When Two Worlds Collide Ch 03

"Wait, walls don't have hands do they?"

I asked myself.

"No, walls definitely don't have hands."

I answered back. I struggled out of the hold; a bit overdone of course because the next thing I knew I was falling backwards and the wall came down with me.

I immediately rolled us so that the figure would bear the brunt of the fall and because I didn't want to land on the pronounced edges of the knife tucked behind my back.

And speaking of pronounced edges, aren't we quite comfy in this new position?

My eyes widened in shock as I glanced down at my position. "Oh my gosh!" I said as I rolled off the man and onto the ground, cringing as the handle of the knife dug into my lower back; which was exactly what I tried to avoid.

I chanced a glance at the man who was now stood over me and my eyes widened even more, it was the green-eyed man from the diner.

He cocked his head to the side and looked at me weirdly. I nervously ran a hand over my bandana clad head when I noticed something was missing. My shades, he could see my eyes! I frantically looked around where we'd landed until I spotted them. I sighed in relief as I picked them up to place them on my face; but my relief went away when I saw that Gigantor had crushed them in our descent.

"Just great." I mumbled as I adjusted the duffel on my side and shoved the broken pair inside as I pulled out another. I stood up and slid them on and glanced at the man one last time before I turned and continued on with my journey as if nothing had happened. But in all honesty, I was shaking on the inside. What the heck was happening to me?

When I entered the small bed-and-breakfast I hit the bell on the counter which I suppose wasn't necessary due to the whole werewolf hearing thing.

"Hi, how can I help you?" A woman with flowing brown hair said as she entered in from a door behind the counter.

"Um, yes, Mason at the garage told me I could get a free night's stay here since they're working on my car."

"Oh, okay. I'll just need to see some ID." She said with this weird smile on her face.

"Actually that stuff is still in my car, I didn't think I'd need it and I think they might be closed; I'd really hate to walk all the way back down there only to confirm that."

"You know what, don't worry about it." She said in an overly cheerful voice. "Just sign your name here." She said as she opened the thick leather book that had been sitting closed on the counter.

Once I signed a fake John Hancock, she turned around and reached for a key on the wall behind her.

"Here we go, second floor, the red door. You can't miss it." I've heard that before. "The restroom is at the end of the hallway and should you need a computer or if you want to watch a little television, the entertainment room is through that door right by the entrance.

And the kitchen is through that door right over there by the stairs." She said pointing passed my head, "dinner isn't ready yet but it will be soon, in the mean time you can go take a load off."

"Um, thanks again." I said reaching for the key. As I walked away from her I couldn't help but think back to all those old horror movies, the color red was never a good sign. It didn't help that the uneasy feeling from before still hadn't passed, which is understandable considering my situation. And being sandwiched between two floors, this was like the diner all over again; every movement I made could be heard. Coincidence, I think not.

When I opened the door I found just what I'd expected a small town bed-and-breakfast to look like. It had the old hardwood floors and cheesy floral wallpaper, a decent sized bed in the center of the room with a quilt resting at the foot, a bureau, and sitting chair near a window.

All that furniture was a waste on me because I had this hang-up about touching porous surfaces; they held scents, which meant I could be tracked with it. I learned my lesson the hard way and I had scars all over my body to prove it. I dropped my bag on the floor and plopped my head down on it and shut my eyes.

**

The whole house was rigged like some top secret government facility, so when the flashing red lights woke me from my sleep I knew something was wrong. I hopped out of bed and followed protocol. I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my duffel bag and slid down the chute in my bedroom closet. From there I climbed down the ladder my dad carved into the wall that led to the dining room where I was suppose to wait for my parents until the coast was clear.

The air in the tunnel was thick and smelled of gasoline and burning meat. My eyes started to water and breathing became a hard task. I was relieved when I'd finally reached the dining room, another second longer in that closed space and I would've passed out.

As I took deep breaths to get my baring, I could hear my mother's frantic whispers to my father.

"Where is she, she should have been down here by now. We have to hurry up and get out of here; it's only a matter of time before more show up."

"Anna, calm down. Go check again, she might be there now. I'll take care of this one, you just get our packs and load the car--we don't have much time to get there." That's when the dining room door swung open and my mother rushed over to me in the darkness.

"Come on sweetie, we have to go." She said as she pulled me behind her. As we rushed passed the living room I saw my father dragging what looked to be a body over to the fireplace, needless to say, it freaked me out.

"D-daddy, w-what are you doing?" I couldn't believe what my eyes were witnessing, my father was about to burn this man!

"Go to the car with your mother Libitina!" My father yelled; he'd never done that before. I hurriedly followed behind my mother, though still looking back as my dad poured gas all over the body.

"Okay sweetie, lock the doors and keep your head down until I come back." My mother said as she closed the door behind me.

I sat in the car alone and watched as my mother ran back into the house. A few seconds later both she and my father came out pouring a trail of gas in their steps before tossing both jugs back through the open door.

My mother jumped in the car as my father dropped a lit match; in seconds our house was consumed in flames. My father got in the car and we peeled out of the driveway and down the road. I watched through the back window with tears in my eyes as the orange glow lit the night sky. A stray tear rolled down my cheek, that night, the only home I'd even known was gone forever. **

I sat up and stared at nothing in particular as I familiarized myself with my current surroundings. I hated thinking about that night, I had lost so much and everything had gone from bad to worse. I got up from the floor and cringed at the soreness of my body; I hated my life. I hated carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, literally, and I hated that I had no one but then again there was Alexa.

She was the only friend I'd ever had, that's where I was headed. I hadn't communicated with her in weeks or had it been months. I picked up my bag and opened the room door. There was no one else on this floor with me, so it was pretty quiet aside from the sound of pots clanging from downstairs.

I walked quietly down the steps and when I reached the base of the stairs I waited again only hearing the woman humming from the kitchen. I made my way toward the entertainment room near the front door. As I got closer to the door I became weary, partially because there was a big glass window with an open curtain and I didn't know who or rather what lurked about outside that door.

I hurried passed the window and into the room. There was a large sectional with an even larger plasma screen TV setup for easy viewing and a row of five computers along the wall behind the couch.

I sat down at the one furthest from the doorway. I can probably count on two hands just how many times I've used the internet. If it wasn't for Alexa I would be completely illiterate when it came to technology. She was the one that made me learn how to use this thing so I had a way of letting her know that I was still alive. I didn't bother with the modern wonders that was today's technology, I had no use for them; I didn't even have a cell phone. I mean, who was going to call me? Better yet, who was I going to call and for what purpose? If I was ever in trouble I had to deal with the problem myself, no one could come to my rescue; that's the way it's been since I lost my parents. I shook my head; I didn't want to think about that.

When I opened my email there were dozens of unread messages from Alexa. Most of the messages had been dated back a few years, had it really been that long? I bet they, no doubt, were about her kids. I guess she'd given up on hearing back from me and decided to turn my email into her personal journal. I didn't bother reading them; when I hit reply I typed: I'm still alive.

I was about to hit the send button but I thought that maybe I should include a bit more but I wasn't sure what. I wasn't use to having friends much less maintaining a friendship. I was home schooled by my parents so I never got the chance to interact with other kids my age except for the rare occasions when my family went to a neighbor's barbecues and they had kids there. I didn't know what more there was to say so I just typed: Sorry it took me so long to send this; hopefully I'll be seeing you very soon.

I met Alexa shortly after I lost my parents; we decided it was safer if we just stuck together, or rather she decided and I just went along with it. We'd been looking out for each other for months as we traveled the open road. It seemed like nothing could separate us; that is until we wondered into her mate Caleb's territory.

I'll never forget the look of sheer joy on her face when she first saw him, it was sickening really. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for her, she'd spent months schooling me on the ends and outs of werewolves and their mates. I guess it was the reality of my situation that made it hard to swallow; it all just came crashing down like a ton of bricks. I was going to be alone. I had only just turned thirteen! I knew there was no place for me there, not with them anyway. I turned to walk back in the direction we'd come when I felt someone grab my hand to stop me.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to keep moving."

"You can stay here with me, with us." She said with a genuine smile on her face. "You'll be safe."

"I-." I wanted to stay but I knew I couldn't, one because I didn't want him to hurt innocent people and two, well, the look on her mate's face was one of disgust and anger towards me.

"No, I have to leave." I pulled my hand from hers and placed it in my pocket. "Maybe one day I'll come back for a visit or something." I threw the same look back at him then I turned and walked away. I heard her calling my name but I didn't turn around. I felt the stinging in my eyes and remembered thinking how I wanted to be somewhere else and just like that I discovered one of my most amazing abilities.

The last time I last saw Alexa, it was just after she'd given birth to her first born son, Connor and that was well over four maybe five years ago. That visit didn't end so well, her mate didn't want me anywhere near their baby. He didn't want me around period, he despised my presence so much that he wanted me to stay in a shack on the outskirts of his territory but Alexa wouldn't hear of it.

It was quite clear that he didn't like me and the feeling was mutual. I overheard him saying to Alexa how he didn't trust me and how he didn't want me in his pack's territory. I walked away because I didn't want to hear the rest.

And I kept walking even as Alexa interrupted him but I wasn't interested in eavesdropping on their conversation. I went back to the guest room and repacked my duffle. I had just slid the bag over my shoulders when I noticed Caleb standing in the doorway.

"She wants you to stay." He said sounding like a pouting kid.

"But you want me to leave." I said as I adjusted the strap.

"Your leaving will upset her."

"Then it's a good thing she has a family here to comfort her, some of us don't have that luxury." I said in a rather biting tone as I walked over to the window and sighed heavily, "tell her I said thanks for keeping me company." I had just barely touched the glass when I found myself outside in the middle of the woods looking back at their home. *

I sent the email and closed out the browser. When I left the room I wasn't worried about the window anymore. I was about to go back upstairs when I saw the woman from earlier was also making her ascend.

"Oh hi dear, I was just about to turn in. Dinner's ready, it's in the crock-pot on the counter and there are some fresh rolls in the bread warmer, oh and you can help yourself to whatever beverage is in the fridge."

"Thanks I'll do that." She said goodnight and went upstairs, I don't think I moved until I heard a door close.

I made my way into the kitchen and again loud noises erupted from my stomach, it smelled like home. I walked over to the pot and fixed myself a bowl of stew and grabbed two dinner rolls. I opened the fridge and saw that it was filled with all kinds of fruit juices and sodas. I can't remember the last time I had anything sweet to drink, especially a soda; I chose strawberry.

I set the food down on the table and began to eat, it was really hot but I didn't care. I shoveled one spoonful after another in my mouth. I sopped up the remaining gravy with the dinner rolls; it tasted like heaven, if heaven were a chunky meat stew with thick brown gravy.

When I was finished I drank down the cold soda in ten seconds with ease, of course there was a brief moment of brain freeze but I didn't care. I sat back in my seat and put a hand on my stomach, nice and full.

I got up from the table and took care of my mess before exiting.

As I walked upstairs I felt a salty taste in my mouth and my stomach made a strange sound. I knew what was about to happen, I ran the rest of the way upstairs with the duffel slamming at my side. I had just barely reached the toilet when the contents of my stomach came spewing out. I should have known better than that, my stomach was in knots but I still think it was worth it.

I sat back on the haunches of my legs with my elbows propped up on the seat. I stayed like that for a few minutes until my stomach settled down. I got up and cleaned out my mouth. As I brushed my teeth I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror, I removed the bandana from my head and raked a hand through my cornrows. I'd forgotten what it felt like to have the wind blow through my hair. It was one of the pleasures that I sacrificed to remain undetected.

I tied the bandana back over my hair and finished the task at hand. I lifted the shirt and peeled back the edge of the bandage on one of my arms. The wound looked like it was starting to heal; I guess my temporary meal had some effect.

As I smoothed the bandage back into position, I took off the shades and tucked them in my pocket as I examined my face closely in the mirror; the dark rings around my eyes were fading too. I got the black eyes after my battle with one of the trackers; I was on my way to a homeless shelter to get my bearing when two guys attacked me and tried to force themselves on me.

Too bad for them, those disgusting cretins didn't deserve to live,

the voice hissed. I can't say that I always agreed with it but in that situation I let it have free reign. Most times, I chose to run instead of fight.

This is exactly why you're in this little predicament. Look at you; you look like some old flimsy rag doll. It's embarrassing and it makes me look weak.

"Whoa, someone's a bit snippy."

I walked out of the bathroom and back to my room. When I closed the door I dropped the duffel on the floor and walked over to the window. I watched from behind the rustic floral curtains as the flurries fell from the sky; it had been a long time since I'd last experienced a real winter. That too was a part of what I had to give up, I'd spent most of my years in the southern part of the county, even ventured as far as South America and I can't forget about the African bush.

It didn't matter where I ran or hid, they always found me, so I knew that if they found me there then they could find me anywhere. I couldn't take it, the constant paranoia, the anxiety, it was just too much.

I sighed again and as I turned away from the window I caught a movement in the corner of my eye but just as soon as it came, it left. Since I hadn't picked up any warning bells I let it go and decide to get a few more minutes of shut-eye before I had to venture out because I didn't trust to sleep the whole night through.

* My restless sleep was interrupted by flashing red lights. I couldn't think of why they were so important and then my eyes flew open. I stealthy got up from the floor and slid on the bag, I felt my heart speed up a few beats. I tiptoed over to the wall with the window; I had just reached the window when the

shadow's

senses took over my own. I heard whispering.

"She seems harmless to me Merrick, why not just let the poor thing stay the rest of the night?" That sounded like the woman who ran this place, I thought.

"Pack law is what it is Jolene, you know that. The Alpha gave us orders and we have to follow them-no discussion." The man, who I assumed was Merrick (I only heard two heartbeats but that didn't really matter because I'd been around creatures with no hearts and they were fully functioning), said in a hushed yet very dangerous tone.

"Then you do what you have to do, but I will have no part in this," she replied back in an equally harsh tone. I heard her turn and walk away, a few seconds later I heard a door close and only one heartbeat.

I slid further toward the window, which was my usual method of escape only this time I peeked through the curtain just a tiny bit and saw large dark masses with glowing eyes huddled in the shadows of buildings.

I knew I'd be utterly fucked if I went through the window. I was on the second floor; I knew they'd be on me like a fresh raw steak in a pit of starved lions before my feet could touch the ground. Despite having healed I was in no shape to take on any of them much less one. As I stood there against the wall, nibbling on my nails, I heard the heavy footsteps coming upstairs and there were two additional heartbeats this time.

"Fuck!"

I said as my heartbeat sped up, I went over the options in my head. I could chance jumping out the window but I definitely knew how that would end, or I could just turn myself over to them and see what they were going to do.

Are you fucking nuts?

The voice interjected.

"What choice do I have? I'm sleep deprived and I'm starving! I just don't have enough stamina-gah!"

I rubbed a frustrated hand down over my face; they were just down the hall now.

Gee, let's see, if only you could flash-in and out of a room undetected.

I smacked my forehead, can you say brain fart; what the hell was I thinking. I had forgotten all about my

most amazing ability.

I ran over to the bed and snatched up the quilt, I saw the shadows under the door and then the door flew in but by the time they stepped in my room all that remained of my presence there was the key the woman had given me.