The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

XI - The Confession

 Juno was starting to feel normal again, as the days got shorter and the nights got longer. November was coming to a close and she was focusing on her school work, knowing that things would change for her soon. In the past couple of weeks, she had been maintaining contact with the Kingston Association, and building rapport with Imogen. She felt comfortable with these letters and getting to talk to someone who was not from Washington, someone who didn't have a preconceived notion about her.

Mostly, Juno couldn't wait for the semester to end. She had made the decision to join Kingston and felt that it had been best if she were to just waited until the end of the semester before making the big move. She would be 18 then, and it would be an easier time to have a clean start in finishing her education in New York. She knew that she could have decided to wait until May when she graduated, but she did not want to risk experiencing more pain from those around her.

Juno was tired of being abused, which was such a no-brainer thought. She didn't like the physical pain that other people put her in. Of course, she did not enjoy the verbal lashings she got from her peers. She knew that her life would be better when she is to get a chance to restart.

There was a whole life out there for her, one that would let her do something more than she would ever imagine here. She didn't care too much about the things that she had here in Washington. The best thing that she had was Luna Elizabeth, the one person that she knew fully cared for her.

In the last couple of weeks, her two companions have been Luna Elizabeth and the letters she had been getting from Imogen.

At a certain point, Juno wondered if Imogen was even real. That somehow there wasn't someone dedicated to writing these letters back and forth. Then again, the writing was too consistent and the storytelling too self-referential. Perhaps when she is to get to Kingston Juno may never meet this Imogen, but for now, in the letters, she is as real as Juno needed.

It was a long weekend and Juno was caught up on her schoolwork. She had sent off her most recent letter on Friday. Her writings had focused on their plans for her departure, that it was best for her to leave during her winter break. She mentioned her mate and the way that they were coming up on a year of having known about the bond. Juno had never mentioned him to anyone in her real life, she couldn't think of someone who would take the fact seriously. The only person she could even consider discussing anything personal with was Luna Elizabeth, but even then she didn't feel comfortable with her knowing.

Juno having a mate was her own little secret.

She wanted to enjoy her weekend, to spend some time outside of her little cabin. She was tired of her little space and wanted to be somewhere that wasn't so cramped. Although the weather was getting colder and it was becoming harder for Juno to stay warm or go on her little walks; today it would be alright. She wouldn't let her walk be too long, and it was already twilight so there wasn't enough time in the day for her to roam. At any given point she was at risk of being harmed by the wolves that roam around her, and she knew better than to be out around in the dark.

She was bundled up in the hand-me-downs she had gotten from the other girls in the pack, and per usual, her outfit choices were more focused on staying warm than they were about being stylish. She wished that she could be one of the fashionable girls, or even have the freedom to choose how she presented herself.

It was windy.

The wind was always the worst part of autumn. Without it, the temperatures wouldn't be so hard to handle, but instead, she had to be chilled to the bone. At least it had been dry the past couple of days. The near-freezing temperatures and the inherent dampness of the pacific northwest were a miserable combination.