A howl in the distance sent a shiver through my spine, forcing me to slightly shake my body to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.

"Aren't they supposed to be taking care of the wolves?" My voice came out more affected than I planned and my friends turned to me with angry looks on their faces.

I had interrupted the conversation but it didn't last long. As fast as they had given me their attention, they had taken it away, not even bothering to give me an answer.

Even though I called them friends, we barely considered each other thus. One can't be too picky when you live in a secluded orphanage with little to none contact with outsiders, besides the sporadic visits of potential foster parents.

"Where did that come from?" Jess, my only real friend, whispered next to me.

I gave her a tiny smile and shook my head. Once again, it had been one of those times where I heard something people are not supposed to catch.

It had been one month already since my hearing had become extremely sensitive. Crashing noises from distant areas of the building, whispered talks meant to be kept secret, the tick-tock of the many clocks within the orphanage...

The lack of sleep and the constant startles had me on the edge for the most part of the last three weeks and the only one to notice had been the sweet girl staring at me with doubtful eyes.

"It's nothing, really." I brushed off and focusing back on the uninteresting conversation, not wanting to give Jess a chance to insist.

"You really should go to the doctor. You can't go on without sleep."

I rolled my eyes at her and felt myself giving in into an unflattering yawn.

She was right. I needed some quality shut eye time and I needed it soon. Still, the orphanage's doctor had simply dismissed my symptoms as 'teenager in need of attention' and dispatched me with a couple of sleeping pills that had no effect whatsoever.

I was in the middle of my second yawn when another howl, much closer to us, made me yelp loudly. This time, I earned myself some deadly glares.

"Lena, please, don't interrupt while we are ignoring you." The never disappointing Celeste had decided to grace me with one of her many sharp comments. If you wanted to offend anyone, she was the one for the job.

I would have displayed some of my sass back if the goosebumps, that were spreading from the back of my neck, weren't taking all of my attention. I simply nodded and let them go back to their chat while I breathed slowly and paced my gaze around us. 

The uncomfortable feeling was back again, drenching my every bone and telling me we were in danger. I drew nearer to Jess and faked a relaxed smile.

"I will be going back soon. If you want to shower before me, you should get going now."

My room mate always complained about my extremely long grooming sessions and had more than once fell asleep while waiting for me to finish. If I wanted to get her back home fast, threatening her with me taking a shower first was the best option.

As expected, she jumped immediately on her feet and mumbled a 'good night' to the group before treading rather hurriedly into the copse inside the orphanage's limits.

The instant I saw her figure disappear behind some trees, a dooming discomfort took over me like a splash of cold water.

"Girls, it is getting pretty late, shouldn't we call it a day before someone notices we are out?" I forced myself to sound nonchalant, despite of the dryness in my throat and increasingly sweaty hands.

"You know, I love the sound you make when you just shut up." Celeste, always the friendly one.

I shrugged and stood up, not wanting to engage. I began walking back, praying I was simply being paranoid and the nasty chills creeping down my spine meant nothing.

When I found myself engulfed by the pine trees, I could feel my heart rate spiking slightly, urging me to run back to safety. I willed myself to take a couple of deep breathes and calm down while I continued with my stroll, keeping the panic at bay.

I was about to arrive to the rear garden when a third howl stopped me. The air caught in my throat, unlike my heart, that was about to thump its way out of my chest.

There was no mistake. It was extremely close. Moreover, I knew for a fact it was in the garden, blocking the way to my only shelter. A drop of sweat run slowly down my temple, making me realize I was drenched in my own fear.

I cursed under my breath and managed to take a single step back, pondering quickly about my possibilities. I could still hear the girls chatting and laughing, oblivious to the situation. As much as I didn't like them, they didn't deserve being attacked by a wolf.

I decided on the next F to follow. I was already frozen, making it time to flight and hope for not having to fight, because I was not able.

I turned on my feet and bolted towards where I knew was an old, unused tree-house. If I could make it there before the wolf caught me, I was saved.

The adrenaline kicked in and soon I found myself running faster than ever before. The scent of the forest, the distant sound of my every step, the deafening noise of my own blood pulsating in my veins, the thrill of being chased... All of it was unraveling an unknown side of me.

When the tree I was looking for came into view, I allowed a triumphant smile creep on my face. Soon I would be out of danger.

I forced a last dash when a sharp pain in my leg sent me flying face first onto the floor. I managed to cover my head and roll over the ground, not sparing me from the bumps and pricks of the rocks and dried branches splayed over the forest's bed.

I heard the horrendous crack of bones breaking, followed by myself screaming in pain, not really feeling it yet, as if I were just an observing guest inside my own body.

I faced back, panic finally taking control at the idea of a wolf appearing any time. Seconds passed by slowly and soon my eyes were looking through the ground in search of the source of my doom, not finding anything I could have stumbled over with.

A searing pain started to poke in the back of my head, growing rapidly and drowning out all the sounds with a blaring noise that was about to make my head explode. So much for the adrenaline numbness.

I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked at my feet, finding both of my calves twisted into odd angles, sending new pain gushes up to my head. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pressure I was already feeling in my mouth and turned on my belly, decided to crawl myself to safety.

With the first push, a growl slipped through my clenched teeth.

With the second push, I heard before I felt my forearms breaking, forcing tears out of my itchy eyes.

I fell back on the grass with a cry of agony that matched the booming inside my head.

The shock of my back snapping stopped my breathing, sure as I was that I would have no need for air anymore. I was mistaken, though.

When I thought I couldn't stand any more pain, the sound of several bones cracking at once was followed by an exponential increase of the hurt I was feeling. I cried once again, not getting any release, and then it started. The bones began moving on their own, shifting inside my skin, rearranging themselves. The gruesome noises and the recurring stabbing pain had me wrapped on myself, clenching every single part of my body I could control, not capable of stopping what was happening.

I heaved a couple of times, wishing I could just simply pass out but, with each new bone displacing, my consciousness was snapped back to reality.

The cold gave way to unbearable heat. My head split and I tried unsuccessfully to hold onto it, not able to lift my arms up anymore. As much as I struggled, nothing was stopping the excruciating pain, leading me to giving in and dozing off into a state of half consciousness.

After what looked like hours, I started to feel like my body belonged to me once again. Nothing moved anymore. Nothing hurt anymore.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, facing the beautiful full moon hovering over me.

I opened my mouth and heard it again.

A fourth howl.

This time, I understood.

It was me all along.