25Josh remains stoic as ever.
Ray is quivering to the tip, full with cheap gaffs and secretive knowledge. Honestly, why does he keep shooting me those knowing looks from the end of the table? It's like he WANTS to be asked what's churning about in that aerodynamic brain of his.
Axel is sitting at the head of the table, perused in thought as he glances down at his cutlery with a deepened scowl. I jump as I feel a hand rest on my thigh and I glare at Josh, who's sitting across me, and toying with cuffs of pants. He doesn't look up, instead focused on drumming a pattern into the sole of his sneakers. With dread and trepidation I glance at my lap and see a pale hand tightening around my leg. I try bucking the hand off, but it refuses any less action. Axel was playing a dangerous game here and if he really wanted to go to prison as a groper then I'm only too happy to oblige.
Ignoring the dozen or so faces gazing in our direction, I look at Ray again, whom seemingly has happened to forget the world around him and instead honed in on a rack of lamb placed right in front of him. It seemed he didn't mind having the smallest portion of the lot.
I quickly look away only to catch eyes with Mr Frosty's sister, Miss Chip of the old block. Her eyes are fastened on my face, and by her tightened lips I can see she's not exactly pleased to be in my presence. I didn't fail to notice the tanned dude next to her, the one who admonished Ray earlier, and now staring at Miss ice with a tenderness that can only be ascribed to intimate lovers.
My sharp eyesight didn't fail to notice how his whole upper body was tilted towards her, subconsciously maybe, but attentive all the same. His hand resting on the back of her chair.
I feel a pang of jealousy threading into my heart before I turn back to Axel.
So this was what they kidnapped me for? A meal where all my body language and expressions were being analyzed. I find it extremely hard to believe that nine hours before I had been stuck in a classroom, getting bored out of my wits.
With one hand fastened around my thigh, Axel reached for a carving knife with the other. I sincerely hope he doesn't see the abject horror playing across my face. It seemed though, he planned to kill me another day, when he abruptly let go off me and sawed into his meat with vigour and happiness. Specks of meat splatter out and land onto Ray's burrowed shirt, but I don't even wrinkle my nose in disgust. Not my house, not my clothes, not my family. Why the heck should I care?
I look on, as Axel stabs into the lamb with force, not caring that twelve expectant eyes were fixed on him with something akin to animistic desire before he shoved it into his mouth, chewing away with one cheek jutting out into the air.
Immediately there is a clatter of knives and plates as the tranquil table around me suddenly erupts in movement and grinding teeth. Ray grabs for his rack of lamb but somebody swooshes it out of his plate, leaving him looking rather grumpy than for wear. The thief next to him just does nothing but, ruffle Ray's hair and bite into his brethren's food. I think Ray wants to rip it away from the thief but wisely he instead settles for sniffing around the plate of potatoes.
"Why are you wearing the pup's clothes?" Axel grimaces before taking a big bite out of his lamb. The poor creature.
The table quietens down a certain decibel, sniffing the air apprehensively then gazing at me from woolen eyes. As if daring me to come with a plausible excuse to why I was wearing another male's clothes. Before I can open my mouth though, about to lay into him for being a utter asshole and before Ray's indignant voice fills the air, Josh interrupts suavely.
I guess he doesn't want the others to know he's a serial arsonist. He burnt my clothes for goodness sake! But not before ushering me into a smallish washroom and shoving a baggy t-shirt complete with baggy Capri's at me.
"Her original set were mingled with the scent of an unhygienic male."
Axel frowned at this. " And so she demanded a new supply of underwear?"
Wait! What?
Everyone glanced down at Ray, who seemed to cower within his seat with a pained smile. Before Axel could let rip, Josh hurried to rectify his mistake.
"I meant her brother. And she seemed most reluctant to part with her undergarments,"
Kill me now. Is it possible to turn any redder? Normally I don't sully myself with petty emotions such as modesty. That by no means meant I paraded around town in a corset and stockings, but I wasn't exactly a wilting wallflower either. You have something to say? I'm right here, thank you very much. Shame to see these two didn't agree with me, if the way were referring to me in the third person had anything to go by.
For a second, I feel like I'm going light in the head, when I see Axel's back visibly unclench, his gaiety and professionalism back at full force. Josh doesn't even bother looking at me, he looked just about ready to bolt from the table at the go-ahead and barren himself in the cellar. My heart bleeds.
I feel like wiping the cocky smirk right of Axel's face, delve into his mind and play sick, twisted little games till he regretted even setting his eyes on me from the day he was born. I've tried a toned, watered down version once, on a car ride upstate, on Mikey, and I'd still never forget the frightened look he had as he made a prompt visit to the nearest gas station. That sure the hell made him regret insulting my "feeble, weak woman minded" intelligence. God, he was a chauvinist in the making.
Then I stare out of the windows- this time bars free (a formality perhaps only required in my "prisoner cell")- at the waxwork moon waning away into blackness. From my calculations, I left school approximately ten hours ago. Mom wouldn't phone Cassie to check if I was there. She never does. Sometimes I curse my mother's naivety and trust in her eldest daughter. I was turning 18 in less than 24 hours and I did not plan spending a vital landmark here - cooped up god knows where.
" My mother is going to call the cops, " I say, trying to emit false bravado in my voice. "You watch,"
Axel pauses in his montage of scoffing and peers up at me, a golden eyebrow raised to meet his few wayward bangs. " I think not," he says as if he finds the whole situation amusing beyond belief, " Tomorrow you turn an adult in the eyes of the law. Your mother is not your legal guardian anymore. You are going to make a call tomorrow and tell your mother you're never coming back- you have found a perfect home and learning the independence you'll eventually require. She won't object. "
It seems like he knows my mom really well, which is slightly worrying. Please don't tell me he sent one of his cronies to stake out my family. It's like watching an episode of CSI all over again- though those usually started with murder in the opening titles.
"She'll never buy it," I say confidently, though the betraying beat of my heart says otherwise. "She knows me- and how do you know I won't ru-"
I stop myself just in time. I was about to say, and how do you know I won't run at the first given moment, but I don't want these strange people to know my plan. I feel like it's the only thing that hasn't been exposed for all these troublesome youths to stare at.
It seems Axel has guessed what I was about to say anyway. He seems to unravelling all my plans and subconsciously ripping away all the cards that so far I've been playing closely to my chest.
"Run?" He laughs, guffaws more like as if I am a simply preposterous person living blindly and stupidly in a wizened up world. "What will that achieve? We'd just hunt you back down again- and take pleasure from it- until we make sure you're one of us. Then you won't be going anywhere. Especially if your womb is laden with cubs-"
Oh. My. God.
These people have officially lost it. Cubs? HUNT? It's all back to the werewolf thing again- I should have known that these beings in my presence were not as rational, or methodical as keep get inklings off. No, they were all high on coke. And not the bubbly kind either.
I really feel like I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve- and the disbelief on it sends everyone, some I haven't even clapped eyes on before this meal, rocking into gales of laughter. Ray joins in, weakly, but relieved that Axel's wrath is clearly not on him any longer. The girl cracks a malicious smile- but it's a smile all the same. The only one who doesn't join in this chorus of insanity is Josh. I feel oddly relieved at this as I twist my fingers tightly in my lap. I'm more wound up than a tightly coiled spring. And that's saying something.
Axel slaps his spice encrusted knife against his leg as he leans forward. If they truly were werewolves, I thought crazilly, then they wouldn't bother with cutlery. Silver cutlery nonetheless.
After a another bark of laughter, Axel stops suddenly- this gives me an impression that his laughter hadn't been geniuine in the first place. It was pretty un-natural to suddenly stop in a bout of chortling- but then now I think about his laugh had almost seemed cruel and mocking, tinged with a hint of insomnia.
The people around me, as if taking cue from their leader- stop laughing as well. An awkward silence fills the room as I see the wariness seep back into their brittle expressions. Josh's upper lip thins and I see a hand twitch as if he wants to backhand someone.
I don't think it's me.
" Keep your eyes peeled Lara, what you're about to see is destined to be your future till death,"
And then before my very eyes, something popped. I jump, first thinking it's a light bulb exploding, but then there's a series of pops to quick and close between each other that made everyone stare at the head of the table with lowered heads. The only one who doesn't is Josh before me, who instead looks at me with a sneer.
I turn my disbelieving eyes in Axel's direction and bite back a moan as his cheekbones caved in, a moment later his jawbone cracked and my hands flew to my mouth to shield a gasp as his jaw lenghtened and the once Axel bared his teeth, revealing a lengthening set of canines, sharp and drooling with saliva.
I want to look away- but I can't as he seems to shrivel into his clothes, I hear cracks, pops and heavy panting but yet not one single scream. I'm too shocked. I watch with horror as yards of matted fur erupts around his body and enshrouds him into a canine fury. His ears shrink into his face but seconds later, velvety ears push upwards from the skull, pricked forwards and showing it's command.
Then it's all over. I blink as this over-sized dog, shreds apart it's clothing and stands majestically on the seat, tongue lolling out of it's rough mouth.
I don't faint. I don't scream. All I do is sit and stare, eyes wide and face pale as a ethereal spirit.
Pressure builds up behind my eye sockets as my eyes nearly pop out of my eye-holes.
" Werewolves exist...?" Is all I'm able to choke out.
A/N:- First of all I'm aware that Josh does not display the usual characteristics of a romance lead. This is intentional and Josh WILL become a strong individual who doesn't let anybody push him about but you guys just have to bite your knuckles & bear with me. There's a big twist in all of this:D