Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
The apartment is rundown and a little crappy like they all are. We lived in nice places in the first couple of months, buoyed up with Pete’s money.
But our money has dwindled since we’ve moved so many times – five times in two years.
The shower’s water pressure is merely a trickle. The carpets are thin. There’s a spot of dampness in the corner of the bathroom, spreading across the wall and the ceiling, it’s ugly and depressing. A reminder of how far we’ve got to go.
After showering, I quickly towel off, shivering a little.
The day was warm, but the night has suddenly become cold. There’s no way I’m going to turn the heat on, though, not with prices how they are. I’ll just have to wrap up warm.
Mom’s finally asleep on the couch, wrapped in her blanket.
We’ve only rented a one-bedroom place as per usual since money is so low. I normally take the couch, but I can see Mom’s wrapped herself up snugly, her cheek resting on the pillow, eyes closed peacefully.
There’s no way I’m disturbing her.
Quietly, I go to the suitcase with the bedding in it, taking it out while making as little noise as I can.
The mattress on the bed is thin, squeaking as I put the sheets on. There’s a stain near the bottom, yellow, and I decide not to think about it. It’s the same everywhere we go.
Don’t think about the broken cupboard. Don’t think about the weird sound the toilet makes. Don’t think about anything.
Lying in bed, I try to focus on my nursing textbook.
It’s tattered, and the corners are turned inward. It’s six years old. I found it at a Goodwill store, and my heart began to skip a little quicker when I first laid a hand on it.
That was the plan originally, what Mom told me before we left.
“You’ll be able to study, Ruby. They won’t be able to stop you anymore.”
The cult had two problems with my desire to be a nurse. One was that I wasn’t planning on a job within the commune; their description of a job meant working twelve-hour days for a pittance.
The second was that they hate medicine. They think it’s dark magic.
I’ve always felt a pull to the medical profession. And I could be a nurse.
I’ve read the textbook four times. There’s still lots to learn, and I need some real school, college, and something more than reading, rereading, and imagining. But I know I could do it. I hope I could, anyway, if given a chance.
My eyes roam across the page. The window is open, letting in as much fresh air as possible to help air out the musty smell of the room.
That’s the only way I see it, the flitting at the corner of my vision.
I turn, wondering if I’m imagining things. I thought I saw something jump from one side of the window to the other.
It could easily be my imagination though.
As I stand and walk over to the window, I remind myself to calm the heck down. I’m thinking this is most likely how it started with Mom; the flitting looks to the corner of her eye, becoming convinced it’s real, always has to be. Or we’re not safe.
There’s no way a cultist scaled up the side of our building just to lurk outside my room, especially since the fire escape isn’t outside my window.
I look out at the city. I can see the edge of the rooftop of the building next to us.
The moon is behind it, shining starkly down, turning the wolf into a silhouette.
Time seems to freeze as I stare at it, wondering if I’m seeing things.
I must be.
It’s huge, larger than any wolf I’ve ever seen on video or in photos. It must be twice the size, standing on its hind legs, its body covered in layer upon layer of muscle and silver fur. Its eyes are large, gleaming, its snout long, and its mouth shaped into something like a smile, teeth flashing white in the light of the moon.
Our eyes meet.
I take a step back, my heart thudding, my head feeling woozy.
What the heck is happening to me?
I close my eyes.
When I open them, the strange wolf creature has gone.
Walking over to the bed, I shake my head.
I need to get some sleep.
CHAPTER TWO
Ramsey
I almost howl as the pressure builds up inside of me.
It started earlier today, a tickling sensation at my nose. I was in human form as usual. I never let myself change anymore, only when it’s necessary, so I was stunned when it hit me.
In the middle of teaching a class at the gym, my nose started to twitch.
There was a new scent in the city. It seemed to swell inside of me, a tempting scent in the air, weak and yet strong enough for me to want to learn more.