Reborn

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  As the log home came into view, Pat had the beginnings of a plan on how to get TJ away from her loved ones. In the last few weeks since his birthday party, TJ had asked more than once if he could go with her on one of her trips to Charlotte. Both Allan and she had put him off each time, telling him that they would need to think it over. It wouldn’t be too difficult to persuade Allan to let TJ go with her when she returned to Charlotte in a day or two. She would tell him that it would make for a good home-school field trip, as well as an opportunity for the two of them to bond.

  And what do I do with him once I get him away from here, Pat wondered? Unfortunately, at the moment no satisfactory answer came to her. That’s okay, she told herself. It won’t be the first time I’ve had to wing it and make it up as I go. She would just have to trust the answer would come in due course.

  3

  TJ lay on the leaf covered ground of the forest, confused and disoriented. What had happened to him? He vaguely remembered being angry. Perhaps angrier than he had ever been before, but over what? He slowly sat up and after his head stopped spinning, looked around. His eyes locked on the carcass of the dead, partially mutilated deer. Had he done that? The answer came almost immediately – yes, he had. He remembered running down the deer as though it had been moving in slow motion, then leaping onto the deer's back and, with one quick twisting movement, snapping the deer's neck. Even as the deer collapsed to the ground already dead, he had leaped onto its haunches to take a large bite. He could still taste the fresh raw meat and could feel the blood around his mouth beginning to clot.

  He reached up with one bloody hand and wiped his mouth. The hand came away even bloodier than before, but something was wrong here. Something didn't make sense. He had always been in control of his shapeshifting, but not this time. It was as if this time the transformation had taken him over. He didn't like the feeling of having lost control. Didn't like it at all.

  He continued to sit there for a couple more minutes getting his bearings. It was getting late, and he could already feel the air cooling as the sun set. It was only then that he realized he was naked. Damn. Where the hell are my clothes? Hopefully, he’d be able to find them between here and home. Otherwise, he’d have a lot of explaining to do. He wasn’t all that concerned about finding his way home. He had discovered during other jaunts through the woods that he had a very keen sense of direction. Besides, these woods were like a second home to him; maybe even a first. He often felt more at peace here than in the log cabin.

  He began walking up the hill from the direction he'd come, but as he did so, his senses alerted him to a new problem. Over the past month or two, he'd noticed his five senses seemed to be improving. This was especially true when he was in either the canine form or that of the great owl, but even afterward when he returned to human form, the improved senses continued. Now, it was the heightened sense of smell that alerted him to the new danger as he picked up the scent of another human; one he easily recognized as Pat. It was a combination of her perfume and the unique makeup of her own body odor. And it was fresh.

  The realization sent a chill through his body unrelated to the falling temperature. Pat had been here just a few dozen yards from where he’d killed the deer. She’d seen him at his worst. Since his birthday party she’d been pretty cool; not nearly as hard to get along with, but this…this could wreck everything. What if she told his dad what she’d seen? Worse yet, what if she told Kendra…or worst of all, Mimi?

  No, she might tell Allan, but she wouldn't want Kendra or Mimi to know, would she? It would just complicate her life more. One thing TJ knew about Pat was she didn't like adding complications to her life. He felt sure that was what he'd become to her—a complication.

  As he continued walking home, his thoughts about Pat were mixed with thoughts about what had him fleeing to the woods in the first place. As he remembered Mimi telling him that she would be unable to continue homeschooling him, he could feel the anger mounting once again.

  Whoa there, boy. Don't go there. Not again. He stopped walking, closed his eyes and took several slow, deep breaths until once again he felt in control. Not that he was any happier about the news, but he realized turning into a bloodthirsty killing machine was not the answer. He'd read enough and seen enough movies to know that he had been jilted, even though he doubted Mimi had realized how much her news would hurt him. Not that it made it hurt any less. Maybe it did. At any rate, he would have to get over it. Maybe not immediately, but eventually.

  Ahh… wasn't that a pair of blue jeans up ahead and just a little bit beyond that his shirt? See, things were already looking up, but as he started putting his clothes back on, his thoughts continued to swirl, first to Mimi, then to Pat, then back to Mimi again. Talk about complications. His life was becoming way too hard to figure out, but how could he simplify matters? That was a question he couldn't yet answer.

  Stormy Family

  The next few hours were excruciating for Pat, who tried to act as though nothing was wrong while realizing what she’d seen had dramatically altered her world. Now life was even more complicated than before. By the time Allan had returned home from the hospital, Mimi had left, and TJ had returned home, refusing to talk. Instead, he locked himself in his room, leaving it up to Kendra and Pat to explain the situation to Allan.

  “I’m sorry to hear that Mimi won’t be able to continue helping with the homeschooling,” Allan said, “but maybe it’s best in the long run. Maybe I should go talk to TJ.”

  “I would just let him be for now,” Pat advised. “There’s really nothing that you nor I can say that will make him feel any better. Time is often the best healer of a broken heart.”

  “That sounds like somebody speaking from personal experience,” Allan said, smiling.

  “You could say that," Pat replied. She was thankful when Allan decided to follow her advice and leave TJ alone. The less she had to be around him the easier it would be for her to pretend that everything was still okay between them; at least until Kendra left and she could talk privately with Allan. Unfortunately, Allan seemed to want Kendra to stay around longer than usual and invited her to stay for dinner, which she did. So, it wasn't until later in the evening when Donna had come by to pick up Kendra and her bike so she wouldn't have to ride home in the dark that she and Allan were finally alone.

  Meanwhile, TJ had remained in his room, refusing to come out or talk. Allan left a tray of food outside his door, which remained untouched. Pat finally picked it up and took it back to the kitchen where Allan was finishing up the dinner dishes.

  Okay, Pat thought; confession time but how to start the conversation?

  “What did you mean earlier tonight when you said it might be the best thing if Mimi didn’t continue to come over?”

  Allan finished drying his hands on a towel before turning in her direction. “I don’t know. It just seemed to me that TJ’s crush wasn’t going away. If anything, he seemed to be developing stronger feelings for Mimi, and I was uncomfortable about it.”

  “I see,” Pat replied with a sigh of relief. “I thought the same thing. That’s why I felt compelled to intervene.”

  Allan stared at her, a confused look on his face. “What does that mean? You felt like you had to intervene? What did you do?”

  “I went and talked to Mimi's uncle and father." There, it was out, and it felt good to have admitted it…at least for a moment.

  “You what? Without talking to me about it first?” Allan asked incredulously.

  “You’ve been so busy lately that it never seemed a good time to discuss it. Besides, you just said…”

  “I know what I said, but that doesn’t give you the right to go blabbing about TJ all over town.”

  “I didn’t blab about him all over town,” Pat replied, feeling her hackles begin to rise. “I spoke to two people about their daughter and niece, and I didn’t mention any specifics when it came to TJ. I’m not an idiot, you know.”

  “Sometimes I wonder,” Allan sh
ot back.

  “Well, I’m not. I was very careful to not share anything about the younger boy that had a crush on Mimi. Only that you and I were uncomfortable about it continuing so I thought it would be best if Mimi didn’t come around for a while. I never said a word about TJ or his ‘differences’ that made us uncomfortable, but that does bring me to another point we need to discuss.”

  “What’s that?” Allan asked in a calmer voice.

  “You may want to sit down first,” Pat said, pointing to the kitchen table.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Allan replied, but then followed her over and sat down in his customary chair.

  “I saw something out there today that I knew you wouldn’t want Kendra to know about, but that you need to be aware of.”

  “O…kay,” Allan said slowly.

  Pat took a deep breath. She’d been practicing how to tell Allan what she’d seen out on that hillside all evening, but now that it was time, she didn’t know what to say. Maybe I should just keep it to myself, she thought, but she knew that would be the coward’s way out, and she wasn’t a coward.

  “While I was out in the woods this afternoon looking for TJ, I came upon a deer that had just been killed. Its killer was in the process of eating it.” She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the news to him.

  “That sounds pretty gruesome,” Allan said, “but I’m sure you’ve seen worse. What kind of animal was it? A mountain lion?”

  “No. It wasn’t an animal, at least not one of this Earth. It was an alien. In fact, it looked almost identical to Homlin in its alien form.”

  “Oh, no,” Allan said. “There’s another one out there? I guess we knew that was at least a possibility.”

  “It was TJ,” Pat said. “I watched him transform back to his human form before I snuck away.”

  The shocked, hurt look on Allan’s face was almost too much to bear. Pat reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away, shaking his head. He stood up and walked over to the sink and stared out the window into the blackness of night.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have told him, Pat thought. Maybe it would have been better to keep it to myself. But he needed to know. He needed to face the truth about TJ. And while this was brutal news, it might just be what was necessary for him to finally open his eyes.

  Allan continued to stare out the window, slowly shaking his head. Finally, he turned back around and stared at Pat still sitting at the table.

  “And all this time I thought you and TJ had finally worked things out, but clearly you haven’t. How long have you been cooking up this story?”

  “What are you talking about?" Pat asked, perplexed by the question. "It's what I saw, just this afternoon." Then realizing what he was inferring, her temper flared. "If you think I made this up just to upset you, then you really don't know who I am. You've been living in a fantasy world for so long, you can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. I'm real, Allan. I'm a real human being who loves you. That…that thing in the other room…it's not human. It's not your son, and honestly, I'm not sure it even can love."

  “So is that how you really feel?” Allan asked, beginning to match Pat’s anger.

  Already regretting losing her temper, Pat didn't know how to answer him. "I don't know. Maybe…sometimes. I mean, this is hard, really hard. It's hard for all of us. I know what it's been like for the past few weeks, and it's been good. It had started to feel like we were a family, but…" The image she'd seen in the woods flashed before her, and she shuddered. How could she ever look at TJ again as part of her family with that image forever emblazoned on her mind?

  Over the last few hours, a plan had started to slowly hatch in her mind. She had to get TJ away from Allan. Maybe, with a little time of separation, Allan would come to his senses. And even if he didn't, at least TJ would be out of their life. As ghastly as it was to admit it, she'd even toyed with the idea of killing the boy. She might have been able to follow through with that idea earlier, before TJ's birthday, back in the days when she only thought of him as a dangerous alien—as a foreign thing that threatened Allan and those she loved, but now? She was pretty sure she could do that only under the worse of circumstances. So she had moved on to her original idea, which she'd initiate later tonight. She hoped her outburst of anger hadn't already nixed that option.

  “Listen, Allan. I didn’t mean what I just said. I’m sorry, but it’s been a very trying day,” she said trying to mend the rip in their relationship before it grew any larger. “I know you care very deeply for TJ. Over these last few weeks, I have grown fond of him as well.”

  “You two seemed to be doing better lately,” Allan conceded. “I think if you’d just give him a chance, get to know him a little better, I think you’d be able to see what Kendra and I see in him.”

  There it was; the opening she’d been looking for. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. Easy does it, she thought. You’ve got a strong nibble on the line. Don’t blow it. Nice and easy. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know exactly,” Allan replied. “Spend more time with him. I bet with a little effort you’d find some common interests. Something the two of you could build upon.”

  Pat nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I’d be willing to give it a try.”

  She waited, hoping that Allan would come up with the next part on his own. When he didn’t respond, she took a gamble and made the suggestion. “How about this idea? What if I took TJ with me to Charlotte tomorrow. We’d have time during the drive to reconnect, and I could show him around the Queen City. He’s never been outside this house and the surrounding woods. I bet we’ll find plenty of common interests on such a field trip. Just a thought. What do you think?”

  “Now you’re talking,” Allan replied, a smile beginning to form on his face. He walked back to the table and sat down across from her. “It would need to be a short trip. I don’t want to overwhelm him his first time away from home.”

  “Sure, that makes sense," Pat replied as she slowly reeled in the fish named Allan. "I'll just swing by the office for a few minutes. Make sure everything is going all right there, and then after a little sightseeing, we'll head on back. At some point, he needs to learn how to make it in the world. This will be a step in that direction."

  Allan nodded as he finally reached out and took Pat's hand. "I do appreciate your making an effort. I just want you two to get along. Maybe I should go let him know what we've decided."

  “I’d wait,” Pat replied. “It’s late, and we’ve all had a busy day. Let it be a surprise.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure TJ will be feeling better after a good night sleep.” Allan yawned. “I know I’m looking forward to one. How about you? Ready to turn in?”

  “Almost,” Pat said. “I just need to make a call or two. I’d like to let my office manager know I’ll be bringing a guest so she can be sure the office is clean. You go ahead. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  Allan stood up, bending over to give her a kiss; one that lasted longer than his typical goodnight kisses. It only served to make Pat feel even more like a heel for deceiving him. It’s for his own good, she thought. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. You might start believing it.

  She waited until she was sure Allan had made it to their bedroom at the other end of the house. She then took her cell phone out, praying she still had the number in it that she needed. She did. She stared at the contact info for a minute, considering what she was about to do. Finally, she punched the call button.

  It took several seconds for the connection to be made. When someone finally did answer, it was with a gravelly voice with a mixture of irritation and sleepiness.

  “Hello. This had better be good.”

  Oops, Pat thought. She had forgotten how early her old friend went to sleep. Oh well, he’d get over it. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve woken him up.

  “Hello, Oliver. This is Pat. Did I wake you up?”

 
“Pat? What the hell are you calling me this time of night for?”

  “Good to talk to you too,” Pat answered, smiling at his reaction. “I have someone I want you to meet, and believe me when I tell you, it’s someone you’re going to want to meet. Can you meet me at my Charlotte office tomorrow afternoon?”

  Pat's Call

  1

  TJ lay on his bed, still fuming over how the day had gone. It had been nothing but a bad news day all around. First, the news that Mimi would not be able to continue working with him as one of his homeschool teachers. That was bad; very bad. But maybe even worse had been the episode out in the woods where he'd lost all control and had turned into a monstrous form that had him questioning his true identity. And as if that hadn't been bad enough, Pat had seen it happen just when it looked like they might be able to get along as a family.

  He heard someone outside his door and a few moments later could smell a mixture of odors. No doubt someone had left a tray of food on the other side of the door, but after his afternoon feeding on the deer, he had no appetite. In fact, for some reason the smell of regular food made him feel a little nauseous. Maybe it was due to his heightened senses. Normally, he doubted he would have been able to detect the food odors, but now they were almost overpowering.

  He lay there for quite a while trying to decide what to do next. He couldn’t stay locked away in his room forever. At some point, he’d have to go out and face the music; just not tonight. Please, not tonight. Just let me drift off to sleep. In the morning when I'm rested, maybe I'll have a better idea what to do. It had been a full day. No doubt about that. Going to sleep sounded like a good idea.