The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

I - Getting Ready

Juno had long grown used to her cramped quarters. At eight and a half, she had been thrown into a tiny, polycarbonate cabin in the backwoods of her pack. At seventeen and a half, she was familiar with the space constraints. 

The building she got to call home was approximately seventy square feet. A single-sized mattress, which was probably older than she was, had been shoved into one corner, and in another was a cheap, plastic excuse for a dresser. The cabin had started out with no privacy, being made out of windows and polycarbonate roofing, but she had since made some curtain panels with old bed sheets. The whole place was a riot of faded colors and isolation. 

The worst part? The October cold seeped into the little cabin, which left her chilled to the bone.

She lived in a pack that hated anything that was different--those like her. She had a birth defect, one that left her practically human. Monosomy 44, commonly known as Human Syndrome, meant that she only had one of chromosome 44. It was the chromosome that gave her the ability to shift. 

She had a wolf, it was with her, she couldn't transform into it. It wasn't her fault she was cursed like this, it was simply bad genetics. If she couldn't shift, it was no better than having no wolf at all.

Juno's parents had given up on her not long after they had learned of her condition. They hated her so much that they had the cabin built for her, they wouldn't have to look at her ever again. She has barely seen her parents or siblings in the last ten years. Her two older siblings were normal, and therefore perfect. And with two perfect children, why would her parents want to keep her around

Juno was currently attempting to get dressed for school. She was trying to piece together any clothing that had the least amount of tears in them. Her wardrobe was comprised of clothes that the girls in the pack didn't want anymore and Luna Elizabeth Verdansky had gotten them to donate to Juno. Nothing actually fit her, it was all either far too large or so small it squeezed her painfully. Which was surprising considering Juno was already so thin. She couldn't get rid of them, there weren't enough pieces of clothing to risk that. Juno guesses she should be grateful that Luna had at least tried.

Today's ensemble included a pair of loose jeans with decorative tears in them, an oversized grey tee, and beat-up black Converse whose better days were long before Juno had gotten them. The sun had yet to rise, nor would it for a long while. It was too early in the morning for Juno to think properly, especially after so little sleep last night. The rain that Washington is known for echoed throughout the cabin most of the night. That and the fact the man she gets to call her mate wanted to have fun with his girlfriend. 

She had to make her way to the bus stop, even though her body protested, wanting to go back to sleep.

Juno groaned, pulling on the navy-colored windbreaker before grabbing her ratty old book bag. She made her way out of her cabin, making sure to lock the door behind her. Her trek through the woods was a long one, taking upwards of an hour. Sure, it would have been quicker to walk through the commune, but she knew better than to be seen by the wolves.

The wind did nothing for her long hair and the muddy ground only made her old Converse worse. It was so early, birds were not singing yet. She cursed her sleeping habits and her mate's sexual appetite that kept her up all night. The feeling of him cheating on their bond left her insides burning, a feeling that had hardly gone away in the last ten months.

She was slowly making her way to the bus stop, not wanting to be near those underclassmen wolves any longer than necessary. They were all rude, and she was grateful she only had a few more months to be around them.

Juno had plans of leaving the pack as soon as she graduated. She has plans on going east but is not entirely sure where. New York, perhaps. She had nearly eight months until then, though.