After a good fifteen minutes of searching around, Amara locates her parents lounging in the backyard with what looks to be a couple of glasses of white wine. As she approaches, her dad looks back with his usual easy smile and waves her over. she kisses them both on the cheek and sits on an empty chair.

"She's alive! our only daughter finally graces the outside world with her presence” Ulrik jokingly teases which earns an eye roll from her. Amara can't help but giggle which was obviously his aim in the first place. Elsie swats his arm with a small smile on her face. "Ignore the old man. Being an ass seems to be his new full-time hobby. Got any plans for the rest of the day, brat?"

Amara loves how comfortable and close her parent's relationship has always been. Any time she's with them she feels like a kid all over again, in a good way. "Actually that's why I was looking for you. We haven't been into town at all and pamper day might be nice. No daddy of course". Elsie cackles and her dad pouts but it’s all in good fun. "That's a perfect idea! Gonna start getting cabin fever if we’re just stuck in here. I’m sure Rik will find something to do while we go have fun" she grins at him and Rik flicks her arm in return.

Her mom's excitement is infectious and it brings a huge smile to Amara’s face. Elsie looks towards Ulrik who covers his pocket as if protecting his wallet. Amara laugh at their familiar antics, she had missed this more than she had realized. "Forget your father, we’re gonna have a kick-ass time. I’ll grab my bag and we can head out".

Getting up, Dad walks out with them to hug his girls. "Remember to be back for the get-together". Amara looks at him questioningly. she doesn't remember hearing about a get-together. "There's a get-together tonight?" she asks now curious what it's for.

"The one Onyx Moon pack has each month. It's out back so everyone can mingle and eat together while the kids play. There was a big announcement about it earlier in the week". Amara rubs the back of her neck, she either tuned it out or ate alone in the library that day while avoiding people getting some reading done.

Her dad flicks her forehead lightly "You need to pay more attention kiddo. Now that we are settling in, you need to be more aware of what goes on in the pack". She just nod her head and gives him another kiss on the cheek "Got it, old man, we'll see you later" she laughs and moves out of his reach, jumping into the car so they can drive into town.

Amara turns the radio on but keeps the volume low so it is easy to talk over. "You and dad seem to be liking it here". Elsie smiles her way but keeps her eyes on the road "It’s not bad. Pack life isn’t a thing we were used to anymore. It has its up and downsides I guess. Either way, we know coming here was the best choice/"

Looking at her mom, she should really have spent more time considering what it must be like for them. Her parents never talk about their past. Not specifics anyway. Still, Amara knows they were pack wolves at some point and something happened to push them towards the nomad lifestyle. And yet here they are, right back in a pack.

"Did we move here because of me?" she asks, feeling more pieces come together. They had left their previous pack whether by choice or circumstance. Throughout her childhood, they had never even mentioned joining a new one as a possibility. Amara hadn’t imagined them doing so but...they would do anything for her well-being so that must play a role somehow.

Elsie takes a second to decide the best way to answer without lying to Amara before responding "We need you to trust that we are looking out for you and that’s why we ended up here. It will always be us three no matter what comes baby, but being in a pack offers extra support. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not all that jazzed about all of the pack rules and hoops after being away for years, but in the end, we all adapt to survive."

Amara nods her head in understanding. she had felt it in her bones. She wants to dig and ask more questions but now is not the time. "Anyways, that doesn't matter right now because everything is good at the moment. The move seems to have done you well too, the old man and I have noticed you making friends. I know something happened and that’s the reason you've been m.i.a most of the week but I trust you. You may be our kid but you’re grown, nearly twenty-one, and we respect that."

It was wishful thinking, to hope that they had not noticed. Amara wants to cringe and is glad her mom can’t read her mind. Still, she is grateful that they trusted in the relationship they have and that she knew she could count on them if it was something serious.

She reaches over and puts a hand on her mom's and gives her the most sincere smile she can "I really like the pack. It has just been a lot of change in a short time, you know? But I’m all good now".

"We all need space and time to work shit out. You do what you gotta do and come to us if you need help or someone has to get murdered. I watch the I.D channel, I know how to hide a body like nobody’s business". Amara laughs and is well aware that her mom is only partially joking.

"I know, I know. You guys are the coolest parents ever". Elsie scoffs “Fuck yeah we are, and don’t you forget it. Speaking of being cool, we might as well go shopping for a birthday outfit. You only turn twenty one once kid. Gotta party it up” Elsie wiggles her eyebrows and Amara makes a horrified whining sound in the back of her throat. "How about you never do that again, and I’ll let you have the final say on the outfit I buy?"

“Please. Since when do I negotiate? You’re stuck with me as is baby” her mom shoots back and Amara groans, hiding the smile that wants to break out. Perfect timing, just as she says that they pull into the parking garage in the middle of main street.

Stepping out of the car, Amara loops their arms. Crossing the street is easy, there isn't much traffic passing by at the moment A perk of not being in the city she thinks. Both sides of Main Street are lined with mom-and-pop shops and boutiques. They spot a bowling alley and a theater a good way down the road. Plans form in her head to maybe ask Sina and some of the pack members around their age if they want to go to the movies sometime soon.

"What style are you going for? I remember my twenty-first birthday outfit. I was stylin’ in a tube top, cargo pants, and combat boots. My hair freshly braided, makeup just right. Your old man couldn’t look away!" Elsie laughs with a cocky smile edged with something wistful.

"I get it, dad was tooootally into you" Amara teases in a teasing tone and her mom bumps their shoulders together Assessing the window displays for the surrounding boutiques is interesting. Each has its individual style and flair. Everything from classic staple pieces to flowy boho chic.

“If you’re done reminiscing, I think the place looks cool” Amara steers them towards a brick facade building with 'Malkia' etched in Amita font onto what looks like a copper plaque hanging by the entrance. They walk in and this beautiful scent envelops them.

Malkia smells like oakmoss, patchouli, and cedar with a hint of some kind of citrus, or perhaps bergamot. It is fresh and earthy yet spicy which perfectly encompasses the style of their clothing. Like kids at a candy store, they start digging through the countless racks.

The clothes are amazing. A mix of casual and formal. Color and unique prints, a lot of organic fabrics, and interesting cuts. Amara spots a dress almost hidden from sight and grabs it up. It is one of the most gorgeous pieces of clothing she has ever seen. Not showy or over the top but beautiful in a very natural way.

They each make their way into individual dressing rooms but they are next to each other. "Let me know when you have the first outfit on! I wanna see" Elsie calls out. "Sure, I'll just be another minute." Getting undressed, Amara takes the first items off their hangers and slips them on easily. Before showing her mom she takes a look in the mirror. The top is off the shoulders in rich maroon, tucked into a pair of high-waisted palazzo pants in a stunning mustard yellow shade.

Amara is instantly in love with it. She feels somehow feminine yet powerful in the outfit. With a smile on her face, she steps out "What do you think?" she asks while doing a little turn so her mom can get a full view. "That looks so good! oh, my little girl is beautiful just like her mama" Elsie says while squeezing her and Amara starts to laugh.

"Come on mom that's a bit much" although she says that. she knows her smile is still intact. Are you even family if you don’t sprinkle compliments with a dash of teasing? She doesn’t think so.

"Alright, alright! mama will stop embarrassing you. I say the outfit is a winner. Now it’s my turn! Watch and learn kiddo"

For the next half an hour they try stuff on and model it for each other before paying and moving on to check out some other shops. Amara manages to get the dress she spotted earlier without her mom noticing. She doesn’t want anyone seeing it until her birthday a few weeks away.

They hit up a bath and body store to stock up on locally made lotions and candles then step into a beautiful shoe store mostly just to look around. Without realizing it, they had been out for hours now. Amara had been having such an amazing time with her mom that she completely forgot they had to be back at nightfall for the pack dinner.

She offers to take the bags to the car since Elsie wanted to run into the ice cream parlor and get them a couple of cones to go. Making her way back to the parking garage she uses the remote on the car keys to find where they had parked. Somehow she manages to get the trunk open. carefully stack the bags and secure them so she can close the trunk. It shuts with a loud thud and she shakes her arms out, glad to no longer be carrying all the heavy load.

Amara turns so she can walk around and jump in the passenger's seat to wait for her mom to arrive when all her senses suddenly seem to shut down. She stays still hoping that whatever is going on will fade away. Slowly her hearing comes back and she can hear her shallow breaths. she reaches out to try to feel where the car is and her hand touches something.

Instead of cool metal, it feels like fabric and flesh. She hopes that it's her mom finally back with the ice cream and moves forward, getting closer. Almost instantly she realizes this is definitely not her mom.

The hand that wraps around her wrist is large and the body she practically ran into is muscular and obviously male. Amara goes to jerk away, the inability to see making the situation more terrifying. Unfortunately, the hand around her wrist pulls her forward and an arm is now wrapped around her waist. Another attempt to pull away fails, leaving her feeling a sense of panic so thick that she is practically choking on it.

Her sense of smell now kicks back in. She can smell motor oil and chrome from the surrounding cars, even the sweet scent of sticky glaze from the donut shop across the street but whoever is there, is completely scentless. Amara tries to yell but no sound comes out and she curses whoever this is and whatever the hell they've done to her. The feel of hair lightly grazes her cheek and lets her know how close he is now. His breath against her ear makes her squirm even harder.

Just like that, as soon as it came it was gone. She was in the parking lot again with no one in sight. she could hear, see and speak normally. Had someone even been there? What is happening to her? First the vivid dream, then the weird vision thing in the hallway, and now whatever the hell this was.

Amara looks around the now dark parking garage, still slightly disoriented. The sun has set and nothing seems to be out of order but the shiver running down her body is still there. She doesn't get the chance to keep thinking about it because her mom arrives and they jump into the car with ice cream in hand.

Amara does her best to block out the strange incident and eat her ice cream before they get home and she has to be ready to mingle with the pack. She pulls down the sun visor and takes a quick look in the mirror to make sure she looks okay. She realizes her hair ribbon is missing. Oh well, must have fallen off while trying clothes on. I really liked that one too.