The Timber Effect

by Jacklyn Reynolds

  "You're going to have a happy bride even if my bouquets are all wrong," said Timber. "I'm marrying you. That's all I want. And if you're late, I will rip you apart." Henry laughed.

  "Hey guys, are you okay?" asked Angie.

  "Yeah," said Timber. "They don't have what I was looking for but I'm fine." She looked at the girls who were still and quiet. "Nap time?"

  "Yeah. You don't mind if we go home do you?" asked Angie. "They're picky about where they wake up right now."

  "I don't mind," said Timber.

  "We're ready," said Henry. "Is Charles getting the car?"

  Angie nodded. They walked outside of the craft store to see Charles pulling up to the curb. Timber and Angie carefully loaded the girls into their car seats before climbing in with Henry right behind Timber. The drive back to the house was a quiet one as both girls had fallen asleep and no one wanted to wake them up. It was only a short drive from McCarthy Ranch to Vienna Drive behind the high school. Timber unloaded Aurora and Angie took Ariel and they carried them up the stairs and put them in their beds. They left quietly and went down to the living room.

  "That looks like a big campus," said Timber about the high school they passed.

  "It is," said Angie. "The graduating class is about four hundred students."

  "That's the full student body at my high school," said Timber. "What's the mascot?"

  "The Trojans," said Angie and Timber snickered.

  "That's not very encouraging," she said. "The Trojans lost the war. Henry is going to find that highly amusing."

  "I never understood it either," said Angie. "That was my high school. I always thought they needed a better mascot."

  "You grew up here?" asked Timber.

  "Yep. I went to Pomeroy Elementary which is right next to the high school. Then I went to Thomas Russell Middle School, which is right across the street from Pomeroy, and then I went to Milpitas High School."

  "How many schools does Milpitas have?"

  "Six elementary schools that go from kindergarten to sixth grade. They merge into two middle schools. The other one is across town. Then Russell and Rancho merge into one high school."

  "Oh my word," said Timber in disbelief. "I think I'll stick with Fort Bragg."

  "How does your school system work?" asked Angie.

  "There are two elementary schools. One is from kindergarten to second grade and the other is from third to fifth. The middle school is sixth, seventh and eighth, and then there's the high school. The class sizes were usually between twenty to twenty-five students."

  "It's about thirty to thirty-five here," said Angie.

  "I have officially decided I like small towns better," said Timber.

  "I would too, except my friends, Charlie's work, and my family are all here."

  "I understand that," said Timber. "You'll get a nice weekend when you come up for the wedding."

  "I'm sure," said Angie.

  "Hey Angie, I don't feel like cooking tonight," said Charles coming into the room. "Do you care if I call in and order a pizza?"

  "That sounds good to me."

  "What kind of pizza do you like, Timber?" asked Charles.

  "The kind with lots of different meat on it and pineapple," said Timber enthusiastically. Charles laughed.

  "Okay. I'll call around dinner time."

  "We need to leave after dinner," said Henry. "I have work tomorrow."

  Timber blew him a raspberry and they laughed.

  Then Henry went to the back of the house to use the bathroom right before the doorbell rang. Timber, sensing something she didn't like, Turned right in front of Angie who stared for a moment and then smiled. Charles opened the door and was suddenly pushed aside by Henry's and Charles's mother.

  "Where is she? I know she's here! That demon-possessed girl! Where is she?"

  "Who are you talking about, Mom?" asked Charles as he shut the front door.

  "That wolf-girl," said the raging woman. She looked around and saw Timber glaring at her with pure hatred. "That's her! Get her out of here! I don't want that monster near my grandbabies!"

  "She's harmless, Samantha," said Angie.

  "Wolves aren't harmless," insisted Samantha. "They're demon creatures who kill for fun and I will not have her near my family. Get her out or I will make her get out."

  "I wouldn't threaten her if I were you," said Charles who had heard of the damage Timber could do in her wolf form.

  To show Samantha she should listen to her son, Timber showed her teeth but she did not move or make a sound. Just then, Samantha made a sudden movement and Timber saw the black outline of a gun in her belt. She roared and charged, knocking the fifty-year-old woman down to the floor. Timber went immediately for the gun, pulling it out of the belt and dropping it. Timber stood over her, growling when Henry came in.

  "Let her up, Timber," he said. For the first time in their relationship, Timber did not obey a direct command while in her wolf form. "Timber!"

  Henry's voice cracked like a whip and Timber slowly backed away from his mother though she did not stop growling. She picked up the gun in her mouth and gave it to Henry. He realized why Timber didn't obey and he grew angry.

  "You came over for the sole purpose of shooting Timber?" snarled Henry in furious disbelief and Timber growled. "Timber, sit."

  Timber sat.

  "She's a monster, Ferdinand," said Samantha. "And so are you."

  "Not one like you, Mother," said Henry quietly. "You're lucky Timber didn't rip you apart."

  "Why would you think committing murder is okay?" demanded Charles who was trying to calm Angie down.

  "She attacked me," insisted Samantha.

  "She saw your gun," said Henry. "Timber's instincts about people are never wrong. She knew your intentions and she acted in self-defense."

  "You'll also do well to notice that you are completely unscathed," said Charles. "If she meant to harm you, I'm sure she would have. Now if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you would leave my house."

  "Not until you tell me why you are okay with letting these devilish creatures around your children."

  "Henry is my brother and Timber is my soon to be sister in law," said Charles. "They are my family and I trust them."

  "I'm your only real family," demanded Samantha.

  "You're insane," replied Henry.

  Something went off inside Samantha and Timber could see it. She began snarling and making herself more intimidating. Samantha was unfazed. She pulled out a large hunting knife and went straight for Henry. Henry braced himself to fight, but a flash of silver blocked his vision for a split second. Timber jumped out in front and clamped her jaws around Samantha's forearm and swung her body around so that Samantha was pulled backward and away from Henry. She fell on her back and Timber let go. Henry's mother was barely bleeding since Timber didn't want to do any severe damage. She moved and placed herself directly in front of Henry, snarling and baring her teeth.

  "Fool," said Samantha. "I hope you rot in the fires of hell you came from."

  "Get out," said Charles. "You are no longer welcome in my home and if you come anywhere near my girls I will have you arrested. Am I clear?"

  Samantha got to her feet and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Timber heard the girls cry and she ran upstairs. Still too stressed to Turn, she licked the girls' faces in turn until Angie came in. She picked up each girl and brought them downstairs while both girls giggled at Timber.

  "They're fine," said Angie. "They just got startled awake. Timber, thank you for saving Henry."

  Timber pulled her lips back in a smile.

  "Timber, can you Turn back?" asked Henry. Timber looked at him and Turned. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome," said Timber as Aurora clambered on her lap. "I knew from the stories you told me that your mom wasn't completely sane, but I never expected that."

  "Me either," said Henry.

  "Well she's never coming over again," said Angie. "Though, it's not like she wa
s interested in the girls. She liked to come over and complain."

  "Henry, I'm sorry you had to spend any time with that woman," said Timber and Henry shrugged.

  "Living with her was still better than living in Haven."

  "Was it that bad?" asked Charles. "Your letters always sounded like you enjoyed it."

  "I made it that way deliberately," said Henry. "I didn't want you to worry about me. As a younger child, it wasn't bad but as I got older, it was hard to ignore what was happening around me."

  "Henry," said Timber sliding back into timidity. "I'm sorry."

  Timber wanted to fix the relationship between Henry and his mother, not make it worse. Instead of coming close to fixing anything, she had ripped an entire family apart. She had taken a grandma away from two sweet little girls and a mother away from two men. Timber's stomach was in knots.

  "What are you apologizing for?" asked Henry.

  "What happened with your mom," said Timber timidly. "I didn't mean for this! I'm so sorry!"

  "Timber, please listen to me," said Henry softly. "You shouldn't have gone over there this morning but what happened had nothing to do with you. The woman is insane. It was bound to happen anyway."

  "But Aurora and Ariel -"

  "They're both better off without her. You did us a favor," said Charles and Timber tilted her head to the side in confusion. "We've tried to find a legitimate reason to sever ties with her and you gave us a perfect reason."

  "Why is she like this?" asked Timber.

  "Bitterness, I think," said Angie. "Oh, that reminds me. Charles, that box in the corner of our linen closet!"

  "Oh my goodness! I forgot about that!" Charles got up and hurried upstairs.

  "There's a nice surprise for you. We've been saving your inheritance, Henry," said Angie and Henry stared in skepticism.

  "Inheritance? From whom?"

  "Grandma and Grandpa," said Charles coming down the stairs. "They died nine months ago but I didn't know how to get ahold of you because you always used a different address in your letters so I put it away for safekeeping. Here."

  Charles handed Henry a dust-covered box and Henry opened it with trembling hands. He took out a sheet of paper and read it and fell backward into a chair with disbelief clear on his face.

  "What's wrong, Henry?" asked Timber.

  "F-f-five million?" croaked Henry to Charles in disbelief.

  "And Grandpa's old Bel-air that you loved as a kid," said Charles. "It was originally three million and six other threes, but after Victoria died.... the will changed and was split between the two of us. I got five million and the fishing lodge in Tahoe."

  "And Mom?" asked Henry.

  "Not a dime," said Angie. "When we moved back here from our year abroad, she followed us hoping for money but we refused. We're saving that for the girls' college and our retirement."

  "What am I supposed to do with all of this money?" asked Henry.

  "A house?" suggested Timber.

  "I have a house," said Henry.

  "You're renting a house," said Timber. "You don't own it which means you'll be paying monthly payments forever with the risk of increase or eviction if the landlords decide to sell. The upside is that if anything breaks, they're responsible for repairs. If you buy a house, you could have it paid for in ten to thirty years with a fixed cost and after that, it's just property taxes. If you get a ten year you pay more per month but you end up paying less interest which saves you money in the long term. If you do a thirty year loan, you pay less a month but you end up paying more interest and is more expensive in the long run. The downside is that if anything breaks, you're responsible for repairs."

  "Where did this come from?" asked Henry looking at Timber with a sign of being highly impressed.

  "Uncle Chad was insistent on teaching me the pros and cons of homeownership versus renting," said Timber. "Homeownership seems like the better decision in the long-term financially. I've been putting away most of my monthly allowance for the last three years. I have almost half of a down payment for a small house."

  "Are you sure she's only eighteen, Henry?" asked Charles.

  "Yes, I am," said Henry. "She's more her age when she's with her friends but she's mature and she's got a good head on her shoulders. She and her friend Gina are top in my classes and that's not because I'm biased."

  "I like history," said Timber. "I'm also hungry."

  "I guess I should order that pizza then," said Charles.

  "YAY!" cried Timber throwing her arms in the air in triumph making the room ring out in laughter.

  Before Timber knew it, it was approaching the middle of May. Every free minute she had, she was planning her wedding. She had purchased a couple of bridal magazines with her allowance to look for ideas. She found a few ideas she liked but they were way over her budget. She did a majority of her shopping online with Chad's credit card. Most of her room was filled with boxes full of items for the wedding and reception. Henry was letting Timber make most of the decisions when it came to aesthetics, but she didn't mind. They had planned for a small, traditional wedding overlooking the ocean, with only close friends and family with Lord Frost performing the ceremony. Timber had everything planned but she didn't know what kind of dress she wanted. She knew she liked lace but that was all she knew.

  She was considering using her great grandmother's gown. She loved the vintage lace but when she put it on, it was to short and fit her all wrong. She sobbed to Grace about her worries. Grace had promised her that she would fix it and Timber believed her. She set her worries about a dress aside and continued planning.

  That Saturday, Henry and Timber had planned to go on their first real date alone. Henry was going to pick her up and take her to a nice restaurant in Mendocino for lunch called Trillium Cafe on Kasten Street. After that, Timber had no idea what they were doing because Henry wouldn't tell her. In order to properly dress for the occasion, Timber enlisted the help of her younger cousin, who could do hair and makeup like no one's business. Timber sat down on Emily's trundle-bed as Emily worked on her hair. Timber had told her to do whatever she wanted so Emily was curling her hair into tight spirals.

  "Won't this make my hair poof more when it falls out?" asked Timber. "I don't want to look like a poodle at the end of the day."

  "You won't look like a poodle," Emily reassured her. "As soon as I'm finished curling it, I'm putting it up."

  "Don't you curl it if it's going to be down?"

  "Some hairstyles look better with curled hair," explained Emily. Timber sat thinking for a moment.

  "Do you think you could do my hair for the wedding, Em?"

  "I was hoping you would ask," said Emily happily. "If I left you to your skill, you would walk down the aisle in your usual pompadour and ponytail. I'll do your makeup too if you want."

  "Thanks, Em," said Timber with a cheerful smile. "Let's call this a trial run. I'll do a makeup look for you today and you can tell me if you like it or not. Sound good?"

  "Sounds great," said Timber. "I get the feeling you're going to put on more makeup than I usually wear."

  "Well this is a special occasion," Emily pointed out. "It's your first real date. Special occasions call for special makeup looks."

  "Well, you know more about it than me," said Timber. "Please don't make me look like a clown."

  "I'm not going to do that, don't worry."

  Emily put Timber's hair back using so many bobby pins, Timber didn't know how long it would take to find them all. Emily started the make-up and used Timber's tinted moisturizer as a base, added a light highlight under her eyes and a pale pink blush to her cheeks. Emily spent the majority of her time working on Timber's eyes. Timber was a little unsure when Emily lined under her eyes with brown eye shadow. She was worried too when Emily used red on her lips instead of her usual peach. After Emily finished, Timber slipped into her strapless cream lace dress, low, nude heeled ankle boots, and put in the diamond earrings that she had received for Christmas. When she w
as finished, she turned to Emily, who put her hands over her mouth and cried.

  "Do I look that bad?" asked Timber self-consciously.

  "No. Timber, you look like you're ready for a magazine cover photoshoot," said Emily. "Here, take a look at yourself."

  Emily opened her closet door to reveal a full-body mirror. Timber looked at herself and she had to do a double-take. Her makeup still made her look like her, but her eyes stood out more and her face didn't look flat. The red lips pulled everything together. She wanted to cry with happiness but she would ruin Emily's hard work.

  "Emily, you're hired. You're doing my hair and makeup for my wedding. When did you get so good at this?"

  "Practice," chirped Emily, "and lots of internet tutorials. Makeup is what I want to do for a living. You're my first client."

  "I had no idea I could look like this," said Timber. "I feel incredible."

  "You look amazing," said Emily. "Henry is not going to be able to figure out what to do with himself. I hope he doesn't faint."

  Timber smiled at Emily and pulled her in for a tight hug. Then they heard the front door open and close and Timber was so excited, she started bouncing on her heels like Emily. Emily laughed and told Timber to wait around the corner at the top of the stairs because she wanted to announce her to everyone. Timber rolled her eyes, but let Emily do what she wanted. Emily ran downstairs enthusiastically and Timber waited out of sight at the top.

  "Henry you look wonderful," said Emily gleefully. "Timber is going to like this. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for! I am happy to present to you the beautiful Timber Brogan!"

  Timber came around the corner and Henry lost his breath. A click from somewhere off to the side told Timber that Emily had taken a picture but she could not take her eyes off of Henry. Her breath got caught in her chest and her heart kept missing beats. On normal days, Henry was either more punk with his leather band, studded belt, and dark colors or something more comfortable on his days off. Today he was in a crisp white dress shirt, a black tie, a dark gray vest and a pair of dark blue jeans. He had black dress shoes on that still had the faint smell of polish. His two-toned sandy colored hair was hiding under a black fedora and Timber noticed a gold pocket watch chain that looked rather old.