Chapter 7

By the time she had gotten to the parking lot, to her great disappointment, she did not find any trace of the familiar black truck of John and Ben. She looked further around the parking lot in case it was hiding somewhere but as seconds ticked by, she ended up staring at the emptiness of the sight in horror.

Great, she thought, just great. Got embarrassed by the hot football player..and got ditched by cousins. She groaned out loud, exhaling a frustrated breath into the air. She tugged at the holders of the backpack she carried on her back, pulled her hood over her head then tucked in her hands inside the pockets of her red hoodie dress.

She didn't have any idea where to go. What's worse than feeling like you had been left behind and had no idea how to find your way back home? For the third time, she checked out her phone and still couldn't turn it on. There was just plain blackness on the screen. Probably due to the damage it received from falling out of her pocket.

She stared up at the sky, slighty bending her head from side to side. As her eyes went down, her gaze darted towards the tall trees displayed before her sight. The forest never failed to amaze her. She always felt curious about the woods. Like there were secrets in the forest and she would always want to figure it out herself.

But doesn't curiosity always kill the cat?

"Meow."

The soft sound came from down her feet and she looked down to find a black kitten curiously looking up at her. She bent down carefully on bent knees and reached out her hands to touch the kitten's black fur.

"Meow."

She fondled the kitten as it looked at her beautifully through its deep blue oceanic eyes. There was a whole different universe in those eyes. She felt like she could see everything through them. How could she not be a cat-loving person when everything about a cat screams passion and beauty and wonders?

"Meow." The kitten lovingly responded to her touches.

"Meeeooow," she replicated the kitten's tone. "Are you homeless, little guy?" she asked softly. "Don't worry, I'll take you home. You'll never feel alone again." With that, she gently picked up the kitten and settled it on her arms.

As she was about to stand up, a shadow towered over her and she looked up to see Zach. Heat quickly rose up her cheeks. She stood up, slowly shifting uncomfortably on her feet.

"You love cats, huh?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yes," she muttered under her breath.

"You need a ride?"

How come he knows everything? she thought. Was she so much to him as an open book? She would really love to say no but then what does it matter? She actually needed a ride so why would she have to lie about it? She could either swallow her pride or keep lifting her head up high and walk her way home alone.

"That would be nice but," she looked down at the cute black kitten's deep oceanic eyes, "I don't know my way home."

Her hood was pulled down her back and she realized his hand did the movement. Lifting her head, she quickly took a sharp intake of breath, realizing he was too close for comfort. Almost one foot apart! He gazed at her and stared down at the black kitten on her arms, discovering resemblance between their eyes.

"You can always find your way back home," he said. "Just tell me the address."

She thought about whether she should say or not but what choice did she have?

"McQueen Village," she murmured.

He digged out for his keys inside his pocket and found it. Pressing the button, the sound of his truck's horn echoed from around the corner of the parking lot.

"Come," he said. "I'll take you home."

She frowned slightly but followed him nonetheless. "You know?"

"Yeah. I grew up here. I know everything about this place."

"You do?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do."

"But..you don't get lost?"

He smirked at her. "Instinct, Kitten."

She frowned when she heard the word Kitten slipped from his tongue. He opened the door on the passenger's side of his black truck and she went in, instantly smelling the fragrance of his truck. She kept the black kitten on her lap as Zach entered the driver's side.

Starting the truck, Zach gazed at her from the corner of his eye. He gripped the steering wheel and kept his hands to himself, not being able to avoid the clouding cherry blossoms of her scent inside his truck. He felt like he would jump above her in a second and would tackle her down the seat until she couldn't breathe or escape anymore.

Stilling himself, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and avoided her scent's tempting fragrance.

Oblivious, Anna lovingly stroked the black fur of the kitten lying down on her lap. Once again, as she looked into its eyes, she stared right into its soul. It seemed so deep and she was lost in it.

"I haven't seen you around here before," she heard him saying.

"That's because I'm not from around here."

"Where are you from?"

"West Coast of America."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Dämn," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're too young," he said. "And you're Freshman?" he asked, because all werewolves enter Orlando High at eighteen to start their training and she was just too young for that.

"Junior," she answered.

"All Seniors of Orlando are above their twenties," he said.

She looked skeptically at him. "But why?"

"It's a training. For the pack."

Her frown deepened. "Pack?"

"I mean for the School. It's a tradition thing." Until then, he ran out of words.

"So how old are you?" she asked.

"Too old for you."