School bells ringing, students cheering, cold blasts of air rushing through the hallways: it was pure bliss to every student and faculty member in the school. Except for one student, and all the proceedings of winter vacation only managed to agitate her. Wren was a moody teenager of fifteen with cold scarlet eyes and a long, snow white braid hanging to her waist. Dressed in a dark trench coat and dark leather boots, Wren was the only student in school who actually walked out of the building instead of bolting from the classes. Wren was closely followed by Linda, the school counselor. Linda, a bright brown haired woman with green eyes and glasses, had taken a special interest in Wren ever since the girl had virtually ignored the gun fight in the hallway last November. Convinced there was something wrong with the teen, Linda had taken to following Wren around asking questions. Today was no different.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked determinedly, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Wren answered tonelessly. “Can I get home, Linda? It’s rather chilly.” Linda frowned.

“Are you sure?” she persisted. “If you ever need someone to call and talk about things, you know my number.” Wren nodded, withdrawing a long black scarf from her bag and wrapping around her neck.

“I know.”

“You know what, I’ll call you this weekend and check up on you…okay?” Wren shrugged.

“Whatever.” Linda halted as Wren began to walk away from the school towards her home. Wren lived a few miles away from the school and walked to and from the facility every day. She lived in an old, dilapidated building on Crescent Hill near the old electrical plant. Linda watched as the teen slowly faded into the swirling snow before shaking her head and going to her car. That girl was a mystery. A confusing complex mystery.

Wren had halted a few feet from her home, looking up at the dusty windows through the spiraling snow. Wren blew her bangs from her eyes and her hand drifted towards her upper right arm. She hesitated before her hand brushed her sleeve and walked briskly into the house instead. She needed to forget. Why did it keep haunting her? Wren’s wolf pup, Bane, bounded down the hall towards her. Wren caught the pup as he flew through the air towards her, carefully holding him so as to allow the pup to lick her face. Bane was very small; the runt of the litter with coarse black fur and deep copper-gold eyes. Wren rubbed her cheek to rid it of Bane’s kiss and set the pup down on the floor with her bag. Wren strode into the kitchen and undid the scarf around her neck. Hanging the scarf on a peg, she leaned over the stove and lit one of the burners. The teen slid onto one of the stools holding her cordless phone.

“3…2…1…” Wren counted softly. The phone gave a trill ring and Wren pressed it to her ear.

“Yes?”

“Hello Wren!” Wren let loose a small sigh.

“Can I help you Linda?” There was a pause.

“No, not really,” the woman answered. On Linda’s end, the woman was twisting her phone’s cord nervously. “Unless, you’d care to answer my questions.” Wren gave a sigh.

“I’ll humor you and allow you to ask them.” Linda rolled her eyes.

“May I speak to your parents?” Wren froze, her expression locked in a shocked gasp. Linda frowned once Wren didn’t answer.

“…my…parents…?” Wren’s voice was soft and slow coming. Linda sighed in annoyance.

“Yes Wren. Your parents! Are they there? Can I speak with them?” Wren blinked as she stumbled off her stool and onto her feet, shakily holding the phone to her ear. Images flashed past her eyes. Images she had been trying so hard for years to repress. Images she had forgotten even existed.

“Wren?” The phone slipped from Wren’s fingers and clattered to the floor. “Wren?! Are you alright?!” Wren fell to her knees with a cry, clutching her head.

“No!” she screamed. “No, not again!! I never wanted to see it again!!”

“Wren?! Wren, what’s going on?! Wren? Wren!”

“No! Stop them!!” Wren screamed again. “Stop them!! They’re killing them!”

“WREN!!!” Wren, trembling, held from the black at the edges of her mind as the final image replayed across her eyes.

“What did they do to me…?” Wren whispered. The teenage girl collapsed to the floor next to the phone, slipping into darkness.