Chapter 16
As Nick and Erica were catching up on reports, Wyatt contacted them about the two empty Delta 155 containers. Wyatt had the containers at Beast-free Haven, and they could come and get them at their convenience.
By 2:30 P.M., Nick found a parking space among the fourteen cars that were parked in the circle drive of Beast-free Haven.
Ronny was at the door and attempting to shoo away Allison West, a twelve-year-old Steinadler who had fully woged for the first time three hours ago and in front of her clueless Kehrseite dad. Allison's mom (also a Steinadler) died in a plane crash during a business trip ten years before.
"My dad is inside," Allison uttered. "So why can't I go inside?"
"Look, little girl…" Ronny was only able to get out.
"My name is Allison; not little girl or young lady," she uttered loudly as Nick and Erica were approaching. When Ronny switched his focused to Nick and Erica, Allison turned to look. Immediately Allison noticed Erica's badge. "You called the cops on me."
"Allison, I'm Detective Burthardt and my partner is Detective Espinosa and we're actually here for another reason," Nick began. "But since we are here, perhaps we could be some assistance. What is the issue here?"
"My dad is inside and he won't come out, and the rent-a-cop won't let me in," Allison replied emotionally and woging into a Steinadler. Allison slightly jumped back as if mildly startled by what she saw about Nick. "Oh my God. What's wrong with your eyes? They look…"
"Allison, come with me and let's talk," Erica quickly uttered before anything else could be said. "And Detective Burthardt will go and talk with your dad."
While remaining woged to where only a Grimm and another Wesen could see her, Allison replied while gesturing towards Nick, "But his eyes…"
"Allison, I need to talk with you in private for a moment, so come with me," Erica quickly told her, in a voice of authority.
"Okay. Sure," Allison replied in an uncertain tone, "Where are we going?"
Erica gestured towards a shade tree that was several steps away and said, "Let's go stand by that tree. That tree looks peaceful enough."
"Okay, sure," Allison replied with a shrug.
"Before you two take off by the tree, Allison, what is your dad's name?" Nick asked.
Allison avoided looking into Nick's eyes as she replied, "It's Shawn West."
"Okay," Nick replied before facing Ronny. Erica and Allison began walking towards the tree. "Are you Ronny?"
"I am," Ronny replied. "And Wyatt has informed me that two detectives will be by to pick up two empty containers. Are you and your partner the two detectives?"
"We are, but first I would like speak with Shawn West," Nick replied.
"He does not want to leave the sanctuary, so you will have to go inside to speak with him," Ronny replied.
"I have no problems with speaking with him inside," Nick replied.
Ronny pulled out the small bottle of liquid with the dropper from his front pocket before holding it up and saying, "Before I can let you inside, detective, you'll have to put two drops of this on your tongue. And don't worry, detective, it's not a drug."
"Last night, I actually learned about your Wesen screening procedure from Dr. Cain," Nick began. "And I'm good with you screening me to make sure that I'm not a Wesen."
"Good," Ronny replied before proceeding to test Nick.
Even though Nick knew what to expect, his reaction to the two drops was covering his mouth with his hand and moaning into it for several seconds.
Once the sensation had lessened, Nick uncovered his mouth and uttered, "Wow! Dr. Cain wasn't lying about how intense that was."
"It's definitely intense," Ronny replied with a slight amusement in his voice. "Anyway, since you passed the test, I'll take you to Shawn." Nick nodded before Ronny opened the door. As Ronny stepped passed the threshold he continued to say, "Oh, and before I can let your partner in, she will have to be screened as well."
"Don't bother screening her," Nick informed as he followed Ronny inside. "She's Wesen."
"Oh. Okay," Ronny replied in a slightly surprised tone. "Thanks for letting me know, and no offence to you or to your partner, but your partner isn't allowed in."
"She and I were both aware of that when we came," Nick replied.
"Okay," Ronny replied in an accepting tone. "Good."
Outside, as Erica and Allison approached the tree, Erica looked around for anyone in earshot of them. When she didn't see anyone close by, she looked at Allison. Allison was still woged to where only a Grimm or another Wesen could see.
"This is far enough, Allison," Erica informed while stopping and facing her.
"Okay," Allison replied while stopping as well.
"Allison, are you aware of your appearance right now?" Erica quickly asked.
Allison became motionless for a moment—as if not to attract a predator's attention—before warily asking, "What is wrong about my appearance?"
"You have a hawk-like head and face, and your body is covered in reddish brown feathers," Erica pointed out.
"Oh my God," Allison replied in a slightly relieved tone. "You see me as to how I feel. Are you a psychic?"
Erica shot her an 'are you serious?' look before saying, "No, I'm not a psychic. I'm not sensing how you're feeling. Your body—most likely being fueled by your changing hormones—is in an emotional woge right now."
"I'm sorry," Allison respectfully replied. "But what are you talking about? What is an emotional woge?"
"Oh my God," Erica uttered, as if to herself. "I don't think you are aware of what you are."
"What do you mean, I'm not aware of what I am?" Allison asked.
"Allison, I don't know why you weren't told about this before now, but you're not a normal human; you are a Wesen known as a Steinadler," Erica began. "And Wesen can shift between their Wesen form—which in your case is a Steinadler—and their human form, and shifting from their human form and into their Wesen form is called a woge, and right now, you are stuck in an emotional woge. So what I need you to do right now is close your eyes, take relaxing breaths and think of anything that relaxes you."
"Okay," Allison replied in an 'if you say so' tone before closing her eyes.
Within a few seconds, Allison's face rippled slightly and then returned to her human form.
"Excellent, Allison," Erica praised. "You can open your eyes now."
Allison opened her eyes and examined what she could see about herself before saying, "Okay, wow, I'm me again."
"Allison, you are you regardless of if you look like a human or a Steinadler," Erica quickly told her. "And unless you are adopted, one of your parents, if not both, has to be a Steinadler as well."
"Okay, well, my mom is dead," Allison replied. "She died when I was two. And as far as my dad, I've never seen him other than human."
"Okay, I'm going to assume that your mom was also a Steinadler and she had never got around to coming out to your dad about being Wesen," Erica told her.
"Detective Espinosa, I have been woging and un-woging for the past three hours," Allison began. "But you were the only one who saw it. Why didn't anyone see me as a Stein…"
When Allison had trouble pronouncing the word Steinadler, Erica pronounced it for her while saying it slowly.
Erica then continued with, "And I assure you that Detective Burthardt had seen you as a Steinadler as well. Anyway, to answer your question, there are two types of Woge. The less intense woge, the type of woge that you were in, is an emotional Woge. Only another Wesen or a Grimm can see a Wesen as a Wesen during an emotional Woge."
"So that would make you either a Wesen or a Grimm," Allison verbally reasoned out.
"I'm a Wesen—in fact, I'm a Balam—however, Detective Burthardt is a Grimm, and I'll explain about a Grimm later," Erica replied. "Anyway, the second type of woge is more intense, and during that second type of woge everyone can see you as a Steinadler, and you can't allow that to happen in public."
"I'm not sure, but about three hours ago, I think my dad saw me when I woged into a Steinadler," Allison informed.
"Yeah, given where we are, I have a feeling he did too," Erica replied. "Do you want to tell me what had caused you to intensely woge?"
"A mouse ran across the living room floor while my dad and I were sweeping and mopping the floors," Allison began. "When I saw that mouse, I woged. I never woged before in my life, and after I woged, I chased after that mouse. I don't know why I chased it, but if I was two seconds sooner, I could've caught it before it ran into a crack in a wall. When I turned to face my dad, my dad was looking at me as if I had been possessed by the devil. He then ran from the house. I ran after him, but I couldn't catch him before he jumped into the car and drove off. After three hours, I was able to track him here, but I might as well have not have found him. He doesn't want anything to do with me, and the rent-a-cop won't let me go to him."
"Yes, well, the rent-a-cop is only doing his job, and the proper title for his job is security officer," Erica replied in Ronny's behalf. "Anyway, only Kehrseites are only allowed inside the building, and before you ask, Kehrseites are people who are not Wesen; like your dad."
"Detective Burthardt was allowed in, and you said that he's a Grimm," Allison pointed out.
"Yes, about Grimms," Erica began before considering what to say. "Grimms are a special… breed of Kehrseites. In fact, not all, but most Grimms should be feared by us Wesen."
"Why?" Allison quickly asked.
"Because when we emotionally woge, Grimms can see us as Wesen even when normal Kehrseites can't," Erica began. "And throughout history, Grimms are known for killing every Wesen that they encountered just because they were Wesen."
Allison's eyes grew wide while uttering, "Oh God."
"Exactly, and I'm not trying to make excuses for why Grimms kill us, but, even as we speak, there are Wesen in other parts of the world that are taking advantage of their Wesen skills and creating mayhem," Erica began. "So it's the Grimms' responsibility to keep the unruly Wesen in their place. However, for most Grimms, keeping unruly Wesen in their place means killing them, and unfortunately for the peaceful Wesen, most Grimms won't even attempt to distinguish between peaceful Wesen from unruly Wesen."
"But Detective Burthardt will distinguish between peaceful Wesen and unruly Wesen?" Allison asked in a hopeful tone.
Erica smiled while saying, "Yes. Detective Burthardt will. And to put your mind at ease, Detective Burthardt prefers to put the unruly Wesen in prison."
"Does that mean that Detective Burthardt hasn't killed any Wesen?" Allison asked.
Erica considered her answer before saying, "Detective Burthardt has killed many Wesen in self-defense and to defend others. But if he can avoid killing anyone—Wesen or Kehrseites equally—he will do so. So, to sum up, even though Detective Burthardt is a Grimm, you can trust him."
Allison grinned before asking, "Is there a way to tell a Grimm from other Kehrseites?"
Erica amusingly grinned before saying, "You saw already on how to spot a Grimm."
"I don't know how to spot a Grimm," Allison quickly claimed.
"Before I pulled you away from the front door, what did you ask Detective Burthardt?" Erica questioned.
"I asked about his eyes," Allison replied. "His eyes looked… I don't even know how to describe how his eyes looked."
Erica held her grin before saying, "You saw infinite darkness in his eyes, but what startled you, along with what had made you look away, was that you saw a reflection of yourself in his eyes. When you are woged and you are seeing that, then you are staring into the eyes of a Grimm."
"How many Grimms are there in the world?" Allison asked.
"Not many, so the chances of you meeting another Grimm is slim," Erica replied before having a thought. "Wait, correction. Since you met Detective Burthardt, there's actually an excellent chance that you might meet one other Grimm. Her name is Theresa Rubel, but most people call her Trubel. She's Detective Burthardt's friend, and you can trust her as well. But do not blindly trust any other Grimm."
"Okay, I won't," Allison replied as her stomach growled loudly. She amusingly grinned as she continued to say, "Wow. My stomach has been growling all day and is actually getting loud enough to hear."
"When was the last time you have eaten?" Erica demanded to know.
"Lunchtime yesterday," Allison replied. "I was with my friends most of yesterday afternoon, and I came home late for dinner. So, to teach me a lesson about being on time for dinner, my dad refused to let me eat a late dinner or breakfast. However, we were going to eat lunch together once we had cleaned and mopped the floors, but then that mouse ran across the floor and I woged."
"I was wondering why you fully woged when you saw a mouse, and now I know why," Erica replied.
"Why?" Allison asked.
"Because you are starving, and as a Steinadler, you saw that mouse as food," Erica replied.
"Eww," Allison uttered.
"Yes, well, like it or not, at the moment you had chased after that mouse, you were at the mercy of your primal urges," Erica informed. "In fact, until you can get something to eat, you will remain at the mercy of your primal urges. So, let's go to my partner's vehicle. I just happen to have five protein bars in there."
"Okay," Allison replied before following Erica. "What do you mean by primal urges?"
Erica shot Allison an amused grin before answering her question.
Inside, Shawn had refused to leave a secure room and meet with Nick, but when Nick threatened to send out for an arrest warrant for him and arrest him for child abandonment, he agreed to meet with Nick.
Nick and Wyatt were casually chatting in Wyatt's office for a few minutes before Shawn stepped in.
As Nick and Wyatt were standing up, Shawn bluntly told Nick, "I'm not leaving Beast-free Haven, detective. You can drag me off to prison if you like, but that… that Wesen-creature outside is not my daughter."
"Okay, one, since you agreed to speak with me, I have no desire to arrest you. So, you can relax," Nick began as he stepped up to him. "Two, Allison is a Steinadler, and for a Wesen to be Wesen, it only takes one Wesen parent. So, since you are not a Wesen, it means that Allison's mom is…"
"Allison's mom is dead," Shawn quickly informed. "She died ten years ago in a plane crash during a business trip to England."
"My condolences for the loss of your wife," Nick replied.
"Girlfriend," Shawn corrected. "She refused to marry me until she confessed a secret about herself to me, but she could never find the right time or the courage to tell me. Well, her secret's out now, isn't it? And I would rather go to prison than live with my Steinadler daughter."
"Eighty-five percent of prisoners in all prisons are Wesen, Mr. West," Nick informed. "So, if you can't handle your daughter being Wesen, I doubt that you will be able to handle not knowing if your cellmate is a Wesen or not."
"You're just telling me that just to scare me," Shawn accused.
"You're right, I did say it to scare you, but it's also a fact," Nick replied. "It's also a fact that there are much scarier and dangerous Wesen in the prison system than a Steinadler."
"Okay, fine. You succeeded in scaring me," Shawn began. "But I'm not going home with that… that Steinadler. So, what now?"
"Now, I write up a report that says that you had checked yourself into a rehabilitation clinic," Nick began. "However, Allison can't be left alone. She's too young. So, does she have relatives I can take her to? Preferably, relatives on her mother's side."
"Shandana—Allison's mom—came to United States from Afghanistan when she was nineteen as a refugee," Shawn began. "So, if Shandana has any living relatives they will be in Afghanistan."
"What about your relatives?" Nick asked.
"I won't answer that, detective," Shawn replied.
"Mr. West, it will only take me a few minutes to run a background check on you and find out who you are related to," Nick pointed out.
"Detective, please," Shawn slightly pleaded. "My dad has passed away. My mom isn't in good health, and my brother and sister have their own family to worry about. Not one of them deserves to be subjected to the likes of a Steinadler… or a Wesen in general."
"Allison is your siblings' niece and your mom's granddaughter," Nick pointed out. "They may welcome her in regardless of her being a Steinadler."
"I know them, and they won't," Shawn replied. "And I'm going to make sure they know what Allison is."
"Most people won't believe you," Nick again pointed out. "So, there's a good chance that they won't believe you."
"My brother will believe me," Shawn informed. "He has encountered a Wesen about seven years ago. Although, he only knows them by shifters. So, between the two of us, we can convince my mom and sister."
"Then that leaves me with only two options," Nick replied. "The first remaining option is to turn Allison over to DFS—the Division of Family Services, and even though I have no plans to arrest you on child abandonment, DFS could file charges against you."
"And what is the last option?" Shawn asked.
"I contact a special group that I know about," Nick began. "However, if I turn Allison over to them then that is as good as me turning her into a spy or a government sanctioned assassin… Actually, I had missed spoke. I'm not going to contact that special group and let them turn her into an assassin. She deserves to live her life as normal as possible. So, I will be taking Allison to DFS, and if they press charges against you for child abandonment then that's their choice."
"Yes, well, I'm not going home with that Steinadler," Shawn replied in a tone as if to take a stand. "So, do what you have to do, detective."
Nick nodded while replying, "I will. Good day, Mr. West."
"Good day, detective," Shawn echoed.
"Bye, Wyatt," Nick told him while moving to leave the room.
"Bye," Wyatt replied before Nick could leave the room.
Outside, Allison was finishing her third protein bar.
"How do you feel now," Erica asked as Allison wiped her mouth with a napkin.
Allison dropped the hand that was holding the napkin to her side before saying unconvincingly, "Better."
"Really? You still sound bothered," Erica pointed.
"I'm bothered because my dad now thinks that I'm a monster," Allison replied.
"You're definitely not a monster, Allison," Erica assured her.
"Well, convince my dad of that," Allison quickly replied.
"I probably could if I Woged for him," Erica replied. "Between you and me, I think I would intimidate your dad more."
"Will you woge for me?" Allison requested. "I would like to see what you look like when Woged."
Erica pursed her lips for a moment before woging to where only another Wesen or a Grimm could see.
Allison's eyes grew wide at the sight of Erica as a Balam; however, she kept her fear in check and didn't emotionally Woge.
Nick left the sanctuary with the two empty containers and saw as Erica was shifting back into her human form.
"Good," Erica began. "I was worried that I would scare you into woging when you saw me woged."
"I believe I would have, but yesterday at Costumes-Year-Around, I've seen a saleswoman who looked very much like you when you woged," Allison replied. Erica pursed her lips as she briefly considered a thought. "I thought she was just wearing a costume, but now, I think that she was woged, and my Kehrseite friends saw her as a Balam too."
"Yes. Theodore Collins, the owner to Costumes-Year-Around, is a Weten Ogen and he only hires Wesen, and while his employees work, they will be fully woged," Erica began as Nick was approaching. "Detective Burthardt has attempted to discourage him of this practice twice that I know of, but he simply won't heed the warning."
"I actually attempted to discourage him three times all together," Nick added. Erica and Allison turned towards Nick. "Theodore is simply blind to the fact that what he is doing is wrong, and his employees are having a thrill while being out as Wesen in front of Kehrseites and not getting caught. So, they won't heed my warnings either. Anyway, Allison, I have spoken with your dad."
"Is he coming out?" Allison asked in a hopeful manner.
"I'm afraid not," Nick replied. "Right now, your dad is too afraid of all Wesen, which is common among Kehrseites."
"So, what now?" Allison asked.
"Now I'll introduce you to Heidi Scott," Nick replied.
"Is that necessary?" Erica quickly asked. "Allison must have family members who she could stay with."
"Shawn is planning to warn his family members that Allison is a Steinadler, and he believes that they will believe him and turn her away," Nick began before gesturing towards Allison. "And apparently her mom's relatives—if she has any—are in Afghanistan."
"Lovely," Erica sarcastically replied.
"Why couldn't I have been born a Kehrseite?" Allison questioned, rhetorically.
"Allison, you might be wishing that now, but being Wesen has its perks," Erica told her as Nick moved towards the back of his vehicle. "So, just hang in there and you will be glad later that you are a Wesen."
"What perks do I have?" Allison asked.
"I have excellent vision, and I guarantee that your vison is three times better than mine," Erica began. "Plus, in a few years, and without exercising, you will be much stronger and faster than your Kehrseite friends."
"I'm fast now," Allison boasted with a slight grin.
"No doubt," Erica replied as Nick was putting the containers in the back of his vehicle. "But by the time you are eighteen, you will be three times faster."
"Cool," Allison replied.
"Yes, it is cool," Erica replied with a grin. "But remember, you must blend in. You can't be using your Steinadler ability in public and drawing attention to yourself. Doing so could cause concern among the Kehrseite crowd."
"And trust me, you don't want that," Nick added as he closed the back of the vehicle.
"I understand," Allison replied.
"Good," Nick replied before gesturing towards the backseat. "Anyway, Allison, you are coming with us. So, get into the backseat."
Allison nodded before moving to get in. Nick and Erica climbed in as well.
As Nick was starting the vehicle, Allison asked, "Detective Burthardt, who is Heidi Scott?"
"She is a case worker for Family Services," Nick began. "And she's also a Fuchsbau—a fox-like Wesen. She's very good with handling special cases like yours."
"So, I'll be put in a foster home," Allison replied somberly as Nick backed out of his parking space.
"I would like for a family member to take you in, but I don't think that that's going to be an option," Nick replied as he stopped backing up. As he placed the shifter into drive, he continued, "I'm sorry, Allison. But you will have to enter the foster system, and hopefully your dad will realize that you are not someone to be feared."
"I won't hold my breath," Allison replied as Nick drove away.
To be continued.