Arms pumped as I ran, bare feet against the cool wetness of the forest floor. My mothers voice rung in my ears, forcing a tightness in my chest that always accompanied her memory. I jumped over a fallen trunk, continuing on my journey until I reached my destination.
The stream of water cutting the valley in half was ahead of me. I dropped down onto the ground, curling my toes in the grass. Sweat dripped down my temples and back, dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. I wiped my face with my tank top, laying back against the ground.
The sound of the rushing water soothed me, eyelids drooping heavy. I slipped an arm behind my head, the setting sun kissing my skin. And then I fell into a memory.
It was the first time I’d shifted. I hadn’t even known about it or what would happen. I had never been told about my lineage, my ability. My mother had kept it a secret close to her chest. It proved to be a fatal decision.
The last thing I remember is the high pitched ringing in my ears overwhelming the noise of the tv. I lifted my hands to cover them. The feel of the blood dripping down my ears and neck. Everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I was curled under the kitchen table and it was dark. “Mama?” At thirteen years old, I lived alone with my mother, Griselda. My father had never been in the picture. “Mami??” I crawled from under the table, fingers sliding on the ground. I pushed myself to stand, nearly slipping on the wet floor. Wet?? Did mami come home and mop the floor?
I fumbled on the table top for the lighter, fingers closing around it. Shaking hands brought it up to my eyeline and it took me a few tries, but I turned it on. The flame barely lit up a half foot in front of me.
Cautiously, I made my way to the other end of the kitchen, bare feet bumping into the fridge. I flicked the switch, turning in place.
A terrified scream erupted from my lips. Streaks and stains of red were everywhere! Blood covered the floor, drenching my school clothes and hair. My eyes fell to the obstacle I’d bumped into.
“Mami!” I fell to the ground, crawling over to her form. She had been mauled by some kind of animal. It had to be. Deep gashes, making her nearly unrecognizable. Tears poured from me as I shook her. “No! Mami! Mami, please!”
“¿Alejandra? ¿Alejandra, que pasa?” That was the sound of our neighbor, Benicio. His voice came from the entry way, muffled by the door. I sobbed loudly, curled over my mother’s body. I heard the faint sound of him pushing at the door before it burst from its hinges.
He ran in, freezing at the entrance to the kitchen. His eyes were wide. “Zel.” He looked me over, running his hands through his hair in frustration, confusion, sadness? Benicio had been a part of my life since we moved into this apartment six years ago.
Everything else passed by in a blur and yet, so incredibly slow. Every moment since then has been set to a preternatural speed and in slow motion. His hands came to my shoulders and somehow, he pulled me off of her. He held me to his chest, crying all the while. I think I stopped at some point, but I’m not entirely sure when.
The sirens, the police taking us away. I had no other family and Benicio stayed by my side as they asked questions I could not answer. They drove us down to the station, they collected our bloodied clothes, they sent me to the hospital. I know all of this because Benicio relayed it all to me the next day when I woke up, confused and asking for my mother. And then the pain was new all over again.
I slept at his apartment when he suggested to the officers that he’d take care of me so I wouldn’t be out in foster care. Days passed and still, I couldn’t remember anything about the night my mother passed, but there was a whining in my head that did not belong to me. A crying and painful regret that did not belong to me.
“Do you remember when we met for the first time?” My wolf paced in my head, nudging me in our little palace where we met. She rests her head on my lap, her yellow gaze boring into my face. I pushed hair behind my ear, nodding. Of course I remembered. “And what were my first words to you?”
I push my fingers through her fur, taking a deep breath. I nodded. “I am yours. Run.”
She straightened to look up at me, pawing my thigh. “I think you can stop running now.”
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