Turned and Taken (Packed 1 & 2) (14 page)

Saki lay in silent shock. She couldn’t think of what to say to console him or even acknowledge something so horrible. She feared it might be something like this when she asked the question. But she hadn’t imagined the horror she would feel hearing the story in detail.

“Saki? Do you know where you’re going to turn this moon?”

Sweat pimpled across her forehead as she lost her breath. She had told him that she had a place, but she didn’t. She simply didn’t want to think about it. In her heart, she was hoping it would resolve itself. Another part of her felt that if she just stayed close to Lane, he would protect her from everything. She didn’t even know when the next full moon was. Dax had spoken about it like it was soon. And perhaps the fact that she had just done what she had done with Lane meant that it was sooner than she realized. But even with that thought, she was afraid to find out.

Thinking about how her mother hit her like Lane‘s father had hit him, Saki summoned the courage and replied. “No, I don’t.”

“You can’t turn at home. You can’t trust what your wolf will do.”

“I can’t,” Saki said allowing herself to imagine the grisly consequences. “I can’t trust my wolf.”

“Then turn here.”

Saki looked down, weighed by the thought. “It’s so…” She couldn’t quite put it into words. “It’s… like being buried in there. I don’t know if I could do it. I don’t know if I could breathe.”

“You can’t turn at home.”

“I know.” She summoned her courage again. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow night.”

A chill shuddered through Saki‘s body, and she immediately felt hot. It was so soon. She hadn’t been prepared for this. She couldn’t prepare herself for this.

“Come here. Trust me.”

Still looking away, Saki searched her thoughts. She had no choice. She had to trust him. “Okay.”

Saki didn’t stay the night. She told Lane it was because she would have to stay out all night during the moon, and she didn’t want her mother to worry two nights in a row. But in truth, it was because she didn’t want to be there anymore. Lane had forced her to deal with the fact that she was turning, and she resented him for it.

She knew it wasn’t fair; he was doing her a favor. But the fact still remained, he had made her think about her wolf. Thinking about the monster she would become was the last thing she ever wanted to think about.

The next day, her turn was all she thought about at school. Everything her teachers said and everything she did was just a blur. From behind the haze, she wondered how many tests she had taken in the last month without realizing or caring. She thought her senior year slipping by and how it would affect her getting into college. College was her way back home. She needed college. Yet, try as she might, she had simply lost her ability to care about something as trivial as schoolwork.

That evening, Saki watched TV next to [pba_custom slug=“Twin 2” question=“What is the name of the female protagonist’s second twin sister?”]Marnie[/pba_custom]. They hadn’t spoken a word for over a month, but Saki knew she had to break the silence. “Tell mum not to worry. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Marnie turned to her in surprise. “Are you staying over at your boyfriend’s house?”

Saki was reminded of the lie she had told upon her return from the island. This time though, the lie was true. “Yeah,” she confirmed without another word.

Saki arrived at the humane society to find more people than expected. Scully and Ben were there, as well as Dwayne, the small, light-skinned kid from Lane‘s pack. The lady behind the counter was directing people to the backyard in groups. The bunker had at least 50 cages, and she wondered how many of them would be filled.

Dr. Lefleur came out and spotted Saki. “Oh good, you’re here. Could you show the next group back to the sanctuary?”

Saki had gotten used to Dr. Lafleur making requests of her. She had even enjoyed starting to feel useful. Checking in with Hillary behind the front desk, she led her fellow classmates plus five other inconspicuously dressed people back to the bunker.

As Saki approached the bunker steps, she realized that not everyone entered through the humane society. Others were coming directly through the bushes, and none of them made eye contact with her.

“Wait here,” Saki said to her group, before scurrying down the steps.

Saki entered the bunker to find many more people than she had imagined. Some were already naked in their cages, and others were in groups talking with one another. Seeing the number of people, she began to wonder if 50 cages was even enough.

“Saki, what are you doing here?” Lane said to her, holding a clipboard.

“Dr. Lafleur wanted me to bring a group down.”

“Oh. That’s the group that needs to be assigned a cage. Bring them down,” he said, looking down at his clipboard.

Saki passed another person as she ascended the stairs. Popping her head out, she summoned her group down. Lane immediately greeted each one and directed them to cages on the far side of the space.

Saki looked around at the melting pot of people. The room held as many whites as blacks, which seemed odd, considering only 10% of Nassau was white. She saw an equal number of men and women.

Most of the people seemed old, but a few of them were under 25. She wondered who had turned all of these people. Lane had said that she was Dax‘s 50th. Could that mean that he was responsible for this group? If so, who was on the island with him?

Within a few minutes, Dr. Lafleur entered the bunker holding a plastic storage container. “Everybody, if I could collect your personal effects now, that would be great. And please be sure to seal the bag.”

Saki watched as each of the people emptied their pockets of keys and wallet. Each cage had a Ziploc bag with a letter and number on it. Putting whatever they wanted within, they waited for Dr. Lafleur to approach them and then threw the Ziploc bag into the container.

“Anyone need another hanger?” Lane yelled over the din of voices. A few hands went into the air, and Lane handed them out accordingly.

“Lockdown will be in five minutes, everyone,” Dr. Lafleur yelled out, immediately prompting people to undress.

“When Uncle Monet doesn’t need me anymore, I’ll show you to where you’ll turn.”

“Is it down here?” Saki asked partially hoping that it was. Standing in the space with only Lane, the bunker had seemed scary. But now, filled with so many people just like her, it was almost comforting.

“No. We wouldn’t have the space even if you wanted to. You’re going to be back in the examining room.”

“Are you going to be there too?”

“No, Uncle Monet needs me here.”

Saki nodded her head in acknowledgment, releasing Lane to continue what he was doing. When everyone was undressed, and their clothes were hanging from the roots above the cages, Lane and Dr. Lafleur began locking all of the cages from the outside. Most of the people sat quietly in the center of their cage, while others continued their conversations uninterrupted. When the final cage was locked, Lane led Saki out toward the building.

“I forgot to tell you not to eat or drink anything before you came,” Lane remembered.

“Why not?”

Lane looked at Saki sympathetically. “Clean up,” he said not having to say another word.

Saki searched her mind for her last meal. She had grabbed something when she had gotten home from school. It was just enough to ease her hunger, but she wondered if it had been too much.

Lane and Saki entered the main examining room. Saki had been there many times and had never thought much of the large cage in the corner. But this was where their journey ended.

“Here?”

Lane looked at her confused. “Yeah. You said you wanted to be above ground, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s small isn’t it?”

Both turned to look at the cage again. It wasn’t much more than 3 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet long. Saki thought she would be able to just fit in it.

“It’s the only thing we have above ground that’s bolted down. And this room is soundproof. Is it going to be okay?”

Saki took a long look at the cage; it disturbed her. She didn’t want to be in it. She would have given anything at that moment not to have to climb in. But Lane was right, she had nowhere else to go. “Yeah, it’s okay.”

Lane stumbled on his words. “Do you need me to leave the room to undress? I need to lock you in before I leave.”

“No, that’s okay,” she said, before slowly removing her clothes. “Actually, can you turn around please,” she said, feeling a sudden wave of modesty.

“Yeah, sure,” Lane replied unable to conceal his surprise.

Saki watched Lane turn around and then continued undressing. “Do I give you my clothes?”

“No, you can just leave them on the counter or something.”

Saki folded her clothes and put them next to the sink. “And do I just get in?”

“Yeah.”

Naked, Saki approached the cage. Testing it, she shook it back and forth. It didn’t move. Swinging open the wrought iron gate, Saki took a deep breath and got in. Pulling the door closed behind her and concealing her nakedness she said, “I’m ready.”

Lane turned around and approached the cage. Grabbing a padlock from the counter, he knelt down in front of Saki. He held out his hand, inviting hers.

“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to wake up, and it’s all going to be over,” he said, before leaning in for a kiss.

Lane locked the gate and gave her another kiss before leaving the room. Saki heard a bolt lock. She was locked in. No matter what happened, she had to work it out for herself.

Saki sat for half an hour, waiting. The room had no windows, so she couldn’t tell how dark it was or if the moon was up. After another 20 minutes, she began to entertain the idea that she wouldn’t turn again. Perhaps she was cured. Perhaps this had all been just a fluke incident, unexplainable, yes, but never to happen again.

Her optimism receded when she felt the first pain in her leg. It hurt. It felt as though a giant was holding her leg in its hands and slowly bending it to the point of breaking. The pain soon started in her other leg. She screamed, knowing no one would hear her.

The transformation happened quickly after that. Bones snapping, muscles tearing and what felt like fire spreading across her body followed. It was hell. Worse, she couldn’t extend her arms and legs to shake out what could only be described as a cramp.

Nothing seemed right this turn. She hurt and continued to hurt almost without end. She wanted to run and stretch but couldn’t. Before when her mind cleared, part of who she was returned; this time, everything was a jumbled mess.

She couldn’t focus. Thoughts would keep entering and leaving her mind without end. She felt like she was falling, hitting the ground over and over again.

Only able to step forward and backward in her cage, she felt like she was going insane. Trapped, she felt like her transformation never reached completion. As a result, the fire that engulfed her body never went out.

The feeling continued hour after hour. Her mind felt as if it were being torn apart. She felt like she was endlessly burning. She couldn’t tell which way was up, and banging her head against the cage was her only relief.

She felt like she was endlessly screaming in a void. No one could hear or even cared. It was too much. Death would have been relief. This was torture. By morning, she felt she had been locked away for months.

Her screams didn’t stop when her body had finally become human. Her bellows were that of a mad woman. Still banging her head against the cage, she heard the bolt unlatch, and the door fling open.

“Are you alright?” Lane rushed in yelling.

“Get me out! Get me out!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Lane scrambled to undo the padlock. Barely getting it off, Saki slammed her body into the gate, throwing him back. Scrambling to her feet as fast as she could, she ran out the door, through the building, and into the street. Slowing down in between the two Lanes, she stopped, fell to her knees, and wailed.

She felt inconsolable. Her mind was still tumbling, and she could barely think straight.

Lane quickly followed her out. Slowing as the first car drove by the naked girl, he rushed into the street and threw a cloth around her.

“It’s okay. It’s over,” he kept repeating. Lane squeezed her as tightly as he could, trying to wish her pain away. “You’re out. I promise, you’re out. Just feel me. You’re out.”

Chapter 15

Neither Saki nor Lane went to school that day. Dr. Lafleur gave her something to stop her crying but did nothing else. As soon as the drugs wore off, she began crying again.

She wasn’t calm enough to go home until nightfall. Everyone thought it would be better for her to walk, so Lane escorted her to within a few houses of her home. Allowing her to continue on without him, he retreated to the end of the block and made sure got inside.

Saki found the family at the table eating dinner. She wished she could escape to her room, but she had none. Instead, she looked up at her family, then down to the ground and wept.

“Saki, what’s the matter?” Her mother yelled before, hurrying her large body onto her feet.

Saki, who couldn’t move, cried on her mother’s shoulders when she felt her large familiar arms around her body. She couldn’t tell her mum, but she wanted to. She wanted to escape into her mother’s arms, but this was as close as she could get. Separated by pounds of flesh and her secret that she couldn’t share, Saki simply cried and held onto her mother.

The rest of the night was spent with her mother pleading for her to tell her what happened. Saki couldn’t tell her anything. In fact, she could barely speak. She didn’t know if all of her crying had rendered her mute or if her throat had swollen shut. After her mother got her to eat something, her mom walked her back to what used to be her bedroom, tucked her in, and allowed her to sleep.

Saki didn’t go to school the next day, but she did the day after that. She spoke to no one, including Lane or any of his pack. When she began crying in the middle of math class, she went to the nurse’s office where her mother retrieved her. Looking at her daughter with heartbreak, her mother informed the nurse that she wouldn’t be back to school for the rest of the week.

The next day, Saki found the strength to get up and watch TV. Her mother had prepared a few meals for her before leaving for work, and although very hungry, she still couldn’t get herself to get up and eat.

It wasn’t until Saki heard a sound at the window that she did much at all. Turning in that direction, she was not surprised at who she found.

“He caged you,” Dax said through the window.

“Yeah.”

“That bastard. He knew what it would do to you. Back when we first got the wolf, his uncle caged us both. It hurt Lane, but it was nothing like what it did to me. You felt it. It’s like you’re trapped, suffocating. Your skin feels like it’s on fire, and you feel like you’re endlessly falling. It’s worse than death. He knew that’s what would happened to you, because that’s what happened to me. And you and me, we’re the same.”

Saki turned toward the window to see Dax‘s piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

“After that first time, I couldn’t go back. I turned on my own. Lane kept saying that I could hurt someone. But what else could I do? You felt it. Don’t tell me you could go back.

“I tried not to hurt anybody. I tried not to turn them. But when the wolf takes over, it’s hard to control. Mistakes happened. That’s why we found the island. We needed somewhere where we could be free. There was no one there to hurt, and no rules to follow. It was paradise.

“But things changed. Lane changed. Soon we couldn’t turn together. And then there was only room for one of us on the island. It had to be me.”

Saki looked away, absorbing what she’d heard. After a moment of silence, she looked back, and he was gone. His story haunted her until the next day when he came back. This time, Saki was ready to talk.

“What happened between the two of you?” Saki asked.

“I wanted to extend our pack. I wanted to protect our island. And with each new wolf I turned, I realized it was making me stronger. We both went in search of someone who could help us understand. We traveled. In the Florida bayou, we found an old wolf. He told us that being an alpha was more than just about having a pack. Being an alpha allowed you to control your turning. How could we ignore that? I couldn’t.

“That’s when things got bad between us. He wanted to remain a slave, while I had to be free. I was willing to do anything necessary for my freedom. He was not.”

“So you turned me,” Saki clarified.

“That wasn’t intentional. Like I said, mistakes happened. They’ll happen with you, too, unless you come with me.”

Saki opened the door and stepped outside, finding Dax. “What would I have to do?”

“Just be with me.” Dax approached Saki, standing close enough that by merely looking up, she could meet his lips.

Saki felt her hot breath reflect off of his body. She could breathe in his scent. It was intoxicating.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Don’t think too long,” he said, before stepping back and disappearing into the backyard.

Dax‘s proclamation that “mistakes happened” lingered in Saki‘s mind for the rest of the night. Certainly, Lane knew it was true. He had buried his father because of a mistake. How long would it be until the wolf claimed her mother or Marnie and Maddie? She put everyone in danger by being there. She had to get away for their own good.

But when Dax didn’t return the next day, Saki got concerned. Had he rescinded his offer? Had she acted too late?

Another day passed and then a night. As she lay in bed thinking about what she had done wrong with Dax, she heard him. Jumping up, she looked out the window to see Dax‘s tanned naked body. He was magnificently built. His lines were lean and cut. And as he turned back and forth, his full cock dangled between his legs. Saki put on a pair of pants and ran outside, finding him bare back.

“I thought about it. I’ll come with you.”

Dax crossed to her, holding the side of her face in his hand. “Do you know what that means?”

“It means that my family will be safe from me.”

“Yes, but do you know what this means about us?”

“It means that I will be yours,” she conceded.

“You will be my queen on our island,” he said, lifting her lips to his. “Is that what you want? Do you want me?”

“Yes,” she said, guided by Dax‘s strong hand.

“Say it. I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes, I want you.”

Dax pressed his lips onto Saki‘s and pried her mouth open, sliding his tongue inside. It entered wantonly, searching for hers. Touching, their two tongues danced. He was strong and controlling. All she could do was experience him.

“Saki, no!” a voice said, interrupting their kiss.

She pulled away and turned around. Lane stared back. She couldn’t move.

“No, Saki. No.”

Saki wanted to stop him. She wanted to run to him. But she was too stunned by the coincidence of him being there. Of all times, how could he be standing outside her gate now, unless he was invited?

Saki turned back to Dax whose smug smile sent a chill down her spine.

“He needed to know. He needed to hear you say it. Now, if you want, I could take care of him forever.”

“No!” she replied, trying not to seem as scared as she felt. “I’ll take care of him. He won’t be a problem.”

Dax searched her eyes for truth and found it in the determined look shining back. “Good. Ok, good.”

“But I need one thing,” Saki said, lightly resting her hands on his broad chest.

“What’s that?”

“Time. I can’t just leave. I need to end things here in the right way.”

“How much time?”

Saki thought, calculating what she needed for what she had to do. “Until the next moon.”

“Then you will come with me and be my queen?”

“I will be your queen and never come back.”

Dax held her chin and kissed her again. “In 3 weeks, my queen.” Touching her lips, he put the backpack on his chest and shifted. Saki then watched as the wolf turned around and hopped the fence. She realized that she had been right. One of them did have to die. They would have to pay for what they had done to her. The first step of her plan involved her getting the principle’s wolf medallion.

A noise shifted her attention to the window at the side of the house. It was the twin’s bedroom. Had one of them seen Dax? What did they see? Saki replayed what had happened in her mind. She knew that if they had seen anything, they had seen it all. She needed to know.

Saki rushed inside and passed through her room into the twin’s. Marnie sat at the head of the bed in terror.

“What was he?” she whispered, trying not to wake up her sister. “What are you?”

Saki looked back without saying a word. Now she had two problems to take care of. But Saki was ready to do what needed to be done, as long as it meant she would never be caged again. Saki walked toward her sister as Marnie pulled away.

The End.