by Noah Harris
They ate some fruit and cold beans. Since there was a burn ban at the time, open flames were not permitted due to the high risk of forest fire. The last thing they needed was some overzealous park ranger, or security guard, calling in a report on them for something stupid like a non-permitted fire.
As the sun began to set, the pink and purple hues melded together with the brilliant orange, to yield a spectacular scene.
“I know this sounds weird,” Nick began. “But even though I’m not happy about how we got here, I am happy to be here with you.”
“Me too,” Jared replied, leaning closer to look into Nick’s eyes. “Maybe we should get one of those RVs, and call this our dream vacation.”
Nick laughed at the thought.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he teased. “But maybe when this is all over—if it ever is all over—we can go on a real dream vacation. I think we may need it.”
“I definitely think we will,” Jared agreed. “And I still can’t believe we’re here. I mean, I know we’re here, but it all seems so surreal, like how did I get here? Just a couple days ago, I was a regular guy in college and now… this.”
“Maybe you really never were a regular guy in college,” Nick led. “You were always different, always your father’s son, and always special just because of who you are. I don’t know many people that could have demonstrated the backbone you have in the last couple of days. People like to think they would be good in a crisis—like some movie character—but when it’s happening right there in front of you, it doesn’t feel the way you might have imagined.”
“If I had to go through this with anyone, which, for the record, I would prefer not to at all, but if I must, then I’m glad it’s you. You let me take things in my own time; you gave me time to process, where most people would push.”
“Well, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you, that’s for sure,” Nick confided.
“How did you?” Jared asked.
“I’m not sure. I hadn’t really gotten that far yet, actually planning it out, but definitely not like this.”
“And you really think you are what my father said? A non-human. A shape shifter?”
It was this question that finally gave Nick permission and allowed him the time to give Jared all the details he wanted. He told him about growing up human—that human was his base form—and then he explained the way his parents had told him everything. He shared how difficult it had been to come to grips with what he was, and that he wasn’t even finished with that yet, but just starting. He told him about the pack, and the Wisdom, though Nick kept the details light, as required by the rules. He may have bent them a bit, but surely he did not reveal any more than Jared’s father knew already. Lastly, Nick shared how he had hoped to still have a human life—with school and a career, to somehow find a balance. Now, he wasn’t sure if that would even be possible. The sun was lower in the sky now and the setting was just so beautiful, Nick really just wanted to enjoy it.
“I’d like to show you, if you feel ready. I’ve regained my strength now, and I want you to know that what I’m telling you is true, and show you how grateful I am that I can finally be honest with you. Would you like to see?” Nick approached the topic with care.
“See you shift?” Jared reflected, pausing for a few minutes before deciding. “Okay.”
Nick looked around to confirm what he already knew from the afternoon—that there was no one around for miles. He took off his clothes, stepped to the edge of the lake, and changed into an eagle. His majestic wings made shadows with the brilliant colors of the setting sun across Jared’s face, which was not in shock, because deep in his heart he had already accepted this reality as the truth. What his face shone with, was amazement. He couldn’t believe the beauty of Nick as he ascended, circled around the lake twice, flying high amidst the orange and purple of the sunset. The air seemed still, and the heat of the day gave way to a more temperate, if not cool, evening. Nick landed with the gentle rhythm of the evening undisturbed, returned to his human base form, and put his shorts back on. He sat shirtless, staring at Jared, awaiting his verdict—wondering what it would be. Horror? Repulsion? Disbelief?
“That was beautiful,” Jared praised. “I wish I could do that.”
Nick smiled, and sat shirtless eating an apple, until the gradual swatting of mosquitoes increased to a frenzy for them both. Nick wished he could just turn into a gator, or fish, and stay in the lake for the night, but he didn’t want to leave Jared. Instead, he leaned in and put his arm around him, putting a protective barrier around them both with a partial shift of his cells to ether. Before long, the weariness of the day overtook them both.
The next day passed quickly. They swam a little in the shallow, clear part of the lake after checking for gators. They slept in the sun, holding hands and eating fruit, wondering what would come next. It was easier to hit the pause button on the worry than to sit and ponder all the negative possibilities surrounding the outcome, some of which were quite likely. If they were going to both live their lives burdened by who they were, by what their families had done or decided long before they were born, they could at least have this one day together. Destined to end, despite their mental protest, they reluctantly packed up and walked themselves and the motorcycle the short distance to meet Michael by the bridge. They held hands, and then embraced, holding the outside world at bay as long as possible. Once Michael arrived, nothing would ever be the same for either of them again.
15
The confrontation began before Michael even turned off his engine.
“Get in,” he said to Nick, after pulling up in the small parking area at the entrance to the park nearest the bridge. Michael drove a four-door sedan, and there was nowhere for the motorcycle.
“How about we follow you?” Nick proposed, as he and Jared boarded the bike, assuming they were headed to the next leg of this journey.
“He’s not coming. Get in the car, Nick,” Michael firmly belted out.
“I can’t go without Jared,” Nick replied. Michael cut off the engine, popped out of the car, and faced Nick down, all in under five seconds.
“You can and you will. You have no idea what I have been through in the last twenty-four hours. We tried to recover Gideon, which was a huge failure, and we lost two more in the process, one of whom is dead, so I’m not in the mood for your star-crossed lover routine right now. This is bigger than us.”
“Is Isda… ?” Nick began.
“She’s fine,” Michael cut him off. “But this one needs to just go home. We have to figure out how to get Gideon, and now Giselle, back.”
Nick was about to refute further when Jared jumped in. “Bargain with me.”
“What?” Nick said, and as soon as it was repeated, the thought was unbearable. “No way.”
“Why?” Jared responded, trying to convince them that his logic was sound. “It’s my own father. He’ll never hurt me. I know that, if I know nothing else. You can negotiate an exchange—me for your friends.”
“Once you’re back with your father, I’ll probably never see you again,” Nick argued. “He’d never allow it.”
“I know, and I hate that, but if it saves your friends, it’s got to be the right thing to do. No offense, but their lives are far more important than our feelings, right?”
“He has a point, Nick,” Michael interjected, surprised that the human would be willing to sacrifice himself for their kind, or for Nick. Nick shook his head, backing away.
“I don’t like it. So many things could go wrong.” Nick voiced his concern and Michael put his hand on his shoulder, as a big brother might.
“It may be the only chance they have,” Michael conceded. “We have to clear it with the pack, and notify the Wisdom. They won’t like working with a human, but they may see that we don’t have many options. It may also be a path to allow them to see the good in Jared, a chance to have them consider allowing your relationship. Usually, they would never approve such close interactio
n with a human.”
Michael knew this would pull at Nick, not just for the recovery of Gideon, and of Giselle—a pack member he had yet to meet—but for the chance that he and Jared might be allowed to be together. If they even had a chance for a future, Nick would want that, Michael knew, even if he knew it was only a slim chance. The likelihood of the pack accepting Jared was exceedingly low to say the least, but slim was better than none, so he felt he was not misrepresenting anything to Nick. Plus, he would be able to return to the pack and deliver—on the heels of a miserable failure—a plan that might actually be successful. He couldn’t simply abandon Gideon and Giselle without trying everything, no matter how ridiculous it might seem. Nick finally agreed and the two followed Michael’s sedan on the motorcycle, to the new location. The pack had been assembled to lick their wounds and decide on their next move.
Once they arrived, Michael instructed Nick that Jared needed to wait in a holding area. There was no way he could participate in a pack meeting. Nick didn’t fight him on that, it seemed accurate, given that non-members weren’t even allowed, much less humans. Nick hugged Jared goodbye, and locked him in the holding room. Walking next to Michael down a long corridor, they matched step for step, gaining confidence with each stride that they would be able to recover their friends.
“They don’t know about Jared,” Michael confided as they walked. “And let’s keep it that way. I mean, they know who he is, who his father is, and general facts about him, but they don’t know how close you two are. Telling them now, amidst all the fever and panic underway, is bad form and poor strategy. We will tell them, in time, but for now we must underplay your bond. Just tell them you’re friends from school, which is true, and that’s why he’s offering to help us. They will never go for this otherwise. Oh, and let me do the talking.”
Nick nodded, falling more in line as a member of the pack under Michael, now that they were out of the ‘real world,’ or how Nick’s mind thought of it. Someday, he might think of himself as a part of this world, but at this juncture in his development, he still thought of it as someplace he visited, and his ‘real world’ was his life back with his family and friends, at school, among the humans.
Michael and Nick entered the large hall where Michael and the pack had met with the full Wisdom. This time, only the few rows filled by the local pack were occupied. They clearly looked upset, and Isda was consoling one pack member when they arrived. It was Henri, Giselle’s fiancé.
“Henri, we’ll get Giselle back,” Michael assured him. Then he turned his attention to the broader group. “Everyone, I know we’ve had a terrible night, and that no one will rest until Gideon and Giselle are back safely. We have a new idea, which may bring some hope. I know usually a potential new pack member is introduced with more pomp and circumstance, but I fear we must dispense with the usual formalities. By this time, most or all of you have heard of Nick. I’d like to formally introduce him to the pack.”
Michael gestured to Nick, who remained quite calm and waved at everyone. On first glance, he could see fitting in with this group. Something about their energy, the vibe of the room, sat well with him. Perhaps some ancestral memory from deep within his DNA, but he felt as if he belonged.
“How can he help? He’s brand new.” One voice shouted out, not with scorn, but just a genuine question.
“He’s already months ahead in his training.” the voice next to him reassured.
“It’s not so much that Nick alone adds value, but he has brought us a bargaining chip.” Michael informed. “The son of Finley.”
An undercurrent of restlessness broke out among the group. Whispers turned into murmurs, which turned into rumblings.
“He is being held prisoner?” Henri asked.
“No,” Nick replied, “he’s offered to help us, of his own volition. He’s my friend.”
Now the rumblings broke out into loud discussions. It was difficult to tell the different opinions in the room with everyone talking at once, but Nick’s impression was that some were for and some were against the idea.
“We can’t possibly trust a human, especially the son of their leader. This reeks of a trap!” said a short, pixie-haired blonde shifter in the back, with a grey shirt and combat boots.
“What else can we do? We don’t know where they are holding Gideon and Giselle.” sounded another.
General disruption broke out again before Michael reined it in.
“Order, please. Order. Look everyone, I know it’s a risk, but even if he is trying to play us, we could at least set up a meeting, and then be prepared for a battle. It would at least afford us the opportunity to retrieve our comrades. If it so happens that the human is telling the truth and we can do the exchange easily, then all the better, but we won’t march in blindly. Besides, Nick has known this human for a while and has reason to believe he is telling the truth.”
After twenty more minutes of discussion covering the same general points in different ways, Isda was the one to put an end to it.
“Look,” she said. “Every moment we spend here is more time wasted. We need to make a decision. I call for a vote!”
Nick couldn’t let it proceed without having his say.
“Before we vote, I just want everyone to know that Jared Finley risked himself to save me, when he could have just let his father have me. He didn’t have to do that. Plus, we didn’t ask him to play the hostage role in the exchange. He offered himself up. So, I understand you having reservations about me. I’m new and I don’t know you very well, though I look forward to it in the future. But, please don’t have reservations about Jared. He is a good person and just wants to help us.”
With that, Michael called for a vote. By a margin of only two votes, it was agreed that they should negotiate with Mr. Finley to exchange Jared for Gideon and Giselle. In the holding room, Jared paced back and forth, waiting for Nick’s return. It seemed like forever before Nick finally did come back for him. Jared moved toward him, but stopped short when he was flanked by Michael and Isda, still sensitive because they didn’t want him there. It was understandable, if his father took their friends, but Jared was still having difficulty believing that his father could do that.
Nick grabbed his hand when he saw him, to reinforce to Jared that he supported him no matter what.
“It’s settled,” Nick reported. “They voted to allow the exchange. Now, let’s just hope your father goes for it.”
“He will,” Jared confirmed.
16
Jared held the phone with trepidation as he dialed his dad’s number. Never before had he been afraid to call his own father, probably because he had been the type of son who rarely let his parent down. He looked at Nick, took a deep breath, and leaned his head against Nick’s shoulder—partly for support and partly in sympathy—as he made the call. Where this would leave them when it was all over neither of them knew, but Jared just had a sense of faith that somehow it would all work out. It was that optimism of Jared’s that was part of the attraction for Nick, but misplaced optimism could lead to trouble.
Finally, on the sixth ring, Mr. Finley picked up.
“He may be taping, or tracing,” Michael whispered to Jared, as if he didn’t already know that.
“Jared, where are you?” Mr. Finley’s concern was evident.
“That’s not important,” Jared began. “What is important is that you’ve been lying to me, and that you have our friends.”
“They’re not friends, Jared. They are not even human. Don’t you get that?” his father replied.
“I do, but they’ve done nothing wrong, and you’re treating them like animals. I’m not calling to debate this with you. They are offering to exchange me for the two you are holding,” Jared relayed.
“Exchange, you? You have no bargaining power, son. I know Nick wouldn’t hurt you. Maybe he’s different from the others. Why don’t the two of you come home and we can discuss it rationally.”
“Like the last time? When you tried to
kill him? Besides, it’s not Nick you have to worry about anymore. I’ve been taken by the pack.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re bluffing.”
At this point, Michael grabbed the phone.
“Mr. Finley, this is Michael, I am the pack leader, and we do have your son,” Michael said firmly.
“If you hurt him, I’ll—” Michael cut him off.
“You’ll what—steal more of my friends? You began this war, Mr. Finley, not us, but if you want your son back, you’ll end it here and now. Otherwise, he’s dead. You must know that I don’t have the same affinity for humans that Nick does.”
“I know who you are, Michael. We’ve known all about you for some time,” Mr. Finley retorted. “Fine. We will make an exchange, but you must follow my terms exactly.”
After a short negotiation, they agreed to the barn as a suitable remote location where no other humans would get in the way, and where neither of them had an unfair advantage. The pack began to get ready. Nick was briefed first by Michael, and then by Isda, on what it was like to go into battle. The pack gathered its collective energy, and strategized. There was, apparently, a usual advance team, which was sent ahead to ensure no traps were set up, or unknown snipers positioned in the trees. Four pack members left immediately, shifting into a flock of seagulls to fly there quickly in formation. One left by car so they would have cell phones once they arrived, and could relay reports back to Isda, who served as the central point of contact.
The pack agreed that the best approach was for Michael and Nick to take Jared straight in from the main dirt road, which is what they had agreed with Mr. Finley. Other pack members would be positioned on all three sides surrounding the location, most disguised as other animals and objects. Should anything not go as planned—should they try to keep Gideon and Giselle, the pack would descend on Finley and his soldiers. Nick suggested that Jared should have a weapon, just in case that happened, since he couldn’t defend himself as the others could. They all agreed that there was little risk of a shift trap being successful, since they were expecting it, but none knew enough about the cages to be certain the enemy could not deploy one. They were relying on the fact that the short lead time, remote location and vastness of the area, would not allow that to become a reality. Partially for this reason, Michael had insisted that cars be parked at least fifteen feet back from the exact exchange point. He didn’t want any Trojan horses hiding in an SUV. While the rest prepared, Nick knew he needed to speak to Jared alone. This might be their last time alone together for a while, maybe ever. Once away from the others, he led him by the hand into an adjoining room. As soon as they were alone, he hugged him, and held on for as long as he could before duty took over.