Wolfblood's Stick Together

CHANGING

Clara pressed her fingers to the cold metal paw-print dangling from her neck and forced herself to take three slow breaths. It was just a new school, she told herself. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with similar things before. But for some reason, this just felt... different. Grabbing a tube of lipgloss from the counter she bent into the mirror beside her and examined her reflection, the long blonde hair that fell from her shoulders, and deep blue eyes that stared back at her.

"You can do this." Empty assurances, she knew, but she felt like she needed them today. Everything was brand new, beautiful, and ridiculously lucky for her. She didn't want to screw it up this time. Looking at the lavish surroundings-and this was just in her bedroom- she was reminded of the family she was staying with now, of how rare it was for something like this to happen. Especially to her. The walls were a light shade of pink, almost white with paintings and posters strewn out around the bed. The bed itself laid upon a raised part of the floor, three feet off of the main hardwood with a light fluffy blanket and a pink chair further along by the window. A lamp sat on the floor beside the bed, though she rarely used it, and beside that, the mirror she stood at. She knew she couldn't change anything about her face, her outfit on the other hand... she wasn't so sure about it. It was a school uniform, so she couldn't exactly change it, but she did what she could to personalize it. She rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and pulled on a pair of black shorts with matching fishnets. To finish it off she added on her favorite pair of combat boots, it was a good thing she didn't mind the cold. Finally, she felt ready and slathered the lipgloss over her lips, then trotted down the stairs. Ms. Cotter met her at the bottom, smiling widely.

"There you are, pet." She eyed her outfit with a small puff, "Clara, Clara. You'll be the talk of the school!" Clara jumped off the last stair with a smile. "In a good way, right?" Ms. Cotter laughed, "Of course, dear." Suddenly a serious look crossed her face, and she shifted as she always did when she was nervous.

"I know I'm not your mum, by any means, but I want you to know that you can talk to me, alright?" Clara smiled, "You're my foster mum, and so far the best I've had! Don't worry, Ms. Cotter." She patted Clara's head lightly with a smile,

"Off to school now, pet."

"Alright," Clara forced another deep breath, "Here we go."

~~~~~

When the car pulled up to her new school, Clara was once again having issues breathing, the pressure of her first day seemed to glue her to the seat. Only Ms. Cotter's voice shook her from her stupor.

"Don't stay in 'ere all day, pet. Go on, have fun." She gave Clara a reassuring smile and opened her door for her, almost having to pull her from the car. Ms. Cotter hesitantly gave her a kiss on the cheek, and left. Normally, Clara wouldn't be that friendly with a foster parent, but Ms. Cotter and her mother used to be friends, or so she was told. She had known her for a few years now. Before, with Ms. Cotter's work and things, she wasn't able to officially adopt, but taking some time away from the company made her good 'parental' material, and finally, the adoption was finalized. She had never been so happy in her life. But as much as Clara liked to reminisce inside her head, she realized she hadn't moved an inch since Ms. Cotter had driven away, and people were starting to stare. A deep blush rose on her cheeks and she tossed her Army-Green rucksack over her shoulder and hurried inside, it seemed she was going to be late.

As she expected, the late bell rang the second her foot hit inside school grounds, she sighed in response, and she wasn't the only one. A moderately tall boy opened the door behind her, almost running straight into her back in his rush to get inside, he shared her exasperation.

"You late too?" She asked. The boy simply stared back at her with a... curious? expression on his face. The first words out of his mouth were blunt, it made her laugh.

"Who are you?" She extended her hand to him with a charming smile,

"Clara Andrews."

"Jimi Chen." He shook her hand quickly, seeming weird about the formality of the situation but rolled with it anyways, shaking his head towards further down the hall.

"I'll show you to the office, new girl. It's not far."

    Clara smiled and rocked on her heels.

    "Thanks, Jimi. I'd like that."

    And that was how Clara made her first friend at Bradlington High, an unlikely match with the populars that made her think things might turn out alright after all. But she didn't know that her world was about to be turned upside down, and life as she knew it, would change.