Meet Amber, a teenage girl struggling with the death of her father, an overstressed mother- and lycanthropy. All she wants is for her life to go back to normal, but a magical corporation has lost a valuable test subject and they believe Amber will b...
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Chapter One
I woke up with the taste of fresh deer in my mouth.
Lying naked in the middle of the forest might seem like a weird way to wake up to you, but I think I'm actually getting used to it. Leaves and mud matted my long auburn hair as I stood up, taking stock of my surroundings. I couldn't recognize anything from here, but that didn't mean much. My house could be anywhere from fifty feet to five miles away- at the very least.
I shivered as a cold wind blew between the trees, forming goosebumps on my naked flesh. It was early November, and the seasons were already beginning to change. It wouldn't be long before I started waking up like this in the snow. I shivered just from the thought.
As I stood there, trying to get my bearings, I heard the low rumble of a car engine from behind me. The land sloped upwards for about thirty feet in that direction, and there was a road at the top. It was unlikely that anyone would happen to look down and see the naked seventeen year old girl standing at the bottom, but I didn't feel like standing around and waiting for it to happen either. Picking a direction at random, I began walking, putting distance between myself and the road.
The forest floor was rough with sticks and small rocks, but my feet walked right over them as if they weren't there. That's one thing that was good about all this. The bottoms of my feet had become as thick as leather, so it didn't matter if I wore shoes out here or not.
"AAAAAAAAmber!" I suddenly heard my mother's voice call. "AAAAAAAAAmber!"
I was still a long ways away- at least half a mile. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to hear her. Still, it gave me a clear direction where I should go. I changed direction to head towards her voice. Another cold wind hit me, and I decided it might be better to run.
My feet passed effortlessly over the ground, carrying me towards home like I was an Olympic runner. I'm sure I made quite a sight, had anyone seen me. Naked teenage girl streaking through the forest like it was a high school football game. Luckily, I didn't have to cross any roads, and the few back yards I passed were deserted.
Before long, I began to recognize where I was and was able to make my way home without my mother's calling. Soon I came walking out of the trees, into my back yard, where I found my mother waiting for me with a large quilt. Seeing me, she came running down and threw the quilt over my shoulders. I gratefully wrapped it around myself.
"Did anyone see you?" she asked frantically, hurrying me to the back door.
"I don't think so," I answered, though I could never be sure.
She shook her head, "I still say we should lock you in your room when this happens."
"No," I replied. "That will put me too close to you, and you know my bedroom door won't hold me for long."
My mother fell silent, and averted her gaze. I felt sorry for her, truth be told. Most parents think that raising a normal teenager is tough. They have no idea how easy their job is.
