Chapter 55: I Feel like I'm Being Watched

CALEB 'The annual Luna festival is coming up in Henley ay? That's why all these wolves are on the loose. They're gonna need a sacrifice, a specific number of humans. They probably won't stop until they're done. You're lucky Kyle is alive, the werewolf who bit him likely wanted him dead." His voice had dropped an entire octave, and I could sense the seriousness and realism of the situation. It felt like a bucket of chilled water was poured over my head. 'I've known about the Luna festival since I was born. The fuck you mean werewolves? Sacrifice?" It all sounded so absurd. 'Ay, I'm not the expert. I'm only telling you what I know." 'Not heard?" I wasn't interested in hearsay. 'No, I know what I'm saying. These things have been around for as long as I can remember." 'Marco?!" I heard a faint sound call him from his end of the line. Probably Maria. 'Ay, mi lady calls. When I return, we'll talk about it. For now Caleb, just do whatever it'll take to keep him safe." He said, hanging up. I threw my phone across the office. This whole thing sounded orchestrated. Kyle had always been a fan of werewolves since he was little, so initially I thought his childhood excitement had gotten the best of him This was a lot more complicated. My phone buzzed erratically, jolting me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the caller ID and softened my expression. 'Brielle." 'Caleb." 'What's going on? How's school?" 'Caleb…I don't want to stay here anymore. I feel like I'm being watched." 'Watched by who and what? What do you mean?" 'I don't know, Caleb. I just…." Her voice trailed off. She sounded like she was hiding. 'Brielle, where are you?" I whispered into the phone. My heart was pounding painfully. 'I'm…." Oh for fuck's sake talk to me. 'Brielle?" Silence. 'Brielle!?" I increased my pitch. Nothing. Then, the line went dead. Shit. I dashed out of the office in a frantic effort. I wanted to just appear in front of her dorm. It was 5pm, she wouldn't be in school. I raced down the road, oblivious to the crowd of humans on the street. It was Friday, everyone was eager to get home and relax. Except me. I got to Brielle's dorm in under 20 minutes, and basically jumped down from the car. I received numerous strange stares that depicted a 'what the hell is wrong with him?" type of look. I didn't care. I marched into the reception of Queen's Quarters, the dormitory where Brielle stayed. My aura was domineering, almost too powerful. The reception became hushed in an instant, all eyes on me. I walked briskly to the receptionist, who stared at me like I was some sort of spectacle. 'Brielle Reese." I tapped my finger on her desk, impatiently. She kept staring. I banged the table a little harder. 'Brielle Reese." My voice increased a bit. She flinched, and began flipping through a stack of files. She pulled out Brielle's file, and ran her eyes over the words. 'B-Brielle checked out a few minutes ago. She said, "she was going out with friends." The receptionist stuttered under my burning gaze. My blood pressure spiked. Where the fuck would Brielle go on a Friday evening? A bar? No, she doesn't drink. A hotel? Likely, but she doesn't have a boyfriend. Neither is she into escorts. A friend's place? Oh fuck, I didn't even know her friends. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. 'Does anyone have any idea where she could have gone?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. 'I-er, I don't know. She doesn't have many friends in the dorm. Most of them don't live on campus." This just keeps getting shittier. I dashed out of the dorm, breathless. Something was going wrong. It was spiraling out of my control. And I always had control. Always. I got into my car, grabbing the steering wheel with effort. I slammed my hands on the dash. 'Fuck!" I yelled. My phone buzzed, but only ever so slightly. I groaned, but was optimistic. Please, please be good news. Brielle's name splayed boldly on the caller's ID. I answered without a second thought. 'Brielle? What the hell happened? Where are you?" 'Hunters Hotel. Downtown. I'm sorry." She hung up. Oh hell nah. This isn't happening. I drove out of the parking lot with speed and headed straight downtown. I reached the hotel, barging through the front doors and ignoring the forced pleasantries of the doorman. 'Brielle Reese. Did she check in here?" The receptionist flinched at my demeanor, but got to work on the name. She muttered incoherently, but I couldn't care less. 'Yes, she checked in about an hour ago. Room 109. Do you know her sir?" 'Has she checked out yet?" I was getting impatient. Every passing second was precious. Way too precious. 'No, she hasn't." 'Give me the key." I demanded. 'Sir…I cannot-" 'Give me the fucking key." My tone was cold, menacing. I wasn't one to talk too much. 'Sir, it's against my code of conduct. Unless you can provide some proof that you're related to her on a more personal level, I'm afraid I cannot endanger our client's safety." She said with an air of defiance. I glanced at her name tag. Cynthia. Interesting. I calmed down a bit, and pulled out a picture of me and Brielle on her 20th birthday. Cynthia scrutinized it, and exhaled. A few seconds later, she pulled out a key card. 'Have a nice day, sir." Mockery. Even more interesting. I hurried upstairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. Room 109 was on the second floor, and it didn't take me long to get there. I walked down the hall, watching the numbers. 106. 107. 108. 109. I swiped the card on the door. It opened swiftly, making a faint beeping sound. I walked in, cautious. The room was silent. A little too silent. I spotted Brielle's Gucci bag on the bedside table. Her retainer, and glasses lay sprawled on the floor. The room was a mystical combination of white and peach. It was peaceful, but it was obvious that something had gone wrong here. I turned towards the bathroom, when I heard a muffled scream. I followed the sound as soon as I heard it. It was female, but it didn't sound like Brielle. My eyes darted towards the closet. Everything fell silent again, and I cursed inwardly. I moved slowly, walking towards the tightly shut closet. I swung it open in one complete motion. Nothing, but hotel fits, towels, and a few lotions stared back at me. I heard the sound again and craned my neck. Where was this coming from? I walked towards the bathroom, the mirrored door hindering my sight from completely seeing the inside. I swung the door open. There was a piece of hair on the floor. Long, blonde hair. Brielle was blonde. Alarm bells rang continuously in my head. The sound came again. Where else could it be coming from?