All Chapters of Of Teeth and Claws: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Song: Up by Adelitas Way, New Medicine) Running from your past can be tiresome. Necessity, but not always easy. Sometimes it comes barreling right back at you, full speed with teeth and claws. My past has caught up to me and facing it leaves me sick and heartbroken. A swift kick to my luggage sends it tumbling down the steps. Reluctantly, I follow behind it. “See, I did pack, are you happy?” I groan to my father. I didn’t want to and I didn’t pack as much as I should have, but every time I tried I grew more and more nauseous. “I don’t see why I have to go anyways.” “You haven’t seen your grandmother…or your sister in nearly eight years.” He reaches his hand out, his fingers brushing my freshly dyed ashy platinum blonde hair aside. “She misses you.” He means my grandmother, not my sister. Twyla hates me. As if I was the one that tore our family apart. Wolves. That’s who tore our family apart. Literally and figuratively. And going back to the very town where our mother was murdered

Ugh. Blindly, I grope the nightstand for the phone that has obnoxiously woken me up. My shaky fingers knock the earpiece off the base. Thankfully, it’s a really old phone and it dangles off the edge by its cord. “Hello.” I holler into the room as I reach for it. I can hear Lyra yelling through the little speaker hole, “Get your butt down here. Now.” “What time is it?” It feels like I just got into bed. “How did you get this number? Why are you even calling this phone?” “You didn’t answer your cell. Now get ready. It’s well after ten and we’re going shopping.” I knew I was going to have to leave at some point in time. I would prefer that it wasn’t today….or tomorrow or the day after or the day after that. “Whatever, I’ll be down in a minute.” Or maybe two or three or thirty. She starts a countdown, “sixty. Fifty nine. Fifty eight.” Groping for the dangling phone, I manage to hang up before she gets to fifty five. I’ll definitely be down way after she hits zero. It takes me a minu

(Song: Wild Child by The Black Keys) Heart pounding, I watch helplessly. Her voice is cheerful as she greets him. The one sided conversation has my head spinning and my stomach tossing. Thankfully, she repeats everything he says. “Is Nova with me?” I shake my head no. “Of course,” she replies. Silence. “Can you talk to her?” I shake my head again. “Well we’re having dinner right now and she left like a minute or two ago to go to the bathroom. That’s probably why she didn’t answer the phone when you called.” More silence, but Lyra cringes from whatever it is that he’s saying. “How do I know you called her?” Great. She’s already gotten caught in a string of lies. “She…didn’t take her phone with her.” How many details does she need to give him? The silence doesn’t come this time, because he screams so loudly that I can hear it blare out of the speaker. “Nova.” Lyra holds the phone into the air far away from her ear. Every surrounding table can probably hear him, “I know you’re there. N

A voice that has grown to annoy me in just two days snaps me out of my reprieve. “May I join you?” Nox questions. Eyes snapping open, I spot him already waist deep in the tub making it unnecessary, but polite to ask. Polite isn’t going to make me like him. Stunned, I watch him take a seat across from me. Seconds later my mouth finally starts working, “if I say no will you leave?” “No.” At least he’s honest. “Then, I will,” I retort as I come to a stand, but I instantly regret it. Standing from the water showcases my barely there swimsuit and Nox immediately notices. He doesn’t hide his smile as his eyes rake over every inch of exposed skin. I become frozen under his gaze and it gives him enough time to jump to feet and block the steps. “You know I can climb out from anywhere, right.” “I’d love to watch you do just that.” What did I say? Snide, egotistical, chauvinistic asshole wants to watch me climb out of the pool. Sorry Lyra, but there’s no more being nice, “you’re an asshole.”

(Song: Heads Up by Future Palace) The drive isn’t as long as I would like it to be. My headache has subsided at least. It’s bound to recur at some point in time today. Lyra and Eden must sense the tension that rests upon my shoulders, because they fill the car with useless banter just like they did on our drive to Fairbanks. Sooner rather than later, we arrive at our destination. My grandmother’s house looms in front of me. I feel like I should know this place, have a sense of familiarity, but I’ve got nothing. Just that familiar tingle on the tip of my tongue of unreachable recognition. My phone buzzes in my pocket. Several times. Text after text after text. I glance at the name as I exit the car. It’s just dad replying back. I don’t even have a chance to open the messages before Lyra’s fist knocks against the door signaling our arrival as if I wasn’t already aware. She pushes me front and center so I’m the first one to be seen once the door swings open. It sets my nerves on edg