True Love, With a Few Complications

Chapter One

Cammie POV

Screams sounded in the night.

All I saw were the imprints of his blood on my hands. All I heard was howls echoing through the trees. Then I saw a lone black wolf come barreling into the clearing, his claws tearing across my skin. Pain throbbed through my body, but then a blinding white light flashed across every piece of land for miles.

The screams continued. They were unsettling, broken and fearful.

It took a long moment for me to realize they were mine.

They wouldn't stop. The pain coursing through me was just too powerful.

Then lightning struck, and thunder shook the building.

I bolted upright with another scream, breathing heavily as I calmed. The men, women, and children in the room watched me with wide afraid eyes, bombarding me with questions.

I ignored them all, rising from bed. Pulling on jeans and an overworn hoodie, I slid my boots over my feet, slipped on a coat and lazily tied my hair back in a ponytail. The rain pounded against the windows, the dark night sky flashing with lightning every few seconds.

The people still continued to question me, talking over one another like a pack of dogs. Dogs...I hate dogs.

"I'm leaving."

My words washed over them all, and they instantly began to protest.

"You're still ill, miss." One complained.

"Where will you go? Who will protect you?" Argued another.

"I can take care of myself," I said. When they didn't speak, I walked over to a woman in her late forties with brown hair tied back into a bun- their leader. "Emily, you have done much for me. I cannot thank you enough. But I must go. My search is still on. If I can find my family, I may find my brother. You understand why I have to leave."

She smiled wistfully, placing a hand to the side of my face. "Yes, child. I understand your reasons and respect your wishes. The most we can do for you now is give you money and clothes for your travels."

"Oh, no." I protested. "That is way more than I feel I am allowed to ask for."

Emily shook her head and moved swiftly across the room to a table at the kitchenette. "Nonsense, child. Here." She pressed a wallet of bills into my reluctant hands and helped me slip on a backpack that carried clothes. "I suspected you might be leaving soon, so I had already packed."

I smiled. "Thank you, Emily. I have no idea how I could repay you for your kindness."

"Just stay alive and well, and find what you long for and need most. May you discover happiness. That is all the payment I would need."

Her eyes filled with tears as did mine, and she pulled me into a hug.

When the intimate moment was over, I pulled away and looked out at the others. "I apologize for awakening you from your sleep, again. I hope good fortune comes to you all, and that the weather treats you well. Do not worry about me. And when I am safe and have found what I need, I will send a message. I can promise you that."

"Goodbye." Everyone waved as I smiled in farewell, turning and walking down the long hallway, out into the rain.

It had been weeks since I'd left.

I slept in musty motels and ate microwavable goods. I earned money by mowing lawns or watching children for an hour or two. There was still no word from my brother, and the days were getting harder yet easier at the same time without both of them.

On one hand, it was difficult to go on not knowing where my brother was or if he was okay. If he had been captured or had escaped. It was extremely painful to think that the other...that he had died. I didn't know if he had gone somewhere better, or much worse. He died painfully, and I could do nothing about it. On the other hand, I found it a little easier to suffer through each day. The nightmares still came, my screams still echoed violently through the night. My scars still throbbed, and my fever often returned. Loneliness crept in all the time, and it was common that I cried myself to sleep. But I found that if I kept busy, the pain was easier to bear.

So I kept busy.

I worked for money when I had the time, moved on to the next town every couple of days. I trained myself in combat with weapons and my hands and often practiced my magic. Every day or two, I would send a message.

Grant,

Where are you? I'm searching, but I have no idea where to look. Trying to decipher the clues from Mom are overall exhausting. I do wish you were here. After all, even when I was getting myself into trouble and constantly searching for mysteries to solve, you made things fun. Now, everything is the exact opposite. All the time I just feel pain and loneliness. Not only has he died, but you've gone as well. Please, help me. Show me where you are or at least how I can find help.

Love you with all my heart,

Cammie, Your Little Sister (by 3 minutes and 23.4 seconds)

I would fold the letters, then toss them into the sky where they would be carried by the magic of the winds. I could only hope they would reach him.

As for the clues from my mother, those took up a great amount of time from my waking moments. All I had were three things:

These random numbers 47.9504 N, 124.3855 W

A drawing of a chief of police badge (The state was erased off but I could tell it was a chiefs badge)

And a silver necklace with the letters R and M hanging off of it

They were quite confusing. They made no sense. The necklace, I wore around my neck, constantly fidgeting with it as I wondered what it meant. I sketch of the badge was interesting. If only I had the state.

One night in Texas, I was sitting in my motel room cross-legged on the bed, studying each clue intently. My mind kept wandering back to the numbers.

Are they even important?

What do the N and the W mean?

Maybe they're something from a secret language, like maybe morse code...

Suddenly, I realized something. I perked up, wide-eyed and excited.

They're coordinates!

47.9504 degrees North and 124.3855 degrees West. That's where I must go. But where are these coordinates?

Taking a map out of the backpack Emily had given me, I scanned it for the correct coordinates. After a moment, my finger landed on a small town in the state of Washington called Forks.

Forks, Washington huh?

A small smile crept onto my face.

Here I come.

After hopping many trains, hitchhiking and staying in abandoned houses, I finally arrived in Olympia, Washington. I took a cab into Forks (never stay in a cab with a grumpy driver for nearly three hours) and was dropped off in front of a diner. I paid the driver with almost the rest of my money and entered the diner.

I guess in a town with a population of roughly 4,000, they weren't used to seeing new people because every head turned when I walked in and everything fell silent besides a few whispers. Rolling my eyes, I walked up to someone at the counter.

"Excuse me, my name is Cameron Morgan. Do you know where I can find the chief of police around here?" I had decided that due to the coordinates being for Forks, and the drawing being a chief of police badge, I needed to find the chief. It was the simplest solution.

The woman had fair dark skin and curly brown hair. Her name tag read, Cora. "His name is Charlie Swan. I'm not sure if he's at the station today, but I can give you his address." She scribbled something down on a napkin and handed it to me.

Smiling, I thanked her and left, ignoring all of the eyes boring into my back.

Fifteen minutes later, I was standing in front of a simple white house- two stories, nice shutters, good size yard, surrounded by forest besides the houses across the street. It was quiet, exceptions being kids playing outside and soft sounds of a baseball game coming from the house.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped up to the door, pulling on the sleeves of my- his -hoodie. Knocking softly, I took a step back.

The door swung open moments later to reveal a man somewhere between his 30s and 40s with dark hair and matching eyes. Looking at him, I tucked my hair behind my ears nervously.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

I nodded. "Well, I think so. Actually, I..."

I cleared my throat, trying to gather some confidence. "Chief Swan, my name is Cameron Morgan, and I think you're my father."