Chapter Sixteen

I manage to avoid the pack for the rest of the day, but I know I can't avoid them forever. By the next day, I leave my room to get to know the people I'll be living with at least for now.

Ina comes up to me right away.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to come out again," she says. "I was getting worried about you."

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "Yesterday was just…a bit of a shock. It’s all a huge adjustment."

"I know," she says. "It’s going to be a lot to get used to. But I'm glad you're out of your room now."

"I just need some time to get used to this, to get used to everything."

"I understand," she says. "I'm not going to rush you into things. I know this is a lot. But I think you'll really like it here. How about I show you around?”

“I’d like that,” I say.

If I can focus on my life here, maybe I can manage to be here while still having to cope with seeing Kaleb with someone else.

The way this pack has built a life with nature appeals to me. Ina and I run, taking in the