The week went by rather quickly and  before I knew it it's Friday morning. To be honest I am relieved. It wasn't a bad week or anything, I mean I made a friend. Even though she's the only one since no one bothers to talk to the new girl. Not even for group assignments which is uncomfortable. Am I that boring?

Well Jess doesn't seem to think so. We have lunch together everyday now but we always eat at the library to avoid Elane. It's a routine. We go to the library and find ourselves a spot, then she gives me her lunch money and places her order, then I go to the cafeteria and buy us both our lunch, then I take it back to her and we eat together. She might seem reserved and boring but once you get to know her she's a very warm, funny, bright and nice person to be around. I guess having one friend isn't too bad but I still don't trust her. It has nothing to do with her but I've drawn a line that should never been crossed. She noticed and doesn't ask me any questions about why I was homeschooled and what happened when I went to high school for a year and why I left.

I enter my math class and take my seat. I look at my watch, 10minutes left till class. Having nothing better to do I take out my iPod and put my earbuds in my ear. I adjust the volume of my music so I can still hear what's happening around me, then I take my notebook from my bag and doodle in the back page. I'm not artistic so I doodle stick people. I continue to doodle when pink flashes by me. I turn around and almost gag when I recognize the blondie in a pink mini skirt. Elane. She cat-walks over to Xavier(I confirmed Mr. Hot's name) and says in an annoying high-pitched voice

"Hey Xavier, you excited for the welcome party?" Party? I have been hearing whispers of a very important welcome party for a very important person the whole week, even Jess slipped about it once. Do I ever get invited to parties though? No and good riddance. So I would love to avoid any gossip about any party as much as I can. I turn back to my notebook and continue drawing my stick people.

"Yeah I guess, but also really nervous" Laughter erupts from the people constantly surrounding him and at the sound of his voice I switch into my 'eaves dropping' mode. I was surrounded by people who hated me all my life, so I have perfected the art of listening while pretending I'm not. It's a really a good life skill.

Now I wonder if his family are the ones throwing this welcome party no one will shut up about and if he's just the advertisement. He does seem to be Mr. Popular but I don't think he plays sports. He certainly has the body for it but he doesn't stay after school for any sort of practice. Instead he is constantly in the parking lot surrounded by a crowd of people, particularly girls. I'm not a stalker or jealous, it's just hard to pretend not to notice.

"So, do you think you'll find her? Your mate? You're already of age after all, and maybe your uncle can help" Elane says.

Mate? What the hell are they talking about?

My eyebrows pull together as I try to make sense of that one word. Mate...they're typically the other half of an animal. Why are they using 'her to refer to a mate? Is it human? But then they won't use the word mate right? I can't make sense of it and I stop trying before giving myself a headache. I continue my doodling and eavesdropping. I don't care if it's rude, anyone who can't hear her is deaf and needs hearing aides. 

"Shh!" A masculine voice. Since my hair is up in a braid, it's easy for me to glance at their gathering. The one who did the shushing is one of Xavier's bodyguards, he has honey blonde hair and brown eyes. He's handsome but definitely far inferior to Xavier. I don't know his name and I don't think I won't unless it's necessary "You can't say that here!"

Elane gasps and I can practically picture her face twisting in rage "Don't you dare tell me what to do. And why can't I? We're all..."

Her voice trails off and my back burns with the stares of everyone. Why are they all looking at me? I feel the urge to turn around and tell them off but something in the back of my mind, probably common sense, stops me. There is something wrong and weird about everyone in this school and the feeling that talking back will do me no good keeps me in my seat. The fact that 'slapping' Elane is behind me didn't help either.

"Oh. You mean her?" she whispers but the level of my eaves dropping skill should not be underestimated. "Who cares about her? She doesn't understand anyway. Why is she even here? She has to know she's different. She's not one of us" I don't really care what the 'us' means but I already know I'm different and it doesn't help hearing it from a bitch like her. Before I loose my nerve, I lift up my right hand and flip her off. Screw common sense. I keep my finger up for exactly three seconds then bring it down. No one says anything and I start to think no one saw contemplate doing it again. A gasp resounds around the class and I smile with satisfaction "Did she just-?" Elane couldn't finish her sentence either out of shock or anger. Maybe both. I hear footsteps and I ready myself for a brawl. There is no way I am letting her slap me without giving her a black eye.

"Elane!" The same masculine voice scolds her.

"What? Let me go!" I guess blondie is holding crazy bitch-slapping blondie

"Elane, I suggest you quiet down. She doesn't need more information about us" 

His voice is literally music in my ears. It was low and firm and there was a hint of amusement, disgust and disappointment. A combination that doesn't really make sense.

I glance at their gathering again but this time I focus my gaze on him. Xavier. It is a nice name for a guy and I can't help but repeat it in my head. It just sounds natural. Weird. With my attention on him I notice pink stalking towards him and a hand on his shoulder. A pang of jealously hits me and I feel like I might break something. Elane.

I shift my head like I'm nodding to music but give myself a better view of Xavier and the annoyingly smooth hand on his shoulder. I have to admit, Elane is beautiful. Painfully so. She is tall, maybe a few inches taller than me, and slender with a fair complexion that compliments her blonde hair and doe eyes. They are a rich jade. She always seem to be wearing exposing clothes, maybe to gain attention of other guys, especially Xavier. Today, she is wearing a white tank top with a short jacket and pink mini skirt with heels. She looks like a Barbie doll save for the jade eyes.

But what concerns me right now is how I feel seeing her hand on Xavier. From my position I can see that he is clearly uncomfortable and I fight down the sudden urge to walk over there and rip her hand off his shoulder. Where the freak are these thoughts coming from?

As I glare at her hand I feel eyes on me. I glance up and meet his eyes. Looking away slowly I bob my head. Nothing suspicious, just listening to music. I definitely wasn't eavesdropping. I look down to my book and the stick people roaming about. I hope he doesn't think I was eavesdropping. A blush creeps up my face and I lower my head to try to hide it.

I grip my pencil tightly, my knuckles turn white and I'm surprised and grateful for how sturdy it is. I don't have extra pencils as I left my pouch on the dinning table this morning, and the last thing I want to do is ask around for a pencil.

To my relief(and probably my pencil's) the teacher walks in. He doesn't bother to greet us and dives right into the lesson. To my dismay Elane takes a seat

"What are you doing here?" male blondie asks.

"Mind your business Kaden!" Kaden then. She turns to Xavier and says in a sweet voice "I heard you were taking this class so I transferred" for the love of all things good. What?! I do not like the prospect of sharing a class with a witch. "Anyway..." she continues "Xavier, what do you think are the chances of me being your mate?"

Of course she's a 'pick me'. Should've known. And what is this talk about mates anyway? Everyone else is taking this in stride. Maybe I'm the weird one or they are all weird.

"I don't know Elane. We'll have to wait till I'm granted one" Xavier replies with a sort of nonchalance that puts me at ease.

"If you guys turn out to be mates, I'll be sure to pray to the moon goddess for you Xavier" the other bodyguard taps his shoulder. Moon goddess? What is he talking about?

"Shut up Jace! Stay out of my conversation" I can basically see the sneer on Elane's face. If I remember correctly, the other bodyguard is a little dark skinned. With close cropped curly hair and brown eyes that seem black. He's pretty handsome too.

"Well have your conversation away from me then" Jace replies. A chuckle erupts from the group and I can't help but smile. I turn my focus to whatever equation the teacher has scribbled on the board in order to try and control the butterflies in my stomach. Anyway, why is the teacher not reacting to the not so subtle conversation happening while he's trying to teach?

"Well I wouldn't mind you being my mate Elane. There are a few things I would love to do to you once you find out you're mine" Kaden says and I cringe. Yours? How? Why? I don't like Elane but she is a human being, not an object you can own.

"Say your prayers man" Jace replies with a chuckle.

It's amazing how much someone finds out in a conversation. And entertaining to be honest.

"Alright settle down" Mr.James says finally "You can talk about Xavier's party later. Right now I am passing this assignment for the weekend. It costs 20% of your total average so make sure to do it"

 He divides a stack of paper and gives some to each row. When the paper gets to me, I take mine and pass it. I scan my paper and smile as I solve each question in my head. Being homeschooled and having an awesome but worrisome father means one thing: I had a lot of time on my hands. Dad always tells my teacher to not give me too much work to do as I was still a 'child' even as I continued to high school. Since I had little to do I started reading advanced books. Books that were a grade or two higher. Doing that added new words to my vocabulary and made math easy for me. This one is no exception and in 5minutes I already have the answers all in my head. Well, that was easy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last bell rings and I basically sprint out of the locker room. I don't really hate PE but there are days where physical work of any kind feels like child labor and not exercise. I walk over to my locker and turned in my combination. Unfortunately, my lock is the one where you have to twist the knob back and forth until you get the right combination. Miss by one millimeter and you'll have to start all over. Lucky me.

I place the materials I would need this weekend in my bag and drop others I would rather forget about back in my locker. With a swift movement, I grab my jacket from my locker and slam it shut. A guy few lockers away flinches and I offer a smile. Sorry but I need to get out of here, it's been a long week and I need open space, fresh air and the comforting presence of dad.

As I walk through the double doors I smile as I think about the fishing trip dad planned for us this weekend. Fortunately, dad's new job lets him take the weekends off and spend some quality time with me. At his former job, he was always worked to the bone and came home on weekends looking like an overworked zombie. Now, I'm glad that's not the case.

He rented a cabin in some part of the woods a few miles south. When we lived in Camador, though scarce, we would go camping or fishing in the woods on days dad can manage to drive without falling asleep. That was how I came to love the outdoors and open space. It was my only comfort when dad needed comforting himself.

I walk by other students lounging around cars talking about the party tonight. I wish I have earplugs right now.  Is there something special about this party? Is the mayor coming to Xavier's house or something? Is it a politician? Maybe it's even royalty with the way noone seems to shut up about it.

I maneuver my way through the over crowded parking lot and walk towards the school sign. Once there I turn right, my usual route home. Since my dad has unofficially banned me from driving till 'there are less drunk drivers' I'm stuck with walking. I don't really dislike it, and as I said, I like the outdoors and what better way to observe the outdoors than walking? But that doesn't mean I like sports even though I certainly have the stamina and energy for it. Sports require dedication and I have hardly been dedicated to anything in my life. Dad finds it worrisome but I don't. I'll find something worth dedicating myself to sooner or later.

10minutes later it's home sweet home. I walk in and find dad sitting on the couch watching a boxing match. He turns towards the door when I walk in and smiles at me. Smiling back I walk over to him and plant a kiss on his cheek then I notice something

"Why are you back early? Don't tell me you still have a grace period for being new?"

He chuckles and reduces the volume of the bloody match happening, sits straight and levels his gaze on me giving me his undivided attention and a proud feeling rises up in my chest.

"Even I'm not that lucky. My grace period ended on Monday. He let everyone off work today because of some welcome party happening tonight and apparently everyone in my workplace got an invite" You need an invite? Does that mean the whole school got an invite?! And if so was I ignored or did I come after the invite was handed out? Dad studies me closely and maybe he saw some sort of nonexistent longing

"Do you want to go Lee? Cause maybe I can call my boss and-"

"No way!" there is no way I'm making dad ask for an invite! On the day of the party! He'll look needy. "I have absolutely zero interest in going anyway. I might as well have attended the party anyway since I've been hearing about it this whole week!" I slump on the other couch and drop my bag on the floor and I suddenly regret it since I will be getting up soon anyway.

"Are you sure?" he asks again and I can't help but sigh. He thinks it'll be easier to make friends at this party and I hate it. I look him dead in the eye and reply

"Yes dad. Besides, you already rented a cabin in the woods for our fishing trip. I am not wasting going out for some party I couldn't care less about" 

"Okay Lee"

I sigh as the time I dread approaches: getting up from a perfectly comfortable position to climb stairs. The. Worst. "When are we leaving anyway?" I ask as I pull myself up into a sitting position. He glances at his watch and replies

"An hour. We have to be there before sundown at least"

"Can we come back Monday evening?" I try a smile that I hope still says 'cute'

"Haha nice try. Tired of school already? And who's idea was it?" he says with a sickening smirk I wish I can wipe off his face with a cloth.

"Ugh don't remind me" Finally I heave myself up from the chair, pick up my bag and trudge towards the stairs. I walk into my room and before I can drop on my bed and never get up I pull my suitcase from under my bed and throw my necessities inside. Underwear, check. Five pairs of shorts, because I loathe wearing anything other than shorts at home, check. Three tank tops, check. Two t-shirts, check. My toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and mouthwash. Check, check and check. My towel, check. And my emergency candy stash, check. I glance at my school bag and remember the books I took from my locker. I waver between taking them and spending precious time doing them or leaving them since I 'won't have time' anyway. I make up my mind and shove my bag under my bed, I'll find it on Monday. Sorry homework, my lazy side won out today. With that I set my suitcase aside and drop on my bed like a sack of potatoes. I'll just take a 30minute power nap. I hope dad wakes me up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours have passed and we are almost at the cabin. The trees here are a lot denser than the ones in our backyard or the ones I saw that shadow in a few days ago. Dad parks the car in front of the cabin and I immediately get out. I want to explore as much as possible and I've got my 'adventuring' sandals on for good luck. I drag out my suitcase and make my way in the cabin to the room upstairs that dad claimed is mine. It's small compared to my room but still comfortable. It has a wardrobe so I organize my clothes in it. After, I head downstairs and I walk past dad's room as he rounds off his organizing. I tell him that I am heading to the lake behind the cabin and with his go-ahead I speed out.

I rush to the backyard and was taken aback by the sight. The grass is lush and green as it sways with the calming breeze. I walk through them, my ankles tingling with the sweet ticklish sensation of moist grass. Slowly the grass is replaced with pebbles as a path forms leading to the dock overlooking the lake. I kick some pebbles around and watch them roll and find new spots among others. Climbing the dock I can oversee the lake and almost gasp at the sight. The lake is a clear blue as if it doesn't know the word 'pollution' and I am glad for that. Light reflects along it's surface giving the fishes an iridescent glow and an unnatural beauty that it makes me wonder how one can get permission to catch and eat something so...awe inspiring. I can see smooth white pebbles at the bottom of the lake and feel the urge to touch them. Getting to the edge of the dock I sit and take my sandals off dipping my feet into the clear lake. I changed to shorts before the journey because I hate feeling sticky in pants.

I stay that way for some minutes, or maybe hours seeing as the sun is setting behind the trees now. How I sat for hours without feeling any pain is beyond me. I get up and shake my feet. Picking up my sandals I jog to the back door of the cabin and meet dad who is outside grilling barbecue. How in the world did I miss this aroma?

"There's a towel on the porch there" I smile at him before taking the towel and wiping my grass covered feet. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

It has been a few hours since we had barbecue and I am now sitting on the back porch reading a novel I brought with me. I changed into my matching pajama shirt and shorts and I shiver as the late night breeze sends goosebumps along my skin. 

The book I'm reading is a fantasy romance and I am glad for the fact that dad is already knocked out on the couch. Peace and quiet for me. I flip through the pages, fully engrossed in the annoying yet intriguing life of the simp FL not taking note of how fast time passed. I check my phone and, holy crap it's 1:30am!

Groaning I stand up and stretch. How I stay up most nights reading and still have good eyesight and not sleep deprived is beyond me. I twist and stretch and turn and as I start to make my way back into the cabin I stop at the sound of something in the bushes. I spin around and narrow my eyes, trying to spot whatever is in there. Is it a bear or are they hibernating? When do they hibernate again? Damn, I wish I paid more attention during biology. 

I take two steps towards the bushes and stop myself. In horror movies there's always that stupid girl who walks towards the scary sounds and dies pitifully. I am not going to be her tonight. I take a few steps back and press my back against the door, my hand on the knob waiting to twist and bolt if needed. I may be afraid but I am still curious to a fault and I hope that goddamn curiosity doesn't kill me tonight. 

I wait. A minute. Two. Five. Nothing, it's dead silent and I can feel heat rising on my face, glad no one saw this spectacle. I peel myself off the door and walk towards where my book lies discarded. I place my bookmark on the page I stopped and slam it shut. I contemplate staying outside for a few minutes when a growl breaks my thoughts. Oh god no! My heartbeat increases as I think of the various animals that are left wandering around in the woods by this time. Bears, deer, heck even wolves! The growling continues. Most animals don't just come up and hurt humans do they? Unless provoked right?

I pick up my book and slowly turn around. My eyes widen, my heart races as I process the sight in front of me. It's a wolf and it is large! It is only shorter than me by a few inches in my full height. It has black gleaming fur that looks disturbingly soft. It's staring at me and as I look at its eyes my breath catches. Its eyes! They are an ocean blue that is disturbingly similar to someone I know but it has a hint of red. Red? Is that normal for a wolf? 

I take a step back and it whimpers. A sound that breaks my heart and makes me want to comfort it--until it takes a step forward. Hell no! That step broke whatever witchcraft it had on me. It takes another and I pray. I pray to whatever god or goddess or whoever is watching to save me. I promise to never stay past 12am reading a book, I'll go to bed before that if I can just don't let me be torn to shreds! The wolf stops and tilts its head, observing me. It sits and lies down leaning forward then wags its tail, I dare say the sight is...cute. If it were a dog I would run over and pet it, but I like my hand connected to my body thank you very much. 

I take a step back and it doesn't react. I take another but its eyes just watch me and that gives me a burst of courage as I shuffle backwards until I feel the door knob. Twisting it slowly I hold my breath. It can't hear the hinges right? The wolf just stares and as I take a wide step inside it howls. The sound quickens my pace and I slam the door shut. I clutch my book and hurry up the stairs to my room. I lunge into my bed and bury myself beneath my covers trying to calm my racing heart. Breathe...breathe...you're okay.

But my body tells me otherwise. I feel a pull, something is trying to make me go back out there. To that wolf! My heart breaks at the memory of its whimper and I feel like my legs will betray me and take me right back there.

What is wrong with me?! Why am I reacting this way? And because of an animal at that. I dig my nails into my palms, almost drawing blood. The pain keeps me distracted from the urge that tries to consume me whole. It keeps me distracted long enough to breath, to calm down and to drift into the welcoming embrace of sleep.