We Are The Future

• Ella Hill, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2014

Jenny was running as fast as she could away from the evil men who chased her. She spotted a small cave and climbed into it, her heart pounding so loud that her dead parents probably heard it up in heaven. She shrank back as the men came closer, closer, reaching deep into the cave. A huge hand wrapped around her throat, and started to squeeze. Jenny tried to prise the fingers apart, but they were granite. Jenny sucked in a last, desperate breath, and suddenly she was looking up at her ceiling. “Not real, not real. Just a bad dream,” she muttered to herself. She looked around, confused, as the pounding of her heart continued. Only it wasn’t her heart. Someone was knocking on the door. She extricated herself from the sweat-soaked sheets of her bed and leapt down the stairs. She never stumbled. That was one of the perks of being a werewolf. She reached the door, and pulled it open. It was Adam, Jenny’s best friend, and the only person who knew of her lycanthropy. Behind Adam stood two men, so intimidating that they could have been Werewolf Hunters. She glanced down at their hands hanging by their sides, clutching long black guns. Oh, wait. They were. Jenny turned and ran. She raced through the huge house, taking the turns at breakneck speed. She shouldered the back door open; hoping desperately that the men wouldn’t see her frantic flight to the forest. She darted over the empty expanse of lawn, green and glistening with dew in the early morning light. She smiled in relief as she reached the forest. She would be okay. She could escape; she knew this forest better than anyone. She headed straight for the smallest, most serpentine trail. As Jenny ran, she changed to her huge black wolf form. I should never have told him, Jenny thought grievously, remembering Adam’s unexpected betrayal. She became aware of the strange scent a moment too late, and the thick rope net snapped up, trapping her in its embrace. She struggled violently, trying to bite through the net. The Hunters exploded into the small clearing. The taller Hunter aimed his gun. Bang! The gun went off, and Jenny’s imminent death sped towards her. Darkness overtook her vision. Jenny woke with a start. Was that a dream? She wondered. She sat up slowly. Looking around, she saw that she wasn't in her bedroom, and she wasn’t alone. Jenny gasped in shock. The taller Hunter was standing by the window. He turned around, staring at her with his piercing blue eyes. “So… You’re awake. How are you feeling?” he asked kindly. Didn't he just kill me? Jenny thought, unbelieving. “I’m Mick. And this is your new home.” He helped her over to the window. Jenny saw a beautiful forest, full of frolicking wolves. “Why are you doing this?” she asked hesitantly. “Because we are the future.”