He actually came through the window
My parents had plenty of questions when I walked in through the front door, but for the first time in years, I denied their attention. I was tired, bloody, and bruised; I couldn't handle the third-degree questioning. As soon as my father opened his mouth to speak it was like a ringing sound came out instead. My brain couldn't even process the words.
"I need distance. Just for a while. Please, I need distance." I could imagine those words would have meant nothing to another family, but it meant a lot in mine. They froze in place when they realized what I meant, then shared a thoughtful look with each other. Both nodded and backed away to let me pass. I went up to my room and closed the door behind me. The second I heard the click of the lock, I turned my back to it and slid to the floor.
My bedroom was just like any other teenager's room. My bed was unmade and my walls had a few random posters that I'd collected over the years. Some Pokémon, a couple anime characters, and even a famous soccer player that posed dramatically for a shot. The only unique thing about my room was the mirror that my father helped me attach to my roof. I didn't move to look at myself in it, though. I just sat against the door and stared at the dark blue walls.
Seconds turned into minutes, and those may have led on into hours, but I didn't move. The sun fell and my room was plunged into a darkness so deep that I could only make out the shadow versions of the things in my room. Yet, I didn't feel like moving.
I was aware of the cuts on my arms and legs that had been slowly leaking blood into my clothes, but I didn't feel particularly weakened or injured. I just felt like I didn't want to move. I may have been close to drifting off to sleep, but a voice in my head yanked me out of that.
Jake. Are you alright? Did something happen? It was my werewolf and his telepathy crap.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just don't talk to me for a while, ok? I need time to myself." I slowly dragged my body off the floor and started walking toward my bathroom.
I gave you time. It's been an entire day, but you haven't said anything. I couldn't even feel you moving so I got anxious. His tone sounded more concerned than frustrated for a change.
When I looked at the clock in my bathroom, it showed a few minutes passed midnight. I could tell that Hunter was waiting for a response, but I didn't have one for him. I wasn't moving because I simply didn't feel like moving all day. There was nothing to it. I turned on the shower and stepped under the water.
What the hell do you mean? 'You didn't feel like moving all day'? Is your window locked? Did anyone bite you or something? You're starting to piss me off with this, Jake. He was being awfully chatty.
"Hunter...no more questions. Not tonight, or this morning. I won't answer any of them because I don't have to. If that pisses you off, then you'll have to deal with it.
"I don't know how deeply you can read my mind, but I'm not in the mood to start any banter with you right now. If you keep trying to bother me and ask questions right now, then I won't forgive you later." It may have come off as harsh or cold, but I couldn't help it. My muscles were so sore and strained that I could hardly feel the sting of the cold water against my skin at first.
It took a while for the water to wash away the dried blood from my body. I slowly examined the cuts along my arms and legs. There was a perfect set of gashes on my left arm that matched a wolf's jaw. It burned until the cold water numbed it.
I looked back on the events from earlier and all the things I had to do to survive. A small smile crept onto my face when I thought about how well I'd defended myself against a pack of shapeshifting wolves. I seriously kicked their assess. They all must have thought that I was fearless by the end of it all. If they had any idea how close I came to pissing myself, I wonder if they would have tried a little harder.
My father, before he decided to actually be my father, had this saying. "Don't be like the foolish children you play with." He would say it to me on the few occasions that he was home. I was such a stupid little kid that it barely meant anything to me when he started saying it.
Things were incredibly different now of course. My parents made every effort to be there for me when I needed them. They showered me with attention and unconditional love because I was their only child, and because they had a lot to make up for. I doubted things were going to go back to normal anytime soon. For some bloody reason, I decided to mate with a real-life werewolf and befriended a wolf-hunting demon.
They were probably preparing for some weird version of World War One right now, but I wouldn't be a part of it. Or at least, I'd try. The wolf bite on my arm had me a little more disturbed than I wanted to be. There were so many things that my mind needed to process, it was only natural for me to shut down. My father, my mom, and Hunter would have to take a step back for me to regain my composure.
I closed my eyes and stood with my head directly under the stream of water. I couldn't see anything, but I heard the bathroom door swing open. My heart started pounding a familiar beat, and I somehow knew it was reacting to him. I suddenly remembered him asking if my window was open a little while ago. It should have been locked, but it clearly didn't matter. He actually came through the window...
A slightly shorter chapter, but a necessary one. I'm about to drop a backstory bomb in a couple chapters, so you can consider this a set-up scene. chapter also contains nudity ;)