FIFTEEN | REMEDIES

"Hm." Doc Blythe is a Wolven women in her late fifties. Her dark hair is braided tightly into an intricate knot at the back of her head, thick rimmed glasses hang at the tip of her nose, hiding her stormy grey eyes as she examines me. She came over thirty minutes ago with Caly, who is perched in the corner of my room, watching with curiosity as the women has me answer some questions.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" I ask when I can no longer wait. She swabbed my throat earlier, almost immediately after she got here and took the test out to the van to get analyzed.* How? Not a clue*. But she told me it wouldn't take longer than fifteen minutes to see if I have strep or the flu.

"Lupine Fever." She pulls out her phone and scrolls through her phone, nodding to herself. "I guess you never got it as a child?" She peers over the rim of her glasses at me, waiting for confirmation. I blink at the question. *Lupine Fever?*

"I can't say for sure if I haven't. I don't think I have." I admit, pulling my blanket tighter around me. *Reinier's don't get sick*. That's what Grandmother always told us when we were little. I wonder how much of that was true because we were so closed off to the local Packs around us.

"I see. Well, it's something a lot of our pups have had before. Nothing too terrible. Fever, chills, sore throat," She rattles off, packing away her medical tools. "It should clear up by the morning, but I recommend you stay in bed and drink lots of fluids." She instructs and pulls a little amber vial from her pocket. "These are for the cough and sore throat." She taps the thing, shaking the lavender pills inside. I nod and take the bottle, popping open the lid and tapping one out onto my palm. "One every four to six hours if you feel you need it."

"Thanks, Doc." I mumble around the pill as I put the thing on my tongue. It dissolves almost instantly, leaving the taste of something sickly sweet at the back of my throat. I fight the urge to gag, sticking out my tongue and wincing, but the pain in my throat lessens a little.

"Gross, huh?" Caly nods solemnly at me and hops off her throne of stacked, empty cardboard boxes. "I'll make you some soup before I go. Doc, gimme fifteen?" She pauses in the doorway to look at the doctor with her wide, pleading eyes.

"Of course, Caly." Doc nods at the girl before Caly leaves the room. I don't have the strength to protest having another Azure cook for me in less than three days. Though I wonder if her skills are as good as her brother's. "Scarlett," The Doc closes the door to my room and passes me a sealed water bottle.

"Hm?" I ask the Doc around a sip of water, swishing the stuff around my mouth to clean out the taste of the tablet.

"Do you want to talk about those scars?" I freeze, my hand over the cap. "Only Pack-inflicted wounds leave scars like those." She continues after a moment, her grey eyes wary and studying me carefully. I glance down at where the sleeves of my shirt end, just below my wrists. My scars are covered there and I frown...then my hand goes to my neck. The very edge of the neckline of this sweater is torn, and like an idiot, I forgot about it.

"It's fine." I try to sound nonchalant about it. Really, it's not like she knows who I am just by knowing I have Pack-inflicted scars. Rogue Wolven get chased out of Packs all the time.

"Prolonged healing can leave your body vulnerable." Doc sits beside me on the bed, looking a lot like a concerned mother. "It may be why you got sick when you came here. Most Wolven aren't in a constant state of regeneration and won't get sick so easily."

"I mean, it's not like there's anything to cure it." I tell her, pulling the blanket closer around me.

"Have you spoken to Hale?" Her question is direct, calm...but with an undertone I don't understand.

"Um, he's my teacher." I say, frowning at the abrupt change of topic. She pushes up her glasses, almost nervously, and glances at the door. I can hear Caly bustling around the kitchen, sure she can't hear us.

"Hale works in part of the Azure Pack's research branch, he may be able to help with your healing ability." Doc says slowly, like she's trying not to give too much information away to a non-Pack member. I appreciate the knowledge, though, surprised to learn it.

"Okay. I guess I can ask him tomorrow," I tell her, giving her a grateful smile. Everyone here has been so nice to me. Not like in other towns with suspicious Packs or territorial Wolven. They all seem genuinely helpful and kind. I just can't figure out why.

"Also, and I don't mean to pry," I wince when she says that. It almost always means someone's about to pry. "Will your guardian be coming home soon? You should have someone check in on you tonight in case your symptoms worsen."

"I'll let my mom know." I say, avoiding the question directly. Doc Blyth nods slowly, a slight frown tugging at the corners of her lips. She won't be able to smell Mom's presence in the house either. Just the lingering scent off my stuff. "I'll call you if I feel any worse." I add to try and soothe the woman. I don't need a babysitter.

"Alright then." She finally concedes with a pursed-lipped nod. "I'll see myself out." She takes her gathered doctor stuff and walks out of my room. I get up slowly, shuffling after the woman and into the kitchen. Caly is hovering over a pot with a big spoon in hand. I can't smell much at the moment, so just watch from the other side off the room until she turns to me.

"It's almost done." She informs me, pulling a ceramic bowl from one of the cupboards and putting leafy stuff in it along with extra spices.

"Who taught you to cook?" I decide to ask, watching as she turns off the steaming pot and ladles out a rich brown broth into the bowl. Carrots and squash and potato are the only vegetables I can name as she adds in chunks of meat and lots of broth. My nose twitches as the hearty aroma finally breaks through my congested nasal passages. Earthy and spicy and delicious. My stomach growls as I edge closer.

"Zane." Caly says, smirking a little. I fight a blush, sure she can smell traces of him around here. "Here." Caly sets the bowl on the counter beside me and plops in a spoon. "Make sure to drink a lot of water too." She adds, looking out towards the front door.

"You're the best." I smile at Caly over my bowl of soup as I pull the hot stuff up for another experimental whiff, then a sip. It's hot. And not just in the temperature sense. I almost choke on the spicy broth when it hits the back of my throat, but manage to get it down. The flavor lingers in my mouth, oddly enough making me crave more. I take in a deeper gulp, enjoying the rich spices and warmth.

"Thank me by coming to my party Wednesday." She smiles, that excited look in her eyes. I smile back and shrug, setting the bowl down.

"Maybe." I tell her. "Maybe just for a few minutes." I add after a second. She grins, silvery-grey eye sparking with excitement.

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow." She bounces on her toes for a second before leaving the room. "Hope you feel better!" She calls over her shoulder before the sound of the front door opening and closing resounds.

- - -

"*Lupine Fever?*" Mom chuckles under her breath from the other end of the line. "*I remember that one*," I growl at her, nursing my third bowl of soup. After the first one my stuffy nose cleared up a bit and my throat doesn't feel like I gargled razorblades anymore.

"Did I ever get it?" I ask, talking around a mouthful of meat I finally identified as beef.

"*No. You and your cousins were kept away from the sick bay when you were little*." Mom explains. "*It's the Wolven version of a very bad cold*."

"I've never gotten sick before, give me a break." I grumble.

"*No, but you've probably been spending a lot of time near other Wolven, so it explains how you got it*." Mom sounds positively giddy. Her chipper tone is getting on my nerves. "*How are things?*" She adds after a minute. I hear the sounds of a door clicking shut and locks being turned.

"Fine. But I'm getting sick of peppermint candies already. Oh, and Yuri said I stink." I tell her with false pleasantness.

"*Sounds like a blunt kid.*" Mom's smile is practically audible.

"Mhph." I mumble, shoveling in another mouthful of soup.

"*You're in a worse mood than usual.*" I hear her keys clatter and the soft sounds of shoes being kicked off.

"Look who's talking." I gripe, mumbling the words, though I know she can hear them clearly.

"*Get some rest, Wisty. We'll talk tomorrow.*"

"Night." I tell her half-heartedly before the line goes dead.

- - -

By morning I feel almost one hundred percent, aside from the slight exhaustion still clinging to me when I get to school. It's more of the same today. Yuri mutters a comment about my scent a Zane stays entranced by his book all throughout Homeroom. Shortly after Ms. Lewis gives the usual announcements, I rest my head on the desk and close my eyes. I'm not sleepy, just fatigued.

If anything, I'm really looking forward to lunch. I managed to find a thermos to store some of the soup Caly made last night. With any luck, I'll feel as good as I did last week by Choir. Which is the plan since I know Ms. Jones is going to be running us ragged with the Halloween dance show thingy coming up. Rehearsal tonight is probably going to ruin my throat again, though.

I must still be out of it, though, because before I know it, I'm sitting in my next class. I blink, wondering where time's gone. I try to ignore the lapse in time, but in the back of my mind, I know it's not a good sign. Especially when it happens again. I space out for a minute - and bam - I'm somewhere else.

By fourth period, I'm starting to get worried. But, to my immense relief, it doesn't happen again. I'm able to stay focused during the whole class and not a second passes that I can't account for. When the bell rings to dismiss us, I hang back a few extra minutes.

"Hey, Mr. Hale?" I pause by his desk on my way out of English. The humans have already left, but Zane's still sticking around, nose buried in the last few pages of his book.

"Yes, Scarlet?" Mr. Hale asks, looking up from the stack of papers he was just grading.

"I was talking to Doc Blythe last night, apparently I had Lupine Fever, and she mentioned something to me. She said to talk to you about it." I begin slowly, not really sure how to bring it up.

"Alright." His expression remains calm and cool, but there's a slight stiffening to it that makes me think he's trying to hide something.

"She told me one reason I got so sick was because of some...um, scars I have from a while back. They're Pack inflicted so they're taking a while to heal," I whisper the last part, keeping my voice as quiet as possible on the off chance Zane decides to listen in. "She told me you could help me with my healing ability?" It comes out more like a question. Mr. Hale glances over my shoulder before looking back to me and nodding.

"There are certain remedies I've researched on the subject of healing." He tells me, sitting back in his chair. "There are methods of using other, shall we say, supernatural gifts from other species that could help. However, there are down sides-"

"At this point, I'd try just about anything." I tell him in a rush, hope leaking into my words. *There's a remedy for my scars. No more pain. No more hiding. No more visible reminders of that night.* I think I'd sell my soul if I could for something that could help.

"Alright." Mr. Hale leans in and lowers his voice - almost to the point I can't hear his next words. "How much do you know about vampires?" I can feel the blood drain from my face.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right-" I laugh a little too loudly, feeling my stomach twist at the thought of the v word. Grandmother told us horror stories about vamps. Demonic creatures with a pension blood and death. Things that couldn't die - wouldn't die - unless you knew where their weak spots were. Wooden stakes to the heart. Chopping off the head. Garlic. Sunlight. They're like the equivalent to dinosaurs to humans. At least, that's what Grandmother told us.

"Vampires. Yes, you heard me correctly." Mr. Hale repeats, eyes me carefully. I frown, blinking a few times. "Though I'm sure you've heard stories about them, they're actually not all evil creatures. Some Packs don't take kindly to them, but I know of a Coven that gets along with a few local Packs." Mr. Hale continues. "Part of my job with the Azure Pack is to work with local supernatural and non-supernatural groups, that being said, there is a way we've found to boost healing thanks to the Coven."

"What kind of treatment is it?" I ask slowly, my stomach turning at the thought of using anything a vamp may have contributed to heal. No matter how desperate I am for it.

"Vampire blood."

"No." It comes out automatically, my entire body recoiling at the thought. Still, I can't stop the picture in my mind of me drinking blood. The room starts to spin, my throat starts to ache again. More intensely than last night. I swallow, feeling my head begin to thrum like before. And then I shut down the notion. Everything inside returns to normal.

"It would be no different than a transfusion-" Mr. Hale begins to explain, and that dizziness tries to knock me over again.

"I said *no*." I repeat icily, gritting my teeth and firmly setting my resolve. I will not allow any sort of bloodsucker fluids anywhere near me. I'm already enough of a freak as it stands. "Thanks anyway, Mr. Hale, but I don't think that would be something I could do."

"Of course, Scarlett. I understand." He nods, though I can see a colder look in his jade eyes as he says it.

- - -

"Ms. Holland, are you with us?" Ms. Jones screeches, practically throwing her baton. The room falls silent.

"Yes, ma'am." I answer, blinking out of my thoughts for the nth time. After that conversation with Mr. Hale, I've been finding it harder and harder to concentrate. *Vampire blood. How could he even consider that a valid treatment? Is he insane?*

"Alright, from the top," Ms. Jones continues to scowl as she raises the stick again, looking like she wants to murder me with it. Darine helps me find the section we're in, maybe halfway through the third song. I manage to make it through the next hour without breaking my concentration and Ms. Jones dismisses us.

"I thought she was going to throw a fit." Darine comments as we leave the music hall, walking through the empty school to get to the front of the school.

"You and me both." I wince, taking a swig from the lukewarm tea she'd brought me during lunch. After enduring three hours of Ms. Jones, I'm about ready to collapse, and my healed throat is back to feeling raw.

"Hey, I hate to ask, but do you think you could give me a lift?" Darine asks when we get to the parking lot. "My mom's pulling another double shift tonight and dad's out of town for the week." She waves her phone at me.

"Yeah, sure." I shrug, unlocking the car door. "Just keep in mind I'm new to the town so you're gonna have to give me some seriously detailed directions." I warn her.

"Done." She grins and crosses to the other side of the car. "You're a lifesaver, Scarlett, thanks."

"What'er friends for?" I smile at her as I start the car and pull out of the parking lot.