Kiera

Potter reached Sam's bedroom just before me. With his long legs, he had climbed the stairs two at a time. As he charged at them, I saw his claws shoot from his fingertips. Halfway up the stairs, the sound of howling echoed around the upper reaches of the manor, and with a flick of my wrists, my own claws sprang out.

Inside the room, Potter suddenly paused, and I had to pull up sharp to stop myself from clattering into him. He stood next to Kayla and Isidor who were rooted to the floor and staring down at the bed. I looked to see what had drawn their attention, and was shocked by what I saw peering up at us from the glow of the lamp. Sam lay on his side, but he didn't exactly look like Sam anymore. He had grown in size and two giant fur-covered feet hung over the end of the bed. His hands were huge claws, and his fingernails looked as sharp as a set of dinner knives. But it was his face. He looked half wolf and half boy. His eyes burnt a fierce yellow and they reminded me of Jack Seth's  -  they reminded me of the Skin-walkers.

Part of me feared him, but another part of me pitied him, as he lay on his side panting and howling in agony. I don't think Potter felt the same at all, as he lunged across the room at him.

"No!" Kayla screamed as she broke free of Isidor's arms and snatched at Potter.

"Let go of me!" Potter barked at her, tugging his arm free. "He's a wolf  -  a Skin-walker!"

"He's my friend," Kayla screeched at him.

"Not anymore," Potter snapped. "He's one of them."

"No he's not!" Kayla insisted. "Look at him. He hasn't changed properly. The matching was broken halfway through."

"And how do we know he won't change fully one night and kill us all in our sleep?" Potter tried to warn her.

"Please!" Sam howled, and his cry for help sounded as raw as the growing wind outside.

"See, the boy's begging me to kill him," Potter said, staring down at the half-wolf. "He wants me to end his suffering."

"No he doesn't," Kayla hissed, grabbing Potter's arm again, and turning him around so he had to look at her. "He wants us to take him to the Fountain of Souls."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Potter groaned. Then, staring hard at Kayla, he added, "Do I have to remind you what happened the last time we went there?"

"Murphy died," I whispered.

"Exactly!" Potter sighed. "Going back there is insane. How does the kid know about that place, anyhow?"

"Maybe he..." Isidor started.

"No one asked you," Potter cut over him. "I'll tell you how he knows, because the wolf living inside of him knows. That part of him wants us to go to the Fountain of Souls."

"Please help me," Sam howled again, closing his eyes in agony.

"I say we kill him," Potter said. "It would be the best thing for us, and for him."

"No!" Kayla shouted, scrambling between Potter and the bed. Holding out her arms, she added, "You'll have to kill me first."

"Kayla, if you think I'm taking the Michael J. Fox lookalike to the Fountain of Souls, you must be out of your freaking mind."

Then, stepping forward, Isidor peered over Potter's shoulder at Sam. "I guess he does look a little bit like a mouse," he said.

Frowning, Potter turned to look at Isidor and said, "What are you talking about?"

"Michael J. Fox," Isidor beamed. "Now I did Toogle him. He did the voice for that cute mouse, Stuart Little. And I can see what you mean; I guess Sam does look a little bit like Stuart Little, although his fur was white and..."

"I'm not talking about Stuart-fucking-Little you cretin," Potter cut over him. "When I say he looks like Michael J. Fox, I'm talking about Teen Wolf, for fuck's sake."

"Teen Wolf?" Isidor asked, sounding confused. "But I thought you said the wolf was called Michael Jackson, not Michael J. Fox?"

"Is this some kinda hobby of yours?" Potter asked, sounding exasperated.

"Hobby?" Isidor frowned. "I don't know what you mean?"

"I just can't believe you thought that when I referred to the wolf-boy lying over there as Michael J. Fox, you honestly thought I was suggesting he looked like a three-inch computer-generated fucking mouse! You can't be that thick."

"I did think it was a little odd," Isidor said thoughtfully as he looked down at Sam. "But he is covered in hair like Stuart Little, so I thought that's what you meant."

Throwing his arms up in the air, Potter cried, "I give up! I don't know if I can do this shit anymore."

"What shit?" Isidor asked, looking confused.

"Listening to the shit that comes out of your mouth..." Potter started.

"Enough already," I cut in. "This isn't going to get us anywhere."

"He gets on my nerves," Potter said, jabbing his thumb in Isidor's direction.

"And killing Sam isn't the answer," Isidor said in his own defence.

"It isn't Sam anymore," Potter wheeled on him.

"That still doesn't give you the right to decide on who lives and who dies," Isidor said, standing firm.

"If that thing lives, then we will die," Potter shouted, going toe to toe with Isidor.

Kayla cut in between them. "It is Sam. It's the wolf that tried to match with him that we can see..."

"Help me, please," the wolf-boy on the bed murmured.

Ignoring the others, I went to the side of the bed and looked down at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam Brook," he whispered, his voice deep, yet soft. "I know you fear me, but I'm not going to harm you."

"How many times has a wolf told us that?" Potter reminded me.

"He won't hurt us," Kayla pleaded, standing at the foot of the bed where Sam's feet hung.

"He could turn on us at any moment," Potter told her.

"Until that happens, I don't think we have the right to kill him," Isidor said.

There was a pause as they looked at me for the answer. In that silence I could hear the sound of Sam's laboured breathing, the wind screaming outside, and the boom of fast approaching thunder. Looking at Potter, I eventually said, "Isidor is right. We can't kill Sam. We don't have the right  -  not until he becomes a threat at least."

"He's a wolf, Kiera, that makes him threat number one," Potter snapped back.

"Half wolf," Kayla said from the foot of the bed.

"I think we should help him," Isidor said, going to stand beside his sister.

Then, staring me straight in the eye, Potter said, "You're making a mistake. How many times has a wolf got to betray us before you learn we can't trust them?"

Potter's voice sounded cold, but I knew he wouldn't harm Sam  -  not yet, anyhow. But I felt Potter was wrong  -  I once knew a wolf that could be trusted. He had been a true friend and had died trying to help me.

"What about Nik?" I asked Potter.

"What about him?"

"He helped me  -  he was true to his word," I said.

"After years of killing," Potter said. "But what about the others? Eloisa, Sparky, and do I have to remind you of our dear friend, Jack Seth? Wolves can't be trusted."

"You can trust me," Sam suddenly murmured from the bed, where he lay curled in pain.

"I've heard that before," Potter hissed.

"And there were plenty of Vampyrus that deceived us too," I reminded him gently.

"Yeah, there was Taylor, Phillips, Mrs. Payne" Isidor said, counting them off on his fingers. "And need I mention Lu  - "

"Okay, wise arse," Potter spoke before Isidor could finish. "But let's see how smart you are when the wolf-boy rips your head clean off." Then Potter was gone, striding out of the room.

"Mind the statue," Isidor called out.

"Fuck the statues," Potter shouted back over his shoulder.

"What statue?" I asked, staring at Isidor.

"I'm sure there was a statue in here with Sam," he told me.

"Where is it now?" I peered into the shadows of the corner of the room.

"It disappeared real quick down the landing when Kayla and I came in."

"I didn't pass it on the stairs," I said thoughtfully, as I wondered about the statues that suddenly kept reappearing and disappearing again.

"Why do you think we keep seeing them?" Kayla asked me.

But before I'd had the chance to answer, Sam howled in pain again and gripped his sides.

"We don't have time to worry about those statues now," I said, reaching out and touching Sam's arm. His skin was burning up and I pulled my hand away. "We need to get him some help, and fast."

"Are we going to take him to the Fountain of Souls?" Kayla asked.

"I guess," I breathed. Then, looking at Kayla and Isidor, I added, "Pack some stuff, we're leaving tonight."

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