Davina And The Dire Wolf

Wet Dog Smell

The next morning when Davina woke up, she realized she smelled like wet dog. The sunlight shone through the window and warmed her skin. She sat up abruptly and looked around. “Oh no, I’ve absolutely ruined these bedsheets..” she thought while peering down at her mess in disgust. The sheets were damp and dirty.

Her little midnight fiasco must have left her pretty tired after all. She slept like a baby. It was the best sleep she could ever remember having, just a peaceful dark abyss. She remembered that she felt excited and not ready to end the night, but she must have fallen asleep as soon as she layed down. She didn’t even consider the fact that she would ruin the bedsheets. “I will have to explain this to Aunt Carly and beg her for her forgiveness.” Aunt Carly rarely reprimanded her though. Davina had never given her much reason to reprimand her either.

It was Davina’s eagerness to please along with the consequences of verbal and mental abuse at home that caused her to think like this, unfortunately. Usually Davina kept good grades and even excelled at mostly everything she did. It didn’t stop her from being super self conscious and feeling like she was never good enough though. She always felt like if she didn’t make the best score then she had failed. Every little mistake felt like a huge mistake in Davina’s mind. She longed to feel free, careless, and strong, which was exactly what her wolf helped her to feel. Deep down she felt a strange surge of energy and restlessness. Something in her wanted to feel that again, to feel undefeated like that.

She stood up and walked to the bedroom door, but upon opening the door she was hit with the most amazing smell. “There you are! I made grits and eggs, your favorite!” said aunt Carly. And indeed they smelled so delicious! Davina’s belly grumbled in appreciation. “It smells so so good!” said Davina. “But.. I should tell you that I accidentally got the bedsheets dirty and I am so sorry..” Davina continued, but aunt Carly cut her off. “Oh those sheets needed replacing a long time ago!” said aunt Carly as she waved at Davina dismissively.

Davina took a seat at the table while aunt Carly placed a piping hot bowl of grits and fluffy scrambled eggs in front of her and smiled brightly at her. “So, are you going to introduce me to your wolf?!” aunt Carly said excitedly while she took a seat for herself. Davina perked up and smiled. “Her name is Lexy!” exclaimed Davina proudly. “I knew you’d be getting your wolf any time now! Congratulations my girl!!!” said aunt Carly.

Davina devoured the grits and eggs with pleasure. She loved aunt Carly’s grits and eggs, with fresh lemonade first thing in the morning. However, she dreaded going home. She didn’t like the constant negative atmosphere that being at home meant. For her, it didn’t feel like home at all. Sadly, it was time to go. She slowly packed her bag and then headed to the green truck for the dreaded ride home.

It was such a pretty day despite the rain last night. It was such a shame to have to spend a pretty day at the last place she wanted to be. Aunt Carly didn’t want to say goodbye either. When they arrived at Jolene and Richard’s house, both of them looked just as solemn as the other. They walked to the door and knocked. Aunt Carly turned to face Davina with a worried look on her face. “Promise me when you turn eighteen and leave here that you’ll not forget about me and come to visit?” said aunt Carly. “I promise!” replied Davina reassuringly.

Just then the door opened and there stood Richard. He sneered and rolled his eyes before walking back into the house, leaving the door open without saying a word. Davina spared a glance at aunt Carly and could see the apparent displeasure in her face. Even their appearance seemed to warrant a bad attitude from Richard. Jolene walked up to them. “Hey! Well come in!” she said as she smiled, accommodating their appearance.

Jolene and aunt Carly talked briefly before aunt Carly decided it was time to leave, even if she was reluctant to leave Davina there. She had no choice. Davina sat awkwardly and silently for a moment before deciding to go to her room and unpack her bag. Jolene sniffed the air and smiled, “I see you came back home with someone extra. Congratulations on getting your wolf Davina.” Davina nodded and smiled slightly in acknowledgement.

On her way to her room to unpack her bag, Davina passed Richard in the hallway. “You need to make sure you get these dishes washed tonight.” said Richard. He didn’t even make eye contact with her. He went to lay on the couch and watch television. Davina sighed, putting down her bag and heading to the kitchen to see an enormous mountain of dishes that awaited her. “Great, this will take all night. I’ll be the last one to get a shower as usual.” she thought to herself.

Being the last one to get a shower meant that there would be little to no hot water left, so she would have to be cold to get clean. Lexy’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “I am here to help keep you warm. With me, you won’t have to be as cold as before. Together we are stronger.” Davina smiled silently, grateful for the new company.

Time dragged on as Davina made the pile of dishes smaller and smaller. Eventually Richard went to bed. A little while after, Davina finally finished the pile of dishes and went to get her cold shower. She didn’t linger in the shower for long and soon huddled under the blankets in her bed, drifting off to sleep quickly. In her dreams she saw the dark mysterious figure again, but her desire to find out the stranger’s identity was to no avail.