Lost

Sitting on a park bench, I stare at the sky, contemplating the beauty of it. There's a half-moon tonight and only wisps of clouds, allowing the stars to shine brightly. I shiver as a breeze blows past, ruffling my hair and t-shirt.

I sigh, wondering where I will go next. This is the fifth time I've been kicked out of a house, but it's the first time it's happened in the middle of winter. At least it's a Friday, so I don't have to work tomorrow. Normally, I'd stay at a shelter for a few nights, but this time of year and night they will all be full already.

I don't really have a problem staying in the park for the night. But since I was kicked out in my pajamas, I'll have to shift if I want to actually wake up in the morning. Which, despite my struggles, I do. I find some secluded bushes to hide in, undress, and begin my shift from my human body to my wolf body. After finding a comfortable position, I drift off to sleep. The next morning, I dress and go in search of a new place to live.

I was told my parents died when I was two, but I was too young to actually remember any of that now. I'd been in foster care from then until I turned 18 and was kicked out of the system with nothing. Life in foster care was okay until I turned 12 and had my first shift. I was dealing with normal puberty issues plus the aggression and confusion as I came to terms with what I was and what that meant- apparently a shifter who can turn into a wolf and has to deal with all the instincts of said wolf. Quite a difficult task for a girl who had no idea she was a shifter and had no one around to explain things to her.

Now I'm 20 and, honestly, I have no idea if I'm doing things right. I stay in group homes or with people who need a roommate, shifting in my room or in a park at night (the one time I showed someone my wolf they freaked out and called the police, so I make sure to only shift where no one can see). And I get kicked out for various reasons- I wasn't doing what they expected, they needed the room for a friend, or just because they could. Then I find the next place that will house me for a while.

I walk toward the bus stop so I can go to the library for a computer to lookup people needing a roommate. I'm walking past different shops, stores, and restaurants, admiring the displays in the windows, careful not to get in the way of the busy people speed-walking around me. Suddenly, it starts raining. Not even a drizzle. The sky just opens up and pours the water down.

Everyone around me begins moving at an even faster pace- jogging to get to the destination quicker or darting into the nearest building. I am one of the latter. I jog into the next door I see, which happens to be a coffee shop.

"Hello," the barista says to me as I step through the door. "What can I make for you?"

"Um. Hello. Um. I..." I say, glancing out the window at the pouring rain- my only reason for being in here. I guess she notices.

"Ah," she says. "Just getting out of the rain?"

"Yeah..."

"No problem. Have a seat anywhere. If you decide you want something just let me know," she replies, smiling at me.

I give her a nod and look around. It's a nice spot. There's a row of low bookshelves in the middle that indicates the start of the line and splits the room in half, which are stuffed on both sides with books and coffee mugs, cups, and other knicknacks you can buy. There's high tables by the windows to my left and lower tables of two along the left wall and four in the middle. The right side of the space is filled with couches, recliners, and coffee tables. The space has quite perfectly been split with the right side for relaxing and taking a break and the left side to focus and get work done. Even the lighting is different. I find a seat in one of the sofa chairs and watch the rain outside thinking I've just found my new favorite spot.

After a while watching the rain, I decide to get a tea. The girl puts her phone down as I approach and gives me a smile.

"Decide to get something?" She asks.

"I think so," I tell her as I reach the counter. "Though I'm not really sure what that something is." I take a deep breath as I look up at the menu behind her. I get a whiff of her sent over the smell of coffee and immediately know she's a wolf shifter, too. My eyes widen in shock- I've never met another shifter before. I'm not even sure how I know, but I do- one of those things my wolf tells me that I've learned not to question too much.

The barista is confused at first and I see her take a discreet breath through her nose. Then she relaxes and smiles again.

"I've never met another of us," I whisper. Now she looks shocked, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping open a bit.

"Really?" She asks and I nod. "Wow. I can't even imagine what that's like for you. I grew up around others and now I'm roommates with two others. Oh! Would you like to move in with us?" She asks, excitedly.

A week later and I realize I've found my home. The other girls in the house are genuinely happy to have me there. We share everything so no one goes without anything. They're simply living life together and now I'm a part of that. Tonight we're going "hiking". Apparently they go twice a month into the forest and let their wolves free. I'll actually be able to run full out with other wolf shifters. I'm practically vibrating with excitement. I try to tone it down but it's quite difficult. The girls notice it anyway and chuckle at me.

"Let it all out," Caty says. "We know this is special for you. You've been on your own for way too long. It's really not good for you. We are social creatures, you know."

Ally comes and hugs me as she says, "You don't have to worry about any of that now, though. You'll never have to be on your own again."