Bear In The Rough: Book 1: Treasure Hunt (BBW Bear Shifter Romance)

by Foster, L.

  Stairs aren’t strenuous, she thought. I have been climbing stairs since I could walk, and

  no surgery is going to stop me from continuing to do so.

  She had always been an active and adventurous, with a passion for the outdoors and an

  ignorance of the effects of time. In her mind, she was still the rambunctious tenyearold that had

  gallivanted through cobblestone streets of Rothenburg with her brother in tow.

  Greta closed her tired eyes and was transported back in time. She could feel the sun on

  her face and a slight breeze ruffle the youthful skirt that had replaced her outdated nightgown. In

  the distance, she could hear the familiar toll of the bells that resided in the chapel at the center of

  town. The mischievous giddiness of not having to go to church filled her again. It was a bright

  Sunday morning and she was free to do as she pleased, unlike the other little children that were

  stuck in the stuffy chapel. The stairs that had loomed in front of her were no longer the creaky,

  wooden ones that led to the attic of her house, but the strong, stone ones that led to the top of the

  wall that had surrounded her little German town for centuries. She bounded up to them, as she

  had done a million times, and began to climb.

  The pain of old age pushed Greta back into reality with a force that took her breath away.

  The wall and the stone steps melted back into wood and carpet. The breeze returned to the

  mundane blow of the air conditioner. The magic was lost, and Greta was standing on the first

  step of her staircase.

  This sudden recollection surprised her. It has been decades since you thought of these

  things, she told herself. Decades since you remembered home. Why now? You know what

  happened. All the heartache will come back to life if you continue to do this to yourself.

  It was too late. All the memories, good and bad, came back to her in a gust of nostalgia

  and pain. She stood there, helpless to do anything to stop them. The only thing left to do was

  continue to climb the stairs.

  The next memory came with so much power that Greta was forced to cling to the wooden

  bannister lining the wall as she was, once again, transported back to her youth. This time she

  found herself in a parlor room, sitting on a small stool that stood near a fireplace that still held

  the glowing embers of what used to be a cozy fire. Greta’s eyes wandered to the room’s dark red

  walls that were filled with paintings and portraits of what seemed to be a very happy family. The

  only wall without pictures held a large, oak bookshelf that was stuffed with what seemed to be

  hundreds of books. Besides these things, the room was sparsely furnished, with only four

  wooden chairs to seat the house’s inhabitants. I know this room, Gretta thought.

  Chapter Two

  Before she could investigate, a darkhaired woman in a green dress entered, carrying a

  basket filled with sewing supplies and a brutish yellow fabric. Her grayblue eyes seemed tired,

  but her smile was as warm as the glowing embers when she saw Greta sitting on the stool.

  Mother. That is my mother. Greta could feel tears welling up inside her, but she dared not

  ruin this moment.

  “Hello, little one. Have you come to help me with the mending?” her mother asked,

  sitting down in the wooden chair closest to Greta. Unable to speak, Greta nodded in response,

  averting her eyes to the basket of sewing supplies.

  Her gaze rested on the pile ugly yellow pieces of fabric and her heart stopped. Each piece

  was cut in the shape of a sixpointed star, with a word etched into the middle with faded black

  ink. Jude.

  The shock pushed Gretta back into the present, with her aching bones and her old

  nightgown. She now stood in the middle of the staircase, but that fact escaped her attention. The

  tears she had been holding back poured down her face. She could barely breathe. After what felt

  like a lifetime, she had seen her mother again.

  I should have run to her, she thought. I should have wrapped my arms around her and

  never let go. Why did I have to look at those bloody stars? I want to see my family again!

  The tears poured down her wrinkled face, like a waterfall falling over jagged rocks, as

  she thought about everything she had seen and everything she knew would come. She had lived

  through this life once and, in some cruel twist of fate, seemed doomed to do so again. She just

  wanted to sit down on the steps and stay there until her tears dried up and the memories faded

  once more. However, Greta knew that if she gave into this longing she may not rise again.

  Instead, she dabbed her wet eyes with the hem of her nightgown and braced herself for the

  memories to consume her once more.

  She did not have to wait long, for almost instantly she found herself lying on a small cot

  in a room awash in moonlight. Sitting up in the bed, she saw a small assortment of dolls and

  books lining the walls of the serene room. On a chair sat a pile of plain, petite dresses that were

  marred by the yellow stars she had seen before.

  Her observations were cut short when a startling BANG resonated throughout the house.

  The noise was followed by a chorus of angry, muffled voices and a battery of clunking boots.

  Frightened and unsure of what to do, Greta hid herself under the quilt that covered her bed.

  She lay there, listening to the muffled voices for what felt like hours, unable to move for

  fear of being caught. She was too distracted to hear the creaking of an opened bedroom door and

  the tiptoeing of cautious feet. An urgent whisper finally penetrated her fear.

  “Greta? Greta, you’ve got to get up. We have to go now!”

  She peeked out of her quilt. The voice belonged to a young boy, only twelve or thirteen at

  the most. His messy brown hair and blue eyes were illuminated by only by a small candle he

  carried. Gretta saw that, though his face was youthful and boyish, he was quite lean and gangly,

  with his short breeches, kneehighs, and jacket hanging from his frame. Slung over his shoulder

  was a pack that was nearly as big as he was. Something about him seemed familiar to her, like

  recalling a dream from a night long past.

  Chapter Three

  “Jascha?” she suddenly remembered. She had not said that name in years. It felt rusty on

  her tongue, but the meaning behind the name was still not forgotten.

  “Little sister, you’ve got to get up. The Gestapo took Mother and Father. They are still

  downstairs, and if we don’t hurry they will take us away too.” The boy, Jascha, said as his eyes

  darting around, nervously. His expression were full of fear and concern.

  Obediently, Greta rose from her little cot and began to change into one of the dresses that

  was folded on the nearby chair. Jascha stopped her.

  “No silly! They will catch us for sure if we wear the stars. Here,” he held out an old,

  brown dress, free of the ugly yellow fabric. “Mother hid it away for you. Now hurry and put it

  on!”

  She threw on the dress with all the haste she could muster, while Jascha opened the

  window and looked out at the calm, moonlit night.

  “How are we going to get past those men?” Greta timidly asked. He turned around,

  silently beckoning her to the window in response.

  Quietly, she creeped to his side and peered out into the night. The moon was full and

  bright, without a cloud to
cover its beauty. Her bedroom stood on the second floor of the house,

  allowing her to see a hint of the ancient wall over the roofs of surrounding houses. Looking

  down, all she could see was the the green of the overgrown bushes that hugged the house’s brick

  walls.

  “You are going to have to jump,” Jascha finally whispered, pulling the pack down from

  his shoulders. He handed it to her, avoiding her incredulous gaze.

  “Tie the bag to you so it will break your fall. Some of the bushes have thorns, but

  hopefully it will help with that too,” he continued.

  “What about you?” she asked, worried.

  “I will be fine,” he said. “Thorns can’t bother me. Besides, I’m supposed to worry about

  you, not the other way around.” He tried to smile at his little jest, but it only came out as a

  grimace.

  When the pack had sufficiently been tied to Greta’s little frame, Jascha helped her onto

  the window’s ledge, turning her to face him instead of the empty, night air. Though she could not

  see the drop, cold air blew on her back, making her stomach writhe and her knees weaken. She

  was going to jump from the window. She had to jump from the window.

  This isn’t real, she told herself. Any moment now, you will wake up and realize it was all

  a memory. It’s just a horrible memory. It didn’t feel like a memory. All the fear she had felt in

  her childhood was just as real in that moment as it had been decades before. Everything, her

  family, the Nazis, were all alive again, resurrected from the dark recesses of her mind.

  “Now on the count of three I’m going to let go,” Jascha’s voice brought her back from

  her thoughts. “Be brave, Greta. Once we get out of Rothenburg, we can find a nice place to live

  where we won’t have to worry ever again. But, now we need to run,” he said, reassuringly. “Are

  you ready? One...two…”

  Chapter Four

  Suddenly, Greta saw a large figure in a gray uniform emerged from behind her brother.

  “STOP!”

  “...three.”

  She felt her brother’s hands slip away. Then there was nothing. No Jascha. No Gestapo.

  For a moment, there was only rushing air on her back. For a moment in time, everything was

  peaceful.

  Then her body slammed into the thorny bushes, knocking the wind out of her little body.

  Dazed, she lay there. Slowly, the pain of the fall began to overtake her. Everything hurt.

  “RUN, GRETA!” she heard, bringing her back to reality. It was Jascha, struggling to

  fight off the Gestapo soldier in her little bedroom.

  Greta stood, still a little dazed from everything that had just transpired.

  “GO!” Jascha cried again.

  She couldn’t disappoint her brother, but she didn’t want to leave him. Her eyes welled up

  with tears once again as she looked up to the window to see her brother one last time. His blue

  eyes were squinted and his jaw was set in concentration. Every muscle on his gangly body was

  bulging. He was fighting with everything he had.

  For a moment, his eyes broke away from his opponent and rested on her. His strained

  face relaxed, becoming boyish and youthful once more. In that moment, he seemed almost

  peaceful.

  “I will find you, little sister.”

  Suddenly, everything around her began to dissolve. The window, her brother, and the

  Nazi all vanished before her eyes. She could feel the weight of age return to her body as she

  found herself standing on the staircase once again. However, this time she was far closer to the

  top than she ever before.

  Memories flooded Gretta’s mind, taking her breath away. Her knees buckled beneath her,

  throwing her aged body onto the hard, wooden steps. She saw everyone she ever loved and

  everything she ever was flash before her eyes. She saw herself escape to Switzerland. She saw

  the kind family that had taken her in and the friends she had made. She saw her husband,

  children, grandchildren pass through life in a matter of seconds.

  A little voice finally pierced through the madness.

  “Is that you, little sister?”

  Greta looked up, and saw a young, gangly boy with brown, messy hair and blue eyes

  smiling at her from the top of the stairs.

  “Jascha,” Greta struggled to get the word out. She could feel her strength dwindle with

  each passing second.

  “I knew I would find you!” he exclaimed, running down to meet her with all the energy

  and excitement of his eternal youth. He helped her to her feet with ease.

  Chapter Five

  “Greta, I have missed you so much! Mother, Father, and I have found a wonderful new

  place for us to live,” he continued. As he spoke, a warm light began to grow from the top of the

  stairs. “You will love it there, sister. Everything is so beautiful! There is so much to show you.

  Are you ready to go?”

  The old woman looked at her brother. He was so peaceful and happy. There was no sign

  of the grief and fear that had plagued him so many years ago. Her gaze then turned to the

  glowing light at the top of the stairs. It was an odd sight to see, but it still held some kernel of

  familiarity for Greta. Its glow was not harsh on the eyes, nor was its heat unpleasant to the skin.

  Everything about it was peaceful and inviting.

  Greta turned back to her brother and nodded with a contented smile. She was ready to go.

  Jascha’s blue eyes brightened as he offered his hand to her. Greta accepted it and, reunited once

  more, the brother and sister ascended the staircase into the glowing light.

  To Be Continued........

  VILLAIN

  Chapter 1

  On a very sunny afternoon, Chelsea decided to pay her parents a visit for few weeks after she had worked for long hours on her doctorate degree. On this faithful day, she was really tired and wanted a rest for a couple of weeks. She had thought of staying back but she also thought of it that it will be very boring staying alone, she then decided to go to her parents in Cape Hatton for a couple of weeks. She headed home to pack some of her things after she had completed some of her works. She had been writing a journal which will be published when she’s done. She specialized in molecular genetics. She was finding a means of incorporating a gene in an animal into a human. She had worked on that but still waiting for the result of the experiment. She decided to take a few weeks break until the result comes out. After packing some of her things at home, she decided to go on a ferry. She entered into the ferry with a very tired body hoping to take a nap during the journey. She sat down at the back seat and was about dozing off when she heard the voice calling her name; she acted as if she didn’t hear at first. But when the person kept on calling her name more than two times, she then decided to take a look at the person. Surprisingly, it was Michael Olsen calling her name. She was stunned and overwhelmed. She never thought of it for a second. All she was thinking was that it was someone else the person was calling, but what made her raised up her head was when Michael called her full name, Chelsea Benson. Chelsea quickly got up from where she was sitting moved closer to him. She gave her a full hug and with the look in her face, she was very surprised and happy to see him. Chelsea said to him, Oh! I can’t imagine my eyes seeing you again; it’s been a long time. Hope you are good? Well! I am good as you can see and I hope you are good too. Michael replied. I am good as well, but I am very glad to see you. It feels like I am dreaming. Said Chelsea, with a smile on her face. Oh!! Less I forget you really look amazing. Michael replied with a little grin. Che
lsea was very happy to hear that from Michael, she looked at him again with a keen look. Michael noticed they had been disturbing other passengers with their conversation, he then told Chelsea to lets them have a sit. Chelsea who was very tired suddenly became agile when she saw Michael on the ferry. They had their sit very close to each other and they continued with their conversation. You just disappeared on us like that. Chelsea continued the conversation. I am really sorry I did so, but I don’t really have any other option than to do so then. I know I have really offended you and very sorry for that. Things were very tight then and I have no other option than to move away from town for some months. Michael replied. I guess it wasn’t because of Emily’s death. Chelsea asked Something like that! Baby, I know I have really done something bad and I have hurt your feelings by leaving town without letting you know about it, but I really have to do so because people thought I was involved in Emily’s death. Michael explained. I was very annoyed when I asked about you from your elder brother and he told me you have left town and that you are not going to come back for a while now. I seriously wept about that, it really took me a long time to get over it, but I have no option than to do so. Chelsea replied with a soft voice. I am very sorry because I made you cried. You know, I really didn’t want to leave like that, I wanted to tell you about it, but I knew you won’t let me go, so I decided on my own to leave out of it. It wasn’t easy for me at all, but I just need to put my mind together and move on. Michael explained himself with tears on his face. Chelsea didn’t see anything else on Michael’s face but the truth whenever he speaks. She knows Michael loves her so much, but she was still very angry for the disappearance. Chelsea didn’t know what to say again, she then rested on his chest till they completed the journey. When the ferry lands on the island, they both dropped down. Michael helped Chelsea with one of her bags while they were moving away from the sea. As they moving away from the sea shore, Michael asked if he could drop her off with his car instead of her taking a cab home. Chelsea was pleased with the offer; she didn’t hesitate at all. She was very happy to hear that from Michael. When they got to the park where Michael packed his car, Michael opened his boot and dropped Chelsea’s bags. Chelsea had already sat in the front seat waiting for Michael to come and drive her home. Michael closed the boot after dropping the bags and went straight to the driver’s seat. He knew Chelsea was so tired, but the most amazing part of it was that he didn’t know what made her got tired. He decided to ask her so that it won’t get bored on their way home. Michael ignited the car engine and headed straight to Chelsea’s home. He knows the place and there was no reason for him to ask for the direction to the place. On their way home, both of them had several questions to ask themselves but that didn’t show on their face at all. As they were going home, both of them started talking at the same time. Chelsea wanted to ask Michael a question and at the same time, Michael wanted to ask some questions too. Immediately Michael noticed that he then told Chelsea to go ahead and ask her own questions. They both grinned and looked at each other’s face. Chelsea then started and said to him, I know it wasn’t easy for you then, but you ought to have told me before leaving, I will understand you better, but you just left like you got nobody here. Moreover, when did you come back to town? And what were you doing over there on the ferry? I am very sorry for that and I think I’ve said that several times today. I came back to town a week ago and I have tried to see you since then, but I really don’t know how to see you. I then decided to go to your house but unfortunately for me, I met no one. I then decided to be on my own since, but I know we will somehow meet each other one day which we did today. I am so glad to see your face again. Michael replied with a full serious look. Alright, so what do you come to do in town? Chelsea asked. I have actually come back home fully and I am also here to support my brother’s campaign here in town. Michael replied. Wow! Good idea, what have you been doing since all this while you’ve left town. Chelsea asked Oh! I completed my course and I also applied for my master’s immediately which I am through with. I have enrolled for my doctorate degree, but I have stopped that because of the campaign I came for, you know I need to be available always and I have to attend some meetings too. Michael replied. Oh really, you mean you are done with your masters. I have completed mine too and I am on my doctorate degree now. I have done a lot of research and paper works, but I need some rest, which is why I am going home. I don’t really think you should stop your doctorate degree because of your brother’s campaign, you can do that on a weekly basis; I mean you can choose a day or two in a week. Chelsea replied with a piece of advice. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate you. I am glad to know that you have started your doctorate degree. Michael replied. I will like to have a dinner with you tonight, will you be available for that. I really want to speak with about some crucial things. I will really appreciate it if you can make it tonight. I have missed you and I am sure you have missed me too. Michael explained. I missed you too, but I am very sorry, I can’t go out with you tonight. I know how it feels and it’s very obvious that we have missed ourselves, but it’s not just easy for me to start going out with you immediately, after leaving me for a very long time. I am sorry I can’t do such. Chelsea explained to Michael and gave her reasons. Well, I understand you more than you can think of. Michael replied. Deep down in Chelsea, she was not really happy with the response she gave but she just wanted to feel secure and not played upon by Michael. She was very surprised with the way she had been conversing with Michael even though they had seen each other for a very long time. She still feels a spark of attraction for him, but she doesn’t want to look cheap or played upon. She still feels hurt and confused as to why he just disappeared so abruptly from her life without a word.