A Pride of Werecats

Chapter 9

Alkira's POV

Dust, that's what Alkira had first called it.

About a year ago Alkira had been at a bush doof with her friends. She was drunk and high and stumbled away from the group in a daze. There in the air luminescent particles floated she laughed and followed their path. These particles led her to an open field where hundreds of them had landed on the ground hugging the lush overgrown grass.

She was filled with joy but believed it to be a trick of her eyes. She grabbed up the particles and stuffed as many has she could into her pockets.

She didn't remember how she got home that night but she did remember that morning waking up excited still in her jeans. She thrust her hands into the pockets and pulled out these particles. "Dust," she had whispered as the midday sun dimmed their luminescence. 

Since that day she had been going back to that field every other day to collect the dust. At first she didn't really have a reason for doing it. She just kept the dust in a huge jar that she stored under her bed.

But one night had had been caught, pockets glowing.

Now it had become her little business. She gave them dust they gave her diamonds.

She stood at the edge of the forest in the cold of the early morning waiting for them. There was a ziplock baggie of dust in her pocket and a knife down by her ankle. Just in case. 

A dim street light was all she had for light. 

Staring into that forest she would have been afraid, if she were anyone else.

Alkira had wondered what the dust was. She assumed it was some kind of rock but it was super light. They always asked for two cups of it and they didn't seem like the type of people to have any interest in rocks. 

They were doing something dodgy with it. Not that Alkira cared the diamonds helped her out.

Movement in the forest caused Alkira to be pulled back to the present. She put her hand in her pocket protectively. As they emerged. 

They looked normal, weird but normal enough. They wore long black coats that were ripped and slightly burnt and always had their hair slicked back. The thing that made them weird was their eyes. Cracked like a broken mirror. Alkira always tried to avoid eye contact. She thought they probably wouldn't like it if she stared at their eyes.

"Two cups?" One of them asked with a low voice.

She nodded "same as always."

"Good," the other said and produced a velvet bag from his pocket. He tossed it at Alkira. She opened it, even in the dim light the diamonds sparkled with holographic beauty. 

She approached them as one held out their gloved hand she placed the glowing bag into it and a smile broaded on his face. She caught a glimpse of it and it chilled her to the core. She looked away instantly.

"Same time next month?" the first one said.

She nodded and they slunk back into the shadows leaving her alone once again. Leaving her with that icy haunted feeling that she hated.

The new diamonds in her pocket made it so much better though.

***

When Alkira got home the sun was rising. She only had a few hours to sleep. She slipped into her room and under the soft covers of her bed. Today she would have to return to school or else the school would have to take action. 

But that wasn't for another few hours.

She closed her heavy eyes and under the covers slid the velvet bag out from her pocket. Holding it to her heart made it feel more real. As if the diamonds and all the money that she had saved could suddenly disappear. It comforted her to feel something real.

She drifted off to sleep watching the eerie glow of her dust supply seem through the cracks of her wardrobe.

Her mother wasn't going to wake her up she was on her own for waking up and getting ready. Her alarm went off to wake her up. She leapt out of bed  knowing she had fifteen minutes to get her ass to school to catch her last lesson of the day.

She picked up the nearest clothes from the floor. Jeans, a crop top and a pleather jacket. She jumped into her cherry red Dr martens. She leapt down the stairs nearly falling and losing her cool, nearly.

Her mother was passed out on the couch. Gin bottles scattered over the coffee table along with a mountain of unwashed glasses. Her mother's high heels where half hanging off her feet and last night's make up was smudged on her face. She looked as good as she usually did.

Alkira didn't have time for her and certainly didn't want to wake her up. She darted into the kitchen of course there was no food. She sighed and patted her fat wallet. She would be fine.

Her bike was waiting outside for her. A fancy motorbike she kept locked up so her mother wouldn't mess with it. She jumped on and threw her helmet on. Time to ride.

She neared the school and looked for a place to park her bike. Off to the side behind one of the large school building was her usual spot. Usually it was completely unseen by the public but to Alkira's surprise there was a man there. As soon as she stopped her bike and pulled her helmet off she could smell the scent of the forest. Not unlike what she had smelt early this morning. Despite his dirty apparence, this delicious scent was coming from him.

She demounted the bike. 

"Hello Alkira," he said.

She froze, was he one of them? They always knew her name even though she can never told any of them.

"If you're here for dust I don't have any," she told him making eye contact with stunning green eyes.

"No..." he was a little put off by that.

She shrugged and walked off. Hoping he wouldn't steal her bike. Entering the school she couldn't feel more like an outsider. Some people looked at her like they had never seen her before. Which might have been true. It didn't matter too much to her though. She could disappear into the crowds if she wanted too but she knew she was too pretty for that.

The class went by and she was given a ton of homework as usual and told she better come back tomorrow and before she knew it she was thrown back out into the crowded hall once again. Alone surrounded by strangers desperate to get home. She too wanted nothing more than to get out of there but home was the last place she was going.

Suddenly two girls with typical blonde dip dyes ran screaming past her with ink on their hands. She jumped out of their way. She thought her life was weird with glowing dust and cracked eyes was weird. 

A perfect gorgeous blonde guy and a black girl walked passed, the black girl was giggling but trying to suppress it. 

Alkira did a double take and looked at them. Something told her... they were important. She need to be with them

Meow myths,

I'm so sorry for this being so incredibly late. I got sick ... I know excuses excuses. But I was really looking forward to writing this chapter so it sucked. Anyway I hope you enjoy this new character. Certainly a little different to the others.

First published - 3/5/18

Meow for now.