The Secret Life of Usha [Being Rewritten ]

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 Sometimes I just don’t understand myself.  I had a perfectly- well almost perfect- home and  I decided to make my life adventurous by running away. Heck, Ieven knew Clarinda was going to come home from camp soon, but no… I still ran away. 

 I can always go back, but then I’d have to be stuck in that messy room forever. My life wasn’t the best, yet it wasn’t the worst. I mean I was still fed and taken care of, but if I stayed a hamster any longer I would be very pissed. I’m still learning to be patient, since I’m only thirteen years-old though.

 Being a shape shifter isn’t the world’s coolest thing or easiest. It probably is for someone who wasn’t put in a pet store. Ugh… I never want to go near one again. They don’t understand or care for you as much as a true owner would. If I could only find more shape shifters like me; ones that know how it feels to be kept in a cage. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

 As I open my eyes I realize that I’m in a large clearing. In every direction I look, pine trees tower over me.

 “Hmm, I’ve never been in this part of the woods.” I wonder out loud, continuing to glance at my surroundings. A beautiful, white rabbit sniffs at the ground beside a nearby bush. Minutes later a large brown wolf leaps from behind the lush bush and pounces on the rabit. I flinch, and fall backwards but manage to keep an alert eye on the scene before me. The wolf snaps the rabbits neck with its unnaturally powerful jaw. It then takes its game and leaves.

The thought of it possible returning made me sprint in the opposite direction. 

“Please don’t follow me, please don’t follow me.” I repeat in my empty brain.  

  After about five minutes of no activity from the wolf I stopped jogging to rest. I look around, while breathing hard, and spot a steady stream of water. Unfortunately, I only have about two water bottles in my messenger bag, so I decide to drink the fresh water instead of using up my supply.

 Parched, I run the stream and get on my knees bending over it. Then I cup my hands in the water trapping some of it in my hands. Slowly I bring my hands to my mouth and gulp it down. When I finished drinking to my heart’s content, I wash my hands, and face. I look into the water deep in thought when I notice my reflection in the stream. Startled, I jump back.

Gathering up enough courage, I look in the water again, and stare at my reflection. At Clarinda’s I never wanted to see my reflection, so I never looked in a mirror, that’s why I was so startled.

I remember my wavy hair being a light brown color when I was younger, but now it looks black as a starless night, and it goes all down my back and ends at my waist. My eyes stayed the same color though; a green with a hint of blue. My lips have filled out now, but they were never really thin. Apparently my eyebrows have thickened over the years, but eh… who cares. My skin has paled out a little over the years, probably from the lack of sunlight, and all the other features were blurred from the movement in the stream.

I look away from the water and sigh. Why did I have to run away? Why did that wolf not come after me? I have more meat than that rabbit does or should I say did. Ugh, why do I have to think so much?

After arguing with myself I sit down in front of a large, pine tree and rest my back on the trunk of it, after pulling off my messenger bag. I close my eyes to relax, but I couldn’t fall asleep yet so my thoughts decided to travel to earlier today.

*** Earlier that day ***

Kevin is still asleep, so I have time to take care of my “beautiful changes”, also known as… my period. I open my cage with ease and then jump out, crawling to the floor. Once I make it to the floor, I shift to my original form as a human.

“Oww.” I whine after I hit my hand on her dresser. While stretching, I turn around and walk towards Clarinda’s dresser. Luckily, we’re the same size but she’s a year older than me.

I grab a V-neck, navy blue shirt with small, gray stripes, and a worn pair of blue jeans. Hmm, tennis shoes, tennis shoes, or tennis shoes. I think I’ll go with tennis shoes. After I grab the purple and black Nike’s and a pair of socks, I run into the bathroom.

 ~* Ten minutes later *~

After I finished my five minute shower, I got all my bathroom stuff taken care of. Then I got ready for the day.

“Ok, bathroom stuff is done, hair is brushed, no evidence of me being here. What else do I need to do?” I mutter, while using my fingers to count everything I just listed. “Crap.” I whisper loudly after I heard Clarinda’s dad, Kevin, shut his bedroom door down the hall.

I exit the bathroom with my dirty clothes in hand and sprint across the hall, to Clarinda’s room. I quickly grab an big, old, light brown messenger bag from her closet and stuff it with clothes, a brush, a few extra tampons, and pads. Yep, I’m not embarrassed by my period, its life.

After pulling the bag over my shoulder and grabbing a bright red hat, I crack open the door and peek into the hallway. All I saw through the crack was Kevin closing the bathroom door behind him, but I heard the shower start not long after that, so I know he’s going to be in there a while.

Slowly I walk to go sit in Clarinda’s chair deep in thought, thinking about why I’m packing. I don’t have to leave, so why am I packing? Do I want to leave? Ugh, I hate stupid hormones!

I sneak into the kitchen, and put food and three bottles of water in my bag too, just in case I’m actually going to leave. When I reach the safety of Clarinda’s room again I sit on her bed. While deep in thought, I stare at her purple wall.

 Several questions begin to float around in my mind. For example: Do I like it here? Or, where would I go if I leave?

After realizing I would hate to live here for the rest of my life, I grab a few books, notebooks, pencils, and even some money out of Kevin’s wallet, and quietly leave the house through the back door.

Walking towards the woods, I guess it’s only around five in the morning. When I look down toward my feet I see the pink watch that I put on my wrist after taking my shower, it showed it was 5:14 A.M. Yep, it’s only five. This is going to be a long, long day.