Page 107 of Spark

Rummaging through the kit again, Darren pulled out a second, smaller box containing a needle and thread.

“Wait, you’re doing them?” I asked.

“I’ve stitched myself up many times, Jaden. This is no big deal.” Darren then took a small tube, squeezing a dab of clear cream onto his fingertips and gently rubbed it around the entire bite mark. “This will help numb the pain.”

As the pain in my arm slowly faded, I watched while Darren threaded the needle and then moved to put my arm back into locking position.

“Wait, I need to see,” I complained. I needed to know what he was doing.

“No, you don’t. Close your eyes and breathe.”

I pressed my forehead into Darren’s back again and felt my skin tug slightly until the needle slipped through my flesh. The pain was manageable, but that didn’t make it comfortable.

In less than five minutes, Darren was finished, and two small black stitches remained in place. He then rubbed some ointment over the entire bite and wrapped it heavily in gauze. He then grabbed a pill bottle from another cabinet, filled a disposable cup with water from the sink, and handed me the cup. When I took it, he then popped two capsules in his palm.

“Open,” he ordered, and I complied. “Swallow.”

I sipped back the entire cup of water, effectively swallowing the pills, and set the cup down.

When everything was cleaned up, Darren placed his hands on the counter, leaning against it, his head down and sighed heavily. I could tell he was trying to reign in his rage, and it was making me nervous.

“Tell me how you got out,” he said. His voice was too calm for comfort, and the fact that he wasn’t even looking at me made the blood rush through my veins again.

My stomach dropped, while my eyes inadvertently wandered over to the still filled bathtub and then up to the window I climbed out of.

“Climbed out the window,” I mumbled.

Darren lifted his head and sighed again.

“Why?”

“I was mad at them. Romero wouldn’t let me go outside after you said I could. So I just… left.”

“You just left?”

He made it sound like I did something impossible. I guess it should have been, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d done the impossible.

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Maybe thirty minutes?”

Darren released a heavy breath, closed his eyes, and ran his fingers through his hair. I watched as he walked away from the counter, his chest rising and falling and further quaking my nerves until he finally looked at me. For the first time ever, I actually saw fear in his eyes. Fear and pain.

“Jesus, Jaden, I almost lost you today. You would have been killed. Do you realize that? You’re lucky I was there to intervene.”

“Yes, I realize that.”

“Then why the FUCK did you disobey me and go beyond the trees?!” The anger in his voice made me jolt inside, but it didn’t dull my own voice. I felt the shock of my near-death experience begin to lift. How the fuck could I know the trees meant wolves?

“I didn’t mean to! I slipped on some ice, and Camaro got loose. She chased after some animal, and I went after her.”

“And you didn’t think that maybe there was a good reason why I wanted you to stay within proximity of the house?”

“I wasn’t just going to let her run off and get lost!” I shouted at him. “I had no idea there were wolves out there!”

“Neither did I! Which was why I went hunting with Scott earlier to make sure the area was safe!”

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