54.
I can sometimes feel him close. Once I sensed his presence while I was walking back home from school. When I looked over my shoulder there was no one. Just a mischievous wind rustling the black leaves of the trees boarding the street.
I'm not saying it was pleasant. Every damn minute was torture. The first few months were rough. I was a zombie that barely spoke two words. Mom and Dad were worried. They thought I'd revert back to my hunger strike period again. I didn't. I told them on a sunny Saturday, "Mom, Dad, I want to go back to school and I want to learn how to use my powers," of course they stare dumbfounded with gaping mouths. The shock lasted for a while—a long time.
Reka Singh came around the house. No, she was not allowed entrance. Both my parents hated her for obvious reasons I'll not mention. Drinks. Bad reputation. Her being a shifter. I'm rapidly starting to think that Dad might be racist towards wereanimals of all shapes and sizes. But that's just a hunch.
About that night I partied too hard and people ended up dead—that night I was supposed to sleep at Grandpa Charlie's. Yeah, that one party I should have never set foot in Mason's house. I got away from it with a pile of lies.
Here is how it happened...