by C Zinnia
“O-okay,” Mel said. She hadn’t expected that response.
Viola and Mel walked together to the living room.
Jesse was already walking through the front door without knocking. Jesse was surprised to find Viola and Mel together. Jesse glared at the sight of Viola and Mel holding hands.
“Hello, Jesse,” Viola said without missing a beat. “I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Mel. Mel, this is Beta Samuel’s daughter, Jesse.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mel said politely. “Your father is a very good man.”
Jesse gave a fake smile. “Thank you. Nice to meet you as well,” she said. “I agree that Daddy is a wonderful person. I’m so lucky to have him! Viola, is it all right if I talk to you privately for a moment?”
Wow, Mel thought. She’s good. If Mel hadn’t been perceptive at reading energy, she would have thought Jesse was just a friend of Viola’s who wanted to talk about something innocent. Some people are really gifted at being fake.
“Okay,” Viola said flatly. She was just as aware of Jesse’s act as Mel was. Viola kissed Mel. “I’ll be right back, amor.”
Mel’s gut flipped at the term of endearment.
Jesse looked composed, but her fury burned across Mel’s skin. She never called me amor. Jesse’s thought rung strongly through Mel’s head.
Mel was thrilled by the thought. I am her only love, she thought happily.
“Okay,” Mel said to Viola.
Viola and Jesse went outside.
Mel went back to the kitchen to find Dana had joined Lee.
“Where’s Viola?” Dana asked.
Mel sat in a chair. “Outside with Jesse,” she said, trying not to sound annoyed. She didn’t care that it was Viola’s ex. It was Jesse’s intention that bothered her.
Dana and Lee were trying to talk to Mel, but she wasn’t paying attention. Mel wanted to know what Viola and Jesse were talking about.
Mel felt a weird sensation of being pulled out of her body.
Mel landed beside Viola’s feet. She scrambled up to find Viola glaring at Jesse. They were standing yards away from the main house.
“What do you want, Jesse?” Viola asked.
“I wanted to see for myself who your supposed ‘mate’ was,” Jesse said. Jesse had the gall to use air quotes. “And I have to say, I’m disappointed. A human, V? A chunky human at that? You normally prefer a skinny woman, remember? You think your God wants your soulmate to be a fat useless human when you are the greatest werewolf fighter in the world?”
The comment about Mel’s weight hurt. Mel knew she wasn’t thin. She had never been small and knew she never would be. What’s wrong with being heavy anyway? It’s not like fat or chunky are swear words. It’s not like it means I’m unhealthy. Does my size bother Viola? Is that why she wants me to work out so much? she thought.
Jesse appeared victorious when she saw Viola’s face. “Your face alone shows you think she’s too fat,” she said.
“Weight can change, but personality can’t. Mel has a good heart. She is kinder than you’ve ever been,” Viola said.
Mel wasn’t comforted by Viola’s statement.
Mel wanted to punch Jesse. If Jesse hasn’t brought up my weight, I never would have known Viola’s views about my weight, she thought. The fact made Mel angry.
A sharp gust of wind hit Jesse’s sternum. Jesse took a step back to balance herself. She was more stunned by the occurrence than anything.
Viola acted like the wind didn’t happen. “I think God wants my soulmate to be a human,” she said simply.
The response infuriated Jesse. “She is weak, V! She will never be able to run with you! She will never be strong enough to play with you! How can you fuck glass? She’ll shatter! And any children she produces will be just as weak and pathetic as she is!”
Mel felt her emotions rise. The wind around them picked up. How dare Jesse judge me like that! she thought. Who is she to insult our unborn children? The wind ripped a branch off the tree overhead. It fell to the ground mere feet from Jesse.
Jesse jumped. “What the hell!” she yelped.
“Enough!” Viola said. Viola disrupted Mel’s thoughts. The wind stopped. “I’m not discussing any of this with you. I have found my mate. Mel is far stronger and greater than you will ever understand. I suggest you accept that Mel is my mate and you should move on. Maybe you should give Chris a second chance. He has the same hunger for power you have. And Chris is just as self-important and manipulative as you are.”
Jesse stepped back like she had been struck. How does Viola know about Chris? Jesse thought.
“Mel! Wake up!” a woman shouted. Neither Viola nor Jesse seemed to hear the woman’s voice. The fact bothered Mel. Where is the voice coming from? “Wake up!”
Chapter 9
“Mel! Wake up!”
Mel jolted back to her body. Dana had been shaking her and calling out her name. “Mel! Mel! Come on, Mel! Wake up!” she said. “Mel! Wake up!”
“Dana, chill! I’m okay,” Mel said. She gently pulled Dana’s hands off of her.
Dana and Lee were both blanched from fear. “What just happened? Did you have a seizure? You were here, but not here. Your eyes were open, but it was like you left your body,” she said quickly. “Do you need to go to the infirmary?”
“I’m fine,” Mel said. “Both of you calm down. I didn’t have a seizure. I did just sort of . . . leave my body for a while.”
Dana and Lee were stunned. “You what? How? Why?” Lee asked.
“My soul kind of left my body for a moment. I’m not sure exactly how it happened. It’s been happening since I got here. All I remember is I really, really wanted to know what Viola and Jesse were talking about and I was suddenly able to see and hear them,” Mel said.
“Oh,” Dana said. “So, you were using your gifts to eavesdrop?”
Mel blushed. “Unintentionally,” she clarified.
“What were they talking about?” Dana asked.
“Dana,” Lee said, exasperated.
“I want to know. Aren’t you curious?” Dana asked. Lee didn’t respond as he fought not to smile. “Spill it, Mel.”
“Jesse said I’m too weak and slow to be worthy of being Viola’s mate. She said any children I have will be weak and pathetic too,” Mel said. It hurt Mel to say it out loud. “And that I’m chunkier than any woman Viola’s been with before.”
“So what? I’m a big woman and Lee loves my body,” Dana said. “Beauty isn’t determined by a person’s size. There are plenty of beautiful and handsome fat people in the world. There’s nothing wrong with it. You are beautiful just the way you are and Viola is obviously attracted to you.”
Mel glanced at her feet. She decided not to mention Viola’s comment about how weight can change. And she pushes a lot for me to work out, she thought. “But what about being able to keep up with Viola? I won’t ever be at that level of fitness,” she said.
“Mel, Jesse never kept up with Viola when they trained, so don’t pay Jesse any mind,” Lee said.
“That may be, but Jesse’s far faster and stronger than me,” Mel said. Her tummy knotted up. “What if Jesse’s right? I’m not like you all.”
“No, but you obviously have your abilities that help you hold your own. Don’t forget that,” Dana said.
“Yes, but I don’t even have that under control,” Mel said.
“Isn’t Eli going to help you?” Dana asked.
“Yes,” Mel said.
“Well, use what Jesse said as ammo. Prove her wrong,” Dana said. She hugged Mel. “You are worthy of being with Viola. Just like Viola is worthy of being with you.”
Mel was stunned by Dana’s last comment. Viola worthy of me? I’m certainly not worth much, especially compared to her! Mel thought. She realized she felt inadequate in their relationship. Viola had so many amiable qualities. Mel didn’t think she brought much to the table. She tried to push her doubts away, but she could feel them simmer just below the surface of her thou
ghts. Bruce was right about personal insecurities affecting a relationship. “Do you think Eli would be willing to meet today?” Mel asked. “I know we’re supposed to start tomorrow, but I feel the sooner I get started, the better.”
Dana smiled. “I’m sure Eli won’t mind. Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mel said. She really didn’t feel ready. She was afraid of finding out the extent of her gifts, but she was angry now instead of frightened. She guessed she should be grateful for Jesse’s criticism in that sense.
“Look at it as starting a journey toward being a better you. The hardest part is realizing you want to change. The second hardest part is taking that first initial step,” Dana said.
“True,” Mel agreed.
“I’ll call and ask Eli if he’d be willing to start today,” Lee said. He left the kitchen to call Eli.
“Where are Bruce and Silvia? Where are Nana and Papa?” Mel asked.
“Working,” Dana said. “Bruce and Silvia are taking care of pack business. Nana and Papa are at a bakery that our pack owns. Neither Nana nor Papa knows how to act retired.”
“Do you know what you are going to do?” Mel asked.
“No,” Dana said. “I’m torn. I miss running the B&B, but I have also missed living with the pack. I’m not sure what to do.”
“You mentioned wanting to study psychology more,” Mel said. “Why not take the opportunity to get a degree to be a counselor or therapist? You have a lot of wisdom to offer and you create a presence that makes it easy to talk around you. You’d do a lot of good for others.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said. “I’ll have to think more about going that route. There’s a person named May who does a cool technique that would be good to learn. I would be able to help a lot of werewolves because they can tell me things they can’t reveal to May because May is human.
“Daren has decided to help Viola with the gym in between running the pack’s farm until he figures things out. I think working the farm is more than enough, but Daren enjoys being busy. How about you?”
Mel shrugged. “I’m not sure,” Mel said. “I love writing and playing music. But, Dana, where does it fit in the pack?”
Mel would love to spend her time creating music, but she knew there was a possibility that it wouldn’t produce a financially stable situation for Viola and herself. Mel didn’t like the thought of mooching off of Viola or the pack.
“Do you know how to teach?” Dana asked.
“A little,” Mel said. “I know a little bit with guitar and piano.”
“And you know about science?” Dana asked.
“Yes,” Mel said.
“Well, you could always help teach the kids here. They’re home-schooled. As you can imagine, it’s hard for a child to understand that randomly turning into a wolf pup isn’t a good idea. Could you imagine the look on a human teacher’s face if one of our kids turned into a wolf pup during class?” Dana shook her head. “Those children would be killed without thought. Or worse, those children would be captured by the government and experimented on.”
“Would people do that to innocent children?” Mel asked.
Dana was surprised by Mel’s question. “Of course. What do you think happened to the Jewish children in World War 2? Or the Native American children during the genocide of their people? Or black children during slavery?” Dana said. “Look at how these refugee children are being treated here in the states now. Prejudice exists everywhere for anyone who is different, Mel. You haven’t seen the extent of this because you can hide your gifts more easily than a person can hide the color of her skin. You can hide your sexual preference more easily than a transgender woman can hide her Adam’s apple.” Dana was sad. “I know what it’s like to live in a world of prejudice. I know how it feels to be judged by the color of my skin. Unfortunately, Lee and Daren have it worse than I and prejudice is supposedly gone now. Not many people are comfortable with a strong black man walking the streets. Racism still exists. I wouldn’t wish for my son to be judged any more than he already is.”
Mel was stunned. Dana was right. Mel could hide the things that made her different according to society’s eyes. Mel didn’t know what it was like to be judged every day and every moment for what she looked like. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be judged on the color of her skin or being able to transform into a wolf.
“I’m sorry, Dana,” Mel said. “I never thought of it that way.”
Dana patted Mel’s hand. “It’s okay, Mel. How would you know to think that way? You haven’t been educated about the harsh realities of the world. Your history and social studies classes are skewed from telling the truth,” she said. “From when you first start school, the educational system should have sociology classes so you can learn about people from different walks of life. They should teach the true history of the world. But they don’t. If we all saw how much we are alike then it would be harder for those in charge to control the masses. Fear is a potent weapon they use so they can feed their greed. Truth is that money and power will never fill the void in their souls.” Dana gave Mel’s hand a squeeze. “Anyway, you could also teach music to anyone who wants to learn,” she suggested. “As well as teach courses in science.”
“I had thought about teaching science classes earlier. Do you all not have a teacher for that?” Mel asked.
“We do, but her background is more along the lines of history and English. Eli’s mate, Cindy, is in charge of our education program and hires all of our teachers. You’ll like her and she would love to have someone with a science background helping out,” Dana said.
Mel liked the idea. “That would be nice,” she said.
“I’m sure Bruce will still want you to work with Eli too. You shouldn’t sit on any of the gifts God has given you,” Dana said.
“You’re right,” Mel agreed. She liked the thought of using her gifts in a helpful manner. She felt better knowing there were different ways she could earn her keep in the pack.
Lee came back into the kitchen. “Eli’s on his way,” he said. “He sounded excited about you wanting to get started.”
“Get started with what?” Viola asked as she entered the kitchen. She gave Mel a kiss on her forehead. “I missed you.”
Mel was shocked by Viola’s blatant declaration in front of Dana and Lee. She wasn’t used to public displays of affection. Part of her felt self-conscious about it. At the same time, it made Mel feel giddy and valued. She basked in the loving energy Viola was bathing her in. “Me too,” she said bashfully.
“Mel is going to meet with Eli to get started with working on her gifts,” Dana said.
“That’s great. What gave you the sudden urge?” Viola asked Mel.
Dana and Lee pointedly looked at Mel.
Mel felt her cheeks burn with humiliation. “I . . . sort of . . . used my gifts just now,” she said.
“Really?” Viola’s voice sounded strange.
Mel picked up on Viola’s unease. At the same time, it felt like her energy pulled away from Mel. Mel immediately missed the connection they had just a moment ago. It caused Mel to pause.
“On what?” Viola asked. It seemed as though she did and did not want to know.
The fact puzzled Mel. “I listened in on your conversation with Jesse. I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to know what you were talking about and I ended up there,” Mel said hurriedly.
“Ah. Around the time the wind picked up?” Viola asked. She wasn’t surprised by it. In fact, it only seemed to confirm suspicions Viola had. She seemed even more uneasy.
Mel didn’t understand why Viola was bringing up the wind or Viola’s sudden shift in mood. “Yes,” she said. “I got to hear Jesse call me weak.” The thought of Jesse making the accusation caused Mel’s emotions to rise again.
Eli came into the kitchen. “I heard I missed some excitement,” he said.
“I think y’all were right about Mel having a bit of telekinesis,” Viola said. She didn’
t seem very happy about it. Eli picked up on Viola’s tone of voice, but he decided not to comment. It seemed like Eli understood what Viola was going through.
Mel was confused. “Telekinesis? I went out of my body. I didn’t pick up or move anything,” she said.
“There hasn’t been a breeze all day. You heard Jesse say some negative things, you got mad, and suddenly there are gusts of wind. A tree branch was torn off the tree we were standing under and nearly hit Jesse. Do you really think that’s a coincidence?” Viola said. “It may be air, but you’re still moving something.
“You’ve already admitted that your energy pushed Jesse the other night and the house. Your abilities may be stronger now so you’re able to use elements around you like air. You need to stop denying your capabilities or people are going to get hurt.”
Mel was about to argue the point, but she stopped. “Oh,” she said.
“Oh, what?” Viola asked.
“I guess you’re right,” Mel said. She didn’t like that she had lost control again. This time she hadn’t even realized it.
“We better get started, Mel,” Eli said. “Bruce is letting us use his spare office.”
“Can I speak with Viola for a minute first?” Mel asked. She was confused by everything that was going on and needed some answers.
“Sure,” Viola said. They walked upstairs and to Viola’s bedroom. “What is it?”
“What am I doing that is bothering you so much?” Mel asked bluntly.
Viola hadn’t expected that question. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times.
Her lack of response hurt Mel’s feelings. “You seem so anxious. You seem more upset about something regarding me than you do about the fact that Jesse was insulting me! Jesse called me pathetic and weak! She said I’m glass that would shatter if you ‘fucked’ me! Remember any of that? Why aren’t you angry about that?” Mel asked passionately. A gust of wind knocked over papers resting on Viola’s desk. She glanced at the papers in horror. How in the world did that happen? she thought.
“Calm down, Mel,” Viola said. “You shouldn’t get worked up like this. It’s dangerous.”