Chrysanthemum

Chapter 1

"Chrysanthemum, baby! Come here for a moment!" I hear mother yell across our small home.

I roll my eyes as I remove my earbuds. I quickly tap on the screen of my iPod touch. It's first generation and has definitely started to show its age. I open the music app and pause the song that was currently playing. I miss the title as it quickly scrawls across the small screen but I knew I had been listening to The Jonas Brothers. I smile lightly to myself as I think about those dreamy heartthrobs.

Knowing I'd get yelled at if I took any longer, I hurried up and scrambled off of my full-size bed. It sits off the floor on top of box springs. I laugh to myself as I see my unmade Hello Kitty bed spread. My 14th birthday is coming up in a few days and I am hoping mother will finally get me a new set. I mean I have had them since I was 8. It's time for an update.

I made my way across the living room as my door opens right into it. Our house is small but perfect for us two. I pass our worn-down couch that once was a vibrant blue but has turned dim and dingy after years of use. The secondhand coffee table sits in front of the couch. It's a deep brown and made of a Hardy wood. There are doors on either side of the middle to allow for storage with empty slots on the side. It's the newest thing we have purchased for our place.

It was my fault we were in the market for a new table, anyways. Mom and I were arguing about allowing me to go to a sleepover. She refused to hear me out, stating that I am not like the other kids and have to be careful. I got so angry that I punched the original coffee table and smashed it into pieces. Damn uncontrollable preteen wolfy emotions and powers.

Remembering the fight from that night I hung my head in shame and continued my way to my mother who was in the kitchen. She heard my steps and turned around from the fridge.

"Happy Birthday, Chrysanthemum!" Mother brightly tells me with a giant smile on her face. In her hands is a cake decorated as (Can you guess what?) a Chrysanthemum. I laugh and blow out the candles that have begun to drop wax onto the cake.

"Thank you, mama." I kiss her on the cheek and step back allowing her to place the cake on the circular table we have placed against the wall. "Why are we celebrating it today? My birthday isn't until Wednesday."

Mom turns towards me, a knife appearing in her hand. " Well, Chrysanthemum, I am picking up another shift on Wednesday and figured it'd be better to celebrate on a weekend anyways so you don't have to worry about school work."

I rolled my eyes as she turned back to the cake and began cutting. "I saw that, Chrysanthemum." Mother bellows out a few laughs.

She still refuses to call me Chrys; Constantly going on about a family tradition. According to mother all the females in our family have been named after flowers. She says it gives us greater blessings from the Earth. My mother's name is Lilian. My grandmother's name was Rose. Yet, here I am with Chrysanthemum. One of the longest names known in the history of the world. Am I being a little dramatic? Yes, but so what? 

As mom finishes plating two slices of cake- each on their own respective plates- I take a seat in my spot. I have claimed the chair that outlooks our small backyard. There is a trampoline that I haven't used in years along with a very old swing set. Mother and I would spend hours out there playing. At least, I would. This was before my first shift. Mom says little Werewolves have 5 times the energy as human children. This would explain why I was constantly in trouble at school. However, now that I am older, I could only think about when my next run would be. I was only allowed once a week, so mother could run with me and protect me. We did not belong to a pack, but we weren't considered rouges either. Nomads is what we refer to ourselves. More peaceful than rouges.