In Form

Work Partners

By the second day of school. I was excited to go see my new friends, exchange emails, chat about boys, go to the mall, all the things that good girlfriends would do. Just the The thought about friends was going to make my brain explode. But at launch, as I looked around they were nowhere in sight, so I sat and waited for them, nothing.
I got up and walked to another table near mine and tapped on the closest persons shoulder. "Do you know if Onyx is here today?" I asked.
She made a confused face. "Onyx? Sorry, I don't know who that is." She said.
I tried to make it a bit simpler for her to remember. "The four blond creepy girls that always hangout together."
"Oh ya. No I haven't, sorry, I don't think they're here." She said.
"Thanks." I said.
I was bummed, I had just made some new friends and they weren't here.
I went to my art class, where Miss Schweitzer has pictures put all over the walls and plants for drawing in the window sill. Even as I stared at the plant, that I was supposed to be drawing with its beautiful yellows and orange flowers, I still felt a pang in my heart.
I felt sad, and then I thought as I stared at those flowers, lied to, cheated on, gullible, and now mad. My gut wrenched as if a hundred year old rusty wheel was grinding through my stomach. I've never been this upset before. I probably did fall for the popular friends, and they were probably acting, now I'll never see them again. I'll probably see them in the hallway and they'll snicker quietly behind my back. Sometimes I hate how gullible I am!
The flowers began to wilt and turn gray, faster than watching it on the discovery channel in fast forward. Before they could turn black it burst into flames. I realized what I had done. No one actually noticed the wilting flowers till they burst into flames, now everyone was freaking out saying "Fire! Fire!", and the teacher was running to get the fire extinguisher. I just sat there, watching people run back and forth. It was pretty amusing.
Am I really capable of doing that? I don't think I have ever been this angry, and plus in the city there aren't alot of plants or vegitation, just vegitarians. I erased some things on my picture and then re-drew the flaming flowers. I was sure to get an A for realism.
After school, I got off of the bus at the stop where the bus driver thought I lived and began walking home. I didn't feel the need to correct him, I rather like the walk home. The evergreen trees made a beautiful canopy above me that collected the sun rays and made the forest below look like a fairytale backdrop. I was attracted to the woods again, but this time I decided to go in and explore. I walked in at first and just looked around at the tall trees that were still green. The trees swayed lightly in the wind that was too high for me to feel. As I was looking up a tree needle fell into my eye giving me a quick second of pain. I walked between two big evergreens and sat on a dead log that was resting against one of them. I looked at my hands, trying to find a reason why plants like me so much and why they move at my touch.
Thinking it was some kind of power I looked to a fern right in front of me and squinted at it. Nothing happened. I stretched out my hand towards the plant but nothing happened. I put my arm down and chuckled to myself. What am I doing?
I got up and began to walk through the woods again, walking towards my house. It was better than the road where any strange person could pick me up. I soon came upon a space of ground where there was mud and everything was wetter. On further inspection I could see a tiny stream running in front of me, almost invisible in its mossy runway. But as much as the stream took form, it looked as though the rest of the creek just absorbs its way through the ground till it got to the river. I tried taking another step but my shoe was almost swallowed through the mud. I looked up and down where the creek ran to try and look for a dry spot or some rocks for me to hop across. I looked down to my right, seeing a small tree that was lying across the creek a little ways. I back tracked a little to getting away from the mud and started heading towards the fallen tree. As I was just five steps away from the tree I stopped. I looked forward as if expecting to see something. A flash of white was my vision for a half of a second followed by inaudible voices which also faded out within a second or two. My core was telling me not to go any farther for some reason. It's like that feeling of reasoning telling you not to do something stupid. Going with my gut, I back up and go the other way, looking over my shoulder a couple times. I walked all the way to where I could see the Concrete of the road ahead, where the stream went under the road. It was dry enough for me to hope over now and I was on my way home again.
I felt stiff walking the rest of the way home, like my body was on guard. I heard voices. They were inside my head, I knew that now. I began to think that I was crazy. At least I didn't hear them all the time like in some of those crazy movies I watch where someone's power is reading people's thoughts unconsciously, constantly hearing voices in their head.
I felt a little better when I could see my house through the trees. I went to the front, but it was locked. I remembered that my mom hadn't made another copy for me yet. I went to the side screen door across from the garden, also locked. I went to the back door, twisting the knob all the way signaled to me that it was unlocked and I sighed in relief as I opened it into the kitchen. I turned going to close the door when my eyes saw a spot in the grass. Not just any spot, a spot of peculiarly bright green moss. It was small but it looked as it was trying to grow. I went back outside and left the door open. I walked up to the spot within the grass to realize that on closer inspection, the tips of the moss were brown. Like it was dying. I placed my hand over the moss, the moss turned back to its original and healthy green state.
I suddenly felt like I was falling, but I could feel the ground. White light flashed in front of my eyes as I heard a child's voice and a man say 'Amber'. I saw, only for a moment, a child's hand in the same bright green moss, like mine was now, I was suddenly looking out a window at a young girl stabbing sticks into the ground, in this very backyard.
    I blinked rapidly as the vision went away. I heard the engine of car and the gravel that cracked under its tires, pulling into the drive. I challenged myself that I could be inside on the couch with the tv on without my mom coming in first. I got back up, ran into the house, through the kitchen and into the living room. I threw my back pack towards the door, sliding it's way into position against the coat rack. I leaped up and onto the couch, immediately clicking on the tv and hitting the DVR button as my mom walked in.
    "Hey sweetie, how was school." She asked taking off her coat.
    I felt so sneaky and ninja like for those ten seconds. I kept staring at the tv to hide my smile. "Good. All good."
"Amber," I looked back at my mom. A woman in one of those fancy name brand white trench coats had her back to me putting her off-white purse on the ground and taking off her coat to put on the coat rack. "This is my partner from work, Hailey."
Hailey turned around after neatly hanging her coat on our hanger and smiled. Her detailed large green eyes stood out from her small rectangle glasses, framed by her pale blond hair that was pulled up into a tight bun. It only took a millisecond to take in all of her features before I recognized her from yesterday.
She puckered her pink lips into a shy-like smile, almost as if knowing my inner reaction to her presence. "Hello Amber, your mom has told me so much about you." Her voice was a bit quiet and shy sounding.
I glanced between her and my mom, wondering if this was some joke they were playing on me. "Hi." I said hesitantly.
My mom immediately went to talking, like she could not hold it in any longer. "Hailey, and I have been work partners ever since I moved up into Seattle. We were paired together for a couple of houses, and we have stayed together ever since." She laughed as if trying to put humor into the stillness of the air. "Actually," she said, immediately breaking the swift silence. "Hailey, here, is the one who showed me this quaint little town in the first place, the real estate business isn't quite booming here at the moment though, still working my way up." She nodded her head awkwardly. The only noise was the tv behind me. "Uh, Hailey," she pointed to Hailey and turned on her heals. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Hailey turned to my mom. "Oh yeah sure, I'll have some ice water please."
My mom nodded. "Okay," she pointed at her while walking backwards towards the kitchen. "Is the tap okay, sorry we don't have any bottled water."
Hailey waved it off, flicking her wrist down once in a sophisticated way. "Oh no that's perfectly fine, in fact I'd rather have tap anyway." She giggled.
My mom nodded and headed to the kitchen. Before going through the doorway she gave me a stern looked and flicked her head to Hailey who was now sitting down in the chair closest to the window to my left.
I sighed and folded my hands between my legs uncomfortably. I glanced at her a couple times. She crossed her legs and put her hands on top of them, looking around the house.
"Told you I'd see you soon." She spoke up, looking at the tv. I looked up at her with just my eyes. She looked at me with her tiny closed lip smile again.
I looked away and avoided her intensely green eyes. I shook my head side to side slowly, not wanting to speak.
She looked over my head as I heard my moms heals clicking behind me. "Claire, your house is so cute." She said with her brows together as if she could not believe it's cuteness. "It's charm altogether -just - how did you find this place? How long was it on the market?" She gushed.
My mom handed Hailey her drink and sat down next to me, closer to Hailey. She had also had her own drink of water. I looked at her water wondering why I didn't get one too. "Oh, this old thing was trying to be sold for almost eleven years,"
I got up and went into the kitchen to get my own water.
"but I guess I came at the ripe time to claim it for my own. Of course, I am going to redo the trim of the windows and take out the shingled siding and replace those with new paneled siding -"
Where were all these changes coming from? She never said any of that to me. "But I like the trim and the shingles." I tried to say through the opening between the rooms. I guess I wasn't loud enough.
I saw Hailey look up at me for a second before looking back at my mom. "That sounds like a fun summer job." She nodded and hesitantly agreed.
"Oh it will," my mom agreed. "And I was also just thinking about this the other day, but, the interior," she waved her hands out gesturing to the walls around her. "Maybe making this like, a light blue - you know - and I will put on of those large black anchor stickers that go on walls right there in the corner so it will come out and go behind the tv a little bit. Ooh, and like three glass bowls in the window filled with sea glass, water molded wood, and shells. I saw that on Pinterest. I would like it to have that beach house deal to it."
Before grabbing the ice, I popped my head out of the kitchen again to give her aa weird look. But she wasn't facing me. I put the ice in my water and sat back down.
My mom gushed on about the makeover of almost every room, and I commented on almost every item she wanted to change. "Sand in tall glasses? - When have you ever talked about the beach? - Light Blue? - Why would that be your first choice? - You know I hate that kind of smelly candle. - Rope? On the walls? - What? - Why? - How?" And with every comment I wasn't even given a glance from my mom, only from Hailey who slightly smirked at my side-bar comments, and of course my mom thought she was smirking at her ideas.
"I know, it would be so relaxing in the bath that way." My mom reacting to the smirk.
Hailey remained so patient as she nodded and agreed with the shortest of sentences.
I did not have Hailey's patience, and so I finished my drink, then I got up to wash it in the sink.
My mom paused only for a second before having a sudden thought. She gasped. "Oh my word, I actually have some of the colors that I wanted to put into the rooms. There in a box in my room. Do you want to see? I'll just go get them do you can actually see the colors that I'm talking about."
"Okay. I'll wait here for'ya." Hailey said making a quick wave good bye to her.
I didn't want to go back in there alone with her but, I know my mom would be all over me about politeness if I didn't. With a heavy sigh I walked out of the kitchen and sat back into the middle of the couch.
"Amber." She immediately went into action and talked as she moved over next to me, taking off her glasses. "I understand you are in need of assistance, and may I say again that it is a pleasure to meet you." I scooted away from her and gave her a perplexed look. "Now, we must talk quickly before your mom comes back." She nodded. Her voice had changed into a more relaxed and lower tone, not the tight shy one.
"Should I know you?" I asked slightly moving away again.
She rolled her eyes playfully and hit my shoulder with the back of her hand. "Well you should silly, we did see each other yesterday."
How could I forget yesterday. "Yeah but - you - you, uh..." I stumbled over my words bony wanting to sound stupid. "Do you have a dog?" Stupid question.
She shook her head. "Yeah, yeah actually I do." I internally sighed with relief, there's my answer. "Her name is Peanut, he's a Dachshund."
I paused in slight confusion. "She wouldn't happen to be white would he?"
"No she's brown." She also looked confused. Then her face came to realization. "Oh, you are talking about what you saw yesterday. That's simple, that was me." She smiled.
"You." I repeated.
She nodded. "Yes, I am a - what are called today as - shifters. I am a shifter." She waited for any kind of response.
I raised my eye brows. Who did my mom befriend? "And that is?..." I asked, a little bit scared.
"I," she put her hand to her chest like she was proud of it. "am able to turn into the well known species of wolf, which would be the timber wolf to be exact." She paused and looked at me as if I had said something sad. She sighed, letting her shoulders fall. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." How did she know I was scared? I've been hiding it pretty well. "I'm just trying to ease you into this." She paused again. "Okay, I'll just cut to the chase before your mom gets back." She glanced up toward the stairs. She brought her voice to a kind of whisper. "Amber, you are living in such a different world than you think. Most of everything is real, okay. For instance, I am real. I can really turn into a wolf...whenever I want. And you..." she looked at me as if I was her own child. "You are so much more. Your father-"
I widened my eyes. "Father? My dad? Are you talking about my dad?" How does she know him? Does she know where he is?
She sighed into sentence again. "He - he made a mistake, and now we have to clean it up. First, you need-"
"A mistake?" My voice got louder. "What did he do?"
"Lower your voice." She demanded. She sat back and collected herself. "Your concern now is to get to know yourself. You are at the age now to take care of yourself in some ways, but with other things, you will need help. So, I have told them-"
"Hold on." I say, my voice now quieter. "Taking care of myself? I'm only 15. Am I leaving or something?"
"No," she corrected. "But there will be planned training sessions for you that I -alone - have arranged with-"
"Training? Training for what?" I asked. "Look, moms work friend,"
"Hailey."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, I'm not going to any 'training' thing with whoever." I leaned forward. "I am interested in my dad though. What else can you tell me about him." I persisted.
"I have already made the arrangements with them, they will help you, and yes, you will train. One way or another." She nodded.
"Then tell me about my dad!" I whispered loudly.
She sighed stubbornly. "All I ask Amber is that you do not go looking for him until you are ready. Something beyond council ears is underway and I am the only one who sees this solution." She gestured to me.
"Me?" I asked. "Why am I important? What council? Like, the government?"
"No, think of it as - think of it as an under the counter government. Like, a government in witness protection program so to speak." She tried to explain.
I paused for a few seconds. "So... this is some kind of protection program?..." I guess.
She sighed again, but almost in pity. "No." She paused. "They will hopefully answer all of your questions, if they want I guess. They are pretty stubborn from my experience." She glanced up towards the stairs.
"Okay who are we talking about?" I asked.
She smiled and it seemed as if her recent personality just got washed away. "Oh, I like that idea too!" She gushed. I was confused on the sudden change when my mom came down at the last step behind me. Hailey looked up to her. "Claire, your daughter is just full of surprises." She sat up straighter and almost fumbled as she remembered to wear her glasses. "Turns out we have the same favorite color."
My mom looked to me with approval. "Oh, good to see you are getting along." She sat down between us even though there was almost no room on the seem of the couch between Hailey and I.
I looked at Hailey, my mouth still slightly open in confusion, although now, I think I was starting a to get it. She looked up at me knowingly and gave me a wink. I got up and looked down to my mom as she happily jabbered her work friends ear off about colors and patterns. "I'm gonna go do some homework upstairs." She only nodded at me once in recognition. I began to walk away but looked to Hailey, pretending to talk to my mom still. "Anything else, that I need to know right now?" I asked slowly. Hailey looked up at me and gave a small smile.
My mom turned and pointed at me. "Oh, right, please don't forget about the chairs down by the river please."
"Got it, okay." I said still locking eyes with Hailey. My mom went back to talking as I abruptly turned around and began to head upstairs.
I sat on my bed quietly. The rain outside my window being the only noise, with an occasional laughter from downstairs. Okay. Hailey was a wolf. She can turn into a wolf. She knows about my father, but can't tell me because of... reasons. And she won't say anything in front of my mom. Okay. This is actually real, not fake, because I have seen this with my own eyes. Okay. I want to believe her but something tells me this is ridiculous and not real. I pinched myself again. Nope, still not dreaming from yesterday.
In a big huff, I plopped back onto my bed in worry and wonder.