RUNNING WITH WOLVES

Growing up, life in the McQuade household wasn't ideal. For years, all she could think about was getting away. As far away as she could get wasn't good enough for her. She got a map of the world, and put pins in all of the places she wanted to go. She was sixteen when she got the nerve up, and she left, without looking back. Her regret was leaving her eleven year old brother behind. It was an effort to stay in touch, but e-mail made the world a small place, and she was able to tell him of all the places she visited. Of all of the pins from her map she got the fulfill.

About a year ago, a lot of that changed. Three days after leaving the beach on the Canary Islands, Al found herself back in the US, and was thumbing her way across the country. It was just another leg on the grand adventure that was becoming her life. It was in the outskirts of Vegas that all of it changed. She got a ride as far as the Strip, but she wanted to get to the coast. She was chasing the endless summer after all.

She should have trusted the feeling she got of the hairs raising on the back of her neck when she climbed into that truck. But, she didn't. Because she didn't trust that instinct everything changed. Her memory of what happened to her that night was a blur. She vaguely remembered a large dog biting her, and being dumped out of truck in a ditch. The next day was spent in agony. She'd never experienced a flu that left her feeling that out of sorts. But, it only lasted for a day, and then, her senses were alive with sensitivity. By the time she got herself to LA, she had a hard time controlling her impulses. Rather than drinking in the sunshine, she sought refuge away from people.

Al needs to figure out what is wrong with her, but for now, she needs to find a place to call home so she can figure herself out. And who knows, maybe she'll find a familiar face along the way?