A few days later, Shadow stopped showing up for meals, and when we hung out in one person’s room, she wasn’t there. I checked her dorm and my fear was confirmed. Nothing had been moved since the last time I’d been in here, which left one explanation. Shadow had been taken as well. Harlow and I both wanted to go find her, but Naomi and Brazen managed to talk us out of it. All of us were still hoping the adults would figure this out. The day after that discovery, I was wandering the halls. It was clear from the way the professors acted at meals that they didn’t really want anyone going outside to the woods, but they couldn’t stop anyone. I decided to humor their wishes today. I found Ax in the third floor of the western tower. They were seated in the hallway connecting two classrooms, their crystal blue eyes unfocused. Her red hair was pulled out of her face in a messy ponytail, and I assumed she was talking to a spirit and not herself. I stood a few feet away from her until they noticed me. They looked up and paused their conversation with the spirit I couldn’t see. “Hi there.” I smiled. I felt a cold breeze pass by me and realized I recognized that feeling - it’d happened more times in the hallway than I could count. “Hey. Who were you talking to?” “One of the cleaning spirits.” “Cool.” I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor. “Why?” They paused. Either my question caught her off guard, or she wasn’t used to conversations in general. “Because they’re more interesting than living. And they don’t care that I can see them.” “I don’t. Care that you can see them, that is.” She looked at me oddly. “What’s your name, human?” “Werewolf,” I corrected. “And I’m Acwulf. But you can call me Wolf.” She snorted. “/Wolf/. And you’re a werewolf? What kind of cruel name is that?” I smiled slightly. “My parents didn’t know. They just liked the animal.” “Just imagine if your parents went to a Fortune-Seer,” they started. “/What should we name our child?/ And the seer just looks into the future and goes, /Hmm, your child will have a tragedy involving wolves, so you should name him Wolf!/” That made me laugh. “You’re different.” “What gave that away?” They smirked. “And I’m Axar. But call me Ax. I’ll be the only person who can see you if you call me Axar.” “Point taken.” Ax stared off into space for a few seconds, her lips moving but she wasn’t speaking. Or at least, not to me. Eventually they refocused on our conversation. “Sorry. You’re the only alive person I’ve had a conversation with for longer than two minutes here.” I tilted my head. “You don’t have any friends?” She shook her head. “No. No one wants to hang out with a Spirivati.” “Well, then call me no one.” She raised an eyebrow and looked at me suspiciously. “Don’t you have, like, a reputation to maintain?” “Other than the most powerful student in the year?” /And smartest/, I thought, but I knew that I didn’t deserve that one. “Nah. My reputation’s pretty open for tarnishing.” I smirked. “If that’s what hanging out with an outcast will do.” She laughed. “I see your point. You’ve got a friend group, I’d assume?” “Yeah, and they’d be fine with you too. They befriended me too, remember? I’m a werewolf.” I still didn’t think highly of my power, though I wasn’t as disgusted with it as before. “Hey, werewolves are cool.” “So are Spirivatis.” She grinned. “Alright, Wolf. Consider me in.” “I’m not considering it.” I stood, and she did too. “I’ve already decided. Welcome to the Heroes of Welsburry, Ax.”
Notes/Credits: Hi! Welcome to The Dark Prison - the third book in The Wolf Stories. If you haven't read The Wolf Boy or The Monster's Curse, I highly suggest you do so! This is Chapter 5, enjoy! Previous Chapter(s): Chpt 1 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/750051827/ Chpt 1 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/753809497/ Chpt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/758384060/ Chpt 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/765725763/ Chpt 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/766550820/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, Rick Riordan, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTW: Do you have any theories about Ax or any other event so far?
