by May, W. J.
I laughed. Nobody would be watching us, and the way she asked if I was turning into a wolf seemed too comical. “Well,” I said pretending to play with the hem of my shirt. “I did feel like howling at the moon the other night. Think I’m going to change?” I batted my eyelashes and tried to look innocent and worried.
Grace slapped my arm. “Not funny!” She laughed despite the fact. “If you start changing into a Grollic, Caleb’s going to skin you alive. First he’ll take you to the lab torture chamber and then he’ll skin you.”
I straightened. She may be joking but that’s probably what Caleb would do. “I’m not a Grollic.” I said with more fierceness than I meant. I had no idea if I could be or what I was, but I didn’t want to be one. Maybe I could will it away. “Let’s just drop it and head to school. We’re already ten minutes late.”
Grace checked her watch, suddenly probably not wanting to have this conversation anymore. “I would hate for Ms. Graid to have a nervous breakdown before tomorrow.”
“True.” Ms. Graid was Port Q’s high school secretary, I was pretty sure she had been there when the school had originally opened in 1922.
Grace drove straight to the school and parked in her usual parking spot. I looked at the school and actually had a tiny little pain of regret about graduating. All my life, I couldn’t wait for this day, and now that it was finally here, I actually felt a little sad. I had loved the architecture of the building and had enjoyed my classes.
“Grace, I’m going to miss going to high school with you. I had fun.”
“Fun? You’re here one year and in that year, you find out that Grollics exist, your best friend and boyfriend are living dead people, you’re kidnapped by some Grollic only to find out you have a gift to control those mongrels! Yeah, definitely a year you would want to remember!”
“I should write a book and sell it.”
“That my dear, could make money.” Grace laughed and then looked at me slyly.
“What?” I didn’t get what the look was for.
“You plan on staying with Michael forever, right?
I nodded, not quite sure where she was going with her train of thought.
She pointed to my necklace. “That’s Eternal Love. Not a couple of years or fifty years. I don’t want you growing old while Michael and I stay this way forever. We’ve got to find a way to make you one of us.”
“That’s not possible.” I blinked and swallowed. My throat ached with the pressure of trying to hold back painful tears. I wasn’t one of them, I had Grollic written all over me – all over my back.
“I’ll find a way. Even if Michael won’t. Just remember that okay? It’s a promise between you and me – our secret.”
She jumped out of the car before I could say anything and started walking towards the school. I jumped out and ran to catch up with her.
“Our secret.” I confirm without saying another word.
Grace looked over and smiled as she gave me a quick hug. “Just so you know Michael’s not the only one who loves you. You’re like a sister to me and I want you around forever as well!” She pulled me towards the gymnasium. “I can hear Ms. Graid calling out attendance and she sounds agitated. Sounds like we aren’t the only ones who are pretty excited to be graduating tomorrow!”
Inside the gym Ms. Graid stood on the stage with a microphone in her hand, trying to call out names. The physical education teacher finally blew his whistle and hollered for everyone to find a seat before he threw one at anyone still standing.
Grace saw Simon, a friend of ours, and we headed over to sit with him. No one noticed we had just arrived. Simon planned to head to Florida for university. He decided Miami was where all the girls would be going that he wanted to get to know.
With everyone finally quieting down, Ms. Graid explained how we would be accepting our diplomas, where we would need to walk and when we were to flip the tassel on our hats to the other side. She went on and on, most the kids already ignoring her and chatting amongst themselves.
“Your gowns are already hung in alphabetical order with name tags on them,” Ms. Graid drone on. “You will be sitting in alphabetical order during the ceremony. No exceptions.”
Grace leaned over and whispered, “I’ll make sure our names are beside each other.”
I raised my eyebrows at her but she just winked at me as she sat back in her chair. After another hour of practice run through we finally headed out of the school for the last time as students. Tomorrow we would be walking out as graduates, entering the real world. I already felt older than the typical eighteen-year-old. To me, this piece of paper was the final evidence of my freedom. It was hard to explain, but after spending my entire life in the foster care system and never being allowed to make my own decisions, I was finally going to be handed the piece of paper that allowed me to be considered an adult, and be left on my own.
I had already had a taste of this freedom back in January when I had been thrown out of my foster care home. My foster folks Jim and Sally were no longer going to be received government checks for my care so they had given me the honour of kicking me out. Sally had mumbled mysterious things before she took off, and I planned to find her back east when we got there. I had no idea if Jim was still here or what had happened to him. I didn’t care. Thankfully, Grace’ family had come to my rescue and invited me in without a second thought.
This diploma was the one last piece of paper that had kept me sane and held everything together when I wanted to fall apart.
Grace and I headed towards her yellow Beetle and parked beside it was Michael’s mustang. My heart skipped. Suddenly everything felt much brighter; the sky, the grass, all the colors around me.
Michael stepped out of his car carrying a bouquet of white freesias. I knew I had a big, goofy smile on my face. I didn’t care because all I thought about was my prince had come to see me. Dressed in jeans and a dark blue polo top, he looked beyond amazing. His skin was tanned like Grace and his dirty blonde hair looked lighter in the sunlight. He casually smiled in our direction but I could feel from his Sioghra he was very excited. The necklace gave me a glimpse of his emotions when he was near me. He was up to something or had some kind of surprise in store. I could feel it.
“Hello Red.” He had taken to calling me Red since last January, when I had saved him from the Grollics. It had caught on and Grace began using it as well. I was their own little red riding hood who had saved them from the big bad wolf.
“Michael! No ‘hello’ for your sister?” Grace shook her head and pointed to his hands. “Your twin, your own flesh and blood?”
It took an effort to tear his gaze away from me. “Yeah, hi sis.” He rolled his eyes heavenward and then winked at me as Grace’s mouth opened to speak again. He cut her off before she had a chance. “Relax Grace. There’s a gift for you. I didn’t forget. It’s on the passenger seat of your car. For the record, you’ve not officially graduated yet so technically, I don’t have to give you anything until tomorrow.”
She stuck her tongue out at him but went to the passenger side of her car to see what he had bought her. She groaned as her head popped above the car and she pulled out a new pair of bright orange fuzzy dice.
“Seriously?”
Michael shot her a beaming smile before turning back to me. He handed me the flowers. “Almost congratulations.” He kissed me on top of the forehead.
“Thanks, they’re beautiful.”
“And smell almost as wonderful as you.” He murmured.
“So Caleb let you leave the office?” I tried digging for information without appearing too obvious. “No autopsy’s to preform today?” I joked.
“Funny girl.” He knew me too well. “I’m curious to know what all Grace has told you. And for the record, Caleb doesn’t control everything – especially me.” He gently reached for the flowers and set them on the back seat of his car.
I noticed my Wolf Book lay there beside them. I stared trying to fight the burning urge to snatch it u
p and protect it. I hadn’t seen or touched it in months and suddenly it was the only thing I wanted. I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets to appear less obvious.
Michael either didn’t notice, or pretended he hadn’t. “Caleb ran all the tests he needed.”
I knew there had to be more to Caleb giving the book back so quickly. Fast as the supernaturals were, they couldn’t rush science. “What does he want?”
“He just asked me to mention he hoped you might take a peek at the book before we left.” Michael shook his head. There had obviously been some words between the two of them.
“He wants to know if anything’s changed since January, right?”
Michael sighed and leaned against his car. “He’s concerned you have been looking but can’t read the book anymore and that’s why you haven’t said anything about it. I tried explaining the truth, but when Caleb gets something into his head, there’s no stopping him.”
Caleb was not one to give up easily on something. “I’ll have a look.”
“Please don’t do him any favours.”
Grace piped into the conversation, “It’ll only go to his head. He’ll expect it from you time and time again. Look at the book only if and when you feel ready!”
“Thanks, Grace.” Michael threw his sister a dirty look and opened the car door for me. “She’s right,” he whispered, “Just don’t tell her.”
“I heard you!” Grace said as she jumped into her car. “See you later. Don’t be back late, big day tomorrow.”
He saluted her as she drove off. I waved and got into the Mustang. “So where are you taking me?” I leaned into the back and grabbed the old, worn leather journal. It felt warm in my hands and wonderfully soft against my fingertips.
Michael started the engine and pulled out of the school. “Just thought we could take a little walk before we head back home. Or I can walk and you can sit and look at the journal if you want.”
“Where? The park? By the water?”
“Somewhere less busy.” He drove past my old street and in a few minutes pulled into a cemetery. Not the average place a boy would take his girlfriend but it did make me smile. This was actually the first place we had met almost a year ago. I had been out running and he had just come back from… I actually had no idea what he had been doing that night.
“Want to walk or read?”
“Let’s walk, and maybe stick to the paths.” I said with a smile, recalling that the first time we met. “I promise not the fall over any benches.”
“Or decapitate any angels?” he teased. We got out of the car. “Don’t forget the Grollic book.”
I flinched. Michael sounded like Caleb.
Chapter 4
I hesitated, unsure if I needed to walk first and build the courage to look at the book. I knew it was ridiculous, but that didn’t change the fact: I was scared of it.
Michael came around the car and held his hand out to me, and I instantly reached for it with my own. His hand was warm to the touch and felt wonderful in mine. He didn’t mention the book, just locked the car doors and pulled me toward the nearest path.
We walked for several moments without talking, just enjoying the silence together. I watched him as we walked, enjoying all his features in motion. He was tall and slim but his physique was extremely strong. It was obvious in the way he held himself as he walked or even in the casual way he would lean against the car to talk with me. His entire body was hard like the marble stones here at the cemetery, but he created a heat inside that was unbelievable.
He turned to look at me and smiled. “What are you thinking about Rouge?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “Well, first I was checking you out and thinking about how handsome you are. Then I was thinking about how lucky I am to be with you. I still think you’re crazy to be interested in someone like me, but I have no intention of trying to convince you to change your mind.”
He laughed and pulled me closer to him. His lips brushed my forehead and teased my ear. “You’re the crazy one for choosing to be with me. I’m nothing without you. I would be empty inside if you left me.” He nuzzled my neck. “Plus you’re incredibly gorgeous.”
The pendant around my neck warmed against my skin, sharing his emotions. “I think you need to have your eyes checked,” I teased.
“My eyes?” He pulled back slightly, cocking an eyebrow. “I have better than perfect vision, thank you very much.”
“Maybe your brain has fogged your eyesight then.”
“What in the world are you getting on about?”
I shrugged and looked past him to stare at some of the monuments. “I’m nothing special to look at, just your typical average teenager.”
“You are by no means typical or average.” He stepped back and let his gaze wonder slowly down and then back up. “You’re tall, lean and physically fit from all the running you used to do. Your face is like an angel and those amber-green eyes are breath-taking. Plus you have this mahogany red hair that is crazy-curly one day and then straight the next. You look sexy in a pair of jogging pants and sweats!” He shook his head in disbelief and then pulled me up tight against him. “All this,” he trailed his hand up and down along the side of my body, “is just an added bonus. It is what is in here,” he pointed to my head, “and mostly what is in here,” he pointed to my heart, “that makes me fall in love with you more and more every day. I’m the lucky one, trust me!” He kissed me softly on the lips. “Mind you, with a taste like that, maybe I am just after your body!” He kissed me more urgently and pressed me closer to his body.
It took an effort to pull away and my body didn’t like the cool air between us. I panted, letting my chest rise and fall. “I’ve a feeling making out in a cemetery is not the most accepted thing. I’ll feel awful if someone comes here to put flowers on a loved one’s grave and they have to step around us.”
Michael groaned and closed his eyes. Before they shut, their blue burned brighter than normal but by the time he opened them again, they were back to their ocean blue color. “I didn’t take you here so I could kiss and ravish you. If I wanted to do that, I would prefer a little more privacy.” He grabbed my hand and started walking again.
“Why did you want to come here?” I asked.
“I like walking here. It’s quiet. I figured if you wanted to look at the journal, no one here would bother you. It seemed like a good idea… this being the first place we met and with us leaving in a few days…”
“Are you thinking we won’t be coming here?” My mouth suddenly went dry.
“No! Yes! I mean, we are definitely coming back.” He sighed and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “I just don’t… I don’t know if this trip is going to change things. I want you to remember the good feelings we had here and if there are any disappointments for you on the trip, I want you to remember that there is a lot of good here.”
He was worried I would be disappointed or even worse, disgusted in what I might find out about my history. Part of me wished I could do this trip on my own so he wouldn’t find out the truth, but I knew I couldn’t do it without him. “I’m not expecting to find much but whatever happens, I will have you there with me. In the end, nothing really matters but that we are together.”
“No matter what we learn; you’re still going to be my Rouge, my little Red Riding Hood.”
I wanted to cry. Maybe he already had a feeling I might be a Grollic or knew about the mark on my back that I was trying to hide from him. Everything was going to change after this trip. I reached for his Sioghra. Caleb would kill me and rip it from my neck before he would let Michael be with a Grollic.
Michael reached for my hand. “How about we take one more lap around and then head back home? I’m getting pretty hungry and there’s some of Sarah’s casserole left in our fridge. Afterwards we can sit in the living room and have a look at the Grollic Book together. I’ll help.”
We both knew there was nothing in the book he’d be able to read or decipher. He meant we
ll, and I loved him for it.
We went home and had dinner in the pool house that was now my living quarters. Michael spent most nights here. He said it was for my protection and I never argued. The conversation of intimacy or sex hadn’t come up yet. I had a feeling travelling across country without the watchful eye of Caleb might change that.
After we turned the futon into a couch and pulled the coffee table close to use as a desk.
Michael grabbed his laptop and set it on the table. “Maybe we’ll need the internet.”
“Sure.” I tried not to sound as half-hearted as I felt. He sounded so eager to look at the journal. “Whoops,” I said as I looked around the small room. “I think I left it in the car.”
“No probs.” Michael disappeared through the front door. He was back in about five seconds.
“How’d you do that so fast?” I had just sat down on the couch with a pen and pad of paper.
“Benefits of being on the dark-side,” He said with a sly smile.
“Come sit with me.” I patted the couch beside.
He dropped down putting his arm around my shoulders and set the journal on my lap at the same time.
“What are the benefits of the dark side?” I asked and tossed the journal on the coffee table. We hadn’t spoken about what he was or what he could do in a long time. I had been thinking about it a lot lately and decided now was the perfect time to learn more, anything to prolong the need to actually open the book.
“There are benefits but like everything, there’s consequences also.” He twirled a curl of my hair around his fingers.
“I’d like to know what I am in for with you.” I poked him playing in the chest. “The good and the bad.”
He laughed as he reached over to stroke my cheek. “Are you stalling? Why are you so scared to look at the journal?”
I swallowed. How did you tell the person you loved that you were wrong for them? That you didn’t want to leave but knew one day you were going to have to? “What if I am a descendant of Bentos?” I whispered. The truth hurt too much I couldn’t hold it in. “What if part of me is werewolf? What if I shifted and bit you? I might actually kill you! I need to find out about who, or what I am before you and I make any other decisions.”