by JJ Jones
“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just a bed to sleep on is what I’m looking for,” I smiled and waved as I walked out the door. I thought about what I’d seen on the television. I still had my first cut of the cash he had given me. Logan was in my car, but I could still run.
I could even call him in and wait for the FBI or police to show up and “save me” from him. But everything told me that it wasn’t right. Every instinct told me that there was more to this story than what I had seen on the television. I actually felt safe around this man and my mother always told me never to believe everything you see on TV. I decided not to walk out on Logan even though every logical part of me told me I was crazy for even beginning to think I should stay. My head was telling me to run, but my heart was telling me to stay. I can never say no to my heart.
I walked to the car and grabbed my purse. “Room number six,” I said. “I’ll leave the door unlocked. Just come in through the back or whatever. I told the front that I was alone.”
“Alright, thanks.” He nodded from the backseat where he had been laying down.
I walked over to the room marked with a brass number six and unlocked the door. It swung open and I smelled the familiar smell of hotel cleaners and freshly laundered sheets and towels. I walked in and made sure to leave the door unlocked for Logan to follow me when the coast was clear.
Again I questioned whether I should lock the door and call the cops. It wouldn’t be hard. I could call the front desk and tell the guy everything. I was sure the cops would be here before too long. Logan wouldn’t be able to get to me if I locked the door. But again, my instincts told me there was more to the story than a wanted man on the television. I decided to wait it out and see what else I could learn about Logan before walking out. And not to mention I was pretty excited at the prospect of having another five grand in my wallet in the next few minutes.
I sat on an overstuffed chair in the corner and waited for Logan to join me. I thought about turning on the television, but decided against it, knowing that his picture might be plastered on every channel. It might make the situation a little more uncomfortable and complicated if he were to walk in and that were the first thing he saw. I thumbed through a outdated magazine on the table and waited for him.
After a few minutes, Logan quietly and quickly slid through the door, shut and locked it behind him. I waited for him to say something or do something. He walked around the room and seemed to be looking for something or someone. He checked all the windows and looked in the closet and bathroom. I realized then that he hadn’t trusted me completely. He was checking to see that we were alone, completely alone.
I sat patiently waiting for him to come to the understanding that we were in fact alone and that he could trust me. When he finally came to that realization, he turned and smiled at me. It was the first time the entire night that I had seen him smile and relax a little.
“Thank you,” Logan said.
“For what?” I said.
“For trusting me,” he said simply.
I didn’t know how to reply, so I just kind of sat in the chair and waited.
“It has been a long time since anyone trusted me, I mean really trusted me. In fact I can’t remember the last time. Anyway, I said five grand, so here is your additional five grand. Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.” He pulled an additional five thousand dollars from a backpack and handed it to me.
I don’t think I had ever seen that kind of money ever in my life before. My bank account was usually down to zero by the middle of the month as I lived from pay check to pay check. It was completely different to hold that kind of money in your hands, instead of seeing the numbers on a screen in the bank. Having money in cash is just different. I just stood there holding the cash in my hands for a minute trying to think of all the things I could do with ten thousand dollars. This was life changing for me.
“Tanisha, I know you must think that I am a bad person, but really I’m not. You must think that I’ve done terrible things, but I really haven’t, I promise. It’s just, well it’s just complicated, I guess.”
“Yeah, I saw, well, let’s just say that I know you’re in some trouble. What kind of stuff are you caught up in?” I asked.
“It’s long and involved, too involved to get into, but I’m just trying to get down to Mexico as soon as I can,” Logan said.
“Oh, I see,” I said. “Well I guess I’ll go then. I hope you make it to Mexico, Logan. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Tanisha, you’ve been a great help. I wish we could have met under different circumstances. I think we could have been good friends.” He smiled briefly.
“Have a good night,” I said as I approached the door. “Check out is tomorrow by noon.” I moved to the door and started to leave. Part of me actually did not want to leave but another part of me wanted to get out and spend this money on some new shoes as soon as possible.
“Tanisha, wait,” Logan called.
I hesitated and turned around. “I have another favor to ask of you, if you’re interested. Just like last time, I am only asking this of you. It’s just a choice.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
“I have a safety deposit box at a bank close by with a million dollars sitting in it, but I can’t go in and get the money. I’m sure the box is being watched by the authorities, so the minute I walk into the bank, I’ll be taken. But at the same time, I really need the money, too. But if you went into the bank, no one would suspect you walking into the bank. By the time they realized that you accessed my box, you and I would be long gone and they wouldn’t be able to track us anymore.”
I didn’t respond knowing that he would answer the question that I was wondering.
“Oh, of course sorry I forgot to mention that of the million dollars in there, I would give you a hundred thousand for your help.” Logan waited for me to respond.
The number was flashing in front of my face. I couldn’t stop seeing the dollar signs as they danced around my head. It almost made me dizzy. If I thought ten thousand dollars was a lot of money, a hundred thousand dollars was something else entirely.
This was an opportunity that I couldn’t let go.
“Tanisha?” Logan said, snapping me out of my trance.
“Yes,” I replied. “Yes, Logan. I’ll do it. I’ll come back in the morning and pick you up and we’ll go to the safety deposit box.”
“Well that is the thing. I can’t risk that. I can’t risk you leaving and not coming back or letting the authorities know where I am. If you decide that you want to help me tomorrow, you have to stay tonight.”
I stopped to think for a minute. It was a strange demand, but I had no one waiting for me at home, no one that would miss me if I didn’t make it back tonight. I really didn’t have anything for the next few days, so it didn’t hurt to hang around. Regardless, Logan intrigued me and I wanted to know more about him. His incredibly toned body was probably part of that reason. I decided that maybe if I stuck around, he would cave in and tell me more about himself and what he was mixed up in that had gotten him in so much trouble.
“Alright, that’s fine.” I agreed and settled myself down for the night.
“Okay, I only have one last request before I’m done for the night,” Logan said.
“Alright, what is it?” I said smiling.
“Handcuffs,” he said revealing a set of police style handcuffs.
“What?” I said my smile fading. I did not feel totally comfortable with this request.
“I need to handcuff one hand to the bed while we sleep just to be safe,” he said and then approached me and cuffed my hand to the headrest.
It was uncomfortable at first, but after awhile I didn’t notice it anymore.
“I’m going to sneak out to the vending machine and get some snacks. Is there anything you want while I’m out there?” Logan asked.
“I’ll eat anything, but to be completely honest, I’m not all that hungry, s
o don’t get anything specifically for me,” I admitted.
“Alright, well I’m starving, so we’ll have to see if I even leave anything for you to eat if you don’t request anything specific,” he smiled as he left the room.
Once he was gone, I examined the handcuffs closely to see if they were real. I didn’t really need to get out of them, but the fact that I was handcuffed to a bed was a little unnerving. I just wanted to know that if I needed to get out of them I could. I pulled at them but they were the real deal. Definitely the type the cops would use and not just bought from some kinky shop. It didn’t take long to realize I was stuck and I wasn’t going anywhere. I relented to the fact that I would have to remain Logan’s prisoner until he decided to let me go, which hopefully was the morning.
Even though I was handcuffed to the bed, with a man I had only just met, I didn’t feel scared or upset. He seemed nice and genuine. I hoped that when he came back we could talk more so I could find out exactly what they wanted him for.
Logan returned with a huge pile of snacks from the vending machine. I was shocked by the amount of food he carried back into the room with him. He must have not eaten in ages.
“Do you want any of it?” he motioned to the pile on the bed.
I shook my head, deciding against eating anything, and then watched him devour the entire pile in a matter of minutes. Watching him eat was like watching an animal without the mess. It wasn’t gross, but it was fast and an immense amount of food. I was shocked at how fast the food was gone. Sandwiches, chocolates, jerky, all gone within minutes.
He must have noticed me staring because he looked up and his face turned red.
I looked away embarrassed for staring.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have stared,” I said looking out the window.
“No, I need to learn to eat slower. I usually can control myself better, but when I get this hungry sometimes it’s hard for me to control myself.” He gulped down a sports drink.
“You seem different from most people,” I started.
“That’s because I am different,” Logan replied.
“Different isn’t always a bad thing,” I said carefully.
“No, but most people feel that different is some kind of threat,” Logan’s voice started to rise and I could see the passion growing within him.
“And is that why people are after you, because you are different?” I asked.
“Never mind, the less you know the better Tanisha.” He replied.
“Well, I am handcuffed to a bed right now and tomorrow I am going to help you get a million dollars which might not even be yours. I think I deserve some answers”. I shot back.
“Hmmm, OK. Well, it’s better if you see for yourself, but once I show you, there is no going back..” he said.
I was confused, wondering what exactly he meant, but then the room filled with heat, like a hot steam. I saw Logan fold down into himself. I wondered for a second if he was hurt or in pain and moved to help him. But then from the heat and steam a new figure arose and transformed. A white grizzly bear, almost like a Polar bear, emerged where Logan had been. The shift was noiseless and beautiful. I watched as man became beast.
I sat in awe and wonder watching this white bear stand before me, knowing that I should be scared and screaming, but instead I was impressed. He was beautiful. Our eyes met and the same eyes that I had seen when I first looked at Logan were the same eyes that I now saw in his bear form.
I did not get long to look at him as Logan then shifted back to his human form and waited for me to say something, but I was so entranced by what I had just seen, that I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I’m sorry, I really should not have done that, did I scare you?” he said.
“No, not at all,” I replied. “I thought it was beautiful.”
“Really?” he raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, really. You’re like a shifter. I thought you were only myth or legend. I never realized that your kind actually existed in real life. Me and my friends used to debate about this at school.”
“I am a Werebear and yes, we exist,” his voice kind of drifted off.
“I’ve read stories about your kind before. Plenty of stories before. I used to read werewolf and Vampire erotica stories myself,” I admitted feeling a little embarrassed.
“But that’s just it, Tanisha. I need you to understand. We are real, and there are more than just me. There are werebears, werewolves and werecats. We are all over the country and that’s why I am running. The government is trying to find us all and kill us or at least control us. If they catch someone like me they either kill us, or worse, they will put us in a lab for testing.”
“That’s awful,” I replied.
“I know, and it’s all because we are different. They believe that just because we are different and have super human abilities, we are a threat to them. They can’t see that we can co-exist peacefully. Maybe we could even help humans.” Logan moved around the room pacing.
“Wow, I never even knew.” I took a deep breath and sat back against the headboard.
“There are shifters all over the country. You probably know one or even two, and you never even knew. We are very good at hiding ourselves among regular humans. Most of the time, we live our lives so that we would never be identified as a shifter. It’s just easier that way. But it’s sad because I’m sure that I’ve encountered other shifters and I didn’t know it. I feel like we could have some sort of a comrade, but if we are always in hiding, we won’t even know where the shifters are.”
“I can’t believe that I may have known one, that just seems crazy.” I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect.
“Shifters are good people, most of us anyway. We have no ill intent to do humans any harm. Many of us probably would rather not be shifters if we had the choice, since we are treated so poorly. It’s kind of like a disease. Once you’ve caught the disease and you are infected, you have the disease forever. You can’t get rid of it and everyone treats you differently because you have it.”
“I can see that,” I said nodding my head in understanding.
“I just think that if the rest of society knew about us and about everything we’ve been through they would see us differently. I think in the end society would be a lot more forgiving and understanding. But the government, they won’t even let us make a case. They won’t even let us try and tell the rest of the public. They just want to hunt us down and kill us or put us in camps to run tests on us.” He continued pacing around the room.
“How long has the government been doing this?” I asked.
“As far as I know, the government has been hunting our kind for at last a hundred years, maybe more. I wish we could find a way to expose the government, but I just don’t think that is possible.” Logan stopped pacing and came and sat down at the foot of bed.
“I’m sorry that has happened to you. I can’t say I understand it at all. It’s unfair and completely unacceptable. I saw you on the news tonight. The FBI has a manhunt out for you in the area. Your picture and face are all over the news. We’ll have to be careful in order for you not to be caught. Someone is sure to recognize you if they see you.” I told him.
“I wondered if you had seen it. I was sure it was all over the television by now. I thought maybe we had avoided all that, but it sounds like it doesn’t matter now.” Logan looked up at me.
“Logan it doesn’t matter now. I know the truth, and they are the enemy, not you. It’s awful what they’ve done to you, and what they’ll do to you if you get caught. I’ll help you get to Mexico however I can, so that they can’t either kill you or experiment on you.” I knew that I was taking a huge risk, but I also knew that it was right thing to do. This man before me was not a threat to anyone, he was a victim.
“Thank you, Tanisha. I really appreciate everything you’re offering. Hopefully I won’t need much help from you.” Logan smiled.
“So tell me more about you,” I said. “I’m cur
ious about werebears. I obviously don’t know a lot.”
“Well I am a little different from other werebears. I am what they call a ‘Snowbear.’ That’s why I have the white fur as opposed to any other color. I don’t know of any other snowbears that are still alive today. I have heard rumors of a couple of other snowbears in Canada, but I have yet to meet them or truly meet anyone who has ever met them personally, so I’m not sure they even really exist. I hope I’m not the last snowbear to ever live though. It would be sad.” His tone changed to become somewhat more nostalgic.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Oh I don’t’ know, it would just be like being the last of a tribe I guess,” he replied with the same sad tone.
“Oh,” I said. “So tell me more about being a shifter.”
“Well there’s not much else, I guess. That’s about it, but like I said, the less you know the better.” he shrugged his shoulders and turned away. “So what about you? Tell me more about you.”
“Oh I’m not that interesting,” I began. “I live and work here in Pittsburg, but I wasn’t born here. I lived most of my life in Texas, so moving up here was a lot different for me. I only moved up here for school and then stayed up here when I got a good job. I don’t mind it though, although I’d like to be closer to my family.”
“Texas, huh?” Logan laughed. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Southern girl.”
“I think I’ve lost most of my Southern charm over the last few years,” I laughed, too. “I would move back there in a heartbeat if I had the kind of job I have up here. Maybe after all this, I’ll consider moving back there. If anything, the weather sure is better down there. Nothing like the winters up here,” I shivered and giggled.
Logan laughed a little, too.
“I guess as a werebear you wouldn’t really have to worry about getting too cold, huh?” I asked.
“Well if we could shift as we pleased, sure. But I don’t shift very often anymore, so just like you, Miss Texas, I feel the heat and cold.”