The She Wolf

Tally

I kicked stones as I walked alongside the dirt road that led to my house. My mother and I lived on the very edge of the forest.

When I was about twenty yards away, I heard a sharp bark and saw Nala sprinting toward me. She jumped up on me, her weight enough to knock me backward.

I laughed as she licked my face and wagged her tail. “Get off, you overgrown puppy.” I pushed her away and laughed again as she nudged my hand, wanting me to pet her.

Nala nipped at my heels playfully as I ran toward my house. I dropped my new bag on the porch and ran around to the backyard.

In a large pen sat a gray wolf with yellow eyes. It watched both Nala and me as we approached and stood as I got to the gate.

“Hey, bud!” I called. “How are ya?”

This wolf had gotten his leg stuck in a nasty trap three days ago. He was old and sour and not the most social wolf. Nala didn’t get along with him.

I shrugged and let myself and Nala inside the pen. When the gray wolf stood, Nala started to growl and crept in front of me, letting the old wolf know I was protected.

I walked over to the water trough and dumped it out before refilling it with the hose. I let it fill and then walked over to the back shed and took out a slab of meat for the wolf.

I dropped the meat in his food trough and watched as he limped toward it. He sniffed the lump of meat twice before trotting away.

“Oh, come on!” I yelled, “that’s better than half of the stuff you catch out there!” I pointed toward the forest and watched as the wolf trotted to the far side of the pen.

Nala lunged forward and took the lump of meat between her jaws and started to chomp away happily.

I gave her a flat look. “That was for him,” I told her. I looked toward the older wolf and sighed. Maybe he’d learn that he had to eat fast or he would lose it.

“Going to visit the wolves before your own mother?”

I looked up to see my mom dressed in overalls and work boots. She was smiling at me from the back porch of our small cottage, a smudge of dirt along her high cheeks.

“Sorry, Mom. I had to check on him.”

My mother laughed, waving away my apology. “There is so much of your father in you.”

I grimaced. “What can I say? He raised me well.”

My mother nodded sadly. “That he did. Where’s Avery?”

I frowned. “She had other plans.”

My mother picked up on my disappointment and grinned, trying her best to get my mind off of my mood. “More fried bread for us then, right?”

I felt my smile drop as I suddenly remembered the boy from earlier. My stomach lurched and I looked down.

“Actually, I’m not hungry at all. I was just going to go upstairs. I have homework.”

My mother frowned, her tan skin wrinkling at the corners of her eyes as she squinted at me.

Usually, I would head off into the forest with Nala after school. My being willing to do schoolwork was a red flag.

“Are you all right, Tal? You look pale,” my mother said.

I smiled half-heartedly. “Weird day,” I answered honestly.

My mother nodded, knowing I liked to be left alone when I was troubled, and went back inside our shabby house.

I exited the pen with Nala and locked it behind me.

I ran around the front of the house and grabbed my bag, ready to go inside when I noticed that Nala was right on my heels. “You can’t come inside,” I told her. “Not with a muzzle stained red.”

She cocked her head to the side and licked her snout.

“All right, but be quiet about it.” I opened the door and paused when I heard my mother humming to herself. Nala walked in behind me, as silent as a shadow. Wolves had that talent.

My house was on only one floor. It had two bedrooms, one living room, one bathroom, and one kitchen. That was all. Most of our money went to the wolves we saved.

I crept into my room, shutting the door behind me and wincing as it creaked.

Nala went and nestled herself under the desk that I never used. I had laid down a few blankets for her to lie on. She had chewed up and shredded most of them, but she seemed to like the spot.

I flopped down on my bed and sighed as I closed my eyes. I finally let myself think over my strange encounter with the boy.

“Look at me, please,” his voice wavered as if he were under physical strain. This shocked me and made me look up at him.

When my eyes locked with his, the world seemed to collapse.

I no longer felt so alone, I felt tethered; held down. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant, it was comforting.

The boy’s face seemed to swirl in and out of focus as everything around me—all the colors and shapes—seemed to bend and twirl.

There was a far echo in my mind, something stirring and awakening. I shivered as something, almost tangible seemed to make itself known in my head.

A word flashed across my mind but I couldn’t seem to grab it.

Instead, I stared at his face, burning every curve, freckle, angle, and scar into my memory.

His eyes, an icy blue, were electrifying. His hair was brown and streaked with gold. His nose was strong and angled sharply. His jaw was smooth and unmarked.

I noticed a light dusting of freckles over his cheeks and a faint scar above his eyebrow. He was everything.

And then, suddenly, he wasn’t. The moment dissolved and I was left, bag in hand, gaping up at this total stranger.

Luckily, he seemed to be staring at me, too, and a part of me wondered if he had experienced the same thing I had.

“I, uh, have to, uh, go,” he said, his voice shaking. And then he was gone. And I was alone again.

I wondered if perhaps I was crazy, or if I’d imagined the strange connection I’d felt toward the boy. I buried my head in my pillows as my mind spun and spun.

I had no answers. He had rushed away so quickly after we broke apart. I was left with a heavy mind and a heavy heart.

And more than that, I was left with the yearning to see him again.

“Tally,” my mother called from behind my door. She opened it, wincing when it creaked. “Tally, darling, you’ve been sleeping.” She strode forward and sat on the edge of my bed.

I looked toward the small clock above my desk and squinted. It was past nine o’clock.

“Oh, I didn’t realize,” I said.

My mother frowned. “What’s up with you, Tal?”

I heaved a sigh. I loved my mother but living with only her made it near impossible to have privacy. I was all she had. “A boy at school today called me a redskin.”

My mother sucked in a breath, her eyes hardening slightly. My mother was Native and damn proud but she wasn’t impervious to racism.

“I’m sorry, Tal. But it’s something you, unfortunately, have to put up with. Not all people are kind. There are a lot of ignorant people, and ignorance can make people nasty.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Lance is definitely not a nice person.”

My mother seemed to catch on. “Lance Bay? Harry Bay’s son? I doubt he’d be nice. His father is a real pain in my… Well, he’s a pain.”

I glared at the wall. “I know, he was always fighting with Dad.”

My mom nodded. “I… What is Nala doing in here? Look at that muzzle! What was she eating?”

“She took the old wolf’s slab of meat,” I told her.

My mother scowled. “It wasn’t for her.”

“He was being a snob and wouldn’t touch it!” I argued.

My mother laughed and hugged me close. “Let’s go pig out on some fried bread.”

***

I sat on my normal picnic bench outside of the school as I waited for Avery. My new bag was tucked safely between my legs as I looked around the courtyard.

Usually, I watched the clouds drift by or the birds chase one another. But today, I was taking notice of the students around me, looking for one in particular.

The more I looked the more unfamiliar faces started to stick out. There were tons of people I didn’t know. Typically, I knew most of the people in the school, albeit not by name.

“Hey, Tally, I wanted to apologize for bailing again,” Avery said as she walked up to me.

I ignored her and said, “Where did all these new people come from?”

Avery crashed down onto the bench and took a large bite out of an apple she was eating.

“I don’t know. I spoke to one of them and they said they were from the other side of the country. Not sure why they are here now though.”

I caught a tall brunette in my peripheral vision and squinted. My chest constricted as I realized it was not the boy I had been hoping to see.

“Isn’t it kind of weird having thirty kids transfer all at once?”

“What’s weirder is how they stick together. I mean, they all look different and are of different ages, but they have this weird vibe about them and don’t talk to many outside their group,” Avery said.

I frowned. “I wonder…” I stopped short as I saw him.

He was standing near the front doors and seemed to be scanning the crowd as well. His eyes moved from group to group until they landed on me.

For a moment, we held each other’s gaze and I felt the same feelings from yesterday; that odd feeling of being tethered.

“Tally?” Avery called. I blinked and it was broken. When I looked up again, he was gone.

Frustrated, I turned to Avery. “What?”

“First bell has just rung,” she told me, giving me a strange look.

I stood and straightened out my clothes. “Oh, right, let’s go then.” I walked quickly, not bothering to match my stride to Avery’s.

I walked through the halls, ignoring Avery’s calls. I was shorter than her by far—I was 5’2” while she was towering at 5’7”—but somehow, I managed to walk faster.

I quickly realized I wasn’t going to find the boy. The hallways were too flooded and the school was too big. If I was going to see him again, it would have to be fate.

I sighed and turned to Avery, telling her I had to go, and then I ran off to my first class.

Math wasn’t exactly my favorite subject. I was flunking, but then again, I was flunking all my classes. I knew school didn’t matter. My place was with the wolves.

I slipped into my seat and got my books out of my new bag and then kicked it under my desk.

I began gnawing on the end of my pen as we all waited for the teacher to grace us with her presence.

For some strange reason, I felt the need to look around the room. I did so slowly and nearly jumped out of my seat when I realized that the boy from earlier was sitting beside me.

Instead of talking to him like I had been planning to, I pretended I hadn’t seen him and stared straight ahead at the board.

I placed my pen on my desk and crossed my arms over myself, now feeling self-conscious.

“Morning class,” the teacher grumbled as he walked in.

The class stirred when they realized we had a supply teacher for Mrs. John.

The bell rang, the anthem was blared through the halls and classrooms, and the announcements were made.

“Listen for your name and say, ‘here,’ when you hear it.” One by one the teacher went through our names.

“Tally!” the guy grumbled. I stirred in my seat, suddenly feeling nervous. Had he said Tally or Ally? The guy looked around and sighed. “Tally Murdo!”

“Here!” I squeaked, embarrassed that I had hesitated. The man continued with roll call and I relaxed into my seat. Well, I relaxed until I remembered who was sitting beside me.

“Alex Thorn?”

“Here.” His voice was smooth, unbroken, and undeniably more confident than my own. I hadn’t realized I had been staring until he turned slowly and stared right back at me.

Again, everything seemed to fall away. The connection wasn’t earth-shattering like it was yesterday, but it was strong.

Somehow, knowing that I wasn’t making it up boosted my confidence.

Halfway through the lesson, I leaned over and whispered, “I’m Tally.”

He didn’t move his eyes away from the chalkboard. “I know.”

I felt my cheeks flame red and said, “Alex, right?”

The corner of his mouth pulled up. “Yes, I’m Alex.”

I leaned back. It was clear he didn’t want to talk to me. I looked down at my sheets, feeling my stomach tighten in pain.

Maybe I was imagining things. I looked up, pulling myself together, and began scribbling down pointless notes again.

From the corner of my eye, I caught movement and turned to see. A boy with blonde hair was glaring at Alex and making gestures toward me.

The blonde one caught my eye and smiled, and I willed myself to smile back. Only when I did, I earned myself a cold glare from Alex. This made my smile drop immediately.

When the bell rang, I could not have been more relieved. I had been rigid in my seat and my whole body ached from the tension. I got up and collected my things and then left.

Alex was already gone, so I didn’t have to worry.

My next classes flew by, nothing special happened. Just more notes and boring lessons. I sucked in a quick breath before I walked into the cafeteria.

Even I, a girl who doesn’t exactly pay attention to things around her, noticed the shift in the cafeteria. Something was different. Something major.

I took a second to look around and realized what it was: the power had shifted. No longer did Lance and Amber sit at the coveted popular table. Instead, it was flooded with unfamiliar faces.

“Tal?” I spun, hearing my nickname.

I smiled. “Hey, Avery.”

Avery walked up next to me and grabbed a tray. We shuffled forward, and as I looked over the unappetizing food, I realized I wasn’t that hungry.

I grabbed a juice box and a chocolate chip muffin and shuffled toward our table. Avery and I usually sat alone, but today, Avery grabbed my hand and led me away from our table.

“Um, where are we going?” I asked.

Avery smiled. “To sit with my new friends.”

When I realized we were heading toward the unfamiliar table, I stopped walking altogether and clutched my tray even tighter in my hands. “What’s your problem?” Avery hissed.

“We can’t sit there,” I said.

“Sure we can. Come on,” Avery urged.

As we walked closer, I scanned the faces there carefully. I didn’t know any of them. And then Alex’s face caught my eye and I’m sure that my face went red.

The strangest thing about the group of kids was that they were all different. Different hair, different ethnicities, and from what I could see, different interests.

How were they friends? How were they so close? And most importantly, wasn’t it strange that they had all moved together?

“Hey,” Avery chirped as we came to stand in front of the table.

A few looked up; most didn’t. Alex’s eyes were on some other person and I looked down, wishing I could slip out of my skin and run in the opposite direction.

“Hey, Avery,” a girl said with an easy smile. She was beautiful with long rust-colored hair and pretty hazel eyes. The girl turned to me and smiled. “I’m Mira, who are you?”

“Tally,” I mumbled.

The girl’s eyes widened in shock and she turned to look at Alex, whose back was stiff. “Tally? Oh, well, sit down.” Mira pulled me down beside her as Avery was swept away by a few more girls.

I sat nervously, twisting my fingers together and staring at my muffin. I was aware of people’s gazes and wished I could disappear. “Aren’t you going to eat that?”

I shrugged. “I’m not that hungry.”

“That’s going to change,” the girl said with a laugh.

I raised my eyebrows. “Why would that change? I’m not hungry.”

“Leave her alone, Mira,” Alex said, without turning around.

Mira stuck her tongue out at him. “My cousin is an idiot sometimes,” she told me. “I want to talk to her, Alex! Perhaps you should too.”

Alex didn’t answer, he just faced away from me.

“Where are you from?” I asked Mira, trying to take attention off of Alex.

“We’re from Maine, the other side of this vast country,” Mira said with a lazy grin.

“You’re far from home,” I noted.

Mira laughed, but there was a bite underneath it that told me she missed Maine. “This is home now.”

“How come you all moved together?” I asked, more directly than usual.

Mira shifted in her seat, and I could tell she was thinking hard about her answer.

“Our neighborhood was destroyed, and since we’re all close, we decided to come here because there was no other pack—people there. People we liked, anyway.”

I frowned at this odd reason. “How many of you go to the school?”

She smiled. “There are twenty-one of us.” Mira took a bite out of her sandwich and turned to me. “What do you like to do?”

I grinned. “I like wolves.” It was nice being able to talk about what I was most familiar with.

Mira didn’t seem surprised. “I love wolves. They’re my favorite animal.”

“Me too,” I said. “I live on a wolf sanctuary. My family has been running it for years.”

Mira seemed surprised now. “Wow, you know, I think you’d like our house. We have a lot of…wolfy things.”

I grinned. “You’d like mine even better, I have the real deal.”

Mira kept her smile on her face. “Oh, so do we.”

“That’s enough, Mira.” I looked up to see Alex glaring down at her. His blue eyes were hard and shining, like sapphires.

He then looked down at me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Let’s go. With me.” He offered me his hand, and I stared dumbly at it.

“Uh…”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Come on.” His hand reached down and ceased mine.

As soon as our skin touched, a million bolts of electricity flowed into me. I gasped and stared at his face; he seemed to have noticed the same thing.

He started walking away, and I was tripping over myself as I followed.