I figured I’d check out where this person had just been; something inside me told me it was Ben. I so wanted to see him. I liked him, I really liked him a lot, especially because of the encounter I’d with him by the lockers when he took me by surprise. He had intrigued me from that first time I’d seen him looking at me through the doors, watching me dancing. But there was Daniel, who I also liked. Yet since the dream about him being a wolf I felt a bit off towards him like I should avoid him. I knew this would be a difficult task especially that we were doing the same course and so he was in all my classes and we had started a project together, as well. I would keep my cool and make sure to never be alone with Daniel and ensure all rehearsals were carried out in college and in the dance studio, preferably with other people around. If there was always someone close by and I was in a situation where I felt uncomfortable… But then Daniel was so kind to me on the first day of college. And he had great friends who’d been nice to me too.
The muscles in my body had not gained back their strength from this illness I’d apparently had. The wind blew stronger against the overgrown greenery and leaves fell down quicker from the trees. I held my hood up even tighter, but it was such a struggle for me. My vision started to become blurry. What was wrong with me? That morning I was feeling so much better but walking along this pathway, something had struck me again. I would not give up though, I was determined to find out what was going on.
‘Grace.’
I heard my name being called; the voice was male and familiar.
‘Grace, please turn back, it’s not safe.’
Where was the voice coming from? I chose to ignore this warning and carried on walking with the strength I had left in me. The more steps I took the more drained I became and the more blurred my vision was.
‘Grace, please stop. You look so unwell.’
‘I’m fine, leave me alone, whoever you are,’ I yelled back. ‘If you cared you would show yourself.’
‘Grace, I do care but for your own safety I can’t be near you, not yet anyway.’
‘Fine, play hard to get, I don’t care anyway. Ben, I know it’s you.’
‘Please Grace, don’t be like that. I do care I really do, I just can’t let you near me. For your own safety please stop and go back.’
I was not giving in, I wanted to see him and whatever his warning was it did not put me off. I would carry on walking and get to the other side of this pathway. In the distance I saw a blurry figure approaching towards me. Was it Ben? I couldn’t really tell as my vision was so blurred now, and my head became heavy.
‘Grace is that you?’ Another familiar male voice.
‘Erm yes, it is me. Daniel is that you?’
He approached me very quickly, too quickly but at the time I was not with it enough to realise.
‘Grace, are you ok? You don’t look well at all,’ he sounded so concerned.
‘I will be fine. I have to get to the other side and head into town.’
‘Well let me walk along with you to ensure you’re ok.’
For a moment I froze, feeling on edge and remembering the dream about Daniel and how he’d almost taken my innocence from me.
Oh, get a grip, it was only a dream… I thought to myself. How can humans become wolves?
I laughed out loud to myself, not realising that Daniel was in ear shot. He probably thinks I am such a loser right now laughing to myself and looking like I’m at death’s door.
‘Does my kindness humour you, Grace?’
‘Oh sorry, no not at all. I was thinking I must look ridiculous in front of you right now.’
‘No you don’t. You still look just as beautiful since the first day I saw y…’
He stopped himself, like he’d never wanted to mention that at all. I was touched by this compliment as I had never had anyone tell me that I was beautiful before. It was like all my worry about him had just vanished and I felt towards him as I had on the day we first met. My feelings for Ben vanished for this moment in time. How could I be so fickle? For now, Daniel was all I wanted to think about. It was as if he’d suddenly cast a spell on me and I just wanted him to kiss me. I gazed into his sky-blue eyes for a brief moment and felt myself drawing closer to him. However, the drained feeling still struck through every ounce of my body, my head was spinning like I was on a merry-go-round and I felt an acid reflux spike my throat. The burning sensation was unbearable, and I had no choice but to throw up. The orangey substance that came out of my mouth burnt the back
