From The Ashes.

Chapter 46

AN: Warning: Long chapter inbound!

The outfit Andrea, Andrew... Andy? (what did I call them when I didn't know what gender they were today?) some how managed to be perfectly comfortable and gorgeous at the same time. I spent a weird amount of time looking at myself in the mirror this morning when Hana and Dot helped me get dressed. I'd never dressed up before, never had my hair done, never felt as beautiful as I did now, which was completely stupid. Clothes didn't make up what made me, but I couldn't deny that wearing the pitch black garb made me feel special in some strange way. 

I ran my hands down the front, cinched tightly around my waist to show off my figure. Or, at least, what little figure I did have. I wasn't exactly well endowed so the diamond that sat from the base of my throat to the top of my chest didn't have any cleavage to show off but some how, my golden brown skin showing through looked amazing anyway. The neckline turned into spaghetti strings that wrapped decoratively around my neck. Unfortunately this meant it brought attention to my scar but now, I wasn't going to let that bother me. No matter what choice I made tonight, I had another plan for the necklace I used to hide my lowest moment.

I turned to look at myself in the mirror again, the long skirt-like fabric swinging around my ankles. I wasn't actually wearing a skirt, Andy had stuck to their decision and dressed me in a pair of black short shorts but attached to them was a skirt that was open at the front so my legs could move freely. It felt a little strange if I was honest, I wasn't exactly used to wearing skirts but I still liked the way it swayed as I moved. My back was completely bare, the fabric moving into a v at my tail bone. It wasn't a design I'd seen before but I loved it. I wonder if Andy would let me keep it if I was to leave? I sighed, gripping the sides of the skirt out of nerves. I was so scared. No one was allowed to tell me anything about what was going to happen today so I was going in completely blind and I didn't like that. Funny, how I didn't like running into the unknown when I actually had time to think about it.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I had ahead of me, and made my way to the small hut outside Pack House that Andy had apparently set themselves up in. The entire place smelled strange, like multiple scents of incense were being burned as I stepped through the door. Andy sat in the centre of the room, in front of a large carpet with candles flickering around them. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust but then I made my way to where they sat, lowering myself onto the carpet so I faced them. Andy didn't say anything, instead they just held their hands out for me to hold. I was confused for a while but Andy didn't say anything nor did they open their eyes. Eventually, my breathing fell into sync with theirs and the world around me began to feel fuzzy.

It almost felt like I was falling asleep, except that now I was some how lying down. I didn't remember moving... and what was that smell? I sat up, a blanket falling from around my shoulders as I did so. I looked down, kind of surprised to see myself in the shorts and oversized tshirt I'd always wear around the house when I lived with my family. But, this wasn't my home, for one it was far too clean and the stench of cigarettes didn't fill the air. No, the house was filled with the smell of... it couldn't be? I scrambled out of the bed, letting my nose lead me through the unfamiliar house. 

It couldn't be, could it? I hadn't smelled things like this since I was a little girl. The smell of Indian cuisine wafted through the air, a scent I hadn't smelled in years since my father had announced one day that he didn't like it and made Mum stop cooking her family recipes. 

"Mama?" I called, wandering through the strangely empty house. The clink of some dishes caught my attention and I finally found the door to the kitchen. I paused in the doorway when my eyes fell on a tall Indian woman standing over a hot stove as she stirred something in a pot, her long black hair braided down her back in the exact same hairstyle I currently had back in the werewolf world. There was a reason I liked wearing my hair like that. Mama tried a mouthful of whatever she was cooking and then looked up to see me standing there.