Chapter 3

I blinked once, twice, trying hard to erase the image of what I was seeing but it still remained as the figure became smaller and smaller as we descended down the road. Is that a...wolf?

Fiona's POV

So...here I am, traveling to my new home in Black Forest, Colorado. It wasn't exactly the country lifestyle that I have grown to love ever since the day I was brought into this world, but at least it wasn't the city.

As my dad swerved the car through the narrow road that was surrounded by trees, I couldn't help but look at him from the passenger seat. He had the same shade of hair as I did but with light brown eyes instead of my hazel green ones.

His face had aged a bit, not because of the years that have gone by but due to the stress he had to endure from losing his beloved; and yet, here he was with a bright smile on his face as he looked down at me.

"You okay there, kiddo?" he asked, ruffling my hair a bit which was a habit that I hated whenever he called me by my childhood nickname.

I glared at him playfully through my messed up hair that now covered my face and blew it away, only to have it land softly in its previous place.

Once satisfied with the outcome, I looked back at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He returned the smile and turned back to the road ahead of him.

"So how do you think your new school will be like?"

I shrugged my shoulders, removing my earphones as I placed them on my lap and switched off my iPod in the middle of a song.

"Oh, I don't know, the usual I guess. Books, lockers, teachers.....people," I said sarcastically, trying to hold back a smile as I noticed the look he gave me from the corner of my eye.

He rolled his eyes dramatically, letting out a playful sigh as he gently nudged me on the shoulder.

"Haha, very funny. But I'm serious Fiona, are you nervous about going to another new school?"

As he spoke those words, I couldn't help but look at him with sadness. He knew very well how much I hated going to new places, but I knew he never did it on purpose. We had moved a few times within the state after we had left our original home; and after doing so countless of times, I had grown accustomed to him randomly saying that we were moving to a new home or apartment. He never really did quite realize how much I dreaded the whole moving thing, until now I guess.

I let out a distressed sigh as I gave him the most reassuring smile I could muster.

"I am nervous. But that's what makes it an adventure, right?"

He smiled weakly, obviously catching the fact that I was trying to lighten up the mood, with little to no success.

He didn't say anything else after that and I was left with my own thoughts as I stared out at the trees that passed by.

My gosh, how many trees can one city hold? As I continued to stare at them and imagine myself running through them at an inhuman pace (I've always done that since I was a little girl), I couldn't help but notice a dark figure running at the same speed my dad was allowing the truck to go. I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to get a better view of it; but the second I had seen it, it was gone.

Just when I was about to move back inside, I noticed a dark figure in the corner of my eye emerge from the trees. I immediately looked back and nearly gasped at the sight.

I blinked once, twice, trying hard to erase the image of what I was seeing but it still remained as the figure became smaller and smaller as we descended down the road. Is that a.....wolf?

I sat back down on my seat, rolling up the window with a shaking hand. I shook my head slightly, trying to decipher what I had just seen. It was literally a pitch black wolf, who seemed to be.....staring at me? How can a wolf be staring at me? I know many animals become curious when a vehicle would pass by, hence the reason why there are so many accidents around the nation every year, but this wolf was different, in an odd way, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

I know I couldn't see it very well since my dad was driving at a fast amount of speed, but I could've sworn I saw some sort of intelligence in that creature's eyes.

Ok.....Black Forest, Colorado was officially driving me insane already.

I shook my head and leaned my elbow against the window frame, laying my cheek against my hand as I let out a soft sigh.

My dad must have noticed because I could suddenly feel his eyes on me.

"Everything okay?"

To my relief, my dad turned left and parked the truck in the driveway in front of our new home. I gathered my iPod that I had left on my lap and put it inside my back pocket as I exited out of the truck. My black vans landed on the soft dirt beneath me with a loud thud. I looked up at the house, pleased to see how old fashioned its appearance displayed.

"You just get settled upstairs in your room, kiddo. I'll take care of everything else. Most of the things inside the boxes are already up."

I nodded in acknowledgment. I was relieved to have heard that my dad had decided to come down here to set up a furniture a week before we both officially made our trip down to our new home.

With the help of a friend, he had unloaded all of the furniture and important things so the whole settling down process wouldn't be too hectic for us both. The less I had to help with, the better. I know, I may do things for myself when it's necessary but I'm primarily a lazy person when you get to know me better.

I made my way back to the living room, stopping beside his couch and leaning down to give him a good night's kiss.

"I'm heading to bed now," I mumbled as I walked away, not even bothering to wait for a reply since I knew he was too intrigued with the TV to even notice my presence.

As I entered my room, I closed the door shut behind me, letting out a loud sigh before making my way to my bed. In one swift movement, I was beneath the covers and snuggling against my pillows, waiting for sleep to take over my conscious mind.

It was now running at high speed with thoughts of what tomorrow may bring. I had no idea why I even bothered to think about it, but something in my gut told me that this new town that we were in was a lot different than the others.

I stared at my appearance in the full length mirror that hung behind my bedroom door. I tilted my head slightly, pursing my lips as I gave myself a once over. I had decided to wear my dark jeans with my favorite old converse, that I've had for who knows how long, accompanied with a simple white tank-top and a gray cardigan with large horizontal purple stripes. It was decent enough for the first day of school (well, my first day at this school).

I stared at my long wavy hair that seemed to be a complete mess above my head. I sighed heavily as I walked over to my small dresser and pulled out a gray clip. It was quite large and it will do the trick to tame the beast that decided to take over during the night. With a twist of my hair, I clasped the clip over and walked back to the mirror. Satisfied with my appearance, I smiled and grabbed a hold of my backpack.