Raised by Wolves

I went to school the next day with passing the area where Ryan threw Jenn against the lockers to give her kisses and who knows what else four years ago. This day, I was rather lucky to be invisible at the high school. If I had been with the in crowd, I was sure that I would have seemed psychotic and cared about whether my friends would laugh or not. There’s the thing about not having any friends though. You don’t have to worry about what people think.

When I got to my locker for the end of the day, I opened it to find thousands of razor blades falling out. Luckily, they had all been packed.

I looked around me to see if I could figure out who had done it, but all I could figure out was that everyone was staring at me, laughing and whispering to their friends.

A girl wearing a very girly dress and with white hair walked up to me with horror on her face. “Oh my god! Are you ok?” She then turned around to face the snickering school. “You all think self-harm is hilarious? I bet you didn’t know that the person next to you may have the mark of depression on their arms. Whoever did this, I feel sorry for you.”

The whole school who had been laughing stopped and looked at each other in fear. Looking at their friends skins to see if the rumor was true.

A girl who looked similar to Jenn walked up to us. She faced the school to offer her speech. “Were you all also aware that this baby is a whore who steals boyfriends? I’m sure she doesn’t just cut, but also snorts cocaine, smokes pot, and injects heroine. She’s just a sad, sad, loner.”

Immediately I knew that she was in fact, related to Jenn. She seemed so proud of herself to be able to bring others down. She looked at me and then at the sweet girl in the dress with a smile on her face.

Suicide awareness girl grimaced at Jenn’s sister. “What does it feel like right now, to feel pride in hating on someone you don’t even know?”

“I know her. She’s a home wrecker who broke up my sister and her boyfriend.” She then walked away.

White hair began to pick up the razorblades with me. “I’m Aurora, President of the Suicide Awareness club.”

I wasn’t sure whether I should talk to her or not. It seemed weird to. I had never taken any time throughout the years at this school to actually talk to anyone unless I was pointed out. “You don’t want to be friends with me. I’m a real howl.”

“Even if you don’t want me to be your friend, I can still help you with your problem. That’s what I’m here for.”

“You’re only here to get me to join the club? I’m not depressed and I don’t cut, see?” I lifted my wrists to show that there were no marks. “I’m also no home wrecker.”

“The club isn’t just there for those who need it, it’s for those who care.”

When everything was picked up off the floor, I looked over at her. “Oh, yeah? Too bad I don’t care. I have enough problems to worry about.”

Aurora was so happy about something that I had said. “Ah! So you do have problems. Tell me about them and I’ll help!”

I felt so mean to her when she seemed nice to me. “No! Leave me alone!”

Chad came running over to me. “What happened to you?” I had never seen him look so worried and yet, he was. Usually, he never came to see me during school. I don’t think anyone even knew that he was my brother.

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah right, it’s nothing to worry about.” He looked at Aurora. “Can you tell me what happened?”

She looked a little reluctant to tell him, as she looked over at me in an uneasy way. “Some girl filled her locker with razorblades.”

I slapped my head. “Oy Vey, I want to get out of this fucking school.”

He turned over towards Aurora. “Can I get a second with my sister?”

I closed my locker and took my backpack with me so we could walk down the halls. “How was your day?”

I wanted to smack him. Just that one thing that happened made my whole day a nightmare, more than it was before. There was so little that I could tell him. “I’ll tell you one thing. I’d rather die than be around on this planet anymore.”

“Why do you say that?”

We were outside now and the sun was beating down on us. “You wouldn’t understand. We’re different from each other. I’m alienated by my family, by my school, I can’t keep a friend or else it ends up crumbling the relationship with everyone else around me.”

Chad was getting mad at me. I knew he would because he was always thinking about what he has to go through. “Why do you think like that? Is it because you were adopted or is it because you’re in a family of dogs. Mom and Dad give you more attention than they have ever given me.”

Bullshit. It was all a bunch of bullshit that he was speaking. “You are loved so much more because you’re their child and you are exactly like then. You never get in trouble. Do you know what they said to me last night?”

He folded his arms, took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky. I tried to focus him but when he wouldn’t listen, I just started to talk, hoping he would listen. “They told me about how much of a burden I am on their shoulders. They were pissed that I didn’t go to school and decided to have fun for once instead.”

“Can we not talk about this right here?”

We walked down and over to the football field before he started talking again. We sat under a large Maple Tree that sat upon a hill. I’ve been very open to him before but never like this.

“They were just worried about you. You didn’t say where you were going, with who. Did you know that you pretty much ruined it the day you first went to the woods.”

“That was so long ago. Plus, I’m 18 now. I have my rights.”

“ But you’re still under their rule.” He pulled his legs close together.

I wrapped my arms around him and put my head on his chest. “My life isn’t fair. I’m not even talking family-wise. Nothing seems to go as planned.”

“Who ever said that life was fair?”

“I can’t go back home. It’s not where I’m supposed to be. I should be dead with my parents.”

Chad shoved me away. “Why would you say something so stupid!? Life isn’t a joke. Do you know where I’d be without you? I’d kill myself.”

“Why would you kill yourself? You have an awesome life.” It had been the most depressing 24 hours that I had ever had to live through.

“Because a day without you is like never eating again.”

We both started laughing as I pushed him playfully. He was perhaps the only person in the world who could lighten my day up in only a second. I didn’t give him as much credit as he really deserve. I was so blessed to have a brother like him.

“No, but really, where did you go the other night?”

I ruffled his hair and looked around before I whispered into his ear. “Haunted asylum,”

His eyes popped. “You didn’t invite me? Who’d you go with?”

“An old friend of mine and some of his friends. Immediately, we walked over and the weather dropped, I shit you not, 20 degrees. From the moment I walked in, I felt eyes on me, and it wasn’t from the ones that were still alive.”

Goosebumps were clearly seen on his skin and he shook his head. “You have to take me there!”

“Maybe next time, yeah?”

Chad agreed with a smile on his face, trying his best to make a joke. “Just as long as it’s not on a full moon.”

“I have an idea. How about you make me a werewolf and then I take you there?”

“Hell no, I’m not going to be the one who makes you into a monster. Go find your own monster to do that for you. I’m convinced we aren’t the only ones.”

He was getting defensive over the issue as he seemed to always get. There was nothing he hated more than me bringing up becoming a werewolf. I couldn’t understand why. It’s not like I had been asking ever since I was a baby. It was only when I turned 18 that I begged for it.

Chad stood up. “Why do you always have to bring it up? There is nothing that you can do that will change my mind. It’s not even my choice, if anything; it would be the wolf’s choice.”

I knew that very well but it wasn’t something I wanted to face. Even so, I wasn’t going to come between a werewolf when I had no permission by them before. It would be them who would have to live with knowing that they either killed or changed a human.

He didn’t even help me get up before walking away. I had to run to catch up with him. “I’m sorry Chad. How about this, what if I take you to IHOP tomorrow since it’s Saturday. We don’t hang out as much as I would like to.”
Gladly, he agreed.