Prompt 088

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama
Characters: Caine, Alana
Prompt: 088~Lies
Word Count: 2,115
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Alana's plan doesn't go as planned
Warnings: Language



It was Monday. A smile spread across Alana’s face as she got ready for work. She enjoyed her job. Teaching was something that she had always wanted to do. She enjoyed seeing that look of understanding cross a child's face when something she said registered in their minds. Putting her bag over her shoulder she locked the door to the house and walked toward the bus stop. She smiled to herself when she passed the old lot. It was now empty. It might have taken her weeks but it was done and she felt a little safer. The first drop of rain splatter against her glasses making her blink. Holding out her hands she sighed as the rain started to pick up. She really needed to get her car fixed.

She scowled when she saw yet another bit of graffiti on the school wall. You would think, she thought in annoyance, that people would have a little bit more respect for public property. She shook her head and had to smile at the fanciful thought. Her dad would have called her naïve. He always said she had the idealistic view of people and things that would one day lead to her downfall. She liked to think it was the one thing that prevented her downfall. She didn’t want to be as cynical as everyone else she knew.

The school day went by quickly, at least for her, and before she knew it the dismissal bell was ringing. After all the kids left Alana sat down behind her desk. She enjoyed staying after school. She liked to see the kids getting on the bus and stayed just in case a student needed any extra help and was just too shy to ask during class. She had been one of those kids. She had learned early on that most everyone in the class hated when a person asked questions. They just wanted to get through with the class. They were content to just scratch the surface while Alana had wanted to know all the layers. She had graduated at the top of her class but she had always been the oddball so she had never had any friends. It had been lonely but she was used to it by now. And so what if a trickle of envy went through her as she heard the other teachers talking about what they did over the weekend together? She was human but she had other priorities right now. She watched as the last bus pulled away from the curb. Realizing that no one was going to ask for help today and seeing that it was still sunny outside Alana decided that she should probably head home before the sky opened up again.

It had started to rain again a mile from her house. She stood outside in the rain as she debated on whether or not she should check on her dog. Okay, technically he wasn’t her dog but still, that’s how she thought of him. She didn’t know if he would have enough food for the night and what if that old house had a leaky roof? An idea began to form in her mind, and if she were truthful with herself, she had been thinking about it for awhile. Turning, she raced inside. Grabbing a bottle she sprinkled a bit of the contents on the dog food in the Ziploc bag before dropping the baggie back in her purse.

Locking her door once again she sprinted down the sidewalk. Her heels beat a rapid tempo as she dodged puddles and kept time with her thundering heart as she tried not to think about what she was going to do.

Caine laid on the couch and stared in disinterest as the rat crept across the floor. Every now and then it would pause and look at him before cautiously picking its way over to carton of Chinese food. Just when the rat was about to reach the food Caine let a rumble well in his chest and it quickly scurried back to its hole. This was the fourth time they had done this and Caine wondered how long the stupid motherfucker would keep this up. He flipped over on his back and stared at the cracked ceiling. He was bored. It was raining and he was pretty sure that Alana, she had told him her name a few weeks back, wouldn’t be stopping by today. Okay, she hadn’t told him her name per say. She had told the dog her name. He winced.
“A dog. I still can’t believe she thinks I’m a dog.”
And he still couldn’t believe that he was actually going along with this charade. He didn’t know what it was about that broad. She wasn’t beautiful. Except when she smiled. And she smiled all the time. There wasn’t anything about her that would draw the eye but damn, she smelled good. And it wasn’t a perfume. It was her. Put her in a room with a thousand broads and blind fold him and Caine was positive that he’d be able to-
He sat up when he heard a clattering about a mile down the road. What was that?
“Fucking A!” He leapt from the couch.

It was her. She had come to see him. He felt his tongue loll out and he looked behind him to see his ass wagging. He huffed out a breath and concentrated on making sure his tail was still. He placed his paws on the windowsill and let out a bark when Alana rounded the corner of the house. She came to a stop and teetered for a moment. He eyed her legs. She had good looking legs. He’d noticed that first off since he was pretty much eye level with them. They looked silky and smooth. He frowned when he noticed that she was shivering and her dress was plastered to her body. Had the stupid woman walked all the way here? Dropping from the windowsill he raced outside.
“Hey boy! Who’s a good boy?” Alana crooned. Or tried to. Her voice was shaking too bad for it to sound soothing. She didn’t know if it was from the cold or nerves. With trembling hands she reached into her bag and pulled out the dry dog food. After dumping the water out of the bucket she empty the baggie into it.

“Are you hungry? Eat up boy. Come on.”
So far he hadn’t eaten anything from her even though she tried to get him to every day she was here. She held her breath as he looked up at her then down at the bucket. He studied it a moment before he seemed to give a shrug and took a cautious mouthful. Five bites later she noticed that he seemed to be leaning further into the bucket as if to steady himself. Another two bites and…

She dropped to her knees, paying no heed to the mud and gravel, as she checked to make sure he was still breathing. She had enjoyed biology in college and had even considering becoming a vet, like her dad, but had realized it wasn’t for her. But she had picked up a few things. One of them was knowing how to mix chemicals so they were odorless and tasteless. Her dad would be proud. Reaching down she stuck her finger in front of his nose and was relieved to feel air. One of the things she hadn’t been good at was measuring. She always worried about the dosage.
Digging out her cell she called for a cab.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take him to a vet ma’am?”
“Yes. Thank you for your help in carrying him in. I’m sure he’ll be fine in the morning.” She handed the man some bills and shut the door in his face. Turning she kneeled down and tugged at one of the dog’s legs. It flopped out from under his head. Sighing, she should have asked the cab driver to place him in the dog bed, she dropped her purse and with a lot of pulling and tugging was able to roll him into the bed.

This wasn’t exactly how she had imagined bring him home but the dog was just so stubborn. And it really was for the best. If she didn’t bring him home maybe the local animal control would have caught him and then he would have ended up at the shelter and then Lord knows what would have happened to him. That, that man, would never have claimed him. All these weeks and she hadn’t seen him which lead her to believe that maybe he had went someplace else. She guessed when you were an escapee you couldn’t low lay in the same place for weeks on end. Sighing she headed toward the bathroom. She had to take a shower.

Caine could hear the sound of her footsteps as she turned and walked away. He tried to will his legs to move but they just laid there. He swallowed a growl that was working its way up his chest. That bitch. He thought he could trust her. He thought she was different. Now looked what happened? The same thing that had happened to his dad. He laid there unable to do anything as the water from the shower squealed through the pipes and began to spill out from the shower head. An image began to form in his mind. Her naked. Water beading on her skin then to slid down her breasts and-
He slammed his mind closed and tried to focus on moving. Damn it, he couldn’t even control his tongue. He must looked like an idiot with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Huffing he concentrated.
He didn’t know how much time had passed but he had regained control of his body by the time the water stopped in the shower. The door opened and a scent tickled his nose. Soap and her. The bitch. Alana. The name whispered through his brain. Her footsteps stopped a short distance away from him and he leapt from the dog bed.

He snarled. He didn’t know if was from anger or seeing her nothing but a towel then he shook his head. Remember dad, he said to himself. You don’t know what this woman wants or who she is. His snarl turned into a low, steady growl.
“Hey boy. Calm down, calm down. I was just trying to help.”
She held out her hands and spoke in placating tones but veil of red clouded Caine’s brain. Is this the way his father had felt? Helpless? His brain still felt fuzzy and all he could hear was the thrumming of his blood. She had betrayed him. He thought she was different. Everyone was the same.

Without thought his hind legs coiled and he leapt toward her. He would take her down and be done with her, with everyone. His jaw opened as he went for her throat…but something made him glance up, into her face. Into her wide brown eyes which held fear and sorrow. But suddenly he remembered the laughter that had been in them yesterday as she talked about her hopes and dreams and the haze receded a little. At the last moment he closed his mouth and turned his head. She had flung her arms in the air and he felt his teeth graze the back of her hand before he hit the ground and ran toward the door. Hoping she hadn’t locked it he slapped the handle with his paw and felt it twist under him. Nudging the door open he slipped through and disappeared down the road.

Alana’s heart was pounding. She had come that close to getting her throat torn open. If she were honest with herself she didn’t blame the dog. After all anyone, or anything,, would be confused to wake up in unfamiliar surroundings. And the dog was wild. Walking over to the sink she turned on the water and washed her hand. The small cut burned for a moment before it went numb. She examined the cut. It was small, maybe two inches in diameter and shallow. Really all she needed to do was put some antiseptic on it but just to be on the safe side she’d go to the doctor tomorrow after school.

But for now Alana did what she always did when she was upset. She started to clean in the hopes that the routine would take her mind off of her troubles. This time it didn’t work. The guilt still gnawed at her.