Chapter 4

The woods were dark and damp. The only light that shone was the light of the moon, I couldn’t see past the cover of the trees to see it. A twig snapped behind me and I spun around, only to see darkness. I took a step back slowly and my foot touched something, I turned back only to see a bloody body of a wolf. Fear flooded me; I recognized the wolf all too well. It was my dad. I tried to scream but no sound came out.

I opened my eyes. It took me a moment before I realized, I was in the living room and I had fallen asleep. I stood up and ran to the basement, stomping my knee against the coffee table corner in the process. But I kept running slightly limping. When I opened the basement door, I ran down two steps at a time. The two cages my dad had installed for them were empty. I felt a rush of panic hitting me like a wave. My knees buckled a bit and my breathing became uneven. They were still gone. I knew calling the police was out of the question. In anyway, what would you say? "Hello, my werewolf parents are missing since last night and it was a full moon," I can't imagine my parents would be happy about that.

Scenarios ran through my head and that flooded my brain with more panic. I needed to do something that would distract me. And I had only one option. Get ready for school and... and what? Walk? Or I could ask George to give me a lift. If I did that, it could lead to a lot of unnecessary questions. Walking it is.

I went up the stairs and hoped my parents would walk through the front door as soon as I got to my room. No such luck. I got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I did my hair in a high ponytail. I thought about texting George, asking for a lift, but decided against it. I tried to calm my panicked mind. Breathing slowly. I went back down stairs to get my rain coat.

When I got to the end of the stairs the door opened and my parents walked through.

You would think that I would be filled with joy and jump into their arms. Instead my panic was replaced with anger.

"Where the hell were you guys!" I exclaimed. My mom had shock on her face and my dad looked annoyed. They were both plastered with dirt. Their hair wild and a few twigs in them.

"Well, we were a bit late to get back to the house, if you haven't noticed," my dad grumbled.

"I did notice," I said a bit more calmly.

"We are sorry we worried you," My mom held out her hand to place it on my shoulder. I stepped away. I was too angry for a half-hearted caring gesture.

"You guys are hypocrites. You always lecture me on being careful and not screw up, and if I do we move, but when you screw up nothing happens. We should just forget about it," I felt my heart beating faster and my hand started to tremble.

"What do you want us to do? Move right this second? Ok then let's move!" my dad shouted.

"No father. I don't want us to move. You really think that's what I want? You really don't know your daughter do you? Dad, what I want is a normal life where I can make my own choices, not be locked up and be kept safe,"

"We are doing this for you. If you stopped being so selfish then maybe you would understand-"

"Selfish?" I cut my dad off. "I'm being selfish?" I stepped back. I grabbed my bag and walked out the back door in the kitchen. I walked around the house onto the highway. I was certain my parents would come after me, they didn't. I was thankful for that.

Speed walking, hoping it would get all my frustrations out and calm me down. It helped a bit. A few people drove by and asked if I wanted a lift. I declined respectfully, they wished me luck and drove off. As I walked through the town a few people gave me a curious look. I ignored them and walked on. There was a highway with nothing but pine woods that led to my school. About half way there, a red pickup truck slowed next to me and the old man that drove it yelled in a Texan accent, "Hey, girly. Want a lift?"

"No thank you sir. I'm good," I responded and walked a bit faster. Obviously that didn't help seeing as he was in a car and I had my two legs that was much slower than his car.

"Com' on. I can't leave you in the middle of the road and be late for school. At least let me drive you close to the school and then you can walk the last yard," he offered.

I looked at him and he had a white beard on his face and a fishing cap on his head. His grey hair stuck out of the back. I tried to listen to my instincts, they told me he was someone I could trust.

I didn't trust my voice so I just nodded. He stopped and let me get into his truck. It looked old but well maintained. I know. I'm nuts. Getting into a stranger’s car is dangerous. But I couldn't really care at this point. I sat in the passenger seat and looked out of the window, seeing the pine forest speeding by.

"What did your folks do?" He asked after a couple of minutes.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, almost whispering in confusion.

"Well, the only reason why a girl like yourself would walk to school is if her parents did something or if your car broke. I know your car didn't break down because I know Jerry. He is our tow guy and he hasn't gotten any calls since the day before yesterday. Not to mention I saw you and your parents drive by yesterday. So the only thing that it could be is if your parents did something to upset you," he explained.

"I-" I stopped, wondering how much should I tell him.

"It's alright. You don't need to tell me your whole life story or tell me what exactly they did. I was just curious," He gave a small smile.

"They made me worry. A lot. They expect things from me that I can't do and-" I sighed.

"I get it. Moving can be hard and parents can sometimes forget how it is for a teenager. You just have to remind them how it's like, but you also have to remember that sometimes they do things that are for you and not them. It's hard to understand sometimes, as long as you don't treat them too harshly," he looked forward. I couldn't say anything else except, "Thanks Mr..."

"You can call me Uncle Billy or Billy for short," he finished my question.

"Thanks Billy," I smiled sheepishly.

"And what may I call you?" he asked out of the corner of his eye.

"Anna," I said hesitantly.

He stopped a few yards away from the school's gate.

"Take care of yourself now Anna," he shouted as I got out of the car.

"I will, thanks Uncle Billy. You too," I waved.

"Always do," he smiled and drove off.