by Hmonroe
***
We sat down in the Mexican restaurant we had been to before. That place seemed to never sleep. More people were singing karaoke, and the same waitress took our orders. It remained quiet between us until after we’d finished eating.
“Do you even know anything about him, Leah? He could be dangerous.”
“I’m getting to know him, but I feel like I know him pretty well already.” Dangerous would be the last word to describe Max. He had saved my life so many times, but I couldn’t tell Jared that.
“How did you meet him?”
“One of the weekends when I went walking through campus. He saved me from hitting my head too hard. It was so wet that day, remember?”
He didn’t reply, but just continued with his questioning. “Does he go to this school?”
“Nope.”
“Does he live around here?”
“For now.”
“Then what does he do?”
“Jared, what is with the one hundred and one questions?”
He sat back further in his seat and folded his arms. “Nothing. It’s just that if you’re going to be hanging out with this guy, I want to know he’s good for you.”
“Well, enough of the questioning. You’ll just have to trust me.”
“I’m your best friend. This doesn’t feel right. We know everything about each other. Something’s wrong, and if this guy is the reason, I want to know.”
“He’s not the reason. I know you and I haven’t been talking or hanging out. I feel the distance between us too, and I’m not trying to ignore it. I want you still in my life, but there are some things happening right now that are bigger than us. I know it’s hard to understand. I just wish you could trust me.”
“Hard to understand? You haven’t told me anything to understand. You’re not even giving me a chance to understand. You’ve decided that whatever is going on is too big for us to handle together.”
“I don’t know what else to say. Maybe one day I can tell you, if you’ll stay around that long to find out.”
“Where would I go?”
“Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.”
***
Jared drove me home that night without another word about Max. We talked about classes, family, and ballroom. For a minute, it almost felt normal again.
“Our performance is coming up fast. Do you think we’ll be ready?” I asked.
“Yea, we have our steps down. Miss Chapel is a little concerned about how the formations are coming along, but we still have another week.”
“Week? I thought two or three.”
“It was, but they moved up the performance dates. She announced it last class, don’t you remember?”
“I guess. If you ever want to practice out of class, just let me know.”
“That would be great, but like I said, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
We pulled up to my dorm, and exhaustion took me over. After shape shifting, telling Jared about Max, and breaking up an argument, I needed sleep.
“Thanks for taking me out to dinner,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jared kissed me on the cheek. “Bye, cutie.”
This good-bye felt like the end of a chapter, but when Max stood waiting for me next to my room, I knew it wasn’t the end of anything.
“I just got off the phone with my employer. He says it’s time for you two to talk.”
CHAPTER TWELEVE
“Meet him? Why now?” I asked.
“Probably because you shifted today. Every couple days I call in.”
“When does he want to meet?”
“As soon as possible. We can start the drive tomorrow.”
“How far is this person?”
“A few hours away.”
“Hours? I can’t drive for hours on a week day. School is tomorrow and the rest of the week. How can we drive for hours and still be back in time for class?”
“I don’t think he cares that you have classes. In fact, he made it sound like school needs to be put on hold until this is finished.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A man I had never met wanted me to drop out of school, drive hours to see him, and listen to what he had to say. Who did this guy think he was?
“I’m tired. It’s been a long day, but you can tell this person that I’m not leaving yet. I have classes and a performance with Jared next weekend. Jared and I may not be in a good place right now, but he’s my friend. We have been working really hard for this.” I tried to walk past Max to get to the door of my room.
“The longer we stay here, the longer you’re in danger. We should listen to him and go.”
“Max, I can’t just pick up and leave. Not tomorrow.”
Max stepped out of my way hesitantly. “Go rest. I’ll talk to you soon.” He kissed me on the cheek before he exited. Even if we may not agree, his lips still caused my eyes to close in pleasure.
***
The next day Max caught up with me and asked me to go to dinner with him the next day. He may have given me an extra couple days here, but I knew he wanted to talk about leaving again.
The café was a small log cabin, a quaint little restaurant. It looked like it could have been an old home remodeled into a cozy family place. It held only ten tables, which were half-filled with elderly people.
“Table for two?” the young waitress asked as she walked toward us.
“Yes, please. And if you don’t mind, we would like a private table,” Max replied. The waitress nodded and escorted us to the farthest table from the front door. She then took our drink orders and left around the corner.
“A private table? Sounds serious,” I stated.
“We can talk more freely this way.”
“About going to talk to your employer?” I asked nervously.
Max looked around before looking back at me. “Let's order our food first. Then we’ll talk. Our waitress should be back anytime to take our order.”
I couldn’t concentrate on the words in front of me. Nothing on the menu appealed to me.
When the waitress came back I ordered a club sandwich and Max asked for the steak dinner.
We were alone once more. I kept my hands folded together on my lap under the table, waiting for him to start talking. He raised his hand on the table wanting me to do the same.
“Max, you're making me nervous. Is this more than just wanting to leave town?”
He let his hand drop. “I received a call back from my employer.” He looked down, not wanting to continue. “Umm . . . I need to talk to you about what he said.” He paused another moment to collect his thoughts. “Now that you’re becoming a shape shifter, he needs to see you. He hired me to watch over you until your transformation took place, and now you need to see him so he can explain more to you.”
“You told me he wanted to see me before. But what else is bothering you?” I looked up, waiting for his answer.
“They’re everywhere, Leah. The boss and his minions are watching every move you make. They used to follow a rhythm. I would sense them, and then an attack would follow. Now their smell is around all the time, with no attack. It’s constant, to the point I don’t know what they’re thinking. They are getting more and more unpredictable.” Max ran his hand through his hair.
“I will go talk to this person who hired you. I want to know what he knows about me and these people that are after me. The thing is, I need to wait until Friday night. Jared and I have our performance, and he needs me to be there.”
“You are willing to chance your life for one night with Jared just because he wants you to?”
“Yes. I’m a shape shifter now, and if I get in trouble, I will take care of it.”
Max looked at me as if I were a crazy person. “You have only shifted once, and not on your own. You can’t rely on your wolf when it’s so new to you.” Silence fell between us.
Maybe I was crazy to wait around while the boss was getting closer to his final
attack. In the big picture, it didn’t make sense for me to stay, but I had to. Jared and I were best friends and had been since we were kids. I’d hurt him so much in the past months, and I hadn’t been around for him. I was throwing away a lifetime of friendship by being so distant. If there was just one thing I could still do for him, it was dance. Dancing brought us closer together once, and somehow this one dance would keep our friendship strong.
“Please, Max. I know I sound irrational, but I need to stay until Friday. Then I’ll go wherever you want.”
Max nodded. “There’s something else . . . I wish I wasn’t the one to tell you, but he thought it would be best before you see him.”
There’s more? I sat back in my seat.
“Gosh, I wish this wasn’t coming from me.” He fidgeted in his seat. “You need to go home now and talk to your family. The person that hired me is your father.” Shock ran through me. I wanted to run. I’d always been so close to my family, it was unbelievable they would do something like this behind my back.
“No . . . That’s impossible . . . Why would my own father not tell me anything about this? It doesn’t make sense.” I held my arms folded in front of me and shook my head. I trusted Max and knew he wouldn’t lie to me, but I didn’t want to consider that my father had known about my future all this time.
“Your father said we must leave. It’s no longer safe for us to be here. We can’t keep fighting and running forever. They’ll just keep trying to get to you. We need to go to your father and learn how to stop this.”
I rose from my seat, pushed in my chair, and started to turn. I had heard enough. An arm caught me around my waist.
“Where are you going?”
“For some fresh air.” I tried to wiggle out of his strong hold.
“I’ll come with you. It’s not safe anywhere anymore.” I kept my pace for the door. Our waitress caught Max’s attention, asking if we were leaving. Max gave a quick false explanation and told her we would be right back.
The cool air felt good on my overheated skin. I took a deep breath and reached for my phone in my front pocket of my jeans. I quickly hit speed dial and had the phone up to my ear before Max returned next to me.
“Who are you calling?”
I ignored Max and focused on the ringing in my ear. The third ring rang when I heard Dad’s deep voice over the phone.
“Dad, we need to talk.” I saw Max turn with frustration.
He mumbled some words under his breath. “You can’t be talking in the open like this.”
“Leah, where are you right now?” Dad replied.
“That doesn’t matter. All I need to know is, well, everything. What do you know about shape shifting, Dad?” I knew I had a hard edge to my voice that I’d never used with my father, but anger and confusion consumed me.
“You need to lower your voice. We can’t talk about this over the phone. You need to come home immediately, young lady. We have a lot to talk about.”
“How could you do this to me, Dad? What do you know about the attacks?”
“I do things for you because I love you. Now listen to Max, and come home, dear. I’ll see you soon.” Without a good-bye, the call ended. He hung up on me? I thought to myself. I looked at my phone in confusion and placed it in my pocket.
After a second passed, I turned to reenter the restaurant, but was stopped by Max’s chest. I looked up to see his glowing green eyes staring down at me with intent. He didn’t look happy.
“They are all around us. I can smell them so strong that I can taste them. Please don’t run off again and make foolish phone calls. They might be able to hear every word you say. They are so close that if I turn my back for a second they could grab you. Please, I’m begging you to stay close. I can’t lose you.” His words were filled with fear.
I needed to stop thinking everything was going to be wonderful if Max stayed around and realize that if I didn’t leave and go see my father soon, Max may be the next man dead. I leaned into his chest, resting my cheek against him and wrapping my arms around him.
“I’m sorry. We’ll leave to see my father. But I must do this one last thing for Jared first, after how I’ve treated him.”
“But . . .”
“Max, I have to do this. Then I promise I’ll go. Now, let's go sit back down.” I looked up at his face as he let me go. I could feel the resistance that Max’s aura projected, but this one thing I couldn’t waver on. Jared had always been there for me my whole life, and I needed to accomplish this one last thing for him.
The waitress noticed our presence as we walked back to our table. It remained silent between Max and me, and it wasn’t because we had nothing to say. Uneasiness about what was to come filled our table. The waitress rounded the corner with two plates of food hot and ready to eat. Although I had no appetite, I knew we both needed the nourishment.
“What time is the dance?” Max asked.
“4:00.” I tried to keep my voice steady and strong. I knew he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I wasn’t going to be shaken on my decision.
“You know the longer we stay, the more dangerous it is, right?” Max pointed out.
“Of course I do.”
“Fine, but you’re not leaving my sight until we leave, and we leave directly from the dance to my truck. You will have to pack the night before and get everything loaded. For the next couple days, just stick to your normal schedule.” Max was strong and serious as he laid out the plans.
“Why do I even need to attend my lectures anymore? It’s not like I can hold on to the schedule I’ve made for myself.”
“I know you’re upset, but we must remain normal, and not let on that we’ll be leaving. They’ve been watching you, and know your routine. Anything out of the ordinary they’ll notice and become suspicions.”
As I sat there pondering the future, Max went and took care of paying for our meal. He then grabbed my coat resting on the back of my chair and raised it to help me in it. He rested his arm around my shoulders and I embraced his hold.
“You’re going to be fine. We’ll get through this together. You’re not alone.” Those short few sentences were what I needed to hear. Although nothing could make it all better, Max always being by my side helped me feel calm.
Knowing my enemies were waiting for the opportune time to strike again, I watched every person we passed on the street and every vehicle that drove by. On our way home my eyes were glued to the side mirror of the truck, watching every headlight that followed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Could it be Thursday night already? Days were flying by, and I no longer felt a part of them. My roommates asked several times if everything was OK, but like a zombie my reply was always “Yes, I’m good. Just tired.” It wasn’t a complete lie, although lying was becoming second nature.
A knock sounded on the door.
“I got it,” I announced.
Max and I made plans for him to come over and help me pack, or at least assess how much needed to be done. Packing in front of my roommates wouldn’t be good.
“Jared coming for dinner again?” Melissa asked.
“No. A friend is coming over. It’s a school thing.” I swung open the door.
Melissa came closer and looked Max up and down. “Does Jared know about this friend?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah, he knows,” I said to her, but then looked back at Max. “Come in.” I took Max by the arm to show him to my room before more questioning. We turned the corner to see Gretchen chatting on her phone.
“Sounds like a plan. OK, I got to go. Leah just came in. Yeah, see you in a bit . . . Bye.” Gretchen finished. “Hey Leah, you can have the room . . .” She looked up at Max and smiled flirtatiously, then flashed me a mischievous grin. “ . . . for whatever. I have to go meet Tracy.”
“Thanks. Gretchen, this is Max. Max, Gretchen. We’re just finishing up a school thing.”
“Yup, I believe you.” She bounded happily over to the door. “
I’ll be back in a couple hours.” She winked at me and left, shutting the door behind her.
“Sorry about my roommates. They’re actually not that bad.” I plopped down on my bed.
Max knelt down in front of me to hold my hands. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. They’re great.”
“So this is it.” I gestured around the room. “I don’t have a lot of stuff, so it shouldn’t take too long to pack.”
“I brought some boxes. I’ll go grab them and be right back.”
As he left, I pulled down the knickknacks, clothes, and books. When he returned, we started loading every box.
“All my roommates will be gone tomorrow during the dance performance. It’s a big school get-together, and most students will be there.”
“Great, so I will get your keys from you and finish loading everything we can’t load tonight.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. It would be less noticeable anyway.” The sadness rolled off my tongue. Tomorrow I would have to leave. Leave my friends, Jared, school, and go back to the sheltered life. It felt like I had finally been doing something with my life, meeting new people and furthering my education. For once I could come and go as I pleased, with only myself to answer to. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye, although I wouldn’t really be saying good-bye at all. Tomorrow we had to leave without being noticed, and I couldn’t tell anyone. Not even Jared.
Max’s hand stroked my cheek to wipe a tear away. “It’ll be OK. We’ll talk to your father, figure out what is going on, face the boss, and finish this. When all this is over, we can move on with our lives. Look at it this way: The boss is not going to stop, and we can’t fix anything here. So we either stay here, running forever, or figure out a way to stop this. The sooner we learn what we need to do, the sooner this will all be over.” He paused. “But if you choose to stay, I will fight for you until my dying breath.”
I smiled. “I would never ask you to do that. I know what needs to be done, it’s just hard.”
***
Inside and out, the student center swarmed people. Balloons, streamers, and posters of the art categories decorated the entire place. It wasn’t just for one performance from ballroom; it was a number of different creative acts set to show what they could do. Many different dance groups where warming up, vocalists were singing, and the art students had put together plays.