Divided Territory

Chapter Three

"Damn it, Vicky." Sebastian stood up and stormed across the room, grabbing Victoria's shoulders in a death grip. "We have to do something."

Vicky shook her head and looked down at the floor miserably. Her suitcases were scattered beside her chair, a stark reminder that in less than ten minutes, she'd be ripped away from her family. She had never hated packing bags so much before in her life.

Sebastian let go of her shoulders with a shout of agitation and briefly buried his head in his hands.

"I'm turning myself in." He suddenly blurted, looking up with a determined frown. He stepped forward as though he was about to make a run for the front door. "I can't let you go alone."

"Sebastian, don't." Vicky glanced at him worriedly. "They'd never put you in the same pack as me and you know it. What about mum and dad?"

Sebastian deflated and looked over at their adoptive parents, the two of them sat on the sofa with sad smiles on their faces. 

He flopped down on a hard, dining room chair and banged his forehead against the table, mass of curly hair bouncing on top of his head at the movement. "I'll think of something," he mumbled.

The room lapsed into silence, goodbyes, complaints and frustrations all having been said, and Vicky's mind started to wonder.

Looking down at the phone, that she was fiddling in between her fingers, she let out a tired sigh before deleting all of her shifter contacts. There was no telling what the humans would take hold of once she left the safety of her house- it was better not to take the risk.

Besides the fact that a car was coming to pick her up, she had no idea what to expect. 

It was that fear of the unknown that kept her bladder feeling perpetually full. The same fear that kept her continually glancing at the clock, tuned in to the jarring tick-tick-tick of time passing. 

One minute to midnight.

She stood up.

Her adoptive parents stood up.

Sebastian stood up.

"Tell-" Pause. "Tell Nicolas what happened."

Her throat was so dry, it hurt to speak. Hurt to swallow.

Sebastian nodded.

"I- just let him know I'm okay." She looked at him gravely, trying to communicate with her eyes what she couldn't in her words. Don't let him come after me. Not now. Not yet. "He'll understand."

She reached down and slung a bag over her shoulder, grabbed the other two by their extended handles and started to drag them to the doors.

Her father opened the door for her while her mother trailed behind, sniffling quietly.

With a deep breath, she stepped outside, shivering as a blast of cold air hit her. 

The sky was dark. Grey. Saturated with the promise of heavy rainfall and a biting breeze.

The first to hug her was her mother. 

She smelt like lime soap, the chemical air freshener that was plugged into the living room outlet, all purpose seasoning and the stock cube that she'd put into that pumpkin soup they'd eaten for dinner. Her grip was tight, tears warm and thick hair soft against Vicky's cheek.

Vicky heard wheels coming down the road and pulled away from her mother, quickly moving to embrace her father. 

His grip was looser, his hands sweeping a comforting motion up and down her back. He smelt like newspaper ink and the black coffee he'd drunk to keep himself awake, those cashew nuts that he had in his pocket and the saltfish fritters he'd packed in Vicky's bag.