Oh, and thanks to anyone who has been following this story, your support has been great 
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Aren't you going to eat anything, April?"
"Nope."
"Not even a sandwich?"
"Nope."
"Are you even alive at all?"
I considered Jess's question for a moment. Yes I was alive, but I wasn't living. I was like a robot, shuffling from class to class alone, behind the cheerful crowds of my other classmates.
I responded to that with an incoherent mumble, and I heard Danny sigh to my left.
They had spent all of our lunch break so far trying to get me to communicate, never mind eat. We were seated in the crowded lunch hall, in the quietest end of the room. The group had gotten used to sitting here; there was less chance of being spotted by the O'Conners here.
Danny leaned around the table to catch my diverted gaze.
"C'mon April, you and Chris will make up again. Just don't punish yourself. It can't be all your fault," he reassured me, but it were as if his kind words fell on deaf ears. I didn't want to hear them, I just wanted to be left alone. I hid my face behind a curtain of auburn hair, refusing to meet Jess's confused stare.
The bruises on her face were yellowing now, and thankfully the semi circular bruise around her neck had disappeared all together. They still had not found her attacker, and I was sure they wouldn't anyway. The police force didn't seem to care.
She waved her plaster covered arm in irritation. "What the hell is wrong with you? Was there something going on between you two that we didn't know about?" she demanded.
I jumped up, nearly falling out of my seat. "No, no! It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it like?"
I considered my reply for a moment, which only seemed to flare her temper up more. "It's... it's complicated, okay?"
She gave a snort of haughty laughter. "Whatever, April. You can't expect us to sit with you when you won't even look at us."
"I don't. I'm not asking anyone for anything."
Jess shoved her seat back from the desk, nearly crushing an unfortunate first year who was sitting behind her as she did so. He turned around to complain, but his mouth snapped shut again when he saw how angry Jess was.
"Fine. Danny, let's go." Danny shot me a flash of green eyes, torn between leaving me alone or suffering under her wrath.
I had mercy on him. "It's okay, go."
"But-"
"I had something I needed to do anyway." Danny looked disbelieving, so I got up from the table and left them in my wake, peeking at Jess's still angry expression over my shoulder.
I walked aimlessly down the slim corridors, unsure of where my feet would take me.
When I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, I nearly jumped out of my own skin. I wheeled around, to find Joseph standing behind me.
"Oh. Hey Joseph."
He nodded in greeting. His expression was very serious, and it made me a little nervous. "Would you mind if I could talk to you about something after school?"
I shrugged my right shoulder. "Yeah okay. Uh, where?"
"You know Peppie's café down the street?" he responded quickly.
I nodded.
"There, okay?
I nodded slowly, feeling a little freaked out. Why would Joseph need to talk to me about something in private?
Before I could say anything else, he wheeled around again and disappeared around a corner.
Peppie's was one of the nicer cafés in town. It was bright in decor; loud orange walls, a yellow tiled kitchen where orders where cooked, and ocean blue chairs. I made a beeline for the soft sofas towards the back of the building, slipping into a cubicle and waiting patiently for Joseph to arrive.
I was glad to see his curly mop of sandy hair weaving past the waitresses, I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to stay here without buying anything.
Joseph slid into the seat opposite, giving me a small smile as he did.
"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" I asked, fiddling with a loose strand on the cuff of my school blazer.
He hesitated before speaking, his face folding into an expression of deep thought.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone else."
Feeling like I was being sucked back into Primary school, I agreed to his terms.
"It's about Chris."
My body immediately tensed up. "I don't want to talk about him."
"I think you should hear this. Then maybe... you'll understand why he left. It's your right to know. And I hate seeing you all sad about it."
My brow furrowed, my expression wary. What did this have to do with him anyway?
"But don't freak out, okay?"
I shifted in my chair uncomfortably.
"Well, you know how Chris got a little... uh, different recently?"
"How do you mean?" I asked warily.
He made an unsure noise. "Do you know where I'm getting?"
"Uh, I not sure. Where are you trying to get to?"
"Well, how about this." He leaned closer over the table. "Did you know that Chris... uh... wasn't human?"
Oh no. He knows. How does he know?! My mind began short-circuiting, sending uneasy shivers down my spine. What did I do? Did I let on that I didn't know?
Before I could formulate a carefully thought of answer, I blurted out, "How did you...?"
He sat back again, folding his arms and frowning. "We know these things."
There was a sudden click of comprehension in my mind. A slam of shock knocked out every coherent thought in my head, and soon mighty feelings of anger and hurt crept into their place, taking control of my words.
"This is why you hated him! You made him leave!" I spat the words across the table so venomously, I thought I saw Joseph flinch.
He raised his palms towards me in a defensive manner. "Calm down..."
"No I won't! How could you even make him leave? You're all just human!"
His expression twisted into anxiety. "Look, it wasn't just that. And I had nothing to do with it!"
"Yes you did! You're one of them!"
He sighed angrily. "I thought you might want to know, that it wasn't because he didn't care about you, or whatever."
I shook my head sadly, anger dissolving into sadness. "He meant what he said."
"He didn't. He misses you."
My head snapped up. "How do you know that he misses me? Have you saw him?"
"I..uh..." he stammered, eyes wide with shock. For some reason I felt like I'd caught him out on something.
My eyes narrowed. "Spill. Right now. I need to know why he left."
"I can't."
"You said it was my right, didn't you?"
He shook his head, his eyes pleading. "You don't understand. I wouldn't live to see the end of the week if my brothers found out!"
"I swear if you don't tell me, you won't live to see the end of the week."
"No way."
"Please, please tell me. I have to know. It's important to me."
Joseph moaned, bumping his head against the table twice.
"You'll freak out."
"I won't. I knew Chris was a zombie and I never freaked out."
Wordlessly, he got out of the seat, reluctantly gesturing for me to follow him.
A bus ride back to the village later, and I was standing with Joseph knee deep in grass. He trudged towards the forest and I lagged behind, wondering why he was taking me there. My school shoes were muddy and I shivered as the cool wind ruffled my hair.
I didn't want to get any closer, but if Joseph could tell me more about this, I would do anything.
"Joseph, stop."
He obeyed, turning around impatiently.
"Why are you taking me here? Just tell me already."
"I can't. I have to show you."
"Well then show me."
He hesitated. "What are your thoughts on dogs?"
I almost growled at him. "What has this got to do with anything?!"
Ignoring my complaint, he continued, "Well, if a big black furry one came up to you, what would you do?"
"Pffft, I don't know. Pet it?"
"Great, stay here." With that said, he loped off into the grass, disappearing behind a leafy bush.
There was no noise. The wind ceased to sting my face with it's cool embrace, and the rustling of the grass hushed.
Then, what looked like a massive black shadow crept out from the bushes. It stood high above the grass, it's massive head bobbing up and down as it trotted towards me.
Only when it got close, did I realise what it was.
I stared into the golden, glassy eyes of a wolf. His coat was raven black and wild, and he towered over the undergrowth like a mighty oak beside a blade of grass.
The corner of his mouth twisted into a weird shape, then I realised the wolf was grinning at me.
I squeaked incoherently, taking an automatic step back, trying not to make a noise.
The wolf's jaws opened, revealing rows of finger sized teeth.
"I told you you'd be freaked."
I stuttered again, replying the moment back in my head. It talked. The wolf just talked to me. And some where, hidden beneath the wild, grumbling tones, was the voice of Joseph.
"Werewolf," I whispered, too quiet for a human to hear.
The wolf nodded gravely.
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