9 comments/ 25593 views/ 24 favorites When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 01 By: fairy14 I was tired, cold and hungry; that's the only way to describe how it was that I felt that day. On top of that, my car started to make weird sounds and I knew that it was only a matter of time before it broke down which meant I had to get off the highway. As I was thinking that, I passed a sign for the nearest exit with a service station was about twenty miles away. I didn't know whether the car would even make it that far but breaking down in my present location was not an option; especially not when a trailer truck zoomed past me causing the whole car to rock like a cradle in hurricane winds. I was probably safer walking than staying in the car. I reached over into the passenger's seat and picked up my map; I kept an eye on the road to make sure that I wasn't drifting across the highway. After studying the map I quickly spotted the exit I was to take; getting off now would throw me off course by a day or two maybe even longer if I didn't have transportation. As I turned off the exit the hairs on the back of my neck stood-up and I suddenly felt uneasy. I'd gotten that feeling before; it was like a precursor to something bad, like I should turn around and take my chances breaking down on the highway-bad. I considered turning back but when the car started kicking and knocking (so to speak) I knew it was too late. I could see small buildings up ahead, just past the treeline, one in particular had a tall sign indicating that it was a service station. It was a good thing because smoke started filtering out the front of my car and then with one final kick it descended into a slow crawl. I was a few feet away from the garage entrance. "Un-freaking-believable!" I said as I slammed my hands down on the steering wheel. I looked around and saw people stop mid-action to stare at me. I was only few feet away from the garage, I saw people stopping what they were doing to stare at me. his of course caused me to scowl; I mean seriously, what the hell were they staring at? I pushed down on the accelerator, hoping to get more movement but with one final kick the car died completely. I masked my scent before opening the door (this was something I did out of habit) just as a very tall and oh so muscular man walked out of the building wearing a t-shirt and a half-off navy-blue mechanic's jumper. I stepped out of the car just as he stopped. I looked around and saw people staring at me; this of course caused me to scowl; I mean seriously, what were they staring at? Don't people know that it's rude to stare? I turned my attention back to the tall figure. As he approach me, something inside of me stirred awake and that feeling from before got stronger. "Can I help you?" He asked as he stood in front of me wiping his oil stained hands on the red cloth before shoving it in his back pocket. His tone and expression wasn't the most inviting. Of course if he wanted to be rude I could play that same game, though I was one who needed his help to get back on the road. "I need you to check out my engine my car was making a lot of weird sounds before it shut off, can you check it out and let me know the damage?" I said looking at him through my shades, not even bothering to take them off. I could tell by the way he was looking at or rather towards my eyes he was expecting me to do just that but that definitely wasn't going to happen. He finally looked away and turned his full attention to the car with a look of disgust. I was kind of offended, it may have been a piece of crap but it was my piece of crap. I had gotten out of many sticky situations because of it, granted it had a tendency to stall when I needed it most but still it was mine. He turned back towards me with that same look on his face, "there's a scrap metal yard one town over, I'm sure you could get a little out of this-"I cleared my throat and arched a brow in annoyance at his suggestion to scrap my ride. "No, just fix the car, I still have things I need to do before I give this bucket a rest." I said as I crossed my arms over my stomach to muffle the grumbling I felt coming. I'd gotten quite use to it over the past few years but it never got any less awkward when they made an appearance around other people. "You know if you're hungry, the diner across the street makes a pretty good burger." He said as he whipped out a clipboard and made his way to the hood of my car. "Guess I'll have to check it out once I get this all situated." "Oh, well, this might take a while; you go ahead and get yourself something to eat I can just wheel it up to the garage." He said with a hint of finality in his voice. I was starving, I hadn't eaten anything in days and I'd barely had anything to drink, save for the rain water I'd managed to collect in my canteen. I reached inside the car and pulled out my duffel bag and slipped it across my shoulders. As I adjusted the bag a gust of wind swept past me, carrying with it a scent that used to haunt my dreams among other things. The darkness inside of me became unsettled. That smell was one I never forgot. Werewolf, the voice inside my head said. But not just one, there are many. I mentally slapped myself, it would be my super shitty luck to break down in a town full of vicious creatures; once again, fate screwed me! *** When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 02 I was on the verge of having a major freak-out inside my head when the realization struck me. I should have known something was up because the town itself looked too pristine and perfect; it was like I was in a real life version of The Stepford Wives, well, wolves. It was all just too serene; like the residents were going to form a mob and come after me for interrupting their ritualized lives. Well, I guess they wouldn't have had to form a mob, after all, they were wolves; it would only take one to end me. Pfft! Like I'd ever let that happen, came the voice from inside my head. "No thanks, I don't need you coming out destroying everything in sight to prove how powerful you are. Besides, who said dying was such a bad thing, it's not like I have anything to live for." The voice hissed and crept back into the shadows of my mind. I was brought back to my surroundings when the man in front of me cleared his throat. "Um-okay" I said, "I won't be long, besides, it's getting dark and I really have to get back on the road." "Like I said take your time, this might take a while" I didn't like the sound of that. I crossed the street without saying another word. As I approached the diner I felt eyes on me, it really started to bug me and not the "good" me. As I readied to pull the handle back a nervous tremble crept through my hand but I shook it off and pulled open the door and mumbled a silent prayer to anyone or anything that was out there listening. When I pulled open the door my lungs were immediately overpowered by the strong smell of animal, so much so that I erupted into a coughing fit. Oh great, just draw more attention to yourself, because having no scent in a town full of Weres isn't suspicious at all. The voice has been very facetious lately which really started to bug me; I mean usually it was funny but not when my life was on the line. I thought you said you had nothing to live for. I forgot for a second that we shared the same head space. "Oh shut up", I said. I regained my composure and looked around for a place to sit. Unfortunately for me, there weren't any empty booths near a window or the door; however, there was exactly one empty seat, conveniently located right in the middle of the counter, smack dab in the center of the diner. Coincidence, I think not. No, it was a strategic move on their part, I was perfectly placed prey. I took slow deliberate steps to the counter; I felt the many eyes as they sized me up, I heard the chorus of sniffles as they attempted to catch my scent which did nothing but agitate the shadow (how I often referred to the voice) more. I became increasingly annoyed because I had been sitting in that seat for a good five minutes twiddling my thumbs and a waitress had yet to approach me. I still felt eyes on me though these seemed a lot more intense as they bore into my back. It felt like they were searching for something in particular and I didn't like it. I kept my eyes downcast, focused on my fingers as I fought the urge to remove the shades and really have a stare-down but I knew better than that, especially in my condition. I looked over at the waitresses who seemed to be hard at work changing a coffee filter because apparently changing one coffee filter required four pairs of hands. My limbs began to throb in pain and it didn't help that my hunger pangs intensified. I cleared my throat which caused one of them to look towards me, she had no other choice but to come now that I was waving my hand and looking dead at her. She slowly made her way over to me with a fake smile plastered on her face; it looked like she was mentally kicking herself. "What'll it be?" Geesh, I didn't even get a 'hi'. "You know, it's really hard for me to understand invisible menus, I guess the invisible waitress that greeted me assumed I could when she handed it to me." I heard a few snickers from around the diner. She looked at me weirdly, then handed me a menu. "I'll give you time to look it over." "Actually, can I just have a glass of water with a lemon wedge, please?" I asked in a genuinely sweet voice which really confused her. "U-um, sure I'll be back in a minute." She said as she turned away. I looked around at nothing in particular as I waited for her to come back, my eyes wandered about and landed on the plate of the male seated next to me, his burger looked big enough to feed four people. And those fries, those straight-cut golden brown fries with glistening salt crystals looked so good. The juices slipped between his fingers as he took another bite, that was some live action food porn and my hunger pangs seemed to intensify with each bite he took. I forced my gaze away just as the waitress sat the glass on the counter. I wasn't going to drink it though, she probably spat in it. "Anything else?" She asked. "The restroom?" Her eyes immediately shot across the room as if she needed approval before she answered me. I was too distracted by my throbbing limbs to follow her gaze, the stinging cuts became more noticeable but I just had to tough it out a bit longer. I clinched a fist and sunk my nails into my palm to distract myself from the pain. "Um... hello? The restroom, bathroom, potty, lab-." "I-it's around the corner, keep to the right." She pointed to a hallway before she turned her eyes back to whoever she'd been looking at. I turned around on the stool and hopped off− though I winced as my feet met the ground. I readjusted my bag before I headed in the direction she'd indicated. As I made my way to the bathroom, my eyes landed on a set of eerie green ones, they were locked onto my every move. No doubt these were the scrutinizing eyes from earlier. As I walked past him into the hallway I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I pushed open the door and walked inside. The building didn't look all that big from the outside, but man was the bathroom huge, it looked like one of those truck stop bathrooms. I quickly made my way over to the stall furthest away from the door and earshot because of the whole werewolf super hearing. I hung my bag on one of the hooks before pulling the tablet out of my pocket. I quickly popped it in my mouth and drank a handful of water from the automatic sink. I took the shades off my face, shoved them in my pocket and pulled the sweatshirt up over my head. I lined the seat with toilet paper (not that it was dirty or anything, this bathroom was immaculate, cleaner than some hospital bathrooms I'd been in, and dropped my pants and sat down. I reached over into my duffle and pulled out a plastic box with a big red cross stamped on the lid. I placed it on my lap; I took a moment to brace myself. I slowly peeled the tape and bandage off my thigh; my breaths had become spastic as the pain somewhat intensified. When the last edge was off I dropped the discarded bandage in the toilet and picked up box. I opened the first-aid kit and pulled out a bottle that I nicknamed 'satan's spit' but it was really just antiseptic; I braced myself again before aiming it at the wound. I bit down on my lip hard which kept me from crying out from the stinging. I couldn't muffle them completely but I was fairly certain they could hear my muffled screams regardless. When the stinging subsided I applied fresh bandaging to the wound and packed everything back inside the box before I placed it on the edge of the sink. I kicked the pants from around my ankles and stood up. I stood in front of the mirror and examined my body, I was disgusted. I looked like a buff skeleton, was that even possible? I mean, I wasn't super skinny but I saw the outline of my ribs but, I suppose eating like a rabbit for years could do that to a body. As far as my 'buff-ness', well, that was a benefit of constantly beating off random creeps and battling the cronies of a vengeful bastard; just thinking about him angered me. That evil bastard had destroyed my life and then some. My caramel skin was camouflaged with bruises and scars that served as a constant reminder of what I'd been through. I eyed the bandage that covered one of my arms, there was no doubt the wounds beneath it would result in more jagged scars. I bit down on my lower lip and prepared myself for the pain I knew would come once I retrieved the antiseptic and coated the wound. The pain was blinding, literally, everything was fuzzy and gray for a few seconds. I stomped my foot in reflex to the agonizing pain. I let out a harsh breath, "son of a b-"; I stopped speaking and regained composure by letting out a string of short breaths. I opened the box yet again and released a few pumps of the antiseptic. When I could see again I released my hold on the sink, strange, I didn't know I had been clenching it so hard. I dabbed away the excess liquid that was now drizzling down my arm and wrapped bandage around the wound. I stood in the mirror for another minute or two; I could have healed them, the scars and the wounds, but that required rest and nutrition and I seriously lacked both. I put away the kit and discarded everything I'd used to clean my wounds down the toilet. I then reached into the duffel and pulled out a large spray bottle filled with a vinegar solution. I misted the fresh bandages on both my thighs and arms so to mask the smell of blood. * When I got dressed I exited the stall and walked over to the bathroom counter. I readjusted the shades on my face and then rummaged through my bag for my knife. I clipped it on the waistband behind my back and with one final exhale I pulled open the door, I'm not quite sure how long I'd been in there but it was a bit too quiet. As I made my way to the end of the hallway I saw that table of the man with the green eyes had gained a few more occupants. I was on edge as I walked past the table not sure if they were going to make a move; there were men sitting down and a few standing up leaning against the booths on either side of the table with a few not so discretely eyeballing me. I bit my tongue to stop myself from snapping at their rudeness, it took everything in me to not reach for the knife as I passed the table. I made it out of the diner without incident; I wasn't going to breathe a sigh of relief until I was back on the highway with this place in my rear-view mirror. I walked back across the street to the mechanic's shop though as I got closer I noticed that something was off; like my car was missing. I proceeded inside with a hand behind my back ready to defend myself. "Hello?" I called out as I walked further inside. "Can I help you with something?" A younger version of the guy from before said as he rolled out from under a car. He looked to be about 15 or maybe 16 and had a similar build too. "Uh yeah, I left my car here and went across the street for a few minutes-until the other guy finished checking out my car." "Oh, you're the owner of that old bucket." He said with an extra wide smile, so I see he's got jokes too. "Where's my car?" I said crossing my arms. "My brother just pulled it inside, it's on the lift now. There are two other cars ahead of yours though so it might not be ready until tomorrow afternoon. It's almost closing time." He said as he looked around. "Look I need to be on the road tonight and what do you mean by 'on the lift', I didn't ask for any major work to be done, I just needed some oil or something." The annoyance in my voice was evident. "Yeah, my brother has this thing about lettin' pretty ladies on the open road in death mobiles, this is a pretty deserted stretch and you wouldn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere especially out here." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Yeah especially out here where you wild beast roam." I thought to myself, "So what the hell am I supposed to do, I don't have any more money for a motel much less funds to pay for work I didn't need nor ask for." I kicked myself mentally for saying all that out loud. "Actually there aren't any motels here, but there is a B&B, we offer as a courtesy to outside guests, I'm sure there's a vacancy. It's just down the street from here. There's also a free breakfast and a dinner included, can't beat that." He said smiling as he looked down at his watch. I stood there for a second contemplating my options, it's not like I could go anywhere without my car, I mean, I could have flashed out but I really needed some rest. I sighed heavily, "okay, tomorrow no later than noon and I'm not paying for extra repairs." I said, actually I wasn't planning on paying for anything I was going to make a break for it as soon as I could, there was no pointing in holding onto that piece of crap that cause me more anxiety than it did reassurance. He just smiled and walked passed me out of the garage, " the B&B is down that way" he said pointing down the sidewalk, "it's that big blue building just past that fire hydrant, you can't miss it. Just tell the woman behind the counter that Mason sent you." I walked passed him narrowing my eyes not sure if I should trust what he said, but I did it anyway. As I made my way down the sidewalk I came upon a rock; there was nothing special about it and yet it seemed to be the most interesting thing in that moment. I began kicking it as I continued down the sidewalk; I was so caught up in my weird idea of fun that I slammed into a wall. I tried to grab onto something, anything to keep from falling but instead the wall reached out and grabbed me. When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 03 "Wait, walls don't have hands do they?" I asked myself. "No, walls definitely don't have hands." I answered back. I struggled out of the hold; a bit overdone of course because the next thing I knew I was falling backwards and the wall came down with me. I immediately rolled us so that the figure would bear the brunt of the fall and because I didn't want to land on the pronounced edges of the knife tucked behind my back. And speaking of pronounced edges, aren't we quite comfy in this new position? My eyes widened in shock as I glanced down at my position. "Oh my gosh!" I said as I rolled off the man and onto the ground, cringing as the handle of the knife dug into my lower back; which was exactly what I tried to avoid. I chanced a glance at the man who was now stood over me and my eyes widened even more, it was the green-eyed man from the diner. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me weirdly. I nervously ran a hand over my bandana clad head when I noticed something was missing. My shades, he could see my eyes! I frantically looked around where we'd landed until I spotted them. I sighed in relief as I picked them up to place them on my face; but my relief went away when I saw that Gigantor had crushed them in our descent. "Just great." I mumbled as I adjusted the duffel on my side and shoved the broken pair inside as I pulled out another. I stood up and slid them on and glanced at the man one last time before I turned and continued on with my journey as if nothing had happened. But in all honesty, I was shaking on the inside. What the heck was happening to me? When I entered the small bed-and-breakfast I hit the bell on the counter which I suppose wasn't necessary due to the whole werewolf hearing thing. "Hi, how can I help you?" A woman with flowing brown hair said as she entered in from a door behind the counter. "Um, yes, Mason at the garage told me I could get a free night's stay here since they're working on my car." "Oh, okay. I'll just need to see some ID." She said with this weird smile on her face. "Actually that stuff is still in my car, I didn't think I'd need it and I think they might be closed; I'd really hate to walk all the way back down there only to confirm that." "You know what, don't worry about it." She said in an overly cheerful voice. "Just sign your name here." She said as she opened the thick leather book that had been sitting closed on the counter. Once I signed a fake John Hancock, she turned around and reached for a key on the wall behind her. "Here we go, second floor, the red door. You can't miss it." I've heard that before. "The restroom is at the end of the hallway and should you need a computer or if you want to watch a little television, the entertainment room is through that door right by the entrance. And the kitchen is through that door right over there by the stairs." She said pointing passed my head, "dinner isn't ready yet but it will be soon, in the mean time you can go take a load off." "Um, thanks again." I said reaching for the key. As I walked away from her I couldn't help but think back to all those old horror movies, the color red was never a good sign. It didn't help that the uneasy feeling from before still hadn't passed, which is understandable considering my situation. And being sandwiched between two floors, this was like the diner all over again; every movement I made could be heard. Coincidence, I think not. When I opened the door I found just what I'd expected a small town bed-and-breakfast to look like. It had the old hardwood floors and cheesy floral wallpaper, a decent sized bed in the center of the room with a quilt resting at the foot, a bureau, and sitting chair near a window. All that furniture was a waste on me because I had this hang-up about touching porous surfaces; they held scents, which meant I could be tracked with it. I learned my lesson the hard way and I had scars all over my body to prove it. I dropped my bag on the floor and plopped my head down on it and shut my eyes. ** The whole house was rigged like some top secret government facility, so when the flashing red lights woke me from my sleep I knew something was wrong. I hopped out of bed and followed protocol. I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my duffel bag and slid down the chute in my bedroom closet. From there I climbed down the ladder my dad carved into the wall that led to the dining room where I was suppose to wait for my parents until the coast was clear. The air in the tunnel was thick and smelled of gasoline and burning meat. My eyes started to water and breathing became a hard task. I was relieved when I'd finally reached the dining room, another second longer in that closed space and I would've passed out. As I took deep breaths to get my baring, I could hear my mother's frantic whispers to my father. "Where is she, she should have been down here by now. We have to hurry up and get out of here; it's only a matter of time before more show up." "Anna, calm down. Go check again, she might be there now. I'll take care of this one, you just get our packs and load the car--we don't have much time to get there." That's when the dining room door swung open and my mother rushed over to me in the darkness. "Come on sweetie, we have to go." She said as she pulled me behind her. As we rushed passed the living room I saw my father dragging what looked to be a body over to the fireplace, needless to say, it freaked me out. "D-daddy, w-what are you doing?" I couldn't believe what my eyes were witnessing, my father was about to burn this man! "Go to the car with your mother Libitina!" My father yelled; he'd never done that before. I hurriedly followed behind my mother, though still looking back as my dad poured gas all over the body. "Okay sweetie, lock the doors and keep your head down until I come back." My mother said as she closed the door behind me. I sat in the car alone and watched as my mother ran back into the house. A few seconds later both she and my father came out pouring a trail of gas in their steps before tossing both jugs back through the open door. My mother jumped in the car as my father dropped a lit match; in seconds our house was consumed in flames. My father got in the car and we peeled out of the driveway and down the road. I watched through the back window with tears in my eyes as the orange glow lit the night sky. A stray tear rolled down my cheek, that night, the only home I'd even known was gone forever. ** I sat up and stared at nothing in particular as I familiarized myself with my current surroundings. I hated thinking about that night, I had lost so much and everything had gone from bad to worse. I got up from the floor and cringed at the soreness of my body; I hated my life. I hated carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, literally, and I hated that I had no one but then again there was Alexa. She was the only friend I'd ever had, that's where I was headed. I hadn't communicated with her in weeks or had it been months. I picked up my bag and opened the room door. There was no one else on this floor with me, so it was pretty quiet aside from the sound of pots clanging from downstairs. I walked quietly down the steps and when I reached the base of the stairs I waited again only hearing the woman humming from the kitchen. I made my way toward the entertainment room near the front door. As I got closer to the door I became weary, partially because there was a big glass window with an open curtain and I didn't know who or rather what lurked about outside that door. I hurried passed the window and into the room. There was a large sectional with an even larger plasma screen TV setup for easy viewing and a row of five computers along the wall behind the couch. I sat down at the one furthest from the doorway. I can probably count on two hands just how many times I've used the internet. If it wasn't for Alexa I would be completely illiterate when it came to technology. She was the one that made me learn how to use this thing so I had a way of letting her know that I was still alive. I didn't bother with the modern wonders that was today's technology, I had no use for them; I didn't even have a cell phone. I mean, who was going to call me? Better yet, who was I going to call and for what purpose? If I was ever in trouble I had to deal with the problem myself, no one could come to my rescue; that's the way it's been since I lost my parents. I shook my head; I didn't want to think about that. When I opened my email there were dozens of unread messages from Alexa. Most of the messages had been dated back a few years, had it really been that long? I bet they, no doubt, were about her kids. I guess she'd given up on hearing back from me and decided to turn my email into her personal journal. I didn't bother reading them; when I hit reply I typed: I'm still alive. I was about to hit the send button but I thought that maybe I should include a bit more but I wasn't sure what. I wasn't use to having friends much less maintaining a friendship. I was home schooled by my parents so I never got the chance to interact with other kids my age except for the rare occasions when my family went to a neighbor's barbecues and they had kids there. I didn't know what more there was to say so I just typed: Sorry it took me so long to send this; hopefully I'll be seeing you very soon. I met Alexa shortly after I lost my parents; we decided it was safer if we just stuck together, or rather she decided and I just went along with it. We'd been looking out for each other for months as we traveled the open road. It seemed like nothing could separate us; that is until we wondered into her mate Caleb's territory. I'll never forget the look of sheer joy on her face when she first saw him, it was sickening really. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for her, she'd spent months schooling me on the ends and outs of werewolves and their mates. I guess it was the reality of my situation that made it hard to swallow; it all just came crashing down like a ton of bricks. I was going to be alone. I had only just turned thirteen! I knew there was no place for me there, not with them anyway. I turned to walk back in the direction we'd come when I felt someone grab my hand to stop me. "Where are you going?" "I have to keep moving." "You can stay here with me, with us." She said with a genuine smile on her face. "You'll be safe." "I-." I wanted to stay but I knew I couldn't, one because I didn't want him to hurt innocent people and two, well, the look on her mate's face was one of disgust and anger towards me. "No, I have to leave." I pulled my hand from hers and placed it in my pocket. "Maybe one day I'll come back for a visit or something." I threw the same look back at him then I turned and walked away. I heard her calling my name but I didn't turn around. I felt the stinging in my eyes and remembered thinking how I wanted to be somewhere else and just like that I discovered one of my most amazing abilities. The last time I last saw Alexa, it was just after she'd given birth to her first born son, Connor and that was well over four maybe five years ago. That visit didn't end so well, her mate didn't want me anywhere near their baby. He didn't want me around period, he despised my presence so much that he wanted me to stay in a shack on the outskirts of his territory but Alexa wouldn't hear of it. It was quite clear that he didn't like me and the feeling was mutual. I overheard him saying to Alexa how he didn't trust me and how he didn't want me in his pack's territory. I walked away because I didn't want to hear the rest. And I kept walking even as Alexa interrupted him but I wasn't interested in eavesdropping on their conversation. I went back to the guest room and repacked my duffle. I had just slid the bag over my shoulders when I noticed Caleb standing in the doorway. "She wants you to stay." He said sounding like a pouting kid. "But you want me to leave." I said as I adjusted the strap. "Your leaving will upset her." "Then it's a good thing she has a family here to comfort her, some of us don't have that luxury." I said in a rather biting tone as I walked over to the window and sighed heavily, "tell her I said thanks for keeping me company." I had just barely touched the glass when I found myself outside in the middle of the woods looking back at their home. * I sent the email and closed out the browser. When I left the room I wasn't worried about the window anymore. I was about to go back upstairs when I saw the woman from earlier was also making her ascend. "Oh hi dear, I was just about to turn in. Dinner's ready, it's in the crock-pot on the counter and there are some fresh rolls in the bread warmer, oh and you can help yourself to whatever beverage is in the fridge." "Thanks I'll do that." She said goodnight and went upstairs, I don't think I moved until I heard a door close. I made my way into the kitchen and again loud noises erupted from my stomach, it smelled like home. I walked over to the pot and fixed myself a bowl of stew and grabbed two dinner rolls. I opened the fridge and saw that it was filled with all kinds of fruit juices and sodas. I can't remember the last time I had anything sweet to drink, especially a soda; I chose strawberry. I set the food down on the table and began to eat, it was really hot but I didn't care. I shoveled one spoonful after another in my mouth. I sopped up the remaining gravy with the dinner rolls; it tasted like heaven, if heaven were a chunky meat stew with thick brown gravy. When I was finished I drank down the cold soda in ten seconds with ease, of course there was a brief moment of brain freeze but I didn't care. I sat back in my seat and put a hand on my stomach, nice and full. I got up from the table and took care of my mess before exiting. As I walked upstairs I felt a salty taste in my mouth and my stomach made a strange sound. I knew what was about to happen, I ran the rest of the way upstairs with the duffel slamming at my side. I had just barely reached the toilet when the contents of my stomach came spewing out. I should have known better than that, my stomach was in knots but I still think it was worth it. I sat back on the haunches of my legs with my elbows propped up on the seat. I stayed like that for a few minutes until my stomach settled down. I got up and cleaned out my mouth. As I brushed my teeth I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror, I removed the bandana from my head and raked a hand through my cornrows. I'd forgotten what it felt like to have the wind blow through my hair. It was one of the pleasures that I sacrificed to remain undetected. I tied the bandana back over my hair and finished the task at hand. I lifted the shirt and peeled back the edge of the bandage on one of my arms. The wound looked like it was starting to heal; I guess my temporary meal had some effect. As I smoothed the bandage back into position, I took off the shades and tucked them in my pocket as I examined my face closely in the mirror; the dark rings around my eyes were fading too. I got the black eyes after my battle with one of the trackers; I was on my way to a homeless shelter to get my bearing when two guys attacked me and tried to force themselves on me. Too bad for them, those disgusting cretins didn't deserve to live, the voice hissed. I can't say that I always agreed with it but in that situation I let it have free reign. Most times, I chose to run instead of fight. This is exactly why you're in this little predicament. Look at you; you look like some old flimsy rag doll. It's embarrassing and it makes me look weak. "Whoa, someone's a bit snippy." I walked out of the bathroom and back to my room. When I closed the door I dropped the duffel on the floor and walked over to the window. I watched from behind the rustic floral curtains as the flurries fell from the sky; it had been a long time since I'd last experienced a real winter. That too was a part of what I had to give up, I'd spent most of my years in the southern part of the county, even ventured as far as South America and I can't forget about the African bush. It didn't matter where I ran or hid, they always found me, so I knew that if they found me there then they could find me anywhere. I couldn't take it, the constant paranoia, the anxiety, it was just too much. I sighed again and as I turned away from the window I caught a movement in the corner of my eye but just as soon as it came, it left. Since I hadn't picked up any warning bells I let it go and decide to get a few more minutes of shut-eye before I had to venture out because I didn't trust to sleep the whole night through. * My restless sleep was interrupted by flashing red lights. I couldn't think of why they were so important and then my eyes flew open. I stealthy got up from the floor and slid on the bag, I felt my heart speed up a few beats. I tiptoed over to the wall with the window; I had just reached the window when the shadow's senses took over my own. I heard whispering. "She seems harmless to me Merrick, why not just let the poor thing stay the rest of the night?" That sounded like the woman who ran this place, I thought. "Pack law is what it is Jolene, you know that. The Alpha gave us orders and we have to follow them-no discussion." The man, who I assumed was Merrick (I only heard two heartbeats but that didn't really matter because I'd been around creatures with no hearts and they were fully functioning), said in a hushed yet very dangerous tone. "Then you do what you have to do, but I will have no part in this," she replied back in an equally harsh tone. I heard her turn and walk away, a few seconds later I heard a door close and only one heartbeat. I slid further toward the window, which was my usual method of escape only this time I peeked through the curtain just a tiny bit and saw large dark masses with glowing eyes huddled in the shadows of buildings. I knew I'd be utterly fucked if I went through the window. I was on the second floor; I knew they'd be on me like a fresh raw steak in a pit of starved lions before my feet could touch the ground. Despite having healed I was in no shape to take on any of them much less one. As I stood there against the wall, nibbling on my nails, I heard the heavy footsteps coming upstairs and there were two additional heartbeats this time. "Fuck!" I said as my heartbeat sped up, I went over the options in my head. I could chance jumping out the window but I definitely knew how that would end, or I could just turn myself over to them and see what they were going to do. Are you fucking nuts? The voice interjected. "What choice do I have? I'm sleep deprived and I'm starving! I just don't have enough stamina-gah!" I rubbed a frustrated hand down over my face; they were just down the hall now. Gee, let's see, if only you could flash-in and out of a room undetected. I smacked my forehead, can you say brain fart; what the hell was I thinking. I had forgotten all about my most amazing ability. I ran over to the bed and snatched up the quilt, I saw the shadows under the door and then the door flew in but by the time they stepped in my room all that remained of my presence there was the key the woman had given me.