Chapter Text
It was well past midnight but no one in the Sinclair family was asleep, the yelling coming from the master bedroom being far too loud. Maybe her brothers were able to tune it out but Enid just couldn’t. Her parents’ words echoed even louder as they reached her ears.
“She’s our daughter, Esther!” Murray reasoned.
“No child of mine will be gay!” Mrs. Sinclair cried.
Enid's new found confidence had proved to be a detriment as she truly thought coming out to her parents was a good idea. She’d grown so much as a wolf in the last year, that had to be enough to impress them. They won’t care about who she loves, she’s one of them now. Unfortunately, the tears currently pouring down her cheeks said otherwise.
“Honey, come on…” Mr. Sinclair pleaded.
“No Murray! You always take her side, if the little runt wants to be valued in this pack then she should work on not being such a disappointment!” Esther shouted back. The words hit Enid with the same impact as a bullet to the heart.
The sobs came out harder, hurting the young wolf’s chest as she broke down. In that moment, Enid decided to do something she’s only ever fantasized about. Six years of feeling smaller than the rest of her pack, of being excluded, of passive aggressive remarks came boiling over as she searched for train tickets. Enid could tell when she wasn’t wanted and leaving on her own felt better than being forced out. The bright laptop screen showed dozens of tickets to many different places but Enid landed on a 6:55AM ticket to Vermont. Maybe she could camp out at Nevermore, get a job somewhere in Jericho to help pay for things. The travel time would be long, three days and a give or take some hours, but it was worth it to get out of her house. The blonde looked at the clock, she had two hours to pack whatever she could and walk the forty minutes to the train station.
The window creaked slightly as Enid opened it. A red duffle bag slung over her right shoulder. She had packed a week’s worth of outfits, two pairs of pjs, some old, unused travel toiletries she found in the bathroom cabinet, perfume, Airpods, and one stuffed animal. It was hard to choose just one but she decided on a white and purple wolf plush Wednesday had mailed her last month as a gift for her seventeenth birthday. Her phone, now with all her family’s cell numbers blocked, was fully charged but she made sure to put a cord in her bag. Carefully, she climbed out the window. Her right foot hit the ground first and for a moment Enid questioned her decision but one pathetic cry from her mother gave her the momentum to leave. No note, very few contacts, and a rough outline of a plan.
The walk to the train station was refreshingly cool as the summer sun was just beginning to rise. She made it through security with no problems and boarded her train twenty minutes later. The trip went how you would expect; movies, uncomfortable sleep, lackluster food, and far too many people asking why a seventeen year old was traveling alone. Then, with only an hour or so to go, Enid felt it. That excited-anxious bubbling in her gut and the itching, sting that set her bones a flame.
SHIT! No! Not now! Enid whispered but her begging did nothing as her phone lit up with a reminder.
FULL MOON TONIGHT!!!!! 🐺🌕🥳💕🌲
With dread successfully settling in her chest Enid looked out the window. The sun was setting, she didn’t have much time.
“I need off the train now!” Enid screamed as she grabbed her bag, pushing past people to get to the front of the train car where she was intercepted by an attendant.
“Miss, we're in the middle of forest tracks. We won’t make it to the next station for another hour.”
“I don’t care I just need off, please” Maybe it was Enid’s desperation or the attendant just didn’t care enough to argue but either way she picked up a walkie talkie connected to her navy belt and said something incoherent into it. Not even five minutes later the train began to slow and the conductor came on a loud speaker.
“Attention passengers, we are making a brief emergency stop! Please stay seated, we'll be back on schedule shortly. Thank you for your cooperation."
“Are you sure this is okay, honeybun?” The attendant asked as the doors opened.
“Yes ma’am, thank you.” Enid rambled back before sprinting out of the train car. She didn’t know where she was but right now she just needed to get away from these roads. The last thing she needed was to be spotted by some nosey normie. She made it to a secluded area mere minutes before the moon made her grand entrance. With her clothes in a neat pile and the lukewarm breeze hitting her bare back Enid took a deep breath and waited to transform.
When the sun rose the next day Enid was struck with immediate after effects of her wolf transformation, soreness, the desperate need to take a shower, and extreme tiredness. Perhaps it was from standing up too fast or the inadequate sleep she'd been getting the past few days but as Enid pushed herself off the ground, pink coat fastened tightly against her body, she felt the world spin and her vision went black.