ARI

I waved goodbye to Jen and locked the door behind me. With a heavy sigh I flopped onto the couch, my face resting in the couches cushion.

Gym was absolutely horrible!

I groaned into the cushion, my small scream muffled.

The scrape I got on my knee was healed already but I could still feel the humiliation.

After roll call and getting yelled at by the coach, he split us up into two teams.

Alex and I were on the same team which I could live with but apparently he couldn't.

Every time he had a ball in his hand, he would throw it to my face. With my fast reflexes I caught them half the time but other times when I was distracted, I would get hit in the face and fall.

I was terrible at being a superhuman! What was the point of having super powers if I can't even use them!

At one point, I grabbed a ball and threw it at his face, well I pretended, I actually threw it at his balls.

I snickered when I remembered the pained look on his face. I felt kind of bad but then knew it was totally justified. His friend Nate tried to smother his laugh but failed.

Of course, he's going to hate me even more after that. When the coach called us to leave I happily skipped to my locker, feeling like I won until I was tripped by Alex. This time I saved my face by landing in my elbows. Pain, like electricity, crawled through my arm making me cry out in pain.

Everyone laughed at me as I picked myself up, glaring at Alex who was pretty proud of himself. What can't he just leave me alone?

This time I spoke to him, basically getting in his face. My finger touched his chest and I swear I felt a small amount of electricity shoot through my finger and it was the good kind of electricity too.

I hesitated but then I opened my mouth. "What's your problem! What did I ever do to you? Hmm? You barely met me!" I said confused as hell. Right after I said it though, his face changed. He looked at me with confusion, his eyes going back into his head and then he gasped grabbing his head. I backed away from him slowly not knowing what was happening.

Whatever that was, it meant I won and dragged Jen to the locker room trying to keep my win from becoming a loss.

I was still smirking to myself when my mother came through the door with a smile on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her. "What's up mom?"

She rubbed her hands together like an evil villain. "I have an idea for your training." She said.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Okay fine, I hired someone to do it when you were in school." She rolled her eyes before running into the backyard.

I followed after her only for her to bark at me to go back inside.

All I saw was wood. I wonder what's going on back there?

Coming back inside I went up to my room wanting to change out of my school clothes.

I changed into a pair of black sweats and a matching jacket. I pulled on my Nike running shoes and went back downstairs.

This time when I stepped foot out the door, I wasn't told to leave mostly because she wasn't there. I looked around the back yard to see "she" had set up an obstacle course.

I rolled my eyes when I heard the sound of a whistle for the fifth time today.

"TEN HUT!" My mother came out of the house in a pair of matching sweats and jacket kind of like mine expect hers were red.

I sighed and stood facing her, my shoulders slumping slightly.

She hit me with a stick. I yelped and straightened my shoulders.

"What the heck mom! That hurt!" I rubbed my arm, the pain already gone.

"Who is this mom you speak of? My name is captain-" She looked away dramatically and then back to me her face super serious. "-DEATH!"

I burst out laughing only to be hit with the stick again. "Seriously mom!"

She gave me a pointed look.

I sighed in defeat. "Captain Death."

She smirked and blew her whistle again.

"OKAY!" I cried in defeat. "What do I do first?" I stood in front of the lined up tires kind of wanting to jump through them.

"Whatever you want." She said taking out a timer.

The tires were in the front of the course so I knew I would start there.

"ON MY MARK! GET SET, GO!" I ran like the wind trying to push myself even further than I have ever before. When I got to the wall I basically leapt over it not even bothering to use the rope.

My mother clicked the timer again when I was finished and looked at me with wide eyes. "Holy shit Ari! That was only 1 minute and 50 seconds!" She looked at me with wide, prideful eyes and I blushed.

I was panting a little but I'm sure with practice I'll be way better than this.

"Okay! Again!" She started the timer again and I took off running.

****

Two hours later and I was tired. As strong as my wolf was, I was pooped. My mother grabbed another ice pack placing it on my arm. I sighed in relief. "Thanks mom." I mumbled tired from this long ass day.

She smiled at me her eyes crinkling. She pushed back my hair and smiled even deeper, her eyes shining with tears. "Your father would be so proud of you."

I looked down, feeling sad. She never mentions dad and I was glad that she didn't because it brought up the painful memory that he will never be with us again. I sniffled, my eyes brimming over with tears.

"Oh honey." My mother hugged me whispering how everything was going to be okay.

For 8 years now, nothing has felt okay. I was only 9 years old when he was taken from us. He was involved in a car crash that took his life.

I squeezed my eyes shut trying to imagine what my dad would be like now after 8 years. Maybe he would have gray hairs already considering he would about 42 years old now. I imagined my mom and dad together with me by there side, laughing and talking and enjoying life.

As much as I wanted this to be true I knew it wasn't. I pulled back and wiped my tears, my mother doing the same to herself.

We did this every time dad was brought up. I try not to think about him but sometimes my mind wanders. One question I have been burning to ask my mother for years now but I felt like it was the wrong question to ask her.

Picking up some courage, I realized there never will be a right question so I might as well just ask her.

"Mom?" I asked in a small voice. "Was-was dad just like me?"

I knew it was a stupid question because my mother would have told me if he was cause then I knew it would have been genetic, instead of feeling like a freak of nature.

Her eyes darted to my face before looking down, her hands fidgeting. "I don't know." She whispered.

She doesn't know? That doesn't make me feel any better. I stood up, feeling tired.

My mother sighed. "Look Ari, I know you think you're some kind of freak of nature but I have been reading up on werewolves. There are people out there like you, we just have to find them, maybe then you will feel like a normal person."

I looked at her and scoffed. "Normal? I turn into a giant dog mom, I will never be normal."

She smiled at me. "I know honey but you can't rule out the possibility okay?" She said as I climbed the stairs.

My mom was the only one interested in what I am. Even though I love the fact that I can hear someone from far away, smell them from a mile away, see them from a mile away and basically have the strength of a hundred people, I would give it all up to be normal. I wanted nothing more than to wake up and not see anything at all again. Before I turned, I was a blind bat but a few months before my thirteenth birthday, I woke up with the perfect eyesight.

Of course I was thrilled, I mean I could see without the help of my uglyass glasses but I've ruined my moms life. I slammed my door shut and plopped onto my bed.

I just laid there on my back, trying not to think about anything wolf related but every time I did, I would see myself running away from a gray wolf. It felt like a memory freaking me out.

I heard the crunch of the leaves right outside my window. I looked outside to find nothing except for a certain smell. It was hard to place but I have smelt it before. I felt as if I was being watched so I shut my curtains, shivering.

I took my time in the shower, cleaning away the dirt.

I smiled when I remembered my time today, 44 seconds to complete the course. My mom said I was almost like a blur but not entirely. I never knew I could move that fast!

After dressing myself in my night clothes I sat on my bed, wanting nothing more than to call Jen. I wish I could tell her what I am. I wish I had a friend.

I sighed sadly. I did have a friend. My mom is my friend but she's also my mother.

I wish I could do something about her being happy. Maybe she needs to find someone again. Maybe she needs to find someone who can love her.

The thought pained me but I understood. It's been 8 years since my father died and I'm sure she is lonely.

I slid under my covers and closed my eyes.

Yeah! I thought. Tomorrow I am going to find someone for her or at least try to find someone that would be her type.

I remembered my father. He was a handsome man with blond hair and green eyes and tall. My mom deserved someone as beautiful and funny and as childish as herself.

Tomorrow. I thought before I drifted off the sleep.