Railey Katel studied the six million different kinds of instant mashed potatoes, the small basket in her hands already loaded up with various kinds of junk food. The grocery list her father had sent her out with was crumbled and short, just the basics. Sighing deeply, she grabbed the one at eye level.
Her father hated grocery shopping, which was a genetic trait liked to think, as she hated it too. Heading out of the isle, Railey headed towards the freezer section, silently happy about having saved it for last. It was a good 80 degrees outside, with the humidity of Washington State making it even worse.
She missed Colorado already. At least there it was dry heat.
Her tank top was stuck to her skin as she headed towards the milk. Last thing on the list and then she'd be free. Shifting the weight of her basket from one hand to the other, she turned the corner in the small local grocery.
She figured anyone would stop and stare, as she was doing. He was huge, partially naked, and barefoot. His short brown hair was being pulled by his own hand as he stared at the various brands of milk, a lip tucked in-between his teeth. As though he sensed her, he glanced up at her, giving her a moments look before returning his attention back to the milk.
She knew what he was. He wasn't the first shape shifter she had encountered in her life time, but he was definitely one of the youngest. Her father kept to a select circle, usually only meeting up with older guys who had put shifting in their past, their aging process returning to them as they lived out their lives properly.
She quickly walked towards him, not wanting to alarm him in any way. Grabbing a carton of milk, she excused herself as she got close to him. He glanced over at her for a moment, and she assumed he could hear her heart hammering. His sly smile told her she was right in her assumption. She didn't return the favor, only looking him in the eyes for a second before moving around him and heading towards the checkout.
The only lane open had a little old lady in it, her hands shaking as she handed over a 20-dollar bill for her carton of eggs and gallon of milk. Railey found herself smiling as she waited patiently, unpacking her basket onto the belt. As she pulled the last item out and put the basket in the stand at the end of the belt, she felt the warmth of him as he stepped into line behind her.
Not acknowledging his existence, she shuffled forward and prepared her cash, wanting desperately to get out of the store as soon as possible. As soon as the lady finished checking out, the teller started at Railey.
"Is this all you need ma'am?" The teller smiled up at her, putting the last of her items into a paper bag. Railey only nodded, trying to ignore the boy just behind her. The teller wasn't, the teenager shifting her eyes from Railey to the half-naked shape shifter regularly. He was probably on fire, already naturally warm, the summer air not helping. "I don't think I've seen you around before."
"No." It was a croak from her throat and she found herself sighing, clearing her throat quickly. She gave the girl a smile. "I've just moved here."
"Yeah?" She smiled, in return, taking the money from Railey and getting her change. "I suppose I'll see you in school then."
Railey nodded, tucking the change in her pocket before waving goodbye and gathering up her bag quickly. With distance between her and the wolf boy she felt the air returning to her lungs. She dropped the grocery bag into the back seat of the jeep, jumping up into the driver's side quickly. The doors had been removed as soon as it had been dropped off at the house. Her father had told her about the weather, but the prospect of rain falling on her as she drove home wasn't too bad when it was this warm out.
As she backed out of her parking spot and shifted into drive, her eyes moved towards the door. There he was, standing at the entrance, the doors sliding shut behind him. His brows were furrowed, watching her pointedly as the gallon of milk in his hand swung beside his leg. She couldn't put into words the anxiety that washed over her as she quickly got out of the parking lot. She could feel his eyes on her neck as she drove away.
"Did you get everything?" Her father called out to her as she stepped in through the front door, letting the screen door snap shut behind her. He was in the kitchen still, probably under the sink trying to get the leaking to stop. She followed his voice, her suspicions correct.
Her father didn't look like her father. Maybe a much older brother, at this point. Definitely not her father. He had chosen though, a long time ago, to continue to shift, to continue his life in his current form. So, as he pushed himself out from under the sink, she wasn't met with old man groans and old man features. He smiled up at her, his youth very much intact as he pushed himself up off the floor to take the bag from her arms.
This was part of the reason they constantly moved.
"Not ten minutes into being here and I've already met one."
She watched her father pause, his back to her now as he unpacked the bag on the counter. She waited for him to respond, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. She took a swig, leaning against the counter beside him, watching his side profile as he folded up the bag, deep in thought.
"I knew there would be a few."
"So young?"
"We had to start somewhere Railey. There must be a coven in the area."
She only nodded, staring off at the wall, deep in her own thoughts. Everything that had gotten them to this point was set in stone, and she had thought long and hard on many nights that she wouldn't change any of it. But every new home made her think about what a normal life would be like, a normal encounter with the locals.
"It'll be ok." Her father's charm was back, his large grin stretching from ear to ear as he gathered up the items for the fridge and put them away. She rolled her eyes, giving him a nod of understanding as she headed out of the kitchen and back outside.
The summer air whipped around her and she smiled softly to herself. The doors to her jeep leaned up against the tree in the front yard, and she figured she'd put them away before her father come out to remind her.
Heading across the grass, she gathered one up and headed back to the garage. The tree line was so close, the depths of the woods just on her right, the sun barely tucking itself in with the leaves. Dropping her first door, she peered out into the greenery, seeing the flash of something moving inside the trees.
She already knew though. He had been eyeing her extensively at the store, and she assumed he was checking her out now. They protected the people, so they needed to know who the people were. He didn't know that she knew though, he had no clue, and she quickly put her suspensions away as she rounded back to the front. Years of hiding herself had passed, and she had perfected it by now.
Her father was there at the front of the house, the other jeep door in his arms. He wasn't smiling though, his eyes staring at the trees much like hers had been moments ago. He pointed towards the house and she quickly obeyed, heading inside. She could see her father through the windows as he headed towards the back, leaning the second door up against the shed next to the first. He stood on the edge of the trees, watching the space in the woods.
She watched as the boy she had seen in the grocery store stepped out just a few feet to her father's right. He had haphazardly pulled on a pair of jean shorts, cut at the bottom, the buttons undone. They had a conversation, soft murmurs in the summer shade. She watched cautiously as her father answered the boy's questions, laughing at one point in time. It seemed to be going well, both sets of eyes carrying up to the window where she was watching. She quickly pulled away, chuckling at herself for the absurdity of wanting to hide.
Just minutes later her father was back in the house, a lazy grin on his face.
"There's a coven just on the other side of town, towards the outskirt of Forks. The boy you met earlier was Jacob Black. His father is a very old friend of mine." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching his daughter as she drained the last of her water bottle. "They'll be joining us for dinner."
"And who's cooking this fabulous feast?" She already knew the answer. Her father couldn't cook to save his life. When she had asked him why he hadn't learned by now he merely shrugged, claiming he had been too busy saving the world in his youth to think about cooking. Not that she was any better, but if they didn't want the food burned, she knew she would have to cook. "Well I'm going to unpack, and then I'll start. What time?"
"Probably around 6. They'll be here a little earlier for reunion though."
She sighed, giving him a lazy smile, already knowing what he was going to say next. "Yes, I'll be nice, no I won't purposely hide, and yes I'll make sure to remember my manners."
Her dad just chuckled, shaking his head before getting back down on his knees to work on the sink. She watched him for a moment before heading upstairs. She headed into the first of the three bedrooms, dropping into the folds of her blankets and pillows on her bed. They had arrived pretty late last night and all she had wanted to do was sleep. The promise of a morning to come, where she could unbox the few boxes she had brought with her, was more than enough.
Railey forced herself up, dropping into the office chair that sat in front of three of the heavier boxes. With a smile she ripped the tape aside to look down at her books tucked away inside the cardboard. The built-in bookshelves on the far wall of her bedroom, underneath the A frame roof, was a perfect place to store all the literature she had devoured through the years. Her father had tried to buy her a kindle reader at one point but the screen couldn't compare to paper and ink.
When the clock on her wall let her know it was nearing five, Railey stepped back to admire the work she had accomplished. Everything was tucked away where it belonged, save for the duffle bag on the end of her bed. She needed to do laundry though, so she left it there.
Heading downstairs she glanced over at her dad who was lost in the football game, a bag of chips in his lap, an open beer on the side table. This was one of the best places they had stayed at in a long time. When pulling up to the house last night, he had told her he had grown up in it, so history was what she was walking into.
She could only imagine a small version of her pops running around the kitchen while his mom cooked, but she couldn't put faces in her imagination. He refused to go past her birth, refused to tell her anything of himself, and after years of teenage fighting and attitude she had given up asking.
Grabbing the steaks from the fridge she went to work, chopping up garlic and making a quick marinade for the meat. Before she knew it there was a soft tap on her front door and her dad was getting up. She briefly glanced over her shoulder to see a beat-up truck in the driveway before she continued on cooking.
The voices carried into the kitchen and she laughed at the antics of her father. She could smell the young wolf before he came into the kitchen, standing next to her at the counter, his grin on his face. He seemed less ridged, and maybe it was because of her dad. He nodded and she returned the gesture.
"So you're Railey." His voice was deep, a hint of laughter at the end. She nodded, turning off the burners and dishing out the food on to various plates. Jacob quickly took the two she handed him as she put the rest of the food on and plated up. "Your dad told me you're normal?"
"Did he?" She peered up at him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "What's normal?"
"Well you know, you don't spend your evening hours on all fours with a lot of fur in-between your ears and toes." He wiggled his brows, his teeth bright white in the setting sun. She found herself charmed, his easy going demeanor something she could get used to. She had met some older shape shifter who didn't have a personality for nothing, and it made her smile.
"Well I guess if that's normal, then that's what I am." She shrugged, grabbing the two other plates and heading out into the living room. She eyed her father, who was perched on the end of the couch, talking animatedly with an older looking man in a wheel chair. They both looked up as her and Jacob brought the food, easily taking their plates and continuing with their conversation. Jacob followed her to the dining room table where she sat.
"So," he questioned, taking a bite of his steak and sighing, "how you like our lovely little area?" She watched him take his time, cutting the steak up in smaller pieces, counting out his chews. She found herself cracking up with laughter, his furrowed brows joining in the middle of his forehead as he stared up at her.
"Trust me, I've been eating around your kind for a while. Feel free to eat that thing in one bite, there's four more in the oven for you."
This seemed to make him smile as he quickly obliged, taking much larger bites of the steak. She entertained his questions, laughing along with him as he explained the dynamic of his pack. As the night continued on she was sure she would love this place, her father having given her such a high expectation that seemed to be being met. Jacob was easy to talk to, easy to get along with, and she felt for the first time in a long time, like she belonged where her father was.
