Lonely Monsters

fifteen

Me and Alex had been living in the middle of nowhere for close to three weeks. I was going stir crazy, with no one to talk to for days at a time. The first few days I thought I would keep in touch with Frigga, or someone from that "Academy" place. They sent people out to fix and gut the ruined wires. They were a bunch of guys that looked like I would have been friends with at the restaurant, or through college.

They avoided me every step of the way. When one of them dropped some tools and I reached down to get it for him, he flinched away from me. After that, I just stayed out of the way. In the piles of old thrift store memorabilia, I found an old fridge that had an ancient Pepsi logo on it. I cleaned it, and filled it with bottled water or beer. Stuck a note on it saying they could take what they wanted.

That went on with most of the people that came by to do something. The electricians, the plumbers, the heavy lifters-- If they saw me they avoided eye contact and navigated around me if I stood there. When I wasn't in the room full of dust and mold, I noticed how they smelled right away.

Pines trees, like fresh cut grass, and a bit like dogs. I learned from reading that manual Frigga gave me, that the only people that would be around me for a time would be Animus people, specifically wolves.

"It's because of how you reacted around Ravis and those other vampires." Frigga said over the phone, "The whole punching him in the face? That kind of reflected badly on you."

"I was being... what's the word... frick..."

"Evaluated?" Frigga spoke. I heard her clicking pens on her end of the phone. "Yes. You're a Rogue Asset. Not violent, but not ready to be socialized with people... Like Alpha Vampires."

"Why would they want to meet with me?" I folded my legs, sitting on the bed and holding my ankles with one hand. Alex curled into my lamp, purring as he napped. "I've been good and I kept out of the way of those guys."

"....My one boss, she's a bit concerned that you're unmated." Frigga said, "She's the one that said you should live out there instead of us taking you in here and locking you up."

"What does me being.... not having a mate have to do with anything?" I moved my hand and rubbed my cat's head. His ears flicked and he stared at me with sleepy yellow eyes.

"I don't deal with a lot of nonhumans. I usually deal with small children, or teach new healers what to do," the woman on the other end sounded tired, "But the Academy, does a lot of great work. And that deals with people coming from abusive homes, broken homes, slavery, breeding and wolf fighting.... And vampires, they either have a dark sovereign, coven, or a family. The ones that don't.... They're mental state isn't that great."

"Ah." I said, looking down at Alex. He used his paws to push my hand away then jumped from my lap. He padded around the bed towards his bowls and began eating.

"So we send in some Betas from the closest pack, and they do a bit of work." Frigga yawned, and she shuffled papers around.

I thought back on the guys that had come by, a frown crossing my brow. They were guys, all of them, around my age, of varying races and builds.

"Holy fuck," I growled, realization setting in. "That's why they got so nervous! They thought I was a man eater! What the fuck!"

"We just want to make sure your needs are met and--"

"So you send a bunch of guys, with the intention of- of-- oh my god." I sat in bed, staring at a part on the wall paper. I grit my teeth and closed my eyes in agitation. I swallowed, and tried to sound hard.

"You can't make me," my voice cracked.

"Meela, hey," Frigga's voice rattled on the phone.

I saw a set of silver eyes and red soaked fangs. Lips on mine and a sickly sweet scent of man's cologne. I shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. My free hand gently dumbed on my left ankle, my focus on the sensation on my skin.