Back to You (Don't Forget Me Book 2)

by Sia Wales

  What did he think was going on? Could he think why Locke would be so down in the dumps? Is there any basis to Locke’s fears and instincts?

  Before going into the storeroom, I try to get the pieces in order. Through the crack of the door, I see Tyler on his feet arranging the cases of beer in the corridor next to Scott’s office. I don’t say anything yet, I just watch him at work. I think of Locke. To hell with it, I think to myself, and stride up to Tyler decidedly. He hears the sound of my footsteps coming toward him.

  “Hey,” he calls out.

  “Tyler, it’s me, Stella,” I whimper.

  “I know.” He looks up at me. “What have you been up to now?” His voice is light-hearted, friendly, but his tone and his words seem to be saying that he knows everything. But how could he know what happened last night?

  Just then, in the dark shadows of the darkened office, about ten feet away, I notice some amber-colored eyes. The Siberian rangers.

  They are watching me attentively from the room. The back door is open, I can see the Jeep parked outside in the alley. There are four pair. I squint at one of the faces; it looks familiar, but it’s not Locke. I’m suddenly overcome by a wave of emotions. First surprise, then doubt. It looks like Bryan.

  Impossible. Highly unlikely.

  “I’m listening,” continues Tyler, his own amber eyes flashing.

  I glance toward the office again, the fourth figure has disappeared. Now there are only three rangers and, judging by what I can make out, it’s Fergus, Dora, and Amelia. I have to stop letting my imagination run riot. I suddenly fear that I was hallucinating, a symptom of the exhaustion from last night’s escapades.

  “I need to talk to you. Alone,” I specify.

  Tyler looks over his shoulder. He knows to whom I’m referring. Everyone awaits his reply.

  “Ok,” he finally says. He turns and walks to the end of the corridor. The others, who I imagine to be Dora and Amelia, are immobile in the room, next to Fergus, following us with their amber eyes, shining like cats’ eyes in the dark. As he passes the door, Tyler says something in a language I don’t understand. Russian, I guess.

  My nerves are getting increasingly on edge as I think about what Locke is going through and the fact that Tyler is letting it all happen under his very nose. Fergus being all cool, calm, and collected about the whole matter helps none. Tyler holds open the door for me and pulls me outside, hand in hand, into the damp night.

  “Let’s get this over with,” he blurts out, a certain determination in his voice. I get a knot in my throat.

  “You already know what I want to know.”

  He doesn’t answer, he just stares at me challengingly. I stare back in silence. He takes a deep breath and let’s my hand fall.

  “Let’s go for a little walk,” he says. “Scott can hold the fort without us for a few minutes.”

  He strides off in the direction of the alleyway, I have to trot to keep up with him. I hear the familiar sound of gravel crunching underfoot. Our feet squelch in the wet mud along the sidewalk by the Jeep; it must have fallen from the bumper of the car. He turns and comes to a sudden halt, blocking my path.

  “I’m worried about Locke.”

  Tyler studies my expression, not seeming too pleased with what he sees.

  “Have you seen him today?” The question comes out of my mouth before I even have time to think.

  “From a distance,” he finally replies. “Why?”

  I’m bursting with questions. “Have you tried to talk to Fergus?”

  Out of sight of the others, Tyler seems more relaxed, but no more willing to give anything away.

  “Fergus Bradford?”

  “Yes. I think Locke is having some problems with your aloof, cool-headed brother.”

  “Ella May, whatever he said to you, I’m sure it’s nothing.” The conversation hasn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot. But I have no intention of giving up.

  “I think you’re wrong,” I continue. “I think that weird things happen in Jackson, and I’m scared. Locke told me about his relationship with Fergus. About how he wants to go to college. And about you’re indifference to what he wants. But you’re not like that, Tyler. Why don’t you defend him against Fergus?”

  I rub salt into the wound.

  “He was scared yesterday, he was sure he’d be the next victim. Now he’s probably behaving just like the rest of them, never leaving Fergus’ side.”

  His eyes bore into me, searching my face. I guess that means he taking me seriously.

  “You’re wrong. But I think you’ve misunderstood the situation. Fergus Bradford is a good man. A model Siberian and a well-respected ranger,” he says, a placating tone in his voice. “He’s doing a great job on the reserve. And you should listen to what the rest of the clan says about him.”

  “Oh, let me guess. That the sun shines out of his heavenly ass?” Too defensive, too aggressive? Have I shown my hand too soon? “That’s not the way things are, Tyler. Locke is scared of him.” Exasperation is etched on his face.

  “It’s not Fergus’s fault, he’s doing his best to help him!”

  “Sure,” I exclaim, pulling a face of fake understating. “He’s helping him. Locke is just a kid. He’s just exaggerating. I’m not worried. And I’m sure that he’ll be just fine!”

  I can’t believe the way he’s reacting to all this, but I can feel that the battle is lost. There’s nothing worse than a deaf man who refuses to admit stuff.

  “Who told you that Locke is blowing things out of proportion? Fergus? That’s a wicked lie, Tyler, don’t believe it! Why are you blaming Locke for what Fergus is doing to him? Why do you let him tell Locke not to get too close to me?”

  “Fergus hasn’t done anything. And he doesn’t tell them anything,” he blurts. “Come on, stop worrying.” he sighs. “You can’t expect Locke to spend every minute of his free time, what little he has, here with you at work.”

  “This has nothing to do with me, it’s about Locke!” I reply, keeping my cool.

  “Let Fergus take care of him,” he says without thinking twice. He immediately regrets his words.

  “So Fergus has taken him?”

  Tyler looks at me, biting his lower lip nervously.

  “What have you heard?”

  “Locke spoke to me about it. Yesterday.”

  He laughs.

  “Yesterday? Locke told me about the strange episodes involving other kids on the reserve, including Dora, Fergus’ girlfriend. I don’t understand how he manages to petrify them, isolate them. Then change them. But Locke is terrified that it’s going to happen to him too.”

  “Fergus is in charge of the special youngsters on the reserve, the ones that have, shall we say, unique characteristics. His task is to show them the way. He’s working wonders with these kids, and now with Locke. But he doesn’t’ understand because he doesn’t know yet. Fergus is essential for keeping them in check.”

  “Like you keep him in check, from what I saw at Scott’s house.”

  “He can go a bit far at times, I admit that. But sometimes his wheels start turning and there’s no going back, it’s too late.”

  “What wheels? Too late for what?” Is he brainwashing him? I’ve heard about that sort of thing. And I can tell you what I think about it, Myco.”.

  “No, it’s nothing to do with hypnosis and brainwashing, but about heritage and a bond with our nation,” Tyler cries.

  “Easy for you to say, you’re not the victim of brainwashing! Whose fault is it, if it’s nothing to do with your beloved brother Fergus?”

  “Locke can’t go to college because he will become an adult soon, and only then can he be what nature has dictated, something that can’t happen during adolescence. He is next. The time has come.”

  “Come on, be serious!” I try to be ironic. “Don’t tell me you believe all those legends that Scott goes on about. The ones he’d tell us at camp before we went to sleep or when he was fishing with Jeff.”

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nbsp; He looks at me, pure venom in his eyes, as if my sun had just been eclipsed. I move nearer to him, somehow bolder now.

  “You know much more than you’re letting on. So tell me, Tyler, just how are things there on the coast?”

  “Fine.”

  “You said you came to live with Scott because he asked you to. Can’t you make up a better story?”

  He grins, but it seems more like a sneer.

  “That’s the truth, Ella May.”

  “But I noticed that Vuk seemed to know you the night of my party and the second time he played at the bar. And so did Donn.”

  “You haven’t told me everything either. I thought I was your friend.”

  “I thought I had to hide things from you. I didn’t realize that you already knew that thing that I couldn’t tell anyone,” I confess.

  “You could’ve tried to confide in me!”

  “I didn’t think you’d understand. I figured if I told you the truth, you’d get me locked up in the loony bin!”

  A dark cloud crosses his face.

  “You thought that of me?” he spits, disgusted.

  I suddenly feel a wave of remorse and go to him with open arms.

  “No,” I whisper. “It was just a possibility.”

  I pause to get my breath back and to gather my courage. As I’m holding him tight, I suddenly stop breathing for an instant. “Tyler, you’re a son of one of the original thirteen, aren’t you?

  He can barely stifle a laugh. I can feel his chest vibrate. I let go of him, take a step back and look at him searchingly, waiting.

  “That’s what the legend says,” he replies warily. “But now let’s get back to what we were talking about. You haven’t told me a thing. How can I protect you if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”

  “Yeah, well …” I mutter. “I will tell you … when you tell me all there is to know about you!”

  “Sounds fair enough,” he says.

  “The whole truth?”

  “I promise. But you have to work it out for yourself.” He lets out a deep breath that he had been holding in. “I’m not allowed to tell you anything, you see.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to explain.” He cuts off, his mouth dropping open. “But I can’t.” His tone is irate, shutters seem to have closed over his eyes. “You don’t know how much I wanna tell you everything,” he adds, listlessly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  But he’s betraying no emotions now.

  “I can’t talk to anyone about things, apart from the members of the clan council,” he says, as is reciting words learnt by heart. His face is an inch from mine and I can feel his warm breath.

  I sigh, dejected.

  “Listen, Stella, have you ever had to keep a secret that you couldn’t tell anyone? Not even Jeff, Scott, your mom? Something you wouldn’t tell me, not even now?”

  My thoughts immediately turn to Vuk, Jason, and Donn. I hope I don’t look in any way guilty. I don’t answer the question, but I know that he would take this as confirmation. He’s making an effort to find the right words to say.

  “Can you understand that I could be… in the same situation? There are secrets that cannot be told for any reason whatsoever.”

  I nod. There’s no doubt about that. I am the custodian of a whole range of secrets and I take my job of protecting them seriously. But Tyler seems to know all about them. I still don’t get how he fits into the picture with Donn and Vuk, a vampire and a werewolf. What bizarre link is he in the chain?

  “I’m sorry, Stella, but I can’t tell you anything,” he continues. “Sometimes loyalty can be a burden, that’s a fact. But if you were to guess … that would resolve the dilemma.”

  Whatever he’s aiming at, it’s making him breathless. I blink my eyes, trying to put the pieces in some kind of order.

  “You want me to guess what exactly?”

  “What my secret is, it’s the only way to get around the veto. I know you can do it. My hands are tied, and you can’t imagine how.”

  “And there’s no way you can free yourself of all this?”

  He shakes his head.

  “No. But maybe I’ve understood how I can help you.”

  “Help me?” I ask, trying not to lose the flow of thoughts.

  “Yeah,” he says. “I’ll give you a few clues because, really, you already know everything…”

  He looks exasperated at my perplexed expression.

  “And that is what’s driving me crazy.”

  “Oh.” I am more confused than ever.

  “You can do it, Stella. You know the answer. It’s been a while now, but try to remember. It would really help move things along if you managed to realize a few things by yourself. Go on, make an effort.”

  He smiles, his eyes trying to communicate the words his mouth cannot. The intensity of his golden gaze sends shivers down my spine.

  “I’ll try,” I whisper feebly.

  “I need you to understand. I won’t lose you, Ella May. Not over this.” He takes a deep breath, but utters no other words.

  The conversation we just had seems to make no sense, it’s hidden meaning torments me the rest of the evening and the entire night. I can’t put the pieces in place. Doubt takes the place of anxiety, I feel as if my head is about to explode. The whole world is spinning. Only problem is, my world seems to be spinning in the opposite direction.

  The Wolf Family

  Monday morning, as I drive to college and then sit absentmindedly in class, I go over my conversation with Tyler. I have this lump in my throat that risks suffocating me. What was said has only given rise to new questions, instead of providing answers. I grope around in the dark, the wheels in my head spinning faster than a clock gone wild. I feel a vague sense of guilt, but I am making an effort, as he asked, to understand. Hopefully he’ll realize this and will, to some extent, forgive me.

  For the first time in God knows how long, I had an ordinary dream … a normal one. Or almost. I was wading through old memories; a makeshift tent, hearing the legend of golden cats in the icy storms of Siberia warming themselves before a fire, my mother’s face, clutching a small blue flower in my hand, a bella di notte or Four-O’clock flower as it is known here it the States, in a suit pocket. A flash of emerald light on the darkened stage of the bar. The latter gives me some comfort, now that I’m trying to concentrate on the banalities of normal, everyday life. If I ever had a normal life, that is …

  I don’t see Vuk waiting for me in the car lot, nor in his usual seat at the back of the class. I wonder where he is today. And, especially, what he’s up to. That’s what really gets me thinking.

  When I go into sociology class, Jamie is sitting in the back row, so bored out of her mind she’s practically falling asleep. Reluctantly, I sit down next to her, resigned to my fate and wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible.

  “Hi Jamie,” I say, as casually as my limited acting skills allow. “How did the rest of your evening go?”

  She eyeballs me suspiciously. Is she still pissed at me? Or maybe she just doesn’t have the patience to talk to a friend who has problems walking straight.

  “It went great,” she says, and turns back to her notes.

  “Good,” I murmur. Never mind cold, she turned me to ice!

  The rest of the morning drags on. I can’t wait to see Vuk at lunchtime. I try to concentrate on what the lecturer is saying, but not even literature manages to grab my full attention. Only the fourth hour, with professor Columbus, seems to pass in a flash.

  I look around impatiently as I walk into the cafeteria with Jamie. But today I don’t see Vuk in the seat next to mine, in front of a tray in which he always leaves the vegetable side dish untouched.

  Jamie takes her usual place, letting her bag slip to the floor. Neither of us speak, the silence is unnerving. I bypass the invisible confine causing the unnatural hush and turn to her.

  “Hey, Jamie?”

  “What is it, Stella?”
r />   I nibble at a cereal bar.

  “Are you gonna’ tell me how it went with Bryan?”

  Her face softens at the magic word.

  “Sure,” she smiles.

  She launches into a detailed description of the second part of that Saturday night.

  “So you had a ball!” I force enthusiasm as my eyes wander round the room, seeking Vuk.

  “Did you hear me, Stella?” asks Jamie, annoyed at my lack of concentration.

  “I’m sorry, no, I missed that.”

  “Bryan kissed me! Can you believe it?”

  I smile with gusto.

  “That’s amazing, Jamie!”

  At this point I can afford to pay attention to what she is saying. Tess is in line, and a glance at the entrance tells me that the other four – Seth, Amber, Eliot, and Josh – are all here, but he is not. Did he stay in Wolfeboro today? My spirits crash.

  “What did you get up to on Saturday. I mean, when you left,” continues Jamie, disappointed that I’m not begging her to reveal the minute details of the kiss. I shake my head to bring me back to the present.

  “Nothing in particular. I just took a walk to get some fresh air.”

  “Didn’t Donn Brooks show up when you were outside?”

  I hear the seat next to me being pulled out and the sound of Tess shoving her books roughly into her bag.

  I can’t think what to reply. I wouldn’t know what to say to her about the strange tale of Mr. Brooks and myself.

  “Hey, girls! Already here?” asks Tess, trying to get a drift of what we were talking about as she begins poking at her plate of vegetarian food.

  We both greet her with a smile. Jamie then turns back to me, intent on giving me the third degree. What the hell am I supposed to tell her? She rattles off a series of questions about my heroic Saturday night savior.

  “Answer!” she orders, without even waiting from me to swallow the bite of cereal bar crammed into my mouth.