***Maria's POV***

We're finally taking a break for the night after two days worth of running/walking through this suffocating forest.

But mostly running.

That's alright with me, though. It keeps me and Wolfie from ripping each other's heads off.

  My leg would be more healed if I hadn't put it through so much, but I didn't wanna slow anyone down. Wolfie didn't like that so much, but he'll have to deal with it for time's sake.

Speaking of Wolfie.

I can't stop thinking about him.

Before it was the hybrids, and they've still got my skin crawling, but Wolfie's got my heart pumping.

At a very dangerous rate, might I add.

All of this coming at once is making my head hurt.

I don't know why he popped into my head and wouldn't come out.

It must have been when my talent flared and all my senses got hit with a wave of MATE.

Why did I have to have this talent? This freaking sensing everything before it even happens, sort of thing? And then the added intensified senses?

If I'm being honest I don't even remember the name of it.

I mean, it can be useful, but it causes more trouble than it saves.

The worst part is that it's rare, so I have no one to help me learn to control it.

And the chaos that I put myself through on a daily basis doesn't help.

I'm told I have pretty good control over it for my age, but my brain that's constantly being attacked by sensory overload, may have something else to say about it.

"Maria, you can go ahead and go to sleep. I've got the first watch, remember?" Stephan interrupted my train of thought.

I looked over to him.

"Oh, okay."

I said just to make him happy.

I scooted down the tree trunk I was leaning on so that I'm laying down.

I faced the opposite way of him and found my best friends. They were cuddling in one sleeping bag, looking completely at peace.

I sighed, and turned away from that.

That sight didn't used to be so painful. I'll admit I was the tiniest bit jealous that they found each other at such a young age, and were even friends before they realized, but they've always been my best friends, so I was always happy for them. Even when they made me third wheel on so many things that should have been dates but they made me tag along to.

I've always thought their relationship was the cutest though.

Now, I wanna gouge my eyes out looking at it.

But it's only because I know at this rate, I may never have it.

And that breaks my heart in one of the only places it hadn't been touched yet.

So I turned away from them.

And of course, Wolfie's the next person I see.

  Because why not?

  Why should the Moon Goddess end my suffering?

  I grumbled then just slammed my eyes shut. I just won't look at him.

  I know I'm not going to sleep. That's not even in the question. Even if my anxiety wasn't eating away at me, more so than the usual h3ll, it's too cold to even think of relaxing.

I don't know how the other vampires are doing it. The werewolves are just walking heaters, so that's why they're not having a problem.

  Though, Rose and Brandon are cuddling for warmth. Cali was smart and brought extra blankets.

  Even if I had thought of it, I probably wouldn't have had enough room in my hiding place in the van.

  So I'm stuck freezing my @ss off.

  I sat there.

  Doing just that.

  For what felt like hours.

  But the moon is still too high in the sky for it to have been hours, so it was probably only one.

  I couldn't help but open my eyes. The first thing I did was check if the sky was any brighter. Obviously not. The second thing I couldn't stop my eyes from being drawn to was. . .

  I probably don't even have to say it, you already know.

  But saying his name, even if not out loud, makes me feel some sort of way.

  That way may make me wanna cry, but it varies from time to time, so maybe this one will be a good one.

  Wolfie.

 
  Nope, I wanna cry.

  The cold isn't helping.

  The muscles of the rest of my body are clenching just as hard as my heart now, because of the cold chilling me to the bone.

  I probably look like I'm seizing I'm shaking so hard.

  I hate this.

  My senses are hyped up. My chest hurts. My legs are cramping from being curled up so tight.

  I stayed for a couple more minutes like this.

  My mind was either on the cold, my mate that hates me, or the hybrids out to get me. All of which are driving me insane.

  I feel like pulling my hair out.

  I feel like bursting into tears.

  I feel like —

  Why am I standing up?

  Where do my feet think they're taking me?

  I walked over and curled up next to Wolfie.

  . . . Hm

  He stirred and sat up a bit.

  "What do you think you're doing?" He mumbled, trying to make his voice sound hard.

  "I'm using you as a human heater," I told him simply.

  And my subconscious obviously wasn't satisfied with our proximity because, I wiggled in closer to him so that he was spooning me.

  He cleared his throat. "Who said you could do that?"

  I looked at him, but he kept his face straight.

  "Fine then, I'll just go lay with Happy."

  He wrapped his tree trunk of an arm around my waist and slammed me against his chest.

  I turned around in his strong arms. "That's what I thought," then cuddled into him, burring my face in his chest.

  He wrapped his arm around me and rested his chin on my head.

  My heart swelled to twice its original size.

  This is how it feels to just lay with your mate?

  It's freaking awesome.

  I feel so warm and cozy that my mind doesn't feel the need to go one-thousand miles a minute.

  I haven't felt this way, this at peace, in years.

  We don't even like each other and I can't remember ever feeling like I've belonged somewhere more in my life.

Wow, that's really cheesy, but I don't care.

  With my mind slowing and my body becoming at ease with the warmth and proximity of my mate, I feel spectacularly exhausted.

  I feel like falling asleep and never waking up, or at least not for as long as he's willing to hold me.

  In fact, that seems like a spectacular idea.

  I'm going to sleep.

  I'm going to sleep!

  I almost let out a laugh at how happy that statement makes me.

  I'm going to sleep, and I might actually be able to make it through the night without any terrifying nightmares tearing me from it.

  I shut my eyes and let the darkness take over without a fight, for once.

~*~*~*~

"Are you sure that dosage won't kill her?"

  "Pretty sure."

  The mean lady raised her brow. "Pretty sure?"

  "Yeah, but what does it matter? We're using her to test the serums on because she's expendable," the big mean man said, dropping the shot he was holding to my arm to his side.

  Why do they have to use big words like expendable? It's annoying. I don't like not being able to understand things.

  "Not that expendable. How many true pure bloods do you think we're going to get the chance to capture? An adult is too risky to keep here, and if they're too young, they die too easily. We're using her because something that affects her is going to affect any vampire." The lady looked at me with her terrifying smile. "And besides, think about how useful she'll be to us later when she can help grow our army."

  I almost threw up in my mouth.

  I may be nine, but I know enough about where people come from to know I should be grossed out.

  The man rolled his eyes. "Fine," And squirted out a good amount of the liquid onto the floor.

  He grabbed my arm roughly again.

  My heart started pounding.

  I've never ever liked shots, and nothing these people do doesn't hurt me.

  It's like all they do is hurt me.

  They're probably the same people that hurt Annie.

  The needle went into my skin and he pressed down on the pusher.

  I screamed.

***

  "Hey, Maria, you okay?" Cali tapped my shoulder.

  I zoned back in to the present.

  Oh, yeah. We're here.

  I nodded in response to her.

  I can't believe we're back at this terrible place. I thought I'd never see this ugly building again, outside of my nightmares anyway.

  At least I have friends with me this time.

  I won't be completely alone.

  I have Rose and Brandon.

  And Wolfie.

  Even Happy, Cali, and Stephan have my back.

  We walked through the front door.

  Wait, what's the plan?

  I turned around to ask Brandon.

 
  . . . Where'd they all go?

  I looked around.

  "Brandon! Rose?!" I called.

  I started freaking out.

  "Wolfie?!"

  No one was in sight.

  Tears sprung to my eyes.

  "Jason!" I hollered.

  Suddenly, there were screams, coming from every which way.

  I looked around to find all my friends in a fight for their lives against a group of hybrids, each down a different hallway.

  "Maria!" They all let out a spine chilling screech, "help!" They begged.

  "I'm coming!" I yelled back.

  But before I could even cry over the dilemma of who I was going to choose to help first, my feet started sinking into the floor.

  "No! No! No!" I yelled.

  They screamed louder.

  "Happy! Cali! Steph!"

  "Help us!" They hollered before they lost their battle and were killed.

  "No!"

  I'm waist deep now.

  "Brandon!" I screamed, "Rose! No!"

  I'm sinking so fast. No matter how much I claw at the ground, it won't slow me down.

  They eventually died too.

  I sobbed.

  "Maria!"

  The last voice standing yelled.

  The only voice that cut straight to my heart.

  "Jason!"

  I clawed with strength I never knew. I dug my bleeding hands into the ground over and over. I gave my EVERYTHING to gain even a little bit of progress.

  And it worked.

  Inch by inch, I dragged myself out of the concrete.

  I got to my feet and —

  . . . He's dead.

  Jason. . . Is dead.

  My mate. . .

 
  I broke down.

  I couldn't take in a breath of air.

  My talent kicked in.

  My ears are ringing.

  The blood of my loved ones has started becoming more and more red in my vision.

  The hybrids circling me are coming in and out of focus.

  Everything is going millions of miles per our.

  Their every move, even without touching me, feels like a tidal wave smashing into me thanks to this "talent".

  My head! It hurts so bad.

  I can't breathe.

  "Maria! Wake up!"

  I sprang up with a sob, clutching something with all my strength.

  It turned out to be Wolfie's arm.

  I'm so confused.

  What the frick?

  I can't breathe.

  "Breathe Maria! Breathe!" Happy yelled, panicked.

  "I told you she would freak out the second you left," Rose glared at Wolfie.

  Wait. . .

  Wolfie!

  Rose!

  Happy!

  It was a dream.

  It was just a dream.

  Breathe Maria.

 
  . . . I can't!!

  Wolfie broke my grip, with difficulty, only to grab my shoulders and make me look at him.

  "Like this Maria," he stared into my eyes after he could tell I wasn't getting any air.

  He breathed slowly in through his nose, then out through his mouth.

  I tried to copy him.

  But failed.

  He did it again, and again, and again, until I could mirror him exactly and control my breathing.

  I stayed looking into his eyes.

  He looked back at me like I was the most valuable thing in the world.

  Then I bursted into tears and dove into his shoulder. I shook with how hard I sobbed.

  Brandon sighed, "I promise she doesn't usually cry this much," probably speaking to Cali and Stephan. "Alpha d*ckhead over there is just messing with her emotions."

  I let out a hideous snort mixed with a whimper that got snot all over Wolfie's shirt.

  "Thanks man," Alpha D*ckhead responded flatly.

  "No problem, just doin' my job," Brandon quipped, his voice sounding farther away.

  "We're gonna go scout ahead, babe," Rose told me softly. "You guys can catch up in a bit."

  I nodded into his shirt.

  Her foot steps got quieter as she walked away with the rest of the group without another word.

  I breathed in Wolfie's scent, now that I actually remember how to do it.

  He hugged me tighter.

  I sighed.

  How do I keep ending up in this position?

~~~~~~~~
(A/N)

  Wait, is this chapter the O word?

  OMG, I think it is.

  It's ONTIME!

Yayyyyy!

  And it's pretty long too.

  Success.

  Thanks for reading!

~ The Awkward Friend