After dropping Beth's stuff off at Dustin's two bedroom apartment, the trio parted ways. Dustin and Jake went to go spend some quality time together before Jake had to leave, and Beth headed off in search of the pet shelter, where her dog had been housed during the move.
It took her an hour to find the shelter on foot. The building was small, Beth noted. She could hear the barking of dogs from the road. From the sound of it, there were way too many dogs for such a small property. She could see paint chipping off the siding and shingles missing from the roof. She knew that this place was lacking funds even before she entered the dilapidated lobby.
The lobby was small and poorly lit, but it was clean. The front desk was empty, so Beth rang the bell. A scuffling and a crash was heard from the door behind the counter. A young girl stepped into the room. She wore an old t-shirt and faded blue jeans, and her hair was in total disarray.
"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked politely.
"My name is Elizabeth Silverra; I'm here to pick up my dog Arda, a large, domesticated she-wolf. She arrived here two days ago from Ocean Bluff." She stared at Beth, shocked by the business-like tone of the wolf's owner.
"Oh, yes, right this way Miss Silverra," the receptionist replied.
The two left and returned shortly with the canine in question. It was a lovely wolf, grey, almost silver, with a white underbelly, and hazel eyes that almost matched those of her owner. The receptionist was questioning Beth about Arda.
"Is it true that she's a service dog?"
"Yes, I trained her myself. She's a very smart dog. Aren't you Arda?" At this, the dog nudged Beth's hand, and her tail sped up."
"How did you come to own her?"
"Her mother was brought to the shelter; she gave birth while she was there, but rejected this runt. By the time it was old enough to be released into the wild, she was too dependent on humans, and I got to keep her. So, how much will this cost?"
"Oh, the stay, plus the food you bought, plus her shots, that adds up to $99.95"
"Here you go, plus a $20 donation to the shelter. Have a nice day!" With that, Beth turned and left, Arda at her heels.
Once outside, Beth took in a deep breath to ground her. Today had been a busy day, and she was glad for the opportunity to collect her thoughts before she reunited with Dustin and met his friends. "Well Arda, just you and me, like old times. My new brother seems a little… over enthusiastic, but he has a good heart, I think you'll like him," Beth informed. Arda wagged her tail, eager to get moving. Beth smiled and broke into an easy jog with her companion at her heels.
The two took off, both seeming thrilled at the new pace. They made it to Storm Chargers, the action sports store where Dustin worked, in remarkably short time considering the distance. Upon seeing a 'pets welcome' sign, Beth and Arda entered, unknowingly walking right into the midst of another adventure.
Dustin spotted her immediately. "Hey Lizzy!"
"It's Beth!" she interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"Lizzy to me! Anyway, these are my friends Tori, Shane, Blake, Hunter, Cam, and my boss Kelly. Guys, this is my sister Elizabeth." Beth did a double take; the last two were vaguely familiar.
"I'm Beth. Nice to meet you all. This is Arda," she replied, gesturing to her companion and shaking hands with everybody.
Then she spotted her adoptive father with his new riding gloves. "Uncle J, you went to the track? When did you find the time?"
"Yeah, well we passed it on the way here and it looked too good to pass up…" he trailed off.
"Hey, I'm not gonna bite your head off, it just reminded me that I really need another bike."
"What happened to your old one?"
Beth smiled. "I sold it; I know from experience that it's always good to have extra cash when moving. And shipping one of those properly is expensive," she chuckled.
"Yeah, okay, Dustin and I have to go now, my flight leaves in an hour."
"Kay. Bye Uncle J, Dustin." Beth gave both of them a hug and the two headed out the door. "Call me when you land!" she shouted as the two got into Dustin's truck.
While this conversation was taking place, Dustin's friends were staring at the fair haired beauty in front of them. Or rather, Cam, Hunter, and Shane were. Kelly, Blake, and Tori were watching the other three amusedly.
Hunter was the first to break the silence. "So, you ride?"
"Yeah, I have since I was about 10 years old," she replied grinning.
"Really?" Cam asked.
"Yeah, I was depressed, because it was the anniversary of my mother's death, and my brothers had taken me to a local race. I was fascinated, so, in order to cheer me up, they bought me a bike, and hid it at a friend's house." 'That was partially true,' Beth thought, 'they would never believe the truth though.'
"Well, what else are you into?" asked Tori. "Do you have any other hobbies?"
"Yeah, I do Gymnastics and Martial Arts. I'm a huge science geek and history nerd, and I enjoy cooking and running, among other things."
"What type of science?" questioned Cam.
"Well, considering that I graduated high school at 13, and attended Perdue with a major in Astrophysics and a minor in biology, I'd say I like all types of science. I earned a PhD in just two years, and have been studying Martial Arts on the weekends at a private academy in Ocean Bluff."
To say they were amazed is an understatement. Suddenly a beeping noise was heard.
"Uh, we have somewhere to be, you don't mind us leaving, do you?" asked Shane uncertainly.
"Go, I have things to do anyway." They left, and Beth turned to Kelly. "Do you know of any place that's hiring?"
"Yeah, I've needed some extra help around here. The boys keep disappearing."
"That's weird. I wonder why?" Kelly shrugged. Beth continued, "You look familiar. You wouldn't happen to know a Kimberly Hart would you?"
"Oh, Kim, she's my cousin."
"Thought so, you can see the family resemblance."
"Do you know her?"
"Yes, she broke my brother's heart." Beth stated harshly. "But, she's like a sister to me, I haven't heard from her in a while."
"So, when can you start work?" Kelly changed the topic.
"How 'bout Monday?"
"Monday's fine, you start at nine."
"I'll be there," Beth assured.
"You won't be making much I'm afraid, I only need you for three hours a day."
"That's fine, I don't need much, and it leaves free time for everything else."
"Okay, it's a deal." The two shook on it.
"Kelly, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get a bike cheap, or where the nearest gymnastics gym is, would you?"
"The gym is three blocks south, one block east. Can't miss it. As for the bike, there's one out back. It's nearly unfixable, but you could give it a try. Or, you could look in the catalogue."
"How much do you want for the bike? I love a challenge." Beth's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"If you can fix it, it's yours." Kelly responded generously. "Let's go see it."
Out back was the sorriest looking bike Beth had ever seen. The wheels were bent; the body was covered in rust and muck. And the engine was in pieces.
Beth turned to Kelly, "I think I can fix it. It'll take time and a whole lot of patience, but I can do this."
"Great, I thought I'd have to scrap it. Anyway, Shane has a skate demo, want to come?"
"I think I better get Arda home and everything unpacked. If you see Dustin, could you tell him where I've gone?"
"Yeah sure, see ya around."
Elizabeth and Arda left, and headed toward their new home.
Beth's room wasn't big by any standards, but she liked it. A twin bed was pushed up against the west wall, in the corner, by the south wall. A large dog kennel sat at the foot of the bed, and a small shoe rack sat by the kennel. The room had no closet, but an armoire sat against the south wall in the other corner. Between the armoire and the bed, and beneath a window, was a small dresser. A desk sat against the east wall, and the door was situated on the north wall.
The walls were a soft mint green, and the floor was covered in bamboo flooring. The furniture was all made of black walnut, with silver handles and knobs.
Beth smiled. With a few touches this room could become quite cozy. Beth took Arda's lead off, placed the wolf in her kennel, and set the lead on top of it. An averaged sized box of Beth's things had been sent ahead, and now sat on the bed. Beth decided to unpack that first.
Beth pulled out picture frame after picture frame, some of various groups of teens, others of adults. These she scattered about the room. Next Beth pulled out a set of silver sheets, and an old green and silver quilt. She made her bed quickly and returned to her box.
Beth pulled out a silver leotard and smiled fondly. There was also a red and silver yoga mat, a silver sundress, an expensive looking silver, green, and white hair clip, and a pair of black heels. These were all gifts from people who meant a lot to her.
She placed the yoga mat on the floor, the sundress and the leotard in the armoire, the heels on the shoe rack, and glanced at the box again. She pulled a jewelry box out and opened it. A bracelet lay inside; a blue and silver chord with a single charm in the shape of a wolf. Beth took the bracelet and put it on. It was a promise that her family would always be there for her. Beth placed the hairclip in the jewelry box, and set the entire thing on her dresser.
Beth dug into her box and pulled out the last item. It was an ornately carved stick. It was about a foot long, with the image of ivy crawling up it. The ivy appears to cradle a white stone with silver veins. Beth laid this on a set of silver hooks in the back of the armoire.
Sighing, Beth turned to her suitcases and began unpacking. Her underthings went into the top drawer in her dresser. Her assortment of t-shirts, tunics, and jerseys went into the middle. The bottom was filled with jeans, leggings, sweats, and shorts. She placed her bathing suit, her two blouses, her two skirts, her black slacks, and a black jacket into the armoire. Her running shoes and flip-flops were placed on the shoe rack, along with the boots Beth pulled off her feet.
Beth slid her suitcases under her bed and opened her purse. She took out a small locked box and put it on her desk. The secrets on the flash drives within were not for ordinary eyes. Beth returned to her purse and checked the contents. Inside was her wallet, containing her driver's license, social security card, and $600. She would buy a new laptop tomorrow.
Suddenly, Beth heard a noise from down stairs. "Lizzy, I'm home! Are you there?"
"Yes Waldo, I was just unpacking!" Beth smirked; two could play at that game.
"Come down, I got take out!"
Beth headed down to the start of her new life.
Hey, I just wanted to thank the people who actually read this,it means a lot tome. Anyway, be sure to review. I could really use some other opinions.