Rocky Mountain Wolves

One

~

I let out a shuddering breath.

My bedroom was cold, bathed in a watery light from the frosted-over window. Cozy under my comforter, I had no desire to get up and get ready for school.

My alarm went off for the third time, and I flicked it off before hustling out of bed and flinging open the door.

A wave of warm air rushed in, and I left it open as I trudged downstairs. I insisted upon closing it at night, and I always seemed to have a cold room in the morning.

Our cabin was constructed of massive logs in an block shape, with 1&1/2 storeys. Two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs, and an office, living room, kitchen, powder room, and mudroom downstairs. There was a dirt cellar under the mudroom for storing winter provisions.

Dad had left the house at 5:30 this morning, per usual, and now I was alone. I built up the fire in the living room hearth, set the wire grate in, and went into the kitchen.

As I made breakfast, I looked out the south-facing window. Heavy frost glittered in the grass in our small backyard and on the pine trees beyond it. The sky was a hazy blue as wispy, frozen clouds drifted down off the South Peak.

I ate my toast, washed the breakfast dishes in the sink, and went back upstairs to dress.

I chose dark jeans and a Roots sweatshirt, typical fashion of the Clearwater youth. I tied my long brown hair back in a ponytail, and swiped a bit of mascara on my lashes to frame my hazel eyes.

I grabbed my school bag and binders from my half of the office, stuffed my feet into my favourite lace-up leather boots, grabbed my coat, and trudged out the door.

Clearwater was set up like a 9-square grid. Dad and I lived on the edge of the bottom left square at the base of South Peak, and the high school was on the bottom right square along with two hotels and the sports field that faced the highway exit road. It wasn't a long walk, downhill in the morning and uphill in the afternoon.

The gravel crunched as I walked down the sloped laneway, following it to our closest neighbor's house. Jessa stepped off the porch and fell into step beside me.

"You look cheerful," she said sarcastically, and I shrugged.

"Winters coming," I said, looking down at my feet to find decent footing.

Jessa looked over quickly, eyes intense. "Yeah, so?"

"Just saying. I don't mind it once it's well and truly cold and snowy, but the in between sucks," I said, sending her a questioning look.

"Oh. I was about to say, living in the Rocky Mountains is probably not a good choice for you," Jessa said, flashing a grin. The highway exit road came into view, flat and paved.

We were quiet for a few minutes. Once our boots hit asphalt, Jessa spoke up.

"Do you want to eat with me and my friends at lunch, Calla?" Jessa offered.

"Sure," I replied. Jessa and her friends were at the top of the food chain, and it beat eating alone in the library.

A group of rowdy boys joined Jessa and I, leaving me to take up my usual spot at the back of the group. Jessa laughed and shrieked, and I looked down at my boots again.

I followed them into Clearwater Secondary School and down the centre hallway before peeling off to go to my locker. I stuffed my bag inside it, yanked out my binder and pencil case, and slammed the door shut before my stuff could fall out.