First Time Experience Read online

  Get out. Get out! Get out!

  Max ducked into an alleyway, out of view. It was too much. The anger was overwhelming her completely and she was started to hyperventilate. The last thing she needed was some concerned citizen getting involved. That never ended well.

  God, she felt like she wanted to rip her skin from her bones. The rage was building into a blinding heat that tore through her blood like wildfire. All she could see was her father’s red, screaming face swimming around her mind. She felt some kind of sound rumble from her throat. She couldn’t stop it. She needed to hit something. She wanted to hit him. Bare knuckles right square into his face.

  The rage built and built. She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs felt ragged and hot like she’d been breathing in ash. It was too much. Too much. Too much. Crack!

  The haze parted for just a moment. Her fist had hit a wall in the alley. Orange brick dust drifted around her wrist. The wall had cracked around her knuckles.

  Something was wrong. She pulled her hand back. No blood. No split skin. There should be blood. Her muscles still rippled with hot red rage and still that feeling like her skin needed to be torn from her body. She heard a growling and whipped around. The alley was empty. Just her in the darkness with a faint glow of streetlights at one end. She could see everything with almost crystal precision. The brick dust still loose in the air. Each individual pore and divot in the wall ahead of her. Even the stars through the light polluted haze above her. And she felt strong. Stronger than she’d ever felt in her life. Strong like she imagined a bear or a lion felt. What was this? She heard the growl again. Her head whipped all around. Nothing. Then she noticed the rumble in her throat. The sound was coming from her. It reverberated off the walls and echoed back. She was growling. Snarling without realising.

  Panic began to replace the rage as the burning in her skin began to build and build. Her senses were utterly overwhelmed. She could see everything. Feel everything. Smell everything. Nothing was making sense. And she was on fire. It felt like her skin was ripping and cracking away. The sounds coming from her grew louder until she was howling between growls and snarls. She smelt the coming rain. And rotting wood. And the prickling stench of vomit somewhere in the city. The scent of her father’s breath clung to her clothes and the world went white.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey, she’s coming to.”

  A man’s voice.

  “Why don’t you take off, Leschi? She’s gonna be raw, don’t want to overload her.

  A woman’s.

  “Sure thing. Just call if you need me.”

  Footsteps. Leaving.

  Max blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. The world coming to her in brief glimpses. She saw curved brick walls, like a tunnel. And dim orange light. And she could hear gentle breathing somewhere to her right. And there was something soft beneath her.

  She came to. She didn’t recognise anything about the place around her. Rust coloured bricks built up the walls and curved into a ceiling just a few feet above her. She was lying on what felt like a pile of blankets and a table. And, oh. Her body hurt. Terribly. Every muscle ached under her skin, even the slightest twitch in her hands was painful.

  Suddenly, then, everything from the night before flooded in. The fight and the anger and the wall and then… nothing.

  Hayden.

  At the thought of her brother, Max sat up quickly, but her head span nauseously and her stomach lurched. She felt a pair of firm hands on her shoulders, pushing her gently back to the bed.

  “Easy. The first transformation is always rough. Take your time.”

  And there above her was the source of the breathing. The first thing she took in as her swimming head settled, was a wave of silver-grey hair. It tumbled messily around the angular face of a young woman, not much older than herself, who watched Max with a patient smile and eyes that were almost the same colour as her hair with just a little blue around the pupils. Max couldn’t help but stare, slightly in awe. She’d never seen someone like her before and the shock, confusion and dizziness of everything mixed together painfully. She screwed her eyes shut, groaning.

  “What’s happening?” She kept her eyes closed.

  “You’re safe. The dizzy thing’ll pass soon enough just try to breathe.” The women’s voice was smooth and calming, like cool water, but Max couldn’t relax.

  “I don’t understand.” She said. Ignoring the pain in her head, she opened her eyes and looked all around her. “I was walking home. I – I’ve gotta talk to my brother. What’s going on?”

  She sat up again and this time managed to hold off the feeling of the world going off-kilter, swinging her legs off the bed.

  “Woah, now.” The other woman held her hands out, trying to stop Max. “Seriously you need to take it easy. I’ll explain just… sit still. Please?”

  Max hesitated, loathe to trust anyone, but there was something honest in this woman’s eyes and she nodded slowly.

  “Do you have any water?” She asked. She didn’t lie back down, but she didn’t attempt to stand either. She wasn’t sure her legs could even hold her weight right now. The other woman reached into a rucksack beside the bed and pulled out a water bottle. She handed it over and Max accepted gratefully, taking a few big gulps. When she finished, she handed it back to the woman who was watching her expectantly.

  “So, what do you want to know first?” She asked.

  Max looked around the room. There was still nothing in it that she recognised.

  “Where are we?”

  “Underneath the city. More specifically, somewhere under Belltown.”

  Max furrowed her brow. She’d lived in Seattle her entire life. All those years and she’d never once heard about a place like this.

  “I didn’t know there was an underneath.”

  “Most cities have an underneath. Criminals, vagrants, and other unwanted people have been using them for centuries.”

  “Is that what you are? A criminal?” Max asked, suddenly wary.

  “No. Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Good to know.” The woman smirked. “Next question?”

  Max thought about it for a moment.

  “If you’re not a criminal, who are you then? What’s your name?”

  “You can call me River. We don’t use real names here, it’s safer for everyone if we’re a little bit anonymous. We’ve been calling you Five since we brought you in here.”

  “Why Five?”

  “That’s where we found you. An alley off Fifth Avenue.” She pointed above them. Max frowned. How had she gotten to Belltown? She’d been up in the northern part of the city.

  “Okay. I’m just getting more confused here. What exactly happened? How did I get here?”

  River sighed. There was a chair beside the bed and she took it then, sitting down softly. That was something Max had already noticed. It seemed that every one of River’s movements was purposeful and controlled. Max watched closely as River seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment.

  “Something happened to you last night,” she finally said, “something changed. You would have blacked out, probably don’t remember much, but before that you noticed some things, didn’t you? Your senses were clearer and sharper than you’re used to. You were stronger. Faster. Ringing any bells?”

  Max just nodded. River continued.

  “I don’t know everything about it – no one does – but from what I can understand, there are a few of us that have something unusual locked away in our DNA. And it takes a lot for that something to be unlocked but that’s what happened to you last night. An intense emotional reaction of some sort triggered the unlocking of your DNA and you… changed.”

  Max’s mouth hung open just slightly. She blinked. This woman was insane. Had to be insane. There was no way that what she was saying was true. Max was dreaming, clearly. Just a weird dream she’d probably need therapy for. Either that or she’d been kidnapped by a cultist. She glanced over River’s controlled and careful
presentation.

  Oh, great. She thought. I’ve been kidnapped by a cultist.

  “I’ve got to go.” She said. Ignoring the ache of protest in her legs, she got down off the bed. It was only then that she realised the clothes she was wearing were not her own. But she didn’t care. She spotted her phone, wallet and keys on top of a box across the room and quickly moved to gather them.

  “Listen, I know it’s a lot to take on,” River said, not moving from the chair, “but I promise I’m telling the truth and you need to believe me.”

  “Look,” Max turned around to her, shoving her belongings in the pockets of the strange clothes, “I don’t know if you’re some fucked up figment of my subconscious or if you’re just a weird, crazy, hot hippy lady that’s taken me hostage, but what I do know is that I need to leave here and I need to find my own clothes and I need to get my baby brother away from my shitbag father. So, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go now. Please don’t try and stop me. I think I broke a wall last night.”

  She promptly turned toward the door of the strange underground room and swung it open. She was half expecting it to be locked but it wasn’t and she glanced back to River who was only now getting up from the chair. River gave her a friendly, even sympathetic, smile but Max turned away and walked out the door.

  Chapter 3

  For a world that she’d never heard of, the tunnels beneath Seattle were extensive. Scratch that. They were a maze. And Max didn’t want to admit she was lost but, honestly, everything looked the same. She was fairly certain she’d walked down the same bit of tunnel three times and, to make matters worse, River was following her. She didn’t say anything. Just followed her at a distance, like she was keeping an eye on her.

  “Listen, if you’re gonna keep following me you could at least be helpful and tell me how to get out of here.”

  “I’d love to help you. But only if you agree to listen and learn how to control your abilities.”

  “I don’t have any abilities. Except, maybe, the ability to get really, really lost in your stupid tunnels.”

  “You do have abilities. Sooner or later, you’ll accept that. I’d rather you accept it before you hurt someone.”

  Max stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to River.

  “What the hell makes you think I’d hurt someone?”

  “I don’t think you’d do it intentionally. But you said it yourself, you broke a wall last night. And that’s because you weren’t in control. What happens if there are people around next time?”

  “There’s not gonna be a next time. And whatever kind of sick mind games you think you’re playing, you can stop them right now because I’m done. I’ve spent my entire life being hurt by my own family, I would never do that to someone. Now, how the hell do I get out of here?”

  River just stood there.

  Max sighed heavily, exasperated. She tugged the hoodie she’d been given up and over her head and threw it to the ground. All the walking had made the air feel warm around her and now she was frustrated which wasn’t making matters any better.

  “God. What is your problem?” She said.

  “I don’t have one, not while you’re still safe down here and not a danger to anyone.”

  “For the last time, I would never hurt anyone.”

  River’s smile disappeared. She took a step closer to Max.

  “Right now, you are ten times stronger than pretty much every other person up there. You can run about as fast a race horse if you want to. And your senses are so keen, that if you go up into the city without any training whatsoever, you will hurt someone because you won’t be able to control it. Now, I don’t care if you don’t believe me but I cannot let you up there and risk you hurting some innocent person.”

  “Look, just back off alright?” Max’s voice was beginning to rise and she felt a slight rumble in her throat as she spoke. Her skin was growing hot again and slowly, more and more memories of the night before began flashing into her mind.

  “Why should I?” River said, moving closer. “Why should I need to back off if you’re so sure you won’t hurt anyone?”

  Max grit her teeth. “Don’t. Push me.”

  River was within arm’s length and she leant in towards Max who was shaking and twitching.

  “Why? Scared you might hurt me?”

  “I said, back off!”

  Smack!

  Without even thinking Max had lunged forward and pushed at River with all her might, just wanting to get the strange woman away and protect herself. But River hadn’t just stumbled back a few feet. She’d flown backwards into the wall of the tunnel. Realising what she’d done, Max immediately drained of any anger and turned instead to shock, watching River slowly get to her feet. The wall had cracked around the impact but River looked relatively unscathed but Max could see a slight shake in her fist as she stood, slid her bag from her shoulder and looked dead in Max’s eyes.

  “I’m sorry for that,” River said, “but you had to see.”

  And then she transformed right in front of Max. Clothes were ripped and torn away as the lithe human body of River gave way to a huge, silver-grey haired wolf. They had the same eyes. Piercing, with that ring of blue. And they watched Max carefully as she backed up a few steps in shock.

  “I – I don’t understand.” Max stammered. “You – what is this?”

  Wolf-River took two heavy steps forward until her head was directly in front of Max, who fought the urge to run. There was still a slight burn underneath her skin but it was significantly muted now. Instead, there were just tears forming in her eyes. This couldn’t be real. It was too much. All Max had ever wanted was a normal life and yet here she was in a tunnel with some kind of wolf-human.

  She looked straight into Wolf River’s eyes. They were warm, sympathetic, comforting. They could see everything that she was thinking and it broke her. The tears fell.

  “What’s happening?” She whispered.

  Wolf River bowed her head. There was a slight shimmer in the air around her and then, in a second, the wolf was gone, and the same human body of before stood in its place. She was completely naked, her pale skin glowing under the dim light, but she seemed unfazed. She simply continued to look at Max.

  “Come with me.” She said, softly. “I want to show you something.”

  Chapter 4

  River, now dressed in spare clothes she apparently kept in her bag, lead Max through the winding maze of tunnels with ease. After several long minutes, Max’s tears stopped and she just continued to follow in mute acceptance. She still didn’t understand. And she only half-believed it was all real. But whatever it was that was happening, she didn’t want to risk throwing Hayden against a wall like she had River. He wouldn’t walk it off like she had. She supposed super toughness was just one of these new abilities that she had. God, everything was so confusing.

  “Here.” River finally stopped walking after about fifteen minutes. She gestured to her left and Max looked. There was a set of stairs leading up and away from the tunnel. From somewhere above, she could see daylight streaming through and, quite clearly, the sounds of a city street.

  “This leads right out into Belltown?”

  “Not exactly. That leads onto an alley off a really quiet street near Belltown.”

  “But… I can hear it, it doesn’t sound like a quiet street.”

  “That’s because your hearing is like that of a wolf and then some. What you can hear is probably about a mile away.”

  Max stared up at the stairs. As she focused, she could begin to sense that the sounds were coming from some distance away, something she’d never had to deal with before.

  “That’s,” she glanced at River, “that’s really, really weird.”

  “Yeah, it takes some getting used to.” River smiled. “But this is what I meant when I said you’d be overwhelmed as soon as you went up there. Your senses are completely raw, like an exposed nerve. You’re not used to it and aside from anger the thing that can really t
rigger a transformation is panic. And you will panic. It’s nothing against you, it’s just how it is for us.”

  “So, why have you brought me here?”

  “I want you to see that you’re not trapped here. We’re not keeping you prisoner. All I want to do is help you learn how to control everything so that when you do next go up into the city, it won’t completely blindside you.”

  “And I won’t hurt anyone?”

  River nodded. “And you won’t hurt anyone.”

  Max sighed and dropped her head. The constant rumbling sounds from the streets above were starting to give her a headache.

  “There’s still so much I don’t get,” she said, “you keep saying ‘us’ and ‘we’ but who are we? What are we?”

  “How about we go somewhere we can sit and talk everything out? Maybe I can actually persuade you to accept some training?”

  Max looked back up the stairs.

  “I can’t stay long.” She said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone but I have something I really need to take of as soon as.”

  “I just want to get you to a point where you can control your emotions and your senses. If you really work for it, it probably won’t take longer than a day or two.”

  Max hesitated. She was torn. The longer she left Hayden the more at risk he was of being hurt by their father. But if she left now, she might risk hurting him herself. She couldn’t have that. She turned back to River and nodded.

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 5

  “What kind of stupid name is that?”

  “Look, I didn’t pick it. Somebody way back in history did.”