Feral Heart by Duron Crejaro (distant reading .TXT) 📕

what happened?” I gave her an incredulous look that said, I have no idea what you’re talking about. She didn’t buy it at all. “Come on, you’ve been silent and moody every time I’ve seen you today. What gives?” She batted her pretty lashes at me, pressuring me with the look on her face. “Spill it.”

 

My first instinct was to continue my feigned ignorance; I even opened my mouth to protest that I had no clue. Her blue eyes stared into me, and for the briefest of moments almost looked incandescent. Suddenly I found myself pouring over the story of my near death and unexpected rescue despite my earlier reluctance. In epic detail, I described the mysterious Wylder boy and how I had come upon him in the Old World. Cami wore what I can only describe as a look of stark utter astonishment. She stared at me wide eyed as she took a few moments to collect herself from the shock of the story. Soon she had a clearer head and in hushed tones began to interrogate me in hushed tones over our half eaten lunch. Most of her questions were answered with I don’t knows and I’m not sure. Of course that was when she dropped her bombshell question on me, eyes twinkling with anticipatory delight. “Are you doing to see him again?”

 

I hadn’t even thought about it, and was stunned to silence, unable to come up with a proper response. How the hell should I know? Of course I wanted to? She giggled, not really expecting an answer, so she gave one herself. “Of course you are!” She said excitedly. “And when you go out there next time, you’re taking me along!”

 

After school, I went straight home, part of my punishment. Straight home from school they had said. Parents right? I groaned as I tossed my book bag onto the bed. With nothing else to do, except homework, and who wants to do that, I decided to indulge myself in an overly hot shower. While water wasn’t exactly scarce, it took time to purify and maintain a drinking supply, so showers were kept to a minimal length. I locked the bathroom door behind me, stripped down, giving myself a quick once over in the mirror before turning the water on.

 

It didn’t take long before wafts of hot steam were pouring off the water as it jetted down towards the drain. I tested the temperature and adjusted accordingly, I wanted it hot, but could only bare so much. It took only a few minutes of soaping and lathering to clean myself. I didn’t end my shower there, as was protocol. I simply stood under the falling waves of liquid, indulging in the warmth, setting the heat to higher levels, as I grew accustomed to it.

 

I’m sure it had only been fifteen minutes or so, but it felt like a lifetime. Eventually I knew it had to end though and I almost sighed before reaching down to cut the water flow off. I threw open the shower curtain and caused a wave of steam to billow about the room as I reached out grabbing a towel from the rack nearby. With fervor, I began drying myself. Everything was perfectly fine, till I happened to look up at the mirror. That’s when my heart hit the floor. What should have been nothing more than a steam soaked mirror was suddenly written upon. A finger had trailed a single word through the steam, a word that chilled me to the core. Wylder it said. That single word, was it a condemnation of myself? Of the things I had been doing? I didn’t know. Who could have known about my ghosting, I had only told Cami. Dhamon may have found out through her but I thought it unlikely. He would find out, but I had just told her earlier this afternoon.

 

I double checked the bathroom lock, and as I feared it was still latched. No one could have been in here with me I was confused and scared as I threw on my pajamas. So much for homework, I spent all my time huddled under blankets awaiting my parents in fear. I just didn’t comprehend what was really going on.

Chapter 8: Dream a Little Dream

The next morning, I tried to let the lingering distress from the night before fade away. I just couldn’t manage to shake the anxiety plaguing me. Someone or Something had been inside the bathroom with me, despite the door being locked from the inside. Just the remnants of the memory caused a spine tingling sensation. I had opted not to tell my parents about it. No doubt, there would have been some over exaggerated response to the whole thing.

 

I got ready for school just like any other day, played it cool with my mom as I went through the motions of breakfast. She both reminded me of my punishment and gave me an idea at the same time. Tarin, I thought to myself, with effort managing to keep the giddy look off my face that the thought brought on. Could I sneak away, visit a Wylder, and get home without getting caught? My smug grin said I could.

 

I planned on bringing Cami along for the ride. That’s what I told myself the entire way to school. On the inside however, deep down, I was glad when we hit her stop and she didn’t show. Maybe she had come down with a cold or something? I didn’t know. Then Dhamon too was a no show on the bus to school. If I had stopped for a moment and considered anyone or anything beside myself, I might have questioned why it was so. I didn’t.

 

My classes went by in a relative blur, my mind preoccupied with hashing out plans for my afternoon getaway. Everything came crashing down, my entire world as it were, during lunch. I was eating slowly, methodically chewing, my mind running over my plans to find Tarin this afternoon. Dhamon showed up in the cafeteria in a dramatic huff and sat with me. I looked at him, noticing he was lacking a tray.

 

“She’s gone.” His voice trembled as he spoke.

 

A single brow rose on its own. “Who’s gone?”

 

“Cami. I went to her house yesterday. The enforcers came and took her after school. She’s a Wylder.” I thought he was joking around with me at first, that any second Cami was going to pop up out of nowhere and yell gotcha! It never happened, and the look on his face was telling, it looked like he was going to break down in tears right then. I was unsure if it was because of the revelation or the fact she was gone.

 

My heart dropped into my stomach as he spoke. My thoughts flashed back to yesterday, and the strange writing on the mirror. Had someone tried to warn me about Cami? I just didn’t know. The better question I guess was what do I do now. My afternoon plans were shot. What could I do? Was there anything I could do? My mouth must have been just gaping with shock, because Dhamon was looking at me like I must have seen a ghost or something. As I stared at my food, the remainder untouched, an idea began to form inside my mind. I needed answers, and who better to give them than the source? After the lunch bell rang, I diverted course, not heading to my next class. Instead, I walked straight to the office of the school attendant. The highest-ranking official at the school, maybe she could answer my questions.

 

I barged in without knocking, by this time I had worked myself into what I can only describe as a rage. I wanted answers, needed them, and I was going to get them one way or another. Mrs. Davenport was sitting at her desk. She raised a brow at me as I barged in. I’m not sure she even expected a guest. Haha, if you could call me that, I thought to myself as I watched her. I expected, honestly for her to hit some kind of secret alarm that would tell all the enforcers, hey look at me, I’m here come get me. She didn’t. She just watched me. Those brown doe-like eyes staring at me, waiting. Oh yeah, I came here to make the first move right?

 

“What do they do with them?” I started.

 

“Who?” she asked, the innocent look she wore feigned.

 

“The Wylder that you take every day. Where do they go?”

 

“Oh, them.” She sounded like she thought she was superior to me.

 

“Yes, them.” I retorted, “My friend was taken. I want to know where. Along with the others, Gloria, Fergus, that kid with the weird scar.” I went on. “Where are they taking them? I need to know.”

 

“Oh, You need? Is that what it is?” she asked. “You need.” She laughed as if it where an actual thing. “Since when did you get ruled headmaster? It doesn’t matter, they are gone and that’s all you need to know. Now, go back to class before I have enforcers escort you.” She said, turning back to her monitor as if I didn’t exist.

 

Feeling defeated I left, questions unanswered. I knew she had to know where they were taking the Wylder. I decided I would venture into the Old World after all. Maybe I could find Tarin and he would be able to help me find out what happens to the Wylder that are taken.

Chapter 9: Into The Wylds

I said screw it after my encounter with Mrs. Davenport. I left school without a word to anyone and made my way home, grabbed what few things I thought I would need and headed towards my usual entry into the Old World. It took me a few minutes in the daylight to orient myself, but soon I found my way back to the place Tarin had camped out with me. The fire had long died away, leaving nothing but a pile of cold ashes behind. The place looked bereft of life and I felt sullen, having thought for sure that he would be waiting here for me.

 

I stared at the ashes, and felt something I couldn’t quite explain. It was like the air all around me came alive, became charged with some energy that I couldn’t see, but felt intensely. It seemed as if the air buzzed with it, causing the faint hairs on my arm to rise as if I