"Bye, Mom!" I called as I shut the heavy wooden front door of our house. I went down the porch steps and double- checked my phone. I had about 40 minutes to get to school. If I kept up a speed walk the whole way, I should be able to walk the 4.5 km to the school and still have a few moments to grab stuff from my locker before first period. As I went down my street, I could see a group of three girls up ahead, talking and laughing as they walked. A small, sad, wistful smile crept across my small lips. I have never really had friends before, just acquaintances. I guess it never helped that growing up, I was not allowed to go to birthday parties, sleepovers, dances, or even school field trips. Mom never wanted me far from her sight, she would let me go to school, but there were strict rules l'd had to follow. I know why she did it. It was to keep me safe and both of us alive. Just then, the girls all laughed, breaking me away from my thoughts.
'It's funny,' I thought, 'the older I get the more I hate being a loner; the more I wish for company instead of solitude.' I sighed. 'But who would make friends with you?' my critical inner voice challenged.
I knew I never exactly fit in, in many ways, this was true. I wondered why it was that so many people judged others based on appearances. Take myself, for example: I was a bit taller than the average girl, I guess you would say I look androgynous. My hair was cut short, the kind of pixie cut often seen worn by the 1920's flappers. As for my clothes, I liked to wear unisex looking clothing. Sometimes I got tired of looking for girl's clothes that were not pink, frilly, and feminine; and then I went and bought guys t-shirts and zip-up sweaters. Honestly, I had no issues with the fact that my body was biologically female, my issue was with the norms of society. Even as a little kid, I never understood why people had to choose to be a boy or girl, masculine or feminine. Why can't someone just be all the above?
I shook my head. I didn't have to give myself a headache thinking about all that now. Knowing that this street stopped in a dead end up ahead I turned and made my way to the main street. I could take that all the way to the school. Suddenly, I felt like someone was staring at me. I turned my head slowly, slightly to the left. I had found out who it was. I only glanced for long enough to see it was a young man who looked slightly older than me. 'Must have been in grade 11 or 12.' I thought. I tried to pick up the speed of my fast walk. The second I saw him, I started to feel uneasy. Something deep from the ancient part of my brain screamed 'danger'. I had glanced so quickly that I was unable to recognize the look in his eyes. But I especially did not like the fact that he was behind me and could see where I was going.
'Distance' I thought, 'I need distance.' But my legs could not speed walk any faster, I was liable to give myself shin splints. I had no choice, so I tightened my grip on my backpack, double- checked my phone was secure and ran the rest of the way to school.
Once I had entered the school and the safety of my locker, I made sure I had everything on me I would need for the first two classes. I had third period lunch, so I could return to my locker then. I checked my phone and saw there was about 10 minutes before the bell rang. I did not want to just stand here by myself, feeling awkward. But I didn't want to go directly to my class, which was two doorways down the hall away, and sit at the back either. So far, I only knew how to get to my 4 classes and where the cafeteria was. I had not explored anywhere else. With my mind made up, I decided to explore the halls.
I took a deep breath and slung on my backpack, and headed down the hallway, away from my class. As I walked, I noticed that some of the hallways were narrower and some were wider. Although the building, from the outside looked like it was all built at once, these mismatched hallways, seemed to indicate it was built in stages. I noticed the brickwork of the walls as I turned down another hallway and then-
I stopped very suddenly. Realizing that I wasn't breathing, I made my lungs suck in air. A few meters ahead of me, was the werewolf I had bumped into yesterday. He looked at me with an intensity. It was clear, I was not on his list of favorite people.
'Please, don't let me die today.' I thought. I knew I had escaped him yesterday, thanks mostly to a sudden distraction, if nothing else. But today, I didn't think I would be so lucky. How would I explain this to my mother if I came home all beat up?
He growled at me. It was a deep rumble, that emanated from his throat. Trying to think calmly and logically, I started taking a few steps backwards. I could tell he was not an omega, but I didn't know enough about werewolves to say if he was an alpha or a beta.
"Don't you take another step!" he commanded. Hearing footsteps coming from behind me, I took a quick glance over my shoulder. Maybe I wouldn't get beat up today. 'Please be a teacher!' I thought. 'Please be a teacher.'
The person in question came into view. It was not a teacher. I felt like my stomach, heart and soul all dropped to my feet at once. The person who came into view was that same young man who was staring at me this morning; the same one I had ended up running from. Sending a flitting glance from one to the other, I knew I was between a rock and a hard place. The young man was getting closer to me. I could smell him now; I could tell he was a werewolf. I had a split-second decision to make; which was the lesser of two evils?
I made my decision and took a deep breath.