17 Michelle, Part 1

Dakota shook his head over Michelle's shoulder as I rocked her back and forth. "It'll be alright," I lied, as hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

Slowly, Dakota picked up a thick stick from the ground, then quietly broke it across his knee, as tears trailed down his own cheeks.

I rocked Michelle back and forth, holding her as she wretched with sobs. I closed my eyes, remembering all our good times together. Michelle and I had been friends for years, and there were plenty of memories we shared which ranged from trips to the mall to birthday parties to first dates.

Suddenly, I heard Dakota's sharp intake of breath, and I opened my eyes just in time to see Dakota rearing back his arm to stake my best friend.

"No!" I cried, pulling her out of the way just as the stake came down, barely missing her, grazing my leg instead. But I felt no pain, and it was already healing. "Dakota, what's wrong with you?" I bellowed as Michelle stopped short, her eyes wide with shock, realizing what had just transpired. She stopped crying immediately.

"Jessica," Dakota began, tears glistening on his cheeks. "She's one of them. We can't ignore that. We have no other choice."

"What are you saying?" Michelle asked, cowering behind me, eyeing the stake in his hand. "What's he doing, Jess?"

I ignored her, placing myself between her and Dakota. "We don't know that she'll change, Dakota!"

"Jessica." His eyes were gentle, obviously hating himself for what he knew he had to do. "We have no choice. He bit her, Jessica, and there is no cure."

"No cure for what?" Michelle asked, looking between Dakota and me, her eyes wide with shock, her cheeks wet with fresh tears.

"There's always a choice, Dakota!" I pleaded, holding Michelle tightly behind my back in protection. "We can't just kill her! It's Michelle!"

"Kill me?" Michelle asked, her eyebrows pulling together in concern, preparing to run. "What are you talking about?"

"Jess, we have no choice," Dakota replied, tears staining his own face, as he gripped the stake tightly within his palm, taking a step toward Michelle.

"Dakota, don't!" I begged, thinking quickly. "We have another month! Let's just watch her and see what happens!"

"See if what happens?" Dakota asked, shaking his head, stopping in his tracks. "You mean like 'let's see if she kills someone'? You want to wait until she kills someone? Jessica, this doesn't sound like you."

"Dakota," I begged, as Michelle peered timidly from around me. "This is Michelle we're talking about! She's my best friend! We have to give her a chance! For all we know, she won't kill anyone!"

"Kill anyone?" Michelle asked, taking a step away from me, her tears gone. "I'm not going to kill anyone! You know that, Jess! What are you two talking about?"

"Dakota, please," I begged, ignoring Michelle. "It's Michelle."

"And what if she kills someone?" Dakota replied, taking another step toward her. "Jessica, what happens if she bites your father? He's human now, you know that. He could turn into one of them."

"I'll take responsibility for her—"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Dakota cut me off, trying to be the voice of reason. "You can't babysit her."

"Okay. You two are officially crazy," Michelle announced, suddenly coherent. "I'm out of here!" Then she ran at human speed toward the safety of the woods, slipping on the lichen as she ran. In an instant, I was standing in front of her, blocking her exit. "How did you do that?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Michelle, there's a lot that's happened in the last few days," I said calmly. "We have to talk."

"Jessica, you can't tell her!" Dakota yelled, walking toward us. "You have to protect our secret! You must protect the pack!"

"Secret?" Michelle asked, clearly enthralled. I half smiled because she could never resist a secret.

"We have to!" I took a step toward Dakota, trying to remain calm. "She's a part of this now, and she has a right to know." I slowly walked toward Dakota, took the stake from his hand, and let it fall to the ground. I looked directly in his eyes. "We have to try... for Michelle's sake. She's an innocent, after all."

"Jessica...." Dakota's eyes pleaded, but I knew I had already won the fight.

"Thank you," I replied, wrapping my arms around his muscular frame.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this." Dakota looked directly into my eyes. "But we might not have a choice."

I took a deep breath and nodded, for I know that, despite my best efforts, I still might not have a choice but to take her down myself. Then I lifted my chin to look directly into his eyes and his lips softly touched mine.

"Get a room," Michelle replied, watching the exchange between Dakota and me, sounding very much like the Michelle I had always known and loved. "You might know. You two are together now and I get dumped in the woods by a freak!"

I sighed, laughing, looking at Michelle, not quite sure what we were going to do with her or how her story would end. "Michelle, let's go."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking at us like we'd both lost our minds. "We're out here in the middle of nowhere. It'll take us hours to get home. I'll call my dad--"

"Michelle, wait," I cut her off as he was looking for her cell phone. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

Michelle patted her clothes, searching for her cell phone, but came up empty, thank goodness. "I must have dropped my cell while he was carrying me."

"He carried you?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes nearly bugging out of my head.

"Yeah," Michelle said sheepishly. "I thought it was kind of romantic."

"Michelle, can I trust you to keep a secret?" I asked, hoping that she would answer correctly and mean it.

"You know you can," Michelle replied.

"You're making a mistake," Dakota said in a sing-song voice.

I gave him a look that dared him to stop me, then turned my attention back to Michelle. "Michelle, I'm going to tell you some things that you can't tell anyone. Okay?"

"What, Jess?" Michelle sounded exasperated.

"Michelle, I mean you can't tell anyone. Not your parents, friends... no one," I repeated, inching toward her.

"What is it, Jess?" Michelle asked again, quickly becoming agitated. "Just spit it out!"

"Michelle," I began, inching toward her. "I'm a shapeshifter."

"What are you talking about?" Michelle asked, clearly stunned as she started backing away.

"I just found out myself a few days ago," I began. "I turn into a wolf... and you can't tell anyone."

"Yeah, right," Michelle said in disbelief, shaking her head. "Jess, are you sick or something?"

"I'm serious."

"No way."

"Dakota, can you give us a minute?" I asked, looking over at him.

"You're making a mistake," Dakota warned in his sing-song voice, but ran off into the forest.

I slipped out of my gray T-shirt and navy shorts.

"What are you doing, Jessica?" Michelle asked, shocked, stepping back.

"Michelle, brace yourself," I replied, then I stepped back and allowed the tremors to run down my arms and the red haze with black edges to overtake my vision. My body morphed and changed until I exploded into my silver wolf.

Michelle's eyes grew wide as she stumbled backwards. "What the h*ll?" Then she turned and started to run, but I was faster, stepping in front of her, blocking her way. "Stay away from me!" she yelled, still backing away, her eyes wide.

Within a second I allowed the tremors to run once again down my paws and spine, as I shook and morphed, the red haze with black edges overtaking my vision again as I pulled myself back together into my human form. A moment later, I stood upright just at the exact moment I changed back into myself, a teenage girl with long straight brown hair, standing nude in front of her. As Michelle watched, speechless, I pulled on my gray T-shirt and navy shorts once again.

"Dakota, you can come back now," I yelled into the woods, then I turned my attention back to Michelle, who was still watching me with her mouth open in shock. "Well, say something."

"What am I supposed to say?" Michelle scoffed.

"I don't know," I replied, "but say something."

Just then Dakota ran to my side. "We've got to go."

I nodded, then turned my attention back to Michelle. "Say something."

Then understanding dawned within her eyes as she started backing away again. "You're the one killing those people! All those people dying during a full moon! You killed them!"

"Michelle, it wasn't us. We're not killing anyone," I calmly replied, "but something else is."

"Then, what is?" Michelle asked, finally starting to think rationally.

"I'll tell you about it later," I replied, "but Michelle, you can't go home yet. You have to come with us. We have to talk."

"The hell I do!" Michelle headed toward the encroaching forest. "I'm going home."

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