New Me

My New Friend Jess

I hop off the bus, waving goodbye to the driver, and stand on the corner of a suburban block. Before moving forward, I inspect the area. Listening to all the sounds, and scanning everything with my eyes. It seems like a quiet neighborhood. I look back at the address, and begin walking down the street.

“232, 234, 246, 238 ahh bingo 240” - I say as I start walking up the walkway. It's a cute home, not too big but not too small. It is a white 2 story home, with a garage and little garden. I use the key and enter the home and without waiting I quickly close the door and lock it. Instead of exploring the dark, empty home I just sat next to the door, waiting. I must've fallen asleep because the sound of the door opening woke me up. Jess put her hand out for me to grab so she can help me up. She heads to the kitchen area and turns the lights on. I follow behind her, i mean what other choice do i have. I take a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen and watch as she opens the fridge, then cabinets then starts filling a pot of water. Oh , she's making dinner. Jess starts making conversation as she preps our meal.

“A vampire hunter dropped you off to me at the hospital” - she said calmly

“He shot me” - i said with some anger in my tone

“Yea, but not to kill, he shot you to knock you out. You must've scared him good, I never saw Anthony so shaken before.” - she said with kind of a hint of laughter

“Yeah, well lets just say i was not in a good mood. What are you making? Can I have some?” - my stomach growled. I was famished.

“Just some pasta and of course, you are my guest here. And please” - she turned around and looked deep into my eyes.

“Please stay for as long as you need. You don't need to tell me anything yet, but you are safe here.”

“Are you a rogue? You don't smell like one nor do you smell like a pack member” - i question her. She smiles, mhm, i think i am starting to like her,

“You are very smart, but you are correct. I am technically a rogue but I am welcomed to the town's pack, I just chose my career over pack life” - she turns back around and drains the spaghetti noodles from the boiling hot water.

“Someone killed my family.” - I bluntly say with no emotion.

“My parents, and my younger twin siblings, and I slept through it all. What kind of protector to my family am I? How could all that happen right under my nose and I was sound asleep.” - I felt my eyes tear and what really made me explode was when Jess walked around the island and hugged me. I let it all out, and i didnt even know how it kept it in for so long. All the pain, grief, hate and emptiness. I must've cried so hard that I fell asleep on Jess’s shoulder. She moved me to the couch to let me nap it off. I woke up to the smell of food in front of me on the coffee table. Jess sat next to me with a bowl in her hand and a tv remote in the other. I felt peace all around her. I never ate a bowl of spaghetti so fast before in my life, I got the hiccups. Jess laughed as she handed me some water. I need to make a game plan.

“What pack is here?”

“Red moon pack” - mhm red moon. My father had a map of all the packs, who was the alphas and who we knew liked our family. Red moon was on that map. My father and Alpha Elijah were pals but that was back in his day. I would who is the alpha now.

“Thank you, seriously Jess, thank you” - here i go tearing up again. But before they fall Jess stands up.

“How about you go take a nice hot shower and get ready for bed. I will get my guest room ready for you and some clothes.” - i smile and nod. A hot shower, omg, it was amazing. I definitely needed it but also needed a good crying session which also took place in my steaming hot shower. I dont think i could ever fill this empty hole in my chest. I feel Maze finally wake up.

“Morning sleepy head” - i taunt

“He shot us with some much crap, but i do feel more refreshed now”

“Maybe we can go for a run, i would like to stretch my legs please” - Maze winked. She hasnt been out in days. I get out the shower and head into the guest room. Jess is folding some clothes on the bed when i walked in.

“Is there a good place where i could shift and run for a bit?” - i ask Jess

“Of course, i can take you there if you want. I could use a good run too.” - she answered with a smile. I get dressed and meet her downstairs. Her house a cute. The front door opened to a nice sized living room, stairs to the upstairs on the left and a beautiful kitchen if you walk straight forward. She has a huge dining room but clearly she used for storage and 3 bedrooms upstairs. But i am almost positive she lives alone.

“We are taking my car. Come, lets go.” and i follow her. She drives a chevy impala, blue, with tinted windows and clean rims. We drive for about 15 minutes before we pull up to this huge field.

“Are we allowed to shift here?”

“Not here in the open, we are going to walk that path” she points to a small path on the right that leads into the wooded area. She parks and we both begin walking. It was peaceful and quiet here.

“I cant wait to run, can i catch us a deer?” - Maze chriped in my head

“No deer, maybe a rabbit or fox but no big animals. We dont want to cause any unwanted attention wtih the red mood pack. Understood!” - i try to authroize my voice

“Yeah yeah whatever”. We find an area and strip out of our clothes, putting them into the bags we brought. By the time i turned around Jess already shifted. She was a tan wolf, not too big but definitely wasnt small. Her coat had dashes of white and blonde, it fit her perfectly. I took a step back and shifted. After years of training with my father, shifting has become much easier. I took tall, well Mazzie did, but we stood tall over Jess, we had a nice black coat with shiny light brown eyes, at least thats what color i thought they were now. Jess takes off and i follow, enjoying these breeze and freedom. I give Maze control, she deserved it, she needed it. I sat back and enjoyed the ride.