Running from Fate

Chapter 1 - Just Like Always

Everything was normal for a while. I lived my life happily, perfect family, perfect life, money, etc. That's what it seemed though, that's what I showed. I didn't tell anyone about the fact that my dad was a drunk, or when at home my mother hit me. I'd be deemed weak. I was a werewolf after all, and abuse went unnoticed unless you were significant. I was not. Then shit started to change.

It was, like always, a normal day for me. I woke up sore with new bruises scattered throughout my arms. I groaned, rolling out of bed as quietly as I could. My dad was most likely either still drunk or hungover, and me making even the slightest of "loud" noises set him off. I tiptoed to the bathroom, doing my morning routine. I used the toilet, washed my hands than my face, then tiptoed back to my room to change. I found a plain blue t-shirt, black sweatpants, and a grey sweatshirt. Quickly and quietly exiting my room, I speed-walked down to the kitchen, grabbed an apple from a basket sitting on the counter, and snagging my backpack as I walked out the door. I walked to school, munching on the apple as I went. My phone buzzed in my pocket but I chose to ignore it, not really caring what it was.

I reached my school around the time it finally opened, and silently walked to my first period. That didn't start for at least another hour. My school was big, probably the biggest in quite a big radius. It housed a mixture of werewolves and humans, and a few other supernatural creatures threw in here and there. I was that quiet kid that didn't talk unless someone else talked to me first, but I was still friendly. My grades were average and I wouldn't say I stood out in an extraordinary way. Most kids left me alone. I scrolled through my phone mindlessly as more kids started to filter in. Then eventually the bell rang, startling me out of my mindless-ness. I pocketed my phone, standing up with everyone else as someone came on the announcements to lead us in the pledge. I sat back down with everyone else and my day went about, listening every hour to a different teacher talk about things none of us cared for.

It was around my lunch period when I felt something off. I had this gut feeling that something was wrong. It didn't seem like a totally life-ending type of wrong, it just felt wrong. I sat at my normal table in the corner munching on a piece of pizza, zoning out. I only snapped out of my daze when a tray was slammed down on my table.

I jumped, pulling the pizza away from my mouth and looking up at the new arrival. I rolled my eyes as one of my friends, if that's what you want to call him, slumped down at my table. I chuckled at his behavior, and he just sent me a glare.

"What's got your panties in a twist, Jay?" I asked him snarkily. He made a face at me, a face that a child would make. I just laughed at him.

"Stupid teachers, stupid girlfriend, stupid everything." He grumbled, running a hand through his short brown hair. I chuckled, picking my pizza back up and biting into it. He did the same but with a chicken sandwich.

"Anyways, what's up with you?" He asked. I just shrugged, not really having anything to talk about. He doesn't know about my home life, nor does he need to. He probably wouldn't care anyway. He hummed in acknowledgment, happily chewing on his food.

"What's up with your girl then?" I asked him. He scoffed, brushing some crumbs off the side of his mouth. He put the sandwich down, and I internally groaned. I shouldn't have asked.

"Her birthday's coming up, you know, so she's freaking out over nothing. Thinking that we won't end up being mates for whatever." He said, rolling his eyes. Jay is also a werewolf, and 18, meaning that he'll hopefully find his mate soon. He hasn't yet, which either means they aren't around or aren't of age. He's pretty sure it's his girlfriend though. They've been dating for a while. I also rolled my eyes, thinking that the whole mate thing, in general, was stupid. I was hoping I never found mine.

"So she's been moping for like, ever..." Jay continued to talk and I just pretended to listen. I nodded here and there, throwing in an occasional "yea". The uneasy feeling in my stomach was back and throwing me off. What could it possibly be? Was it the apple I had for breakfast? Did I have an infection somewhere? Even if I was weak, werewolves hardly got sick, but when they did it was bad. I must have shown I wasn't feeling good on my face, cause Jay was giving me a concerned look. I waved him off, standing up after I suddenly lost my appetite. I threw the remains of my food in the garbage and decided to wander the halls. Jay didn't bother to follow me, and once I left, migrated off to some other friends. I walked the halls quietly, the feeling never going away. I was quiet the rest of the day, not participating in class and silently walking by myself. Nothing really new I guess.

...

Sitting on my bed, I scrolled through my phone. I'd completed my homework earlier and was enjoying the free time I currently had. My parents were out at some meeting with the pack, so I had the house to myself for a while. Depending on how this meeting went decided how my night would go.

That odd feeling in my stomach had faded but still seemed to linger. I ignored it, having finally gotten used to it throughout the day. I hadn't dwelled much on it after I accepted that it wasn't going away. It had slowly gotten better during the day, but once again, didn't go away. It wasn't necessarily that I felt sick, I just had this weird, tingly feeling. I still didn't like it.

It was around eight that my parents made their appearance, both smiling faces. I didn't greet them, but I could hear them laughing downstairs, so I figured the meeting went well and that maybe I'd be left alone for the night. Maybe. Things could always go south though, and that was a fact. My peace lasted all of five minutes until I was called down to the kitchen.

Walking down the perfectly polished stairs, I reached the pristine white kitchen to see both parents leaning on the island with drinks. I stood in the doorway with my hands folded together in front of me, looking down at my feet. My mother scoffed, my dad already too out of it to say anything important.

"A party is being thrown tomorrow for the Alpha son's 18th birthday. Other packs will be attending in hopes he finds his mate. We're all required to go. Got it?" My mother spat out. I nodded, still staring at my feet. She made a noise of acknowledgment and I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as possible without running. I know it seemed sad, yes she wasn't really talking to me like a mother should son, but that was actually a decent encounter with her. She wasn't screaming or yelling, and she wasn't hitting or pushing me around. So I call it a win. I escaped back to my room, shutting the door lightly and flopping on my bed. I groaned into my pillow, kicking my feet childishly. I sighed again, flipping my head to the side and grabbing my phone. I opened it and just stared at the lock screen. No notifications, no missed calls, no texts. I dropped my phone down, and just flopped my arm out to the side. I closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep, thinking of nothing. Just like always. Just like normal.