"Ash," he breathed, "We're getting dangerous here."
"No head?"
Something red flashed through his eyes, as the corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. "You're going to give me head, whether you like it or not. I meant that we can't turn back after...
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"Mom, have you been ignoring calls from a psychiatrist?"
She groaned and turned around on her couch, her hair plastered to her skin and a blanket wrapped tightly around her sweaty body, even though it was hitting thirty degrees outside. It pained me to see her like this.
"Mom?" I pressed, to receive another groan, followed by silence. I took it as a yes. "Why?"
"Go off, Leah."
"I am, I'm going to move," I told her, sitting down before the sofa. "This week."
"Fantastic."
"But only if you let me, and if you'll let the nurse take care of you." I hesitated but took her hand anyway. It was cold and sweaty, an odd combination.
"They'll take me to a madhouse, Leah. Did you go by the store?" Her voice was raspy and hard to listen to.
"They won't. And no."
"You're incredibly useless," she hissed, still not looking at me. It seemed like she finally noticed that her hand was being squeezed, because she yanked it away, tugging it underneath the blanket as well.
I stared at the frills of a pillow that had strayed from the sofa, biting on the insides of my cheek.
"I think it'd be good if you let the shrink help you, mom," I finally brought out, plucking at the laces of my worn-out sneakers. "I won't move out until you do."
No answer. I stared at the back of her head.
"Will you?"
Still nothing. I decided that meant she'd think about it- which was way better than a no. Getting to my feet, I strolled towards the kitchen to make dinner. It felt heavy, I felt guilt-tripped, and I was regretting just going in on moving like I wasn't leaving my own mother behind in her own shit.
But I held onto the thought that it would be temporary. Right?
~
At the end of the day, I still miraculously found myself back in the pack house. I bumped into Elle as I walked Hades in the woods, and she showed me a short-cut to the big wooden home.
I didn't feel comfortable in the woods, at all. Every time something rustled, I broke out in cold sweat, expecting a huge wolf to step out and devour me with one bite. I thought I could handle it, but as soon as the wind started howling and shadows started dancing over my path, I wanted nothing more than to sprint back home.
That's why I couldn't be more happy to encounter Elle and let her take me somewhere. I didn't even care wherever.
She wore nothing more than an oversized white shirt as a dress. Even her feet were bare. I wondered whether she had been in her wolf-form just now, before seeing me. Even though that thought kept pressing my mind, I didn't feel unsafe with her around- rather the opposite.
