Chapter One
She arrived in Dallas around one in the morning. She was tired, and knew
that she shouldn't drive anymore tonight. She pulled into the parking lot
of one of the many themed restaurants that cities like this seem to have.
This one was shaped like a castle. It was fairly new looking, and the sign
under Medieval Times read that the grand opening would be happening in two
weeks. The girl didn't care, except that for now, it was quiet, and
deserted. She parked under one of the lamps illuminating the area, and
decided that now was as good as any to go through the backpack. She opened
the latch and carefully pulled the straps so the bag would open.
Inside was a technophile's dream. A state-of-the-art Toshiba laptop complete with wireless internet connection, a palm pilot, a cell phone, and a pager. There were some books, and a small notebook with html coding written inside. She checked the cell phone, but it was drained of power, and there was no power cord to charge it, so she put it aside to be trashed. The pager had suffered from heat and water damage, and was of no use to someone who wouldn't recognize the numbers anyways, so she set it next to the phone. The palm pilot was new, and had no addresses or numbers. It had a few names, such as Ginny, and Hackett, but nothing as to who they were, only plans they had made. It did tell her the date, and she knew that it had been three days since she passed out after the killings, and now. The laptop was also out of juice, but it had power cables, and even a car adapter, so she plugged it into the cigarette lighter, and let it charge.
The books were nothing spectacular, just a few novels, and one book about the occult. The New Agey kind that was mostly fluff, but occasionally had the rare gem of truth in them. She set the books with the palm pilot, and searched for some form of id as to who this bag belonged to, and maybe, who she was. She came across about two hundred dollars in twenties, which she immediately shoved into her pockets. That would be able to get her food, and clothes, and perhaps a place to stay until she could start her life over. "If this stuff does belong to me, I must have some pretty rich folks." she thought aloud. "Maybe they're looking for me?"
The bag, however, had no id, and no wallet, so still, no idea as to who she was, or what she was for that matter. She reshuffled things, and put the things she was keeping in backpack, and the things others she threw in the dumpster near the fence. She got back in the truck, and locked the doors. "Certainly goes without saying that I am NOT your ordinary teenager." She looked up at the gibbous moon approaching it's zenith in the night sky. She wanted to know who she had been before three nights ago, when she had been...well, normal, she hoped. Unless she had always been like this. She didn't know. She leaned back in the seat, and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before the exhausted young woman with brown hair fell asleep.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when she heard a rapping on the window. She opened her eyes, and looked outside. Dawn was breaking, so she had slept longer than she thought. She looked at the window, and felt a growing sense of dread...and something else. She rolled down the window, and addressed the police officer she was facing. "Is there a problem, sir?"
"Not really, ma'am. Somebody just reported a truck parked here with someone inside sleeping. They sent me out here to make sure everything was okay."
"Everything is fine, officer, I just drove in from Houston. I'm new to town, and didn't trust myself to find a hotel."
"Really, even though you had to pass one to get here?" The young woman looked flustered, and a little scared. "Ma'am, I think you need to get out of the truck."
She grabbed the bag, and complied with the officer. He took another look at her, staring at her funny. She didn't like the way he was staring, so she backed away from him.
"Relax, ma'am, I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I think I can help you. What's your name?"
"I...I don't know."
He nodded as if he expected as much. "This truck was reported stolen...don't worry, child, I'm not here to arrest you or nothing. The last spot this truck was seen was outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Houston. A few...friends of mine think you were involved in the fire, and bodies found inside."
She started feeling the way she had felt that night, when she turned into the monster, and she started to back away further from the monster. "I didn't...I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident, I don't even know what happened. I just know...know that I became a...a monster!" And she could hear the clothes ripping as she began to change once again. She was running off into the woods before she knew what she was doing, before she even realized she was running on all fours, covered in fur. There was a small thicket of trees that she lost herself in. She felt the change happen again, and once more, she found herself naked, sitting behind a tree, crying for her lost innocence, and lost life.
The police officer sighed, and reached into his pocket, where he pulled out a cell phone. He pushed a button and waited.
"Peter? Did you find that girl?"
Peter Who's-Laughing-Now sighed again. "Sort of, but my plan backfired...again. Maybe a police officer is not the best disguise to use to approach a frightened cub that has no idea what's happening to themselves. Whispers-In-Wire was right though, Sarah, she's an amnesiac. She doesn't remember anything except the First Change, and the aftermath. She doesn't even remember what caused the change in the first place. She ran off into the thicket behind that new themed restaurant off of Thirty Five."
"Try to find her. There are reports of Spirals in the city. I don't want to lose another cub to them if at all possible. Find her and bring her back to the Sept, Peter." Sarah Truth-Seeker hung up.
The Ragabash sighed. "This is not going to be easy."
She heard him before she saw him, but not before he had seen her. There was nowhere left for her to run, so she tried become one with the tree. He put his hands up in a non-threatening manner, and said in a soothing voice, "Hey, kid, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let's try this again. My name is Peter, and, well, I'm not really a cop. I was, however, sent to find you."
"Why me?" The naked girl asked quietly. "What do you want with me?"
"Because of what you are. You are a Garou, a werewolf, Jane."
She looked at him disbelievingly, but the first thing she asked wasn't about his sanity. It was. "Is Jane really my name?"
He smiled. "No, well, maybe it is, but I was making reference to the fact that most no names end up being called John or Jane Doe. Besides, you kinda look like a Jane."
"Jane. I like that. I think I'll keep it. Now what's all this about being a werewolf? I can't be a werewolf. I didn't change under the fool moon, and I certainly have never been biten by one, at least, I don't think I was."
"Jane, first things first, throw out all the Hollywood bullshit, and second...well, let's continue this back the Coffee House Sept. You can get something to eat there, and some clothes." He handed her his jacket, which was long enough to cover her indecency, and then he offered her his hand. "I'm giving you a chance to find out about your heritage, and perhaps, if your parents were kinfolk, you might still find your past."
Cautiously, Jane took his hand, and followed him back to his car. It was a gamble she taking, since she still thought this guy was a nutcase, but it was worth the risk. She never looked back.
NEWS FLASH
The remains of Ginny Wynn were found amongst the wreckage of the warehouse fire from Friday evening. Still no clues as to the whereabouts of Casey
Wynn, but authorities fear the worst.
Inside was a technophile's dream. A state-of-the-art Toshiba laptop complete with wireless internet connection, a palm pilot, a cell phone, and a pager. There were some books, and a small notebook with html coding written inside. She checked the cell phone, but it was drained of power, and there was no power cord to charge it, so she put it aside to be trashed. The pager had suffered from heat and water damage, and was of no use to someone who wouldn't recognize the numbers anyways, so she set it next to the phone. The palm pilot was new, and had no addresses or numbers. It had a few names, such as Ginny, and Hackett, but nothing as to who they were, only plans they had made. It did tell her the date, and she knew that it had been three days since she passed out after the killings, and now. The laptop was also out of juice, but it had power cables, and even a car adapter, so she plugged it into the cigarette lighter, and let it charge.
The books were nothing spectacular, just a few novels, and one book about the occult. The New Agey kind that was mostly fluff, but occasionally had the rare gem of truth in them. She set the books with the palm pilot, and searched for some form of id as to who this bag belonged to, and maybe, who she was. She came across about two hundred dollars in twenties, which she immediately shoved into her pockets. That would be able to get her food, and clothes, and perhaps a place to stay until she could start her life over. "If this stuff does belong to me, I must have some pretty rich folks." she thought aloud. "Maybe they're looking for me?"
The bag, however, had no id, and no wallet, so still, no idea as to who she was, or what she was for that matter. She reshuffled things, and put the things she was keeping in backpack, and the things others she threw in the dumpster near the fence. She got back in the truck, and locked the doors. "Certainly goes without saying that I am NOT your ordinary teenager." She looked up at the gibbous moon approaching it's zenith in the night sky. She wanted to know who she had been before three nights ago, when she had been...well, normal, she hoped. Unless she had always been like this. She didn't know. She leaned back in the seat, and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before the exhausted young woman with brown hair fell asleep.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when she heard a rapping on the window. She opened her eyes, and looked outside. Dawn was breaking, so she had slept longer than she thought. She looked at the window, and felt a growing sense of dread...and something else. She rolled down the window, and addressed the police officer she was facing. "Is there a problem, sir?"
"Not really, ma'am. Somebody just reported a truck parked here with someone inside sleeping. They sent me out here to make sure everything was okay."
"Everything is fine, officer, I just drove in from Houston. I'm new to town, and didn't trust myself to find a hotel."
"Really, even though you had to pass one to get here?" The young woman looked flustered, and a little scared. "Ma'am, I think you need to get out of the truck."
She grabbed the bag, and complied with the officer. He took another look at her, staring at her funny. She didn't like the way he was staring, so she backed away from him.
"Relax, ma'am, I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I think I can help you. What's your name?"
"I...I don't know."
He nodded as if he expected as much. "This truck was reported stolen...don't worry, child, I'm not here to arrest you or nothing. The last spot this truck was seen was outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Houston. A few...friends of mine think you were involved in the fire, and bodies found inside."
She started feeling the way she had felt that night, when she turned into the monster, and she started to back away further from the monster. "I didn't...I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident, I don't even know what happened. I just know...know that I became a...a monster!" And she could hear the clothes ripping as she began to change once again. She was running off into the woods before she knew what she was doing, before she even realized she was running on all fours, covered in fur. There was a small thicket of trees that she lost herself in. She felt the change happen again, and once more, she found herself naked, sitting behind a tree, crying for her lost innocence, and lost life.
The police officer sighed, and reached into his pocket, where he pulled out a cell phone. He pushed a button and waited.
"Peter? Did you find that girl?"
Peter Who's-Laughing-Now sighed again. "Sort of, but my plan backfired...again. Maybe a police officer is not the best disguise to use to approach a frightened cub that has no idea what's happening to themselves. Whispers-In-Wire was right though, Sarah, she's an amnesiac. She doesn't remember anything except the First Change, and the aftermath. She doesn't even remember what caused the change in the first place. She ran off into the thicket behind that new themed restaurant off of Thirty Five."
"Try to find her. There are reports of Spirals in the city. I don't want to lose another cub to them if at all possible. Find her and bring her back to the Sept, Peter." Sarah Truth-Seeker hung up.
The Ragabash sighed. "This is not going to be easy."
She heard him before she saw him, but not before he had seen her. There was nowhere left for her to run, so she tried become one with the tree. He put his hands up in a non-threatening manner, and said in a soothing voice, "Hey, kid, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let's try this again. My name is Peter, and, well, I'm not really a cop. I was, however, sent to find you."
"Why me?" The naked girl asked quietly. "What do you want with me?"
"Because of what you are. You are a Garou, a werewolf, Jane."
She looked at him disbelievingly, but the first thing she asked wasn't about his sanity. It was. "Is Jane really my name?"
He smiled. "No, well, maybe it is, but I was making reference to the fact that most no names end up being called John or Jane Doe. Besides, you kinda look like a Jane."
"Jane. I like that. I think I'll keep it. Now what's all this about being a werewolf? I can't be a werewolf. I didn't change under the fool moon, and I certainly have never been biten by one, at least, I don't think I was."
"Jane, first things first, throw out all the Hollywood bullshit, and second...well, let's continue this back the Coffee House Sept. You can get something to eat there, and some clothes." He handed her his jacket, which was long enough to cover her indecency, and then he offered her his hand. "I'm giving you a chance to find out about your heritage, and perhaps, if your parents were kinfolk, you might still find your past."
Cautiously, Jane took his hand, and followed him back to his car. It was a gamble she taking, since she still thought this guy was a nutcase, but it was worth the risk. She never looked back.
NEWS FLASH
The remains of Ginny Wynn were found amongst the wreckage of the warehouse fire from Friday evening. Still no clues as to the whereabouts of Casey
Wynn, but authorities fear the worst.