“This puppy is yours. You can keep it no matter what. I’m planning to have you stay here with me until you’re a grown up. But even if you had to leave for some reason, I’m not going to keep the puppy. You can take him with you.”
“Promise?” Sophia’s small voice asked, taking on a hopeful tone.
“I promise,” Mindy said, and picked up the stuffed dog to hand to Sophia. “Do you want to give him a name?”
“Frog,” Sophia said.
Mindy tried not to laugh. “You want to name your puppy ‘Frog’?”
Sophia nodded, and Mindy smiled brightly at her. “Okay. His name is Frog, then.”
Sophia squeezed the stuffed animal tightly. “I love Frog,” she said.
Mindy smiled. “That’s great! Frog loves you. He’ll be a friend to you wherever we go. Now, I have another surprise for you. We’re going to go to the store and pick out some new blankets and sheets for your bed. Whatever design you want.”
Sophia eyed Mindy suspiciously, as if trying to decide whether she was serious. Mindy stood up straight and offered her hand to Sophia. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Mindy took Sophia to a nearby home goods store, and let Sophia browse the options for bedding for as long as she wanted. The girl took the task of choosing a bedroom theme very seriously, and made sure to look at each available option. She bypassed the glittery pink princess options and finally settled on a design with adorable woodland animals.
“I like animals,” she explained, as if she needed to justify her choice.
Mindy smiled. “I think you made an excellent choice. Let’s pay for this, and then we’ll go get you some new clothes. You shouldn’t have to constantly switch back and forth between two outfits.”
Mindy took Sophia to the Red Valley mall, where she bought her a modest but well-rounded new wardrobe. When they had finished shopping, Mindy could tell Sophia was getting tired and hungry, so she took her to the food court for a snack. Sophia thoughtfully picked at her chicken nuggets for several minutes before looking up at Mindy.
“Why are you buying me all this stuff?” she asked.
“I want you to be happy and comfortable in your new home,” Mindy said, giving Sophia what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
“But why?”
“I want us to be a family. I know I can never replace your mom, but I hope that in time you can learn to feel happy and safe again. I’m not going to just send you away, Sophia. I’m committed to keeping you in my home until you’re grown. I’m trying to make it official by going in front of a judge and adopting you. I would do that tomorrow if I could, but it takes a while for the judge to get to us. We have to wait for him to have a spot available to see us. As soon as he does, I’ll officially adopt you, and then no one can make you leave ever again.”
Sophia thought about this for a long time, then popped a chicken nugget in her mouth. She chewed it slowly and swallowed, and then said, “I’m really tired.”
Mindy nodded. “It’s been a long day. Let’s get home and get your new bedroom set up. I hope you’re going to sleep well tonight.”
Sophia did sleep well that night, and the night after. Mindy had taken a few days off to help her adjust to her new home, and Sophia seemed to be warming up to the idea that this was where she would live from now on. On the fourth day after Sophia came to live with her, Mindy went back to work. When she took Sophia to the preschool where she would stay while Mindy was at work, Sophia started crying.
“I thought I was staying with you,” she said between sobs.
“You are, sweetheart. But I have to work and I can’t leave you by yourself while I work. You’ll be here for the day. You can make new friends and play with them, and the teachers are really nice. I’ll be back to pick you up at the end of the day, I promise.”
Mindy’s words did nothing to lessen Sophia’s sobbing. Mindy gave her a big hug, and left with one more promise that she would return at the end of the day. Mindy felt badly for Sophia, but she reasoned that the little girl would realize after a few days that Mindy was coming back for her at the end of every day. Hopefully, Sophia would even start to make some friends and look forward to attending the school each day.
Although Mindy loved her job, she found the hours dragging as she watched the clock and eagerly awaited the time when she could leave to go pick up Sophia. When Mindy finally arrived back at the preschool, Sophia was no longer crying. But she didn’t look happy, either. She was sitting in a far off corner by herself, and silently watching the door. When she saw Mindy, she squealed and came running for her.
“You came back!” She said, and wrapped Mindy’s leg in a giant hug. Mindy scooped her up into her arms and gave her a big hug back.
“Of course I did. I promised. And I’ll always keep my promises to you, okay?” Mindy said.
Sophia still looked doubtful, but she nodded and threw her arms around Mindy’s neck.
“Let’s go home and get some dinner,” Mindy said. “Are you hungry?”
Sophia nodded. “Can we have steak?” she asked.
“Steak? I’ve never known a girl your age who would choose steak for dinner.”
“It’s my favorite,” Sophia said.
Mindy laughed. “Okay, then. Steak it is.”
Mindy stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the preschool and picked up some steak. She took Sophia to the common area of her townhome community, where several grills stood available next to a small field of green grass. Mindy let Sophia run around in the grass while she grilled, and marveled at the amount of energy the small child had. Sophia and Frog, the uniquely named stuffed Dalmatian, had become fast friends. Sophia ran around showing Frog several important discoveries, like an extra large leaf or an exceptionally pointy twig. Mindy sighed with relief as she watched Sophia. The girl seemed happy and comfortable, despite her challenging day of preschool.
When the food was done, Mindy decided that they should eat outside since the weather was so nice. Sophia gobbled down her steak and then asked for dessert. Mindy laughed.
“My, my. You’ve got the appetite of a little bear, don’t you?” Mindy said.
Sophia’s eyes darkened at Mindy’s words, and she pushed away her plate. “Nevermind. I don’t want dessert,” she said.
Mindy frowned and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I didn’t say that to be mean. I like bears. I think they’re cute and cuddly.”
“No, bears are bad!” Sophia said, picking Frog up and holding him tightly. She jumped off the picnic table and ran with Frog to the entrance of Mindy’s townhome.
Mindy sighed in confusion. “Okay,” she said to herself. “Bears are bad. Duly noted.”
Mindy gathered up the paper plates from their dinner, and followed Sophia to her front door. She helped Sophia change into pajamas and brush her teeth, then tucked her in to sleep with Frog. Sophia still seemed agitated, and Mindy couldn’t figure out why. She had seemed fine until the bear comments, but that didn’t seem like something that would set off such a strong reaction.
“Sophia, are you scared of bears?” Mindy asked. “Is that why you think they’re bad?” In response, Sophia flipped over so her back was facing Mindy.
“No! No bears!”
“Okay,” Mindy said, raising her arms in surrender. “No bears.” She gave Sophia one last kiss good night, and then turned off the light. Mindy had noticed before leaving the bedroom that none of the woodland creatures on Sophia’s new comforter were bears. They were all squirrels, foxes, raccoons, and rabbits. Mindy wondered if Sophia had been attacked by a bear at some point. Were there bears where she had lived in Idaho? Mindy had no idea, but made a mental note to Google it later.
Mindy stayed up a few hours after Sophia had gone to sleep, working on some jewelry projects she had brought home. Now that she had spent some time learning from Bailey, she was confident that she could do some of the simpler designs by herself. Bailey, who at this point was completely swamped with orders, had been happ
y to let Mindy take some of the projects home to work on between their meetings at the smokejumpers base camp.
Bailey had quickly become one of Mindy’s best friends. Even though Mindy didn’t need to save up extra money anymore, she still enjoyed helping Bailey with the jewelry business. Besides, even though she didn’t need an extra forty thousand dollars for an adoption anymore, having extra money was never a bad thing.
When Mindy had grown too tired to work on the jewelry, she put away the supplies and went to bed, peeking in on Sophia before heading to her own room. Sophia was sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning in her bed and mumbling in her sleep. Mindy felt badly for the little girl, who had obviously been through so much. She hoped that, with time, Sophia would settle down into her new life and learn to trust again.
Exhausted, Mindy quickly fell asleep. She started dreaming about bears chasing her and Sophia through the woods. In her dream, Sophia was screaming, and no matter how hard Mindy tried to calm her down the little girl kept yelling.
Mercifully, right before the giant bear in her dream was about to catch her, Mindy woke up. But Sophia’s screaming didn’t stop. Mindy sat up with a start, and realized that Sophia actually was screaming in the next room. Mindy shot out of bed and ran down the hall to Sophia’s room, but just as she reached the door she was knocked backward by a small burst of wind and light. With all her senses on high alert, Mindy stood up and rushed into the bedroom. But she didn’t see Sophia anywhere. Instead, she saw a large bear cub running wild circles around the bedroom.
“What the hell?” she asked aloud, panicking as she tried to locate Sophia. The girl was nowhere to be found. Mindy quickly checked the window, which was shut and locked just as she’d left it. And there was no way that Sophia could have escaped down the hallway so quickly, since Mindy had heard her screaming just moments before entering the room. Mindy checked under the bed, and in the closet, but she couldn’t find Sophia anywhere. Meanwhile, a bear cub was still running wildly around the room. Mindy started to truly freak out. Where had this bear cub come from, and where in the world had Sophia gone? Mindy decided that the first thing she needed to do was call the police, even though she had no idea what she would tell them when they came on the line—“Hi, my child is missing, and a giant bear cub is in my house”?
But, just as Mindy started to race from the room to get her cell phone, she was hit by another rush of wind and light. She was knocked backward again, and, when she sat up, the bear cub was gone. In the exact spot where the cub had just been, Sophia sat. The little girl was naked, shaking and crying.
“Bears bad! Bears bad!” Sophia chanted over and over, hugging her knees to herself and rocking in the corner.
Mindy rushed over to her and picked her up, then grabbed a blanket off the bed to wrap around her.
“What in the world?” Mindy asked.
“Bears bad,” Sophia said. It seemed to be the only thing she could manage to get out right now.
“Shhh,” Mindy said. “Everything is okay. I’m here now. You’re safe.” As she looked around the room in confusion, trying to figure out what had just happened, Mindy noticed that the pajamas Sophia had worn to bed were now strewn about the room in shreds. Suddenly, the pieces started clicking together in Mindy’s mind. She didn’t see how it was possible, but it appeared that Sophia had just switched from human to bear and back again, losing her clothes in the process. Sophia’s fear of bears now made sense, as did her statements back at the orphanage that she wasn’t allowed to say what kind of trouble it was that she caused. Mindy had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Stewart had known about this all along, and that’s why he had been so eager to get Sophia out of the orphanage.
That bastard, Mindy thought as she stroked Sophia’s hair and kept whispering to her in a soothing tone. He should have warned Mindy. Had he been hoping she wouldn’t find out until the adoption was finalized? Mindy felt her ears burning with anger. She would never give Sophia up now, but knowing about this beforehand might have helped her at least be prepared to help the girl.
Mindy felt Sophia’s whimpering slow and then stop, and soon the girl’s shaking had been replaced by the smooth, rhythmic breathing of sleep. Mindy gently pulled a fresh nightgown and underwear onto the sleeping girl, and then tucked her back in to bed.
Mindy had so many questions. Why did Sophia turn into a bear? What triggered it, and how often did it happen? Was there a way to prevent it? And, perhaps the most pressing question of all—who did she turn to for answers?
Mindy instinctively knew that she couldn’t just share Sophia’s situation with anyone. She wasn’t sure whether Sophia’s caseworker even knew, because, although Mr. Stewart wasn’t above using underhanded tactics to get a bear child out of his orphanage, Mindy had a hard time believing that a caseworker would just place a bear child in someone’s home without warning. Mindy feared that if she told anyone, they might take Sophia away from her. Who knows where they would take her or what they would do with her.
Mindy slipped out of Sophia’s room and started pacing back and forth across the living room. Finally, she decided to call the one person she knew she could trust to keep Sophia’s secret, even if the whole situation sounded unbelievable. Mindy grabbed her cell phone and started dialing Bailey’s number.
Chapter Twelve
As Bailey’s phone started ringing, Mindy glanced up at the clock on the microwave and winced. She hadn’t realized until that moment that it was almost three o’clock in the morning. Maybe she should have waited until morning to make this call. But just as Mindy was about to hang up, Bailey’s sleepy voice came on the phone.
“Hello?”
“Bailey, hi, it’s Mindy.”
There was a long pause, as Bailey seemed to realize that it was the middle of the night. “Mindy? Is everything okay? Is Sophia okay?”
“Everything is okay, for the moment. But I just had the most bizarre experience and I’m kind of freaked out. I’m really sorry for calling this late, but I don’t know what to do. I needed to talk to someone I could trust.”
“What’s going on?” Bailey asked, her voice filling with concern.
“This is going to sound crazy, so please don’t judge me. And please, don’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you until I figure out what to do about it.”
“Okay,” Bailey said.
Mindy heard some noise in the background that sounded like mumbling, followed by Bailey telling Trevor to go back to sleep. Mindy took a deep breath. Maybe it had been a mistake to call Bailey. What if Trevor overheard, or Bailey confided in him? Maybe she should just do her best to keep the whole thing a secret and hope that it was a rare occurrence.”
“Mindy? Mindy, are you still there?” Bailey asked.
Mindy took a deep breath and started rambling. “I’m here. Okay, I have something to tell you, but don’t freak out when I do. I promise I haven’t been drinking.”
“For Christ’s sake, woman, just spit it out.”
“Sophia just turned into a bear, and then back into human. I swear to god I’m not making this up,” Mindy said, then winced as she waited for Bailey’s response. Bailey fell silent for so long that Mindy thought she might have hung up. When Bailey finally did respond, her tone sounded more concerned than shocked.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Bailey asked, keeping her voice slow and even. She sounded remarkably calm. Too calm. Mindy’s heart sank as she realized that Bailey must not believe what she was telling her.
“Sophia turned into a bear,” Mindy repeated. “I know you probably think I’m insane or high right now, but you have to believe me. It just happened right in front of my eyes. I have no idea how or why, but I’m freaked out and I don’t know what to do or who to even turn to for answers. I was hoping you might have some ideas.”
There was another long pause, but this time Mindy could hear Bailey talking in a muffled tone to Trevor. Trevor was asking what was wrong, and Bailey was saying something about shifter cubs. Mindy�
�s heart sank. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything to Bailey. Now Bailey was telling Trevor, who was going to think Mindy was certifiably insane. One of them would probably call Sophia’s caseworker, sending Mindy’s dreams of adopting up in smoke. The caseworker would almost certainly come take Sophia away. Mindy frantically tried to think of something to say to Bailey to backtrack and act like the whole thing had been some kind of joke. But before she could say anything, Bailey came back on the line.
“What is she doing now?” Bailey asked.
“Sophia? She’s sleeping right now,” Mindy said.
“Okay, just sit tight and keep an eye on her. I’m coming over.”
Mindy sat in her living room in the darkness for half an hour, waiting for Bailey and wondering what would happen when she got there. For that awful thirty minutes, she feared that Bailey might have decided to call the cops. When she heard a rapping at her front door, she jumped, then got up and peeked through the peephole. Relieved to find that Bailey was standing outside alone in a hoodie and sweatpants, Mindy unlocked the deadbolt and threw the front door open.
“Bailey! Thank you so much for coming. I swear I’m not making this up,” Mindy said.
“I know. Trust me, I believe you,” Bailey said. “Where is she?”
“She’s in her bedroom right now, sleeping.”
“Can I see her?” Bailey asked.
“Of course. Come on.”
Mindy led Bailey to Sophia’s bedroom, where Sophia was still sleeping, although she was tossing and turning quite a bit in the darkness. Bailey looked around the room, and Mindy saw Bailey’s eyes resting on the shreds of the pajamas that Sophia had ruined when she turned into a bear cub. Mindy started trying to explain the torn pajamas, but Bailey held up her hand and stopped her.
“What exactly happened?” Bailey asked.
“I don’t know, really,” Mindy said. “I was in my room having a bad dream, and in the dream Sophia was screaming. At some point, I woke up and realized that her screaming wasn’t just in my dream. I ran in here, and when I did I couldn’t find Sophia. Instead—and I swear to god this is true—there was a little black bear cub running around.”
Fire Bear Shifters: The Complete Series Page 45