by Mia Wolf
I laughed. “Remember that one girl who wouldn’t leave? She just gave us a coffee order and said she’d wait for you?”
“Oh, she was a nightmare! I kept trying to hint at her to go, but she just planted herself in the living room.”
“Finally, I had to tell her that they were going to fumigate the building,” I laughed. “It was the only way we could get her out.”
Andrea laughed. “Who does that?”
“Apparently, that girl. She did the same thing to a buddy of ours,” I recalled. “It turns out she was actually couch hopping and didn’t have anywhere to really live. So she’d go out and hook up with someone so she could stay in a bed every now and then. I kind of felt bad after I found that out.”
“That’s right, I forgot about that,” Jordan mused. “We saw her at a party over on Congo, and she said she kind of lived there. Remember? That was the night we tried to get Justin’s pet tortoise to race his neighbor’s rabbit so we could decide on who was buying crepes in the morning.”
“It was the morning by then,” I said. “And I still say the rabbit won. It got the furthest.”
“No, it didn’t. It kept eating the dandelions in the cracks of the sidewalk.”
“Yeah, but the tortoise didn’t do anything. It just sat there. At least the rabbit went after something, even if it was in the opposite direction of the finish line.”
“Whose idea was that, anyway?”
“That one was totally mine,” I said. “Stewart wanted to drag race with bicycles. I thought that with people trying to get to work, maybe a pet race would be better.”
Jordan laughed. “And then we stole those giant traffic cones to act as the finish line, but when we put them down, they took up, like, the entire sidewalk.”
“No,” I corrected. “That was something else. That was when we went to that party in Sausalito. Remember? The cops broke that one up.”
“When we’d just turned 21, that’s right. We were some of the only ones who could legally drink. That was funny, watching everyone who was 20 running and hiding in the closet while we just kept playing beer pong.”
“That was the longest walk to the coffee shop,” I said. “It took us three hours to get there.”
“Yeah, but where else were we going to go?” Jordan clapped a hand on the back of my seat. “That’s the first thing we’re going to do when we land. We need that coffee shop.”
“But we’re staying on the Warf. That’s like a three-mile walk,” I protested.
“It never used to stop us.”
“Yeah, but we weren’t showing Emily around when we were making that trek.” Jordan nudged Emily next to him. “You don’t want to do that walk, do you?”
“We could always take a taxi, right, Ems?”
When I didn’t hear a response, I twisted around to see Emily, who was staring out the window. “Are you alright, Emily?”
“She won’t want to splash out on a taxi,” Jordan went on. “We should take the Bart instead. That’s an experience.”
“No way, I hate the Bart. Being cooped up in a tube? There are much better ways to travel,” I argued.
Emily still wasn’t responsive, and I wondered what was up with her. I wanted to make sure she had a good time while we were on the coast. This was a chance to show her something different. She had always been great to hang out with, almost like one of the guys. She could always keep up with us when we went for a swim or fishing. Though, when she was Bear, she was slower when it came to hunting. She was fair too. Even when her brother was chosen as one of the finalists to become an Alpha, she still made an effort to congratulate Max and me for our own placement in the competition, even though it meant competing against Alex and Lewis.
“So,” I said, trying again to get her attention. “I know I just said that I don’t like the Bart, but it goes right to the Financial District, and from there, the Warf is maybe ten blocks, maybe a little more. It’ll be the quickest way.”
“Um, yeah,” she said. “I think that’s what the travel agent said to do, too. He said it would be the most cost-effective way.”
“Don’t worry,” Jordan said. “You won’t need to think too much about the city. We have everything planned out. Once we get checked in, there’s a restaurant we want to take you to. It’s an absolutely killer sushi place. We know you love fish, so we thought that would be the best place to start. Then after that, we’ll go clubbing.”
“Are you guys sure you don’t want me to come along?” Andrea asked.
“Next time,” I said. “Besides, I think you forgot your luggage.”
“I don’t need clothes,” Andrea said. “I look the part wherever I go. I’m always in style. Emily, I’m so jealous!”
“Well, don’t be. I’m not going to be joining you guys clubbing,” Emily said. “That is definitely not my scene.”
“Come on,” Jordan pleaded. “It’ll be fun. Trust me. This is what we prepared for all through college.”
“Taking me out to a club in a city in another state?” Emily asked, her eyebrow raised. “And here I thought that all that money spent on your education was to nurture that science streak in you.”
I laughed. “That was just a bonus.”
Jordan and I were two of the few in the pack who managed to go into higher education. We were always the science cubs. While everyone else was happy simply to play with whatever nature gave them, we were finding out how things worked, and the few bits of essential technology in Moonstone really got our attention. By twelve, we were experimenting with building our own technology. We were making battery-operated doorbells, electronic toothbrushes (which were awkward, at best, to use), and could grasp how the vehicles of the compound worked. Everyone knew we were going to college at some point. Elder Arnold used to be the head of education in Moonstone. It was his responsibility to keep up with Arizona State homeschooling regulations and see to it that each cub was in the system in case they did want to go on to college. He also knew that there were scholarships for shifters, put forth by shifters, and evaluated by shifters. College itself wasn’t cheap, but through many small scholarships and the shifter scholarship, we were able to get almost all of our tuition paid for. Even then, we had to take a large draw from the pack fund, with the promise that our education would pay for itself.
It did.
Jordan and I were the tech guys. While most of the Moonstone pack worked as freelance builders for a handful of developers in the northern part of Arizona, our job was to come in and install eco-technology into homes. Our specialty was actually geothermal technology, though we really loved designing Earthships, those houses built out of recycled materials and into the sides of hills. That just wasn’t where the business was. As a result, our bread and butter was solar energy. In a state that’s mostly desert and where the sun shines just about every day, there is a huge demand for it.
Which is why the Alphas were sending Jordan and me back to the best city in the world: San Francisco. I couldn’t wait to get back there, and despite what Emily said, I was going to make sure she had fun.
***
“These seats are not designed for folks like us,” Jordan said as we boarded the plane.
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Emily said. “It’s not even two hours. We can handle it.”
“Dibsies window seat!” I called as our seat numbers came into view.
“Real mature,” Emily said dryly. “Jordan, you’re bigger than me. You can have the aisle seat.”
“Sweet. I was going to wrestle you for it anyway.”
We got ourselves settled in the seats, and it really was a squeeze. All three of us had broad shoulders, though, of course, Emily was smaller than Jordan and me. Budget flights are not designed for comfort, a point that was going to be painfully accentuated throughout the flight.
Jordan made himself comfortable, after buckling up and overflowing into Emily’s seat. He put his earbuds in and turned his phone on airplane mode before leaning his head back and closing
his eyes. He wasn’t a fan of heights, so he liked to hunker down before take-off.
As the plane began to taxi out, I noticed Emily was getting fidgety.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I’m fine,” she said. Her knee was bouncing, and her fingers, which were laced together over her lap, were pulling at each other.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never flown before.”
“Pfft. Oh, that,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. When Jordan and I flew for the first time, it was a little scary. I mean, we’d read up and basically understood and knew the mechanics of how it all works, but it doesn’t prepare you for your first experience.” I nudged her elbow that was on the shared armrest. “You’ll see. Take off is the fun part, and then it’s nothing but views.”
The plane was starting to pick up speed, and Emily’s breathing became more audible.
“Relax,” I said quietly. “This is fun.”
She let out a long exhale as if she was slowly trying to blow out a candle. Her hands separated, and she gripped the armrests, her knuckles turning white. I leaned toward her, so our arms were touching a little more, reminding her that she wasn’t alone on this flight.
“Wee,” I said quietly as the nose of the plane angled upward, pushing us back into our seats. “And just like that, we’re up in the air. Watch.” I pointed to the window, which she peered out, hesitantly. “That noise is just the landing gear going in. Perfectly normal. The plane’s going to level out and turn in a minute, and it might feel like it’s a lot, but it’s only angled like about this.” I held up my hand and mimicked the motion of the plane.
I noticed her grip on the armrests relax a little, and her breathing slowed.
“See?” I said. “It’s not that bad.”
Emily nodded, though said nothing as she relaxed back into her chair, folding her hands on her lap, and closed her eyes.
The drinks cart didn’t take long to come around. Emily began to protest as I ordered all three of us wine for our quick flight. Reluctantly, she handed the debit card over to the flight attendant.
“Cheers,” Jordan said, lifting the plastic cup. We raised ours to meet it. “To your first real city trip.”
“I’ve been to the city before,” Emily said.
“Yeah, but Phoenix doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s on our doorstep,” Jordan explained. “This is the first time you’re going out of state, and to the coast too. You haven’t even seen the ocean yet! You are in for such a treat.”
“Woo,” Emily said sarcastically. She drank her wine, emptying half of it in one drink. I noticed her hands still shaking, ever so slightly.
I’d always seen Emily as one of the guys. She was fun growing up with and was always trying to keep up with us. This was the first time I’d seen her off her game and unnerved. It stirred something in me, that protective instinct. I would never have thought that I’d experience that with Emily of all people. She was usually so fearless.
As I watched the ground drop away below us and the clouds replace them, my mind continued to meditate on Emily. I wondered why it was that she hadn’t paired up with anyone. I didn’t even know if she’d considered seeing anyone before, and I couldn’t picture her in a romantic setting. But something about this idea caught my thought process. I was snagged into wondering just what she might be like with a romantic partner. Would she be the gentle kind of woman who likes to fuss over her men? Would she fight them for dominance in the household? Or would she be the tough-out-front but soft-inside type of woman?
While my mind mulled these questions over, I must have dozed.
“Damnit, Max!”
“What?” I opened my eyes in confusion, trying to understand the annoyed tone in Emily’s voice.
“You spilled your damn wine all over me.”
Sure enough, deep purple was all over her lap. She put her empty cup on Jordan’s tray and tried to scrub at the stain with her tiny cocktail napkin.
“Oh man, I’m so sorry, Ems. Let me get that.” I fumbled for my own napkin, but they were both useless, only serving to spread little white fibers across her clothing as the tissue deteriorated.
Jordan snickered.
“What are you laughing at?” Emily snapped.
“Nothing. Just, well, this could only happen to you.” He pressed the call button for the flight attendant.
I had to smile at this. He was right. She wasn’t the nimblest of women. She was somewhat clumsy when it came to anything outside the natural world. It was such a Bear quality. They weren’t known for their grace. Wolves, on the other hand, we were known for our stealth and our pack mindset, being able to communicate and move like a flowing river when we were hunting. Bears just kind of barreled their way through the brush, making their own paths. And Emily was the embodiment of this very trait at times.
“Now, I’m going to be wet until I can get changed,” she moaned.
“Yum,” Jordan said.
“You’re not helping.”
“Is everything alright?” the flight steward asked.
“Tweedle Dee here spilled wine on me, and Tweedle Dum won’t stop laughing,” Emily explained. “Do you have any club soda or paper towel or something I can try and clean myself up with?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
“Jordan, let me up,” Emily instructed as the steward disappeared toward the station.
He struggled to push his tray up without spilling his own drink before getting out of Emily’s way. She took the club soda from the steward as he returned and headed to the bathroom.
“How did that happen?” Jordan asked.
“I think I fell asleep and knocked the wine over,” I said. “I’m a twitcher when I go to sleep.”
“Easily done,” Jordan replied, nodding. “Is she okay? She seems really tense.”
“Nervous about the flight,” I said. “It’s weird seeing her like that, though. She’s usually the one who holds it all together.”
“It’s a big day for her. Can’t blame her for being on edge.”
“She’s usually so relaxed,” I said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s been kind of moody all day.”
Jordan shrugged. “Let’s just have a good time. She’ll unclench eventually.” He put his earbuds back in, and I turned back toward the window.
Chapter 4 – Emily
I went straight to the bathroom as soon as we got our room keys. I needed a moment to myself, away from Max and Jordan. It didn’t help that I’d spent an hour on public transportation with a suitcase, looking like I was wearing clothes from the night before, stained with red wine. I looked like a lush.
I pulled off my shirt and ran it under the tap. I opened the little cardboard box the bar of soap was in and scrubbed at the shirt with it. There was little magic that was happening.
Our chestnut soap would do the trick, I thought bitterly. I had no idea if it would have actually helped or not. But at that moment, I felt as though any modern “convenience” was lesser to the natural equivalent found in Moonstone.
I was just annoyed at the whole day. I couldn’t understand what had compelled them to go on and on about their exploits in college. Why should they feel the need to tout all their conquests and parties? And at the expense of the pack, too! Sure, they got in on scholarships, but their living money was paid for by us, as a collective whole. How many manual labor hours of how many pack members went into making sure Max and Jordan could party their way through their education?
This whole thing was a bad idea. I was going to have a word with Alex to help me find a trustworthy apprentice or something who I could send on these types of trips. I didn’t like being cooped up in a car for so long; I didn’t like being on the plane; and I didn’t like spending so much time with just those two without anywhere I could go to get my own space.
I wondered if it was my role as money-holder that w
as making me feel this way. If I had been told a month ago that I’d be going away on a trip with the two guys I had the hots for, I might have fainted with excitement. But there was something that came with my appointed responsibility that made me see Max and Jordan in a new light. At least, I saw them this way for this trip.
It might be better that way. If I didn’t see them as the two guys that I sometimes fantasized about, then maybe I could keep my head straight. Maybe I could do the pack proud. And it might help me get over this useless crush, to boot.
As we parted into our separate hotel rooms, I told them I would need an hour just to decompress and get a shower before going to dinner. I stripped the rest of my clothes after laying my shirt out over the sink. It was my favorite shirt, and I was quite certain that it was truly ruined. I might be able to dye it a near-matching color, but that was my only hope for salvaging it.
I turned the shower on and let it heat up before stepping in.
I moaned. Loudly, obviously, and without apologies. The hot water on my back and over my shoulders was the most wonderful thing I had experienced in a long time. I stood there, greedily enjoying the unending hot water over my body.
I never indulged like this in Moonstone. Water was too precious. Since I’d taken over the water station, it had never gotten too low. But that was because I was meticulous about measuring and remeasuring water levels, predicting the weather, preparing for drought, and regularly teaching workshops on how to get the most yield for water from our crops and how to keep the water from evaporating too quickly so that the crops could get as much of it as possible.
Hot showers were particularly sparse in Moonstone, with the exception of during the winter months. Each house had a water heater installed, though it meant keeping an actual fire lit and going with wood to heat the water in it. Some folks didn’t mind and would keep that fire lit through the night just so they could have hot water in the morning. But many of us preferred a quick burst of cold to wake us up at the beginning of the day and get us going. Worked better than coffee.