King of My Heart

ONE

April

"April, would you hurry up already? You're missing half the show!" My roommate yells at me from the living room while I heat up dinner.

"Well I wouldn't miss it if you could just pause it." I yell back as I roll my eyes.

Every day, Abigail and I watch trashy reality shows while we have dinner. We rarely ever get time to do anything fun these days since I have exams approaching soon and Abigail is busy with her own life. I quickly grab the chicken noodles once they're hot and run back to continue watching TV.

Abigail doesn't enjoy staying indoors as much as I do. I will never understand where she finds the energy to stay out all the time. For me, snuggling in bed and watching Netflix or reading books is the real dream. I wouldn't call myself an introvert exactly, but my social energy is almost completely depleted by the time I return from college. So, it's nice to enjoy some time by myself. But every now and then, it's also enjoyable to share some of that alone time with Abigail.

After finishing dinner and the episode of poor reality TV, I sit and listen to Abigail drone on about her on-again-off-again boyfriend. It seems things are about to be off again. Soon enough we both head off to bed with the dread of having to wake up early tomorrow. With my class starting at eight, I prefer to be out of bed by seven at the latest. I fall asleep with the thoughts of exams and oddly enough, Abigail and her boyfriend, flooding my mind.

Sometimes the loneliness gets to me, as it probably does to everyone else. Even though I moved away from home a long time ago, but this loneliness always felt inherent. I suppose it might have something to do with my wolf, Jade, who never got the chance to become a part of a pack. It's highly unusual for werewolves to live by themselves. They tend to form packs that are connected to one another with feelings much stronger than normal human beings could fathom. Lone wolves seldom survive on their own, always looking for a pack to call their own or going insane in the search for company.

Why that never happened to me probably relies on the fact that I am not the same as every other wolf. My mother is a human which might be the reason the wolf part of me does not take up as much space as any other werewolf. Sometimes, it does bother me that I can't relate to the other werewolves as much, not that I know many. On the other hand, it is also the reason surviving on my own has been easy. And for that, I am thankful.

The sunlight peeping through my windows jolts me awake at about 5AM. Jade is antsy and won't let me go back to sleep. It's probably because I haven't taken her out in about a week and she's getting restless. That's what happens when you live away from people of your kind, the part of you that resembles them tends to get neglected. I decide to go out for a run. Usually, I try to set aside some days during the week where I get up extra early and go for a run in the woods. No one is out at that time and I can easily leave and get back without anyone noticing a giant wolf in the trees.

Jade has always been a very calm wolf. We don't really have the ability to communicate with each other but we understand each other just as much. Sometimes I can feel her heightened emotions but instances like those are rare. She is fierce and powerful, but leaves me to myself, only taking over when it's her turn. It helps because werewolves have been known to lose control to their wolves in moments of extreme emotion and living around humans, that would prove to be a very difficult situation.

I get up and make my bed before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. I wear a sports bra with black tights, putting my hair up in a ponytail and run out, making as little noise as possible to avoid waking Abigail. Once I'm in the woods, I remove my shoes and clothes and place them behind a tree.