Lynx

Chapter 1

Amelia was shaken awake, by a young boy with dirty blonde hair. And by dirty, I mean literal filth. The kids's clothes were torn, and jagged rips covered his shirt, pants, and coat. He was an orphan. So was Amelia. Amelia had grown up on the streets, not much fazed her.  The only possession she  had from her family was a thin bronze locket, shaped like a heart. Inside was a date. It went back exactly 12 years from now, so Amelia had always assumed it was her birthday. Snapping out of her thoughts, she stretched and clumsily clambered out of her sleeping bag. Her mouth tasted like 2-day old pizza, and Amelia realized that with all the craziness that came with pickpocketing a noble, she hadn't brushed. She stood up and glanced at her hair, using the small, mirroring, shard of glass she had found a few months prior. Her shoulder blade length auburn hair was messily ruffled, and her pale skin and freckles stood out in contrast. Grabbing a basin of water, she thoroughly scrubbed her face, arms, and legs.  Then she wore an old jacket, jeans, and a faded oversized t-shirt that said something in English. Nobody ever taught her how to write and read, so she had never tried. She already had her work cut out for her, getting food, water, and trying not to arose suspicion. 

She opened the door of the tiny garden shed that she called her home, and stepped out. Amelia gazed around, and then set off to find breakfast. She walked over to a market stall, and exchanged some of the old coins she had stolen for a couple pieces of fruit. The food was juicy and frankly delicious. Afterwards, she walked to the park, and sat there, bored. Everyday was the same... and it got tiring. She knew that today, was technically her birthday. And since it was her twelfth,  she was only 4 years away from being able to get a job. Not that anyone would want to hire an orphan of the streets. But honestly? It wasn't so bad. Orphans stuck together. Thats why when an hour later, Odin the blonde haired boy, came running to her, tears in his eyes, she knew she had to help. 

Amelia thought this was a horrible plan. They needed ginger root for Odin's sister, she was very sick. But of course neither of them could pay for it. So that's why she was here, outside the back door of a pharmacy. The so-called plan was to have Odin distract the employees, while Amelia swiped the root. She heard the bell ringing, that was the signal. Amelia picked the lock and slipped in, grabbing the root. All of a sudden, the doors alarm went off! Amelia jumped in surprise, shattering the vial of ginger on the ground. She made a mad dash for the door, and burst threw it, running hard. Amelia had no idea she could run this fast. But out of just her luck, 2 officers saw her running. They chased her, shouting threats. She could barely hear them. The blood pounded in her ears, she had never been more scared. Then all of a sudden, there was a blinding flash, and she was on the ground. But... she was still standing up? Amelia looked at her hands, to find... paws?! What in the world had just happened? A loud gasp came from behind her. "A shifter! She needs to be caught!". Wow. In all the shock, Amelia  had forgotten about her pursuers. She tried to run, but just tripped over her oversized paws. She slammed into a wall, and everything went black.