5

Bri

Walking into the house, I was glad my parents weren't home. I didn't feel like listening to another lecture about how Cody wasn't good for me and that I needed to find someone that treated me better. It was the same every night they were home. Between dad being a lawyer and mom being a doctor, their schedules got pretty busy, which meant late nights. When I was little, I had a nanny, but now that I was older, I was left to my own devices. I set my backpack down not far from the front door so that I could grab it on my way out in the morning. Then walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat. I pulled the note my mother left me off the front of the fridge. It said the same as it always does, "dinner in the fridge, your father and I are working late. Don't wait up. Have a good day. Love mom and dad." I opened the fridge to find a large container of chicken curry and white rice. I pulled them out and dished some up, heating it in the microwave for a few minutes. I sat and ate a large bowl of it there in the kitchen by myself. I loved this stuff. My parents couldn't understand why or where I had even found my love for the stuff, but they always ensured I had some every now and then. When I was done, I cleaned up the kitchen, walked back out to the front room, pulled my sketch pad and pencils from my bag, ensured the front door was locked and went to my room. 

Changing out of my jeans, I examined my leg. Sure enough, I had five small round bruises right where Cody had grabbed my leg. I sighed. I will have to wear pants to school for the next few days until they disappear. For now, there was no one to see them and tell me again that I should dump the only person that ever cared to get to know me. I pulled on a pair of pajama shorts and changed my top into a tank top. Once I was comfortable, I grabbed my sketch pad, a box of pencils, and a container I kept colored pencils and some oil pastels in and walked out onto a small balcony attached to my room. It wasn't big enough for more than a chair and a small table, but that was all I needed. With it facing the back of the house, I was able to enjoy watching the animals that ran around the trees that lined the back of the property. I set myself up and flipped through my sketch pad, landing on the picture I had sketched earlier in the day. Pulling out a couple of the oil pastels, I started coloring and shading the image. 

An hour later, my fingers were stained with different colors from the pastels. I sat back, looking at the final product. A light sandy looking wolf with gray eyes stared back at me from the page. With the color now on the page, the image didn't look near as dark. It almost looked like the wolf was poised to pounce in play rather than attack. 

The feeling of being watched overcame me again, making me look up. Sitting just inside the trees was a large black wolf with a patch of white on its chest looking up at me. Something about the black eyes that stared back at me seemed almost calming. It didn't frighten me to see it sitting there watching me. I flipped the page in my sketchbook and started drawing the wolf. He was beautiful and never moved the whole time I sketched him out. Once I was done, I colored and shaded it, doing my best to get the color right in the dying sunlight. When I was done, I smiled down at the drawing and then at the wolf. It hadn't moved the whole time. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was a statue, but I knew it wasn't. When I smiled down at it, I noticed its tail twitched slightly, almost full-on wagging like a dog. Slowly I put all of my pastels back in their box and gathered everything up. I didn't move quickly, more out of not wanting to scare off the wolf than anything. 

Once everything was gathered up, I stood from my chair. The wolf standing from its position with me growling as it moved, making me freeze in place out of fear. I didn't think it could get up here to me but would it try if I continued to move? It was a rather big wolf. What could I do if it was able to jump up this high? But as if it knew it had scared me, it lay down with a whimper putting its head on its paws. Slowly I backed up back into my room, closing the door to the balcony before turning around and putting all my things away and going in and washing my hands. I quickly checked through the house, ensuring the doors were locked, and the windows were all locked. The wolf seemed to follow me around the house as I went. Moving back to its spot just inside the trees when I got back to my room. When I was sure everything was locked up, and a light was on for my parents to be able to see when they got home, I climbed into my bed, shut off my light and turned on my television, and put on a movie. I didn't make it much longer, though, falling asleep a few minutes into the movie.