CHAPTER FIVE.
(   far from fine  ! )

"SO, YOU WENT ALL JEFFREY DAHMER, and then puked up a bunch of feathers?" Frankie summarized in bewilderment, picking mindlessly at the bagel on her lap. Being cramped in the corner of the school library wasn't exactly the most comfortable way to spend her lunch hour, but it would have to do. She'd hardly had any time to argue once Reyna had pulled her into the secluded space.

"It wasn't like that," In her own opinion, Reyna had never looked worse. The bags under her eyes had become uncoverable, and her already pale skin glowing translucent in the harsh yellow light. She'd even brought herself to school in one of Abbey's old college sweaters, despite the stains of white paint scattered on the maroon fabric. "It wasn't intentional, it's like something took over my thoughts. Like this, primal urge to kill,"

"Primal urge to kill," Frankie parroted thoughtfully, leaning forward. Reyna's eyes were bloodshot, her bandaged hand rapidly ticking against her thigh. "When was the last time you slept, Hannibal?"

Reyna shot a withering glare towards her friend, but could hardly muster it with how exhausted she felt. She rubbed her hands over her cheeks. "I don't know, two nights ago? Maybe three,"

"Well, there's your problem," Frankie stayed, tossing a piece of bagel into the air and catching it in her mouth. She seemed a little too lighthearted for their topic of conversation, and it irked Reyna a bit more than it normally would. "There's tons of cases of people hallucinating when they're sleep-deprived, just take some Nyquil to knock you out tonight."

"No, Frankie, you don't get it." she grumbled, her hair falling into her eyes. She could still feel the way the sheep's blood had dripped down her fingers, the way it's organs ripped apart in her hands. It had felt too real to only be a dream. And that day at Lydia's—her body shook even thinking about it. "I can't sleep, because if I do then I see crazy shit but if I don't then I see even crazier shit and apparently fantasize about murder and there's nothing I can do to stop it-"

"Whoa, hey tiger, take a breath," Frankie rubbed her hand along Reyna's shoulder, hoping to put an end to her down-spiral. "Look, we're gonna figure this out. And by that, I mean I'm gonna figure this out while you get some rest. You're not helping yourself by torturing your body."

"Well, it wasn't doing so well when I was taking care of it, either," Reyna snapped, chewing at her already painfully short nails.

"Look, the only way we're gonna figure this out is together," Frankie clipped, not taking her eyes off Reyna. The girl had always had a bit of a short-temper, but never to this extent. "So you need to trust me,"

Reyna swallowed hard, reprimanding herself. She didn't know what was going on with her mind, but she did know was being a terrible friend. She scratched at the tip of her nose, bringing her eyes up to the ceiling. "I see it all the time, you know. Blood, gore. Any time I close my eyes, it's there, and it doesn't go away no matter how much I sleep or distract myself or And that day at Lydia's-"

"You wouldn't have hurt her." Frankie said, not an inch of doubt shading her tone.

"I don't know what I would have done!"

"You wouldn't have done anything, okay?" Frankie didn't care that she'd raised her voice enough to warrant a few odd stares, her dark eyes now fiery with conviction. "You're one of the sweetest souls I know, and you're definitely not a murderer."

"Then why do I feel like one?" Reyna bit back her tongue as soon as the words left her pink lips. She threw her head into her hands, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She took a heaving breath, bringing her watering eyes up to Frankie's.

"Am I going crazy?" Reyna whispered brokenly, running the pads of her fingers along her bandaged palm. She certainly felt as if she was. Her mind constantly raced with gruesome images, and yet she couldn't focus on anything. She was constantly shaky and cautious, jumping at any little sound that seemed out of place.

She didn't share her true concern with Frankie, although she feared her best friend might have already had the thought herself—Am I human? She shook the feeling from her mind, although it never truly left her. She knew it in her bones, that something had changed within her, evolved to hide the true chaos that lay in her making. She wasn't the same. She was no longer at peace with herself.

"No, baby, no," Frankie scooped Reyna's hands into her own, squeezing the girl's frigid fingers. Her cheeks were flushed and sunken, tears beginning to brim by her eyes. Reyna didn't think she'd cried so often since watching the Lion King as a child, and yet she couldn't stem the flow of tears. Her body was fed up, pushed past its limit to even put up a fight against her emotions. Frankie rubbed her arm, letting her silently calm herself on her own.

Although she kept on a calm face for Reyna's sake, Frankie couldn't dispel the troubling feeling building itself in her chest. In her gut, she knew her friends concerns were valid. She'd never seen her as broken down as she was in that moment, letting the tears roll down her cheeks in defeat, completely silent.

Her heart ached as she pulled herself from her friend, brushing away her hair to lock eyes with Reyna. She tensed her jaw, giving her friend the most determined look she could muster. "I'm not going to let you hurt anybody, okay? Yourself included."

"I can't keep living like this," Reyna murmured, bringing her knees into her chest. Her lungs ached from her silent tears, her heart never seeming to rest.

"You won't have to. I'll check out some books on different areas of mental illness and folklore tonight, maybe one of them could lead to something." Frankie reassured her, taking a firm grip of her friend's hand. She wasn't totally sure that her game plan would work, but it would have to—for Reyna's sake. "And if that doesn't work, then we'll figure something else out. You're not going through this alone."

LACROSSE HAD NEVER BEEN MUCH of an interest to Reyna. She didn't quite understand the rules, or the severe lack of protective equipment, nor was she a fan of the constant violence. Yet, when Allison pleaded with her to accompany her to watch a practice, she couldn't bring it in herself to say no.

Frankie has suggested she try to fill her days as much as she could, leaving as little room for fantasizing as possible. Any place was more helpful than her quiet room, and so she happily accepted Allison's offer, but not without a little company of her own.

"I still don't understand why you dragged me along into this," Frankie scolded Reyna under her breath, tossing her red scarf over her shoulder. A thick mythology book was tucked under her arm, and the girl still shivered beneath her thick coat. "It's like fifty degrees out here."

"Because, if I need to be distracted, then so do you," Reyna tucked her fingers into the sleeves of her grey coat, rubbing her legs together for warmth. "It's not good for you to be locked up in your own head all the time, or in your room."

"God, okay, mother," Frankie groaned, adjusting the thick strap of her bag. "I don't even really know this Allison girl, how do you know she'd even be okay with me being there?"

"She's cool, don't worry. She's not that type of girl," Reyna insisted, peeking across the bleachers to spot a head of long dark hair. The Argent girl caught her eye, waving sweetly as the pair approached. "It'll be fine,"

"Jesus, you didn't tell me she was so hot," Frankie hissed, giving her friend a slap on the arm. Her gaze was nothing but admiring as they approached, chocolate eyes wide and sparkling.

"It didn't come to mind," Reyna hid a teasing smirk, scurrying up the bleachers to greet the brunette. She couldn't contain her grin as she saw Frankie hot on her heels.

"Oh, come on. The girl's basically Aphrodite reincarnated and you didn't think to tell your best friend about her?" Reyna could feel the tension melt off from Frankie as they approached,

"Sorry, man, but I don't think she's exactly your type," Reyna giggled, pushing her shoulder against Frankie's. She'd never been much of a matchmaker, and wasn't quite sure why her best friend always treated her as Cupid. "We're here to watch her boyfriend,"

"Why must you always play me like this?" No remorse held in Frankie's tone as she stared down her friend playfully. There was no denying she was beautiful. Her short curls bounced in the wind, mocha skin glowing in the afternoon sun. Reyna didn't quite understand why she hadn't found herself a partner yet, but she was sure it correlated with the distinct homophobia that still hung in the air in these small towns. Reyna pulled a teasing smile, pushing her shoulder against Frankie's.

"It's just too fun to see you mad," She slid onto the cold metal bleachers, infinitely regretting her decision to wear a skirt on such a windy day.

Allison greeted her with a wide smile, a knit beanie tucked over her hair and ears. "Hey, I'm glad you were able to make it! The guys are just about to start."

"Thanks for inviting me," Reyna smiled kindly, getting as comfortable as she could against the hard surface. There was something about Allison's presence that brought her a sort of comfort, her warm eyes always so welcoming. "This is my friend, Frankie. I asked her to come along,"

She sighed in dismay as she turned, sending her friend a condemning look. Frankie had already begun to stick her nose into the musty book she'd brought along. She gave the girl a quick jab in the ribs, bringing her attention to the smiling girl on her other side. Frankie raised her hand slightly in greeting, barely taking her eyes off the page for a few seconds. "It's nice to meet you,"

"Yeah, you too," Allison replied, a bit caught off guard by the girl's aloof demeanour.

"Sorry about her, she's researching for an, um, English assignment!" Reyna silently cursed Frankie, and her friend's nervousness around pretty girls. She'd grown out of her shy nature at a young age, while Frankie seemed to shrink more into her own shell each day.

"Oh, I didn't know we had an assignment in English this week," Allison inquired, brow furrowed in confusion.

Frankie's shoulders froze up as she realized the statement was directed towards her. She turned to Allison, "It's for extra credit."

"She's failing," Reyna spat out, biting her tongue at the obvious attempt at a lie. She could already feel Frankie's eyes boring into her head. "Totally failing. In fact, they're saying she might even need to, um retake the course, if this keeps going."

"Oh, that sucks," Allison leaned herself more towards Frankie, her intent nothing but helpful. Frankie did a quick job of discreetly covering the morbid pages she was reading. "You know, I could always give you a hand if you need. I've gotten pretty good at bullshitting assignments over the years."

"Oh, um, that's okay. It's just this one project, thank you though." Reyna hadn't seen Frankie this jittery in months, but she wasn't sure if it had to do with their troubling conversation or Allison's pretty smile.

Reyna brought her gloved fingers to her mouth, breathing hot air over them. The field was slowly filling out with boys in maroon and white jerseys. Reyna couldn't comprehend why most of them were in shorts, she could hardly keep herself warm in a thick jacket and gloves.

"So, which one's your boyfriend?" Reyna tucked her hands underneath her thighs, her heeled boots tapping against metal.

"Oh, Scott," a dreamy smile flew over Allison's face at the mere mention of the boy, and Reyna couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. It had been years since she'd even had a silly crush on a boy, never mind a look as enamoured as Allison's was in that moment. She had a fleeting feeling of longing, like she could be missing out on something wonderful. "He's number eleven,"

Number eleven was currently dominating the field, winding through the other players flawlessly on his route to the goal. His movements were unhithered by the brutal wind and even the other players, cutting through them smoothly to take the shot.

Reyna raised her eyebrows, squinting forward towards the boy. "Seems like he's pretty good,"

"Yeah, very," Frankie mumbled, her fingers trailing over the paper even as her eyes glued themselves to the field. "Was he always this good?"

"Um, not until this year, I don't think," Allison furrowed her brow, her hands knotted together in her lap. "Guess he really improved over the summer,"

"Why do you seem so upset, isn't that a good thing?" Reyna inquired, carefully observing the scrimmage taking place. Scott wasn't the biggest player on the team by any means, but he held a power to him as he played, and ran like hell across the field.

"I don't know, being first line for the first time has got to be a lot of stress on him, especially since the captain has some kind of dumbass vendetta against him," Reyna could feel the sadness creeping into her friend's tone "I just wish he wouldn't take it out on me. He's been so mysterious and distant lately, and I've been giving him second chances, but I don't know."

"I mean, if he's going through something don't you think he would wanna confide in his girlfriend?" Although Reyna had little experience herself in romantic situations, she'd read enough young adult novels to spot an unhealthy relationship.

"That's what I was thinking, but whenever I try to confront him about it he just blows it off, and just pushes himself farther away." Allison chewed on her bottom lip, her thin fingers tapping against her leg.

"I mean, you shouldn't force yourself to be with someone who isn't putting in the same effort you are," Reyna could feel the worry radiating off the girl, it overwhelmed her, sending her heart beating. Reyna pushed down the odd feeling, focusing back on Allison. "All relationships are give and take, not just romantic ones. And if he's not willing to give, then maybe he's not your guy."

"But when we're together, he's still the sweetest guy I've ever known," "I've never been that girl that chases after someone, but it's different with him. I've never been this caught up on some guy before."

"When did you say he started acting weird?" Frankie interrupted bluntly. She worded it a bit more like an interrogation than a friendly question, and Reyna gave her a subtle kick to the chin. Frankie winced, but didn't take her eyes off Allison. She was so past being worried about her manners.

"Um, I'm not sure," Allison gave a quick glance back at the bustling field, eyes focusing on Scott. "Maybe like, a few weeks after school started."

"So right around when the attacks started?" Reyna cringed internally at her friend's bluntness, sending her another, slightly harder, kick. She wasn't sure what road Frankie was on, but she needed to get off it so long as she was talking to Allison.

"I guess so, yeah." Allison agreed, turning a bit skeptical of the girl's odd questions. Reyna gave her an apologetic smile as she turned back to the game.

She was grateful when Frankie didn't reply, instead choosing to turn back to the thick book on her lap. Curiously, Reyna snuck a look at the page that had gained so much of Frankie's attention. The book was incredibly old and worn, some of the script so blurred it was nearly unreadable. She ran her eyes up to the title; Lycanthropes and Other Beasts of the Middle Age. With a frustrated sigh, she turned herself back towards the game—preparing herself for the storm that would come.

"WEREWOLVES," Reyna tossed her bag into the backseat of Frankie's car, her mind reeling with doubt. "Really Frankie, has it come that far?"

"I'm all out of options!" Frankie seemed crazed, pacing across her small room with wide unblinking eyes. Her fingers shook from excessive caffeine intake. "Is it really so crazy to think about? They found wolf hairs on those bodies, Reyna, wolf hairs!"

"They shot the mountain lion, I thought we were done obsessing over this!" Reyna argued, running her hands through her tangled hair. She already had enough on her plate recently, and wasn't in the mood to support Frankie's wild theories. Especially her supernatural ones.

"All that proves is that people will believe anything to satisfy their own need to feel safe, even if it means gunning down an innocent animal." Frankie snipped, pulling up the page she'd been studying. The drawings were juvenile at best, poorly depicted sketches of wolf-human hybrids with reaching claws and wild eyes.

Despite it's messy depiction, the image left a sour taste in Reyna's throat. "You don't even have any proof,"

"You don't know that," Frankie paused, leaning both hands against her dresser. Reyna gave her a knowing eye, staring the girl down. Frankie twitched, whipping around to her friend. "Okay, maybe I don't! But it doesn't matter because it makes sense."

"In what psychotic world does 'werewolf' make more sense than 'mountain lion'?"

"In the one where it's not the first time it's happened," Frankie dove for her phone, searching frantically through her search engine. "When I was researching, I read up on this case from like fifteen years ago, and I totally dismissed it as insane but now-"

"You're being superstitious," Reyna exclaimed, bringing her hands over her eyes.

"I'm being smart."

"Just show me the damn article," Reyna plucked the device from Frankie's hands. She'd never seen the girl so dead-set on something, or more frightened.

"This kid, from a few towns over, suddenly goes missing in the middle of the night. His parents, police, the whole town's looking for him before he finally turns up in the woods the next morning." Frankie rubbed her finger along her face, smearing her nude lipstick. "When the sheriff asked him what happened, he said a hairy man with claws and glowing eyes took him out there to chase him down before being stopped by another monster. Don't you get it, this has happened before!"

Reyna leaned herself back into the seat. "He probably had a nightmare-"

"He saw a werewolf! Some dangerous creature is still running around our town right now," Frankie steeled her gaze, putting the car into drive. She knew it, in her soul that she was right on this. No matter how unlikely it may seem. "I just need to find out who it is."