Chapter 25: Remembrance

"And then we'll sneak in to steal the ceremony jewels and get out before anyone notices we were even there," Dione said with a mischievous gleam in his dark eyes.

"Ahaha, that'd be freaking amazing!" I laughed as five of us were seated on a wooden bench in the woodland clearing, close to its edge. It was our main meeting spot. The five of us named ourselves the 'Rebel Gang', even though everyone else called us the 'Havoc Clan'.

The team was led by me and Dione - my best friend from our pack's Delta's family. He was a true rebel at heart and a brilliant schemer. The three other members were Helena, Rachel, and Campton. We were all brilliant fighters and disliked the hierarchy instilled upon us.

"It's a perfect crime because no one will suspect us, since minors aren't even allowed to attend monthly gatherings," Dione wiggled his dark brows.

"C'mon, guys, stealing that equipment's a step too far. What if they get attacked and are left with nothing to defend themselves with?" Helena shook her head. "You really wanna carry that in your souls?"

"The jewels don't really have spiritual powers," Rachel rolled her eyes at Helena, "it's just superstition."

"But what do we prove by stealing them?" Campton joined their team. "It's like saying our own pack is so incompetent they couldn't even protect the most guarded jewels in the history of our tribe."

I pursed my lips. "Exactly. School's ending, guys. This is our last year. We gotta step up our game. We won't be doing this stuff forever. Let us be remembered for something," I stood up. "It'll be the best kept secret ever. We bury the jewels and even our grand kids will still be talking about the myths people invent about their whereabouts," I enjoyed this story. "But. We will only know where they really are."

"I don't know..." Rachel shook her head.

Dione stood up and all eyes were on him. "What if we don't break into our pack's tribal meeting, but rather another pack's?" My eyes gleamed with excitement. "Would you be willing to do it then?"

Helena's attention was back to him. "I'll do it only if we're talking about Carter's pack."

I let a small smile slip by me. I didn't care which pack we robbed, I just wanted to do something bad. It was my way of dealing with frustration. During the day, I played a mom to three siblings, but during the night I caused all kinds of havoc.

"It's a deal," Dione placed his fist on the bench - something we all did after a plan was set in motion.

"On three," I said. "One, two, three-"

"Rebel Gang!" we all cheered.

At 12 AM, I climbed out of my bed and slowly opened my bedroom door, trying not to let it squeak.

"The police have been trying to catch the suspects for..." I heard the TV coming from downstairs.

Great, I thought ironically. Dad must be drinking again.

I shut the door and stuck my head through my window. Dione was already at the bottom.

"You're late!" he half-whispered.

"I'm coming," I scoffed, then pulled my legs up and prepared to jump to a branch close to my window.

"Don't be scared," he teased me, "I'll catch you if you fall."

I rolled my eyes jokingly, even though I loved having him as my best friend, my partner in crime. If anything was to go down, I knew I could always count on him.

"Today, Lila," he yawned theatrically.

That cut it for me. I pushed off my legs and caught the branch with the tips of my fingers.

"Woo-hoo," he let out a quiet cheer. "Now do the kitten crawl," he teased. We werewolves weren't fans of anything cat-like.

I placed one hand in front of the other until I reached the tree trunk, then I jumped down.

"Good job, Lila," his hand was against my back the moment I reached the ground.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" I looked around.

"They all chucked," he pursed his lips.

"Pussies," I was mad to hear that.

"That's what I think, anyway."

I took an empty bag out of my jeans' back pocket and spread it out. "Now we know who won't share the gifts of war..."

"Damn straight," he nudged me, then led our way west, to the Carter pack territory.

Our pack's habitat was a decent reserve - half-paved roads - mostly poured with gravel, a lot of clearings, short bushes dividing houses and fences surrounding them half-way. But Carter space was a different story - it was lavish.

Their alpha was the strongest in the region, so he would command all packs if a joint fight was to occur. Such occasions haven't happened in almost a century, but everyone paid him respect nonetheless. Our packs rarely mixed or mingled, but everyone knew of Samuel Carter - a blood-thirsty ruler who killed everyone and everything on his way to the top.

He was hated.

"You hear that?" I slowed down as we entered the woods leading to the Carter pack territory.

"It's the drums," Dione narrowed his eyes as we tiptoed our way to the clearing where the Carter meeting was taking place.

"The drums?" I frowned. "They're played only when-"

"Oh my God," he cut me off as Samuel Carter stood in the middle of a circle made by his pack members, shifting into the largest wolf I've ever seen. A grey wolf with black and white specks, snarling viciously against a boy...

The boy snarled back in his human form, taking three steps forward, seemingly unafraid, then shifted into his wolf form.

"Darius, no!" a woman screamed, but two men grabbed her before she could interfere.

"They're fighting for the throne," I gasped.

The crowd started cheering and shouting, all focused on the two wolves inside the circle.

"Now's our chance," Dione nudged me. "You have to shift into a wolf to attract attention. They'll notice your white wolf doesn't belong there," he said, just like we had talked before. "Then I'll slip the jewels and the weapons into my bag and I'll run back East."

"What if they catch me?" I asked hesitantly. I'd surely be murdered.

"Your wolf's fast. If anyone's to catch you, it'll be one to two wolves at best," he shrugs. "You're much stronger now than you were when you killed those two vamps," he lifts an eyebrow. "I believe in you," he tapped my shoulder and went in.

I was about to follow him when that voice appeared again...

"Lila..."

My eyes grew big and I immediately lost focus, turning around. But no one was there.

"Who are you?" I demanded, whispering.

"Don't do it, Lila..."

And there she was. Up there on a tree. The same woman as always - the vampire lady with bloody eyes and a sad pale face.

"Run back home!" she said, and then she was gone.

I shook it off, then my head ran back toward the crowd.

"Dione..." I whispered from the shadows. But I couldn't see him and I couldn't hear him.

Where was he?

"Stop right there!" a deep rough voice cut through the crowd, but I lunged in, now in my wolf form.

But the voice wasn't directed at me.

No.

Dione was already captured by Carter's beta, who took him off the ground holding him by his neck.

"Who are you, boy?" he demanded, clutching his bag and handing it to someone next to him.

"What's this?" the man turned the bag upside down and the jewels Dione stole fell to the ground. The sound of the metal clicking against my claws would always be on my head.

"Stealing!"

The crowd murmured.

"Who are you?"

I growled in my wolf form, but no one paid any attention. They were all staring at Samuel and the boy who challenged him, and the other half at Dione.

"I'm Dione," he spoke, looking at me, shaking his head as an 'abort mission' signal. "From Emerson pack."

"Who's with you?"

"No one," he hissed.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

Oh no, I thought. I knew we were in trouble. An uninvited wolf isn't nearly as exciting as those two scenes happening.

I quickly shifted back to my human form, trying to save Dione somehow. I kneeled down to collect a green jewel next to my feet and --

"Enough!" Samuel shouted as he shifted back into human form and - with one swing of the arm - cut Dione's throat. "Enough with the interrogations. The boy stole. Now scan the woods for other intruders," he shouted. "Then," he looked at the boy in the circle, "we'll have another death of the night."

The boy inside the circle suddenly caught my eyes in his human form.

Shit.

He saw me. He must've known I didn't belong there. He stared at me frowning.

What will I say? I thought. Dione got killed. I had to... do something. Anything!

But he just stood there watching me in anger as my heart beat like it had never beaten before. I felt dizzy and faint. I felt like I was going to die.

Was I?

My feet stumbled back towards the edge of the woods, then someone pulled me from the back, instantly covering my mouth.

"Aghh," I let out muffled screams.

"Shh," my Dad said. "It's me."

I swallowed hard as he let go of me.

"Dad..." I whimpered, "Dione got killed," tears ran down my cheeks.

He nodded. "And now I'm here to make sure the same doesn't happen to you."

I shook my head. "I'm not leaving," I had already made a step forward, but he put a bag over my face, then dragged me somewhere as I weeped and fought back.

He didn't take the bag off until I heard a car door open and he pushed me inside.

"Stay quiet," he said with an enraged face, one I'd never seen before. Then he slammed the door shut.

I gazed in front of me with an open mouth, unable to move.

He got to the driver's seat and inhaled with anger.

"How did you know I was there?" I shook my head. It made no sense, he knew. He couldn't have known. Unless someone told him.

He clenched his jaw in anger and I could tell he didn't want to talk about it.

"I heard there was a commotion going on. I didn't have to think twice about who was behind it."

"Heard by whom?"

"That doesn't matter!" he growled. "What were you thinking?!"

Tears drowned my cheeks. I was a terrible person. A terrible daughter. And a terrible friend.

"Lila," he grasped my face. "What you did was wrong," he stared at my sobbing face. "Not only this," he said, "all of it over the years."

I could barely see him through the water in my eyes. Dione was gone.

"But you can get past this," my dad said. "Don't throw your life away, Lila."

Could I? I lost my best friend. Nothing will ever be the same. And all because of the Carter Goddamn hierarchy. That and our inability to accept our ranks.

"I can't live with this, Dad. Not with this."

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stand my reflection in the mirror anymore.

"People live much worse, Lila."

I frowned once again. He has never called me Lila since my mother died. He has always called me Lily, like my mom calls me. This was the first time.

"You'll finish high school. You have only a month left," he stared in front of him, starting the engine. "And then we'll see what to do with you."

I knew I needed to get the hell out of there. I put my hand inside my pocket, already forgetting the one jewel that was inside.

Dione... We made it. We stole Carter's jewels. But only one of us would live to tell the story.

I suddenly didn't feel excited about it anymore. There was no one I could ever share the story with. Not anymore. And the thought was devastating.

I couldn't stay there for a second longer. I couldn't bear seeing my friends' faces. Dione's family...

I will leave the moment I graduate from high school. And the day could not come soon enough.