I silently prowl through the dark forest, my senses alert. I hear no one, smell no one, see no one. Yet, I can feel someone. Deep in my core I can feel someone watching me, I know I am being hunted. For what, I have no clue. I hear a twig snap behind me and as I whirl around I am greeted by a large pair of glowing golden eyes…

My eyes snap open as I hear my alarm clock buzz. It's 5:30 in the morning already. I drag myself out of bed and into my bathroom. First day of freshman year… Where is my life going? When I flip on the light, my eyes lock on the face in the mirror, a glimpse of an image flashing through my mind. White fur. I look back and it's gone. Probably just a trick of my imagination I think, and I focus back in on my reflection. Not much to work with this morning. I guess sleeping on wet hair after last night shower wasn't a smart idea. I decide to take a quick shower to calm down my Afro of golden wheat colored hair. A few minutes later I get out feeling refreshed and I grab my towel wrap and put it on. I then open my cabinet, pulling out my blow dryer and curling wand. After 15 minutes of blaring my music so I can hear it over my blow dryer, I turn it off and glance at the iPod dock that is sitting on my vanity. The green numbers blink 6:15 already. I groan, thinking that I'm going to have to curl fast  if I want to look decent for the first day of school. I run to my room grabbing my makeup bag and my phone. I get halfway across my room when I realize I forgot my first day of school outfit. When I saw it in the store I knew it was perfect with its thin blue and white stripes and simple red belt. The dress falls to the modest length of right below by my kneecaps. I change quickly then check my phone and see that my boyfriend, Mark, texted me. I smile as I read it:

"Good morning my beautiful Andrea, I hope your first day of school goes well. I'll be thinking of you all day. I love you sweet girl!"

I quickly reply "Good morning to you too sweetie, I'm glad yours went well yesterday. I will be thinking of you too, I love you baby." and went back to curling my hair.

I finish my hair at around 7:15 and brush on my foundation, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and Blush, in that order. I hear my mom yelling at me to hurry up so I do a quick once over in the mirror, looking at the dark eyeliner, a drastic contrast to my crystal blue eyes. I grab my black heels, backpack, purse and a bottle of Mountain Dew on my way out and run to the car. 

A few minutes later, after fighting the traffic, I am walking into my high school for the first time, shaking. I pull out my schedule and check it for the fifth time this morning and head to my class with 10 minutes to spare. I drop all my stuff off at my first hour and go to the cafeteria, meeting up with some friends. There I meet up with friends I have hardly seen part of the summer and some I had spent most of the summer with. The five-minute bell rang and we all took off, hurrying to our classes.

I barely get through my computer class and head down one of the two main halls, to where my biology class is located. As I walk in my friend Erin runs up and hugs me, bombarding me with questions. 

 "Oh my gosh you look so pretty!!! I love that dress on you! How did you do your hair so perfectly? How was your summer?"

"Thanks girl you don't look half bad yourself. It took me a while but I tamed the beast of hair" I reply, then going into how camp was, the latest guy drama, and every thing else that she missed over the summer. After about 15 minutes our biology teacher, Mrs. Pearson calls the class to order. We rush to the nearest two desks that were next to each other and sit down.

The rest of the day goes smoothly, until passing period before seventh hour. As I walk down freshman Hall, I'm breathing through my nose as always, and wince, because with my sensitive sense of smell I recognize the scent. I look up, seeing the eyes of the guy had been I first kiss less than a year earlier, and who was my first major heartbreak. He spoke.

"Hey beautiful, looks like the summer treated you well. Do I get a hug?"he asks stepping closer.

I step back, but a wall is behind me. "Zane stop it! You know good and well I have a boyfriend and you're just recently broken up. I belong to someone else now. Get over it. Get over yourself!"

He presses me between the wall and himself and I make a noise I have only heard in my dreams, one sounding like a growl, deep in the back of my throat. "Zane leave me alone damn it!" I said as I shove him backwards, sending him slamming into the lockers on the other side of the hallway. Still shocked he stands there puzzled, as I hurry off wondering where that strength came from. I manage to walk into class a minute before the tardy bell. 

Thankfully, I slip around him after that hour and get through my last class without conflict. After school I walk outside and search the parking lot for my moms silver truck. After finding it a few minutes later. I crawl in the passenger seat, exhausted. 

"Hey sweetheart, how was your first day of being in the big dog school?"  My mom asks, trying to be cool. 

"Great actually" I lied, considering she thought I hadn't had my first kiss yet.

"Well that's good!"

When we get home I grab a granola bar and hurry upstairs to my room and drop my bag by the door, it's resting place. I check the time, 3:37, still a while till Mark gets out of school. "I'll just take a nap, hoping I can get some decent rest after that nightmare last night." I think to myself while I change into sweats and a tank out of my dress and heels. I grab my purse on the way to my window seat, digging through it and finding my phone, plugging it in to the charger next to me. I switch it on, noticing my texts. I have 13, 2 from my best friend, Lanni, whos a sophomore, probably wondering if I found all my classes, 1 from mark, most likely from during lunch, reminding how much he loves me, 4 from my brother, wondering how today went, and 6 from my mom desperately trying to find me after school. I sink down in the cushions and blankets I have on the wooden box under my window and doze off fairly quickly.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

She comes out of the bushes,  the features of her child-like like body and face striking. Her hair is the blackest I have ever seen, her gold eyes and high cheekbones a sharp contrast. She lunges at me, but what hit me isn't this seemingly petite girl, it is a little large wolflike creature, something I had grown up thinking was a myth. I recognize it from my hours of study on them, the lychens. She knocks me to the ground but before she can get her bulky black figure on top of me, I am too and in wolf form. I stand up, shaking my white fur, my silver eyes flashing in rage. I charge her at her, snapping the back of her neck in between my razor-sharp teeth and hurl her into the trees, listening to her yelp as she's chased away by my pack, my family. Another victory…

I jolt awake when my mom shakes me, saying it is 10 minutes after I need to have left for church. I Sprint around throwing on some jeans and a T-shirt and grab my phone off the charger and my e-reader, which has my Bible on it. When I get in the car I look at my phone, seeing 4 new texts from Lanni and 6 from Mark, the last one wondering if I am okay and if I am mad at him. I wonder to myself what I could be mad about and make a mental note to call him after I get home. 

All through youth group I can't get that dream out of my head. I am completely zoned out. Who was that girl? It all seemed so real, so vivid like I had actually taken the blow, the breath knocked out of me and my shoulder hitting the tree. I rub my shoulder, I'm even sore. I had felt myself change within my dream, becoming bulkier, stronger, more powerful. I am overly confused and dazed. It isn't too long and my youth leader says we are dismissed. I grab my stuff and go outside, enjoying the fact that even though it is 7:45, the sun hasn't set yet. I rush out into the trees and to the creek behind the church. On a normal occasion I love coming down here, it's normally beautiful and peaceful. But tonight it is eerie. Every few seconds I glance around, I feel as though I am being watched.