Uncharted Waters

I sit up in bed, sweat pouring off my skin, heart racing, hands clammy and shaking. I glance over at my clock "3:17 am". This was the third time this week I had been woken by nightmares that I thought I had left in my past. I shake my head and reach for the bottle of water sitting on my nightstand. leaning back against the cool headboard I let the cool water run down my throat and breath in slowly to calm my nerves. I close my eyes and will my heart to slow and beat at a normal rate. "s**t" I sigh under my breath as i slide back under the covers. I had another three hours to get some sleep before my roommate, and best friend came barging into my room to wake me up, like she did every morning, for no good reason mind you. I smile, thinking of how happy I am with my life now. It takes a while but when I do finally drift back off to sleep it's to the sound of ocean waves lapping at sandy shores, and the phantom feel of warm sunshine on my face. "Nateri........NATERI" a shout pulls me from my somewhat peaceful slumber. "Whattt?" I answer the shout with a groggy one of my own. When no answer is shouted back I unwrap myself from the covers Im cocooned in and throw my legs over the edge of my fluffy queen-sized bed. I stretch, raising my arms over my head, and feel all the kinks in my back and shoulders loosen a bit. I slip my pink, slightly worn, rabbit slippers on and head downstairs. Even though Sherry, my BFF, knows not to wake me up early, especially after pulling a double shift at the bar, she never seems to remember......or care. For her the saying "the early bird catches the worm" is what she lives by, she has to be present at any function at least 30 minutes before others and is up at 6 am sharp every day like clockwork, even on the weekends. At least she had the decency to let me sleep till 7:30 am. "This better be super fuckin important Sher" I grumble as I hit the bottom of the stairs and round the corner into our micro-sized kitchen. "Surprise!!!" she squeals making me wince at the high pitch of her already soprano voice. "I know I'm a few days early" she continues as she hands me a big purple envelope with teal writing. "But I couldn't help myself, happy birthday RiRi," she said smiling. "Sher, I specifically told YOU, not to get me anything," I say as I throw my arms around her tall, toned frame, the sleep suddenly washed out of my system. Me and Sherry were not related by blood but I've viewed her as my sister since we were little. ********************************************************************************************* After my mom's disappearance, I had been placed in the system as an orphan and was bounced from house to house either due to neglect, abuse, or my foster parents finally conceiving a child of their own, which was especially hard for some of the rarer creatures in Aboloona. The last foster parents I had were particularly abusive resorting to physical and mental abuse daily to blow off their own frustrations or to bend me to their will. This was also when I met Sherry, or Sher as I liked to call her. She grew up a couple of streets down and was also a foster kid. She was way taller than me even back then and when I first saw her I thought she was a dude. She had her hair buzzed on either side with a jet black mohawk down the center. She wore super baggy clothes and rarely talked, she tended to voice any opinion with head movements and grunts. Nevertheless, we became fast friends and as we grew closer I saw more and more of her personality. She was super caring and tough as all hell, and believe it or not she had a very feminine side to her. I once saw her knock a guy out with one hit, he wouldn't leave me alone and after the second time of me telling him to back off, Sher just swung at him. It was around this time that I also learned that Sher was being sexually assaulted by her foster dad and that she did not care for the male species at all. One night after taking a horrible beating from my foster mom, i don't even remember what for, I decided to run away. I packed all my meager belongings in a backpack and scraped together what little food I could manage to snag without being caught. I snuck out of the house around midnight and made my way down the street to where Sherry lived. Even though the house she lived in was huge her foster parents had her sleeping in a shed outback. However cruel this may be it did allow us to spend many nights together talking about life and how different it would be if we were on our own. My hand had barely lifted from tapping on the shed door when Sher opened it and pulled me inside. "What the hell happened to you" she had whispered, taking in all the blood, bumps, and bruises that covered my body. "I'll f*****g kill them" she had stated as her eyes glowed amber and her canines elongated. Her whole body was vibrating and i knew she was on the verge of shifting. Oh yea did I mention Sherry was a wolf shifter???. I had thrown my arms around her back then and whispered over and over that i was ok, and begging her to leave with me. Back then I just wanted to get as far away as possible, from the monsters that were my foster parents. I knew Sher wouldn't have actually killed them back then, i think, but at that moment I thought she might and I was too afraid of her not coming back. So we ran away. Sher was 16 years old at that time, Four years older than me, and had a part-time job at one of the local restaurants. Her foster parents' didn't know of course since they would have took every dime she earned. She had forged her parents' signatures on the 'Working while in School' paperwork and would go to work right after school let out. Her parents never questioned where she was so it worked in her favor and ours the night we decided to run. She had enough cash saved up to get us both a Glider transport to Naket which was two regions over from where we had lived, in Marcet. When we got to Naket we lived on the streets and in shelters until Sher could afford to rent a place. After a few years of struggling, both of us working multiple jobs and juggling school, things were looking up. When I was 18 and Sher 22 we got a cute little condo. It was a corner unit so we only shared one wall with our neighbor. It had two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a finished basement. The living room and kitchen were open floor plan but the kitchen was micro-sized barely fitting two people. The living room area was supposed to be used partially as a dining room but we set up bar stools on the other side of the island counter and forwent the dining room table. We were just coming up on our third anniversary of living in this condo and Sher's business had been coming along nicely. ******************************************************************************************* "Nateri, earth to Nateerii", I shake my head coming out of yet another of my many lapses into the past. They seemed to be happening a lot lately. "Sorry Sher, what were you saying?" I ask, smiling across the counter at her. "I was asking if you were going to open your gift girl....but you went all misty-eyed on me sheeeshh" Sher says grining as she touches my forehead with the back of her hand. "Sorry sis, just uber exhausted, but I'll open this right now," I bat her hand away then slid my finger under and along the glued flap of the envelope slow enough to not rip the beautiful envelope but also slow enough to drive Sher crazy. I grin wickedly at her as the tapping of her foot becomes obnoxious. I finally open the package and reach inside. What I pull out brings tears to my eyes and puts a lump in my throat. "OH, Sher...." I whispered as I peer down at the collage of pictures of us throughout time plastered on a shirt with the words Never to Far Apart scrawled in pretty sparkly peach-colored letters across the top. Then I notice sticking from one of the sleeves a plane ticket to Reigalya, a region in Maroona, dated for ten days from today. "Well....what do you think, I know it's not much and maybe Reigalya isn't where you wanted to go first...." Sher pauses chewing on her lower lip. " I love it, Sher," I say, voice shakey. She visibly relaxes just before I burst into tears and have her scrambling to my side. "Girl, your mood swings are giving me whiplash, I thought you said you loved it?" Sher says grinning at me teasingly. "I do, I really really really do" I sniffle "it's just that everything feels so real now, I'm scared, what am I going to do without you there........what if I get lost or can't get a hold of you....or vice versa....what if something goes wrong" I stammer out between pathetic sobs. "Can't you come with me?" I plead with my eyes but already know her answer. "Nateriii....babe you know I can't, my life is here and yours is out there traveling the world. It's what you've always wanted" she says rubbing my back as she hugs me. "Besides you've been planning all these elaborate itineraries for all the places you want to visit since....well since before I even knew you. You can't let your fear stand in your way, and Galacta phones are galactic for a reason. There's literally nowhere in the seven known universes you could go where I wouldn't be able to reach you, I'll call every day if that's what you want....ok" She kisses my forehead and takes a step back hands still laying on my shoulders. "Yea" I respond feeling only slightly disheartened. "I know you're right, I just can't stand the thought of not having you there with me, you're the only family I have. You pretty much raised me and" I whisper on the verge of tearing up again. "And now it's time for you to leave the nest.....or den...or pod if you prefer," she cuts me off and gives my shoulders a squeeze. "Besides I'm following my dream here so you should do the same we promised to never hold each other back, remember?". I nod yes and she continues. "So I'll be your lighthouse, whenever you need a break from your travels you'll always have a place with me to rest your weary head," Sher says, squeezing me one last time before pulling away completely to grin at me. "Now go get packed, I gotta go or I'll be late for work..... Also, I'll pick up dinner on my way home" she looks down at her time piece. She walks briskly to the front door and slides her heels on before grabbing her keys off the key hook on the wall. Before she could disappear through the door I yell "Be safe, and tell Jeramiah I said hello!!". She smiles wistfully, her whole face lighting up at the name of her mate, before shutting the door with a click. I sigh, for the hundredth time this morning, and make my way back up the creaky stairs pausing to look at all the family pictures on the wall. Of course, the majority of them are of me and Sher but there are some individual shots, some with just Sher and her mate, and others of various landscapes and accomplishments. My favorite was the one of me and Sherry when we first moved into this place. I pause in front of the photo taking in Sher's 6'2 frame, toned as all hell, and her skin the color of toasted cinnamon. She wore a pair of denim overalls, cut off at the knees, and a cropped highlighter pink ribbed cotton shirt. She was smiling, showing off all her pearly teeth and her auburn hair, which she had let grow out over the years, was blowing in the breeze just past her lower back. Then there was me, arm around her waist, standing in shoes at 5'6 and still short compared to my BFF, my hair was pulled back in a messy bun, the gold and chocolate brown strands not quite wanting to stay in their rubber constraint. My ear piercings, 6 in each ear, glistened in the sunlight catching the rays just right when the photo was taken. I was much curvier than Sher and the sundress I had worn that day hugged each curve perfectly, and my caramel skin accented the butter yellow of the dress nicely. Tears prick my eyes again, but I smile thinking back on all the happy memories we've shared. I finish making my way up the stairs and into my room taking in all the boxes stacked in corners and the piles of clothes on my bed and dresser. "No better time than the present" I mumble grabbing a suitcase and emptying it of the clothes I had put there. Sher and her mate had gotten a house in the neighboring city where she worked and graciously offered me to stay with them till I could find my own place. So our condo was currently in shambles and now that I was headed off on an unplanned, yet would have been planned sooner or later adventure. Now with my plans arranged for me i need to rethink on what to leave with Sher and what to bring to Reigalya. I grab my Galacta phone off the nightstand and search for what the weather will be like during my travels. It looks like the weather will be beautiful, i think to myself as i swipe through the report, ranging anywhere from 70-95 degrees Fahrenheit, and that was for the next several months, there was also some rain in the forecast but that was to be expected. It seemed like a lot of Maroona was tropical-like, which was totally different from the concrete jungle of Naket and the somewhat more bipolar temp changes we had here. I sit my phone down and get busy re-folding clothes and placing them in their proper containers. I ponder what I'll do for the rest of the day, Ive already put my two weeks notice in at the bar and I was off today. Honestly, i should probably just focus on getting all of my stuff packed then work on the rest of the house that way there's less to do for Sher once I'm gone. "no not gone just absent" I say correcting my thoughts before continuing with my work. ******************2 DAYS TILL DEPARTURE**************** (Nateri) The music pounds in my ears and my world vibrates and swims with vibrant colors as my hips sway and gyrate to the beat hammering away around me. A hand grazes my side but I ignore it, the alcohol in my system hindering my thought process. However, said hand becomes more insistent and substantial at my hip and Im suddely pulled backward. The hand materializing into a drunken man, standing a few inches above myself and smelling of too much cologne and stale cigs. "Hows bowt ya dans wit me pwetty layey" slurs the humified bottle of man spritz that seems to have the audacity to touch me. "How about you back off and let me enjoy my space before you spoil my good breathing air with your stench, you perfumed ally way" I state, smiling sweetly before turning on my heel to walk further into the mob of grinding bodies. "Wadya sa ta me" Mr. air obliterator sneers, grabbing my wrist painfully and making me stumble and bump into a couple, who Im pretty sure are doing the nasty in the middle of the dance floor. "I said..." I growled in a start, spinning around to face the insistent prick. "She said back off," Sherry says coming up beside me and snarling, showing off her pointed canines. Sher was dressed in a skin-tight leather dress with spiky black heels on that made her tower well over six and a half feet. She had on a spiked choker with matching earrings and bracelet. She looked like a pissed-off Greatdane and I couldn't help but giggle a little. "Oh...ah. Ya, I was jus' bowda go." the man slurred, taking a step back and promptly falling on his behind as he trips over his own feet. I wrap an arm around Sher's leather-clad waist, which takes a bit of effort seeing as her waist was currently ear level with me. This chick seriously needs to stop wearing heels, but who was I to tell her that. Wearing heels made Sher feel invincible and I'd be damned if I was gonna take that away from her. "Come on boo, let's get you one more shot before we blow this joint" Sher says, tugging me toward the bar. "Besides it's 3 am and Jer has been blowing up my phone for the last hour and a half" She Shouts over the music. "Shoot Sher I'm sorry I didn't realize what time it was. NO more drinks, you gotta be up early to look at venues for the wedding, Jeramiah's gonna kill me for keeping you out this late." I shout back, now tugging her to the exit, while also trying to strategically 'shuffle bop' our way through the ever-thickening crowd and away from the bar. Once outside we both sigh as the night air cools our heated skin, and clears our lungs. The sky was still dark but the stars shone brightly and the two moons, one full and the other a waning crescent, add a beautiful overcast to the city skyline. " You wanna take a Hovercab or just walk back home?" Sher says motioning with her chin to the illuminated holographic sign that stats 'HoverCabs for Cheap', while stretching her long arms out in front of her than behind her back. "It's only a ten-minute walk back home," I shrug, " why waste the money, unless your feet hurt from walking on stilts" I tease. Sher fixes me with a stare "Girl I could dance the waltz in these bad boys for five more hours before my feet even started to ache" she said sticking her tongue out and laughing as I do it back. We link arms and start the walk back to our condo. "Sooooo," I start, poking her in the side with my index finger," are you excited?" I ask, glancing up at her. "About going home," she smirks, "I mean I guess but if you wanted to party longer we could have," she pokes me back and winks. " Noooooo," I say, elbowing her in the side, which honestly probably hurt me way more than her. "You know what I mean, are you excited about marrying Jeramiah?" I rub my elbow and look at her expectantly. "Honestly" she sighs "I've never been more nervous in my life, even when we ran from the cops way back when I wasn't this nervous," She says rubbing her arm and smiling at me sheepishly. " I mean Jer is absolutely perfect in every way, he understands me on a level that I thought only we had, and I'm scared pissless to think I could ruin that by.....by being myself. I love that man more than my red bottoms, and yes that is crazy, but I never thought I could love a man after everything we've been through the way I love him." She says and I can see her eyes turn to liquid amber as her emotions get the better of her. Also, Sher LOVVEES her red bottoms and will only wear them on very very veerrryyyy special occasions. She even has this expensive ass cleaner and polish that goes with them aannndddd she keeps them in a glass case on her dresser like she's Cinderella or something. So yes, I can very much understand how much my best friend loves Jeramiah, and honestly, I can tell he loves her just as much. I take her hand in mine and as we turn the corner onto our street I can see our condominium complex about a block away. " It's ok to be nervous and even a little scared but I can tell you with all the confidence in the world that Jeramiah and his family love the hell out of you, they've seen you at your best and your worst and they still love you. You're an amazing person Sher, who could have done the things you've done and with a bratty teenage sister pestering you the whole way." I say giving her hand a squeeze " I'm just glad that man," I let go of her hand and point in the direction of our condo, " knows how amazing you are too." Sherry Squeals and takes off full speed towards her mate, and let me tell you for a tipsy woman in heels, she us surprisingly fast and graceful as she runs and jumps into her mate's arms. I laugh and take off in a jog after her catching up just as Jeramiah places Sherry back on the ground, but still holding her close, wrapping both arms around her waist and smiling at me over her shoulder. "You two sure know how to keep a fella on his toes," he says kissing the side of Sher's cheek and laughing as she puffs them out like a silly toddler. " What can I say we love living on the edge and making you guess our every move," I laugh as I pull out the keys to the apartment and take the few steps up to the door. "Yes, I know all too well," he says before looking at the ground then looking back up at me, " um..... Do you think it'd be ok if I uh..... Kinda steal my fiancé away for the rest of the night... well, the day actually." He says blushing slightly as Sher pulls away from him and glares daggers. "Babe it's her birthday, and she's leaving soon, can't it wait?" She huffs out tapping her foot. "Well, uh... I mean" Jeremiah starts to stammer I snickered but came to his rescue. " Go Sher, I'm exhausted and I had a blast tonight. I'll probably sleep in then finish packing in the morning." I say unlocking the door and stepping inside. "BUT," Sher whines, taking a step forward. "No buts, go be with your man and I'll see you later," I swiftly shut the door and lock it behind me. I grin to myself and kick my heels off on my way to the stairs, sighing as the pressure in my feet lssens . Once I'm in my room I fling myself into bed, my tight curly hair sprawling out around me as I drift off to sleep. ************************************************************* Water dances around me, and silver and gold water stones lay at my feet. A man with jet black hair thats flowing down to just past his lower back is a few hundred yards in front of me, running.....towards me or away from me I can't tell, but my heart begins to race as the man yells out to me. A sudden burst of wind steals the words and a sudden chill runs up my back. *************************************************************** Even though we hadn't made it home until almost 3:30 am, Im up bright and early, 8:15 to be exact. I try turning over and forcing myself to go back to sleep but only manage about another 30 minutes before deciding to just get up and get started with my day. "Alexa play my 'Up and Ready' Playlist on all speakers please" I yell as I sashay out of my clothes from the night before and grabb a change of clothes from off my dresser. On my way to the bathroom, I grab a thick, fluffy, purple towel from the linen closet and hum my way to the bathroom. I sit my stuff on the bathroom counter and turn the water on in the shower letting the temp reach a nice scalding hot before stepping in and moaning with pleasure. There's honestly no better way to take a shower. I lather up a decent amount of soap and get to work washing all the grime from the night off my skin. Then deciding to pamper myself, I scrub my body clean with a fruity smelling salt scrub then shave and wash my hair. I make quick work of getting myself ready for the day after stepping out of the shower. I smear on some of Sher's expensive lotion then do my makeup, which consists of eyeliner and mascara with a touch of shimmery lip gloss. I like to keep it simple seeing as I honestly have no skill when it comes to wearing the feminine war paint. Next, I throw on a pair of army green leggings with peek-a-boo holes down either side and a white cropped shirt that reads 'piece of work' on it, before stepping out of the bathroom just as the song Dynamite, by my favorite pop group, starts blaring through the speakers around the house. I sing my way down the stairs and to the fridge, pulling out the various building blocks for my breakfast. Now, let it be known, when it comes to cooking I am a pony with very few tricks, however, my staples are the best and I make up for my lack of cooking skills with my out-of-this-world baking skills. Yes, they are different, and no just because you're good at one doesn't make you good at the other. I construct my avocado toast all while swaying my hips and singing, obnoxiously I admit, before grabbing some papaya juice from the fridge and going to sit in the living room to eat and watch one of my recorded programs. I sit my beautifully crafted meal on the coffee table with my papaya juice and snap a quick pic, sending it off to Sherry before taking a huge bite of the toasted, creamy goodness. (SherBear) (SherBear)< Hey, no sad faces, this is exciting. BE EXCITED!! I wipe my traitorous tears away and quickly type out my excitement and love for her before sitting the phone down and engrossing myself in my K-drama and my breakfast. However, due to my melancholy, the food has turned sour in my mouth and I have to swallow hard past the lump in my throat. Nevertheless, I force myself to finish every bite. I refuse to waste food no matter what, there are so many people out there who can't afford the luxury of wasting food, people similar to me and Sher when we were growing up. So even if the food that is sat in front of me isn't good, I will force myself to eat it, Sher is like this too. Although Sher has an iron stomach so she can stomach pretty much anything. The only food I can't eat however is seafood, the thought alone is enough to send my stomach rolling. After finishing a few episodes of my drama, and finally making it upstairs to pack the rest of my belongings I decide to go for a jog to clear my mind. I change into a pair of banana yellow joggers and a matching sports bra before slipping on my shoes. As I pass by the console table by the door I grab my earpods and keys, before stepping outside and shutting the door firmly behind me. After making sure it's locked, twice, I jog down the stairs and up the street to Main street Park