Outcast

Chapter 4

Taliyah awoke to sun streaming through her blinds, lighting up the fine dust like fireflies. Her phone vibrated softly beside her, as quiet as a bumblebee but loud enough to wake the creature in her head. Her bleached strands stuck up like straw, almond eyes puffy from sleep as she slipped her legs out from beneath the sheets, the navy blue matching the splotchy bruises on her knees.

Like a baby gazelle learning to walk, she stumbled to the bathroom, the tiles icy cold beneath her feet. Taliyah's fingers gripped the sink like a vice, blue eyes narrowed at her messy reflection.

Her eighteenth was approaching rapidly and while it had no importance in wolf culture, she knew what it meant for her Fae blood. She wasn't powerful by any means, but in an attempt to detach the wolf from the girl, or at least the pack from the girl, Taliyah would have to reconnect with the older, stranger part of her DNA. With that thought, she trained her mind on the taps in front of her. Brow scrunched tightly as she focused on the stainless steel.

At first, nothing happened. The bathroom was deathly quietly as the small teen narrowed her eyes further, the birds outside falling to a quiet chirp, her wolf oddly silent for once.

For a brief second, the tap began to turn, if only a half an inch, but it moved.

Taliyah let out a scream of excitement, her signature feral grin erupting onto her face. Her feet thudded loudly as she jumped around her bathroom in excitement. Ostanda growling pleasantly in response.

Good job, child, soon you'll be able to tear out throats without your teeth.

Taliyah snorted, such an ugly sound to come from a pretty girl, "I'll never be that powerful, Ostanda, it's just cute little parlour tricks, you know? To cause like mischief and stuff."

Such a shame, we could have had so much fun.

"I haven't practised in forever," the teen laughed, twisting the cold metal of the shower on, "the last time I even tried was before I got you."

While the wolf had always been apart of Taliyah, it didn't awaken until she turned fifteen, a year earlier than the other pups. It meant that some wolves were fearful of her, that maybe the bond between the pair must be weird or unnatural. Strangely enough, neither side of her DNA was dormant, but neither was particularly powerful.

The wolf made an unsatisfied chirping noise as Taliyah stepped into the freezing water, goosebumps erupting along her tan skin. Her frame was small and lanky, ribs and hipbones jutting our ever so slightly, fine hair coating her limbs. 

Did you even consider our plans for revenge, child?

Slowly the water raised in temperature, her body now fully awake, the shower stripping away the remnants of yesterday's makeup.

"Give it time, Ostanda, isn't revenge always best cold?"

-

At eight she heard the familiar roaring engine of Serenity's truck, and she quickly chugged down the remainder of her coffee before bolting out the door, satchel in hand.

"Morning!" The blonde called, jumping in the backseat, "Are we ready to face the day?"

Ser merely glared at her through the rear view mirror, Morgan groaning tiredly in response.

Taliyah laughed, "That's the spirit! I can smell the defeat and teenage sweat already,"

"Oh shut up," Ser grumbled, "honestly, how do you even manage this kind of energy at this hour?"

"Caffeine, my fiendish fairy friend," she said, clapping her hand on the Fae's slender shoulder, "Speaking of which," she reached into her bag, pulling out a flask, "For the lovely Morgan."

"Bless," the smaller girl mumbled from the passenger seat, gracefully taking the object from her friend's hands, "I have no clue how I'm meant to make it through AP history this morning."

The car thumped awkwardly as the turned onto the main road, the asphalt crunching beneath the tires.

"Did you manage to have a semi-normal conversation with your mother yesterday?" The redhead asked quietly from the driver's side, the combination of morning sun and dense woodlands casting odd shadows on her skin.

Taliyah just sighed, "When has that woman ever said anything reasonable?"

"Sometimes she spits some wisdom," Morgan mumbled.

The blonde snorted, "Look, either way, the conversation last night was less than ideal. She seemed to get antsy once I mentioned it was Richards that rejected me. Something about destiny or whatever."

Morgan and Ser threw uneasy glances at each other.

"What do you mean?" The both chimed, creepily in sync.

"Like she was insisting this was big deal, and when I mentioned Richards she just told me to not do anything stupid before vanishing back to the Unseelie Court," Taliyah scoffed, "Does that woman even know me? All I am is stupid decisions."

"Tal, have you maybe considered that your mother might be right about this? That this whole mate thing might actually be important,"  the redhead glanced back at her friend, unearthly eyes filled with genuine concern.

Taliyah glared, "Why do you guys even care? It's pack shit, it has nothing to do with you."

"We're worried about you, Tal," Morgan pouted at her from the passenger seat, "We don't want you throwing your future away because some asshole decided to test fate."

"I'm not throwing away my future!" The blonde snapped, "I'd never even planned on staying in the wolf pack, this just gives me a easy-"

There was a loud thud as a massive black form hit the windshield, a crack erupting along the glass, causing the girls to let out an ear piercing shriek.

The truck skidded to a halt, tires screeching as all three stared blankly at the glass, the truck's engine spitting smoke.

"What the fuck was-"

Ser was cut off but a rumbling growl from behind the car, a strange sound that was deep and guttural. 

Something twisted in the half-breeds gut.

"Ser. Drive." She whispered.

"I- What- Taliyah" the Fae stumbled over her words.

At the same volume, she repeated her words, though harsher in tone,"Drive." There was an edge of fear in her voice, "Serenity, please listen to me. Do not look back. Just drive."