Page 3 of Wolf

Her eyes flash before they narrow and she says stonily, “Fine. But you keep your mouth shut.”

Nodding, I follow her along the side of the house, my chest burning at her cross look.

She drops to her knees at the corner, and I stare in wide-eyed amazement as she digs out a backpack. If I recall it’s the hand me down, I used in the seventh grade, decorated in stars and hearts.

She pulls out pants and a shirt before changing. When she’s done, she’s no longer the prim and proper Reverend’s daughter. Skinny jeans accentuate her small waist, a shirt that does nothing to conceal her assets pulls at her breasts and the final mark of defiance, she releases her hair, so it flows around her shoulders.

Miriam is the only one of us girls who doesn’t have some form of Mama’s red hair, hers a deep chocolate brown like Daddy's.

“Here.”

She hands me a skirt and shirt and with fumbling fingers I transform, shifting uneasily when I feel a breeze up my backside. Am I ready for this?

She adjusts my skirt and pulls the tie from my hair before presenting me with a tube of lipstick. Immobile, I stand while she applies it to my mouth before adding her own.

After, she looks me over with a small frown before nodding. She hides our clothes back in the bag and leaves them under the bush before I follow her silently between the houses and down the street.

Although we live in a larger development, there’s always the risk of someone seeing us which is why I glance around as we enter the woods that surround our community.

Once we’re concealed by the tall trees, she grabs my hand, digging her fingers into my skin and I catch the gasp under my breath as she hisses, “If you tell anyone…”

“I won't,” I whisper, my heart pounding at her severe stare.

She pulls away and marches ahead of me. Smoothing my hair from my face, I grimace at the reminder that it’s no longer pulled back. Strangely, I feel both exhilarated and terrified of what I’m walking into. Not only that, but I’m painfully aware of the parts of my body that have never seen the light of day, much less the darkness around us.

Slivers of moonlight cast the path in an eerie glow, and I shiver before hurrying forward. When we emerge on the other side of the small park, I see a car idling at the curb.

Miriam marches toward it and I pause at the sight. It's a beautiful Mustang with pretty rims and a fancy racing stripe. I only know this because I took Mechanics as an elective last year, hoping to avoid another boring topic like Public Speaking.

A guy I don't recognize sits behind the wheel and he smiles when she opens the door before looking behind her with raised brows.

“Who’s this?”

“My sister,” she says, motioning for me to get in the back seat.

“Oh,” he studies me curiously, his cobalt blue eyes bright before turning to her with a wide smile. She giggles, leaning in for a kiss before pulling back and glancing at me weirdly.

My cheeks heat and I turn my head, biting my lip as her friend revs the engine and pulls away, leaving me to my thoughts.

I’m in a car with my sister and a boy who Daddy would most definitely not approve of. I have no idea where we’re going and I’m wearing siren red lipstick. With a small smile, I watch the scenery flying by, hoping for a memory I can hold close when I’m stuck back in my bedroom, dreaming of something more.

Miriam and her mysterious guy chat up front, but I can’t hear what they’re saying between the loud music blaring from the speakers and the whoosh of the open windows. Whatever it is, it makes her happy because she’s smiling so wide it's almost painful to see while her eyes sparkle in the low light.

My heart lurches at the sight, and I ignore the curl of jealousy. She’s in a place I would never wish myself to be because eventually, her misdeeds are going to be too obvious to hide. What will she do? I don't have a frame of reference for the punishment for this but if missing school because of period cramps earns us three lashes of Daddy’s whip, I can't imagine what this will bring.

Thoughts of which make me shudder. This is most definitely going to be ugly.

I look up when we slow, spying a slew of cars parked in a semicircle, surrounded by a crowd of people. Some sit in makeshift stands, while others stand around the cars, filling in behind us as we pull to a stop.

With wide eyes, I soak in the sight, fascinated by the colors and sounds. A woman with rainbow-colored hair laughs, her purple lips stretched in a smile.

A guy next to her glances at her with greedy eyes and grabs her around the waist. Beyond, a group sways to music pulsing from a car, their bodies lithe in the light of a fire.

With a pulse of unease, I glance down at my new outfit. Changing my clothes doesn’t change who I am, and I’m half tempted to wait in the car but that’s pushed to the side when Miriam and her beau pull back from a scorching kiss and she opens the door, exiting before gesturing for me to follow.

Once we’re clear, he pulls up to a white line painted in the dirt. The cars before and beside him rev their engines, the sound echoing in my ears as exhaust tickles my nose.

A thrill shoots through me and I back away with Miriam when she grabs my arm before pulling me to a group of girls standing to the side. None of them bother to speak to her and she ignores them as they cast curious glances in our direction.

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