Shaping Destiny

by Hmonroe

  “Jared, hey!” I found him putting his clothes away in his duffel bag. “You look nice.” He wore a black-and-white tuxedo. I had on a full purple gown that reached the floor, my hair up in a tight bun.

  “Right back at you. Beautiful.”

  “I better, considering these costumes cost a fortune.” I did a turn to elaborate the fullness of the dress.

  “There are still eight acts before us, so did you want to run through it a couple more times?” Jared asked.

  “Sure. Up there?” I pointed to some empty rooms up on the second level.

  “Perfect.” Jared held my hand and escorted me to the empty space so we could practice.

  Being alone with Jared felt uncomfortable. I would have never thought it would be weird to be with him. With so much unspoken between us, it held a lot of uncertainties in our relationship. My heart broke when I saw the same uneasiness in Jared’s eyes.

  “Did you ever imagine us being in this situation? Where we have to wonder what to say or how to act around each other?”

  I looked down and shook my head. Then with frustration he walked over and put us in dance position.

  “Let’s just do what we do best.” Then he took me into a waltz.

  There was so much to say, but nothing could be said between us. Jared didn’t deserve to be treated this way. I thought sticking around for him was what I needed to do, but maybe it would be best to leave. Making him hold on to a relationship that no longer existed was wrong. Maybe once friends have dated, they can never go back to being friends. I would finish out this dance, relishing in the last dance we would ever do together. Then I would go.

  A voice sounded over the intercom. “Dance groups are next, this order. Ballroom, jazz, classical, and hip hop. Please line up; the first performance will be in five minutes.”

  “I guess that’s us,” Jared said and started exiting the room.

  “Jared, wait.” He stopped, but didn’t turn around. “I know this doesn’t mean much, but I want you to know I’m sorry, and I do love you. You’ll always have a special spot in my heart.”

  “Stop, Leah. Not tonight.” He left to join the rest of the group.

  I showed up beside him as our team exited onto the floor couple by couple. The music played, and as we danced, it whisked us away to a place where bad doesn’t exist. We got lost in the music and our movement. It was the one place Jared and I could still feel at peace with each other. A place we could let go of what was weighing us down and just be friends again. It didn’t last, though. Once the music stopped, reality flooded back in. When I saw Jared’s content smile turn to a frown, I knew our last dance was over.

  Jared and I parted without a good-bye. He went to talk to a group of friends sitting in the bleachers, and I saw Max anxiously waiting by the doors. I hurriedly gathered up my bag and went to Max.

  “Did you get everything out OK?”

  Max had spent the last couple hours finishing the packing and loading of my room. “Yup, it’s empty. We better go before anyone notices.”

  “OK. I’ll go change.”

  ***

  The night air held a dirty scent that wrapped fear around my heart.

  “Do you smell that?” I slowed a bit to inhale deeper, but Max held on to me tight, pulling me forward. “I’ve smelled it before, but something is different about it. I can’t remember . . . Do you smell it?”

  “Keep moving, Leah.” Panic edged his voice. “The boss and his men are here. You smell the adrenaline of all the people ready to attack what they fear. We just need to make it to the truck.”

  “They wouldn’t all come running out in the open like this, would they?”

  “It has never stopped them before, and with everyone distracted in one building, no one would hear.”

  A gunshot fired, startling me into Max.

  Max’s eyes glowed in anger. He grabbed me up, holding me as small and close to his body as he could, and ran. We neared his truck when another gunfire sounded.

  “Ahhh!” Max stumbled, but still kept ahold of me. “Get in.” He swung the door open for me and rushed around the driver’s side while I buckled up.

  “You’re hurt,” I said.

  “It’s just my ankle. It will heal. Hold on.”

  Glass shattered over our heads as more gunshots were fired. Max placed a hand over my head.

  “Stay down!”

  We weaved between other cars and ran through stop signs. The white SUV tailed behind.

  “Guns? They’re using guns now?” We were going to die. Being supernatural didn’t mean we were invincible. One gunshot in the right place would kill us. Horror captured my heart.

  “Just stay down! We need to get out of town.”

  I would peek up from time to time, only to be knocked over again by the sharp turns of the truck. When we started to slow a bit, hope filled me.

  “Did we lose them?”

  Max remained firm. “Something’s not right. I don’t see them, but they’re still here.”

  I inched up slowly to look and turned all different directions. “Where are they?” Hysteria filled my voice.

  He placed a hand on my thigh.

  “Max?” That was when I saw it. Behind us a semi-truck emerged over the hill. It was accelerating at incredible speed. “Max! Behind us!”

  We were now on a countryside highway that led out of town. The road would lead us to a freeway that we would take most of the drive home. Max slammed his foot on the gas, but the acceleration was short-lived. Another semi-truck was parked sideways in the middle of the road, blocking our way. With fences on either side of the road, there was no way around it. Our slowdown only made the semi behind us crash into the back of us, sending us sprawling toward the semi in front until we hit it head-on.

  Thankful for the uncomfortable pressure of the seatbelt, I moved little. For Max, it was a nightmare come true. As if in slow motion his body slammed against the window, shattering it open. When we came to a stop, his lifeless body rolled over the hood until he hit the ground.

  Trying to move slowly to lessen the pain from the contracted seatbelt, I took off the belt and climbed out. Max looked as if death had already claimed him.

  “Max!” I yelled his name and shook his shoulders.

  “Please, Max, wake up!” We were about twenty miles or so away from civilization, and there weren't any places or people to help. His slow breathing meant he was alive, so I sat there holding his hand. I prayed he would wake up.

  I caught a glimpse of movement, but never looked up. I pleaded with Max to wake up again, and yet he still was motionless.

  “I told you I’d be back,” the boss’s booming voice sounded.

  He startled me, and a tear ran down my cheek. He wore a black baseball cap, tight, dark blue jeans, and a white T-shirt that had the writing “It’s always something” on it. A gun casually pointed down in his right hand. He had the look of determination and confidence.

  “I am actually surprised that you and your boy here have escaped me this long. After failing a few attempts, I came up with this plan. Don’t you think everything is falling into place nicely?” He raised his gun at me as I stared him down. To my surprise, he slowly adjusted his aim until Max was his target.

  “No! Wait!” I hunched over Max’s body to cover him. “What will killing us prove? What will it accomplish?”

  He looked at me, confused as he lowered his weapon. “You still don’t get it? You’re a killer. Killing you is not only for revenge; I am saving hundreds of lives.”

  “I haven’t killed anyone!” Frustration claimed my whole being. “You don’t know me, and you don’t even know if I’m the person you’re looking for. How could you just guess on someone’s life?”

  “Because last time we met, my men claimed they saw something strange, in your boy over there. They were frightened from what they saw. So I’m not really guessing, am I? You may be the one that has the Hawk name and will become a shape shifter, but somehow he is connected.” He
raised his gun toward Max again.

  “You’re crazy.” I rested my head on Max’s chest, listening to his heart. Tears escaped my eyes as they closed. At any moment one pull of the trigger could end our existence, but I wasn’t ready to quit yet. I continued concentrating on Max’s heart and breathing. His smell flowed into my nose, as I pulled him into my lungs. The fear of losing him crushed my heart and twisted my stomach. My chest started to burn and spread to every limb in my body. Confidence flooded me. Strength coursed through my veins, and for once in my life I know longer felt weak or fragile. No one, not even the boss had the right to threaten us, and it was time for me to put him in his place. Welcoming my transformation into a wolf, I shifted quickly.

  Fear now rested in the boss’s eyes, and that only lead to my boldness. Gunfire wiped past my ear as I leaped forward, knocking down the boss and ripping the gun from his grasp. Another man came running around the semi.

  “Boss! Are you . . .” He spotted me and raised his own gun. My reflexes were crisp and my muscles were strong. Leaping from the ground, I bounced off the side of the semi and crashed into the other man, missing two more fired shots.

  I crashed to the ground as a third man fired. My leg throbbed with pain. He walked slowly toward me, his hands shaking. I stood up on three legs ready to leap forward and fight this to the end, until a black wolf swiftly ran past me. Max tore the man’s arm off that held the gun. I watched in horror as Max finished his life with one clean swipe of his claws. Swiftly, Max turned back to face me and then looked over to the boss. The boss, now awake, had witnessed the murder of his friend. He was scared, but the look in his eyes frightened me even further.

  “Your kind will always be murderers!” The boss got up slowly.

  Max started toward him, while I limped in between them.

  “Please, no more killing,” I pleaded in a roar.

  Max stopped in front of me, and his anger started to soften. The boss left his unconscious friend behind, found his car, and headed back the way he had come.

  Max ran to his truck, found some extra clothes, and came back on two legs.

  “Now would be a good time to use your healing talents.” He touched my leg. “It would be best to get you to human form so we can wrap this better.” He held up a blanket and piled some clothes next to me.

  I transformed easily and struggled to get dressed.

  “I need a hospital.” Blood flowed onto the pavement.

  “I know. But we need to stop the bleeding first. You dressed?” I could hear the urgency in Max’s voice.

  “Just about.”

  “Well, ready or not, your leg needs attention.”

  Max let the blanket fall just as I finished pulling up my shorts. He wasted no time wiping away the blood.

  “How bad is it?” I groaned in pain.

  “It could be worse. The bullet isn’t in your leg, which is good, but you need stitches.” Max tightly wrapped my leg and swiftly carried me over to his truck. He suddenly stopped, staring at his truck.

  “I don’t know if it’ll even start.” He grabbed a pillow, placed it in the truck over the shattered glass, and then set me down in the passenger’s seat. I gently closed the door, hoping it wouldn’t break off as Max got into the driver’s seat.

  A shuddering sound came from the truck as Max turned the key. “Come on. Start!”

  “Where do you think we’re going anyway? We can’t go forward.”

  Max continued turning the key. “We’ll go back, find another way around.”

  I nodded.

  “Yes!” The engine roared to life. He quickly put it in drive and headed back the way we had come.

  ***

  We pulled into the emergency room. Max jumped out and ran over to the passenger’s side. He whisked me up in his arms and ran into the emergency room. A doctor noticed our entrance and the bloody wrap that encircled my leg.

  “What happened?” the man in scrubs asked.

  He started to unravel the wrap as we contemplated what to say.

  “Whose blood is this?”

  I looked at him confused. “What do you mean whose blood? Mine, of course.”

  Max looked down at my blood covered leg, then looked into my eyes. I knew then I had no pain.

  “Is this a joke?” the doctor said.

  Max looked back at the doctor. “We're sorry to waste your time. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought.” He swiftly turned with me still in his grasp. “You healed.”

  I glanced down at his ankle. “You don't seem to have a problem walking either.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  We were off again, driving in his beat-up truck that he hoped would make it all the way home. Shape shifting still definitely wiped me out, yet I felt powerful to have been able to stand up to that man. It was going to be midnight before we would reach home. I sat close to Max as the wind from the open windshield blew a chill through me. I snuggled into Max's side. It wasn't long until my eyes started to feel heavy, and sleep took over.

  Goosebumps made me start to stir. I folded both arms under Max’s one, trying to use him as a blanket. I felt the truck start to slow and pull to the side. My curiosity got the best of me and I started to wonder if we were home already. After sitting up and looking out, I realized I didn't recognize the area.

  “You're freezing.” He rushed around the back of his truck to get a blanket.

  “Thank you.” As we started up again I remained awake. My mind started to wander, recalling how fast Max and I had developed a relationship. It was so wonderful, but unnatural. A bond that would have taken years to form had formed in only a few months. Was this the way it was supposed to feel when you find your soul mate, or was it this gift that drew us together? I looked over toward Max.

  “Tell me more about yourself.”

  “What do you want to know?” He smiled, trying to keep an eye on the road.

  “Anything.”

  “Okay . . . umm . . . I'm from New York. I’m adopted. I have wonderful parents, who I can't wait for you to meet.”

  “You want me to meet them?” I loved the idea that he would even think that.

  “Of course I do! I lived in a smaller town in New York. It's not as small as Pagoda, but it’s not as big as a city. My home was average size with many acres of land. It was a great place to grow up. Although I never met my biological parents, it never bothered me because there wasn't anything I could complain about. I had plenty of friends growing up, and good schools. In the big picture, it was great.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, not that I know of. My parents couldn't have children, so adoption was their answer.”

  “Do you ever wonder about your real parents, considering that you have something extra special about you?”

  “It crossed my mind when I first discovered it, but now that it actually helped me get further in life with my career and meeting you, I really don't care how it came about. Like I said before, it's a gift, not a curse. Plus, now that I have met you and we are going to see your family, maybe I too will get some answers about my past.”

  “Yeah, maybe this trip back home won't be all that bad. I know my father, mother, and of course my brothers are going to love you.”

  “I hope they do. I was hired by your father to protect you, but this will be the first time I meet him. It’ll be nice to put a voice to a face.”

  As our conversation continued, the time passed more quickly than I had anticipated. Between my long nap and our involved talking I started recognizing the area around us. Max continued talking about his family, and I thought about the day he told me that he wasn't supposed to talk to me and that he was getting too close. Now he couldn't tell me enough. I didn't mind at all and was glad that he talked like we had a future together. He made it sound like there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that someday we’d have a normal life.

  “You are going to love my mom. She is the sweetest and most welcoming person. She would do
anything for anyone. You two I know will be the best of friends. My dad is a joker and sometimes can rub you the wrong way when you first get to know him, but once you do he can be just as friendly.” His voice kept me interested as if it were beautiful music. He made me excited to see what the future held for us.

  “I can see that your life has made you the man you are. You're happiness and patience shines through you. I know we're getting close to being home, but your job is so life-threatening at times. It makes me wonder how such a well-rounded, sweet-hearted boy becomes a tough and serious guy when doing your work.” I almost found my answer in his face.

  “I've always wanted to help people. When my gift presented itself, I was nervous at first and uncertain, just like you were, but it’s what I needed. I’m very close to my mom, dad, and my grandparents. They told me stories of their past, and there was one particular piece of history that really stuck with me.”

  We pulled into my driveway, and even though I looked up for an instant to look around, my focus was still on what Max had to say next.

  “My grandparents had a few horses, and my grandpa use to ride every day. He and his son were riding one day and took a familiar trail through the hills. It was the beginning of the warm season. The snow had melted and the rivers were unusually high. My uncle, being pig-headed, went up ahead and started crossing a body of water that ran high and fast. Grandpa got up to the river just as my uncle drifted down. To make a long story short, the horse lived and my uncle didn’t.”

  I felt sad for him, but he kept his voice level as he told more.

  “I never knew my uncle. He was just a kid when this all happened and I wasn't born. Yet, that part of my grandpa's life really stuck with me. It taught me that life is too fleeting to take life-threatening actions without being prepared. The year I got my ability to shift was also the year my grandpa died. I felt stronger and faster, and I could hear better than any human. I was going to use what I had to protect those who needed it. I was going to do what my grandpa couldn't do that day.”