Eli strained his head over his shoulder, looking back in the mirror. He stared at his shoulder blades, seeing the black rings circling them from the inside. He kept looking at it, as if it would go away, as if it would magically dissolve. Maybe he'd feel better if he could feel them, but he had no clue they were there unless he saw them. No one knew what they were, why they were put there, what it was doing for him.

"It's weird how in control you are." Malia sat on his bed, making him turn back to her. "You should be ripping everyone throat out, or trying to."

"I feel fine." Eli shook his head, taking his sweater back from the bed and pulling it over his head. "I'm just...waiting for something to happen. Something is weird."

"I know." she nodded his head, scanning over him once again. "Do you have control of your claws and eyes?"

He sat infront of her, shutting his eyes before opening then again, the golden color shining back her way. Malia smiled softly, watching as he shut his eyes, squeezing them real tight, then reopening them again to blink the chocolate brown shades again. "It only gets bad when i'm really upset or mad. Like that night, when they took me from the school. There was just so many emotions going on and it just came to me."

"Maybe it has to do with the circles." she nodded, talking about the unknown black orbits around his shoulder blades. "We're looking, we just can't find anything."

"We as in you and Theo." he rose an eyebrow. Malia gave a confusing look. "I know you guys are hanging out more. Are you guys trying to figure out stuff with me or is there something else going on?"

"We're talking about you." she spoke, but he heard her heart jump.

His eyes flickered to her chest. "Why are you lying to me?"

Malia huffed. "Forgot you do that now."

"If something else is going on, you can tell me." he promised, latching onto her hand. He squeezed, his strength so much more intense now, but he kept forgetting.

"Ow." she nodded to her hand. Eli let it go, rubbing her knee before putting his hands under his legs. "You know my Mom? The Desert Wolf."

Eli nodded his head, watching as Malia grabbed her backpack and pulled out pictures. "I'm trying to find her. Theo is helping me."

Eli looked at the photos of dead bodies, shadows, all thing leading back to her. "Why did you not want to tell me?"

"Eli, you just were turned into a Chimera." Malia gave him a weird look. "You should be worried about whatever else you are. Theo doesn't think you're just a werewolf, there's something else going on."

She was talking like she'd been angry at him.

"Yeah, but you could have still talked to me about this." he looked down at the photos.

"I don't wanna talk about it. With anyone." she gave a wide eyed look, her chest heaved. "It isn't what i'm worried about right now, either. I'm worried about you."

"I'm okay." he promised, grabbing her hands.

"Yeah, but for how long? I don't-" she began, shaking his hands off as she stood up with a huff. "I need to go home before my Dad calls your mom."

"Malia." Eli stood up, tripping over his bag on the floor but catching himself on the door frame. He caught her arm, Malias body spinning around when he gave a pull. Once again, forgetting how strong he was now, he pulled her body too hard and she was pushed against him now. "Sorry, I keep forgetting."

"Doesn't bother me, i'm still stronger then you." she shook her head, grabbing his arm with a even harder pull, making him crack a grin. "See."

"You don't have to go." he whispered to her, keeping her pressed against him. His hand tightened around her wrist slightly. "And you don't have to hide stuff from me. Worrying about you will stop me from worrying about myself."

"If you want to worry about me you should think about what would happen if something bad happened to you. If you went away. If we never saw you again." Malia listened on, not meaning to worry him but being honest. "You die. I die."

"I won't die." he promised her with a shake of his head. "But, let's say I do. You probably wanna get as much time in with me as you can."

She rolled her eyes with a half grin. "It's not funny. It's really not funny."

"Obviously." he giggled, pulling her back into his room. "Your Dad loves me, he won't call."

"He will." Malia sat back on the bed, looking at him leaning on his hands with a grin. "You'll have an anchor. On the full moon."

"Theo said he doesn't really have one." Eli shook his head, tilting his head slightly. "It could be like that."

"It could." she scanned his face. "What if it's not? What if you try to murder me?"

"I could never murder you." he fell into his side, laying on his bed as she looked down at him. "I enjoy your company too much."

She rolled over, laying on her back next to him with a huff. "Things are so weird right now. I don't like it."

"People are worried, like something is coming." Eli looked over at her, leaning on his elbow. "Do you think things are weird with me?"

Malia looked over oddly. "You're always weird."

"I mean, do you feel weird around me now?" Eli blinked in her direction, the two holding eye contact. "Now that it's different. Now that i'm not human."

Malia rolled in her side. "Why do you think that?"

"Everyone else is acting differently to me." Eli shrugged slightly. "I just don't want it to be like that with you. I don't think I could handle that."

Malia cracked a minor grin. "You're still Eli. Nothings different except you've got cool circles on your back and have to remember you can't pull too hard on people."

He flashed her a soft smile. "I'm glad you think that way."

Her fingers placed on top of his hand. "I don't think I could handle it either."

He gave a questionable look.

"If things were different between us." Malia repeated his words with a blink of her dark eyes. "You're the only person I feel like I can just be with, even when things suck, even when I hate everything. Never you though."

Eli grinned at her, shaking his head, looking down. He gave a loud groan, rolling over as his face hit the comforter. Malia laughed. "What?"

His words were muffled into the mattress, Malia went to say something before Adeline was in the door way with a smile. "Sweetie, your dads calling."

Eli rolled over to look at his mom. Malia flashed a knowing look. "Told you."

"Want me to bring you home since you road on the board?" Adeline nodded to the brunette as she grabbed her back.

"Yeah." Malia nodded with a nod, reaching onto the bed and yanking Eli up.

Corey was bleeding mercury. They all knew what it meant, what was gonna happen. Panic flooded Eli as he watched the ambulance take him away, his heart picking up. He would be next. Or soon. Soon it would be him. Soon it was his time. He stumbled backwards, bumping into a few people as his stomach started to flip. Being a werewolf had its perks, but curing anxiety was not one of them.

"Eli!" Malia sprinted through the hallway to get to him quickly, bumping into a crowd of people. "Move!"

She sighed in relief when he met her half way. "It's Corey?"

"They're gonna take me next." he spoke in panic, head shaking side to side.

"No, they're not." Malia said sternly, grabbing his shoulder with a knowing look. "Don't freak out, okay? I need you to keep your calm while we figure this out."

Eli nodded quickly, shutting his eyes as he took a breath, letting Malia pull him through the hallway by the hand. "Liam!"

"Eli, hey, we were looking for you." Liam ran to them, pulling Hayden behind him. "I need to get both of them out of here."

"Take him." Malia shoved Eli toward Liam. "Don't let anything happen to him or i'll kill both of you."

"You're not coming?" Eli gave an alarming look to Malia. "I can't- I don't want to just leave you here."

"I have to keep them away from you." she gave a serious look. "I'm serious. Just listen to me on this one. I can't let you get hurt, I can't handle that."

"Then come with us." he begged her.

Malia grabbed his face, she flashed her blue eyes at him before blinking them away. "Stay safe."

She kissed his forehead before hurrying away, leaving Eli to face Liam and Hayden, hurrying out of the school with them quickly.

•

kylie speaks

y'all, i'm so sorry this
took so long to get up!
the holidays had me so
busy, i've got a ass load
of family i had to visit and
my sleep schedule was so
wack. buttt i'm back and i'm
glad to get into the swing of
things again with my best
boy! xx