Chapter 8: Sixine

A tornado devastates the room, crashes follow one another, the windows shatter on the floor, and the glass that I haven’t even had time to empty explodes in my hand. What’s going on? Will it work, at least?

"Shouldn’t we go somewhere where we would cause less damage?" I squealed, affected by the disaster that surrounds us.

"How materialistic you can be," Neeve says.

But she takes a look around us and changes her mind:

"It’s not totally stupid, that said. How would it feel if the neighbours saw three wolves come out of our house?"

Absorbed by her fate, Elinor doesn’t intervene in our conversation. Her body is present, but her mind is focused on the words she chants non-stop, and a blinding moonlight surrounds her pale face.

"What are we doing?"

"The forest," Neeve suggests.

Coming from her, another answer would have surprised me. Nature is her domain, and in absolute terms, it is also that of the wolves. Anyway, anywhere else than here will be less devastating for our decor. And more discreet, too.

I put my arm under Elinor’s armpit, who staggers and still hums in a hoarse voice, possessed by visions that I don’t envy. Neeve immediately imitates me, and we head for the hidden exit at the back of the building. The risk of being seen will be reduced and access to the forest is direct.

After a few steps, I’m already teetering on the stilettos that I had kept on my feet. Must say that sitting on the floor, my high heels were not frankly requested, but walking and supporting a friend in the middle of a bad trip, changes the game!

And Eli has the weight of a dead unicorn!

"Wait," I whisper to Neeve, but loud enough to get her attention.

I swing my poor heels a little further. Shit, twelve centimetres high! They weren’t useless, however, given my reduced size compared to Eli’s, who now leans towards me. Being a condensed version of perfection is cool when you want to buy shoes or clothes because you can always find your size, even during the sales. Any other time, it’s almost a handicap!

Panting, sweating, dishevelled and my dress half up. All this effort was annihilated in a fraction of a second, it’s unfair! Worse, if Eli’s attempt works, we will become wolves! Animals full of hair and sticky slime! Joyful prospect!

In the meantime, I would like to keep what little dignity I have left for as long as possible. What if I helped myself with a little magic? Moving objects is a formality for me, so it’s worth a try, even if Eli isn’t the same size as a law book.

Things are going a little better, thanks to the magic, even if Neeve picks up the pace to lead us under the cover of the trees, about ten metres from us. Eli’s words still flow between her lips; this sweet melody embraces us, infiltrates through our pores and insinuates itself into our veins. I no longer just hear it, I feel it. It is palpable, it vibrates and resonates in every part of my being. The vision Elinor clings to as we move her is imprinted before my eyes: three she-wolves in sparkling coats. White, Red and black.

Struck by this appearance, I forget to mentally support Eli who collapses, despite the relentlessness of Neeve who struggles to keep her upright.

"Six, damn it! Make an effort!"

Oh yes.

I put Elinor’s arm around my neck again, and we end up dragging her without grace or care, in a hurry to leave the edge of the wood for a less exposed place. Once far enough away, out of sight, we place her at the foot of a large oak tree, on an opulent layer of moss, before sitting down beside her.

The moon bathes the undergrowth in a silvery aura, concentrated in radiant swirls that wrap around Eli. Her song weakens, and she is suddenly silent, carried by this light imbued with the magic of the moon, her body shaken with slight spasms. Before my amazed eyes, her appearance is blurred.

The storm that was chasing us suddenly subsides. My raven hair immediately falls around my face, and a strange feeling of heaviness weighs on my shoulders. My skin tingles. It’s downright unpleasant. I see less clearly; now I can barely make out the blurred shapes of my friends, whose hands I hold firmly. As if clinging to them hooked me back to reality.

Suddenly, my body gesticulates. I lose control of it. My fingers tense, tightening those of my friends even more. A dazzling glow spreads around Eli and engulfs us. Strikes us down. My muscles contract, their rigidity is painful as if a powerful electric current ran through me.

Are we dying now?

And suddenly. Nothing.

"Six!"

What? What is it again?

"Hmm."

I know that articulating is complex given the hangover I’m paying for, but what was that grunt?

"Six, damn it!"

"But what!"

Shit. There, it sounded more like a roar of thunder than a hoarse voice. What is going on? The familiar voice I hear doesn’t quite reach my ears, but I understand every word of it.

"It worked."

What worked?

I have such a headache...

"We’ve changed..."

I jump to my feet, but something is off. What is this strange posture? And those shreds of cloth right there? But no! Not my fucking Chanel dress!

"Are you proud of yourself?" I say to Eli, before I even saw her, my eyelids still a little glued.

I rub my face. My fingers…

I widen my eyes, and blink several times in a row, hoping to see more clearly. I’m covered in fur! Instead of my fingers, hairy, clawed paws. As for the rest of my bruised body...

"Shit... it worked... I whispered," impressed by the vision that awaits me when I finally see my friends.

"What did you think?" Elinor takes offence and now has the appearance of a good-sized wolf, with a white coat set with silver highlights.

There’s no doubt that it is Eli. Even if she looks nothing like the one I know so well, her look does not deceive me. She has retained this melancholy tinged with defeatism, which is nevertheless adorned with a certain pride. Neeve is as red as a squirrel. Majestic and perfectly integrated into the nature that surrounds us. And, from what I can see of my surrogate body, I have put on an obsidian robe. Not as flattering as a designer dress, though...

"And now?" I asked, a bit lost.

"Now we’re going to the wolves," Eli reminds me, uncompromising.

Since when does she use such a peremptory tone? We are neither her students nor her shrinks! Besides, she doesn’t really speak, since I hear her in my head. Strange, this new ability...

The girls begin to move, which I imitate as best I can. How do they manage to move in this way with such ease? No matter how hard I apply myself, my jerky movements are unnatural. No wolf will ever believe that I belong to them.

Besides, where exactly is it, among the wolves?

But apparently, Eli knows exactly which way to go. A lunar ability, I imagine. She takes us between the trees whose foliage stretches up to the sky, partially masking the last silvery rays of the moon. A cool breeze seeps through the foliage, spreading a smell of peat and mushrooms. I know that my friends are closer to nature than me. There is something, however...

But it’s true, what are my passions? Apart from order and justice, of course...

How can we approach thirty and ignore what, in life, makes us vibrate? The law is more the type to make my little heart flutter. A visceral need to restore balance, or at least try. But the rest? The facts are distressing: except for my friends – and my family, of course, I don’t like anything.

The first light of day appears above the canopy, sweeping away the softness of the darkness. In the middle of a stride, I metamorphose again and regain human form. I go from standing to falling in a few seconds and come crashing down on the prominent roots of a huge chestnut tree. I’m dizzy as my senses explode, hitting me like a boomerang. Everything mixes; the natural odours that I have never perceived with such intensity, the innumerable surrounding noises that ricochet under my skull, distorting my perception and my still cloudy sight. I’m exhausted, and my muscles contract. Bruises cover every square inch of my skin. I feel my stomach and hold back a cry. I hurt everywhere. I am nothing more than pain, and the simple caress of the wind is enough to make me clench my teeth. Not to mention that I’m naked as a worm.

"Oh no!"

I try in vain to cover the little fur I have left and my nipples which point in the icy morning air, embarrassed to discover my friends also in their simplest state.

"What? Have you never seen boobs?" Neeve chuckles, more amused than embarrassed by the situation.

She wanted natural, I think we can hardly do better!

"Damn, I thought I forgot something important," Eli grumbles, slapping her forehead with the palm of his hand. "Well, we’ll have to improvise."

"Improvise how? Are you planning on weaving leaves to make us thongs?"

"But who cares, seriously! It has to happen all the time, in a pack. Who gives a damn seeing a few girls frolicking around?" jokes Neeve.

She’s serious, right? I don’t care what the locals think, it bothers me!

"What are you doing here?" a man’s voice suddenly thunders.

And shit. The moment is well chosen to receive visitors.

"We…" Elinor begins, pivoting towards the author of this interruption.

But she is immediately cut off by the newcomer, a not-bad-looking guy who seems proud to show off his abs and other moulded attributes in tight pants.

"No one is allowed to hunt on our territory."

"Really? Does it look like we’re hunting here?" I got carried away.

This guy doesn’t even seem to realize we’re naked in front of him. Is he blind or what? Maybe he’s not interested in women, though. Anyway, all the same, if he said "hunting", the spell is working. Even in our human form, he takes us for wolves.

Elinor squeezes my wrist, telling me to be quiet.

"We belong to a northern pack. We would like to meet Bretton."

He observes her, surprised, before bursting out laughing. He stops quickly to better examine my friend. Something inside her catches his attention. Judging by the wrinkle forming on his forehead, the guy looks preoccupied. How can you blame him when you come across three naked women in the woods?

"Meet Bretton?" he said. "Which?"

"The Alpha."

"For what motive? No, don’t answer. It’s clear that you don’t know Cooper," he sneers, visibly amused by our request.

"We have to meet him, though," Eli insists.

The man squints. He sniffles again. He feels us. Shit…

"Jake! Come see! I just found three wolves who want to meet Cooper!"

"Hello, ladies," greets the famous Jake, a handsome man with blond hair. "Unfortunately, Cooper is not receiving at this time."

This Jake’s suspicious gaze roams our bodies. Neeve’s seems to intrigue him a little more than ours.

"Who are you?" he asks, suspicious.

"They say they come from a pack from the North," replies our first interviewer.

"What pack from the North?"

Yeah, that’s right, Elinor. What northern pack? We should have thought of these parameters before throwing ourselves into the mouth of the wolf. Wow, nice formula!

"If I’m not mistaken," Elinor replies, "what are you, Betas? Mid-ranked wolves. I know that even in North Carolina, no wolf has to answer to the fucking middle ranks. We want to see the Alpha."

Jake and the other guy smile at this line from Elinor, who impresses me with her poise.

"As I said earlier," Jake replies again, carefully articulating each word as if he were dealing with morons, "the Alpha isn’t receiving. But rest assured, he’s well supported. Follow us."

"Are we taking precautions?" wonders his sidekick

"You’re right! Forgive us, but we’re going to have to…" Jake indicates, pointing to his eyes. "The exact location of our lair must remain confidential to strangers. You understand, I think? Do you also do this, in the packs of the North?"

We nod vaguely. We thought we had hit rock bottom, but now we are trudging through the forest, naked and blindfolded.

I can hear Eli cursing and Neeve giggling, each time she catches the arm of our companions. I admire her ability to find the positive in every situation.

After an infinite time, the ground becomes more regular and hard under my feet: we are no longer progressing in the undergrowth but on cold stone slabs. The temperature dropped. An uncontrollable shiver runs up my spine. We are suddenly shaken as if we were in the basket of a hot air balloon. There is no longer a breath of wind here, not the slightest sound coming from nature. Just a succession of rattles and metallic shocks, bouncing around us. So there is a building hidden in this forest?

"It’s this way," Jake guides us in a sly tone.

They suddenly grabbed my wrist, while pushing me in the back.

A snap sounded, followed by the characteristic click of a key turned in a lock.

"Put this on!"

Something touches my legs as I hear a door slam. I take off the blindfold and discover that the three of us are locked up in a jail cell from another age, extraordinarily ugly outfits piled up at our feet. Some kind of dirty beige fatigues and a matching tank top. Poorly cut pyjama vibe. As for the underwear, they are optional in wolves. Awesome!

"Remind me what the plan was?" I grumbled as I put on the clothes, as rough as straw and impregnated with a terrible musty smell.

"Oh, it’s okay," Eli grumbles, annoyed. "Who would have guessed that they would imprison their own kind?"

They indeed have a special sense of hospitality. A cell with silver bars, desperate scratch marks on the walls, and a view of a dark, cold stone hallway, not quite what I had imagined when I left the loft last night. Well, I hadn’t imagined anything, and especially not having to wear these horrors… Luckily, we didn’t plan to last forever.

"What now," Neeve wonders.

"We’re still not going to wait for someone to open the door for us? When are we getting out?"

"I think you don’t get it, Six. We’re captives and we cannot escape. And if we refer to the plan which consists of not being detected by the sorcerers who want to murder us, then this situation is ideal. At least no one can find us."

Funny way to look at the situation.

"But how long are we going to stay here?" I sigh, discouraged.

I who hate immobility, here I am served. The three of us are sat in a gloomy and cramped jail, where the only possible activity is to wait for time to pass. Absolute horror, supreme injustice! But Eli is right. I still remember the fear I felt when the sorcerer wanted to kill me in the courthouse bar. A shiver seizes me. I’m crying. I, who is the voice of wisdom, in normal times, I collapse. How could our lives have changed in such a short time? Why us? My thoughts, stormy, jostle in my mind. Whereas yesterday Neeve and I reassured Eli, now it is me who is the subject of all their attention. The girls press up against me and wrap their protective arms around me.

"I’ll be fine, Six. You’re a Shadwe, you’re afraid of nothing."

"Hmm…"

"If I had had any pills, I would have given you one, you know…"

For Eli to offer me such a thing, she must really pity me.

"Say, do you think there are bugs in this cell?"

The prospect of crossing paths with a rodent sends shivers down my spine. What the fuck will become of us?

Time flies and drags on. Deprived of light, and the slightest information concerning the duration of our captivity, we pass the time by alternating hugs, naps and vain suppositions about the future. Days and nights seem to have passed. Or maybe just a few hours. How boring... Fortunately, thanks to Elinor’s spell, we now have the night vision of wolves. This faculty is rather practical, in the current circumstances. Not that we can examine in detail the place where we are, but, at least, we can discern the forms in what seems to me an eternal darkness.

Again, I doze off thinking that we haven’t made much progress. As if we were finally taking stock of the latest events. Witnesses of a suicide, and survivors of three attempted murders, transformed into wolfs. Wolves… Pathetic.

A few hours later "well, I think "my mind goes blank when a creak tears me from my dreams. Someone opens the hallway door.

Next to me, the girls are still sleeping soundly.

I straighten up, curious to find out the origin of this noise. Although, it doesn’t matter, as long as it breaks up the monotony that devours us. From the half-open door filters a ray of light that dazzles me. I have to frown to keep my eyes open.

"Bring him."

Well, we’re not the ones they’re coming to see. But having company might distract us a bit.

Shadows are drawn on the wall. They stretch and come towards us. Two figures appear in the doorway, two well-built men dragging a third in poor condition.

The third one only lets out a plaintive groan, laced with fierce pain.

The colossi are approaching. Despite the darkness, I can make out their muscular silhouettes, their determined movements and the bloody mass they drag behind them.

When I finally see his features, I cringe. His face is swollen, smeared with dried blood. I thought wolves had a natural ability to regenerate. Why is this one in such poor condition? His wounds must be fresh. Impressed, and a little disgusted despite everything, I however cannot take my eyes off this disarticulated body that our jailers have just thrown there, in the cell right next to ours. Without his wounds, I’m sure this wolf must be a handsome boy.

He makes a movement that tears a new moan from him. His lip splits, and a scarlet pearl escapes from it to crash on the stone. It’s unbearable to witness such suffering without being able to intervene, without being able to relieve their pain!

I can’t resist giving him a comforting word:

"Courage. It’ll be OK."

Stunned to hear a voice address him gently, he jumps and opens his eyes, despite his eyelids swollen with blood, revealing his pupils in almost total darkness. Faced with the beauty of these shimmering emeralds, everything else disappears. I immediately forget my fears, the interminable wait, his wounds, his complaint, his pain. Mine too, to be locked up like a criminal.

There, in that gaze of the aurora borealis, I can no longer distinguish anything other than his soul.