Spirit Tales (The Millennium Wolves AU)

The next morning I woke up to the sound of Cora and Samantha discussing what they should wear today. “Going somewhere?” I asked them when I rose from bed.

Cora nodded. “Sally and everyone come back later and we’re taking a stroll. Obviously, you need to come with us.”

My hands curled into fists. “They’re coming along as well, aren’t they?” I asked quietly and when the two nodded, I felt my heart sinking. I didn’t want to see them, and not I had to spend a whole day with them. Wonderful.

Cora and Samantha explained why the eastern convoy were coming back so early and they said the situation was stabilized for now, even though they didn’t catch anybody. I was wondering if Evander was on his way to bomb another place that was related to the Alpha or if he was going low for now. I reached the decision that I couldn’t care less.

I went back to my room with no desire but breathed in relief when I saw no one was there. I quickly got read and when I went to breakfast, I ignored the men again. Albert and Maria let me know that we were going somewhere to celebrate the return of Sally and the rest, and when breakfast was over, everyone went to wait for them in the parking lot. When they arrived, everyone hugged and kissed them as though they didn’t see them in ages - and not just for a couple of days.

After they got ready as well, everyone, along with Megan, Brom, Greg and Sally, were split into a few cars. I was stuck in Fred’s car, with Strider, Apollo and Maria. Maris sat next to the Alpha in the passenger seat, and I was, of course, stuck between Apollo and Strider, to my dismay. I ignored them completely throughout the entire drive even though they tried to make conversation.

When we arrived at the large parking lot next to the most crowded road in the city, everyone parked their cars and got out. The restaurant was a few blocks away, and so we had to walk for a while. Cora went next to the Albert, the two talking quietly among themselves; Greg and Sally held hands, shouting their relationship to the world; Rachel was pasted to Strider’s side, and to my surprise, he didn’t exactly tried to make her go away and even laughed and talked to her. She, of course, was elated, and she took his hand in hers, her crystal eyes sending me a satisfied, evil look while he wrapped an arm around her. My hands balled into fists because I knew what he was trying to do - and like him Apollo, who seemed suddenly very interested in Samantha, who was walking closely to him. He even flirted with her to no end.

The worst thing was that Fred walked next to Maria, and the healer looked at him longingly, while he spoke to her quietly, intimately. It felt like someone shoved a knife into my heart and twisted, shattering it to pieces. I stopped in my place, frozen, and saw how everyone passed me by - the gang, the bypassers - while cars drove around us. Tears rose to my eyes when I realized they wanted to get revenge on me for what I’d done last night. And for what? Because I spoke out my thoughts?

I started to shake but forced myself to take step after step, foot after foot, and slowly proceeded down the road, but it was so hard. After a few more steps I froze again, unable to move when all I wanted was to fold into a ball and cry in a dark corner.

Every time I wanted something or someone, I drove them away.

Every time it was my fault.

Like now.

Like with Brock.

ANGELA!!! Tempest suddenly screamed in my head, and when I snapped my head to the side I saw a car driving hysterically fast toward me. I realized with a spark of fear I was in the middle of the road, and that the car was moments away from crashing into me.

A split second before it did, I heard Tempest yelling at me, Let me out and help you - us!

And in my current state, I had no will to resist, so I closed my eyes, waiting for the crash, and let my control over my body to disappear, giving myself to Tempest, because what did I have to lose?

I lost three good men. I lost many other people. I didn’t really have friends. It didn’t really matter what would happen to me, whether the car hit me or Tempest pushed it away.

Beyond my closed lashes I saw a light so strong that blinded me even though my eyes were still closed. Everything around me shook until suddenly… it didn’t. A strong wind blew my hair, and I realized with a sense of coherence that I was airborne. I felt my body growing shorter, and I’d never felt such a thing, as though I was being pushed downward from the head. I felt my chest growing smaller, as if I wore an extremely small sized bra, and how my thighs thinning as well through the indescribable force that took over my body. I felt my hair growing longer until it reached my waist, and when I opened my eyes, I saw for my shock that I was flying over the city, that it was spread below me, so small that I realized I was really far up in the air. But when I began to scream, I realized my mouth wasn’t moving. When I tried to move any of my limbs, I was unable to do so. When I tried to say something, I couldn’t. What’s going on here?! I asked in my thoughts.

“We changed places,” Tempest answered through my body - which I knew understood was her real body, her real shape. “Now you’re in the shape of a soul, or spirit, in my head, and I’m in charge, controlling the body.”

How? I demanded. And why the hell can I not get out of here?!

“When you let me have control, you also lent me your body,” Tempest said smugly. “Now let me enjoy the first and last moment of freedom, Angela. And please let me give it to the people looking at us from down below.”

Who looks at us? I asked, confused. I don’t understand what’s going on! Panic took old now.

“Your friends, random people,” Tempest said nonchalantly, “and right now we’re in the air thanks to my wings. Here, look,” she turned her head and through her eyes - ours! - I saw a pair of huge wings that came out of my back. They were the most ethereal and beautiful thing I’d ever seen; huge, celestial, full of white, almost transparent feathers that looked so soft but also threatening at the same time. “They’re called the Wings of Storm or Wings of Chaos and they’re ours,” Tempest said as though she was showing off a cool toy.

I couldn’t think. The sight of the wings was too wondrous, the situation surreal, and then I understood what Tempest had meant when she said it was suffocating inside here. I might be breathing, but I had no body, only my soul inside this head, in the form of some sort of an essence, and it was hard to breathe. It was so claustrophobic and blinding, even though I saw everything through Tempest’s eyes.

“Now all you have to do is sit tight and watch the show,” Tempest said and I felt her smiling. “Grab the popcorn, friend. It’s going to get very interesting.”

And then, before I could even my breath, I screamed inside her head as she dived through the air. I wanted to close my eyes but I just couldn’t.

I saw the gang crowded down on the road with dozens of other people who watched us with gaping mouths, and at once Tempest landed on some car, bending the metal from the force. She straightened her back, studying the people with narrowed eyes, and then smiled and thought to me, Here we go. Before I could tell her anything, she turned her back to them and began sprinting with undiluted speed the likes I’d never witnessed before, her wings spread behind her, while she jumped from one car to another. Someone screamed behind us, and I heard Fred giving one order: “After her!”

A laughter full of arrogance, amusement and madness burst out of her throat.

I watched everything with pure horror. Tempest, you’re ruining the cars!

I don’t care, Angie, she laughed in her mind. It’s so awesome! I never knew how much fun it is to be free!

Suddenly we passed some store’s window and I sneaked a look at how I looked - or rather how Tempest looked. I gasped in her head when I saw the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hair was long and colored dark blonde, and it was wavy and smooth; her eyes were light blue and stormy, thousands of times more beautiful than my light brown ones. Her body was shorter, her chester smaller, and her form was lithe and slim, like that of a model. The clothes I had on were loose on her, the jeans almost falling from her tiny waist and the tee exposing the too-large bra.

The sight burned in my head while she kept on jumping from one car to another, demolishing them one by one, until we reached the end of the city. I didn’t even feel how fast we flew, and now suddenly we were back down on the earth, Tempest running into the woods. Behind us were growls and snarls and when Tempest turned her head around, she let out a crazy smile - because of a few wolves in their animal shape were chasing us, in addition to Apollo who ran next to them with fire in his hands like a pair of well-powered engines.

We reached a wide meadow and there Tempest stopped in the center while everyone spread all around us, caging us. Tempest wasn’t bothered at all, and even crudely took off her clothes. “That’s better,” she chuckled when we saw the men’s gaze almost swallowing us with their stares.

I’d never got such a clear response from men, but Tempest acted as though she was used to that - and of course she was, with how beautiful she was.

“Hello, darlins!” Tempest said with a wide grin and laughed, her wild nature coming into play more so than when she was in my head. “I don’t believe we’ve officially met so let me introduce myself - I’m Tempest, the Spirit of Chaos. It’s nice to meet you - or not! Hahahahaha!” she laughed maniacally, her head falling back from the hysterical tremors in her body.

With a flash of light the wolves returned to their human shape. We were exactly in front of Fred and everyone who wore clothes. On their fingers glinted ring, and I remembered that Fred told me that these rings, which were rare, helped werewolves keep their clothes on when they change back into their human form, instead of being naked like everyone else.

“Tempest, give Angela her body back,” Apollo said warningly, the fire still flickering around him, Pyro’s blue eyes overcoming Apollo’s brown ones.

Tempest cocked her head. “But why should I?” she asked in a childish voice all of a sudden. “Angela gave me the okay to take charge - because if I didn’t the car would’ve run us over - and it’s all your fault!” she let out a snort of amusement that echoed in the meadow, her naked body shaking from laughter.

“We didn’t do anything,” Strider folded his arms, Rachel standing closer to him. “She’s the one who didn’t talk to us and acted like an angry child.”

Tempest’s smile was wiped away from her face and her amusement was replaced with rage. “Don’t call Rosangela an angry child,” she said in a suddenly low, threatening voice. “She’s not just a little girl. She’s the most honest person I’ve ever met in my life, so don’t you dare call her names.”

Everyone tensing, as though readying themselves for an attack. “Rosangela?” Fred asked, his red eyes widening in shock. “Is that her full name?”

“And you call yourself her friends, or fight over the ‘right to win her,’” Tempest spat mockingly, “you know close to nothing about her. You’re so stupid,” she sent them a glower before she smiled again - this time her smile challenging. “Let’s which one of you could stop me now that you angered me.”

And before any of them managed to so something other than breathe, Tempest kneeled and jumped into the air, her wings spread wide.