19 Home, Part 1

"Jessica," I heard Dakota whisper in my ear. "We're here." I opened my eyes and Dakota was stroking the hair away from my face. I had obviously fallen asleep and was leaning on him. I looked into his eyes, knowing that I could easily get used to this—the sight of him being the first thing I see when I wake.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off," I said, quickly sitting up, jolting myself back to reality. Michelle... Cane biting her... and knowing that I may have to kill my best friend was just too much to bear as it all came rushing back into my mind. I ran my hand through my hair. It was nice to have the reprieve of sleep, if only for a moment. I glanced up and we were in front of Michelle's house. "Dakota," I said, in a low voice, "we can't let her stay here."

"A few days won't matter," he said, jumping down from the bed of the truck. "We have a month before she'll turn."

I nodded, hoping that he was right. At least, it'll give us some time to think about what we were going to do. I looked around and Michelle's parents were gone, thank goodness. Her mother would have had a fit if she saw her in this condition, especially after a date. "Michelle, you want to come to my house to clean up first?"

"No, I'll be fine," she said, wincing as she climbed out of the truck. "No one's home and I'll take a shower before they get here."

"I'll stay with you," I offered, but she was already shaking her head. Suddenly, Micah came around the corner. We had ears.

"I'll be fine," she said as she gave my hand a quick squeeze. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Let me walk you to your door," I said, following her up the stairs.

"Hey, Micah," Dakota said, pulling his attention away from Michelle. "What kind of engine do you have in here?" Dakota walked over to the truck and had him pop the hood.

At the top of the stairs, I looked over my shoulder at the guys and Micah looked over his shoulder at us, then started talking cars with Dakota, out of ear shot. "Michelle, why don't you clean up and grab a few things and stay with me for a while?"

"I can't put your family at risk, either," Michelle said in a low voice, fumbling for her keys.

"Don't worry about that," I said, then a thought occurred to me. "Michelle, get some rest and I'll come back for you later. I'll talk to Dakota and we'll see what we can do."

"When's the next full moon?" she whispered, her voice low, understanding that Mica might overhear.

"Not until next month."

"Then, we have a month to figure this out," Michelle said, matter of fact.

I sighed, wondering if she was already in denial.

"But right now, I need to get cleaned up before my parents get home." Michelle unlocked the door and swung it open, waiting for me to leave.

I nodded, understanding, although I hated leaving her alone. "I'll be back later." Today was Saturday and we had the whole weekend to figure this out before going back to school Monday. I smiled. The thought of going back to school after all this was surreal. "Michelle, will you be okay?" I asked, but she seemed pretty calm, given the circumstances.

She forced a weak smile. "I'll be fine," she said, then opened the door. "Go on home, Jess. I'll see you later."

"Okay." Then a thought occurred to me. "Why don't I pick you up tonight and we can sort everything out? Maybe you can spend the night."

Michelle nodded weakly but didn't say a word. She looked over at the truck and yelled, "Thanks for everything, guys." Then, she added. "Micah, I'll get your jacket back to you later."

Micah held his hand up in a wave and nodded, his eyes filled with concern as Dakota gave her a weak smile. "Don't worry about it. Keep it for as long as you need it."

Michelle nodded, then gave me one last smile and pulled me in for a hug. "Don't worry," she whispered in my ear. "I'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"I promise," she said, smiling.

"Okay." I nodded once, returning the smile. "I'll be over to get you later."

"It's a date!" Michelle said with a wink. "We'll go shopping, have girl talk, and pop popcorn!" She was trying to make light of it and, for a moment, she seemed like her old self again—the Michelle I had always known and loved.

I laughed and skipped down the stairs back to Micah's truck just as Michelle closed the door.

"Is she okay?" Micah asked, starring after her as Dakota held the door open for me.

"She'll be fine." I gave Dakota a silent look as I slid across the bench seat to the middle. "She's just had a rough night."

He nodded and climbed into the driver's seat as Dakota slid in beside me on the passenger side. As the truck pulled away, I hated to leave Michelle home alone, even for a few moments, but I had no choice. I had to go home to see my father. He hadn't seen me in a few days, and I didn't want him to get suspicious, either. If he knew about Michelle, she wouldn't be safe from them or the pack.

"Michelle seems nice," Micah said, matter of fact, then turned to look at me. "How long have you known her?"

Uh, oh. I could see where this was going. Any other time, I would have been all for it, but under the circumstances... I looked briefly at Dakota, but he revealed nothing. "We've been friends since we were children," I said, answering his question. "She's the sister I never had." I looked out the window, remembering all the good times that we'd had over the years—parties, sleepovers, picnics, shopping—and smiled. Sometimes, she could be infuriating, but she was still Michelle. We were complete opposites, but maybe that was why we got along so well.

Dakota took my hand, as if reading my mind. He gave me a weak smile but said nothing.

Micah looked out the window. "I'd always thought she was a bit prissy, but she seems nice."

"She is... she's crazy, but great." I shook my head, remembering all the crazy things that Michelle had done over the years.

Micah smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"We're here." Dakota gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

I looked up just as Micah pulled the truck in front of my house. "You're coming in, aren't you?" I asked Dakota. "Pancakes, remember?"

"Did you say pancakes?" Micah asked, his eyes lighting up as he threw the truck into park and turned off the key.

"Sure," I said, laughing as I shook my head. "Come on in, guys. I'll make us some breakfast."

"Are you sure it won't be too much trouble?" Dakota asked. I knew what he was talking about. He was silently asking me if I needed time to process everything that had happened. After all, not only had my world changed considerably over the last week, it had just been turned upside down.

"Sure," I said, inclining my head toward the house. "Let's go."

Micah was already out of the truck and jogging around to us. "Are you sure your dad won't mind?"

"Jessica…." Dad pulled me in for a quick hug, stepping out onto the wraparound front porch. "I was so worried."

I pulled back to look into his eyes. "It's good to be home, Dad, but I don't know for how long...."

Dad nodded once, and then stepped back to let everyone on. "We can talk about that later. The most important thing is that you're home now."

"Dad, if you don't mind, I brought some friends over for breakfast."

Dad smiled, stepping back to let everyone in. "Come on in, everyone! Any friend of Jessica's is welcome."

"This is Micah," I said. "He's a member of the pack, too."

My father extended his hand. "It's nice to see you again."

Micah shook my father's hand and smiled. "It's an honor."

My father shook his hand, returning the smile.

"And you know Dakota."

Dakota held out his hand.

Dad smiled as he shook his hand. "It's nice to see you again." Then he motioned toward the dining table. "Come on in and sit down. What would you like?"

"I'm making pancakes," I interjected, already pulling everything out from under the counter.

Dad nodded, smiling. "Okay. But if you need help, let me know." He took a seat at the wooden kitchen table as Micah plopped down in the seat across from him. "Now, tell me what happened."

Dakota and I exchanged a look, then he turned to my father. "We caught it."

My father nodded, his eyebrows pulling together thoughtfully. "Who was it? Anyone we know?"

"Yes, he was a boy from school that I've known for a long time," I interjected, mixing a large bowl of batter. "Cane Summers." I thought for a moment, then said, "I should visit his parents."

"And what would you say?" Micah asked. "Excuse me, but your son was a werewolf and I had to kill him last night?"

"No, Micah's right," Dad said, then he turned to Dakota thoughtfully. "Did you burn the body?"

Dakota nodded, but said nothing. It was something that we'd all like to forget, but it's a memory that will be burned into our minds forever.

Dad asked for the details, but I turned my attention to making the pancakes, half listening, unable to stop thinking about Michelle. I just hoped that we could find a solution before she did something, we all regretted.

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