by JM Klaire
He just shook his head saying, "No, Emma. It's just the first time someone held you accountable. I've known about all the other times. You two aren't nearly as good at being bad as you think you are. In town, the shop keepers just keep a tally of what you take, and they send me a bill."
"What?" Kate asked, beating Emma to it. She stood up and faced her own dad, who was nodding beside Henry.
"You knew? You both knew? So what, you just made fools of us? Following behind us and cleaning up after us?" Kate's voice got louder.
"You've made fools of yourselves, actually," Kate's dad responded. "But yes, we did clean up after you. I'm just as guilty as Henry here. I know what preacher's kids are supposed to be like. I kept hoping it was a little phase you two were going through, together. And hoping you would get over it."
Henry spoke again, "I was trying to figure out how to best handle you, but then you guys went out of my county. I have no jurisdiction here, we're just lucky that they called us instead of booking you."
"So that's it? Those are my choices? Spend a year with my mom's family, whom I've never met, and didn't even know existed, or stay here?"
"Yes."
"It is still, technically, my first official offense. What would they do? Make me pay a fine? Give me some jail time? Way less than a year, I bet. Maybe community service?"
"Maybe. Plus an arrest record, fingerprints, a mug shot. A history that will follow you forever. Good luck getting into college, or getting a good job. Telling some future fiancé about your past, telling your kids why mommy has a record. Choosing your mother's people will avoid all of that. And, think of it this way- you get to know your mother's family. Where you come from, their way of life, people who knew her, grew up with her. They are a bit...different, I’ll admit. But they are good people. Honorable people."
He shot a look toward the others again, obviously still not telling her something. But he had always been closed and quiet about her mother, so Emma didn't think much about what he could be leaving unsaid.
After letting everything settle over her for a bit, Emma didn't really see that she had much of a choice here. It was your classic no-brainer. She could stay in jail, or she could get a second chance that most other petty criminals didn't get, and also get to see where her mother came from.
The more she thought about it, with the shock of her dad's ultimatum wearing off some, the more her mind raced. Her thoughts circled, intrigued. She'd always heard vague whispers when her mom's name would come up, rumors and secrets never being exposed to the light of day. Either rude, staring eyes or averted gazes were the norm when her mom's name was mentioned.
Before she could give her answer, Kate's dad injected, "Would Kate be welcomed, too?"
All eyes flew to him.
Henry was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm just kidding. Kate, I was going to tell you this in the car, but it seems like a good time for my news as well, with you being behind bars and all."
He turned back to Emma's dad first though, saying, "My wife and I were offered a transfer, through the church. The mission trips that our congregation here supports? They go to Africa every chance they get. To help out, to teach, build houses, clean up their water, and all that. They lost their pastor. We'd been discussing whether or not to take the position, to move the family to Africa for a while, and the phone call we got telling us to come here to collect our daughter from jail cinched it for us."
He turned back to Kate, "Your mother and I are taking the post. Moving to Africa. And I think you should come with us. Not many stores to lift from there, I'd guess. It would give us a chance to start over, to steer you better. I know that you’re an adult and can make your own decisions, but I also know that you are nowhere near being able to support yourself here. So, I’ll offer you a similar choice. Stay here, taking your chances with the legal system and having to find a real, self-supporting, bill-paying job, or come with us."
Kate bargained and cajoled, but Emma had already decided. It wasn't an ideal choice, but as she sat, watching Kate try to persuade her father, her mind was already elsewhere.
A year was a long time, yes. Especially when it was spent with strangers, in what her dad had said was an odd, contained, traditional, almost tribal community of her mother's family. It sounded almost like a cult to Emma, but she trusted her dad not to send her somewhere dangerous.
As Kate started to wind down beside her, accepting her fate, Emma started to get excited at the chance to see where her mom came from. She looked at her dad, searching deep in his eyes. She saw trust there, and love, and as always, for as long as she could remember, a large amount of heartbreak.
She knew somehow that her dad, in trying to save her, was also offering her a huge opportunity. But she also saw a dark, hidden knowledge buried in there. A secret that her dad had never been willing to talk about, that she knew she'd soon be a part of.
His eyebrows rose in silent question as Kate and her dad came to their own agreements. Somewhere deep inside Emma, a restless part of her that she often fought to tame, or at least to understand, stirred again. With a mixture of excitement, dread, and a large dose of fear, she nodded her acceptance to his terms.
3
Emma found herself more and more confused as her dad drove. They'd been driving for an hour, climbing higher up into the mountains and on progressively smaller and windier roads. When her dad slowed, turning onto a rarely used, seasonal dirt road leading into a state park, Emma shot another nervous glance at Kate.
She still wasn't quite sure how Kate had talked their fathers into letting her go with Emma for the year, but she was grateful. At least she would know someone.
In the couple of days since Emma's birthday, the dads had spoken in hushed, somber tones many times. She hadn't caught much of the conversations, just bits and pieces here and there.
"No, not dangerous, per se. Well, no more than anywhere else," she'd heard her dad mumble once.
And then last night she heard, "Are you sure? I mean it's in Emma's blood, she's their family. But Kate... No. Of course they would take good care of her. But, you know there is a shortage of females, are you sure you want Kate...? Yes, I went yesterday to seal the deal. The Alpha, Thomas, said they were both welcome. Ok then, I'll be by to pick Kate up in the morning."
Emma's dad parked the car at a small, worn, trailhead in the state park that only the most hardcore local hikers even knew about, dragging Emma's thoughts back to the present.
"We walk from here."
The girls didn't speak, they just climbed out of the car, donned their large backpacks, and headed down the trail behind Henry.
The girls tried to get information out of Henry, but he wasn't very forthcoming.
"Why have I never met them before now?"
"Well, it's complicated. Your mother walked away from them long ago, when she got pregnant with you. She wanted to raise you more hu- ahem, more normal, than if we had stayed with the pack. And then she died shortly after your birth, and I wanted to honor her wishes. It's a long story, Emma."
"If we had stayed? The pack? Dad, is this some kind of cult? Are they going to brainwash us into giving them all of our money, and into staying out here, worshiping the leader and cranking out cult-owned babies for the cause?"
Her dad laughed at her question, saying, "No, of course not. But, well… they are kind of different."
"Different how?" Kate asked.
"More rustic. Traditional. There is a hierarchy, of sorts. They shun most advances in technology, choosing to concentrate on family, and the old ways. They aren't big on electricity, preferring wood burning stoves and kerosene lights. There is running water, but it is piped in, from the nearby stream. No cars, they grow a lot of their own food, although they do have some family members that come and go, living in town but coming back with supplies they can't produce. Like milk, eggs, and such. They can't raise chickens or cows, well because, umm..."
"My mom's people are
Amish?" Emma asked, shocked.
"No, definitely not Amish." Henry laughed.
"Sounds Amish. Do they travel by horse?"
"No. No livestock. No horses, or like I was saying, cows or chickens, because well, the animals wouldn't last very long. A month, at most..." He said, cryptically.
"How do they travel if not by car, or even horse? Even the Amish can travel by horse, and raise livestock."
"By foot."
"By foot? Only? They walk everywhere? No wonder they don't get out much. We've been walking for hours already, and aren't even there yet."
"They walk, yes. And run. They run a lot."
"I don't run," Kate said, her breathing ragged from the long hike.
Emma laughed at her friend. It was true, Kate kept in shape with yoga, weights, and dancing, she was not a runner. Emma was, though. She loved running, or the idea of it, anyway. The practicality of it though, being so tall, and well...curvy.
Emma started to say something but was stopped by a flash of motion off in the distance. Something big, and oddly quiet, blurred by up ahead.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" her dad asked.
"There's something out here. Something big, and wild."
"We're in the woods,” Kate quipped, teasing her. “There are lots of things out here with us. Snakes. Bears. Big cats. Little crawly things. Huge spiders. Things that want to kill us. Is it too late to go to Africa with my parents?"
"Like Africa doesn't have things that want to kill you? Like lions? And elephants?"
"Elephants don't want to kill people."
"No, Kate,” Henry said, answering her question but ignoring our death talk. “It's not too late. You can leave with me; Africa is still possible."
"You'd leave me here? All alone?" Emma asked them both.
"You won't be alone," her dad said. "You will be with family."
"Weird, cult-like, Amish family that mom already walked away from, you mean?"
"Well..."
Kate said, "I'm staying, Emma. Zebras scare me."
"What? Of everything you could be afraid of, here and in Africa, it's zebras that are the deciding factor?"
Kate just shrugged her shoulders at Emma’s teasing and said, "Them, and monkeys. I hate monkeys."
Emma laughed. She didn’t think she could argue with that logic, so she didn't.
It wasn’t long before she saw the large shape again.
"Whatever that is out there, it's really big. And hairy. And it seems to be watching us."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised. We are getting close to their den."
The girls came to a complete stop, forcing Henry to stop as well.
"Their den?" Emma asked.
"That cop, before. Didn't he say something about sasquatches?” Kate added. “You aren't taking us to...I mean, there's no such thing as..."
"Sasquatches? Yes. They do exist. But no, I'm not taking you to them."
"I'm sorry, what?" Emma asked. "Spill it dad. What the hell is going on? I'm not going any farther until you do."
"I can't. Really, you just have to see to believe. But give me ten more feet. See right there, where the path crests and falls off? Walk with me just to there, then you can see for yourselves."
The girls eyed each other wearily, and nodded.
They took a few more steps and the land fell away. They found themselves looking over a huge, open valley.
It was breathtakingly beautiful. In the middle of the forest floor was a complex of wood cabins. Some cabins were larger than others, with wrap around porches, rocking chairs, and grills.
It looked like a campground, or a resort. Emma could hear rushing water somewhere just out of sight. That must be the river, where the water was piped in from. They could see a few people milling around down there, and a few dogs, but they didn't seem to have noticed the three hikers standing up here on the rise.
A rustle in the nearby trees drew their attention, and Emma heard Kate's panicked squeal as the huge, hairy beast that had been watching and accompanying them stepped into view.
It looked to be a large, black dog. No, it was way too big to be a dog. As it padded closer Emma said, "That's a wolf! That's the biggest damn wolf I've ever seen. Get back, Kate! Dad!"
Emma stepped forward, squaring her body to face the slowly approaching wolf. She drew herself up to her full, considerable height, and stared the wolf down.
"Don't turn your back on it."
She said the words over her shoulder, warning the others. Then she added, "Back up slowly. And whatever you do- do not run! If you run, it will chase. It's instinct."
She felt her dad's hand settle into the small of her back.
"Emma,” he said. “It's Ok. I know that wolf, it's..."
A deep voice rang out nearby, making the on-edge girls jump.
"She is protective by nature, that one."
Emma's voice shook as she turned to address the man who had just stepped into view.
"I see that,” she said back to him. “Why do you keep a wolf here? Is that legal? You said she, is she tame?"
He laughed at her in answer.
She didn't know why he was laughing at her, but she knew she didn't appreciate it. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him.
She couldn't help but notice how tall he was. He was taller than her, by several inches. She looked him up and down, and felt something in her respond. Anger? Embarrassment? A little bit of lust?
He was very handsome. Powerful was the word that came to mind. Rugged, with dark blonde hair and deep, laughing brown eyes.
He spoke again, "I was talking to your father. About you."
Her dad laughed a quiet laugh as well, and said, "Yes, she is a protective one."
The newcomer turned to look at Emma again, still talking to her father, "Just like her mother. It's in her blood, isn't it?"
"Excuse me?" Emma was confused, as well as angry. Who the hell did this guy think he was?
The blonde turned, and addressed the wolf by name.
"Galen,” he said. “Stop scaring our guests and come introduce yourself."
Emma and Kate stared in shocked silence as the wolf sat back on its haunches, and with a deep, popping sound and fluid, liquid movements, started to flow, stretching but shrinking, into something else.
Before their eyes, the wolf became a man. A very tanned, golden, naked man. He was also very handsome, tall and rugged, only this one had hair as black as night, and deep, brooding eyes. He looked like he'd enjoyed his little performance of shifting in front of the shocked and disbelieving girls very much.
Emma heard Kate exclaim, "Holy fuck!" behind her.
Then she heard, quieter, "Damn, that was kind of hot!"
The wolf/man obviously heard her, a small smirk twisted his mouth as he focused all of his brooding stare on Kate.
The blonde shook his head, and turned back to the group.
"Ladies,” he said. “That's Galen. Galen, the redhead is..."
Galen cut him off saying, "I know who she is. Emma, it's an honor. You look just like your mother."
Galen shook Emma's hand, still as naked as the day he was born, and then he turned to face Kate, shaking hers as well.
"And you must be Kate. It is definitely a pleasure to meet you, too. I didn't expect you to be so... Hmm, interesting."
Galen finally pulled his hand from Kate's and waved at Henry, saying, "Henry, it feels like just yesterday I saw you."
"It was yesterday, Galen."
"Right," he said, winking at Kate before he turned and started walking away.
His bare ass drew the girl's stares. His gluteal muscles bunched and released as he walked, throwing his parting words back over his shoulder.
"I'll go tell dad you guys have finally arrived."
4
"Holy shit, Emma. It's like we walked in on one of those old shows your dad watches. The Twilight Zone or some shit."
Kate whispered the words into Emma's ear as
they all sat around a large table to eat. There really was no need to whisper, no one would have heard her if she'd shouted it.
The large picnic table was full of people; a celebratory dinner was being held in honor of their arrival.
After their initial greeting, Elam, the very tall, blonde man who had first welcomed them on the rise just outside of the small village, had led them down the hill and into this large clearing. A few huge, obviously handmade, wooden picnic tables stood in the clearing, surrounding a bonfire.
Emma knew they were handmade, because she'd never seen store-bought picnic tables this large before. They were built to hold tall, muscular people, and lots of them.
People packed most of the tables, and a few large wolves were also in attendance, walking around, mingling with everyone like this was an everyday occurrence.
Looking around, Emma guessed that for them at least, it was.
Even her dad seemed comfortable here, laughing and talking with people, like a wolf hadn't turned into a man right in front of them, just a few minutes before.
"We've been waiting for you. Father probably won't be joining us. He's not doing well."
Elam spoke that part to Henry as they all settled into a place around the table, and then he turned to the girls to explain.
"Thomas, our Alpha and my father, is old. He ordered a welcome celebration for your arrival, but I'd be surprised if he put in an appearance. My brother, Galen, went to let him know you've arrived."
"Your brother?" Kate asked him. "Does that mean you can do what he did? Change into a wolf?"
Elam answered her question, but his eyes were locked on Emma instead.
"Yes, I am a wolf as well. Most of us are," he said, still looking Emma over as he answered Kate. His eyes seemed to take in everything about her.
"Is he seeing anyone?"
At that question, Elam's eyes did swing to Kate.
"Galen? Is he...? Oh, I understand. Yes, he is seeing a few of the females, but he is not mated yet. So if you meant is he still available, yes he is."
"He's never...mated...before? Is that what you call it out here? He's a little old to be a virgin, isn't he? And a little too hot, as well."