A World Unknown

5. Sensory Overload

*Tiara*

“Happy Birthday to ya! Happy Birthday to ya! Happy Birth-day!”

I woke up to Grandma singing with a birthday cake covered in vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. There was one candle with “13” sitting on top, lit and ready to be blown out by yours truly.

“That cake looks beautiful. I’d love to have a taste,” a voice said in my head. I went from smiling to looking around in confusion.

“Grandma, did you hear someone?” I asked her.

“It’s just me and you here. Are you ok? You look a little pale,” She replied.

“Uh…yeah I’m fine. I guess I was just dreaming or something. Thank you for the cake! I sure hope it’s chocolate under that frosting!” I squealed.

“Only the best for my special girl on her big day!” Grandma said excitedly.

I closed my eyes to make a wish and blew out the candle.

“Now of course we’re not having this for breakfast,” Grandma said,”I’m making my famous French toast for my baby girl first, then we can pig out on cake!”

She shimmied her way out of my room and back into the kitchen.

“That sure was sweet of her. I can tell she loves you very much,” said the voice in my head.

I wondered in my head if I was imagining it all.

“I’m very much real, Tiara. My name is Lilac. I’m your wolf. You and I are one now that you are thirteen. You’ll get to see me when you have your first shift,” Lilac said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said out loud, “This is crazy!”

“I know it’s a lot to take in, especially since you weren’t raised by other werewolves. We are connected. It will make so much more sense when you’re able to shift.” Lilac explained.

“So, you’re just in my head, all the time, hearing my thoughts? And I’m just supposed to act like you’re not there?” I asked with confusion.

“Well, yes, but trust me you’ll get used to it,” Lilac assured me.

I could smell breakfast and was feeling my tummy rumble. I decided to go to the bathroom and get ready to eat. After cleaning up I brushed my hair into a high puff ponytail and laid my edges. Gotta look cute on my big day. I went to the kitchen and sat down at the table already set with French toast, fruit cocktail, and a plate full of sausage. My mouth watered. Grandma came out of the kitchen with a skillet and three eggs ready to go on my plate.

“I wanted them to be nice and fresh for you,” Grandma said with a wink. I loved her thoughtfulness. I see where my mom got most of her cooking skills from. It tasted just how mom used to make it. I piled my plate with four sausages and four slices of French toast.

“Girl, you must have a tapeworm in that stomach. I don’t see where all that food goes!” Grandma said. I just laughed. Maybe it was a wolf thing why I had such a big appetite. After breakfast I asked Grandma if I could go to the art store to get some supplies.

“Sure, honey, let me get you my bank card. Get what you want, but don’t buy up the store. I ain’t rich!” She warned me. She held her hand up and I slid the card out of her grasp, giving her a fat kiss on the cheek in return.

“Thank you, Grandma. So far, I’m having an awesome day and I owe it all to you. Thank you for taking such good care of me. I love you so much I don’t know what I would do without you,” I said.

“Baby, I love you so much it hurts. There is nothing I won’t do for you. If it is in my power, you got it, baby.”

I grabbed my house keys and my backpack and headed to the bus stop. Grandma lived in the city center so it was really easy to get around. I learned a couple of bus routes to get around to places like the library, the park, and the art store. I had never been to a public school and Grandma thought it was best that I be homeschooled until I felt ready to enter a public school. I didn’t think I would ever warm up to the idea. I liked being away from people. Just navigating the city was overwhelming. I had no idea what to expect at a school with a bunch of other kids. I walked a couple blocks to the bus stop and waited. The traffic whizzed by in both directions while I stood waiting.

“Sure is busy around here. I prefer where we lived before,” Lilac said.

I was startled by the voice and almost forgot about this wolf thing. “Uh…yeah I liked home a lot better than this too.” I told her. I guess since she was a part of me now, I could get to talk to her whenever I wanted to. It was kind of like having an imaginary friend. “So, you were with me even before I turned thirteen?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’ve always been with you,” Lilac started, “but you weren’t able to feel me or hear me until now. I know all about you, Tiara. You’ll get to know me as we build our connection.”

It was kind of cool and also worrisome. I hoped I didn’t slip up in front of Grandma or anyone else for that matter. The bus stopped in front of me and I got on. I showed the driver my pass and took a seat. So many smells flooded my nose and it was almost making me sick. I smelled something rather strong that resembled rotten food or trash.

“Ew, what’s that horrible smell?” I silently asked Lilac.

“There’s another wolf on this bus. It must be a rogue. They can be dangerous. We need to get off this bus immediately!” She said with panic in her voice. I could feel her emotions and it felt like fear. It made me scared.

“But, there are still four more stops until the art store,” I tried to reason.

“Tiara, you have to be vigilant. You’ve been mostly undetectable by other wolves until now. You’re giving off a stronger scent and can be in danger if you’re not careful. Rogue wolves are especially dangerous, as they become more feral when they are not a part of a pack. They will attack wolves unprovoked, especially a defenseless she-wolf like you,” Lilac said with conviction.

I knew I had to trust her. No one else was here to protect me. I pressed the indicator to signal the driver to stop at the next bus stop. The odor was coming from behind me, so I decided to exit out the front. As I was exiting, I saw two other people exit the rear. I waited for the bus to pull off and as the bus moved past me, the stench followed.

“He’s behind us. Get somewhere safe, quickly!” Lilac yelled.

I looked around and found a grocery store nearby so I started hustling across the intersection. Footsteps followed behind me. I picked up the pace. So did the footsteps. The stench was suffocating. I was definitely being followed. I started jogging into the store and went to a customer service person at the front of the store.

“Excuse me, sir, do you have any canned ackee?” I asked the worker. I asked for something I knew I couldn’t find at any store just to buy myself some time.

“I’m sorry, miss I’m not sure if I’ve heard of that,” The worker replied.

I went on to explain what it was and watched as a scruffy looking man wearing worn shoes and clothes entered the store. The stench hit my nose again. That must be who’s following me. We made eye contact and I felt fear wash over me. I didn’t know what to do or how to get away from this man.

“Uh…Lilac. Any suggestions?” I asked in my head.

“Stay with the store clerk and wait it out. You’re too weak to defend yourself against a full-grown wolf. You’ll need to get away without a struggle,” She implored.

I listened to Lilac while the store worker rambled on about where it could be.

“I’ll take a look down that aisle, do you mind showing me?” I asked.

He obliged and escorted me to the canned goods aisle.

“If it’s not here, it’s probably on the international foods aisle,” he suggested. Clearly he didn’t even know what I was talking about, but I needed to buy some time. The scruffy man lurked nearby, but didn’t come close enough to me.

“Thank you, sir, I’ll take a look,” I said. The worker left me alone on the aisle and as I turned to look down one end, the scruffy man was standing there staring straight at me. He started towards me and I didn’t want to move. A part of me felt like he wasn’t going to try to hurt me in public, but really I was frozen in place. My feet wouldn’t take me away from the spot I was in and I was scared out of my mind.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone in the city. It’s not safe to be alone, ya know,” he said with a sly grin on his face.

I smelled that sweet sweaty smell I remembered from when Grandma was talking to the sheriff. She liked him though. Why would that be coming from this man? Or wolf? I put two and two together and realized that smell was probably because he was aroused.

“This wolf is dangerous. We have to get away from him!” The panic in Lilac’s voice had me ready to run. The only thing I could think to do was yell for help.

“Help! Fire! Fire!” I screamed to the top of my lungs. The wolf looked around, scared, and tried to cover my mouth and pull me away. I screamed through his fingers and bit down hard.

“OOOOWWWW! You little b***h!” he yelled at me.

“Hey, what’s going on over here?” Another female store worker came down the aisle. I ran to her and hugged her tight.

“He tried to grab me! Please help me!” I cried as I held onto her for dear life. The wolf panicked and took off out of the store. His stench leaving with him. I held onto the store worker a little longer. Afraid to look up.

“It’s ok, sweetie, I’ve got you,” she said trying to calm me down. “Are you here alone?”

I shook my head yes.

“Do you need to call anyone? I can call the police if you want. I’m sure they can help get you home,” she offered.

“Um…no I think I’ll be ok. Thank you for helping me,” I said.

“Are you sure? I don’t want something to happen to you when you leave here,” she pleaded.

“No, I think I’ll just hang out in the store for a little bit if you don’t mind,” I replied.

“Ok, well how about you come to the break room and get yourself a little snack? It’s on me,” she said.

“I think I’d like that. Thank you,” I replied, graciously. The worker took me to the employees only section of the store and led me to the breakroom. There were two men engaged in a lively conversation and didn’t notice us walking in.

“Her ass was so big you could see it from the front!” one man exclaimed.

“I bet it wasn’t real. These women out here are getting all kinds of work done. The ass and titties ain’t organic anymore. It’s all GMO. Grotesquely Modified Organisms!” the other man said in response.

“Hey, guys. Keep it PG in here, please. This young lady had scary encounter with a crazy man in the store and wanted to stay for a while, so I invited her here.”

“My bad, Jennifer,” the first man said, “Here, little lady. You can have a seat and take a breather. We’ll get out your way.”

“You don’t have to leave,” I said,” I didn’t want to ruin your break.”

The two men accepted my invitation and offered to be my bodyguards while I stayed. They offered to buy me some snacks from the vending machine, but I had no appetite after what had happened. I was anxious about leaving the store.

“If that dude comes back here it’s lights out!” The second man made a loud sound, punching his fist into his open hand. I appreciated their willingness to look out for me. I stayed at the store for a while before I decided to be on my way.

“Be careful out there. My name’s Tony, by the way, and this is Greg. It was nice meeting you,” Tony said.

“Thanks, you guys. It was nice meeting you both. Hopefully I’ll see you again sometime,” I told them. They each gave me a hug and I was on my way out of the store. The stench was completely gone and I felt confident I wasn’t going to see that mysterious wolf again.

“The coast is clear. Let’s get out of here,” Lilac insisted.

“Well, I still want to go to the art store,” I mentioned.

“Tiara, as you can see, your world is a little bit different now. It’s not normal for wolves to be in human cities without a pack. You’re an easy target, especially because of how young you are. You haven’t even shifted yet.” Lilac cautioned.

She was right. I had no idea what dangers were waiting for me and since I had no one else to talk to about all this I had to trust Lilac.

“Ok, so I should just go home? I think Grandma will be concerned if I come back after all this time and have nothing to show for it,” I tried to rationalize.

“I don’t like the idea, but I’ll go along with it since we don’t need your grandma getting suspicious. Maybe we should try to give your uncle a call,” said Lilac.

“Maybe I can ask to use someone’s phone. Maybe these guys at the store would help me,” I pondered.

“It’s worth a try. We really need to speak to him and prepare for your first shift,” Lilac warned.

I went back into the store trying to find Tony or Greg. I found the young lady that initially came to my rescue and decided to ask her.

“Um…excuse me…sorry…I…uh…don’t have a phone and need to call my uncle. Do you have a phone I can use?” I asked her.

“Sure, hun. Take as much time as you need,” she replied, sweetly.

I took the card out of a pocket in my backpack and began entering the numbers. The phone rang several times. I was starting to feel like he wouldn’t answer and I wasn’t sure when I could call again.

“Hello?” Uncle Ant said on the other end.

“Uncle Ant?” I asked, eagerly.

“Tiara?! Is that you?” he almost yelled into the phone.

“Yes, I am using a someone’s phone right now. I don’t have my own,” I told him.

“Well we need to fix that right away. We’re only three days away from the next full moon and I want you to be able to communicate whenever you need to. Are you ok? Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at a grocery store,” I said. I looked to see if Jennifer was paying attention to my conversation. I turned away from her and spoke in a hushed voice, “I met my wolf today, I guess. Her name is Lilac. She warned me that there was another wolf following and he tried to attack me in the store.”

“Goddess! I can’t have you alone in the city. You’re easy prey for a number of creatures. It’s not just wolves you need to worry about,” he cautioned.

I felt dizzy hearing these words. What else is out there that I need to worry about?

“Tiara, listen. You can’t stay with your grandma much longer. You need to be with your pack. We can care for you and protect you. You’re not safe in the city with only an elderly woman to care for you,” he reasoned.

I had only been living with Grandma for about a year. She and I had become so close and she has been as much a mother to me as my own. I couldn’t imagine having to leave her to live in a place I had no idea about. I was silent for a while after what Uncle Ant had said.

“You want me to come live with you?” I asked.

“Yes, Tiara. It’s for the best. You’re a defenseless she-wolf in a big city full of predators. The only protection you have right now is your wolf and you haven’t shifted yet. Listen, I’m going to come to your city tomorrow. Until then, I’m going to have a phone for you to pick up today. We can discuss how to make this happen. It seems I won’t be able to keep myself a secret from your grandma much longer,” he said.

“How will I get the phone without Grandma knowing?” I asked.

“There’s a mobile phone store in the downtown area I’m familiar with. If you give me an hour, I’ll have one ready for you there. Do you know where it is, and can you get there?” he asked.

“Sure, I know where it is. It’s actually near the art store I’m going to,” I replied.

“Perfect. This may not be too difficult. Ok. Give me an hour and I’ll have it all taken care of. Just tell them you’re there to pick up a phone for Anthony Blackstone,” he told me.

I told him I would do that, and we ended the call. I looked around for Jennifer, so I could give her phone back.

“Is everything alright?” she asked as I handed her the phone.

“Yes. Thank you so much for helping me today and letting me use your phone,” I said.

“Of course! I’m glad you’re safe and was happy to help. Are you on your way out?” she inquired.

“Yes, thank you for everything,” I said as I made my way out of the store. I had to get back on the bus to get downtown. I could never have imagined this is what my thirteenth birthday would be like.

I went back to the bus stop I exited from earlier and waited for the next bus. I looked around for that wolf from earlier. He was probably pretty scared after I screamed. If he was smart, he wouldn’t try to come after me again. I would fight with all my might.

“I always worried about you wandering the city streets alone. There are so many dangers that you have been completely unaware of. I’m just grateful to Moon Goddess nothing ever happened to you. Now that we’re connected, I can be your guide,” Lilac said.

“I definitely never noticed anything dangerous outside of the house. Is there anything I should be worried about right now?” I asked.

“The coast is clear for now. Let’s get to the phone store and talk to your uncle. We really need to be with our pack. It’s much safer,” she told me.

“So you’re on my uncle’s side? What about what I want? I don’t want to leave Grandma. I have no idea who these people…or wolves? I don’t know them. How am I supposed to just live my life with strangers who probably know nothing about me?” I was angry. There had to be a way for me to stay. It was hard enough adjusting to being in the crazy city. I couldn’t imagine going who knows where to be with a bunch of wolves who probably wish I didn’t exist.

“Tiara, I’m really sorry about how everything changed after your mom passed. I know both of your parents loved you very much and would want the best for you. Trust me, being with the pack is the safest place you can be. It’s family. It’s protection,” she explained. I wasn’t totally convinced, but I had to remind myself that I was no ordinary girl and this wolf inside my head wasn’t trying to put me in any danger.

“Ugh!” I sighed in frustration. The bus pulled up and I flashed my pass as I boarded and found my seat. Thankfully the rest of the trip was uneventful, and I made it to my stop near the art store. The phone store was just a couple blocks further down from the art store, so I decided to stop in there first. I walked through the automatic doors and was greeted by a young-looking woman who had a friendly smile at first,but turned to a look of disgust. She didn’t move from where she was, but her eyes followed me around the store. I was just there to get a few sketch pads and pencils.

“What’s her problem?” I thought to myself.

“Witch,” Lilac answered.

“A witch? Are you serious?! Like a real witch? She looks so normal,” I said. It was shocking to think that all these supernatural beings could be anywhere. I started to realize why Lilac was insisting we be other werewolves. I sure hoped this woman didn’t have bad ideas in her head about trying to hurt me. “Should I run? Is she going to hurt me?” I asked Lilac. My heart was pumping and I could feel the sweat forming all over me.

“Most witches wouldn’t dare mess with a wolf, unless she had good reason to. We are natural enemies, but there are plenty that would rather work with us than against us,” Lilac explained.

Her words made me feel a lot more calm. I finished my shopping and went to the register to pay. As I was exiting the store, I had to pass the greeter again. This time I avoided her gaze but could feel her eyes on me. It was an uncomfortable feeling and I quickly got out of there. I walked back down to the phone store and pulled the glass doors open and the sweet smell of sugar cookies filled my nose.

“Wow, it smells like someone is baking cookies in here,” I said to myself.

“It’s another wolf. There, at the counter. I think you should go talk to him,” suggested Lilac.

I looked to the counter and there was a man, probably in his twenties, busy talking to another customer. His blonde hair was neatly cut, and he was slim, but also pretty muscular for his size. I waited until he was finished speaking with the customer and approached the counter.

“Hello, “I said, “I’m here to pick up a phone for Anthony Blackstone.”

“And you are?” he inquired.

“I’m Tiara Blackstone,” I replied.

He looked me up and down. “Hang on a second,” he said. He disappeared into the back of the store. I waited for about two minutes, and he finally came back.

“I was told this was a rush order. Just didn’t expect a kid to show up for it. I had to confirm, since you don’t have a valid ID,” the phone guy told me. “It’s already set up and ready to go. Do you have any questions?”

“No, thank you. I’ll be on my way,” I said.

“Be safe out there, Tiara,” he said as I was turning to leave. The look on his face told me his words meant a lot more than just a simple well wishing. I smiled and continued walking out of the store. I wondered just how many creatures there were in this city that were noticing me before I noticed them.