Chapter 11 When I Lost Control

Chapter 11 When I Lost Control


VANESSA’S POV

I can’t sleep.

I’ve been lying here for hours, just staring at my ceiling. My body feels so weird. I’m shaking all over, like there’s a small machine running under my skin. My mom warned me about this. She calls it pre-shift fever. It’s this restless feeling that makes me want to jump out of my own skin.

Living at Cresthaven is hard enough on a normal day. When my wolf is restless like this, it’s ten times worse. Everything is just too loud. I can hear the clock ticking in the hallway. I can hear the girl in the next room snoring like she's right next to me. I can even hear the water moving inside the pipes. It feels like someone turned the volume up on the whole world and I can’t find the off button.

I sit up and reach for my water bottle, but it’s empty. I drop my head back on the pillow and groan. I just need to get through tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the woods and let the wolf run for a bit. That’s the only thing that actually makes the fever go away.

But then something feels off.

At first, I don’t even know what it is. I just feel this heavy pressure in my chest. Then my ears go pop and I hear a tiny sound from outside.

It’s coming from the science building across the yard. A normal person wouldn’t even hear it. They’d just think it’s the wind hitting the window. But I know that sound. It’s gas. Then I hear a dull sound, like something heavy just dropped or hit the ground inside the building.
My wolf just takes over. I don’t even get a say in it. One second I’m lying here, and the next, it’s like something inside me grabs control of my body and I can’t stop it. It only happens when something is really wrong, and right now, my body is already moving before I can even understand why.

I grab the edges of my bed. My hands are shaking.

“No,” I whisper. “Stay down. It’s not my problem. The alarms will go off. Someone else will see it.”

But the alarms aren't ringing. That building is so old. If there’s a gas leak, the whole place will blow up before anyone even notices.

I can smell smoke now. But there’s something else too, a light sweet perfume. I know it because we sit in the same class. It’s Chloe. She’s one of those girls who is nice to everyone. I remember her saying she was staying late in the lab to finish some work.

She’s still in there.

Everything in my head is telling me to stay in bed. If I go out there, I’m in big trouble. I’m already burning with this fever and I can’t control myself properly. If anyone sees me like this, they’ll see something they’re not supposed to see.

But my body doesn’t care about my secret.

Before I can even think, I’m standing up. My legs are moving before I even tell them to move. I grab my black hoodie and pull it on, hiding my hair inside the hood. I just open the window and jump.

I land on the grass from the third floor and I start to run.

I'm moving so fast that I'm already at the science building in a few seconds

The windows on the first floor are turning orange. Smoke is coming out from under the doors. I can hear Chloe coughing. It’s a very weak sound. She is running out of air.

I get to the lab door. I can feel the heat coming off the metal handle, but I still grab it. My hand burns, but I don’t let go. I try to turn it, but it won’t move. It’s stuck.

Break it.

The wolf pushes so hard it feels like I can’t breathe properly.

“I can’t,” I whisper. “I’ll leave marks. People will know.”

SHE IS DYING.

My wolf doesn't give a damn about my secret. It just wants her out

I wrap my hand around the handle and pull with everything I have. I feel this hot, heavy power in my arms and the metal just snaps. I pull the whole bolt right out of the door. The handle twists in my hand like it’s made of soft plastic. I throw the door open and the heat hits me immediately.

The room is full of thick black smoke. I can’t see a thing, but I know where Chloe is. I can smell her on the floor near the back.

I hold my breath and run inside. Fire is moving across the ceiling. I find Chloe and lift her up. She’s very light. Her head falls against my shoulder, and I can tell she’s unconscious.

I need to get out of here fast.

I turn around and see the handle I just ruined. It’s a mess. There are deep marks in the metal from my fingers. It looks like a big animal tried to rip the door open. I can’t fix it, and I don't even have time to try

I run out of the science building and carry Chloe toward the grass. The fire alarm finally starts making a very loud noise. I see windows opening in the dorms and people are starting to shout.

I lay Chloe down near the emergency exit. She’s breathing, but it’s slow.

"Come on, Chloe. Wake up," I whisper.
I hear footsteps getting closer. People are coming. If I stay here any longer, I’m going to get caught.

I look down at my hands. They’re shaking. My nails are longer than they should be, and the skin around them is torn and bleeding. I almost shifted all the way. That was way too close.

I don't go back to my window. I go around the gym instead and hide in the shadows of the trees. I wait until the open space is full of students and lights. I can see the Dean running toward the fire, and the guards are trying to keep everyone back.

I slip into the crowd of girls coming out of the dorms. I’m wearing my hoodie and my face is dirty, but everyone looks like a mess right now, so I blend like any other scared student.

"V! Vanessa!"

I turn and see Lena. She looks very scared. She is in her pajamas and her hair is messy. She runs over and grabs my arm.

"Are you okay? I went to your room and you were not there!"

"I was already outside," I lie to her. My voice is shaky. "I smelled the smoke and ran out fast."

"Did you see Chloe?" Lena asks. She points to the people on the grass. "They are saying someone or something broke the door with their bare hands, and dragged her out.”

My heart is beating so hard against my ribs. I’m scared Lena will feel it through my arm. "That’s crazy," I mutter. "It was probably just the heat."

We stand there for a long time. The fire trucks arrive and put out the fire. It wasn't even a big fire, but the whole school is already talking. Everyone is talking about the Ghost who saved Chloe. Everyone wants to know who ripped a steel door open.

I keep my hands deep in my hoodie pockets. The skin is stinging, and I can feel the blood drying against the cloth. I look up and see the Dean standing by the lab door with a flashlight. He is looking at the broken handle.

He just looks confused. He is shaking his head like he doesn't understand what happened. He is looking around at the floor and the door, probably wondering if it was a person who did this or some kind of wild animal. He doesn't know what to think

Then I feel that heavy feeling on the back of my neck. I slowly turn my head and see Adrian standing a little way off. He isn't looking at the fire or the crowd, he is looking straight at me.

He just stands there with his hands in his pockets, watching the way I'm hiding my hands.
I turn back toward the fire, and my head is just spinning. I saved a life tonight, so I know I did the right thing… but I don’t feel invisible anymore.

For God’s sake, why is he looking at me like that?

It’s actually annoying. Does he think I’m the only one who smells like smoke? Everyone is a mess right now.

Can he not just get a life and look somewhere else?

But then my chest starts to feel tight. My heart is beating too fast, and it’s not because of the fire.

Did I do something?

Did I act weird?

I swallow hard, suddenly not so sure anymore.

If he saw something he wasn’t supposed to see… then I’m in serious trouble.