Chapter Text
Despite not wanting to wake anyone up early, Adaine was growing restless. Normally when her trance ended before everyone else woke up, she'd spend time on her crystal or do homework. But due to everything that had happened recently—her attack from the person making the lycanthrope chew toys, her sister disappearing, the search for the missing girls, and much more—she couldn't bring herself to do something so trivial. She left a note explaining where she was going on the counter and left Gilear’s apartment.
Even though she already worked herself up to do this, she stood outside Jawbone’s apartment door, hesitating. She knew she needed to talk to someone about everything that's going on in her life, but she also didn't want to disrupt his or Tracker’s sleep. Her fist hovered over the door but she pulled it away, instead looking at the door in thought.
Before she turned for the first time almost a week ago, Jawbone told her about all of his safety precautions. To help calm her down when she was scared of harming others, he willingly turned into a werewolf in order to show the durability of the door. It was a steel door instead of the usual wooden ones in the apartment complex, and between a layer of steel on both sides, there was a diluted source of silver. Not enough to permanently scar them, but enough to dissuade their lycan forms from breaking out into the hallway of the building and having free access to everyone behind simple wooden doors. After showing that, he turned back into his half-wolf form, only slightly wincing and verbally explained this to her.
He told her how embarrassing it could be when asking a landlord for this provision and how expensive it is, but also how important it was for both their safety and the safety of all others in the building. He instilled in her the truth she was already starting to learn, both from others like Bud Cubby and from personal experience—that life in a place like this can often be hard when you're part of a minority society deemed dangerous or criminal, such as werewolves or halflings.
Adaine finally knocks on the door after a minute, hoping Jawbone doesn't hear it so she can just go back to Gilear’s apartment. However, the door opens after a minute. Jawbone has pajamas on and is rubbing his eyes as he looks at who is at the door at this hour. His face brightens when he sees her standing there.
“Hey there, Adaine! What’s goin’ on?” He asks quietly, beckoning her into his apartment.
She rocked back and forth nervously on her feet in front of the now open door. “I- Sorry for waking you up. It's not important.”
“It's alright, you can tell me anything. Come on in—and don't worry about waking up Tracker, she's very deeply asleep at the moment.”
Adaine sat down nervously on Jawbone’s couch, arms wrapped around her legs. She looked up at him as he got on the couch with her and sat next to her in silence so she could decide where to start.
“Again, sorry for waking you.” She said, not sure where to start.
“Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad at you for waking me. Take your time figuring out what you want to say, if anything. I'm cool with just sitting here with you, if you want.”
Adaine sat for a moment, mulling over everything going on in her life. Everything in her life has been hectic over the past two weeks, ever since the first day of school. Sitting on Jawbone’s couch reminded her of a specific event that she thought she could start the conversation on.
“Everything in my life has been so hectic, but besides my sister, the most common thing on my mind has been that toy you and Tracker gave me after my first turning. I’m constantly afraid of anything I eat because that’s what's been on my mind all the time. What if it happens again? What if nobody’s around to help if it does?”
Jawbone’s eyes soften more than she’s ever seen and he takes a moment to speak.
“I can see why that would worry you.” He says, looking concernedly at her. “What happened was an absolutely traumatic event—one of many over the past few weeks—and I understand you being afraid of everything around you. Have you been trancing alright?”
“I suppose I’m trancing fine. I had weird dreams and nightmares during a trance a few days ago, but they didn’t seem to be reliving the events and it only happened once, so I don’t think I’m having PTSD-triggered nightmares. I think it’s just normal dreams and such.” She says, remembering the nightmares she had in the hospital; Her being kidnapped in the mall, Her and her friends in a jail cell with a full moon upcoming, her transforming next to her friends in said cell, and a dragon towering over the gym with her friends dying around her. “And it was only one night that I’ve had those dreams too, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Adaine decides to not tell Jawbone the details of the nightmares, just to avoid worrying him more.
“Hmm… Is there anything else going on in your life besides being afraid to eat when not around others and the weird dreams?”
“Well, I’m obviously worried about my sister. Every time I Message her, she sounds worse and worse. I’m worried that she could die and I’d have no idea where she was, so I’d be unable to save her. Despite her being a bitch to me most of my life, she really seemed to care for me the week we were together.”
“You may feel powerless to help Aelwyn, but you aren’t. You are a brilliant wizard, and with your group of friends, I’m sure you’ll be able to find and save her.” He says, laying a paw on her knee.
Adaine smiles slightly and lets go of her legs so she’s no longer nearly in a ball.
“Thanks for helping me, Jawbone.” She says softly, standing up.
“Hey, it’s no problem, kiddo. My office is always open if you want to talk to me during school.” He says, standing up with her. “Would you like me to take you back to Gilear’s apartment?” He asks, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
“That would be great, thanks.”