I'm leaning against the glass as Keanna lets out her vehement sobs of despair. I look over my shoulder to see if the other members are going to be visiting any time soon. No such luck. I reposition to watch the innocent seventeen-year-old concealed behind her quaking arms. This isn't Keanna - this is me every night before I go to bed.

To see her as a complete and utter mess, it's unheard of. She's Keanna White for crying out loud. She's the one person I've ever known to find an inch of happiness in any form of situation. Nothing brings her down. She's been there for me whenever I've been down; now it's time that I return the favor. 

"Kee." I keep my voice soft and tender for her liking as I slowly make my way over to her bedside. I see her body huddled up into a tight ball as she trembles with agony. It's painful enough to witness this trainwreck version of my best friend. My clenched fist opens as it extends to her shoulder. She peers up at me from below, eyes all red from that half hour of sobs. "Keanna, it's gonna be alright." 

"No it isn't," she says like the crack of a whip. One second she seems like my best friend forever, no going back. Another second she's swatting my hand away from her like I've offended her in some form. Her eyes narrow as she rises quickly from the poorly made bed. "Betrys, do you even know where Buffalo is?" 

"Umm ... " I try to recall the geography lesson we had in Human Studies one day in eighth grade.  All I remember is that I received a seventy five on the quiz, which lead to one weak of no television privileges. "Uh - "

"It's in the state of New York," Keanna cuts me off before I can give the wrong answer. She got a perfect score, I remember. "That's around one thousand four hundred miles away from where we are. Now get outta here. I don't want you try'na convince me to stay." 

Walking towards me with malicious eyes, she backs me out of the room. I'm bewildered by the way she's acting, especially towards me. I need to tap back into her good side. 

"I'm not gonna try to make you stay," I assure her. "If you really wanna do this, I believe you should go to New York." 

"Exactly what someone who wants to manipulate me into staying would say," she hisses at me. Next thing I know, she's sliding the door shut with a gust of air. Did she really just do that? My heart nearly skips a beat at the thought. 

 I sprawl myself against the glass, pounding with my fist. She hits a button and the glass is shaded out to a curtain of white. 

She really did do that, I finally admit to myself. I then thumb through my options. I could go to Athan, but it might be for the best to leave him alone and not escalate the awkwardness currently between us. I could go hang out with Eileene and Kyran , but they'll probably only want to talk about that mushy couple garbage. The Wellings are definitely out of the question - I don't know them well enough to hang out with them. 

So, that leaves me resorting to the last option I'd ever turn to - hanging out with myself. Then it hits me - I'm having time to myself for the first time ever. I break into a run down the hallway, squealing with delight. My hands throw themselves up into the air. Finally. 

Then my jubilance is destroyed when I run into Grace, who I haven't seen since I stormed out of the cab, mad at Athan. She looks very dark compared to when I last saw her, black crop top, tight jeans, hair pinned back to add an extra layer. I bring her into my arms for a quick hug. 

"Grace, it's been so long," I remark. With that, I pull away but keep my hands on her shoulders. "How are you?" 

"Well, they've put me in a computer room for long hours watching security cameras," Grace fills me in as quick as possible, "so, I guess I can say, I've been better." She looks away with the shrug of her shoulder. She then faces me again with a curious yet prying look. "How's Keanna?" 

"Currently mad at me," I tell her. Her eyes widen and we sit down next to each up against one of the glass walls. I look ahead and heave a sigh. I go onto to tell her about Keanna and I's recent dispute. "She told me she's being stationed out in Buffalo, New York at the end of the week, and I tried to be supportive, but she threw me out." 

"That can't be Keanna," she concludes. With a big huff, she flicks her hair on one side and presses her lips into a frown. I look away, concerned for what is up with her as well. This is the girl who spent her whole day behind a blender and didn't care how she looked. If parts of her smoothie got in her hair, she'd just say she loves her job so much, she'll wear it to prove it. "Keanna is incapable in following through with a threat."

"And she's too optimistic and trusting," I add. She nods in agreement. Not making eye contact with me, she goes on to fix her hair that has a few strands tucked out of place. "Something must be up. Why do you think she even agreed to go in the first place?" 

"Keanna will do anything if means the safety of those she loves the most," she tells me. She gives an odd grunt and fixes her position so she's sitting upright. "But, according to the security cameras, the Elders haven't harmed her family in any form of way, so I can't give you any reason why she'd even for once consider moving out there to make sure the lupine coven at the northern borders don't disrupt the peace among the mortals."

I trace back on what she says until my mind stops at one in particular phrase that speaks to my mind. "There's a werewolf clan in Canada?" 

My brain tries to wrap around the fact that there's more than one clan out there. Do they share the same traditions as we do? Are people unhappy with how they govern? A million questions bottle up in my head as I attempt to imagine what this clan is like. 

"Not for long," she explains to me. She pauses for a moment and looks in all directions to make sure no one's around. I adjust my posture so I'm looking right at her. "They're closing in on America's borders from Ontario. They're known for wreaking havoc and being a nuisance towards humans, so we have to force them back over the borders before they leak the secret of the paranormal world." 

"It seems like a noble cause to fight for," I admit with a slow nod. I look up and then back down for the sake of needing a moment to compose my thoughts. "Are there a lot of volunteers willing to take the coven down?" 

"No." She shakes her head with a solemn look. Her voice goes low and her eyes grow into a dark look as if distance is trapping her into an entire other dimension. "The soldiers here are too cowardice. The group is an impenetrable force - they're callous, bloodthirsty, and will take out any form of threat standing in their way. No one dares to speak up against them. From what I'm guessing, they chose Keanna because she's a werewolf - she knows their weaknesses and typical attack strategies." With a sigh her eyes narrow upon me. "She's their only hope, Betrys." 

"I'm not gonna get in the way of her doing what she wants," I protest. Now Grace is on her side. Why does everyone seem to be so against me today? "If this is really want she desires, I'm in no way to stop her from fulfilling that goal." 

"What I mean is, talk to her," she urges me. She even gives a small nudge on the shoulder with gets a chuckling response. "Betrys, you're her bestest friend in the entire world. She never stopped talking about you. If there's anyone she'll talk to, it's you." 

"But she threw me out last time I tried," I remind her. My eyebrows go up straight like sticks. "Remember?" 

"Yes." She lets out a scoff and turns away from me. With that, I decide to stand up. From where I look, I can see my shadow casting over her. "But maybe she's in her right mind now. Talk to her Betrys. That's all I'm asking you to do." 

I don't reply. Instead, I walk off, retreating back to my cubicle where I spend the rest of my day sulking. Today has been a horrible day. That's the only word I'm able to use to describe this day - horrible. An absolute treachery. In the end, I decide to avoid joining the group for dinner later tonight. 

So, I use my time to sit on top of my bread and pray. I haven't prayed in so long, I feel like it's good time to explain my situation to God. All though there's not a way for him to help, it gives my body of sense of spiritual satisfaction, just like Sabia says it does. I've been in prayer for almost a half hour when, I hear footsteps approach.

"Knock knock." My eyes open to see Kyran in the doorway with a donut frosted with whiteness and rainbow sprinkles all over. I smile slightly and stand up. With that, he comes inside and joins my side on the bed. He places the donut in my open palms. "You weren't at dinner, so I brought something that you never complain about."

"Thanks," I say softly, looking down at my shoes. I feel his arm reach out to my shoulder as I'm chowing down on my donut. Donuts have always been a first-resort comfort food for me. The night Sabia told us Mom and Dad were "dead," Kyran snuck out after dinner and returned with a box of donuts. "Today's been really rough, if you haven't heard."

"I'll say," he tries to win a laugh out of me, but I look up at him with a shaking head. He knows no is seriously not the best of times for comic relief. "When we started a conversation, Athan just got up and left. And Little Miss Chipper, was darker than all of us combined. When I brought up you as a topic of conversation, she nearly flipped the table. What went on?" 

"A lot," I confess. I force myself to avoid making eye contact with him as I wipe the last donut crumb from my face. "Keanna got mad at me when I tried to talk to her about her stationing in Buffalo at the end of the week, and I agitated Athan when I asked him if he misses home." I draw in a heavy breath. "The world just seems so against me today." 

"Hey, don't say that," he tries tries to comfort me, but when it doesn't work. He resorts to the last method ever possible. "I know something that'll cheer you up." That would be an old song the clan used to sing at sacred ceremonies. It has no grown obsolete, but Kyran and I use whenever one of us is feeling downing.  

He swallows hard and begins the midtempo soliloquy: 

I am a lone wolf. 

A lone wolf, wild and free. 

I pick my own battles.

Heed to no one who isn't me. 

I hear the cries, but I won't comply. 

I'm on my own until I die. 

I am a lone wolf. 

And I am free.

With a smile, I join in on the female verse:

We hold strength in unity.

Rely on dependency. 

Fight together as one. 

There's no team if there's a me. 

We stand together, hand in hand. 

One for our freedom 

One for the our land.

We may not be lone wolves. 

But we are free. 

In the last verse we integrate the male and female verse. It's beautiful. For a moment, I feel as I'm witnessing these sacred ceremonies all over again. 

I am a lone wolf.

A lone wolf, wild and free.

We hold strength in unity.

Rely on dependency.

I pick my own battles. 

Heed to no who isn't me.

Fight together as one.

There's not a team if there's a me. 

I hear the cries, but I won't comply.

I'm on my own until I die.

We stand together, hand in hand. 

One for our freedom. 

One for our land. 

The last line is barely a mezzo-forte.

I am a lone wolf. 

And I am free.

We may not be lone wolves.

But we are free. 

We end the song on a hug. It feels good to know my brother will always have my back, just liked he promised he would the day we found out about our parents' demise. Back in the days when we'd spend an hour after our bedtime reading together and pull callow pranks on Sabia. The days when he taught me to pray. 

Pulling away, Kyran digs into the pockets of his jeans and pulls out a deck of playing cards. With an excited grin crossing to his dimples, he looks at me soft in his eyes and places the deck between us. "For old times sake?"

I nod. With that, he's shuffling the cards in between his hands and then dealing them out evenly. Thus begins a game of rummy. Meanwhile, we indulge on a deep conversation as we play. I give him malicious looks, and he returns them. 

"Did I screw things up with Athan?" I decide to pop in that question out of the blue when I'm laying down three twos next to me. I follow up by discarding my jack. I'm trying to up my game as he always beats me. 

"Oh." He lets out an exaggerated laugh as he obtusely discards his ace after putting three jacks down in front of his lap. "You have no idea." With an underhand grin of deceit, I snatch the ace and put it down in my pile of two other aces. He sighs, frustrated. I discard a one. "He wouldn't speak to me for a week when I asked him that exact same question when we first met. 

"So, that's it," I mutter, crestfallen. The realization strikes me with great melancholy, but it's too late for me to retire to my shell. I look down, but Kyran brings my face back up to eye contact level. "I've ended our relationship when we've barely begun it." 

"B, don't say that," he tells me softly. With that, he draws a card at random from the deck and then discards with a disappointed groan. "I've known Athan for a long time, and never in my life have I seen him this excited about someone or something. He'll come around eventually, don't worry." 

I look at the cards in my hand. I have three left, two of which are both ones. I snatch the one from the discard pile and lay down my ones. I discard my remaining card and throw my hands into the air. "RUMMY!" 

I jump to my feet and start doing a happy dance around the cubicle. Meanwhile, I engage in the bragging rights spectrum of winning with a devious taunt of singsong. "I beat you, I beat you. Uh-huh, I B-E-A-T, beat, you. For the first time in history, King Kyran Wilson of Rummy has been defeated. Princess Betrys is now victorious." 

"Actually, I let you win." He shows me his hand of cards that show several possibilities of matches that he could've played and easily won for. I shoot him a look of shock. "You just seemed like you needed a win today, so I let you have this victory." 

"Well prepare to lose your crown in round two," I threaten in a tease and sit down. With that, round two begins. To my dismay, I lose as usual, and the round two turns into a round three. When I lose round three, it turns into a round four and so on. Into the dark of night, Kyran and I are in endless game of Rummy as I try to prove myself worthy of the Rummy crown. 

Late into the night, our last game is interrupted by Eileene. From what it appears on the permanently muted TV, it's already ten o'clock. I look over my shoulder to see Eileene in the doorway in her floral nightgown. "She wants to see you." 

~

Hey guys. I'm glad to have Grace's return. What about you? 

We're getting closer to the best parts of the book. So, I'm really eager. 

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

X Shay X