Once I got home, I quickly said hi to grandma and almost ran in my bedroom to continue reading the forbidden book. I unzipped my pack and put my homework and my perfume on the desk and grabbed the book; threw my bag in the corner with my good arm and sat on my bed. The smell of old paper rose up to me as I opened it once again. I flipped through the pages until I found the page on the "Cold Ones." There were a few pages on them. Apparently, they live a long time. Centuries even. They're only known form of killing is...
"Beheading, dismemberment, and burning. Gross." I made a face.
Crosses, holy water, stakes, or any man-made weapon are useless against the "Cold Ones." They're nearly indestructible. Flipping through some more pages in the back. Spells and incantations marred half of the pages in this big book. Spells for protection. Spells for fighting. Spells for seeing into the future. Endless endless spells that some require ingredients like candles and dried plants while some require nothing at all. Justs chanting of some words, some in a different language. Like Latin or Quileute. I don't know if any of these are real spells. I slowly contemplated actually trying these spells. It wouldn't hurt even if it didn't work. I turned a page, and it showed a spell for object levitation. The only thing that was needed was an incantation. Should I try it? My eyes landed on a pencil on my desk.
Am I really going to try this? I got up from the bed thinking that I'm really going to try this. I'm really going to try levitating a pencil. I took a deep breath and looked at the incantation and closed my eyes and spoke it.
"Sit mea potestate erige te sursum." I stared at pencil feeling extremely stupid. I took a deep breath; concentrated and said the incantation again. Soon after I felt a change in the air. Felt a power rise inside of me. I gasp and feel power burst out of me and the whole table wobbled and ricocheted, slamming up into the ceiling. I crouched down, dropping the book on the ground in panic as the sound of the slam filled the whole room and the desk dropped down. Everything on the desk scattered across the floor. Papers, books, and the pencil. I looked around at my messed-up room. The ceiling thankfully wasn't broken just a few scratches, but there was a big wet spot on the ceiling. My perfume! I had set it on the desk as I came in. It broke. I huffed as I stood up on shaky legs.
"Oh my god!" It worked.
"Miracle are you okay!" Grandma bursts into the room, running towards me.
Instinctively, I kicked the book under my bed as she grabbed my arms. My right arm screamed at me. I tried to flinch away, but her arms were tight on me.
"I'm fine, grandma. I'm fine."
She looked at me for a minute before looking around at my room. The desk askew and papers and books everywhere.
"Whaa What happened. Your rooms all messed up." Her dark eyes taking everything in.
"Umm I... I ran in here and.. and tripped over my desk and the desk hit the wall and I fell." I finished weakly.
"You fell? All that noise and you just fell?" She looked me over once again. My arm growing numb from the pain.
I nodded, " Yea. I'm sorry for it being so loud." I hate lying to her like this.
"Are you okay?" You didn't hurt anything."
"No. I'm fine." I gritted my teeth trying not to cry out from the pain.
She gave me and my room one last once over before nodding in conformation, "Okay. Clean up this room and do your homework."
I nodded as she slowly walked out of the room. She looked at me one more time before closing the door. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat on my bed cradling my arm. I rolled up my sleeve and took off the bandage to give it a once over. The marks looked more inflamed. I need to put more salve on it. I numbly stood up and started cleaning my room and straightening my desk out again. It felt like I was on autopilot. The only thing I could think that was on my mind was that it worked. The incantation actually worked.
I finally finished my homework. I decided to start with reading the next 2 chapters of The Great Gatsby. It wasn't my favorite book just yet, but it's for a grade. I jotted down a summary and went on to finish my math homework. I've been so far behind lately and I don't want to keep falling behind. Of course, the math homework took the longest to do. I had just finish yesterday and the day before yesterday's homework when Grandma called me to eat.
Again, grandma had asked me if I was alright. Again, I had comforted her that I was alright, and we began eating. Maize corn tortillas, potatoes and beef. It was quite good. Me and grandma spoke about our day. I paused when she said.
"Your mom and dad called today while you were at school."
I looked up from my plate," They did."
She nodded, " Yes, they wanted to see how you were doing."
"Why didn't they call my phone." I asked.
" I'm not sure, honey. I'm sorry." She said sympathetically. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tenderly.
"It's okay."
"Why don't you call them. One of you have to make the first move, honey." She spoke.
Make the first move? I can do that, but how do I do that though. What should I say to my family to let them know that there's no reason to apologize. I already have forgiven them. That I never stopped loving them.
"I'll try." I whispered.
I really did miss talking to my parents. There was a hole in my life only they could fill, and I just pushed them away. What a lousy daughter I am, but the past is the past. The only thing I can do now is to promise to do better in the future and not repeat the errors of the past. Firmly promising myself that I started to feel better about talking to my parents. Even excited about speaking with them again.
"I think I'm going to turn in earlier. I want to finish some more of my homework." I gathered plates and utensils and put them into the sink.
"Oh, I can get the dishes you go and finish your homework." She got up and pushed her white chair in the table.
I nodded and started to walk away when she called me again.
"I know everything seems strange lately." She started.
" That's an understatement." I muttered.
"But certain people only do certain things to protect the ones they love." She looked out the window to look towards the darkened woods.
"What if someone doesn't feel like they need protection. What if they can protect themselves." I challenged.
"Someone can't protect themselves if they don't know what they're protecting themselves from."
She has a point there.
I opened my mouth, but Grandma effectively cut off the conversation," You should go and finish your homework. Your mom says she expects A's from you."
"She always does." I ended and walked back into my room. The sound the running tap filling the kitchen.
I sat down at my desk and continued my math homework for another 2 hours. Grandma had come in during this time to tell me she was going to go to bed and left me alone with my homework and the book still under my bed. I don't know how I can avoid it any longer. I can't avoid that the desk I'm just sitting at floated and lifted into the air and slammed into the ceiling. That the book was real. I got up and decided to take a shower because I doubt I would much sleep tonight so a shower might help.
I went into the bathroom and took off my clothes and looked at the marks on my arm again. I had put more salve on it earlier, but it doesn't look any different. I looked in the medicine cabinet to see if there's any other type of ointment in there. No such luck. I groaned and turned on the shower and got inside. The hot water pelted me as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the water on my body. I dunked my hair under the water. I moaned happily; glad my mind was off of that book but knowing the minute I get out the shower my mind will go straight back to that. I spent about 20 minutes in the shower before my brown skin started to turn red under the hot water. I turned off the water and grabbed a towel and went back into my room and then a realization struck me.
The realization that Jake and his friends were tampering with real forces. Tomorrow, I should warn him. Warn them that something terrible could seriously happen if they continue this little club of theirs. I donned on my nightclothes and finally looked at the monster under my bed. I grabbed it and lifted it up to the light. The book was beautiful and heavy. Sitting on my bed and opening it up. Reading more of the pages describing the shape-shifting wolves and ''Cold Ones'' until I was tired and sleepy. I laid on my bed to rest my eyes. Still holding the book in my hand.
The trees rose above me. The sweet scent of grass and dew attacked me with a reverence. I looked around. I was in the same place I was last time. The clearing. Something felt different though. The forest looked different too, liked a blanket of darkness wrapped around it, suffocating life and brightness from it. There was no leaves or flowers blooming. The only living thing that was there was a Raven. Perched on top of a branch. Watching me intently.
"Hello! Is anyone there!"
Then a mound of grass and dirt rose from the ground. It stood before me; it looked like a tiny mountain. I gently touched it, and I recoiled back. It started spasming and rocking back and forth until the mound opened up to reveal myself. An exact replica of me.
"Hello." I said to it.
"Your family is in danger." It said to me.
I stared it confused, " What do you mean."
"A Cold One has gotten through the barrier. A baby. It didn't know better."
This is only a dream. This can't be real. The book is planting these ideas in my head.
"I'm not understanding." Even though I'm telling myself that this can't be real I can feel myself starting to panic.
The other me looked at my arm, " The Cold one did that. You can heal yourself. You just don't know it yet."
"NONE OF THIS IS REAL. This is a dream." I screamed at it.
But then the grass and dirt that once covered it started moving again. Returning it to the ground, but it spoke one more time.
"If you don't believe me than wake up and go see."
I jumped up from the bed. The dream still fresh in my head. Sweat made my clothes stick to every crevice of my body. I took deep breath trying to calm my erratic heart. Whatever that mound was saying. Whatever I was saying. It thinks that the Cold Ones have come. I rubbed my face and got up. My breath was still coming out in short burst, but I had to check up on Grandma. To see if she was safe. I quickly walked out of my dark room and into the even darker living room. To my grandma's room.
I cracked her door opened to see nothing but darkness. I squinted my eyes and only saw a lumpy figure on the bed. I sighed in relief. Grandma is still in bed safe. I opened the door wider and walked over to her queen-sized bed. I was going to tell her. I was going to tell her everything about what's been happening. I'm tired of doing this alone. I shook her.
"Grandma, wake up. I have to tell you something. Wake up."
She didn't wake. I squeezed her and didn't feel bone only soft pillow? I gasped and ran to flip the switched. The bright light blinded me. Looking around the room. There was a large brown wooden dresser on the far corner next to a closet. On top of that dresser was a large circular mirror. I saw myself in that mirror. My brown skin looked ashen and there were bags under my eyes. I wiped my head around and ran back to the bed and ripped the quilted blanket off of its resting place. The bed was empty. Just a bunch of pillows lying there.
"No." I whispered.
I ran out of the bedroom and turned on all the lights in the house, running around like a madman, " Grandma! Grandma! Where all you."
I collapsed on the floor, crying. She was nowhere to be found. Not in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, or in her little garden outside. If my dream was real and she was hurt or in danger, where would I find her and what would I do if I find her. I sniffled and wiped my eyes. I could call the police, but there's no precinct close enough to the reservation. The closet one is an hour away and Grandma could be dead by then. Thinking of her dead cause another flood of tears to escape.
I thought back to the dream. To the darkened clearing. She could be there. I wiped my eyes and got up. I went in my room and rapidly put on some jeans, shoes and a random shirt. I dumped the remaining contents of my backpack and put the book in the bedroom and my phone. I ran into the kitchen and took a butcher knife. I looked at myself in the knife. Whatever is out there I will protect those I love.
I tore out of the house and took a running start towards the still dark woods. While running I took my phone out and turned on my flashlight. If this clearing is real, I don't know how I will be able to find it in this dense forest, but I won't give up hope. When I made it into the forest, I head howling and growling in the distance. The wolves are here. Something's happening. The forest almost looked like what it did in my dream. A shroud of darkness encapsulates the land.
I decided to run straight. I had absolutely no idea where I'm going. I don't want to keep running in a random direction and get lost here. Maybe, hopefully, the book might have something for this. I stopped running and took a deep breath. I set my backpack down and grabbed the book. I precariously angled it on my elbow and flipped through pages until I found something I think that will help.
"To find what is lost."
This spell requires some equipment, but I just don't have that time. So, I decided to just recite the incantation. I took a deep breath and put every ounce of power and love in it. Into finding my Grandmother
"Invenire avia quaero nunc, ostende mihi viam, quae ducit me ad eam." The wind started picking up as I shouted the incantation. At first it was nothing until the ground beneath me started shimmering. A path of shimmering green and gold shone ahead of me extending deeper into the forest. It kind of reminded me of the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz. I smiled and put the book back in the pack and took out the butcher knife out and started running along the path that revealed itself to me.
I pumped my feet harder. The ground my feet in every step. I could tell I was getting closer because I could soon here noises. More growling and howling. More screaming. I forced my legs to go even harder as the noises got louder and louder until I finally made it into a clearing. The clearing was chaos. I saw wolves. Six large wolves growling and running towards a hissing pale figure in the distance. I looked to the circle of fire and saw... My grandmother. She had her eyes closed, her lips moving rapidly, hair wiping around her and her arms uplifted to the air. The fire around her rising up higher.
"Just like in the vision." I thought.
"GRANDMA!" I screamed.
She wiped her head over to me. Her eyes bugging out like a fish out of water. The fire dispatched a little as her focused changed. I took a running start towards her, but I fell short. Something tackled me taking the air from my legs. My vision blurred and I heard my grandmother called my name. I scrambled on the dirt when I felt a hand around my neck choking me, suffocating me. I scratched at the hand as it lifted me up and slammed me into a tree. My whole body roared with pain as I cried out. The body loomed over me, and I was looking into the eyes of a "Cold One." Its red eyes glared into me. It's porcelain skin shone in the darkness. The "Cold One'' grabbed my other hand. The hand holding the butcher knife.
"You don't need that." He sneered.
One of the wolves were running towards us. The pale person turned and threw the knife with incredible accuracy in the wolf's side. The wolf howled in pain and collapsed on its side. Dark red blood slowly spilled out.
"NOOO!" I hollered.
Grandma spoke words I didn't understand, and the "Cold Ones" back arched in pain, but he didn't let me go. If anything, his grip tightened on my neck. Nearly cutting off my circulation. He straightened back up and growled at my grandma.
"Do that again and this girls neck gets snapped into two." His voice rang out over the chaos with a definite ring. Grandma and the wolves paused a slight. Their faces contorted in anger as the pale guy laughed at them. Tears streaked my face as I clawed at his hand. He looked back at me and opened his mouth. Fangs seeped out of his gums. I turned my head in fear.
"You will be a great little pet." He chuckled.
"Get off of me." I whimpered.
"What was the little girl?" He mocked. His breath stanked of death.
My whole was going numb from oxygen loss. I couldn't feel my arms or my legs, but I still clawed at him. Still fought with every fiber of my beings.
"Let her go now." Grandma's voice boomed in the silence.
"I will keep her." He said matter of fact.
In the near silence I heard the wind talking to me. Whispering to me. It said.
"You have it inside of you. Let it go. Let it out."
Let it go. Let it out. Those words kept repeating in my head. Grounding me to this moment as I concentrated. The moment slowed and I felt white hot power coursing through me. I looked to the fallen wolf and saw the butcher knife cleaved in his side. The white-hot power inside of me wanted release. It needed an outlet. It needed to go into this monster back.
I willed it move. Willed to fly. The knife wiggled into the wolf's side. The wolf whimpered as the knife was extracted from its side and slammed into the monster's back. The monster howled into the sky.
"GET OFF OF ME!" Power exploded into me as the monster flew back into another tree. I fell on the ground, coughing. Finally able to breath. The knife pushed harder into the monster's back. His shirt was filling with blood, but he didn't seem to notice. His red eyes glared at me as he leaned back and ripped the knife from his back. The wolves sprung back into action. One of the large wolves jump and sinks its lengthened teeth into his arms and ripping it off. The arm flew, tendons and blood flew in the air and laid on the ground already forgotten. Another wolf ripped into one of its legs, crushing it. The monster cried out as more wolves clamped down on its body parts and ripping it apart.
I laid on the sweet-smelling grass as my vision goes in and out. The power I felt earlier was gone. All that was left was a cold hollow shell. I stared at the ground; a ladybug was crawling on the leaf. It wasn't crushed and it was still moving like nothing had ever happened. I felt the ground shake a little. A face came into my blurry vision. Grandma.
" Honey are you okay. Say something." Her voice was muffled. Like there was cotton in my ears.
"Hi. I found you." I smiled at her as my eyes forced itself to close.
"Is she okay." A voice whispers.
"Shhh! She's sleeping." The whispers continued.
"I'm just making sure!" For a second she wasn't breathing.
"Paranoid! Shut up! Okay. Let her sleep."
"Miss Athena said she should be awake by now. It's been 3 days."
3 days? I've been asleep for 3 days? I tried to crack my eyes open. It was a bit of a struggle. Crust and eye boogers coated my eyelids. A moan escape from my mouth. The whispering stopped as I moaned a second time. The crust acted like glue; keeping my eyes shut.
"She's trying to open her eyes." The whisper sounded louder, "Give me a minute."
A cold towel landed on my eyes; I flinched away from it.
"Hey hey. It's okay." I let whoever gently wiped the crust away from my eyes. They felt better, so I opened my eyes again and slowly turned my head around, looking at my surrounding. I saw walls. Cream colored walls with black trimming. A black table with a chair and my backpack in it sat snuggly in place; dresser with a blue hamper by its side; on top of the dresser was a tv mounted on the wall. Continuing to turn my head I saw faces. My friend's faces. Jake, Seth, Leah, Quil, Embry. They all wore the same expression. Worried.
"Hey how are you?" Seth started.
I opened my mouth but paused. I looked at Embry. Strangely, he didn't have a shirt on, and he had bandages around his waist and shoulder. Abruptly, the memories of that night flooded in my head. The dream, the darkness, that pale monster with the sharpened teeth, the wolves and my mother in a circle of fire, the body parts that scattered the ground, the power that coursed through my body, and a wolf that was stabbed into the side. Embry's bandages were evident that all of that was real. I gasped and jumped up. The gang jumped back as I scrambled to get out of bed. My body was sore, but I didn't care. I scrambled to get the thick black blanket away from my body.
"Miracle calm down, okay." Jake walked out towards me, putting his hands out in front of him.
"No, I need to... I need too.." Need to what? There were so many things on my mind that I couldn't think of what to do first.
"It's okay, Miracle. You don't want to hurt yourself." Jake gently started pushing me back on the bed, but I poorly pushed him away. My most of my strength gone.
"Stop fighting and lay back down, Miracle." He pushed me back and wrapped the blanket around me.
"I'll tell Miss Athena's she's awake." Leah went out of the door moments later.
"Grandma's okay?" Tears started to prick my eyes.
Jake nodded preemptively," Yes, she's fine."
I relaxed a little but was still on the fence. I looked to Embry and his injury," Are you okay, Em?"
"Ohh of course. I'm okay." He walked over to me and stretched the bandage aside to reveal an undamaged side, " It finished healing this morning."
I nodded numbly when the door opened to reveal my grandmother. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was falling her back. Her skin looked waxy and oily, but there was a relieved smile on her face.
"Grandma!" I ripped the blanket Jake put on me and wobbly ran to her. She opened her arms and hugged me tightly. So tightly, but I didn't care. If only she would hold me tighter.
"It's okay, sweetie."
"I.. I didn't know what to do, Grandma. When that dream told me you were in danger. I had to go see." I scrambled.
Grandma leaned away a little to look at me, " Dream?"
I nodded," Yes, a dream told me that you guys were in trouble."
Her brows frowned but she shook her head, " It's okay. We will tell you everything. It's time. Take a shower and come downstairs, okay." She kissed my forehead.
I nodded as Seth said, "The bathroom is the last door in the hallway."
Leah came behind grandma with folded clothes," You can wear my clothes." She stuffed the clothes into my hand.
I nodded as I walked out of the room. To the last door in the hallway as Seth instructed. This must be the upstairs f Seth's and Leah's house. I've only been in the kitchen so that's why it looks so foreign to me. I went into the bathroom and turned on the lights. Their bathroom had a modern feel to it. Shining stainless steel sink with a long white countertop and a mirror that stretched to almost half of the wall. Glistening black and white tiles walls and a standing opaque shower and a toilet. I closed the door and set the clothes on the countertop and went to the kitchen. It took a minute, but I finally got the shower to start working. I gingerly took off my clothes and looked at my body in the stretched mirror. Bruises stretched across my neck and random parts of my body. My hair looked tangled with some a few leaves caught in my curls. I touched my hair. I don't know how I could have let my hair get this bad. I turned away from the mirror to go into the steaming shower.
I stayed in the shower for about an hour. Just feeling the warm water on my head, hair and body felt good. My body relaxed and unkinked itself as I started to wash my body and detangle my hair. When I finished and my hair felt better, I wrapped a towel around me and got out. I dried myself off and put on the clothes Leah gave me. The shirt was a bit big, and the pants were too long and too tight, but they'll have to do for now. I looked at myself in the mirror again. I looked better. Less tired, but my eyes still looked wary. I turned the lights off and left the bathroom to find Jake waiting for me.
"Hey. You feel any better?" I nodded without saying anything.
I walked down the hall, but not before I walked back into the room to grab my backpack. I jiggled it a bit. It still had the book in it. I sighed in relief. I didn't leave it in the forest. I held it as I walked back into the hallways with Jake waiting for me. I barely looked at him as we walked down the rest of the hallway and down the stairs. I started to smell food. Sausage and bacon. French toast too, I think. We came into the living room. It was a pretty living room. It had the same color scheme as the bathroom, but this had spurts of yellow and gray scattered around in the loft pillows and the carpet on the wooden floor. I walked around a coffee table to enter the kitchen. There was grandma making breakfast. Food covered the countertop. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, and more. The gang was around the kitchen with Billy there. There was also something I didn't expect there either. Mr. Uley.
"Ohh there you are." Billy saw me first. He wheeled in front of me. Taking my hand in his warm, dry one, "How are you feeling?"
I nodded," Fine, thank you."
"I hope the other night wasn't too much of a scare for you, Ms. McCowell." Mr. Uley said.
I squinted at him, " You were there?"
He nodded. Jake led me to the table next to the large window. Seth, Quil, and grandma started putting food on the table. The rest of the group followed. Sitting down and started to eat as if this was just a regular day.
"You need to eat. Get your strength back." Grandma stated.
"NO!" I banged on the table alerting every one of my frustrations," I want to know the truth! No lies. No nothing. The truth."
Grandma nodded. She set her utensils down and spoke, "What do you believe happened."
I looked at her confused. I sighed and leaned down to grab my backpack and pulled out the book and slammed it on the table. Everyone started at it in shock.
"Does that answer your question? I took it from Billy." I added sheepishly.
"I didn't even know it was gone." Billy said with his mouth wide open.
"I didn't think of nothing much in the beginning. Then people keep giving me little hints. The tattoos. Mr. Uley's tattoo, but I didn't decide to start searching until that day in the bathroom."
"What happened in the bathroom?" Grandma asked.
"I'm still not sure. My emotions were running high that day. I had collapse on the ground and everything just...exploded. But in slow-mo. The mirror shattered, and the lights broke, and the stalls tore off the walls. The shard of glass came at me and showed me images. One was of wolves, the other of you, grandma with your arms raised. You were saying something, but I couldn't here and the last one showed me. The glass had blood around it and my eyes were gold. It scared me."
There was a pause as everyone contemplated on what I just revealed.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jake put his arm around me.
"Because If you thought I was crazy than Grandma would have sent me back to live with mom and dad." I argued.
Grandma looked taken aback, " You know I wouldn't have done that. Even If you were." She squeezed my hand.
I kept going," Than I had a dream about a man grabbing me in the woods." I moved to show my right arm. The mark was still there but oddly it looked more healed.
"Then finally I was given a chance to take this book. I did and I read some pages from it, and I used some spells in it. That night I had another dream that you guys were in danger. So, I tracked you down until I found you." I rattled off softly.
Grandma stood up and started pacing around the kitchen. I took a piece of bacon and numbly chewed on it. I couldn't look anyone in the face right now. It felt good to tell everyone what's been going on, but I was anxious. Anxious to find out what everyone's going to say.
"She's far more powerful than we thought, Athena." Mr. Uley acknowledged.
"What? What is he doing here? He's a teacher." I asked.
"Miracle, I need to know what spells you used?" Grandma asked.
"Umm it was just two. A levitating spell and a 'To find what is lost' spell." Grandma nodded along.
"The second spell is a very advanced spell, Athena. She used it without anything." Mr. Uley added.
Grandma stopped pacing and looked to me, " Miracle. What we're about to tell you cannot leave this group. No one must know. Your parents cannot know either."
"So, my mom doesn't know any about this?" She shook her head.
"Okay." She sat down on the table again," Now you know the story of Kwaiti. Did you read the original story in the book." I nodded.
"Okay. Now it's not just a story. It's real. That story really happened. Kwaiti was real." I nodded slowly, " The Shaman in the story. She was real as well, and the Shaman is our ancestor. That would make me and you Shamans."
"Shaman?" I squeaked out. The thought did cross my mind, but I never truly believed.
"Yes, our powers are tied to this land. When you came back the land called to you."
"But what about mom?" Why doesn't she know about this at all.
She frowned, " Your mother never liked this place. She always felt stifled, trapped here. The Shaman power, more or less, skipped over her. I don't really know how the land picks its successors. It just does. Before me my mother was picked and before her her great grandmother was picked. Once the land picked its successor they must be taught by the prior."
My head started to hurt and spin. I put down the bacon I was holding. Everyone else started to eat while Grandma spoke.
"Soo what. How did you know I would be next?" I asked.
"I had my suspicions. I watched you closely when you came and visited, but nothing out of the ordinary happen. What made me know it was you was Jake."
My eyebrows furrowed together as I looked at Jake. He looked down sheepishly. His russet-colored neck and face grew red.
"Well, what did Jake have to do with that."
"His attachment to you." Mr. Uley added.
"You see in the original story. There were two wolves that Kwaiti turned. As you know the story is real and we had traced the two wolves to their descendants. Jake and Sam."
"Whose Sam." I asked.
"Mr. Uley." Leah piped in.
"So," I started, " Those huge wolves were real. You guys are shapeshifters?" I looked around at my friends. They nodded preemptively, "But I don't understand as far as I know I can't turn into a wolf so what does Jake's 'attachment' has to do with me."
"The Shaman's and wolves are friends and family but they are also our protectors."
"Protectors?" I scoffed and stood up, " I can't believe were talking about this like it's normal." I walked over to the cabinets. Opening and closing them.
"What are you looking for." Seth's said behind me.
"A cup." The fifth cabinet I opened was thick glass cups. I grabbed one and turned the tap on and filled it with water. Distracting myself.
"Miracle. It may not be normal for you, but this is our world and your world now." Jake reasoned.
I turned around and stared at them for a good minute than said, "Continue."
"Jake and I are the descendants of those 2 wolves. Our ancestors evolved alongside yours. We have a sense, you may call it, when another successor is alive. Jake's attachment to you more or less proves that you were a Shaman. We as Quileute wolves gave an oath to protect the Shaman line for eternity. "Mr. Uley concluded.
"That doesn't explain Seth, Leah, Quil, and Embry." I countered.
"Their lines came with the introduction of the 'Cold Ones' known as vampires. Kwaiti thought we needed more help defending ourselves against them."
"Wait, so Kwaiti is still alive." I gawked. He must be like a million years old.
"He's like an omniscient being."
"An omniscient being that we can talk to." Grandma said, "That was probably him giving you that dream about me being in trouble." She said to herself.
"Okay so let me get this straight. I'm from a long line of Shaman the extended to practically the dawn of time with werewolf-human protector hybrids as family to protect this land from long dead vampires." I summed up.
"Yea that's pretty much it." Quil stuffed a whole slice of french toast in his mouth.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly," And that thing the other day was a Vampire."
"Yes. The vampires turned a human, and the human went rogue. We led him here to dispatch him, but baby vampires are unpredictable. We had a treaty with them with rules and one of the rules stated they wouldn't turn human into vampires all whilly nilly. They broke that rule. " Mr. Uley explained.
"You know you're taking this surprisingly well. I expected you to be bouncing off the walls by now." Seth expressed.
"I already knew some of this stuff. I just didn't connect the dots." I prompted.
"Yes, and how did she find out." Billy took the book from the table and transferred it to his lap.
"I'm sorry, Billy. I didn't want to take it. I couldn't find the key to grandma's cabinet, and I knew she would know I took it."
"Girl's smarter than I thought." Mr. Uley muttered.
"What smart at stealing?" Leah quipped.
I flinched. I already felt bad for stealing, I really did, and Leah just set out to make me feel worse than.
Grandma glared at her and said, " You didn't find a key because there is no key. It's a key spell an since you are going to be learning under me. I will teach it to you."
"Teaching me?"
"Well yes of course. We were going to tell you when the threat had died down, but since you know now your training needs to be started immediately. " She walked up to me, putting her hands on my shoulders, smiling, "You already show signs of a very powerful Shaman. You just need to learn how to control it. I'm so happy to finally be sharing this part with you."
I laughed humorlessly, " I just need a minute to process all of this. I'm going to go for a walk."
I quickly wiggled out of my grandma's arms and walked towards the door. I didn't know where my shoes were, and I didn't feel like going back and searching for them. I opened the door and walked out towards the bright sunlight. Today was a nice day. A cool breeze was blowing in the salty sea air. I walked on the grass path between trees and bushes. The world itself continued on as my world as I knew it shattered and reformed in front of my eyes.
I'm a Shaman and my 'so-called' friends are my werewolf protectors. That's why I was introduced to them. Why they were always around me. Why I was instantly allowed into their circle. So many things made sense now. So many broken threads realigned. I must say I do feel a bit relieved that I'm not crazy. I looked out Infront of me to see a cliff ahead. A beautiful cliff with a river under it. It looked familiar, like I've been here somehow. I walked a little closer and sat down on the grass. The ground felt soft and hard at the same time, like a well-worn mattress.
I don't know how long I stayed out here. Maybe thirty minutes. Maybe two hours. My only indication was the sun getting lower and lower in the sky. I heard crunching of leaves. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"It's true, isn't it." I asked. My voice getting carried away by the wind.
"Yea." Jake walked closer and sat down next to me.
"And you're... attachment?" I said softly, " It's not just because you like my personality."
"I think there's a little bit more to that." He muttered, but went on, "When we were kids, I didn't know about all of this. All I knew was that I wanted to be near you. To be the one to make you laugh. To wipe you tears when you cried. To talk to you when you felt confused or scared."
I looked at him in awe. He stared at me with such reverence that I believed every word.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but it'll be harder if you keep shutting us out."
I nodded," It's going to be hard to talk to my parents without telling this to them."
"Maybe one day you can tell them." He put his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into it. Laying my head in the crook of his neck.
"Wait?" I thought back to the russet wolf and I looked at Jake's russet skin, " Are you Thunder?"
He chuckled a bit, " Uhh yea. I am."
I laughed and paused, blush creeping on my cheeks. Remembering what I said to the wolf or Jake that night.
"I said things to you that night." Particularly remembering calling him cute.
"Don't worry. I won't hold you to anything you said that night." He chuckled and moved closer to me. I saw his eyes graze over my lips.
"Thank you." I smiled at him. A smile that didn't feel rehearsed. A natural smile.
"You're welcome."
"I'm ready to go back now." Me and Jake got up off the ground and walked back to Seth and Leah's house. Still holding hands along the way.
CHAPTER 7 IS FINISHED. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS ONE.