-James' pov-

Ahh! That was a good sleep! What's the time? 8:30! Why didn't anyone wake me up? There's no way I'll make it to school on time! I decide to not have a shower because of how late it was and instead run straight into the kitchen to get me my breakfast. As I ran around the corner I saw dad and mum talking to each other, mum had been crying, and dad just had a cold stare on his face. Something's not right. Mum ran towards me and gave me a tight hug, crying again. Something was definitely not right.
"Mum, what happened?"
"I can't, last night, too young..."
I could hardly understand her, but I wasn't liking the way this was going.
"Dad?"
"I was called to work late last night James, they needed everyone on the job. A car crash"
"what?"
"The driver wasn't found. And there was only one passenger, they didn't survive the crash"
"...dad, please. don't say who I think it is. It can't be!"
"I'm so sorry James. Your friend Mishell died last night"
"no. No, this can't be happening."
That's not right, there's got to be something else. She can't die. She Can't!
"I'm sorry James. I don't know what to say, she was too young"
"you've said enough"
I went back into my room and collapsed onto my bed. That's when I started crying. Shell, my best friend for fifteen years, my crush for three, my sister for the rest. The one I shared the best memories with, and the worst. The one that I was most confident around, especially like the way I am now. All of that gone, overnight. While I Was Sleeping Just Fine I Let My Best Friend Get Killed In A Stupid Car Crash! what does that make me? a stupid dog. someone who is too self centered to care about anyone else than his own problems.
"james?"
"Go away!"
Clearly my voice was muffled by the pillow I was leaning into because she came in anyway.
"James, what's wrong?"
What's wrong? What's wrong with her? As of she doesn't know!
"My best friend just died while I was enjoying my merry sleep! That's what's wrong! My friend died and I was completely oblivious to that! What does that make me? i'm just a stupid mutt that can't even look after his best friends."
"I don't think you're stupid"
"Yeah but I'm self centered, my friend just died and we're talking about how I'm not stupid! See my point?"
I sat up to look at her, but she'd disappeared.
"I don't think you're, self-ceentred either"
"Ahhh! What?"
I turn to my left and my head kept turning until I reached my arm, then I spotted who was talking. This hole time I thought it was Liz, but I now know it was Hannah, my little sister that, until now, had been too scared to approach me.
"Hannah, I, I" was lost for words.
"Am the kindest living thing I know. You say you don't care about her death, but what are you doing right now? The only reason you didn't care is because didn't know."
"Thank you"
"Ainytime brother"
This is when I started crying again. I also cuddled little Hannah, and she cuddled me back (well, my tail anyway).
"Oi! You! Pick up your phone! You have a call! Oi! You! Pick up your phone! You have a call! O-"
That will be someone calling me. Regretfully I release from the hug and answer it.
"a call! Oi! Yo-"
"James speaking"
"Hey J-James, it's Ch-Chelsea. I as-asume y-you kn-now?"
"Oh, hi Chelsea, I didn't know. I don't have your contact"
"OK, are y-you p-p-planing on c-coming lat-ter t-t-today? *snif*"
"Where? To your house?"
"Wh-what? N-no! T-to the f-f-funeral!"
"That's today?"
"Oh, d-didn't you kn-know?"
"No. I can check though"
"Ok-kay, if you c-can come, you c-can meet m-me th-there if you w-want"
"Okay, will do. Guess I'll see you there or not at all then"
"Ok-kay, b-b-bye"
"bye"
I get out of bed and go back to the kitchen and grab a stick of thin salami and eat it.
"When's the funeral?"
Both were silent.
"Is there going to be a funeral?"
I received a very silent "yes" from dad.
"when?"
"Tonight"
"Should I organise someone to take me?"
"No"
"Why not?"
Dad then mumbled something so quietly that I didn't catch a word.
"Dad. Why?"
"Because you're not going"
"What? Why not? I don't have to be anywhere else! What else would be more important than Shell's funeral? I need to pay my respects to only friend I've ever really trusted!"
"Listen James. This was found at the crash sight."
He then pulled out an old recording machine. I recognized it, it belongs to Shell's dad. I'd seen it a couple of times. Dad then clicked the play button and it was Shell's voice, a recorded message for me. Her final words. Tears began to well up into my eyes. Instinctively I leant forward and kissed the box, like I was kissing goodbye to Shell.
The recording finished.
"James, before I brought this home, our detectives had listened to this thousands of times. They were listening to the background noise. There was definitely a driver. Our mathematicians calculated the possibilities of where they could have ended up, judging by the skid marks and whe car ended up. There was us looking for the driver. We didn't find them. No-one did."
"And?"
"Let me finish. The reason they are having the funeral today is because Shell's body is decomposing at such a rapid rate that there won't be anything left of her by tomorrow morning. Something external is happening here, both your mother and I believe that it isn't safe for you to go. You need to lay low. We don't want anything to happen to you."
"No, that's not true! You've never liked Shell, and now she's gone, you don't even want me to remember her!"
"Now James-"
"No! I can't listen to this!"
I ran off into my room, grabbed my bag, and started packing. I was going to see Shell one last time. No matter what.
As I grabbed my blue hoodie off my bed, it uncovered a little human that was using it as a blanket.
"Sorry Hannah, didn't realize you were there"
"Wha- James. What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry Hannah, I've got to go. I'll try to come and see you soon though"
"OK"
She then fell back to sleep. As I walked passed the kitchen, passed a crying mum and a mumbling dad, I opened the door outside and recieved a; "Where are you going?" from dad.
"To the funeral! Where else?"
"Don't you dare leav-"
I'd shut the door behind me. And turned forward to walk straight into Liz.
"James, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, only Shell's been killed in a mystery car crash, her body is decomposing so quickly that the funeral has to be held tonight, and dad won't let me go so I'm running away. Oh, but Hannah likes me now. Goodbye, maybe see you later, I don't know. Thanks again"
"Wait! What? james. James. James!"
But I was already 100 meters away, there was no way she was going to catch me.
...

Once I'm a whole kilometer from the house I take a break. I hid in an alleyway, it was the usual red brick one, with the odd graffiti on the wall, mostly names, some curse words, others just plain nasty phrases. Overall, it was quite a depressing setting. I found an old cardboard box and used it as a seat. I decided to call Chelsea. I found the earlier call and used it to make a new contact, I then called her.
"Chelsea sp-speaking. Hey J-james"
"Hey, I'm coming"
"That's g-good t-to hear, Shell would be glad. Is there anything y-you ne-ne-need to know?"
"Everything"
"Okay, it's-its-it's on at 2:00 this evening. 20 km f-from your house. Dress code is black whatever"
"That's rude!"
"N-no! That's wh-what it s-said in Sh-sh-shell's will and tes-tes-testament!"
"Oh, okay"
"And there's plenty of time for y-you to d-do something during it. Like perform, talk, and the l-l-like"
"Okay, thanks"
"No pro-pro-problem"
I hung up, I feel like hanging myself up. This shouldn't be happening to me. Why Me? The only thing I should be worrying about is school. But no! I'm also a wolf thing and my best friend had died! Within three days! Why? I haven't got a clue. I just wish my life was normal. Like it used to be.
I decide, it's already 11:30, I should get going. I had already brought black pants, I just need to get a hoodie. A black one. So I head to the clothes shop, to get me a funeral-worthy hoodie.
After walking the streets of this little town I find a small shop named 'small shorts and huge hoodies', that sounds about right. In there it was actually nothing but shorts and hoodies, weird. In there I found a 'huge' black hoodie with no branding or designs on it, I took it over to the nice old lady, probably in her mid sixties, to purchase it.
"Is that all today sir?"
"Yes"
"I don't see why you need a new hoodie, you're already wearing a nice one"
"I need a black one"
"What for?"
"A funeral"
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, I hope you're doing alright"
"Yeah"
"I'm so sorry asking this. But why are you wearing a hoodie to a funeral?"
"Black but casual. In her will"
"OK. Well if it's what she wanted. She'll aprectiate you wearing that"
She'll. Shell. Interesting.
"Thanks"
"Happy to help. Goodbye sir"
Nice old lady. Made me feel a bit better.
...

"He-he-hey James! Glad you could ma-ma-make it"
"Same"
"I like your ne-new hoodie. Go-good choice for the fu-fu-funeral"
"Yeah"
I can hardly focus. I've just seen the coffin sitting there, at the front. This is real, not just a terrible dream. It's real.
"James. You alri-ri-right?"
"A bit. Chelsea, why did she have to go? Did she have to? What happened? It doesn't make any sense"
"I do-don't know. I wi-wi-wish I did, tha-that I could understand it all. But I don't, I can't"
We both hugged then. It was more of a shared missing sadness for someone hug though. Not a love each other hug. So when we both realised how we felt about the person we were hugging, we broke it apart quickly. The silence after was unbearable, I had to end it.
"Ha-have yo-you decided wha-what you're do-doing yet?"
But she beat me to it again.
"Yeah, I'm going to sing"
She looked a bit surprised at this. I would be too.
"Wha-wha-what so-song? We'll ne-eed the music"
"Hotel Ceiling, Rixton version"
"Nice so-song. I'll go to the people who are organizing to-to-today. Put you in"
"Okay, thanks"
And with that she left. I hope Shell wasn't lying when she told me I could sing. I'm doing this because she believed in my voice. Not because I do.
Ten minutes before it's meant to start, Chelsea came up to me again.
"So J-james. This is the pr-pr-program. Yo-you can fi-find where you're si-si-situated there"
"Okay, thanks. Hey Shell, I need to tell you something"
"J-james, this is-is-isn't the place"
She was blushing, she thought I was about to confess my feelings towards her. That must mean she does like me! Yes! But now's not the time to discuss that.
"Shell, it's not what you're thinking. It's about me"
Jezz I was nervous. Telling someone I hardly knew, about me.
"I, um, am a, um"
"What do they call it? A fu-fu-furry?"
"Well technically the actual name for it is a anthropomorphic anima-"
Wait! What?
"What? I, uh, umm..."
My turn to blush.
"Do-don't worry. Shell didn't tell me. I fi-fi-find the fact that how much you've go-gone through, you were at school yesterday, really am-amazing"
"I, uh"
Am lost for words. How did she know? How long has she known for?
"thanks"
We both went to our own seats and waited for the funeral to start.
The whole thing went quite quickly which was unfortunate, I thought that she deserved longer. My song was closer to the end, which wasn't a good thing, I was already so emotionally drained, and now I had to sing a sad song. When I performed it I believe it went well. No-one recorded it (come on, it was a funeral) so here's the professional version, go give you a feel for what it was like (singing, I didn't actually grab her hand out of the coffin):

After the funeral, and the burial, I was still standing there, when everyone else had gone. I decided to peel off my hood, and remove my tail out of the uncomfortable position it was in, in my pants. At this stage I didn't care who saw me (not that anyone was going to see me, it was raining) I felt like part of me was gone now. A part of me that I'd never be able to get back. Like someone just grabbed my heart, my life essence, and ripped it in half, buried one half in an inaccessible part of the earth, and shoved the other half back down my throat. I was in pieces. Shell, why are you gone? I need you.

"You should be wearing your hood at least. S-stop looking so sad"
It was Chelsea. I quickly put my hood on.
"How can I? My best friend has died, I'm standing at her grave, and I'm meant to be happy?"
"Fi-first. I what about this?" she pointed at my tail, she knew why I had put my hood on, and she took it off again. I don't know if I let her, but I sure didn't stop her. When she saw my face, her expression didn't change at all, she kept that beautiful concern in her eyes, and her reassurence in her cute stuttery voice.
"Second. I didn't say be happy. I said sto-sto-stop looking so sad"
"How can I? She never even got to say goodbye!"
"Thats not so-so-so true, look very carefully at your phone when you next get the ch-ch-chance"
This was confusing. But hey, my life has been nothing but confusing lately.
"Okay"
Now this is the scene where we both reminisce about Shell, rain had stopped, sun setting, and we walk arm in arm towards the sunset. And to be honest, I half expected for it to play out like that. Until I heard it. Over the rain, I heard a car screeching turning supper fast around a corner. I then remembered the discussion me and dad had this morning.
"Chelsea, you have to go"
"Wh-why? Do-don't push others away James, it will on-only make things worse"
I was so confused. It was so loud now. Couldn't she realize something was going on?
"Can't you hear that?"
"He-hear what?"
Then I remembered. My ears, my enhanced hearing.
"Look, something's coming. You need to go"
Then the car turned around a corner into sight. Well, less of a car, and more of a van, but a vehicle nevertheless.
I told Chelsea too leave again and she refused, so (feeling a little bit guilty because I was right in front of Shell's grave) I pulled Chelsea into a kiss. Not accidental this time. I caught her by surprise which made this moment even better,  my lips touching hers, one second turned into infinity. But then I snapped back into reality. I pulled out of the kiss and pushed her into a nearby bush. The van side door slid open and two men that looked like vets but blue instead of white, and wearing sunnies, came out.
"James Wolf, you need to come with us"
One of them said, in a deep imaculet voice that had no expression. I didn't reply, I pretended to not even notice them, or the odly shaped pockets on them that looked like gun holsters, that probably were gun holsters. I just kept looking at the ground. At where Shell was now resting.
"James, we won't ask you again"
Again, no response from me.
They proceeded to put a hand on my shoulder, a fairly firm grip.
"James, we just want to talk"
"Get your hand. Off Me" I growled.
Forgetting Chelsea was near by, I was ready to go all wolf on these weirdos.
"James, we don't wish to hurt you"
"Leave now"
That warning was clearly unheard, because the moment after I said that, he tried to constrain me, of which I bit his arm. Hard. He tried to hit me, but with me knowing that he was going to use his other arm, I easily avoided it. I gave him a punch in return and it knocked him out. Before I was able to turn around to take on the other guy I heard the noise of a gun cocking. I turned around slowly. To see the other man facing a gun right in front of my face.
"I'm all ears"
"Too late"
I remember seeing him pull the trigger, me falling down and being in so much pain I could hardly move, and him punching me. But after that is just black, blank, darkness.