Finding herself

Chapter 2: Now

14 YEARS LATER

I still remember that night as if it happened yesterday. How could I not? It was the last time I saw my mom and dad. I still remember the last time I looked at them, I remember my room on fire, and I remember all the pictures hanging on the wall on the staircase.

The man that found me took me to his place and that's where I've been ever since.

You could say that they've made me their maid. Ever since I was brought here, it was my job to clean up after them. If I didn't, they would yell at me. If I did something wrong, they would hit me. When I was younger I didn't think much of it, I was just happy to be alive and have a roof over my head, clothes on my body, and unlimited food to eat. And nobody would care if I ate a lot. So did they. Because we are werewolves and we need a lot of calories, nobody noticed how much I ate, because they ate so much more. And having all those things meant I would suffer a bit of abuse, it was my fault anyway if I did something wrong.

But the older I was, the more the abuse bothered me. And when I got my wolf, it bothered me even more. But I didn't say anything, knowing they were all stronger than me and could overpower me easily. I just kept my head down and did as I was told. I knew one day I would get away from here anyway.

The man that found me has a wife and two sons, one two years older than me and one my age. They didn't pay attention to me and I liked it that way. I heard some stories of other maids that they had suffered from verbal abuse from their boss's older children and they had to endure s****l abuse as well. Especially when the guys got their wolves and haven't met their other halves yet. Then, and only then, I was thankful for the family that took me in and for the most part, left me alone.

I'm 22 now, I've got long dark brown hair, green eyes and I stand 6 feet tall. And being this tall meant that I wasn't easily intimidated. Especially when the family that took me in were all shorter than me.

The father's name was Cristian, he was the tallest. He had brown hair and brown eyes and was well-built. He was very muscular and so were his sons, even if they didn't have six-packs. The older son's name was Oliver and the younger one was Chris. They both looked a lot like their father, they all stood at about 5'11" tall. The mother's name was Olivia and she had short light brown hair and green eyes like me. She was the shortest at 5'7". If it weren't for the height difference, I could easily pass as their daughter.

Ever since I got my wolf it bugged me, that they treated me like a maid, but the biggest problem was my wolf. She would take over and break something, just to stick it to them, but leave me to go through the torture alone. And honestly, I was pissed off even more after that. Because it wasn't even my fault for what she did. My wolf's name is Onyx and as you can see, she likes getting in trouble. Even more so when I have to bear the consequences. And even if we share the same body, we don't get along. I want to keep to myself and away from trouble. She, on the other hand, wants to rule the world. Yeah, like it will ever happen.

Currently, I'm making spaghetti and Bolognese sauce for dinner. Two big pots of it. One for the sauce and one for spaghetti. I chop the onions, throw them in oil, until they are golden, then add meat and spices and just mix for a bit. It's the easiest dinner to make and I do it on days like these when I don't feel like doing much.

I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and start it, preparing the table with plates and cutlery. I chop and wash the salad, so I would be done for today.

And then I heard the annoying voice calling me.

"Anya get your butt in here!" Olivia yelled as if we don't have super hearing. Rolling my eyes, I walk into the living room, noticing there's coffee spilled on the floor.

"Clean this up now!" she demanded as if I spilled it. And at that moment, I felt myself being pushed back and my wolf take over.

"It's your mess, clean it up yourself" she growled.

'What the hell are you doing, I'm going to get in trouble again' I yelled at my wolf and she just snorted.

'I don't care. She needs to learn her place,' my wolf said, surprising me. What the hell is she talking about? Learn her place? She's going to kill me.

'What the hell is wrong with you? You always do this and I'm sick of it. Take responsibility for your actions for once you mutt.' I said angrily because I knew what would come next. And right then I felt her give me control back and blocked herself out to not hear anybody.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you're talking to like that? Ungrateful brat. Clean this up, before I tell Cristian what an attitude you have today. I'm sure he would be happy to take it out of you" Olivia said with a smirk on her lips.

I know exactly what that means. It means I'm going to get a beating of a lifetime. And it's not even my fault. How could she not see that? I thought a person's eyes changed color when their wolf took over. Granted, I've never seen the color of my eyes when it happened to me, but surely they changed. Not that she cared.

I went and got a mop from the supply closet and wiped the coffee off the floor.

"That's a good little doggie. Next time, do it quicker and with a little less attitude. It's for your good," Olivia remarked when I was leaving the living room.

And that was the moment I reached a point when I knew, I couldn't stay there anymore. I won't let them disrespect me like some kind of slave. I won't give them the pleasure.

I'm still angry with Onyx, she could be such a b***h. And it's why we never get along. I like her best when she blocks me out, it gives me great pleasure to be on my own in my mind. To not have her listening in all the time. It's exhausting. And annoying.

After I did all my chores and ate, I went to my room. It wasn't much, but it was all mine. The family never went in my room, they never snooped through it, I'll give them that. I guess they thought it wasn't worth their time and they wouldn't find anything, thank goddess. It gave me a little privacy and it felt good knowing I had something, that was just mine.

What they didn't know is that I had some money saved. I got it from doing their laundry. It was stuffed in their pockets when they threw it in the hamper. And it wasn't even a small amount. In 14 years I found enough to last me a year on the run. And they didn't even notice it was missing. They must be loaded.

I opened the drawer of my dresser and threw my panties on the floor. Under them was a false bottom, where I kept all my money. I had it neatly stacked and I put all of it in a duffle bag. There wasn't much space left when I was done.

I put my underwear, some change of clothes in and a map of the near cities where we were. I found it in a book in the library that they have in the house. They never noticed that some books were always missing because they had so many. It was how I passed my time here when I had nothing to do. I learned about the world, read fantasy stories, and all the good stuff. It was how I learned where I was and where I needed to go, to keep a low profile and not get caught.

I closed the full duffel bag up and placed it under my bed, just in case someone decided all of a sudden that they should check on me. I had a small clock on the nightstand, that read 9 o'clock, so I had to wait at least another 5 to 6 hours before I could start with my plan. It was the time right in the middle of them going to sleep and waking up. So I was sure they would be one hundred percent asleep.

I felt my wolf was nervous and still angry from before. As if it wasn't her fault. And honestly, I was angry too.

And I agree with my wolf, for once. Who is Olivia to speak to me like that? She's not my mother, she's nobody to me. She's just a wife of a guy that let me live with them. But not without a price. If I went to school like a normal kid and did normal kid stuff, it would be different. But I never did that, all I did was take care of the house and make sure everything was as it was supposed to be. I was a cook, a maid, a plumber, and an electrician, but I was never taught anything.

And because of that, I had no respect for them. They could have paid someone to do all those things. But no. Why would they, when they had a child take care of those things for them? And it was free too.

I could sometimes feel them trying to control me with the power of their voice. And I would do what they said, just because I didn't want them to know that they had no power over me. I did all those things willingly, first from gratefulness for a roof over my head. But soon it was 't enough.

They could at least pay me so I could buy something for myself.

All I had was paid for and purchased by them and it wasn't my style at all. I looked like a boy in the clothes they got me.

I stared at the ceiling for a while, but it was nowhere near the time I was waiting for, so I decided to go and prepare them breakfast. And not from the goodness in my heart, but because I had nothing better to do and because it would give me a little bit more time before they noticed I was gone.

It gave me till lunchtime, which was plenty enough for me to get where I needed to be.

I made them pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast, prepared the cereal, and took some for myself. I made so much that they wouldn't even notice. I took enough to last me at least two days. I carried the food to my room and stuffed the side pockets of the bag to the brim, putting the small milk cartons with my clothes.

I looked at the clock, it read 2:30. Perfect. I quickly changed into dark clothes, put my black hat on, grabbed my duffle bag, and walked to the front door, checking every room I passed, just in case someone was awake by some miracle.

It was all clear, so I opened the door and stepped out, finally tasting the freedom I longed for.