Chapter 20 - Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

"So....." Sandy said, trying to break the silence that had fallen as they all realized how awkward their situation was. Three friends with magic powers barge in on lifetime buds of Sandy and discover that her brother is now the proud owner of a werewolf.
Sandy bluntly pointed that out.
That all laughed a bit; the tension eased. Still, no one really knew each other. They were all connected because of her, Sandy realized.
"Um..............." She said, "What's our next move gonna be?"
Izzy and Carly stared. Charlie looked at her like she was crazy.
"Gee, Sands? I dunno? Why not call Korey?" His voice dripped sarcasm.
"Oh." Sandy stood, unsure of what to do or what to say, or even, of what she was feeling. On one hand she wanted to trust Korey, but then...everything had gone so hopelessly wrong.
And Sandy's once natural energy wasn't around to back her up anymore. She didn't know if she even wanted to sort it all out.
"Sands?" Charlie asked, raising his eyebrows. "Take it."
He held out the phone. Sandy reached out and tapped in the number that Izzy had given her with her good hand.
666-9325.
666? Thought Sandy, ironic coincidence? The she heard the phone pick up and took it from Charlie.
"Hello?" Came Korey's voice.
"Korey? It's Sandy." She sounded calmer than she felt.
Suddenly she remembered a time when all had been easy, when there had been so magic talent. When she was a sports star and nothing else.
"Sandy?" Came Korey's reply, and it reminded her that she couldn't go back.
"Korey, I, uh...could you...give me directions to your house?" Sandy asked, her arm stinging from holding the phone. She quickly switched to the other hand, letting the throbbing one fall at her side. She had forgotten that she had fallen on it.
"Uh...yes...Where are you now?" Korey's voice sounded unbelieving through the speaker.
"23 Rhodedendron Drive." Sandy replied, wincing as Charlie took her arm and began wrapping it in some gauze that Carly had given him.
"Okay...I'm down the road about a mile, first house on the right after you turn onto Westbrook." Korey said, trying to keep his shaky breath from giving his fear away.
"Alright...I'll see you in a few." Sandy sighed. "And > Korey?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really sorry."
"It's okay Sandy." Korey said with a relieved sigh.
"Come on over, we'll sort it all out."
"Alright. We've got your dad in hand. I'll see you in a few... I love you."
Sandy's hand flew to her mouth as soon as she'd said it, stinging at her arm more. Carly, Izzy, and Charlie all stopped to stare at her like she was crazy yet again. She hoped Korey hadn't heard, but she could hear him breath out slowly, a rush of static over the phone.
"...What?" The werewolf asked.
"Oh, sorry!" Sandy lied easily, "I was talking to my brother. I'll see you!"
"Right! See you!"
Sandy slammed the phone onto the reciever. Charlie shrugged at Carly, and Izzy just blinked.
"It was just a habit." Sandy said with a frown. "Stop staring at me and let's go."
-----
About and hour later everyone was at Korey's house. Korey's dad was still unconcious, which made things a bit smoother. Sandy wondered briefly what it would be like if he was awake. But then stopped.
She was feeling dizzy, and nauseous, and her arm (not to mention the rest of her body) was in pain. She sat on the bed in Korey's room while Charlie, Carly, and Izzy took turns telling the story. Sandy just sat there.
Sandy loved and hated the feeling of not being needed. She loved it when she was tired or in pain. When she wanted to learn something and needed to be invisible.
She hated it mostly, though. She hated it when she was around and no one paid attention to her. Especially in sports. She was good though, so that never happened. But when it did Sandy hated it. She hated feeling useless.
Sports, that was something Sandy hadn't done for a while, useless or otherwise. She missed it, she missed feeling useful and good at something. She wanted to go and run, she hadn't for such a very long time, not for fun. But then reality caught up with her.
She was injured, sitting next a werewolf, and was really, really out of practice.
Out of habit Sandy tugged at the end of her ponytail. She suddenly realized they were all looking at her.
"What?" She asked suspiciously.
"Do you have an idea?" Charlie repeated. This time Sandy heard him.
"I think we should run." It wasnt meant to be literal. Or, she supposed, it wasn't meant to be literal for them. She was the one that wanted to run.
"Sandy?" Carly was looking at her.
"Sorry. I just have no idea what to do. We're in too deep, or I am anyways. I wish I'd never found out about this "talent". I wish I still went to a normal school for normal people. And I wish I wasn't injured so I could run."
"But you are injured." Korey said, placing a hand on the gauze around her arm. "And we need a better plan than just to run...I...I've tried that before, and look where I am now. Back where I started."
"I think maybe the best thing would be for us to go to Cormerick's." Charlie said softly.
Korey's eyes widened and he pulled away from Charlie and Sandy as though they could burn him.
"We can't!" He whimpered, and Sandy could imagine that if he were in his wolven state, his ears would have been pressed flat to his skull. "We can't! She's back there, and she want's Sandy...and Charlie, now, too."
"Why?" Charlie asked in alarm. "Because of your powers...she wants them...You're so strong...She's never felt anything so strong. She wants to control it for herself..."
He whimpered again.
"She's so powerful already...strong and-and dark." The werewolf was shivering all over now and Carly ran over and put her arm around him to support him.
"Who?" She asked gently, in her talking-will-make-it-better way.
"I-I-...I can't tell you...She won't-" He swallowed.
"She won't what? WHO won't what?" Sandy asked frantically. Charlie touched her shoulder.
"Calm down Sandy," He said, and then turned to Korey. "Korey, please...tell us what you know..."
"O...Okay, I will. I-I--"
His father gave a huge snort, cutting him off quickly. The group cringed and there was absolute silence for a moment, a tension running through all of them as they waited.
Korey's father fell back into his snoring monologue.
"Not here." Korey whispered, putting a finger to his lips. "It's not safe here."
"Then...We'll go to my house. Effel can fix Sandy's arm, and then...we'll talk. We'll make a plan." Charlie said.
Sandy had no intentions of crawling like a sniveling dog back to her parents, but she couldn't deny that it was the best hope they had.
"Okay." She said finally, letting her shoulders slump. Izzy grinned and held up a pocketbook, one that he had just swiped from Korey's father. He reached inside and pulled out a gleaming golden car key.
A wicked, hyper smile crept onto his face.
"I'll drive."

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