The windows clean, at least on the inside, she stood in the middle of the room and spun around again, then wished she hadn’t. Now that she could really see the room, she realized that not only was it covered in dust and grime, but the paint was also peeling off the walls. Refusing to feel intimidated by a little dirt, she squared her shoulders and went to get the first of many buckets of water she’d use by the end of the day.
After hours of scrubbing not only the grime but the paint off the walls, she took a break for lunch before tackling the floor. Other than a quick sweep before she’d started cleaning the day before, she’d completely ignored it, so she had no idea what she might find under the layers of dirt.
To her surprise, what she found was an old pine floor, scuffed and grayed with age; it was still beautiful, and she knew that it wouldn’t take much to bring it back to life. But for now, she’d have to be satisfied with good old-fashioned soap and water since the equipment she’d need to refinish it was far out of her reach.
The sun was just beginning to set when she finished mopping the floor for the third time, so she stopped for a second to watch its fiery end to the day. It was getting late, and she knew that she should go home, but she wanted to see the floor when it was dry, so it was a welcome distraction when she saw George come out of the store and head her way.
Today she’d seen some people moving around town, but no one had approached the school, so she’d spent the entire day alone, something that never would have happened in the past. It was a shock to realize that she hadn’t minded the solitude, had, in fact, enjoyed the time alone.
How long that would last, she wasn’t sure, but for now, she was comfortable with her solitude. Still, she was happy to see George and excited to show him her progress, so the smile on her face when she greeted him was genuine.
“Looks like you’ve had a busy day,” he said, grinning back at her.
She looked down at her clothes, horrified to find that she was filthy. “Well, the school is a lot cleaner than I am,” she said, laughing.
“I hope so,” George said, climbing up the stairs onto the porch and peeking through the door. “Can I take a look?”
“Only if the floor is dry,” Sophie said, in her best mom voice.
George laughed, “Looks dry to me; let’s see what we’ve got now that you’ve got the place cleaned up.”
When they got inside, Sophie looked around feeling a little disappointed. The room did smell clean, but the walls were a mess, the floor was a dull gray color that depressed her, and the only thing that looked good was the windows.
George whistled. “Looks like a different place,” he said.
“But it’s still not very welcoming,” Sophie said, her voice full of disappointment.
“What you need is some paint and a rug or two,” George said, then grinned at her, “and I think there might be both of those things in the shed behind the store.”
“Really?” Sophie asked, seeing the room a bright white or maybe even yellow.
“I’m not sure what’s in there, but I’m pretty sure there’s some paint. Sometimes I have to take things in trade for food, and it’s all back there in the shed. You’re welcome to anything you find,” he said. “That will be my contribution to the school.”
***Jessie***
Jessie had worked himself hard that day in the hopes that he’d be so tired that sleep would come easily. But he was lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling thinking about the woman who’d turned his world upside down simply by showing up in town.
At some point during the day, he’d begun to think of her as Sophie, a bad sign he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself. He’d always known her name, remembered her from her visit to her grandmother’s all those years ago, and if he was honest, he owed her a debt.
She was the only reason he’d been able to escape that day when his friends and neighbors had turned on him. If not for her quick lie, he would have been caught, and he shivered to think what might have happened to him if he had been. Thanks to her, he’d been able to reach his grandfather, who had protected him that day.
Feeling the memory begin to surface again, he got out of bed and got dressed; lying in bed wasn’t doing him any good. There were plenty of projects he could have done to while away the sleepless hours, but he convinced himself that what he needed was a walk and headed out the door.
He pretended he wasn’t headed for the school but knew deep down that he wasn’t going to be happy until he got a whiff of Sophie’s scent. When he arrived, her scent was still strong, and he sucked it in, feeling not only desire wash over him but also the return of his memories.
Time melted away, and he was fifteen again waking up with the first rays of sunlight on his face. The memories of the splitting headache that erupted when he opened his eyes to find himself asleep in a haystack in the middle of a field and the sudden rush of horror from the night before were strong.
He’d staggered to his feet and began to run, with no idea where he was going, but feeling only the deep instinct to flee. His friends and neighbors must have been out looking for him because it wasn’t long before someone spotted him and what followed had been a nightmare come to life.
With a cry of alarm, the man who’d spotted him alerted the rest of the mob, and Jessie was sure that it was only a matter of time before he was caught. Hounds on his heels, he ran into the forest, but try as he might, he couldn’t shake the dogs or the mournful howls they let out as they followed his scent.
When he spotted a rock outcropping across the stream, he knew that it was his only chance. He waded across the rushing water, hoping it would be enough to throw the dogs off his scent, then dove into a crack in the rocks and made himself as small as he could.
He could hear the hounds on the other side of the stream pacing up and down the bank, but then he heard a sound beside him and cringed, thinking he’d been caught. But instead of one of the men, to his surprise, a young girl came out of the forest.
Not more than twelve or thirteen, it was clear that she’d been crying. When she saw him, she stopped walking and stared, clearly surprised to find him hiding there. She opened her mouth to speak but then one of the hounds howled from the bank, and she closed it.
She looked from him to the hounds, then seemed to understand. He sent her a pleading look, then waited, his heart pounding while she decided what she was going to do. To his relief, she smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and started to walk away, but then he heard someone calling her name from the trees and his heart sank again.
“Sophie,” an old woman called as she fought her way through the trees. “Where are you?”
“I’m over here, Grandma,” she called, turning her back on him and walking around the rock.
“Oh, thank goodness; you scared me. Don’t run off like that again; you never know what you’re going to find in these woods,” the woman said. Jessie knew that he recognized the voice, but it wasn’t until the woman asked, “What’s going on here?” that he realized it was his grandfather’s friend, Mattie Jensen.
“I’m not sure; I just got here too,” Sophie said, to his great relief. “I’m sorry I ran off, Grandma. I just wasn’t ready to shift. I’m afraid it will be like the last time.”
He could hear her sniffling a little bit and wondered if she was putting on a show as a distraction. “Don’t you worry; we’ve got all summer to get you comfortable with your gift. Today was just a bad day. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Jessie smiled thinking that Mattie had said exactly what his grandfather would have said and then his stomach sank when he thought about the man who’d given up so much to raise him. He’d be so disappointed in Jessie when he found out what he really was that it made his stomach hurt to even think about it and for a second, he thought about giving himself up.
But then he heard the men catch up with the hounds, and that thought quickly evaporated from his mind when he heard the anger in their voices. “You seen that boy Jessie around here?” one o
f them asked.
There was a long pause, and Jessie was sure that his heart was going to burst, then Sophie said, “I haven’t seen anyone around here since I got here, but I haven’t been here long.”
“He must have walked up the creek,” another man said, then he heard them splashing in the water.
“What did the boy do?” Mattie asked, concern in her voice.
“He’s a black werewolf,” a man answered.
“Well then, we’d better get home,” Mattie said.
Jessie stayed in those rocks all day, unable to move until it was dark and he was sure he wouldn’t be spotted. As he made his way to his grandfather’s, he knew that his life would never be the same, but he also knew that he only had one because a stranger had covered for him.
As the memory faded from his mind, he discovered that it hadn’t shaken him up as much as it usually did, and he had been able to pull himself out this time. After years of avoiding his memories, of trying to keep them as far in the back of his mind as possible, they seemed to have suddenly found a life of their own.
But after fifteen years, it finally seemed like they weren’t affecting him the way they used to. All the guilt and anger he’d felt was melting away, and for the first time, he realized that what he was wasn’t his fault; it was just the way nature made him.
That didn’t mean that he was going to join society again; that would be too big a step, especially since the people of the valley wanted nothing to do with him. It did mean, though, that some of the peace he’d been trying to find was slowly coming to him. If it was being replaced by the desire to connect with Sophie, then that was okay with him; at least that was a more normal human emotion.
Chapter 5
***Sophie***
Bright and early the next morning, Sophie parked her car in front of the store, excited to see what she could come up with to brighten up the school. George was standing behind the counter with a cup of coffee in hand when she walked in.
“I thought I might see you early this morning,” he said, taking another cup down off the shelf and pouring her a cup.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a small sip, then a larger one when she realized how good it was. “This is good, much better than mine.”
George nodded. “I get beans in the city and grind them myself, and there’s just a bit of hickory in there,” he said. “Now, are you ready to go treasure hunting?”
Sophie finished her coffee and beamed at him, “You bet; let’s go!”
She followed him out of the back of the store to a shed she hadn’t noticed before. When he threw open the doors, she couldn’t help but gasp. “Oh my, you weren’t kidding,” she said, taking in the piles and piles of stuff.
“Been collecting stuff my entire life, add that to the stuff my dad and grandpa stuffed in here, and this is what you get. Some of that is probably worth something, but I don’t have the time to sort through the junk for the good stuff.”
Sophie was still staring, not sure what to say; she’d never seen anything like it. George laughed, “You ready? I think there’s some paint over by that wall.”
Forty-five minutes later, they managed to unearth six mostly full cans of paint that were still good. “Well, I’ve got all the colors of the rainbow but not enough of any of them,” Sophie said, looking at the paint.
“You could pour them all together, probably make a nice shade of gray,” George offered.
Sophie thought about that for a second, then decided she’d just paint the classroom like a rainbow. “No, I think I can make this work,” she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
George laughed. “If you say so. I’ll get my assistant Danny to take these to your car; he should be inside by now.”
“You have an assistant?” Sophie asked, a little surprised.
“He’s just a kid, but I need someone to watch the store sometimes when I’m off being mayor or sheriff,” he said, leading the way back into the store.
After a quick introduction to Danny, who was just a kid, she helped him load the paint and supplies into her car. “I could come and help you,” he offered when he closed the trunk.
“Oh, that’s okay, I’m sure George needs you here. But I might need some help putting the desks back when I’m done,” she said, not wanting the young man underfoot.
“The lady’s right, I need you here, Danny,” George said from the doorway. “There are some boxes that need to be unpacked in the back.”
Danny reluctantly walked away, but before he walked inside, he turned and said, “It was very nice to meet you, Sophie.”
Sophie smiled at him, “It was nice to meet you too, Danny. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”
When he beamed at her before going back inside, George said, “Looks like you made a friend.”
“My first one,” she said, but when she saw the look on George’s face, she added, “besides you of course. Which reminds me, thank you for moving the desks for me; they were just a little too much for me to handle.”
George looked uncomfortable for a minute, then said, “I’d like to take credit for that, but it wasn’t me.”
“Oh, that’s strange. I don’t know anyone else yet,” Sophie said. “Do you know who did it?”
“I think they’d like to remain anonymous,” George said stumbling over his words. “But there is something I wanted to talk to you about. I’m going to be gone for a few days, and I just want to make sure you’re safe. This is a rough country, and there are lots of things out in those woods you want to stay away from.”
“I wasn’t planning on going exploring or anything. I’ve got my hands plenty full right now,” Sophie said, not sure if he was being serious.
“Good, stick to the roads and use your car and you’ll be fine. When I get back, I’ll take you around and introduce you to folks. Once they meet you, it’ll be safer for you here.”
Sophie couldn’t help but shiver a little. This seemed like such a quiet little place, but this was the second time he’d said something like that. She nodded her head, “Message received: Don’t go poking around in the woods.”
“I knew you were a smart girl,” George said, “and if you need anything while I’m gone, Danny will be around. Feel free to use anything you want out of the shed; I can’t wait to see what you do with that old schoolhouse.”
***Jessie***
Jessie set aside the pot he’d been scrubbing and dried his hands. It was going to take a lot of work to get the burned food off, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with it that night. The day had been filled with one disaster after another; his burned dinner the finishing touch to a terrible day.
But he had only himself and the thoughts he just couldn’t seem to control to blame for everything that had gone wrong that day. Sophie had gotten to him, and he couldn’t push the thoughts of her or that terrible day so long ago out of his mind.
He was just glad that she’d had nothing to do with that terrible night six months later when he’d really lost control, that she’d been gone for months when it happened. If she hadn’t been, she might have been sorry that she’d protected him that day, might have wished that she’d given him away to the hunters.
He paced restlessly around the cabin, fighting the urge to find her, fighting the need to smell her. Finally, knowing he had no choice but to give in to his urges, he put on his coat against the cold and headed for the school.
But when he got there, he was surprised to find that Sophie was still there. All the lights were lit, there was music coming from inside, and he could see her standing on a ladder, paintbrush in hand. He stepped back into the trees and watched, letting her gentle scent wash over him.
Leaning against a tree, he waited for the memories to come. After a few minutes, he realized that they weren’t going to come, that they’d gone quiet and a sense of peace washed over him. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and picked his way down the mountain, around the back of the school and up to one of the windows.
What he saw surprised him, but it shouldn’t have; he already knew that Sophie was a determined woman. She’d used her rainbow of colors to transform the old school room into something a kid would love: a bright, happy space that would only encourage learning.
She was putting away her paint and brushes, so he knew that he only had a few more minutes before she came out the door, but he wasn’t leaving until the last minute. He stayed until she’d shut off the lights, then sprinted around the building and into the woods above her car.
He was standing under a tree waiting for her to come out of the building when he realized what he was doing. It was beyond sick that he was stalking Sophie this way, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself; he wanted to be near her, and this was the only way.
It occurred to him briefly that he could introduce himself, but that thought faded quickly at the memory of the sheriff’s warning. Disgusted with the whole situation and his life, he headed for home, not even bothering this time to promise himself that he’d stay away from Sophie.
***Sophie***
Sophie hadn’t been aware until today that she had any artistic talent, but looking around the schoolhouse, she had to admit that she’d done a good job. It had been one of the best days of her life; not only had she turned the schoolhouse into a work of art, but a few of her new neighbors had stopped by and introduced themselves.
It had taken time from her painting, but she’d been glad for the distraction. A few people had even offered to help, which she’d gladly accepted, even if they did look at her strangely when she told them what she wanted.
But it was after midnight, and she was exhausted. Tomorrow she’d see about getting the desks back inside and maybe take another tour of George’s shed. A few rugs and a rocking chair by the fireplace would give the place a homey look and make everyone feel comfortable.
Third Time a Charm: Wolves of Gypsum Creek Page 3