Chapter Three: Carmen

It was dark and humid in the woods where I was.

A twig snaps behind me as I go around.

I ask, "Who's there?"

Silence.

"Come out," I urged.

A wolf the size of a pony emerges from the trees; its fur was similar to my hair, starting white and fading into a dark brown that glistened in the moonlight, and its silver eyes were so captivating that I nearly forgot it was a wolf; then it said, the same words it's been saying me since I was thirteen:

It demanded, "Give me control."

"Of what?" I ask.

It jumped on me, knocking me over and baring its teeth.

It snarled, "Shift."

That's a first.

"What?"

"Shift, Carmen, Shift!" it barks.

"What do you mean?" I ask, terrified.

It roared, opening its mouth, and I closed my eyes, awaiting my fate.

I bolted straight up panting. My face was bathed with sweat, and my hair was all over the place. I'm looking at my clock for my alarm, 6:00 am and I won't be sleeping anymore tonight.

I changed into my bathrobe and exited my room, closing the door quietly to avoid making a noise, and tiptoeing downstairs.

I make pizza bagels and ginger lemon tea once I get to the kitchen.

I hear someone coming downstairs while I'm eating.

"Are you having nightmares again, Carm?"

"Yeah, sis, how about you?"

She sits next to me and adds, "I literally can't sleep."

I offer her a bagel and brew her a cup of tea, and we sit on the island eating and drinking tea.

"What happened this time?" She asks.

"It's the usual. I was travelling through the woods when I came across a wolf. It requested for control, but this time it asked me to 'shift.'"

"What does that mean?" she enquires, her brows furrowed.

"I have no idea! For four years, I had dreams about a speaking wolf and I don't even know what any of it means!" I exclaim, and I feel like crying at the same time.

"We'll figure it out, believe it or not. Are you sure you don't want Mami and Papi to know?"

"Yes, I am sure. They already have a lot on their plates."

My parents were going through a difficult period when the nightmares began. I was going to tell them, but they appeared to be stressed enough.

As I put the dishes in the sink, I add, "We should get ready for the day., I was thinking about checking out the farmer's market"

"You're right," she says as she walks upstairs, and I follow her.

When I arrive upstairs, I take a shower and brush my teeth.

When I'm finished, I change into a pair of denim overall shorts and a baby blue tank top. I decide not to wear any make-up and instead let my freckles show, although I do apply clear lip gloss.

I put on my glasses, my family necklace, a crescent moon with a gem heart the colour of your birthstone hanging in the centre, and my personalized baby blue air force 1s that I got for my birthday last year.

When I'm finished, I stand in front of my full-length mirror and take a look at myself. Mami is responsible for most of my features. My height, freckles, curves, passion for agriculture, particularly food agriculture, and kind-heartedness

My terrible eyesight, stubbornness, and love of books and gardening are all traits I inherited from my father.

My hair starts white, which is my Mami's hair colour and fades into a dark brown, which is my Papi's. We've tried having my roots dyed, but the colour won't stick, It also grows rapidly; I shaved my head before the trip, and it already reaches my thighs. My eyes have a similar situation, the top halves are emerald green like Papi's eyes, and the bottom halves are honey brown like Mami's.

Sighing, I decide to throw my hair in a messy bun and grab my iPhone 2 and head out the door once I'm done.

"Hola mamá, hola papá!" I greet.

"Hola!" they respond.

"Look, your Mami and I are leaving in an hour, but first we have a surprise for you girls," Papi says as he finishes his coffee.

"Follow me," he urges.

As Cami and I walk with Papi to the garage, my imagination raced with the possibilities of what might be waiting for us. Nutella in a big tub, Elephants, cupcakes, cake, and chocolate are all on the menu of ideas on my mind.

He says, "OK, close your eyes," and we do so.

My interest is piqued as I hear the garage door open.

He cries, "OK three, two, one, OPEN!" and we do.

There's no way. Never in a million years would I have guessed.

They bought us...

CARS!

A black Tesla and a blue Ford F-150 pickup, to be precise.

"Carm, the truck is yours--" Papi begins, but our squeals cut him off.

"Thank you, Papi," we exclaim as we run up to him.

"Ok, ok," he says as he regains his balance.

"Here are the keys; your Mami and I must leave, so take them for a test drive, okay?" We eagerly nod in response to what he says.

Cami and I received our driver's licences before Mami and Papi lost their jobs, so we never got around to buying cars.

We wave goodbye to Mami and Papi as they exit the driveway.

"Sorry sis, I won't be able to go to the market with you; I have to go to the mall," she adds, pulling out father's credit card.

That thief. When we hurled ourselves on him, she must have snatched it from his pocket.

"I'll get you a new phone or something," she promises as she drives away. As she drives away, I say, "Bye sis!"

So, I guess I'll be on my own.

I climb into my truck, which I have named Joey, and drive away, using, my phone for navigation to find the farmers market.