Finally Free

Prologue

Not a leaf moved as the forest remained motionless. Not a sound could be heard, but this silence did not last for long. The wind picked up and, as if summoned by the wind, a girl came running. She looked straight ahead, not getting distracted for a minute by anything around her.

She didn't seem to be running in fear. Instead, her face had a slight smile while her jade green eyes shined determinedly. This girl had a goal, and nothing would prevent her from reaching it.

Her hair whipped behind her as she ran, the chocolate colored strands a beautiful contrast against her tanned skin. One look at her would confirm that she spent tons of time outdoors, while her toned body supported that she did not stay idle.

As if sensing that her goal was near, her strides lengthened and became longer. Her lungs began to burn with the exertion, even with extra physical abilities.

The smile on her face got wider, and with a sudden burst of energy she sprinted the last few steps and came to a sudden stop.

She stared at the house before her, in awe of the familiarity. Although she was not at the front of the house, she knew the side as well as any other part. Her childhood had been spent here, along with her young teenage years.

Like any other teenager she could remember sneaking out through her window with her cousin, Mandy. Her eyes teared as all the memories came rushing back at her and her heart began to ache, like it usually did when she remembered her old life, the life she had left behind.

Shaking her head as if to ward off the depressing thoughts, she stared up at the window of her old bedroom. She hadn't told anyone of her homecoming, as she hadn't known what to say.

Three years without any contact was a long, long time especially for people who she had spent every passing minute of her life with. Although she had missed them all, her job required her to stay focused. Even her wolf had learned to cope without the normal comfort of a pack.

She had accepted the new life as her own, but something had told her to come back. She needed the comfort that only her family and her pack could give her.

Once again looking at her bedroom window, she smiled as she saw that the same, sturdy, oak tree was still by her window. She smiled wider as she remembered how that tree was the reason she was able to sneak out as easily as she had in the past.

Luckily, it was even easier to climb to get back into her room. As the sun began to get brighter and the birds began chirping louder, she knew she didn't have a long time before her uncle woke up.

She grasped the tree with strong hands and began climbing, her feet easily finding the footholds that had always been there.

She kept on climbing easily, with a familiarity which surprised her. As she reached the trunk that was next to her window, she realized the window was shut.

Praying that it wasn't locked from the inside, she began to lean herself forward and reaching for the window. The small crevice that she had always used to open the window from the outside was still there.

She pried her fingers underneath it as she had countless times before. As she began to pull up, she held her breath. The window began to lift with the force she exerted upon it, and she let out her breath in relief.

She hoisted the window up, and with quick, graceful movements hoisted her tall frame inside her old bedroom.

Her breath caught as she stared at the room she had spent so much of her life in. Everything was the same. Nothing had changed since the time she had left from the bed sheets to her walls to her desk.

Her bed still had the same purple sheets with the matching blanket in her favorite shade of purple. Unable to stop her gasp of surprise she went to her wall full of all her most memorable pictures.

When she had left, she had taken next to nothing with her. The only pictures she had taken was one of her parents and one of her cousin and uncle.

Now, as she stared as the multitude of pictures in front of her, she realized how much she had really left behind. She lightly touched the pictures with her fingers, remembering all the memories she had made with all those people.

She was lost in her memories when she began to hear quick footsteps down the hall. The footsteps began to get louder and faster as they got closer to her bedroom door.

She let go of the pictures in her wall and faced her door, ready for the confrontation. The footsteps got to her door, and stopped there.

The doorknob began to turn and then suddenly stopped, as if the person opening the door had changed their mind.

A few seconds later the doorknob completely turned as the door was slowly pushed open. A middle aged man was standing there, still in his pajamas.

He looked weary, as if ready for disappointment. His brown eyes began to sweep through the room before they suddenly caught sight of her.

There was a quick intake of breath, before the man's eyes began to tear, and he began to tremble. He took a step forward, and suddenly faltered, as if refusing to believe that she was really there.

She watched the whole exchange whilst holding her breath, her eyes tearing up along with his. The man opened his mouth, and still looked as if he refused to believe his eyes.

Knowing that she had to make the first move, she took a few steps forward before she smiled a trembling smile, her green eyes full of unshed tears.

"Hey Uncle Al," she whispered, finally breaking the thick silence that had fallen them.

As if finally believing his eyes, Al moved forward toward her, grabbing her by the shoulders and skimming his eyes all over her, still unable to believe she really was there.

"My sweet Saph!" He whispered in a voice full of pain and swept her off her feet in a bear hug. For once in a very long time, she forgot all about everyone else. She gave in to the fatherly comfort only her uncle could give her, burying her face in his chest, unable to say anything else.

She finally put down the wall she had kept up for so long, and felt the love that Uncle Al clearly still had for her. He had always treated her as his own, although she was his brother's child. He had never differentiated between his own daughter or her, making sure they grew up more like sisters than cousins.

Sapphire knew she could never forget all he had done for her along with his daughter. They had treated her better than most treated their own. She basked in the love, and finally let some of her tears secretly run down her face.

Even Uncle Al couldn't hold back his tears, although he was usually the strongest of men. The two eventually sank to the floor, and just sat there, quiet, enjoying the morning breaking in with the birds chirping.

And that was how Mandy found them hours later, just holding on to each other, and enjoying the morning.