[indent][b]Neomi Adams[/b][/indent]
	It was after her shift, and Neomi was packing for her trip. She let out a frustrated sigh, as she thought how wonderful it would be to have her mother’s tips and tricks of travel. But, asking her mother for help was clearly not an option.

	Since telling them about the journey, she could not help but notice her parents were less than thrilled about her decision. Actually, it was more accurate to say were livid. One would think Neomi was committing treason. In a way she was. She was throwing away the family values that had cradled her childhood upbringing. 

	And, until she left for the Darklight Corridor, she was having to endure her parents’ reaction. More specifically, the reaction of her mother. Whether she was at the front desk or working in the kitchen, her mother’s disdain was evident in the older woman’s now piercing eyes and tightly frowned lips.

	[i]This better not suck,[/i] Neomi thought as she scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. [i]I will never hear the end of it. Especially from Mom.[/i]

	There was also the chance that she would have to work at The Burrow for the rest of her life, which meant she would never truly have the opportunity to explore her powers as a Howl. [i]This[/i] could literally be her last chance. It might not be, but [i]it totally could be.[/i]

	Besides, she was no longer a child. She had just reached adulthood. If she wished to be an escort for a traveling Apothecary, she should be more than able to fulfill that desire. 

	“It shouldn’t be this hard,” Neomi muttered to no one in particular.  If she was being honest, as she often was to a fault, she was an adult. Obviously. Needing her mother’s help was for children. Plus, in less than twenty-four hours, she would be out from under her parents’ wings for maybe the rest of her life.