This car ride is so freakin' quiet. I can't take this quiet anymore, it will drive me absolutely insane. Six weeks of quiet is more than enough. Six weeks since mom's "attack".
Vampires.
Yeah, I know about the leaches. I kill them on an almost daily basis. It wasn't really fair that one had to get my mom, but I at least got to kill it. Ugh, but the smell was a bit much.
Lily doesn't know about my condition. Or, I guess, I should call her Mrs. Ateara or maybe even 'mom'. She's taken me under her wing. Mom's childhood best friend. The Quileute women.
"We're here, Sweetheart."
The voice makes me start. Man, why do people expect me to be paying so much attention?
Lily opened her rusted car door. It made a loud squeaking noise that made my ears turn. Metaphorically, of course, considering I wasn't in my wolf form.
She walked up to a small house. Alright, a very small house. Not that I don't like it. It's homey.
She opened a door and walked in without looking at me. I followed her, slower; more quietly, taking in my surroundings.
There were woods everywhere. All around the house and in the yard. And is that ocean water I smell? Salt water has a different smell when it's cold outside. I was definitely going to have to explore later.
I walked into the house and a very familiar smell hit me. Wolf? No, there couldn't be. I was the only wolf.
A tall boy, no, a man, walked into the room. He had a toddler on one arm and was eating a sandwich with his free hand. When he saw me, he stiffened.
"Mom, take Claire please," he said in a deep voice.
"Why? What's wrong with you?" she reached for the toddler.
The man remained stiff and I hadn't noticed that I too had become stiff. My muscles all tensed and my nostrils flared. His did the same. We stood staring, sizing each other up. I could take him, maybe.
"What. Are. You." he asked slow and in a low, rough voice.
"You don't already know?" I asked. I grinned then and loosened my stance. He remained still.
"Quil, chill," said Lily. "Jesse, this is my son, Quil. And his…friend, Claire."
"Nice to meet you, Quil," I said and then walked to Lily. "Where should I put my things?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. Follow me."
She lead me down a short hallway to a door.
"Here," she said and opened the door.
I walked into the tiny room and looked around. The bed took up most of the room. A chair at the foot and a dresser across from the bed.
"It's nice," I said.
"Oh. Well, thank you." She smiled.
"Do you mind if I take off for a bit and explore?" I ask.
"Nah, go ahead," she says with a huge smile.
I turn and almost run out the bedroom door. As soon as I'm out of the house, I run for the woods. When I'm in the cover of the trees, I take off my clothes and leave them under a rock.
This is where the fun begins. I feel a rush of heat and I close brown eyes. When I open them again, I'm about twice my height.
I look at my-white-paws and then I scan up my legs-four legs. I'm an almost all black wolf, which may or may not have anything to do with my dark brown hair. My paws are the only white part.
I run through the trees. It felt so good to be running.
I made it to a clearing and then slowed down.
The first thing I notice, is that wolf smell again. What the heck?
And then I see them. Two big males and a female.
I growl, a low sound in my throat.
Three against one…great.