Finding herself

Chapter 3: On the run

It was very dark outside, the moon nowhere to be seen. And it was to my advantage, it made it hard for someone to see me, especially because of my dark clothes.

Even if it was very dark, I could still see everything perfectly fine and that meant I still had to be cautious to not be seen. I walked to the back of the house in the shadows and from there I could see the trees.

As quickly and quietly as I could I ran towards the tree line and continued my way ahead. At this point, I knew I only had to go straight and I would reach the pack border sooner than anywhere else. It was still a long way to go, but I still had a lot of time on my hands.

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I never slowed down even after two hours of running, because I knew I had to get as far away as possible from there.

I was running in my human body, I couldn't trust my wolf to get where we needed to go. I doubt she even knows what is going on, always keeping to herself. Never once did she lower her wall to at least see why I'm exhausted. And honestly, I didn't care. I only ever shifted once, on my 18th birthday. I don't even know what the color of the fur looks like. I was so happy that I got my wolf, that I forgot to check. And when I realized what a b***h my wolf was, I had no desire to do it again. It hurt like hell anyway and I was strong and fast in my human form too.

As I keep running, I'm pretty sure I went through the pack border already, but my map was still in my duffel bag and I didn't want to stop yet to check.

My legs were sore already, but I knew it was because I didn't have training or anything. The help didn't get to train. In the event of an attack, we would be defenseless. We were replaceable. And it was sad and disgusting. We were still a part of the pack, nonetheless, and we deserved to get a little recognition or at least a means to defend ourselves.

I swore to myself, if I had the power to right the wrongs someday, that I would use it to help the lowest ranks of wolves because apparently nobody cares about them. About us.

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Another hour passed and the sun was starting to come up. The birds were singing, flies were everywhere and mosquitos were very annoying. Werewolf blood was like steroids to them. They loved it and so I would be covered in bites all summer. Thank goddess for super healing. It healed the bites in an hour. Otherwise, I would lose my mind.

I had to stop, if not anything else, to drink something. I saw a clearing ahead. It had a log in the middle and a small stream running through it. The water was clear and I bent over and drank some. It was delicious.

I put my duffle bag on the ground and sat beside it, the grass was so soft I could sleep on it. I opened the bag and pulled the map out, to see where I could have been. I grabbed my watch and it said 7:15. I knew it was afternoon and I knew the sun was on the west side of the sky. I then knew how to position the map.

I was about two miles from the main road, probably about 15 miles behind me. I took the aluminum foil from the bag and opened it, seeing the delicious chocolate chip pancakes. I ate them and they were so amazing I could roll my eyes in my skull. I drank one small packet of milk and drank some more water from the stream, put my bag on my shoulder again, and went in the direction of the main road.

When I reached the main road I saw a bus stop was near. I walked towards it, read the name of the stop, and figured I was exactly where I needed to be.

I saw the timetable for the bus and there was only one left to drive here, so I had to be on it. I don't even know where I'm going, but I know it's the last stop that I was going to go to, I had to get as far away as I could.

As I waited I sat on the bench and took a granola bar from the duffel bag. I had to get some real food to eat or I would starve to death. When I reach my destination I would buy something or go eat at a restaurant.

Before my parents died they would take me often to one, called Mama's Pizzeria. They made a lot more than just pizzas, there was burger and s, tacos, and they would even cook you fish if you wanted. It was the best food I had ever eaten. I could only hope I would once eat at that place again.

As I finished my granola bar, I saw the bus in the distance. I threw the wrapper in the trash,

pulled some money out, and stood up from the bench, throwing my bag over my shoulder. The driver stopped the bus, opened the door and I made my way up the stairs.

"Where to?" asked the driver, not even looking at me, closing the door behind me.

"As far away from here as possible," I said, paying him. He gave me my change back, as well as the card that said:

From: New Falls

To: West Side City

The place wasn't on the map, so it had to be far away. Good.

I sat behind the driver, putting my bag beneath my feet. The sun was slowly starting to disappear behind the trees as I neared my destination. I was exhausted and tried not to fall asleep. It helped that I couldn't rest my head against the window without having a headache from the shaking.

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Two hours passed and the sun set about an hour and a half ago. The clock on the bus said 10:45. We stopped at a couple of places, some people getting on the bus and some of them. Everyone had to go somewhere.

As the bus pulled to the stop, the sign on the building read West Side. I guess this is where I get off. I hurriedly stepped off, so the driver wouldn't wait on me. a couple of people went off with me. I walked towards a girl, that looked about my age. She had dark brown hair and was almost as tall as me.

"Excuse me, could you point me to the nearest motel or hotel? I have never been here and I don't know where to go. " I said with a smile on my face, hoping that she would help me, so I wouldn't have to search the whole night.

"Of course. I'm going in that direction myself if you wouldn't mind walking with me," she exclaimed, making me happy. I saw that she had the nicest smile with bright white teeth and full lips and her eyes were bright green.

"Not at all, I would prefer it. Lead the way, please."

She started walking in the direction of the city behind the building and I quickly followed her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in this city?" she asked. "We don't get many visitors here, even if it is somewhat big. I guess it's not much to see here."

"Oh, I'm just passing through. I decided I would travel a bit before I started college. I flunked the first year and I need a break to clear my head and figure out what I want in life." I said to her. I knew what to say, as I had this conversation many times in my head, as I would imagine what would happen when I ran away.

"That is such a good idea. I fully support it. I'm doing a version of that myself, but I started working in a diner. I want to save some money before I travel through the country. It's always been a passion of mine, but I never had the finances or the guts to do it myself. I don't want to go to college, I've never liked studying. But to each their own, I guess." I agreed with her all the way. Everybody should do what they want in life.

We were walking on a sidewalk with a line of trees on either side of the road. It was so beautiful, even at night. There we lampposts in between every fourth tree and it made the scenery breathtaking.

Suddenly the girl stopped and turned to me. "Hey. I don't think I caught your name." And here I thought I was going to get away with not telling anyone.

"Oh, that's right. My name's Alyssa. Or Ali for short." I replied to her. I don't want her or anybody for that matter to know what's my real name. It's not like they have to know it.

" Well Ali, it was very nice to meet you. My name is Maya and we are here," she said, I didn't even realize we had stopped in front of a house.

"Now it's not exactly a hotel, but there is a very nice lady that lives here and she rents out rooms to bypassers for cheap. Her name is Lorena and she usually has three rooms to rent. And you can stay as long as you have money to pay for it, she won't ask any questions. "

I took a closer look at the house. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Two stories, a couple of balconies, and yellow-colored walls.

"Thanks for everything, Maya. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten lost if I went alone," I thanked her and quickly hugged her.

"It's nothing. If you need anything just ask Lorena to call me, and I'll come. The town is so small, everybody knows everybody. And I live close by as well. Thank you for keeping me company, I don't get that at this time of night at all. It was a nice change. I hope I will see you around here more, but if not, have fun on your adventure." Maya told me before continuing down the road.

I turned back towards the house I would hopefully get a room for tonight.

I rang the doorbell and in no time an older lady opened the door as if she was waiting on the other side.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking me up and down. The action made me nervous.

"Umm, I have hoped I would get a room here for tonight. Maya brought me here and told me you rent out rooms for cash. It's just for tonight." I answered her, hoping that she wouldn't shut the door in my face.

"Maya brought you here? Well, why didn't you say so? Come on in, I have one more room left. And as long as you pay, I don't care how long you stay. Just tell me in the morning if you will stay for a day more or if you are leaving so that I could clean up for the next customer."

She brought me to a wooden door at the end of the hall on the first floor. When she opened the door, she walked in with me behind her.

"It's not much, but it's better than outside," she said as she looked around, trying to find out if anything is out of place.

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful. It's more like an apartment than a room. I love it" I said looking around the place. Everything was neatly cleaned, there were a kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one space, the bathroom had a shower in it and a bed was double-sized. It was amazing. It's a shame I would only use it for tonight.

"Well if you like it, feel free to stay a little bit longer. I like you already," she said smiling. I returned her a smile, putting my duffle bag on a chair.

I was used to big houses and lots of space to clean, it drove me nuts. And when I saw this apartment, I fell in love with it. If I ever have something of my own, I would love this type of place. Just big enough for me. I don't want kids or a partner, I'm done cleaning up after others. I want a place like this and maybe a cat or a dog. Maybe a rabbit. But that will have to wait for some time, first I have to get far away from that god-awful place I left.

I took my underwear from my bag and went to shower. I need it badly. I smell myself how bad I stink, poor lady Lorena, she must have been dying around me.

I threw my clothes on the floor and stepped into the shower. The water felt amazing on my body as I washed the dirt away.

After I finished, I dried myself and put my panties on. I walked into the bedroom, took the bag from the chair, and placed it under the bed. I laid down on the bed in felt myself immediately drifting off to sleep. It was a very long day.