Lilith Pov
I wanted to crawl back under my blanket, but I pulled myself from my old lumpy mattress instead of going back to sleep. I knew I had things going on today. I had to collect the protection money for Rob. I hated doing this, but it was the first Friday of the month and I was obligated to. I rushed, throwing on my ratty jeans and t-shirt that was well past its expiration date. My worn baseball cap went on my head covering my long straight black hair. I put on my high-tops last, they were my signature shoes and I laced tightly on the off chance I would be running.
I crept downstairs from my room wondering if I would be able to nick a protein bar. I had not eaten since lunch the day prior. My mother’s own personal way to ensure I was suffering for my father's crimes. I was quiet and made it to the pantry but before I could grab some from my mother's stash my stepfather, Jim, came into view. “What are you doing lurking in the kitchen?” I sneered as his tone was sharp. He always tried to lord over me like I was someone beneath him. He hated me, probably just as much as my mother did. It wasn’t worth it to have a confrontation right now. I had to go collect the money for Rob.
I turned from my stepfather without responding and went to the door. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked, I knew what he was doing. He always ogled me when he didn’t think I was looking, but I could always feel his beady eyes on me. It was disgusting, but this was my life. I just had to make it to graduation. I was a senior and at the end of the school year I would be able to leave my mother's house. The only thing keeping here was that my birth father had papers in place that I wouldn’t receive until I graduated from high school.
I had no idea what they contained but I wanted to know more than anything. Missy, my mother, whom I never even referred to as, was a monster. She was no mother and never wanted to talk about my biological father. The only time she would bring him up was when she would want to talk about how he had raped her, taking her whole life away and saddling her with me. This was thrown in my face whenever she thought I was disrespectful. Calling me a demon for the crime of my father.
I hated my origins, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to know about the person who had created me. Missy was not like me. I was a shifter, one that could shift into a wolf. My first shift happened when I was in foster care. It had been Rob’s home the last one I had been shuffled to before I was forced back into Missy and Jim’s home. Rob was there for me, when no one else was. He was more of a parent than Missy would ever be. But even Rob was not perfect. He was the reason I was spending this particular morning running around to the small businesses collecting his money, before I went to school. It took well over two hours just as it does every month. I knew I would be late for school. I always was on this day. I had no car and had to rely on my bicycle. But luckily it was only one day a month.
I went into the school and got there just in time for second period. I knew Missy would get a call saying I was late for school. She wouldn’t care other than the call who have disrupted her from sleeping. She always slept late since her shift at the convince store was not until midday. I hurried to my locker pulling out my chemistry textbook and running to my class. I sat in the back. This was my favorite class, though it was boring as I already knew the material.
My grades were decent. Mostly A’s and B’s. I considered that a personal achievement at least. School droned on as I kept to myself until lunch. Sitting down at my usual table, Juliet sitting down across from me. She had been my friend since freshman year. I was sure to our peers it seemed weird we were friends. I was a jock and Juliet was a bookworm. “Hey Lilith, you missed first period again. I honestly don’t know how you can work for this Rob guy. Sending an 18-year-old do his dirty work is just Ick.”
I rolled my eyes. Juliet always brought this up. “Did you happen to get me some notes?” I smiled at her. She always helped make sure I could keep up with school. “Of course, I can’t just let my best friend fall behind because she has decided to be a gang member.” I raised my eyebrows. “Juliet I am not a gang member.” “Whatever you say, but the jobs you tend to do, in my book tells me you are just that.” I snorted. “Well, after this year you can go to college and get out of that life. You could become a renowned chemist.” Juliet said. She always brought this up. Telling me that going to college would get me away from my current life.
Her pushing I become a chemist was not a new thought. She had been saying it for a while now. I was great at chemistry with a real knack for it. I didn’t know what was so interesting to me about the subject, but I loved it. If I did plan on going to college that would be what I studied. I had applied on the off chance that I would go but didn’t really plan on attending, but I like the options. Not that I would tell my best friend that. We began to eat. “Gross, do they have to do that where we are eating.” Juliet said and I looked to see what she was talking about. I then saw Polly and Jacob making out.
Polly was a queen bee and Jacob was her king. Cheerleader and sport star, it was beyond stereotypical. I myself did cheerleading but I wouldn’t consider Polly and I that close. Juliet sneered at the public display of affection. She told me a while ago she had a crush on Jacob, but now she was at the point of faking her feelings, and talking crap about him, and Polly was also included. “Juliet stop looking, you are just grossing yourself out.” I said. Playing into her feelings of disgust even though I knew she was more jealous than anything. “You would think being the best school in the city the faculty would not tolerate this kind of thing.” Juliet said looking back at her food.
We did go to the best school in the city. Rob pushed me to apply here. He thought I would peddle drugs to the rich kids that attended this place if I got accepted. I was surprised that good grades and a sad backstory of being a poor kid in the city did it. I was given a scholarship. But Rob was not happy when I refused to become his dealer. I was not going to mess with that. With my clothes they way were, enough the kids assumed I had drugs to sell them. I never did, but I did send them to Rob, who could give them what they wanted. Rob had been okay with that kind of arrangement.
School finished up and I left on my bike to go to Robs. It was Friday so I had no sports I needed to attend. Upon entering his gym, I saw some of the fighters practicing. Rob had a low-key gym. He trained fighters and used the gym to launder his money. Well, I assumed he did. He was a criminal through and through. Illegal fights, drugs, gambling, protection for small businesses, selling stolen cars, maybe even illegally selling guns but I didn’t know about the guns for sure. I had stopped by after the rounds this morning dropping off his money, but it had only been for a minute.
“Lilith, my darling girl. How was school?” Rob said. “It was fine, I got a A in chemistry from the test on Tuesday.” Rob smiled. Rob always liked to hear about my success. He was a tall man, burly, and clearly in his early forties but he never did tell me his exact age. “You know I have a way you could use some of those great chemistry skills, you have.” I shook my head. “Rob, I told you I am not becoming a cook for you. I don’t want anything to do with drugs.” He nodded and dropped it.
Rob was a wolf shifter like me. He was the one who taught me everything I needed to know about this creature that I could shift into. “Did you come to train, or did you want to go on a run with Kali?” Kali was my wolf that I shifted into. She was smaller than other wolves. Rob told me it was due to the fact my mother was not a shifter. I also didn't have the height most of our kind had when I was in my human form. “I came to do both.” Rob smiled and nodded. "Okay train and then you can run Kali.”
Rob had a few other shifters he mentored. He let us train and use his special wheels to run on in our wolf form. Being in the city we couldn’t just go out and run in the woods. But Kali, my little black wolf, like others of her kind demanded physical activity. So having a wheel to run on gave her that kind of outlet. Not all of Rob’s wolves trained in human form but for some reason I loved it. It was how I kept my anger in check, which tended to be explosive if I didn’t have a way to channel it. It was why I did sports and came to Rob’s gym so often. As I walked to the locker room Rob called out to me.“Oh, and Lilith there is a fight tonight can I expect you to be here?” I nodded.