White Water

Identity

White Water

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It was seven in the morning, on a Saturday. My bare feet slapped the cold wood floor, on the my way to the kitchen. With a yawn, I opened up the fridge to scavenge for food. Halfway through eating an odd assortment of leftovers, I heard loud thuds over my head. Coming from my room. I practically threw my cold-chow mien across the room, in my haste to hide.They must have climbed in through the window. I heard things toppling, and with a grunt, the sound of a heavy man's footsteps then moved towards my parents' room. I hid in the laundry room, scared for my life, scared for my parents' lives. My dad had warned me that this might happen.

"Maia! Run!" My mothers voice screamed. I started for the back door, emotions rushing through my head like Niagara Falls. I was almost to the door, my hand outstretched towards the gleaming knob. My human instincts yelling at me to flee. But if they die, I don't deserve to live. I screamed at myself.

I turned away from the doorknob. I wanted to hear my parents fight back, and survive whomever came to hurt or even kill. I wasn't sure if they could. Grabbing the small pistol from a box under the couch I crept under the stairs. With the small gun loaded with useless bullets, I sat through what seemed like hours of hearing things crash up stairs, and the snarling of the three wolves in battle. The house shook, and the

gun seemed heavier and heavier by the second. Then after a wolf's yelp, there was only silence and drifting plaster particles from broken walls and ceilings. My heart thudding in my chest, like a horse's hooves, I bit my lip, hard with both anticipation and fear, till I tasted blood on my tongue.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence. I heard padding on the stairs, and just sat there, knowing I had no control over my wolf yet. Shaking with fear and shame, I pressed myself against the wall, and held my trembling hands folded around the gun. Feeling the presence draw nearer and nearer, a tear escaped my watery eyes. A gray-silver wolf peeked his head around the corner with bared teeth, ready to snap. But then stopped when he realized who I was. I gasped with sobs of relief racking my lungs.

Dropping the gun, I grabbed his fury head with my hands and hugged the wolf, like my life depended on it. After only a second he pulled away and padded back upstairs, the shreds of his clothing hanging on him. A moment later, changed into new clothing, my father stood there, changed back to human, but bristling with a wolf's fury. My mother walked down the stairs, blood stains slowly spreading through her robe from fast healing cuts on her bare back and shoulders. Then my father began to yell at me. "We TOLD YOU TO RUN. If EITHER of us,"he yelled, wildly gesturing between my mother and himself, "had died, the sacrifice would have been for NOTHING, he would have found you and killed you."

My father and mother exchanged a look of pain, staring at each other silently struggling with something. Finally with a huff, my mother started back up the stairs. Ifollowed her to comfort her. But she shrugged off my hand on her shoulder, and packed me a bag, stuffed with anything she could fit in it. After grabbing their fake driver's licenses my parents pushed me into the black suv, and started to drive. And despite my pestering questions, they only gave me sad smiles and watery eyes. We stopped, only at rundown gas stations for the bathroom and snacks. Street-lights passed me faster and faster, then they got sparse as we enters the country-side/ forest. At well after midnight, after hours of staring at the waxing moon and the stars that carry the light across the sky, the SUV stopped in front of a cabin.

Surrounded by lush thick forest, with the nearest neighbors probably 2 miles away it was the perfect place to get away. If you wanted to get away. My parents both twisted in their seats to look at me. "Maia we love you so much", my dad croaked.

"And that is why we have to do this." my mom finished for my dad. "We are the last of the Azure Luna Pack. When all the other packs have turned corrupt and bloodthirsty, while we saved both human and were lives, doing our job. Now nearly every were wants to be the one to finish off the once mighty. Especially you, but they won't get to. You're defenseless without shifting so wait for your sixteenth birthday, when you can finally change. Then find the Ruse Sky pack. They'll only take you if you can fight. But they give fair treatment. Never tell them your true identity though. We are going to send an old friend. We'll call her and she should be here tomorrow. With her you'll create your new identity, blend in with the others at school, and you will not raise any suspicion." my mother continued with a both a steely and hurt expression on her face. "You make is sound like I'll never see you guys again." I forced a laugh. The look

on my parents' faces was my answer. "You don't have a trackable scent like we do. We only lead danger to you." They might have said more, but the sudden feeling of pain in my chest, the realization that this was a real, was louder.

I stepped out of the car, dirt and little pebbles grinding beneath my feet. After fetching my luggage I waved like a robot my last goodbye, before spinning on my heel and marching to the cabin. Bright moonlight reflecting off the tears that weren't quite falling, I shoved the key my parents handed me hastily into the lock of the dark red wood door.

The interior was nice, comfier than I would expect for a safe house. Wooden floors, plush looking leather couches to match the walls, but it looked so empty otherwise. I was exhausted from, staying awake for so long, and losing so much so fast. I passed out cold on the couch.