Under The Skin

C h a p t e r O n e

© Amber Kalkes 2015

Song: "Simple Song" By The Shins

C h a p t e r O n e >

Cassidy sits on the small twin bed in her room and continues to stare out her bedroom window. She didn't sleep well last night. She'd been tossing and turning most of the night from nightmares. Mostly it had to do being alone in the woods and not being able to find her way home, then she hears a wolf growl. That's when she wakes up scared and has to remind herself that it was just a dream. It does seem silly though, she thinks, being scared of wolves when half of your family can change into one.

She misses her brothers and sisters, despite how much she's loved living here. She went to normal school with other humans. She got awards for her painting and drawing when she did the art shows for school. She even had a job she loved as a babysitter to some of the pack kids. Cassidy has been happy here but even she knows it's time to go home and be with her family. She's avoided this for longer than she probably should have.

Three light knocks on the outside of her door get Cassidy's attention and she turns to see her Aunt standing in the doorway. Jolene has been like a surrogate mom since Cassidy moved in with her so long ago. Her uncle Everett has become like a father and Garrett like another older, dorky brother. She'll miss them, she thinks sadly, she'll miss them a lot.

"All packed up?"

Cassidy nods, making a blonde curl fall in front of her face. When she doesn't say anything else Jolene comes farther into the room and sits next to Cassidy on the bed. Cassidy leans her head on Jolene's shoulder and her aunt wraps her arms around her. She's told Jolene about her fears about going back to live with the pack and the reason she's going back at all, the run. Jolene has been a source of strength for her she just hopes her assurances were right and that nothing bad does happen.

"You'll be fine," Jolene assures her again, running a hand over Cassidy's hair, "You're family is going to be there to protect you."

"Maybe not all of them," Cassidy mumbles.

Jolene sighs and pulls back a little, "Poppy's changed. You said so yourself."

"Just because she seems like she's avoiding me every time I visit. She seems like she couldn't even stand being in the same room as me. How is that going to work when we live in the same house?"

"That's not it and you know it."

"She hates me." Cassidy mumbles, looking at her hands, "I know she does."

"Cassidy, baby, she's your sister." Jolene says, pulling back to wipe a tear that's fallen from Cassidy's cheek, "She doesn't hate you."

Shaking her head, Cassidy wraps her arms around Jolene's waist and starts to cry into her chest, "I just want things to be like they were."

Jolene keeps petting her hair as she soothes her, "It will be, sweetheart. You'll see. Things will be okay."

After a few more minutes of hugging, Cassidy sits up and wipes the tears from her face. Jolene's right. Things are going to be fine. Cassidy won't let them not be fine. She's normally so pessimistic and its time she stops acting like she should be now. Maybe things won't be easy with Poppy but she is her sister. A sister she was, at one point, best friends with.

"Better?" Jolene asks.

Cassidy nods her head and smiles, "Better."

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The woods are dark and the moon isn't out tonight. That's why they chose this night to do the scrimmage. It's a pack organized thing but everyone knows that this is all Alpha Rae's doing. It's a simple exercise for the most part. Capture the flag isn't really the difficult in theory. But, that being said, these aren't normal rules. All you have is your senses, your hands and your ability to be stealthy. Luckily for Poppy, she's always excelled at this game.