by Laura Ryles
TALA
Laura Ryles
Copyright 2020 Laura Ryles
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 9798569727711
Heaven’s Mountain Publishing, LLC
5191 Columbus Road
Macon, GA 31206
Cover image by Dovena at Pixabay
Cover Design by Laura Ryles
Dedication
To my mother, Jacalyn Wilson, for always setting such a good example and for her support throughout the years, rain or shine. Thanks for working full time and raising all of us, for singing in the kitchen, for writing your own books and your own songs, and for teaching me how to push through.
WOLF AWAKENING
Chapter 1
Tala stood frozen on the patio as five wolves advanced toward her. Not that seeing wolves in these parts was unheard of. It was shocking, though, that these were all pure white, arctic wolves in the middle of Georgia, during one of the worst heat waves of the year. As they drew closer, she finally remembered that she had legs and decided she had better find a safer place to be than in their direct path. She walked to the door and tried the knob. Locked. Reaching for her keys in her bag, she realized the bag wasn’t hanging from her shoulder where she usually carried it.
Shoot I must have left it at school. Tala looked up to see that the wolves had fanned out now. They had spread out around the entire patio. There was nothing on the concrete slab with her but an old picnic table. Scrambling on top of it, she watched as the wolves closed in and started circling the table. It struck her as funny that she didn’t feel afraid, since she was certain that she was about to die. As the wolves circled, Tala noticed that they didn’t seem to be gnashing their teeth or trying to snap at her. Every wolf was staring at her as they passed in front of her line of sight. No, not at her, through her. Their piercing blue eyes seemed to be staring directly into her soul. The rhythmic thuds of their huge paws were hypnotizing. It was like the beating of an ancient drum. She could feel it in her own heartbeat.
Tala jolted into consciousness, covered in sweat. Ugh, that dream! The same one she had been having since she was a little girl. Shaking her head, she wiped the beads of sweat from her brow, then turned to look at her alarm clock on the nightstand. 4:17. Still two more hours before she had to be awake. Groaning, she rolled over, and pulled the covers up around her chin. Please let me be able to go back to sleep, she thought.
A loud noise intruded into Tala’s slumber; she slammed her hand down onto the alarm clock. “Tala, honey, are you up?” Tala’s mother, Debra, yelled from the bottom of the stairs, just as she did every morning.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Okay, just checking. We’re leaving in forty-five minutes. You don’t want to be late for the first day of school, your senior year!” Technically, it was the middle of the year, but this would be her first day back in the school building. Her mother had let her home-school herself for the first part of the year.
Tala sighed, flinging back the covers and throwing her feet over the side of the bed. She sat there for about thirty seconds before deciding she was awake enough to walk to the bathroom. She turned the shower handle and sat down on the toilet to wait for the water to warm up. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she leaned against the back of the commode. That stupid dream. What is the deal? Why do I keep having this same, stupid, freaking dream? What does it mean? Are wolves supposed to be my spirit animal or something? If so, someone should tell my brain that I’ve gotten the memo, and it can quit waking me up in the middle of the night. Over the years, she had bought several dream interpretation books, and none of them had offered any help. She never really thought that they would, but she had gotten so desperate that she would have settled for any explanation that would help stop the dreams.
The bathroom started to fill up with steam. Tala reached her hand into the water. It burned, but in a good way.
After she showered, she blew her hair dry and brushed it down. Looking in the mirror, she looked just like she always did. After her father died, Tala had decided she wasn’t going to waste her time doing makeup or primping in the mirror anymore. His death had been so painful for her. Maybe if she looked plain and kept to herself, no one would be interested. Satisfied that she wouldn’t turn any heads, she went downstairs. “That was fast.” her mother said as Tala grabbed a muffin from the counter. “Aren’t you going to fix your hair?”
“Dis is fixt,” Tala replied, with her mouth full. She and her mother had different ideas about what a girl should do in the morning to get ready. Tala usually wore jeans and a t-shirt, she didn’t do her makeup anymore, and she never did anything to her hair besides brushing it. Her mother, on the other hand, always wore dress suits, never left the house without full makeup, and spent at least twenty minutes teasing, curling, and spraying her hair every morning. Tala just didn’t feel like looking her best anymore. No one noticed her, and she liked it that way. Why go to all that trouble? What if someone liked her? What if she started to like them too? Nope! It was better to be alone. She never wanted another hole in her life like the one her father had left. There were times that she had thought there was no way that her heart could take it anymore and the sorrow would eat her alive.
After her mother finished her coffee, they headed out to the car. When they pulled up in front of the high school, her mother turned to look at her, “Have you thought any more about what you want to do for your birthday? How about a party? It’s only a few days away.”
“No, Mom, I told you, I don’t want to celebrate. No party, no cake, I just want it to be a normal day.”
Her mother looked out the windshield. “You know, just because your dad is gone, doesn’t mean you can never celebrate again. He would want you to celebrate your birthday, honey. Even if he’s not here in the flesh to celebrate with you.”
“Mom! This has nothing to do with him. I just don’t want to, okay?” Tala got out of the car and slammed the door before her mother could intercede again. She slung her bags over her shoulder and walked toward the school building in a huff.
Chapter 2
On the way into the school, Tala noticed a group of eleventh-grade girls giggling and eyeing the jocks, who were all making use of their muscles by showing off how many of the cheerleaders’ backpacks they could lift at once. Tala rolled her eyes and pressed on. Suddenly she felt that someone was watching her. Scanning the courtyard around her, she didn’t see anyone looking her way. Then she looked over her shoulder as she entered the building to see a tall, blonde, muscular guy leaning against a bright red car in the front of the parking lot. She could swear he was staring right at her. Squinting her eyes, she tried to get a better look. He didn’t look familiar at all. Nope, she had never seen him before. He must be new this year. He looked like he was probably a senior, though truthfully, he looked closer to a Norse god than a high school student. Tala still didn’t understand why in the world he was staring at her. It was rude of him to leer at her like this, especially out in the open, where anyone could see. Just as she was about to make a face at him, she was interrupted by someone pouncing on her head to give her a noogie. “Argh, let go, Drew!”
“Admit defeat!” a deep but soft male voice replied.
“Fine, I admit it,” she said. He let go of her head and laughed at the sight of her dishevelled hair. She balled her hand into a fist and threw it forward to hit him in the shoulder, but he deflected the punch and pushed her arm around him, causing her to stumble on her own weight. When she was falling, he grabbed her head again and began rubbing his knuckles furious
ly on her scalp. “Okay, okay, I give up, you win! I’m defeated, I admit it,” she squealed. This was his signature move, and yet she never seemed to see it coming.
He finally let go and burst into laughter. “You look like you got attacked by a lawnmower,” Drew laughed.
“Shut up!” Tala said as she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. As soon as she finished brushing her hair back down with her fingers, the first bell rang, and she and Drew headed toward the senior hall together.
Drew was her best friend. They had been friends since they were in diapers. He lived on the same street, a few houses down from her. They had learned to ride bikes at the same time and taught one another how to rollerblade. Drew got it. He understood her. He never cared how she dressed or that she had stopped wearing makeup or that she didn’t drool over the hot guys like other girls. In fact, he liked her more for it. Last year after her father had passed away, Drew would sneak over to her house every night after curfew, even in the freezing cold rain, to climb into her window and sit with her until she fell asleep. He called her every day to make sure she was okay. When she was down, he was always there with a joke.
“What do you have for first period?” Tala asked Drew as she reached into her bag and pulled out her senior schedule.
“Ugh, Calculus with Mr. Barnes. I thought he was retiring last year.”
“That’s what I have too!”
“Good, you can do my homework.” Drew smiled back at her. He slung his arm playfully over her shoulder, and they headed to first period.
They were both shocked as they rounded the corner into the classroom to find that it was not old Mr. Barnes behind the desk. Instead, there was a handsome, middle-aged man in his place. They scurried in under the man’s watchful eyes and hurried to find two seats next to one another before the room filled up. Then they waited with trepidation to find out who the new mystery teacher was. The students filed in a few at a time until finally, the late bell rang, and the gentleman behind the desk got up and closed the door. “Good morning,” he said. “I’m sure you were all expecting to see Mr. Barnes, but...”.
At that moment, the door opened again, and in walked the muscular blonde guy from earlier in the parking lot. The teacher eyed him coolly.
“I’m sorry, it’s my first day. I couldn’t find the right hallway,” said the latecomer.
“Perhaps tomorrow, you should allot time for your search,” the new teacher replied. “Since you’re already up here, why don’t you introduce yourself?” The teacher obviously hoped to shame the boy by making him speak in front of the class. The blonde boy looked incredibly displeased but stepped forward anyway.
“Yes, sir. My name is Ander. My family and I are originally from Canada, but we’ve recently relocated here.”
“Thank you. Please find a seat quickly.” The new teacher watched Ander head to the back of the room. Tala couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the boy. When he walked by her desk and noticed her looking at him, he gave her a smile and winked at her. Tala inhaled sharply and looked back toward the teacher.
”Now, as I was saying, I’m sure many of you were expecting Mr. Barnes. However, I have the sad duty of informing you that Mr. Barnes was in a car accident just last week and will be in the hospital recovering for some time. I will be your teacher until further notice. My name is John Forburg. You may call me Mr. Forburg or Dr. Forburg. I look forward to being your instructor, and I hope to meet the high standards you have been accustomed to under Mr. Barnes.” At this, some of the boys in the back of the room snorted. Mr. Forburg cleared his throat. “There will be none of that. Please come up one row at a time and collect your textbook, and once you have it, turn to page five.”
Tala’s row was called up first. She hadn’t noticed, but the new boy, Ander, was in her row as well, in the last seat. As the students gathered at the front to get their books from Mr. Forburg, she and Ander were shoved aside to be the last two in line. When they both reached for a book, their fingers touched. A shiver ran from her fingertips, up her arm, and down her spine. She shook her head as it passed through her. Embarrassed, Tala pulled her hand back.” Sorry, you go ahead.”
“No, you take it.” Ander handed her the book and reached out for another one.
“Thanks,” she whispered, then turned around and hurried back to her seat. Drew’s row was called up next, but when Drew returned to his seat with his book, he leaned over towards Tala like he wanted to tell her something. Tala leaned in towards him too. “Hey, I think that new dude is staring at you.” Tala turned her head slightly to check, and sure enough, he was gaping at her again. “I think it’s kinda creepy!” Drew said, with a repugnant look on his face.
“Just ignore it,” she replied. They turned their attention back to Mr. Forburg, who had already begun his lecture.
Chapter 3
After the dismissal bell, students crowded into the hallway. Drew and Tala were the last ones out. “Yeah, you’re definitely doing my homework this year.” Drew shook his head.
“Come on. It’s only the first day. You can’t be that lost yet.” Tala grinned at him.
“You’re Tala, right?” a voice called from over her shoulder. It was the new guy.
“Yes, and you're Ander. How do you know my name, though?” she asked.
“Oh, I asked. I thought I should at least know your name before I asked you out.”
Tala was at a loss for words. Drew looked at him with his mouth agape.
“Well, what do you say?” Ander looked at her hopefully. A little too hopeful, she thought.
“Sorry. I don’t date, but it was nice to meet you, Ander.” She turned on her heels and walked away, with Drew strutting proudly beside her.
“Good for you. He’s weird,” said Drew.
“You think all guys other than you are weird. And they all think you’re weird, so…”
“No. There’s something off about him. No eighteen-year-old dude should look like that,” he said. Tala noticed a hint of jealousy in Drew’s voice.
“Look like what?” she asked, innocently.
“Like if I run into him by accident, I’ll disintegrate on impact!” he replied sarcastically.
“Yeah, he’s a pretty big dude.” She giggled.
“Hey, I’m a big dude,” Drew said.
“No, you’re a big dork. But that’s why we’re friends.” Tala smiled at her own joke as they made their way to their next class.
Second period was Senior Lit, and she and Drew were both in the same class again. This time, they knew exactly what to expect, since Ms. Hadley had been their Lit teacher last year. Ms. Hadley was quirky and had a flair for the dramatic, like most English or Lit teachers do. That’s what Tala really liked about her. This middle-aged woman was willing to seem foolish in order to get her students to enjoy Literature. She had been Tala’s favorite teacher last year, and if the poetry reading Ms. Hadley was doing right now, on the first day of school was any indication, she’d be Tala’s favorite this year, too.
After Ms. Hadley, she and Drew were separated for third period; he had shop class, and Tala had chosen art. Walking into the room, Tala sat down at the front table. She had been saving all the good electives for her senior year, and she was excited to finally be taking art. Leaning over, she placed her book bag and purse on the floor. When her head was under the table, she saw the other chair being slid out. She sat up to see who her new table partner would be, and there he was again. The new guy, Ander. “Hello again.” He smiled at her.
“Hi,” she said, a little more hostile than necessary.
He chuckled at her. “Have I done something?”
“No.”
“Well, then why have you decided that you don’t like me already?”
“I don’t know you,” she said.
“Exactly.”
Mrs. Crews, the art teacher, started passing out clay. “Okay, gang, I thought that since today was the first day, we would just have a little fun and get our hands dirty.” Mr
s. Crews smiled at the class. “All right, once you have your clay, one of the people at your table can get a glass of water to share to help you mold. You can make whatever you want. Dealers’ choice.” Some of the kids laughed half-heartedly at her joke, and then one person from each table went to get water. Tala decided she could use a moment to gather her thoughts. She picked up a glass off the counter and walked to the sink. As the water filled the cup, she thought to herself how impertinent this new guy was being. Why did he have to sit with her? There were plenty of other tables with lots of girls that would probably love for him to talk to them. Why didn’t he sit at one of those? When the glass was full, she went back to her seat.
“Are you going to answer my question?” he said as soon as her feet were under the table.
“What question?”
“If you don’t know me, why do you not like me?”
“Look, it’s not that I don’t like you, I just don’t date anyone. At all. Ever. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Why?”
“Can we just do our work?”
After that, they didn’t speak anymore. Tala concentrated on making something out of her clay. She had seen kids with pottery boxes the last couple of years when they had gotten to take home their artwork, so she called Mrs. Crews over and asked her to show her how to do it. She had busied herself following instructions for most of their class period when Mrs. Crews finally looked away from Tala’s project to check on the other students’ progress. “My goodness! Would you all look at this?” She was staring at Ander’s piece across the table. “That’s amazing! Tell me your name again?” she asked.
“Ander,” he answered, a smile on his lips directed toward Tala from across the table. Tala peered around Mrs. Crews to see Ander’s sculpture, and she couldn’t believe it. It was her. Her face. He had sculpted her face into his ball of clay. It was amazing. It really did look just like her. She looked back at Ander with her mouth agape, not sure whether to smile or sneer. Leaning back against her chair, she put her attention back on her own box. So weird. As the class ended, Mrs. Crews asked the students to put their art on the shelf if they wanted it to go in the kiln. Tala did so, and when the bell rang, she grabbed her bags and ran for the door. Yes! She was the first one out, and Ander was left staring after her from his seat.
