The cab driver honks the horn when he arrives. I open the trunk and put my bag inside. "Aeropuerto Luis Muñoz Marin, por favor." I say in Spanish and he immediately peals off. "How are we going to train or better yet who will train us? And why me being only sixteen make things difficult?" I ask. I don't know anyone in the US and I certainly don't have family that can help either. "I know someone…" she answers, "We panther shifters, shift for the first time when we turn eleven and we were quickly added to the training group."
"We were taught by our elder females how to control our pheromones and our scent If we didn't have a mate. They wanted us to know how to be able to protect ourselves from males that would take us against our will if they got a whiff of our scent. Yes, we wouldn't be able to conceive from them unless we accept them, but we would still need to get over the fact that we got raped. Us being of different ages makes me take more of the control in that part until you learn how to do it."
"Which needs to be soon…" she says. I guess I understand that, I leave her alone and look at the passing scenery. After a twenty-minute ride, I pay the driver and walk inside. I feel my stomach doing summersaults. I have never been out of Puerto Rico so its safe to say I have never flown. One hour and a half later I have my plane ticket in hand, and I am waiting for the flight to board. The people keep staring at me as if I have grown a second head.
It's making me uncomfortable; I don't look any different from every female here. Well, the ones my age at least. I have on gray sweatpants, a white t-shirt and a gray hoodie, which is still covering my face. I have my backpack on in front of me, so no one can steal my money. I don't trust anyone at this moment or ever. I stand by the windows looking out at all the planes flying out and arriving. "Is this a good idea?" I ask her nervously. This running away thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Even with all the reasons in the world to do it and all the opportunities to accomplish it, I have never had guts to pull through with it. I had the money to go on my own since young, I could have even bought myself a nice home away from my parents, but I never did it. Call me a coward if you like because even saying it in my mind, it sounds that way. Every time I thought of doing it, I heard my grandmas voice in my head telling me not to. My mother wouldn't have given a rat's butt if I did leave, but I felt as if I was disappointing my grandma for even thinking that.
Right this moment what is ringing in my ears is her voice. Telling me to love and respect my mother even if she hurt me. I feel my heart constrict in my chest and I am consumed by this overwhelming feeling to cry. I quickly walk towards the nearest bathroom and lock myself in the handicapped stall. I lean against the furthest wall from the door and silently cry. I promise myself this will be the last time I do. I sit on the floor, pull my knees up and wrap my arms around them and cry until I'm pent.
"Flight 1247 to…" came through the intercom announcing that my flight is going to start boarding. I sigh in exhaustion; I gently rub the itchiness in my eyes from the lack of sleep and push myself off the ground to wash my face in the sink. I dry it gently and walk out. People start lining up according to their sections and I do the same once my section is called. My seat is all the way in the back of the plane since it was the only seat available for this flight.
I sit near the window, I buckle my seatbelt and put my backpack to the side facing the window. I close my eyes and decide to rest while on this death contraption. "When we land, you need to quickly retrieve your bags and get a cab out of there. We can't stay there for long." Lexa says. I don't argue, "Aye, aye captain." I say understanding that we can't be anywhere for long and try to sleep. My life is sure turning interesting, who would have thought I would be chosen to be a shifter. Exactly!
These things aren't supposed to be real; I have read so many books on them but never in my wildest dreams did I think it true. I close my eyes and try to shut my brain off. I'm startled awake by the plane landing. I have never been able to sleep so soundly since before my grandmother's death not even living under my parents' roof. I waited until the last person got off the plane. I put my backpack on and walk towards the exit. I pull my hoodie over my head again and walk towards the baggage claim.
I pull my bag off the conveyor belt and walk outside. Finding a dang cab here is practically impossible. After an hour of walking around and asking the people who work here, I got one. "Where to?" I ask Nahlexa. "Lehigh…" she answers. I tell the driver where too and sit back. I stare out of the window at the passing scenery. This place is beautiful, but the temperature is way hotter than I'm used to. I take my backpack off and put it next to me while I take my hoodie off to fold it. The driver dropped me off near a barber shop where Nahlexa insisted we stay.