Running with Shifters (completed)

Chapter 1 Isadora

Chapter 1

Isadora

"Anything good on?" Meg plops down on the couch beside me, overflowing bowl of popcorn in hand. I steal a handful, skewering two on my fangs before showing her while shaking my head. She laughs and I smile in return. I'm so glad she isn't still unnerved by my fangs; she's my best friend and I'd hate to have to keep hiding them like I did when we first met.

"Shame." She takes the remote and I let her, watching as she flips through the channels I've just spent the last thirty-something minutes scrolling through. It's so nice to be back in a country where I can actually understand everything that's being said. Once she lands on the same lawn mower infomercial she clicks off the TV before putting down the popcorn and standing, attempting to pull me up along with her.

"What are you doing? Let go!" I look around the room for anyone that could help and see no one. Everyone must still be over in the boy's room watching movies.

"I'm getting you out of here. You've spent too long moping. We've been in London for four days and you haven't stepped foot outside this room since we got here. Now up, you need a shower!"

I groan, begrudgingly letting her pull me to my feet. She's right, I know she is. That doesn't mean I'd ever admit it to her, though.

Shortly after taking off from Nice, after my adrenaline completely wore off, I kind of shut down. Everything that happened with Jem, the violence, and the loss of life weighing so heavily on my conscience that I could barely function. Meg understood, having done something similar after her first big battle, and helped keep our traveling companions from trying to engage me, letting me slowly work through the shock on my own.

Once she finally manages to pull me into the bathroom, she doesn't let go of my wrist as she turns on the shower. I could easily escape, break her wrist with barely a flick of my own, but we both know I would never. Still, it doesn't help that she annoys me thusly.

Once the water's to her liking she shoves me underneath it, leaving me sputtering in surprise as water hits my face. She laughs at me and then laughs even harder as I swat her hand away from the bottom of my sweatshirt. "I can undress myself!"

"Then do it! You have ten minutes before I'm coming to get you." With that she leaves and I quickly undress and wash, afraid she might come back early. That fear is soon forgotten, however, when the near boiling water (not that I can really feel any temperature beyond comfortable. The only reason I can tell how hot it is is because I went to turn down the cold and realized it wasn't even on) loosens my muscles and nearly puts me in a stupor.

A bang on the door brings me back and I turn off the water, zipping over to where the towels are and wrapping one around myself all within the split second it takes for her to open the door. She smiles at me and I smile back, feeling a million times better than I have all day. She sets my suitcase on the counter and unzips it, pulling out the first thing she touches.

She holds it up to me and I shake my head just as she nods. I try to reach for a pair of jeans on top but she swats my hand away. "Oh no you don't. We're going out. It's already been decided."

I groan. I really don't want to go out. "Well I'm definitely not wearing that." I eye my dress, a knee-length, bright red cocktail dress with a flowing skirt.

"Come one, you love this dress. Now hurry up, we're leaving soon and I still have to get ready. Don't you dare try to back out of it; it'll be good for you to get back into our routine. Plus, I really want to hang out with Eli without having to babysit you."

I huff indignantly at that last part and she looks at me quizzically. "What? Am I wrong? Would you prefer someone else babysit you? Or do you want to sulk all by your lonesome?"

I look down at the white tile floor, at the puddle growing around my feet, and whisper "no."

She smirks, holding her hand to her ear as she pretends she didn't hear me. "What was that?"

"I said you're impossible!" I grab the dress and give her arm a slap as she scurries away and lets me dress in peace. I swear, she's such a busybody sometimes!