CHAPTER ONE
I woke up to the sound of rain splattering on my window. My sister was in the kitchen cooking pancakes. The smell of them drifted to my nose, and my wolf woke, hungry. "Aunt Cori! Breakfast!" my sister's five year old daughter yells, bursting in my room. I smile at her shining face, and bouncing curls. She jumped on my bed, and snuggled up next to me in the warm covers. "I'll be out there in a second," I sigh, sniffing her little girl smell, and planting it in my memory. "Kay. But hurry. We have to go to school," she chides, patting my messy bed hair. "Okay," I sigh, and kiss her cheek. She smiles, and runs off to eat.
My dream was still echoing in my brain, as I washed my face. It was still hard to believe that I was an animal, and that I had killed someone, though nobody knew about it. I can still remember the horror on his face, and his screams for mercy, when I sliced his throat. I didn't feel regret though, because he had it coming. To me, it was a murder, but not a crime.
I had dropped out of high school, because I couldn't handle being near so many humans, when I could barely control my wolf. All she wanted to do was hunt, and kill. I didn't want to kill people, so I dropped out and ran away. My parents didn't understand why I did what I did, and they still don't know. I haven't seen them for about a year, already.
After the death of my abusive boyfriend, I had nowhere to go. I was living in New York, almost dirt poor. The only money I had made, was from making dresses for some people who were in desperate need of a cheap dress that was beautiful. I decided to find my sister who was living close to me, in Manhattan, with her rich, business owning, husband. She accepted me, even though she hadn't heard from me for about a year. I'm still living with her, because I have nowhere else to go. She finally got me to agree to go back to school. Today I'm to start to go to a private school near where she lived.
"Hey sleepyhead," my sister says, as I walk in the French doors, leading to the breakfast room. I nod in acknowledgement to her, and sit down in front of a huge stack of pancakes. Her husband, Derek, is sitting down, at the head of the table, reading the business section. "I don't understand where you pack all of that," he says, looking up from his paper and shaking his head at my enthusiastic eating. I smile at him, and dig even deeper into my stack of pancakes. Since I have to feed a wolf also, I eat much, and hardly gain weight.
"We are going to have so much fun at school!" Kate, my niece, exclaims, syrup all across her mouth. I pat her head, and say, "Of course we will," and go back to eating my pancakes. "You should be happy, because the high school doesn't have to wear uniform," Ashley, says across the kitchen. I grunt my agreeance. When I'm done eating, I thank my sister, and go upstairs to get ready for school.
I was a sophomore when I dropped out of high school, and just turned sixteen. Now, I was going to start my senior year. Ashley and Derek tutored me all summer so I could go to my senior year, and not take remedial classes. I know I should've been nervous, since today was the first day that I would go to school since turning into what I am, but I wasn't really. I had gotten my wolf under control, and she only came out when I was in danger, or really angry.
"What are you going to wear!"Kate asks, bursting into my room. I roll my eyes at her enthusiasm. It was her very first day ever, for going to school. "Clothes," I mumble, not really paying attention to her, and searching through the clothes Ashley and Derek bought me, with all of their money. "I think you should wear something pink," she sighs, curling up in my downy sheets. "Of course," I say, smiling at her innocence. "If I were you, that's what I would do," she adds, when Ashley bursts in my room. "You need to get ready for school, Kate," she scolds, grabbing Kate's hand. "But I wanna stay with Aunt Cori," she pouts, trying not to leave. "You can be with her when she takes you to school, now come ON!" she exclaims, pulling her out of my room. I chuckle at their antics, and keep looking for something nice to wear.
I decided on a black, full skirt, that cinches at the waist with a gold belt, and tucked in a brownish, reddish flowered blouse into it. I added some black tights and red leather ankle boots to my ensemble, along with a dark gold bracelet, and some violet and gold drop earrings. The rain had stopped, and it was starting to get sunny outside. I decided to let my long dirty blond hair down, and just braided two strands that clipped in the back, letting my hair be down, but out of my face. I really didn't need makeup, because the whole werewolf thingy lets me be beautiful, without even trying. It's pretty nice actually, because you don't have to worry about acne and blemishes, so it makes up for the whole, turning into a wolf, part…..I guess.
"You can borrow the Maserati," Derek says, when I grab my bag from the couch. I raise my eyebrow at him lending me one of his expensive cars. "Yup, in fact, you can have it," he adds, when Kate and Ashley walk into the room. "Thanks," I say, and grab Kate's outstretched hand. "We're going to have SOOOO much fun!" Kate, exclaims, pulling me towards outside where the cars are parked. "You're welcome!"He calls out, as Kate pulls me along.