Page 12 of Pack Kasen: Part 1

I’m in and out of the bathroom in under five minutes, and that’s only because I brush my teeth while I’m in the shower to cut down on time.

I sprint back to my room and stuff a T-shirt I grab at random over my head, shove my legs into a pair of jeans and nearly trip when I try to get my shoes and pick up my bag at the same time.

Halfway down the hallway, a door swings open behind me and Rachel yells something after me.

“Can’t talk.Later!” I yell back and shove the staircase door open.

I can’t help but mentally curse her some more when I take in her fresh faced appearance. She’s nice, always happy to share snacks and invite me over to watch a movie in her room, but I wish she and her boyfriend could get it on a little quieter.

I fly down the stairs, burst out of my dorm, and bolt for the campus. Thankfully, my dorm isn’t far away from the administration building. Only a ten-minute walk. If I run, I can make it in five or less.

On my way, I slow when I spot a familiar figure at the top of the library staircase. He holds a book aloft, nudging his glasses up when they slide down. “I have that book you were looking for, Kat.”

“Hey, Cristofer.”

Yes, I’m late, but I’ve been wanting that book for weeks. I make a hopefully brief detour and, as I dash up the stairs, he sneezes three times as he hands it to me.

It’s a book of the greatest speeches in history. I was looking for more inspiration when I was writing the speech I’m giving at the graduation ceremony when Cristofer recommended this one, saying it was the best. One quick flick through confirms he was right.

Smiling sympathetically at him, I shove the book into my bag. “Thanks, Cris. Allergies bad again?”

He lifts a tissue to blow his red nose. “I’m trying a new remedy to help with the pollen but it’s not working as well asthe last. Eucalyptus and rosemary. The eucalyptus opens the respiratory system and rosemary helps with congestion.”

I like him, but being around him is like walking into a candle store, far too much for my sensitive nose. “Can’t you find a hay fever medicine that doesn’t make you sleepy?”

He shrugs. “My doctor thinks I’m highly sensitive. Even the non-drowsy stuff has an effect. Do you have a minute?” he asks when I’m getting ready to leave.

“Uh. I’m meeting with the assistant dean about…” My voice trails off when I spot a crowd forming near a parking lot. “What’s going on?” I ask, but I have a feeling I already know.

Beyond the milling crowd, cops stand around, having cordoned off the area with bright yellow tape.

Campus security is out in force as well, one of the green golf buggies they use to patrol blocking one side of the entrance of the parking lot so no one can enter.

There’s only one car in the parking lot.

My heart clenches and I grip my bag handle for something to grab onto.

Cristofer is saying something as I walk away. I take in a deep breath and run toward the crowd when I’d rather run away.

My pounding heart is like a band playing at full volume in my head.

The students hanging around whisper among themselves. They glance at me and whisper some more.

Rachel had her cell phone in her hand when she called after me in the hallway. Like she wanted to speak to me about something. Or tell me something important.

Why the hell hadn’t I stopped to listen? Maybe I’d have saved myself from this.

I struggle to tune out the students' whispers as the cloying, slightly sweet scent of death stirs my wolf’s need to hunt.

“Didn’t she go out with him?” a girl mutters.

I don’t even know what I’m doing here. There’s nothing to see. If there was a body, the cops have already taken it away. But there are blood splatters.

A cop picks something from a nearby bush and carefully places it in a large clear evidence bag. A white sneaker with a gray swoosh. My gaze lingers on it as I remember the first time I spoke with the owner of them.

I’d been sitting on a cold stone step outside a frat party, nursing a red plastic cup of warm beer I hadn’t wanted, when a guy sat next to me.

“You look like you’re wishing you were somewhere else,” he says.

---