Erica's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Erica made it back to the cottage with the horses on her mind. But the plan had to wait. Inside, Malia was sick again. She had thrown up on the floor by the couch. Erica knelt beside her and felt her forehead. Hot. Too hot. Malia was running a fever now. Erica's own stomach lurched, and she barely made it before she threw up too. When it passed, a headache pounded behind her eyes. Malia burst into tears. "My stomach is spinning," she said. "Everything's spinning. I can't stop it." She grabbed Erica's sleeve. Malia was the youngest wolf in the pack, small and scared, and Erica had promised to look after her. "I know," Erica whispered. "I've got you. Just breathe." She pulled a blanket over Malia and helped her onto the couch that faced the wall. Malia curled up, shaking, still crying. Then Erica heard it. Footsteps on the path outside. Slow, heavy, coming closer. A knock hit the cottage door. "Hello? Is anyone home?" A woman's voice. Firm. "I'm from the school. None of you girls came to class today." Erica's chest went tight. If a teacher saw two sick girls and a house full of secrets, she would ask questions. Questions led to nosy people. Nosy people led to hunters. She had to keep Malia quiet. Malia let out a sob. It was loud in the small room. Erica pressed her hand gently over Malia's mouth. "Shh. Please. Please be quiet," she breathed. Her head throbbed. Her stomach rolled again. She swallowed hard and held it down. The knock came again. Erica moved fast. She switched on the old boxy television and turned the dial until sound filled the room. A cheerful voice covered Malia's crying. Then she went to the door and opened it just a crack. A woman stood there in a neat coat, holding a clipboard. Her eyes searched past Erica into the house. "We're sick," Erica said. Her pale, sweating face made it easy to believe. "Stomach flu. All of us caught it. That's why nobody came in." The woman frowned. She heard the television. She saw Erica sway on her feet. "You do look ill," she said slowly. "You should be resting, not answering doors." "I will," Erica said. "I promise." The woman wrote something down. "Get well. I'll mark you all excused." She turned and walked back down the path. Erica shut the door and leaned against it. Her legs felt like water. Behind her, Malia had stopped crying. The teacher was gone. The secret was safe, for now. But Erica understood something new. Being sick together, all at once, was a danger of its own. It drew eyes. If the pack fell ill every full moon, people would keep coming. She could hide wolves. She could hide girls. She could not hide a whole house of sickness forever. That was the next thing she had to solve.