It's Time

Chapter One: Secrets

Chapter One:

Secrets

           My heart pounded as fast as the rain fell upon my bedroom window, and I could feel the thunder rumble through me as it boomed in the distance. A brilliant flash quickly followed the thunder and lit up the night sky as strong winds whipped through the air. All of it forced a smile to cross my face.

            She’s sleeping, I thought mischievously. She wouldn’t know if I slipped out for a midnight run.

            I stood up from the chair by my window and quietly skipped out of my room. Snatching up my coat and not bothering with shoes, I crept out the front door and bolted down the dark empty street as the rain slammed against the pavement. My bare feet splashed carelessly through the muddy puddles and it didn’t matter, for I was already soaked from head to toe, making my coat useless.

            Still running, I turned down Faro Street, and it was empty like always only making my smile grow. At the end of the road, there was the beginning of a mini forest and I simply couldn’t get there fast enough, but once I was securely within the line of trees, I tossed my coat aside and unleashed my mass of deep red, almost burgundy hair from its imprisoning hair-tie. I dropped on all fours and breathed in the thick warm air as my Markings began to shimmer, sending a warm shiver down my spine.

            My body began morphing, paws coming first and ending with a tail. A slow transformation always felt like I was rediscovering myself, it made me feel new and I loved it. With my tongue dangling from the side of my mouth, I trotted over to a puddle of water to get a good look at myself. My golden eyes stared back up at me and they beamed with the joy I felt swelling inside my chest.

            Play time instincts kicked into high gear and I jumped into a puddle of mud. I rolled in it for a moment feeling like a puppy before I bolted off through the trees. My muscles pushed me hard and fast as I dodged the trees and the rain continued to attack my fur, and everything around me carried a vibrant glow. Every tree was clearly defined, every rain dropped looked like a piece of the morning sky, every blade of grass shined like an emerald, and every star that managed to poke through the thick clouds glistened like a flawless diamond.

My tongue was flopping from my gaping mouth as I ran, and my heart was fluttering wildly. All around me I could taste freedom. It was so close I could touch it. But a scent stopped me in my tracks. I could hear something thundering after me. As the sound got closer I was able to identify the smell. It was the scent of trouble…

“Addie!” Like a gunshot my mother’s voice sounded off in my head. My blood froze as I cowered away from the sound. I was in for another lecture. Yay me. “You know what I told you about doing this!”

My mother appeared from behind a bush. Her wet coat was almost the same shade as mine, only lighter, and her bright hazel eyes glared at me. She absolutely hates it when I go out in the middle of the night to transform. She hates it when I transform, period. I never fully understood why.

“You are so grounded when we get home,” she continued shouting. By grounded she means no more art classes for however long. Art classes are, aside from transforming, the only thing I enjoy about life. My life was basically one big grounding. I had no phone, no car, no license… no life. But none of that mattered. As long as I had my art, nothing else mattered. Not even breathing.

“But-” I started.

My mother snapped her jaws at me, meaning conversation over. She turned and bound off for home. I whimpered and sulked as I followed. I took my sweet time and hoped that by tomorrow she would call off the grounding. Not only that, but the longer I took to get home, the longer I could push suffering the full force fury of Jaden Angel and one of her long winded lectures.