by Julie Eads
Still smiling she announced, “That locket was given to me by my mother, it is my most valuable possession.” Then hugging me tight, she wiped my tears away and kissed my cheek. I thanked her for the gift, promising I would never let it go. She just smiled back, whispering into my ear, “Carmina, my promise in return is that I will never let you go,” and placing my hand over her heart she told me that I would always be there and that she would always be in mine.
Then just as quickly she opened the door and pushed me through it, and before she could close it I turned to thank her once more. As I made my way to the van I put the locket on, tucking it carefully under my shirt. It now sat right above my heart, where the memories of my grandma would always be. As she had closed the door I had felt as if I had really left my heart there with her.
It was as I walked back to the van that I noticed a black car drive past the driveway. Then it had turned around and drove past the house again. I knew something wasn’t right so rushing over to the van I knocked on the window, telling Knoll to look at the strange car. Getting out of the van he raced towards the car. When the driver saw Knoll racing towards him he sped off, making an ear-piercing squealing sound with the tires. He peeled out of the residential neighborhood and disappeared from sight. Knoll screamed for me to get into the van, racing back to it himself. Diving in we set off at a high speed and he drove angrily for a few miles before pulling off onto a gravel road. He cursed under his breath, and for once I was glad I couldn’t hear him, because what he was saying couldn’t have been pleasant.
Chapter 4
Sometime later we reached a small bed and breakfast that was out in the middle of nowhere. To my surprise; there was no-one else there other than the owners. Knoll parked the van, telling me to stay inside, and with no more explanation he got out, slammed his door and made his way to the house. After a few knocks, the door opened and an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair let him in. Leaning over to the driver’s side I hit the lock button on the control panel then I leaned back in my seat. Reaching over to the back seat I grabbed my pillow, and then pressed the cold, cotton lump over my face and began screaming; over and over again until my voice grew harsh. I wanted to be angry with the world and scream, ‘Why me?’ However, it seemed useless. I felt tired and helpless so I leaned the seat back and began humming lyrics to random songs that popped up in my mind.
Finally, Knoll came back to the van and placing his key in the door he unlocked it. The noise just about made my heart explode. It was pitch black outside so I could hardly see my hand in front of my face, let alone who was unlocking the van doors. Once the dome light shone brightly on his face I laughed nervously, saying, “You scared the crap out of me.”
Apologizing he went on to explain to me that we were no longer safe driving the van and that he had called my father to request that he be granted the money to purchase a car. We were to go to the next town on foot and buy one. And all this, because they would be searching for the vehicle, was thanks to me; I am sure he would have muttered if he could.
“What about all of my stuff?” I asked him. Knoll just muttered an apology telling me that I could only take what was absolutely necessary. Then he went on to inform me that new clothes could be purchased and that we would have to make the best of what we had.
Quickly I rummaged around, emptying my school books from my book bag; at least I didn’t have to do homework anymore. I choose to bring a notebook that held notes from Katelyn, and I also packed my drawings and poems; things that would remind me of the good times back home. Next, I tore the keychain off my duffle bag and shoved it inside the book bag. I had repaired the bag with Banksey’s first collar, tying it to the bag and using it as a handle, since the original one had broken. Now I was glad that I had used it out of all things I could have chosen. That way, at least, he would never be forgotten either. Then I grabbed one change of clothes and left the rest behind.
Leaving the van parked by the side of the road we began walking down a path that led into the woods. I tried to protest, but Knoll argued it was the safest way to get to where we were going without being seen. I also suggested that we stop and sleep at the Inn, and then we could call a cab in the morning.
Knoll responded with a laugh, saying, “Mina, if it was an option, I would more than gladly let you rest. But we cannot trust anyone. They have a location on us now and it would just be a matter of time before they found us.” Rolling my eyes in exasperation I hoped that at least the town wasn’t hours away. We set off walking but to be honest I was past tired and on my way to becoming exhausted.
On and on we walked, through endless brush, thorns and mud. My boots were soaked from all the puddles and creeks we had to walk through; and I was slowly freezing. Knoll and I didn’t speak. I just followed him silently through the black, cold forest. Finally, as we reached a small clearing he stopped and turning he asked me if I was alright. Slowly I nodded my head, pretending to be fine; even though I was pretty sure if we carried on like this for much longer my feet were going to fall off. They burned as if they were on fire and my poor toes had started to become numb.
Knoll looked at me for a moment before cautiously starting to continue on through the clearing. Suddenly, he whispered and motioned for me to stay close to him, all the while sniffing the air; then his body went rigid. Stopping abruptly he said quietly, “Mina, go back to where the trees will cloak you, danger is near!”
Swallowing the fear that was building inside me, I kept telling myself to stay strong. Clenching my fists by my sides I quietly walked back a few feet to hide behind a large oak tree. I was worried about Knoll, and so against my better judgment I peeked around the tree to watch what was happening. Suddenly I heard a deep growl and before I knew it, Knoll was surrounded by a pack of snarling wolves. I knew wolves were common to this area; but at least I knew it was real wild life that Knoll was facing and not someone cloaked as such. Knoll growled a deep growl and for a moment I thought I heard bones moving in his body. In the blink of an eye the man standing in front of me had transformed into a lion. I gasped! That was the animal he had chosen to be, and it wasn’t a bad one I might add.
Whilst I hated to see any animal harmed I knew in my heart that the wolves would tear us to shreds and eat our remains if Knoll didn’t kill them. The larger wolf had an all-black coat, matched with large, glowing green eyes. Suddenly it ran and lunged at Knoll but the animal was met with a powerful hit to the face from the lion’s large claws. The wolf fell, whined and then ran off into the woods. Watching, I couldn’t believe that several more wolves tried the same movement, but all were met with the same reaction. It was like watching a cat playing with a mouse.
Finally there was a loud howl and I watched the last of the wolves run away, their tails between their legs. Knoll quickly followed, disappeared for a moment but then reappeared, walking out of the woods wearing the clothes he had packed. I breathed a sigh of relief that he had brought them as it could have been more than awkward walking through the woods at night with a naked man. At least I knew that I hadn’t been drugged the whole time and what had happened was real.
Rushing towards me Knoll asked, “Are you alright Mina?” I let the nervous giggle escape that I had been holding in from my previous thoughts, and reassured him that I was alright. Satisfied he began walking again and I ran to catch up. As we walked I couldn’t help but tell him how amazing he was but I also couldn’t help ask him why he had chosen a lion?
He briskly answered as he saved me from tripping over a log, “I chose a lion because they are fierce and loyal animals. They are feared by many and the brute strength that they have is astounding. They have always amazed me.”
To see his face light up when he spoke of his animal half was amazing. I hadn’t seen him this animated before; I liked seeing him so happy. “What does it feel like?” I blurted out the question, hoping it wasn’t too personal; although if it was he didn’t say anything. He just continued talking as we continued to make our way t
hrough the woods.
“At first,” he began, “it hurt. Your bones are sore, but after a while they grow accustomed to changing. Now the change happens so quickly I don’t feel it anymore.”
I noticed that his eyes seemed to shine in the moon; they were a cat-like yellow. As he continued speaking, he was obviously unaware that I was staring at him as I listened to his description. “The change of sight and smell are wonderful. And the feel of the earth beneath my feet is indescribable,” he finished speaking.
Giggling I couldn’t help but correct him by saying, “Your paws you mean?”
We both sniggered, and I saw a small grin spread across his face as he bumped into me playfully saying, “Yes Mina, my paws.” Somehow, I couldn’t help but be in awe over how strong he had been when he had handled the wolves.
“Knoll,” I said, stopping and looking at him as he turned to face me, “The way you handled those wolves was amazing.” He just smiled, and for a moment it looked to me as he actually pushed his chest out in pride.
“I know,” he said jokingly, as he lightly pushed his side into mine once again and I realized I liked this playful side of Knoll. It was like a breath of fresh air.
At last we reached the edge of town. The street lights were so bright they nearly blinded me. And I would have fallen flat on my face if Knoll hadn’t caught me; helping me to stay on my feet. Quickly I thanked him and we continued on our way. Knoll explained that we were going to a car lot about twenty minutes away where we could purchase a car from one of my father’s old friends.
“I am surprised to hear that he has human friends,” I exclaimed.
Knoll interjected, “Remember when I told you that if a human is nice to us, and if they treat us with respect, then we would take care of them?”
I nodded my head in agreement, simply replying, “Yes.”
As soon as I confirmed that I had remembered, Knoll continued, “Well, this man saved your father’s life. Your father, whose animal is a black bear, was walking in the woods when a hunter approached him. The hunter was about to shoot him when this man emerged from the woods and made the hunter leave. It seems he had seen your father turn into the bear but didn’t want him to be killed, so he had followed him through the woods, to ensure his safety.”
I was surprised by the man’s bravery and said, “That was brave of him. But I have to ask, why didn’t the man just run away? You said yourself that we are born to look like humans because, if not, they would kill us.”
Knoll took a moment to ponder my question, before responding with, “The man is a Native American, and he belongs to the Cherokee tribe. They have legends about us that they firmly believe in so the man knew not to be afraid, unless he tried to harm your father.”
Smiling with understanding, I said, “That was exceptionally nice of him. I’m looking forward to meeting such a kind soul.”
Knoll appeared surprised by my reaction, so caught me off guard by saying, “Mina, you still find ways to surprise me.”
Blushing I asked him, “Why is that?”
“Because you have such a kind soul,” he quickly answered.
Before I could thank him for his compliment I fell to the ground, wincing at the pain coming from my feet. “I suppose my feet are telling me they are refusing to move anymore,” I said, trying to use comic relief to ease the tense situation.
Ignoring my comment Knoll kneeled on the ground in front of me. Placing my foot in his lap he slowly pulled the soaking wet boot and sock off my foot. Grimacing he said, “Oh, Mina, why didn’t you tell me that you were in pain?”
I couldn’t see why he had such a worried expression on his face so I shrugged my shoulders, replying, “They didn’t hurt badly enough.”
Knoll just glared at me, making it quite clear that he didn’t buy my story. Then he moved his hand so that I could see why he was so upset. My foot was nearly purple; it had a blackish-hue. It was also quite swollen. Gasping, I realized that I couldn’t feel the pain anymore, but then again I couldn’t feel my foot either. Panic began to overtake me and as I looked into Knolls’ concerned eyes I started to ramble questions. Would my feet be okay? Would I ever be able to walk on them again?
Waiting patiently for me to get all the questions out Knoll finally replied, “Yes Mina, you got away with it this time, but had you kept on walking until we reached the car dealership you might not have been so lucky.”
I snorted before saying, “Thank God that didn’t happen.”
Knoll narrowed his eyes at me, responding seriously with, “It’s no joking matter Mina. I cannot protect you if you refuse to be honest with me.”
Wanting to apologize for some reason I stopped myself. How could I tell him that I didn’t want to stop walking, no matter how bad my feet hurt, because I enjoyed talking to him?
He waited silently for a few minutes to see if I had anything more to add but continued talking when I remained quiet. “I understand that you are trying to be noble, but it is still lying. I will never lie to you and I haven’t. I expect nothing but the same from you,” he commanded, appearing to look five feet taller than he actually was. I felt as if I could hear the lion roaring in his voice.
Holding my head in shame, like a child I knew he was right, so turning to him I said, “From now on I will be totally honest with you.”
He simply nodded his head, saying, “We need to find a place for you to rest while I go and pick up the car. You cannot travel on with me with your feet to badly hurt.”
Suddenly I started to panic; I didn’t want to be left alone, not when there were people out there who were looking for me and who wanted me dead. “Couldn’t you carry me?” I quickly asked him.
He could obviously sense the shakiness in my voice, but kept his composure as he told me, “I could carry you, but if I need to phase because of danger you would not be safe.”
Desperately I searched my mind for some excuse as to why he would have to take me with him, but I knew that it was useless. Looking round I searched for a good spot where he could leave me hidden. Pointing behind me I said, “I guess you could leave me in that store over there.” And looking to where I had pointed, Knoll saw a hardware store. Its sign had letters blinking, like those on a hotel, and it read, ‘Harold’s Hardware: Open 24 hours; for your convenience.’ I chuckled and couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of person is out driving around at three in the morning and says, “Hey, I think I’ll pop into Harold’s and pick up some nails?”
Maybe I had laughed a little too loud as I suddenly sensed Knoll was in a funny mood. Looking at me he simply said, “I am not sure Mina, but I am grateful, as you should be, that there is a warm place I can leave you in. That way you will not have to sit out here and freeze any longer.”
Silently I nodded in acknowledgement, looking at his face as he picked me up in his arms and began carrying me towards the store. Softly I spoke so only he could hear me. “Always the optimist,” I said, chuckling a little sarcastically.
Despite his mood Knoll smiled and went on carrying me. The warmth from his body was surprising, especially as it was below freezing outside. When I told him that he felt so warm he just responded, “Yes; another perk of having the animal inside you.”
Laughing, I told him that sounded like something a crazy person would say. But he mustn’t have got the joke as he remained silent until we reached the sliding doors of the store. Carefully setting me down he told me to go inside and find a place to sit. I tried to stifle a laugh as he stressed, “Mina, do not talk to strangers; and if anyone asks, your car broke down and your father walked the rest of the way to get someone to fix it. I will be no longer than an hour.” And with one last look he turned and walked away without saying another word.
Turning quickly I walked into the store, thankful for the blast of hot air that blew through my hair as I entered. There was a young girl, probably about my age, working the door and greeting people. She was sitting on a stool reading a magazine but as I started to walk past her she
put the magazine down and jumped down from the stool.
“Hello,” she said, “Welcome to Harold’s Hardware Store. How may I assist you and your hardware needs today?”
Whilst I appreciated that she was being so accommodating all I wanted to do was find a place to rest so I simply replied, “Hello, I’m Carmina. My father and I were driving through town but our car has broken down. We have had to walk a long way,” and I pointed to my bare foot. Looking at it she grimaced as I continued, “I need a place to hang out and rest until he gets back.”
Smiling she led me to an aisle that held outside furniture before kindly saying, ‘You can rest here until your father comes for you.”
In some respects I was taken aback by her generosity. “Thank you,” I called out as she walked back to her station by the door. Sitting down in a rocking chair I felt relief flood my entire body. It was so warm and felt so good; that was until my feet started to thaw! Suddenly they began burning like before, only maybe worse this time. I wanted to scream but was afraid I would get kicked out of the store; or maybe something worse, like draw attention to myself. Stealing myself, I grit my teeth and did the best I could; sitting back I bit my lip and tried my best to ignore the pain.
I must have dozed off as some time later I found myself being woken up by an older gentleman. Gently shaking me said, “Excuse me miss there is a man outside asking for you.” Clearing my eyes I thanked the man then standing on my sore foot I grabbed my back pack and slowly made my way to the door. Parked outside was a yellow pickup truck and, to my relief, I saw Knoll sat behind the wheel. Getting out of the truck he opened the rusted door which made a loud grating noise, disturbing the silence. Quickly taking my bag from me he placed it behind the seat, saying he would be back shortly as he made his way into the store; returning a short time later with a bag full of stuff which, having once climbed into the truck, he handed to me.
“Here Mina,” he said, insisting that I take the bag. Peering inside I saw there were a few bags of chips, some cans of soda and a bottle of Ibuprofen. I thanked him for the essentials and popping the top of the Ibuprofen canister I carefully opened a diet soda and quickly swallowed a couple pills. Then I laid back and relaxed, placing my feet up on the seat but being careful not to lay them on Knoll.