To Be Claimed

✙ Chapter 2 ✙

Hey!

Thanks to those giving this story a chance! I'm very excited to write it!

~ Lissa

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"Uh, I need a room for one night," I said, tapping my fingers on the counter in front of me. The old woman raised an eyebrow, her long earrings distracting me. Her white hair was pulled back into a long braid and there was a strange design on her loose shirt. "One with a shower and queen-sized bed, please."

She stared at me for a long moment, before muttering something under her breath. I watched as she started typing away at the computer in front of her; patiently, I took a glance around the lobby of the motel. There were a few people lingering around, mostly sitting in the couches and chatting, quietly. After paying with cash, the old woman handed me a key, pointing the direction of my room.

I wandered down the hallways, glancing over my shoulder, nervously. This was the first time that I was on my own - for once, my brother wasn't at my side. A part of me was hurting that he wasn't with me while the other part of me was relieved that I was able to move on. I couldn't find my room for minutes; thankfully, the signs nailed to the walls helped me there. I only carried in one bag - the rest remained in my sedan. A new outfit and the normal necessities were packed into my bag dangling from my shoulder. I shoved my key into the lock and twisted, pushing open the door. Since I didn't ask for a non-smoking room, I was surprised when it didn't reek of cigarettes.

The room wasn't as terrible as I thought it'd be. A queen-sized bed was pushed against the farthest wall with two windows hovering above it, providing a view of the quiet streets below. To my right, there was an empty closet with a few pathetic hangers and to my left, was the bathroom. I poked my head in, seeing a clean shower, a toilet, and a sink with a mirror. This isn't bad, I thought, closing the door behind me. I stumbled across the room to the bed and dropped my bag on it, rummaging through it until I produced my cell phone. I punched in my password, before heading to my notifications. In the past two hours, I had 6 missed calls - four of them from my brother - and eleven new messages. 'Em, don't do this! Come back!' 'Daniel is p*ssed!' 'You're making a mistake!'

I deleted all of my notifications and tossed my phone onto one of the soft pillows. Then, running my fingers through my hair, I snatched my loose t-shirt and running shorts from my bag. Along with my undergarments, I headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I turned on the water and as I waited for it to heat up, I faced the mirror above the sink. Hazel eyes stared back at me, filled with fear and sadness. My auburn hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, away from my oval-shaped face. The freckles dancing along my nose were beginning to fade from the lack of sun I had been receiving. I tugged my hair out of the ponytail and allowed it to fall around my shoulders, ending right above my hipbones. Then, feeling the gun rubbing against my back, I pulled it out of my waistband.

I stared at the gun in my hands; until I met werewolves, I never thought that I'd be holding a gun. Now, here I was, crashing at a motel with one loaded with silver bullets. Shakily, I placed the gun down on the counter and stripped out of my clothes.

I hopped into the shower; luckily, soap, shampoo, and conditioner was provided in this motel. I started scrubbing my body with the soap, eagerly wanting to get Daniel's smell off of me. My skin was turning bright red, practically raw, from how hard I was scrubbing. The hot water stung, though it was worth it. Then, I started rubbing the shampoo into my scalp, long enough to get me lightheaded. I washed the coconut shampoo out, which smelled more of oranges, then started conditioning the lower half of my hair to prevent tangles.