To Be Free

3

I had, Xena, my wolf spirit with a fiery personality and a strong sense of justice. She thinks I should avenge myself for all that I have had to suffer in my short time. I do agree with her, but as far as having a plan for that, it just wasn't coming together and, besides, I was still afraid of them. Even though I have been out of their grasp for so long, I can't help the feeling of impending capture and having to always look over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me. Xena has been there for me the longest as far as I can remember. She did say I was originally a wolf anyway and that we were special but nothing in detail.

Alona was my witch's side. She joined later after a painful 6 months of trying to incorporate witch DNA into me. I don't remember a lot of it as the pain was intense, and I would black out for days at a time only to wake up in the same pain I thought I escaped from. Once she fully formed and my powers started to manifest, she told me to keep most of my abilities secret. I couldn't do anything about the powers they knew I had, but I could keep the rest hidden. It was only known that I could levitate, conjure fire and somewhat read minds. Alona showed me how to hide the rest as she didn't want to help them as much as I didn't. Once, we were alone in my cell and I knew I wasn't being recorded or watched. She would help me to practice as much as I could, so I could get strong enough to leave this place. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for a few more years.

When I was 11, I got my vampire spirit, Kara. This one was especially difficult as vampires and wolves usually don't mix like this, and it felt like my body was being torn apart for months. I spent almost a year in bed, in and out of consciousness, not being able to do anything but scream as a battle of dominance waged war in my body. When she formed her space she lent me her healing to repair the damage done to me throughout the process and apologized even though it wasn't her fault. Luckily for me, those jerks didn't see how much better my healing time was, but that didn't stop them from trying to test the theory.

Once, I had those three things settled for me for a while and, since I was at that moment their greatest creation, they decided I should learn to fight. I would work for hours on end, and it seemed like my days would blur together, and I excelled as much as I didn't want to. My other halves pushed me to survive, and I started to get treated a bit better. Now I wasn't anyone's bff, but I was left mostly alone and called upon only when needed. The only time I saw anyone like me was on a mission, and they had the same restrictions I had . All the others either couldn't pass the training or were too injured and eliminated. My only friends were the voices of my spirits. I couldn't see, as we weren't allowed to speak to anyone without permission.

I thought I would be left alone, but it happened two more times and I gained Lara, my bear and Natalie, my angel. I escaped when I gained Natalie, so they don't know how much of a success they had with her. I try not to think about that day too much . It was a painful time, and I was tired from the process, and it's mostly a blur if I'm being honest. With a quick head shake, I put those thoughts behind me, finished my breakfast and got ready for the rest of my day. Being on the run, I have to do odd jobs occasionally to keep money in my pocket for food and other things and today is one of those days when I have a few lined up. I threw on some old jeans and a black shirt and headed out.

My first job of the day was cleaning a house. The client has had a hard year being sick and unable to clean up after themselves. I felt bad for them. I couldn't imagine being so sick. I tried not to pry too much into my clients' personal lives, but sometimes you just can't help but notice. I usually give this one a discount as they try to maintain the home after I come around every couple of months. I usually just do the harder stuff they can't do, like dusting the ceiling fans or cleaning baseboards and behind appliances. I take my time walking to the house that's only a few blocks away from my place and just enjoy the fresh morning air. As much as I still hold onto my past and my fears, I do know that I should appreciate moments like this and how calm I feel, even if it's just for a moment.

As I walked up to the familiar blue house, I took in the worn-out white paint of the banisters and windows. The porch isn't too bad, just covered in leaves that I can easily sweep away. “Hey there you are,” says the familiar warm voice of Mr. brown. I go to him for a hug, he’s always treated me fairly and honestly. If I did have a father out there somewhere I would hope that he would be as kind and loving as Mr. brown has. He has told me about his current daughter and I have spoken to her a few times. She lives a few hours away and always tells me how much she appreciates me coming in and looking after her father. She's kinda like the sister I never had. “Sorry if I'm a little late Mr Brown, I was taking my time on my walk over this morning just enjoying the start of my day.'' I told him with a smile. One thing about Mr Brown is that he always has a cup of coffee for me. After a few minutes of some pleasant chit-chat, I set to work. He has maintained the cleanliness pretty well, so it's just a simple matter of some light dusting the counter, wiping and cleaning the floors plus the trash. Within an hour, I was done and headed to the next house to clean.

This house is one of my least favorite and if it wasn't for the fact that i needed the money i would've dropped it a long time ago. Unfortunately, beggars can't be choosers, so I deal with their condescending tones and snide remarks about how beneath them I am and do my job as fast as possible without getting in their way. At least they pay me in cash each time I arrive, the only upside to such snobby people.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur, and I'm on my nightly walk home trying to decide if I should cook or just pick something up on the way. “ Something's up, I feel like we are being followed,” Xena says, and I'm instantly on alert. I keep walking normally, focusing on my hearing to catch any footsteps. I managed to pick up two sets even though they were trying to sound like one. Ugh, I knew this time would come sooner or later when i would be found again. “ There's an alleyway around the corner, make a run for it, and I'll levitate us to the rooftop,” Alora tells me. Once I turned the corner, I took off to the alleyway using my wolf speed and let Alora take over to get us up to the roof. I hear them running to catch up to me, but I'm already on the roof by the time they reach the alley.

I crouch down and peek over the edge to see where they are. It's too far to make out any features clearly, but two guys dressed in black spell trouble for me. “Do you think we can go home?” I asked “We can always do a perimeter check around our place before going in. As long as nothing seems off, we should hole up for a couple of days and think about moving on from here. We've been here long enough and this is a sign we should move on.'' Kara replies. I get a little sad thinking about having to leave, especially about Mr Brown. I'll definitely miss him the most.

“Yeah, maybe you're right, but let's just get home first, and we can talk more about this later. Staying free is the top priority right now,” Kara adds.

I made my way closer to home, slowly checking every shadow, stopping for every noise that broke the silence, making sure to stay out of sight. I finished checking a wide perimeter around my place and made my way home checking the immediate surroundings for anything that might seem off. “ Everything seems OK so far. Let's make our way home and think of our next steps,” Xena says. I make my way to my building while staying on high alert. I scan my surroundings before entering and making my way inside. After bolting my door, I let out a sigh of relief and made my way to the kitchen for something to eat.

“ Maybe we should put up a barrier just to be safe. That way we have time to get away if anyone shows up”, Alora suggested. It wasn't a bad idea, so I let her take over and get to work on it. We focused more on all the possible entrances, like windows and doors, even the roof entrance.

“ Alright, everything is set, but we should still stay inside for the next few days just to be safe. We have enough money to leave the city and settle somewhere else. I'm not sure if those guys are part of the company, but I don't think it's a coincidence either.'' Alora stated.

“I don't think it is either. I don't remember ever seeing those guys while we were there, but being followed means they wanted something. Either way, we should start planning our leave and avoid using public transport for now to not risk being caught on camera.” Kara adds.

Once we all come to an agreement, I make my way to my bedroom and start packing up all my essentials. Since we will mostly be taking the long way, I have to travel lightly, so I only pack things I can't replace right away. I will leave the bare minimum out for the next few days while I'm here and also call my homeowner to let him know I'll be leaving in the next few days. Once that is settled, I make my way to the kitchen. I don't keep a lot of food around since I may have to leave at a moment's notice, so I take everything out and cook it to eat over the next couple of days before I go.

“Get some sleep. We will need to be as rested as possible for the journey. I'll stay alert through the night and wake you if anything seems off”, Xena suggested. As much as I wanted to stay up, I knew she was right. I would be a sitting duck if I'm too tired to defend myself or get away. I take a quick shower and head to bed. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I finally managed to fall asleep.