The blackness tinges on the edge of my vision, seducing me, trying to draw me in. I don't fight it, in fact, I welcome it. Numbing myself to the emotion and the pain seems like the solution to all my problems right now. Not the best solution, but right now it's quicker. It's easier than dealing with the mess of my emotions.“We are going to have to talk Calista” Max is speaking to me, but his voice sounds like it's coming from far away. The world splits into two and one starts to seem more like a reflection of the other. My head goes quiet and a loud beep sounds in my ear. It's like my brain giving me a countdown before my body shuts down and loses consciousness. My eyes start flickering and the beep becomes louder, more insistent, I know that I'm going to drop in less than a minute. Max is still speaking, but I can't hear anything he is saying. I subtly angle my body so that when I fall, I fall backwards towards the chair. The beeping stops, and my eyes shut themselves of their ow

From the corner of my eye, I watch Max approach me before he squats in front of me. He hands me a phone that I collect silently. The action brings our skin in contact with each other, and a zip runs through me. From the slight tensing in Max's body, I know he must have felt it too. I snatch the phone from his hands and clear my throat a little too loudly but Max only arches a perfect brow at me. “What?” I ask haughtily but he responds with a small laugh.“Nothing” He retorts, before going back to his position on the bed. “I expected a new phone you know?”“I already sent someone out to get you a new one” “What happened to my old one? were you able to recover it” “No, it was one of the things we went back to check for after we brought you back to the house, but it wasn't there” His words pique my curiosity “We or You?” I inquire carefully, his expression shifts to one of amusement “Me” “Huh” “What is it Calista,” he asks exasperatedly “Nothing at all” For some reason, I am s

“We are here” Tarla announces. We walk out of the forest into the same clearing I encountered Max earlier. Only, now, in front of the wolf statue, there is a huge arrangement of wood. I stare up at it wondering what it's going to be used for. With my luck, it's probably a Salem-style witch execution. Only, this time, I'm probably going to be the one that ends up getting sacrificed. “A classic burning at the stake” I mumble under my breath. From the amused look Tarla shoots at me, she heard me quite fine. “Where is here exactly?” I ask aloud “Here, is the pack centre” Tarla answers. “Great” I retort, looking around. There are a lot of people milling about, and I notice that there are children among them. The crescent shape of the buildings I realise serves as some sort of guide or reference. The middle of the crescent, where the statue of the wolf is, is tiled with red bricks. There is a distinct line of demarcation between where the red stops, and where the normal brown ground

Max's Pov "Callie, it's time, we need to go, it's dark out already” Tarla says as she storms into the room, breaking the silence. The moment is broken, and Calista tears her gaze from mine. Tarla looks at us in frozen shock. Understanding slowly dawns on her “I'm so sorry for interrupting.” She says contrite. At Tarla's words, Calista practically leaps away from me. Colour blooms high on her cheeks, giving her the appearance of a deer caught in headlights. “Um,” Calista runs her hands over her dress once, twice, unsure of what to say. I let out a small laugh. “You weren't….” She trails off again, clearing her throat once and her eyes dart to mine for a fleeting second. “I have to go now” Gratitude shines in Calista’s eyes. “Yes he does,” Calista adds. I arch a brow at her but she is staring at Tarla guilt written all over her face. I sidle up to her and lean down close to her ear. “Save me a dance” I whisper to her, before walking out of the room. ★☆☆★★☆☆★★