Jake looked over at the frightened and shocked Selena. She walked, staring forward, clutching her arm slightly where she had a bit of a deeper cut from the glass, probably not properly aware of it from the look on her face.

Jake didn't think he could feel so guilty about something. Selena had a family to think about she'd been getting on with things her whole life like normal. It didn't look like she disliked what she was; she looked like she had accepted it long ago and just made the most of it.

He knew that his Grandpa would've gotten suspicious anyway, Fu Dog would've eventually fessed up about the incident at the barbeque but Jake knew if he hadn't have said anything it would've taken longer for Lao Shi to go and inform the council. In that time Jake could've probably gained her trust enough to actually have learned she wasn't a dangerous man eating werewolf and convinced his Grandpa to have kept quiet.

'I don't know what I'm going to tell Emily' Selena said quietly

Jake looked down at her. Her forehead was creased into a deep frown and her eyes had watered up again, the look of pain in her eyes was almost unbearable and he had to look away from her.

'Don't tell her too much. Just tell her you've got to run and tell her about me. Don't tell her where we're running to, we want the council to leave her out of this as much as possible' Jake told her

He watched as Selena nodded.

'I've got a bank account and a magical bank account I can empty. We needn't worry about money' Jake said

Selena nodded 'I have a saving account I can pull money from too'

'I'll nip home and grab some things. Pack light and bring only what's necessary' Jake said

'You sound like you've done this before' Selena joked

'I haven't but I've known magical creatures who've had to do it for the same reason as you' Jake replied

They got to their houses, Jake hesitated and gently put his hand on Selena's arm. She looked up at him, her green eyes still shining.

'I'll do everything I can to make sure they don't capture you' Jake said, putting as much sincerity as he could in his voice and his eyes.

Selena nodded and went up the path and into her house. Jake sprang into action.

XxXxX

I shut the front door. I could hear the noises of food being made, Nicky giggling and Emily entertaining him. I took a deep breath. Snow came out of the living room, her thoughts curious at the turmoil of my emotions.

I scrunched her ears and braced myself for telling Emily about what had happened. I pushed open the kitchen door.

'Well it;s about time young lady what happen to-SELENA!'

I jumped as Emily screeched and dropped an entire pan of peas into the sink. She lunged forwards and touched my face. I winced as I realised it must've bruised from hitting my head earlier.

'What on earth have you been doing?' She asked

'I can't tell you too much Emily. Only that I was right about Jake not being a normal human and I had a fight with an ogre and now I have to run away and-'

I burst into tears. Emily immediately wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a comforting embrace.

'Tell me Selena' She soothed

I took a breath and told her about how discriminated against werewolves were, that being like me had very little known about them and that the magic council had found out about me and now I had to run away or risk being captured and studied. Emily had been appalled.

'I'll go with you' She had said

'No, what about Nicky? And Snow and Buck? I need you to stay here and throw them off. I need you to tell them that you know nothing. I need you to behave like I haven't said anything. As far as you know I went to school, came home, packed some things up and left before you returned home from work' I explained

'But-'

'But nothing Emily. I can't possibly put Nicky through this. I'm going to Bryce and ask about this. Failing that, I'll track down my father and see what he has to say. Mum must've known something'

'How could she?' Emily asked

'Because we moved here Emily. We moved here suddenly just before I started transforming, she must've known something' I replied

I was getting through to her, I could tell from the look on her face. She pulled me into another hug but this felt more like she was trying to lend me support and saying goodbye. I rushed upstairs quickly and pulled a few clean clothes into a rucksack with my toiletries and purse. I pulled on a thick jumper to cover the cut on my arm.

I said goodbye to Buck, had a very difficult goodbye from Snow and left without seeing Nicky. I blinked back tears as I trudged dejectedly down my front steps. Jake was already waiting.

We went to the nearest bank and emptied our accounts of money completely. We boarded a bus leaving New York and going to New Jersey. I sat beside Jake in silence, my head tilted away from him as I let tears run down my face. I didn't even pay attention to the horrible mix of smells on the bus. My heart was breaking at leaving my only family and I'd not known pain like this since Mum had died. Eventually though the tears ran dry and I wiped my face off.

We got to New Jersey and found a small cafe to feed ourselves and make a plan. I chose now to tell Jake about Bryce.

'I have to go back to California' I said

Jake looked at me incredulously 'That's ten states give or take a few to cross! We'll never get that far without being caught'

'I have a friend, the only other Lycanthropic I know. I want to speak to him and get some answers. I want to know why he didn't warn me'

'Look, I'm not going to go to a werewolf. That's not my idea of keeping you safe' Jake said

I felt my temper rise 'Is that because of the distance or because my friend is a Lycanthropic?'I paused before speaking again 'And think about your answer carefully' I added dangerously

Jake shook his head 'It's not the fact that it's a werewolf, not even the distance. I have no idea if we'll even get that far with the money we have and how wanted you will be'

'I have to speak to him Jake. Failing that I'm tracking down my father'

Jake groaned 'We can't go around tracking down people who haven't been heard from in eighteen years!'

'Who else do you expect me to turn to? You? In case you didn't know, it was you and your family that got me into this situation!' I accused

I seemed to have hit a nerve because Jake visibly flinched at my comment but I wasn't done and I was both angry and upset.

'I didn't ask for this, any of it! I've had no choice with what I live with. And I didn't even know about the severity of it until today. I've had to leave the only family I have for how long I don't even know!'

Jake sat silently, looking down at his food. I took several steadying breaths to calm myself. He eventually lent forwards on his arms.

'We can't get a flight to California. We'll have to go along on a mix of coaches, buses and on foot where we can' He frowned

'I can drive'

'We're not jacking a car' Jake rolled his eyes

'It was a suggestion'

'We already have enough on our plates without having mortals looking for us too' Jake replied 'We'll find a coach in the morning. For now we should find a motel, get a room and get some sleep'

'Right, will we try and get two rooms next to each other or something?'

'No, we get a twin room. I'm not letting you out of my sight other than for you to shower and pee'

'Well, what if they don't have a twin room?'

'I'll sleep on the floor or on a couch'

I sat back, sticking together seemed like a good plan but I wasn't sure about the proximity. Sure I was used to sharing space with Emily and Nicky but they were family. I wasn't even sure if Jake trusted me or not so how was sharing a room going to be?

He was sat across from me, not really eating his food like me. Why had he taken pity on me? Thousands of questions raced through my mind and I knew I couldn't risk a transformation to run off some energy to at least sleep tonight. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and pulled my hands through it nervously, staring at the food I hadn't even touched. The smell of it was making me feel queasy on top of the nerves floating through my stomach. I abruptly pushed it away from me but it didn't help. Jake tensed from the sudden movement and looked up at me and then looked down at my plate.

'Aren't you going to eat something?' He asked

'I'm too nervous to eat anything' I replied, looking out of the window.

'I know the feeling but you need to have something in your stomach' Jake replied

I didn't answer but the sudden loud noise of a coffee machine made me jump. My head flicked up towards the noise and my stomach clenched unpleasantly. Jake was within my peripheral vision and I saw him wince slightly.

'Are you alright, you look really white' He asked

I shook my head, looking around and feeling like the world was suddenly caving in on top of me. I got up.

'I need some air' I said quickly

I walked outside as quickly as I could and burst out through the door. I took in a huge lungful of fresh air, clearing my nose of the stodgy food smell and taking in cool air to my lungs. I paced around restlessly before dumping myself on a bench and holding my head in my hands. It wasn't like I'd had a cushy life but I knew I wasn't prepared to handle anything like this.

The door opened beside me and I looked up to see Jake. He put the bags down and then sat next to me. I didn't say anything and neither did he. The silence between us was heavy and slightly awkward when not a few days ago we didn't have difficulty in making conversation. But finding out he could transform into a fire breathing mythical reptile certainly shifted things between us. I'd always had a suspicion that he was more than what he seemed but finding out seemed to have put a wall up I didn't dare breach.

'Come on. I asked the cashier where the nearest motel was. Apparently it's a bit further down the road that way' Jake sighed eventually 'I paid for the food'

I nodded 'Did you want some money back for it?'

'My treat'

'I didn't eat anything'

'So?'

I sighed and gave up but made a mental note not to forget. I picked up my bag and followed him. We got to a quiet but decent looking place in the fact that it was clean and didn't look like someone might kick the door open in the night and steal all of our belongings. We went inside and Jake dinged the little bell.

A tired and bored looking middle-aged woman came out of a backroom. She smelt of cigarette smoke and lighter fluid. I resisted curling my nose up at the unpleasant smell. She peered between us both.

'You are both 18 right?' She asked

Jake and I nodded and she didn't even bother asking for some I.D. She just clicked away on the little computer.

'Double bed?' She asked

Jake shook his head 'No a twin if you have one'

She nodded and made a few clicks 'Waiting for the wedding?' She asked sarcastically

Jake curled his lip in distaste but after everything that had happened today it didn't shock me and I had to disguise a snort of laughter. Jake elbowed me discreetly, throwing an evil glance my way. The woman smirked but didn't say anything. She just handed us a key.

'Room 208, up the flight of stairs. Pay in the morning, breakfast is optional and served at eight am. Anything you take from the bar will be added to your tab as will the bill for breakfast. Hope you enjoy your stay with us and good night' She said it robotically

Jake nodded awkwardly and I followed him up the stairs, trying not to laugh. He just rolled his eyes and hurried me along. Once we got into the room I could smell one of the last inhabitants had been a baby. The milky, warm but slightly comforting smell babies carried about them lingered and I immediately thought of Nicky. Granted he usually smelled of wherever he'd been but that soft skin smell was a scent he still carried even at two years old. I excused myself quickly and rushed into the bathroom.

I shut the lid of the toilet and ignored the acidic bleach smell which effectively cleaned the baby smell out of my nose and allowed myself a few more tears. I hadn't said a goodbye to Nicky purposely so he didn't get upset but now I wished I could've scooped him up into a big cuddle. The pull of being so far away from him was like an elastic band. It had stretched nearly to its limit and the urge to let it drag me back was literally a physical ache deep in my chest. I wiped my tears away and thumped my fists on my knees.

'Come on Selena, pull yourself together' I told myself sternly

I stood up and looked in the mirror. The deep purple bruise adorning my cheekbone had already faded to a light yellow, almost unnoticeable. I had packed a light amount of makeup so I knew a small amount of foundation would cover it up tomorrow and no one would be any the wiser. My ribs still ached though. I splashed my face with cold water which cooled my hot cheeks but the red rims around my eyes stayed. I decided a hot shower and bed would probably do me good.

I left the bathroom calmly. Jake barely looked up at me, he was deep in his own thoughts, he looked like he was struggling processing everything himself. When I unzipped my bag though, he looked up at the sudden noise.

'I think I'd like a shower' I told him

He was studying my face 'That bruise is nearly gone. You must have accelerated healing'

'Yeah, my friend told me I might have. It's difficult to know though, what I can do compared to a normal Lycanthropic' I replied

'Let me look at that cut you had earlier' Jake said

I nodded and pulled my sleeve up. Jake held my arm and pressed the skin around it. It didn't hurt much and he seemed satisfied and backed away from me.

'It's not bad now, you'll be able to shower without opening it up again' Jake told me

'Oh well, at least we don't have to worry about me if we run into trouble' I replied

He nodded and looked down at his hands thoughtfully. I got the feeling he wanted to say something so I waited patiently. He looked up again and I was startled by the amount of emotion on his face.

'I'm really sorry you know. I never wanted any of this for you. I've ruined your life' He said

I put down my things carefully and sat next to him on his bed. Thoughts ran through my head at ten miles an hour.

'If you think about it Jake, this was always going to happen with what I am' I said carefully 'When we left England, my memories of it feel like it was a quick decision and we rushed to do it. I wonder if my mother was fleeing with me'

'Really?' Jake asked

'Yeah. I wish so badly I could ask her' I told him

We sat in quiet but the atmosphere had shifted again. The silence didn't feel heavy or awkward now, it was companionable. I realised I hadn't noticed Jake's scent and I took a quick inhale through my nose. The familiar scent suddenly masked the baby smell in the room. I had a feeling the more delicate scent wouldn't be discernable again now under the far more intense aroma Jake carried.

I showered quickly, put on my pyjamas and wrapped the towel around my head to soak up the extra moisture in my hair. Jake showered after me and while he was in I dried my hair with the hairdryer provided in the motel and found that the long curtain next to my bed was covering quite a small window. But it was large enough for me to open and stick my head out.

The familiar breeze and scent of outdoor air filled my senses and soothed me. The smell of New York had always been a mixed up and slightly crazy scent for me to muddle through but the smell out here was fresh and clean. I took another deep breath to savour it, allowing my senses to become fully immersed by it. I pulled my loose hair over my shoulder and pulled my fingers through it, comforted by the smooth feeling.

XxXxX

Jake got out of the shower and dressed in his own pyjamas and dried his hair off with the towel. He'd used a motel one, having not thought of bringing one of his own like Selena had.

He left the bathroom, immediately smelling fresh air. Then he noticed why. Selena had pulled the curtain back, opened the window and was now stood looking out. She'd left her hair loose and he watched a few loose tendrils flitting across her back in the breeze. Her pyjama top was a black vest with thin spaghetti straps but it dipped quite low on her back revealing more of her tanned skin than he was used to seeing and the straps crossed over on her back.

He suddenly had a strong desire to stoke one of his fingers down the groove in between her shoulder blades to test how soft her skin might be. As he studied the skin on her back she shifted her stance and the toned muscles on her back flexed slightly. It seemed to snap him out of his boyish daydream and he shook his head, tearing his vision away from her.

XxXxX

I heard Jake exit from the bathroom but I wasn't ready to pull myself away from the soothing scent of outdoors yet. His scent reached me though even through the outdoor air but a different sensation had crossed me.

I could feel him watching me, studying me. I held myself still, just allowing him to. I wondered if he were sizing me up, estimating how much of a threat I could be to him. Eventually though a dead feeling had developed in the leg I was leaning most of my weight on and I shifted uncomfortably.

He looked away from me and I heard the sheets of his bed move as he got into it. I wasn't quite ready to pull myself away from the window yet. I was slightly fearful we might be found in the night and I might never be able to smell the outdoors again. Eventually though, exhaustion from the day caught up with me and I had to pull myself away and shut the window.

Jake had got his back turned to me but I could tell from his breathing that he wasn't asleep yet. He was tense. I pulled the curtain shut and got into bed. He'd already shut his own lamp off and I leaned over to do the same. I kept my back turned to him as well and shifted to get comfortable.

My brain was still moving at a million miles an hour. Eventually Jake's breathing evened out and lengthened and I could tell he'd succumbed himself. It was into the early hours that I also dropped to sleep.