I don’t really know what my father looked like and looking at my features I couldn’t see him. I looked a lot like my mom. She’s slender and tall, has straw-colored hair that falls just below her chin and brown eyes. They were once vibrant and full of life but now they’re dull from years of living in a loveless abusive relationship. She had practically copy and pasted when she had me. I have long silky blonde hair and big brown eyes. Sometimes I can see flecks of gold in my eyes. The only difference between us is that I only stand an inch over five feet. While the woman on my mom’s side had slender figures, I was curvier, thicker, and my large breasts and fat ass always caught unwanted attention.
My face was a little round and I was always mistaken for being younger than my actual age. My mom always towered over me and Greg, my mom’s boyfriend. He was shorter than her but bulkier than her and definitely stronger than me. He could throw me across the room effortlessly. Trust me, I know, it’s happened before. He had short brown stringy hair, a thick mustache, and a mole on his neck.
My mom met Greg when I was just ten years old. He used to have a muscular build but was sporting a beer belly these days. I sit up and stare at the moonlight spilling into my room. The rain continued to come down with a vengeance. The sound of drunken footsteps stomped down the hallway and pulled me from the trance the combination of the moonlight and the sound of rain had me in. I know what’s about to happen and despite the urgency rushing through my body, despite the internal screaming that I need to get up and run, I do the opposite. I freeze.
Please.
Please go away.
Please please go away.
“I know you’re awake! Open the damn door!” Greg yelled.
He thrusts his shoulder into the door and I can hear him grunt as he rams into it a second time. When the door doesn’t budge, he starts banging on the door. When I finally come to my senses, adrenaline pushed me out of bed and I’m on my feet. I run toward my dresser and grab my bag on the floor next to it. I unzip it as quickly as I can and throw an extra pair of clothes in and a hoodie. I’m wearing black basketball shorts and an oversize t-shirt but if I wear my hoodie now I’ll have nothing to wear for school.
Quickly, I make my way to the window and throw it open. A cold breeze rushes in and caresses my skin. The banging gets louder and I know he’s ramming into my door again. Goosebumps break out across my skin and I sling my bag over my shoulder. I threw my legs out of the window and slid out onto the roof. Water pelts my head and began to soak into my shirt. A shiver makes it’s way down my spine from the cold rain.
I’ve done this a number of times but my heart still hammers as if it were the first time. My room is on the second floor and I tell myself the jump isn’t too bad. I haven’t broken a leg yet but there’s always a first time for everything. I close my eyes and pray that day isn’t today. I’m a werewolf but I’m slow to heal. Any cracked bones I get won’t heal back as quickly since I don’t have my wolf yet.
The banging gets louder and my door finally gives way. It cracks and splinters and for a second, I hesitate and look back over my shoulder. Greg’s blood shot red eyes lock on mine. I turn from him as the sound of rushed footsteps gets closer. It’s now or never. I know this and yet, I still can’t get myself to push off the roof. Greg’s meaty hand grips the back of my shirt. I’m being pulled backwards and I forget to breathe.
This is it. It’s going to happen again. I was so close.
Somehow by the grace of the Goddess, I slip from his grip. For a second, I’m free and I bolt forward and jump off. When my feet touch wet soil and I thank the goddess. I don’t have time to push my stomach down out of my throat. I don’t look back at him. I take off running and don’t stop. My surroundings blur as I run through the route I’ve run through a million times. By the time I make it to school grounds, I’m soaked and out of breath. I should just throw my clothes on in the gym but the promise of a hot shower is too good to refuse right now.
My feet are numb from running through the woods to get here and my fingers are turning blue from the cold. My lips are quivering and my teeth chatter as I rush towards the locker room. Luckily for me, it’s fall and not winter and the chances of hypothermia are a lot lower. My worst enemy right now would be pneumonia. I’m careful not to draw attention to myself.
When I slip into the locker rooms, there isn’t a soul in sight and I count my lucky stars. There has been a few times when I’ve bumped into some of the girls from the pack that didn’t like me. It never ended well for me.
I’ve been using these locker rooms for four years now. In middle school, I didn’t always have access to the showers in the locker rooms. I just turned 18 and I’m still running from Greg. As I got older I got better at hiding the bruises and Greg got a little smarter. He was more careful of where he hit me.
The door opens and my heart races. Cautiously I turn and find kind brown eyes. I let out a sigh of relief as I realize it’s Jen, the janitor. She’s an elderly woman that keeps to herself. She first stumbled across me last year while I was changing. Greg had had one too many drinks and she had seen the bruises and cuts. I thought she would kick me out since students are allowed in here unless they’re attending classes. But she just nodded at me and began cleaning the locker room. She did the same now. I rip the wet clothes sticking to my body and throw them in the trash. I don’t want to chuck them but I have nowhere to stash them and someone will throw them away by the end of the day.
I turn on the shower and slip under the water when steam starts to rise. I sigh contently and let the water warm me before I wash. I’d stay under the water longer if I could but I know I’m short on time. I ignore the yellowing bruises that will soon be covered by new bruises as I wash myself. When I’m done, I shut off the water and dry off.
The first bell rings and I hurry to get my shirt over my head and pull the material down over my belly. I step into my jeans and I go to war with them as I struggle to pull them over my curves. When I win I button and pull up the zipper before stepping in front of one of the mirrors. The first thing I see is the light brown freckles that litter my nose and spread gently across my cheeks. The bags under my eyes are impossible to notice but my lips are light pink and plump. Disgusted with my appearance, I huff and throw my hair up in a messy bun and turn from my reflection. I grab my backpack and rush to class. When I get to my hallway, I take a deep breath to calm myself and pull my shoulders back. No one knows about my home situation and I’ve worked hard to ensure no one finds out about it. Kids are rushing to class while others are taking their time. When I get to my class, the door is still open and I sigh in relief as I walk in. Most of my classmates are seated but my teacher isn’t
Levi is muscular and has long silver blonde hair that he tries back. His brown eyes sparkle like he thinks something’s funny but doesn’t want to share what it is. He has dimples that poke out on both cheeks when he smiles but he doesn’t smile as much as he did when we were kids. He’s gotten paler since we were kids. I remember a young tan dirty blonde hair but now, his skin is fair and his hair is silver blonde. I can feel his eyes on me and I’m glad I didn’t turn around. I can already see the satisfied smirk on his face if he caught me starting at him. He thinks everyone likes him and I don’t want to fan his ego. Whatever it is between us is weird. We don’t talk anymore but I know him and he knows me. He’s close but distant. Liz thinks he has this secret crush on me but if that were true he would have made a move already. And if he were to try and make a move now it would be pointless. I’m taken now. I started dating Dylan Cadmus this year. The only time I can’t feel Levi’s eyes on
Before I can ask him about about why he’s in my hall when his second period is across campus, he leans down. Before I can say anything, he pressed his lips against mine. I kiss him back but when his tongue darts out and slides across the front of my teeth I realize he wants me to give him access. He nudges his nose against mine impatiently and I let him in. His tongue finds mine and our lips part lightly. My eyes dart to Levi and I see him watching us. I avoid his gaze and break our kiss as my cheeks flush. I turn around to face Dylan and turning my back on Levi. I let my eyes roam down his body and take in his tight fitted white t-shirt and his dark blue jeans. His brunette hair is a little unruly but I like it when it’s like that. I look into his baby blue eyes and my breath hitched. He’s angry. “Why haven’t you answered my texts?” Dylan asked. “I’m sorry baby. I haven’t checked my phone all day. I had to rush to school this morning because… When I got to class i was out of breat
“I’m taking you out after school,” Dylan said proudly. “Oh are you?” I asked. “Yes,” he said confidently. “We have homework, Dylan!” I laughed. I love it when he’s happy. His smile, his proud walk, everything about him made my world brighter. Before Dylan, the only other person I had in my life was Liz. I love her to death and she is enough but there’s something about having someone love me that made everything better. Dylan loved me and cared about me. Love. Dylan. Both were amazing. It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows but growing up with Greg happy days were hard to come back. When I lost Levi I felt so alone. Knowing that Dylan was my person made everything shitty about my life at home bearable. My calculus class comes into view and I only have a few more steps to take until I’m there. I don’t see it coming, I don’t see him, I don’t see anything but a blinding white light as it blinds my vision. He moved so fast. One second I’m walking to class and the next I’m flying. My ba
I’m fine. I’m blowing things out of proportion. I’m fine. I’m being a little dramatic because of what happened this morning. I start making up excuses about what happened until I start to feel better. I finish up my homework due tomorrow. When the bell rings I pack up my stuff and walk to my locker. I put my stuff into my locker. It’s easier when I leave my stuff here overnight. That way, Greg can’t rip it up or I don’t forget it if I have to rush out like this morning. I’ve completed what I need to turn in tomorrow so I’m good. I stuff my bag into the locker and pull my hoodie on before closing it. "Amia,” a voice called out behind me. Turning, I find a stoic Levi staring at me. I can’t recall the last time he called my name. Other than that night… I don’t think he’s talked to me in years. I fight the urge to look down his body and blatantly check him out. “Oh… hey, Levi? What’s up?” I asked. I’m confused as to why he’s talking to me. This is weird and awkward. Yeah, just keep
I don’t care what it looked like. What I did notice was that people had stopped and were staring at us. I hated being the center of attention and right now, I was the center of attention. I had the sudden urge to run. It didn’t matter where, I just needed to run. I didn’t want to hear anymore. I didn’t need to stand here and feel eyes on me while he yelled at me. It wasn’t any of his business. “Abuse. That’s what this looks like,” Levi said. He spat the words out as if they disgusted him. “I don’t have to explain anything to you, remember? We haven’t been friends in years. We haven’t spoken in years. Just because you decide to put some effort in doesn’t mean that you’re just welcome to walk back into my life and give me a lecture. I think you'vef forgotten.” “Forgotten what?” Levi asked. “You’re no one,” I hissed. “Oh, grow up, Amia! You’re acting childish! Can’t you see how much danger you’re in?” Levi yelled. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I tried again and st
I opened the door and climbed into his car. Dylan was so happy to see me. He leaned over and gave me a kiss. He was buzzing with excitement and it was infectious. He held my hand and sang corny love songs while he drove. I loved it when he was like this. The car ride went by quickly that way.As we pulled up to the restaurant he hopped out of the car and ran around to open my door. I smiled at him before I stepped out of the car. He wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me close as we walked toward the restaurant.Valet ran forward and he threw the keys into the air. He caught it and looked at us. I smiled apologetically before we walked into the restaurant. I noticed the way the hostess’ eyebrows shot up when she saw Dylan. She ran forward and gave him a sly smile while she greeted him. I rolled my eyes as she led us to our reserved seats.“Is there… anything I can get you?” She asked Dylan. His eyes dropped to her name tag.“No, thank you, Jessica.” Her smile faltered and
Earlier that morningAndriusA cold wind caressed the side of my face and my hair swayed. A smell drifted through the forest and the sounds that echoed around me were mesmerizing. I was the most relaxed when I was here, surrounded by trees, and fog. My days were long and my life had been scheduled out months in advance. It was only thanks to a canceled meeting that I got to have a morning to myself since I’d taken over as Alpha.Twigs and leaves crunched below my paws were the sounds that brought me the most comfort. I tasted the promise of rain in the air and smelled the fresh evergreen around me. My wolf and I were the happiest when we were in the forest, surrounded by nature and away from the hustle and bustle work and the responsibilities of running the largest pack in the country.It wasn’t long before the cave hidden deep in the forest came into view. The closer it grew the more at ease I felt. As a pup, I ran through these same woods with friends. One cold winter, I got lost an