" Valerie stood in front of me, facing the wolf with utter bravery. "She's my neighbor."

The snarling ceased and the wolf clearly rolled his eyes.

Valerie turned back to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, reaching for her hand to help my shaky knees rise from the street.

The wolf watched me with a scowl.

I scowled back. "Who's that?" I asked.

Valerie smiled like she just discovered a pleasant surprise. "That's Paul."

I looked at the wolf, the one that was compared to me so many times. His scowl was a bit harsh, but I sensed the sarasm. And it was heavy, just like mine.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Valerie took my wrists to see the damage done to my palms.

"It's fine." I tucked my hands into my sides. "But would you mind explaining...that?" I pointed at the trees.

"I will." The wolf bumped her with his shoulder. "She deserves an explanation." She said to him. "We'll meet you back at Emily's, okay?"

The wolf glanced between us, and nodded once.

"Thank you." I said quietly, and his eyes rolled again before he returned to his hiding place in the woods.

"You'll get used to him." Valerie started in the direction of our houses.

My palms were itchy, and turning a raw pink color. It didn't hurt as much as it was annoying. "Do these sort of things happen alot?" I already asked her that question before, but the first one was about werewolves.

Valerie shrugged her shoulders. "It depends on the day of the week." She smiled to make me feel better.

"That man wasn't..." I turned back instinctively to make sure he wasn't magically healed and starting to stalk me again.

"He wasn't human. Or a werewolf." She finished for me.

"Then what?" I couldn't help my tone. I just discovered a completely different world existed right under my nose and it just keeps growing!

"A vampire." She merely mumbled.

I laughed out loud just as fat raindrops pelted my shoulders. "You have got to be kidding me!"

She didn't laugh back. "Why do you think he looked at your hands that way?"

"Sure, but that's ridiculous! You mean he wanted to drink my blood?"

She still wasn't laughing.

I stopped dead in my tracks, letting the rain soak me through for a different reason.

"You weren't supposed to know about any of this, Nikki. But now it involves you." Her eyes were sad again, like they were when she sat petting Seth's fur.

I was getting pissy again. "What?"

She seemed to take back what she said.

"Valerie, stop trying to protect me!" I shouted at her. "Just say it, I can take it!"

She stared me down, which gave me the chance to figure it out myself.

I felt the color drain from my face. "Tyler?" I just mouthed his name.

Her frown deepened and she reached for my elbow. I jerked it away from her. 

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" I hurried to get ahead of her and start running to my house.

She called after me, but I didn't stop. I went straight home, prepared to yank Beth out of the house and force her to drive her Jeep out of here.

My hopes sunk when her Jeep wasn't in the driveway. "Shit!" I cursed to myself.

I burst through the door, not bothering to take off my soggy sneakers. "Beth!" My voice broke.

The house was silent.

I spotted the note stuck to the fridge about Beth heading into the city with Tyler, and not knowing whether she was coming back tonight.

I dropped the slip of paper and tried to control the shaking in my hands.

Beth went clubbing with a vampire.

Suddenly, it wasn't so funny anymore.