CHAPTER SEVEN: MARK ON MY LEG

It was the next day, and Dahlia and Jake were already preparing for school. She had just gotten out of the bathroom ready to dress up and Jake was lying on the bed reading a pocket novel. She was hesitant to dress up in front of him as she would normally do due to her recent discovery of Jake's love for her.

"I don't know why I find this book very intriguing, it's so cliche in as many ways possible. It's about a boy who falls in love with this stranger that helped him" Jake said as he chuckled.

"Do you think he should have fallen in love with the girl who helped him?" Dahlia asked unsurely.

"Giving by the way she cared for him like she had known him for quite a long time, I'd say it's inevitable" Jake replied as he flipped the pages over.

Dahlia became afraid. She didn't want Jake to love her. She took her clothes to the bathroom so she could dress up there. Jake noticed her as she did so and was surprised.

"Oh, so now you feel embarrassed?" Jake jeered.

"Or maybe I just feel like a whole lot of images would be playing over and over again in that head of yours" Dahlia suggested as she closed the bathroom door.

Jake noticed how uneasy she felt and became a bit worried. She got out of the bathroom and was ready to go to school. She bid her grandfather goodbye using sign language, and so did Jake. Dahlia had already been teaching him sign language and from the two days lesson he had had so far, he proved unnatural.

They got to school and sky met them along the hallway.

"We're on toilet duty today, don't forget" Sky said to Jake reminding him.

"Second thing you've said to me since we met" Jake claimed.

"Are you really gonna keep counting?" Sky asked with a chuckle.

"At least you guys enjoy each other company, I have to deal with Jade Dunlop" Dahlia moaned.

"You and Jade can actually be friends, you know that?" Jake suggested.

"The day Jade and I become friends, the world will most probably be coming to an end" Dahlia said.

"Speaking of the devil" Sky said as she left Dahlia and Jake alone with Jade who was on her way to meet them. Jade wore baggy long trousers with a black crop top. She usually wore short things but today she had a change of wardrobe.

"Hi Jake, Dahlia I saw a mark on my leg" Jade panicked.

"It's probably nothing Jade" Dahlia insisted.

"Why do you think I'm putting on what I'm putting on?" Jade asked paranoid.

"I'm sure no one is goo to notice it" Dahlia insisted, then Jade folded up her trousers and showed her the mark. It was awfully noticeable.

"It wasn't there yesterday, maybe that wolf did something to me....what if I turn into a wolf?" Jade panicked.

"You won't Jade, right Jake?" Dahlia asked Jake unsure.

"You won't, the scars will eventually fade away" Jake assured Jade.

On hearing this, Jade surprisingly gave make a tight squeeze and laid on his cheeks a light kiss. She thanked him and then walked away in style.

"Don't forget, we're on toilet duty tomorrow!" Dahlia shouted but Jade pretended as though she didn't hear a word. Jake and Dahlia were the only two left walking together. Dahlia began feeling uncomfortable and looked for an excuse to leave Jake.

"Umm... I kinda have to go now" Dahlia mumbled.

"But we have the next class together" Jake declared.

"I'll meet you there!" Dahlia said as she left Jake's sight. Jake was left very disturbed by Dahlia's new behaviour.

Dahlia quickly brought out her phone and decided to text Sky; who was in a class, about her dilemma. As she began texting, she remembered that Sky had a crush on Jake who was supposed to be her cousin but is now falling in love with her. She realized that her problem needed to be solved by herself but she didn't know how to go about it.

School was over and it was time for Jake and Sky to attend to their toilet duty. Dahlia told Jake that he would meet her at the house since she couldn't wait for them to clean the toilet. Sky begged Dahlia to stay with them, but Dahlia saw an opportunity to make Jake see Sky as more than just a friend and clear her out of the love zone with Jake and she took it. Sky was disappointed but she stayed anyway. They began cleaning the toilet and as they did, they conversed.

"Is anything wrong with Dahlia?" Jake asked concerned.

"Not that I know of, why did you ask?" Sky replied.

"She's been acting weird towards me lately"

"Dahlia's normally weird, it's nothing"

"I know but, this time it's different.....it's like she can't stand me, she doesn't want to be alone with me for more than a minute"

"Jake, you two are cousins, so it's either she had a bad day..."

".....Or she had a bad day" both chorused. Sky was shocked that Jake had just completed her sentence. She asked him how he knew she was going to say that and he told her that Celeste used to say it to him. Her mood changed.

"So... Celeste...how long have you people been together?" Sky asked.

"We virtually grew up together" Jake replied smiling.

"Nice....my advice to you, talk to Dahlia about it, maybe she has a reason for avoiding you" Sky said as she looked up to Jake.

"Seventh thing you've said to me since we met" Jake declared as they both smiled at each other.

Jake and Sky were done with the toilet and they left for their houses. Jake asked Sky if he could be her escort home but she refuses telling him that her mum was obsessed with him and that she wanted to avoid embarrassment. Jake laughed over it and then leaves her to go home by herself.

He got home and decided to confront Dahlia.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jake asked annoyed.

"Wrong? I don't understand" Dahlia replied confused.

"I don't know, it's just lately, you've been acting kinda weird and distant"

"Maybe it's because I don't want to hurt your feelings Jake... I'm not the one for you"

"The one for me?" Jake asked confused

"Yes! We are just friends Jake. I don't like like you and I don't think I ever will. You related our relationship to that of you and Celeste's and it's no secret that you and Celeste have a thing going on and I don't want to be in the middle of it! I love you as a friend and nothing more...I just...I just didn't want to hurt your feelings" Dahlia confessed.

On hearing Dahlia's confession, Jake burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Why are you laughing, I just poured my heart out to you?" Dahlia asked confused and a bit annoyed.

"Celeste is my best friend Dahlia, nothing is going on between us" Jake declared still laughing.

"But you...but you...you said she was my girlfriend" Dahlia said confused.

"Female friend, girl-friend, they are all the same thing. You got it all misconstrued. A mate is someone you're intimate with" Jake explained.

"So all this while, I thought you loved Celeste and also loved me as well when actually you're single and free?" Dahlia's asked calmly.

"Absolutely" Jake assured. Dahlia got pissed and used her magic to raise pillows from the bed using them to attack Jake. He ran about the corners of their room as Dahlia chased him with pillows. They both got tired and laid down on the bed laughing.

"I promise never to like like you Jake" Dahlia declared smiling

"I promise never to do the same" Jake declared as well smiling.

**********************

Jade was looking at her legs where she saw the mark. She sat in front of a mirror staring at it. She rubbed her fingers through it trying to remember what happened after the wolf had given her the mark but her memory was blank. As she thought deeply, she realized that her wound healed quickly but she didn't even go to the hospital. She became very confused and went on the internet searching for humans that can heal themselves. Many results of supernatural creatures came out but the eye-catcher was the creature called a werewolf.