My Human Mate

My body slumped deeper against the car seat as I stared out the window of my father's old truck. The music blasted in my ears from my iPod as I took a deep breath, awaiting the new life that was ahead of me. My name is Rochelle James and I am currently 16 and a senior in high school. I know what you're thinking, how can a young girl like me be a senior this year? Well, if some of you have not guessed it already, l am a total nerd; and no, I do not have dorky glasses and a face infested with horrible acne (thank goodness). I am simply your typical teenage girl with long, wavy, dark brown hair up to my mid-back and hazel green eyes. My body isn't too skinny nor too fat, it's just right in my eyes. Anyway, I know what you guys are still thinking. A 16 year old senior? Well, it's a long story, which pretty much ties into the situation I am currently in. My mom had passed away when I was fairly young and my dad pretty much had a total melt down. Luckily for me, it wasn't one of those 'get drunk every single night and beat up his 10 year old daughter every morning when he came home from who knows where' thing. It was practically isolation type of thing where he would work extra shifts and if he had a day off, he would either spend it out at the lake nearby or locked up in his bedroom. Seeing as I had so much time on my hands, I had no other choice but to learn how to do things on my own.I learned how to cook, clean,and dress myself with no needed assistance from a parent. I learned how to take the bus to go to school since my dad would leave in the early hours of the morning and wouldn't be back until later that night. After learning how to be more independent for my better being, I had decided to take higher level classes since I wasn't much of a social person nor was I athletic in any way, shape or form. I would always do my homework on time (no procrastinator here) and work my butt off in order to receive A's with almost every single assignment I would turn in. Which is why I am 16 and almost graduating this year from high school. Oh wait! I almost forgot to mention the fact as to why I'm in the car with my dad anda whole mess of luggage in the back of the truck. Well, as I have already mentioned, my mom had passed away already mlll when I was only 10 years old and my dad went into depression mode. After hating the fact of coming home to a house that held too many memories of a person that would never again walk through the front door, my dad had decided to move from our cozy, country home in Texas to a busy, city neighborhood in Chicago. I can't really say that I hated the place, but I was never too fond of city environments, especially not the people there. I mean, I loved the fact that my classes were always filled with such diverse people and I was able to learn more about different cultures (and sports,definitely sports), but the people there were just plain rude! Luckily for me, my dad didn't like that place much either. So...here l am, traveling to my new home in Black Forest, Colorado. It wasn't exactly the country lifestyle that I have grown to love ever since the day I was brought into this world, but at least it wasn't the city. As my dad swerved the car through the narrow road that was surrounded by trees, I couldn't help but look at him from the passenger seat. He had the same shade of hair as I did but with light brown eyes instead of my hazel green ones. His face had aged a bit, not because of the years that have gone by but due to the stress he had to endure from losing his beloved; and yet, here he was with a bright smile on his face as he looked down at me. "You okay there, kiddo?" he asked, ruffling my hair a bit which was a habit that I hated whenever he called me by my childhood nickname. I glared at him playfully through my messed up hair that now covered my face and blew it away,only to have it land softly in its previous place. I straightened my stance as I began to fix my hair,brushing my fingers through it to get rid of the newfound knots that he created. Once satisfied with the outcome, I looked back at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. "He returned the smile and turned back to the road ahead of him. "So how do you think your new school will be like?" I shrugged my shoulders, removing my earphones as I placed them on my lap and switched off my iPod in the middle of a song. "Oh, I don't know, the usual l guess. Books, lockers, teachers.....people" I said sarcastically, trying to hold back a smile as I noticed the look he gave me from the corner of my eye. He rolled his eyes dramatically, letting out a playful sigh as he gently nudged me on the shoulder. "Haha, very funny. But I'm serious Rocky, are you nervous about going to another new school?" As he spoke those words, I couldn't help but look at him with sadness. He knew very well how much I hated going to new places, but I knew he never did it on purpose. We had moved a few times within the state after we had left our original home; and after doing so countless of times, I had grown accustomed to him randomly saying that we were moving to a new home or apartment. He never really did quite realize how much l dreaded the whole moving thing, until now I guess. I let out a distressed sigh as I gave him the most reassuring smile l could muster. "I am nervous. But that's what makes it an adventure, right?" He smiled weakly, obviously catching the fact that | was trying to lighten up the mood, with little to no success. He didn't say anything else after that and I was left with my own thoughts as I stared out at the trees that passed by. My gosh, how many trees can one city hold? As I continued to stare at them and imagine myself running through them at an inhuman pace (I've always done that since I was a little girl), I couldn't help but notice a dark figure running at the same speed my dad was allowing the truck to go. I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to get a better view of it; but the second I had seen it, it was gone. I rubbed my eyes to check if I was hallucinating before I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. I looked back behind the truck to see if I was able to spot anything. It was quite difficult if you asked me since my long hair kept on getting in the way from the harsh winds that were now being blown harshly against my head. With a swift movement of my hand, I collected my hair and held it over my shoulder as I stared down the road.Huh, nothing. Just when I was about to move back inside, I noticed a dark figure in the corner of my eye emerge from the trees. I immediately looked back and nearly gasped at the sight. I blinked once, twice, trying hard to erase the image of what I was seeing but it still remained as the figure became smaller and smaller as we descended down the road. Is that a...wolf? I sat back down on my seat, rolling up the window with a shaking hand. I shook my head slight trying to decipher what I had just seen. It was literally a pitch black wolf, who seemed to be.....staring at me? How can a wolf be staring at me? | know many animals become curious when a vehicle would pass by, hence the reason why there are so many accidents around the nation every year, but this wolf was different, in an odd way,and I know I couldn't put my finger on it. I know I couldn't see it very well since my dad was driving at a fast amount of speed, but I could've sworn I saw some sort of intelligence in that creature's eyes. Ok....Black Forest, Colorado was officially 5 9 0driving me insane already. I shook my head and leaned my elbow against the window frame, laying my cheek against my hand as I let out a soft 0. My dad must have noticed because l could suddenly feel his eyes on me. "Everything okay?" I nodded in response, not even looking his way. I instead began to wonder how the people in town would be like. How the students in school will be like, which was my main priority. Like | have said before, I am not too much of a sociable person;and even if I was, I don't think many people would like me. As the second they heard about how I had advanced a grade when I got to middle school, I was immediately labeled as the school nerd, which I didn't really mind because it was nothing but the truth. I had no other stuff to do in my spare time,so l instead spent it doing tons and tons of homework. My desk was always packed with books, whether it be from school or just for the sake of reading;people would automatically assume I was in college or something. But I wanted that to change. This was my senior year for crying out loud, and I didn't want to spend it hidden behind books and make everyone think I was a loner or something. Which, again, I kind of was, seeing as I have never had a boyfriend or anything; but it was never a necessity. The house needed a new paint job, but it would suffice for the time being. It was a two story home with a large porch out in the front that held a small wooden swing that would definitely sit at least two average sized people (if the swing didn't decide to give way in the middle of someone sitting on it).There were two large windows that overlooked the front yard on the second floor, which I automatically assumed were either the two bedrooms or simply one of them. The front yard wasn't entirely a mess, but it did need some attention seeing as the grass was now a yellowish brown and weeds were sprouting here and there.Where my dad had parked the car in the driveway was towards one side of the house, so l had a clear view of the backyard. It resembled the front one,but instead was surrounded by a forest that this town seemed to be known by, hence the name. I chuckled at the thought as I made my way to the back of the truck and grabbed a hold of my favorite backpack. I don't know for how long I have had it, but the stains and the worn out fabric showed that it has been with me for quite sor time now. I smiled appreciatively down at it as I helped my dad with the rest of the luggage. Thankfully, my dad had shipped in our furniture ahead of time, so there was no sleeping on the floor for me. We made our way towards the porch, flinching slightly as our feet connected with the floor boards.