Chap. 3
(Courtney)
I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. "Um, Courtney are you awake?" a soft voice croaked on the other side of my door. The girl seemed nervous. I sniffed the air, she wasn't very tall-shorter than me and she smelled like the ocean. It was a subtle smell that I could appreciate. Next to her I picked up on another girl who was slightly taller but not by much. She had to be my height though not as built as me. Umlike her friend she smelled like burning candle wax and pencil shavings.
"Come on Bridge, we should let her sleep. Duncan said they got in late last night" another voice whispered after the first in a bored tone confirming my guess. The knocks started again followed by more whispered talking. Finally I untangled myself from my baby blue sheets and stumbled over to the door.
"Yes?" I opened the door to find two girls hunched over stopping their arguement on whether I should be woken up or not. One was a blonde with a light tan and sharp green eyes. She was smiling meekly at me while shoving her hands into her blue sweatshirt. She really seemed embarrassed to have woken me so I guess I wasn't acting so nice. Behind her was a paler girl with a lot of eye makeup. There was so much dye in her blue and black streaks that I was sure her natural color had completely disappeared. She was looking detached and bored. At least I didn't insult her with my morning rudeness.
Coughing I straightened my posture, "I'm Courtney". I awkwardly extended my hand for her to shake. It was a human custom that I had picked up at Charla's. To greet someone they would shake each others' hand for no reason. I never really got that custom and it took me even longer to do it right. But since they lived in the city they probably did it to. That's at least what I thought.
"Um…I'm Bridgette", the blonde shook my hand hesitantly, "And this is Gwen". Gwen just nodded and kept her hands at her side. Guess my move was wrong with the hand shake thing. I knew I wouldn't be able to get it right. Bridgette just smiled at my try and pulled me into a tight embrace.
"We may be in the city but we still carry out our traditions", Bridgette whispered into my hair before releasing me."Your sister is downstairs eating breakfast, and we-"
Gwen cut in-"she thought you wanted a wakeup call. I thought you would just want sleep".
"It's fine really, I guess I could do with something to eat", I followed them down the stairs where the scent of sausage and bacon teased my stomach. Kristina was already sitting at the table still in the clothes from yesterday. I sighed with relief knowing I wasn't the only one underdressed. My old pack wouldn't have minded it. Shredded clothes just went right along with our life style. But here everything was so different, it was like they lived their lives stuck in their human charade.
"Hey you're awake!" Kristina looked up from her plate of food and chucked an apple at me. Of course I caught it with no problem. I bit into it with a smile. Victory again like the apple it tasted oh so sweet.
"Sorry Nina you're gonna have to be faster than that next time", I sat in the seat next to her mocking her face. It was a game we played all our lives, a game that we started when I was only five. We would try to catch the other off guard by throwing things at each other randomly. If we caught it, then we got a point. If we missed then, well, we'd get a very big bruise. After a while we stopped counting the score and just did it for fun. It was a way to always keep ourselves on our toes. The other looked at us curiously. Guess they didn't do that here either.
"So do you want cereal? Or pancakes cuz we got plenty", I looked to the stove where there was a pile of food just waiting to be eaten. It smelled delicious. It had been so long since I eaten a home cooked meal or sat at a table to eat. Usually for breakfast Kristina and I would go out and hunt for something, cook it over a pit and eat it from our hands. We were on the run after all and finding table settings and chairs in the middle of the forest never happened. It was so unreal to be doing such normal things again.
"Um…I guess I'll just have some cereal and bacon" I answered Bridgette. I was never fond of cereal besides Captain Crunch-I could eat that stuff all day. It tasted a lot like cardboard and milk-not a good combination. But it was what everyone was eating and I didn't want them to make me anything else, that would be asking for too much.
"Ok", Bridgette jumped out of her seat and immediately went to the cupboards where there were rows of multicolored boxes lined up.
"Do you have any prefaces?" she asked searching through the shelves.
"She likes Captain Crunch if you have anything like that", Kristina answered for me giving me a quick smile.
"Good then you're in luck", she took out the orange box that I've come to love and shook it emphasizing her point. "Gwen?" she looked back towards her friends waiting for an answer.
"I'll just have the same, bring it over", Gwen slumped into her chair and played with her bowl and spoon.
The whole time we ate Kristina kept looking over at me nervous though our tables conversation. She thought that I was still mad at her from last night.
After Duncan had left us Kristina stayed in my room for comfort. It had been a long, hard night and I was worn down. Both my mind and body were too tired to function. I dropped onto my new bed and sank into the mattress. The sheets and pillow were cool from no use. Just what I needed.
"This place isn't so bad, huh", Kristina sat on the edge of my bed nudging my foot.
"It's ok I guess", I looked up to the ceiling and turned back to her.
"Jeremiah seems nice though"
"Yes, I can see why him and Demitri were friends. They're so much like each other", I smiled sadly. Jeremiah had the same calm and fatherly nature that Demitri attained. They even shared that same eye crinkling smile.
"Yeah they are", Kristina sighed and looked around the room. "So this is home now". The moment she said it she was sorry. Her eyes widened with fear. She knew she made a wrong move.
"This is not our home", I gritted through my teeth. My eyes cut into brown slits and I sat up on my bed. Our home was back in Montana surrounded by trees. Our home was with our family. It was not here! How could she just move on like that. Forget where we came from-who brought us up? How could she just replace everything that we knew in just a short instance. I growled through my teeth and grew my claws ready to defend my home's honor.
Kristina opened her mouth to protest something but instead stayed quiet. She bowed her head and slipped out of the room with no more to say. What could she say to me really? I could never find a home like my before. It was impossible. I could never replace the broken willow just outside my bedroom window or the water fall only a few minutes up the trail. Those were things that I had come to love so much and nothing could take their place. And now my sister was suggesting we move on. Just like that! I turned over on my bed and cried hot tears into my pillow until I went to sleep.
I smiled at her reassuringly. I'll be the first to admit that I can hold a grudge-and I knew she knew it as well- but I just wouldn't today. I think the sadness of my situation kept me from it. Plus last night I realized something she was the last member of my family I had left and I wasn't prepared to lose her over something as small as a slip of the tongue.
"Good morning ladies", Duncan came sauntering down the stairs with renewed vigor behind him Jeremiah followed with the same amused grin I had seen Duncan use the day before.
"Douche bag", Gwen nodded her head towards Duncan as he passed greeting him. He returned with his own sly grin. I watched their exchange with an amused grin. I wasn't exactly sure what a douche bag was but from the way he smiled it must have been a compliment. I leaned towards Kristina and asked her what it meant. She was so much better at slang then I was. Personally I preferred talking in my wolf tongue, it was straight forward and precise. But english was so much different, so much harder to grasp. English slang-forget it. Kristina picked up on it instantly when we were in the city. It seemed to roll off her tongue so naturally. She looked back at me and grinned knowingly. She gave me a "later" look so I let it slide.
"Someone's in a happy mood", He grabbed the bowl from under her and started finishing her breakfast. She just looked back at him with a crooked smile before throwing a napkin on the table defeated.
"What can I say, your face just made my day", she rolled her eyes sarcastically and let out a small chuckle. I was a little surprised to see her smile since her frown seemed to be permanently stained on her face in the morning.
"Helloooo dudes and dudettes!" a familiar voice yelled down the halls and into the kitchen. Kristina and I traded worried looks. We were no longer in our element here. It had been ages since we were surrounded by howling and unnecessary volume.
"Yo Geoff, in here!" Duncan yelled back with a spoon still sticking out of his mouth. Geoff came into the room in a similar outfit as yesterday. (A button down shirt that was flying open and a shady cowboy hat). Trent came in with a much more relaxed attitude than the previous night. They both seemed to be a lot happier now.
"Aw thanks I'm starving", Geoff took the bowl from Duncan's hands and ate the rest of the cereal greedily.
"Hey! I rightfully stole that!" Duncan reached out for the bowl again even though there were only a few drops of milk left.
"No by all means take as much as you want", Gwen cracked another smile as her bowl was passed between the two boys.
"Hey Gwen did you save any for me?" Trent fully moved into the room and sat in the chair across from her. He smiled adoringly at her.
"Um, sorry no", Gwen shrunk back into her chair. A small blush was spreading into her cheeks. They let the conversation drift off and began adverting their eyes to different places. I couldn't help but smile myself. The coy smiles, the blushing it was all so cute to watch.
"So guys, I'm glad you decided to come back and eat up all my food", Jeremiah came from behind us and leaned on our chairs. His eyes crinkled again when he smiled. I put my spoon down and gave up on my breakfast altogether. I was so consumed in all the conversations that I forgot all about the half eaten captain crunch in front of me.
"But I need you to show Courtney and Kristina around. Introduce them to a few of the pack, you know help them out a little". Jeremiah talked over crunching of cereal.
"Yeah yeah, sure thing", Duncan passed the pan of bacon around and hopped off the table stretching. "So are we gonna do this or what?"
"Yeah! Let's get this show on the road!" Geoff pumped his fist in the air.
"Oh hey you gonna eat that?" he hung over my shoulders and sniffed the untouched cereal in front of me. He began licking his lips eagerly.
"Um you can have it I guess", I picked up my bowl and surrendered it over shaking. For someone who was so eager to bind me yesterday he was overly friendly now. Beside me Bridgette and Gwen started laughing.
"Don't worry about it, we can always get you more later", Bridgette collected all the plates and put them in the sink already rinsing them out. I slipped myself out of the conversation that surrounded me. Even Kristina was starting to get into it. I looked over the crowd of smiles and laughs and caught the eye of Jeremiah. He had a small smile of his own and was gesturing me to follow him into another room. The laughter in the back ground faded from my ears as I wandered into the living room again.
"I know that Demitri believed in keeping to the trees so I was wondering if you've ever been to a school before" Jeremiah started with a calm expression. He folded his arms and leaned back against an arm chair.
"Well when we with Demitri no. When we stayed with Mariam and Pete they sent us but that was a year ago and we were only with them for a short month. It was nothing big, just a small public school. And we didn't stay in the city long enough after that", I answered looking around the room. I didnt like the way this conversation was going. Not at all.
"Ok, then you've at least been to one", he thoughfully paused for a second before continuing his sentence. "Since you are still 18 and we need to blend in..." I swallowed waiting for my moment of truth. I could see the words forming on his mouth spelling my doom. "...You'll be going to school with the others. I enrolled you this morning and you'll be starting Wednesday so you have time to settle in before you go. You won't be alone while you're there, so trust me it wont be that bad". He tried to comfort me as I pushed my thoughts through my head. Me go to school again? How would I deal with them again, all the eyes fixed on me 24/7. People watching me like I had a disease. It was hell.
"But...", I looked up into those eyes that reminded me so much of Demitri. How could i really say no to him? After he took us in and watched us.
"Fine", I relunctantly sighed in defeat. I just couldn't say no to him. Not after everything that has happened. "But what about Kristina?" There was no way she could pass for a school student anymore. Those days were long gone.
"I've already talked to her this morning. I got her a job as a waitress in a local bar since she's old enough. It doesn't pay a whole lot but it's the job I could pull up on short notice. Besides when they aren't at home or here that's where the pack hangs out, so we'll be able to keep an eye out for her", he put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. I felt myself calm down. At least Kristina was going to be ok.
"Ok then", I wasn't going to enjoy going back to school but this is the price that I had to pay for being here. And in retrospect it was a pretty good deal. To finally be able to relax and stop looking over my shoulder for a figure cloaked in black. To finally be around People like myself again and the only price was a little bit of torturous school. Yeah it was worth it.
We headed back into the kitchen where the group was waiting for us patiently. Geoff was no longer licking my bowl and looked satisfied with his breakfast of stolen goods. Gwen had opted to take a fruit with her, and was already half way through it. At least the boys didnt look like they were aiming to steal that as well. Trent was already beside her rubbing shoulders with her flirtatiously. You could tell she was having a hard time not smiling. Duncan was sitting on the counter talking to Bridgette and Kristina was patiently waiting for me to come back and join her at the table.
"Good you're back, we can get going now", Duncan hopped off the counter nodded for me and the group to follow him. I left my sister in the back again and gravatated towards the front where Duncan was yet again leading quietly. I don't know what it was that led me to the front, perhaps it was my natural will to lead-or at least partake in leading (even though I had no idea where I was going. But since I was in the front it still made me think that in a way they were still following me, sort of)- but I was drawn there. Not that I had a thing for Duncan. Not in the very least. His green hair, and body peircings seemed so unnatural and that just wasn't my thing. I like my men to be bound by nature like me. To take comfort in the forest instead of city. I liked them to be smart, logical, witty, and determined, like me. I hadn't met anyone like that yet but I was sure that they would pop up any minute now. Duncan just didn't fit any of those things. No, the only reason I was drawn to the front was because I liked being in the front. That's it.
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The sun was nearly out of the sky and from what Duncan and Geoff were saying we only had a one more house to stop by. So far we had met nearly every person in the pack. The only people we had missed were the ones off at work or at a bar called Rudy's. I walked up to Duncan who was still in the front bothered. I tired to drift towards the back with the others but it seemed wrong to be back here. Everyone was extremely nice to me and Kristina seemed to be having a good time but that gut feeling pulling me towards the front wouldn't leave me alone. So finally I quickened my pace and met up with Duncan only a few feet away. I made sure my steps were the lightest I could make them as I approached him hoping he wouldn't notice my presence at all.
"Trying to sneak up on me, babe?" he looked away from the road and turned his head towards me. That smirk he wore so casually was on his lips again.
"I'm not trying to do anything, and my name is Courtney", I looked away from the road too meeting his eyes to let him know I was serious.
"Well I don't want to call you Courtney, and you still havn't answered my question", his smirk grew breaking the politeness I was trying to give.
"Well I don't like it when people call me something besides my name", I gritted my teeth and pushed to be nice. I chanted in my head, be nice Courtney, be nice. But it didn't seem to work as well as it used to.
As if on cue my sister screamed behind us, "Duncan, C-ne, slow down a little". Duncan threw me a smug look.
"That's different, she's my sister, you're some random guy I don't know", I looked at the ground flustered. Kristina just had to ruin my point. I swear she had the best timing in the world.
"Ok babe, whatever you say". Duncan stomped forward on the pavement thinking he won the fight. And that sinking feeling in my stomach kept telling he did too. Well I wasn't going to admitt it, that's for sure.
"Where are we going now?", I mumbled the words under my breath and kept looking away. I needed to change the subject, and fast.
"To Aunt Julia's house. She's our pack's keeper", he answered.
"Oh". The conversation died back down and I could see things weren't going to pick up anytime soon unless I did something. These were the people I was going to be living with after all, so I might as well try and get along with them. Maybe that whole 'babe' comment was a one time thing. Everyone deserved a second chance after all.
"So is Jeremiah your father, you two kinda look alike", I asked.
"Is Demitri your father?" He asked back.
"I asked you first", I was starting to get impatient again.
"So"
"Ok", I looked impatiently ahead. He probably only needed a push forward and he then he would work with him. "Yes he was. He never really hung on the words exactly because all the children were raised by everyone, but he was". Our pack never really believed in one mother and father to a kid. It just never worked out that way. Children were celebrated by the pack and the responsibility to raise them was shared by the pack. I looked back at him expectantly.
"Oh so we have a princess in our mist. Well I'm honored really", he made a fake gestured of respect by bowing low to the ground. I rolled my eyes. Princes, and princesses were terms we never used. Neither was Queen and King. Sure we played around with the titles to mock Angela but it was never serious. And certainly noone ever called me or Kristina a Princess even though our parents were the leaders.
"I am not a Princess, and you still havn't answered my question", I quoted his words from earlier in the same tone he used. Looks like I was right to be patient. He wasn't as mean as he made himself to be. He smiled at me and in simple words said, "Nope". Nothing after, No explanation, like the one I gave him. Just nope.
"Nope? Well then who is your father, is he at work like the others?" I asked. I was slowly slipping past my boiling point. Just when I thought he would start being decent with me. Darn short temper was so hard to control.
"Sorry Princess, but I answer only one question a month", he kept looking forward that Darn smirk still on his face.
My cheeks were starting to turn red and I could feel my hands ball into fist, "I told you I am not a Princess". I fumed at the words he was saying. This only made him even more amused. I was so angry that I didn't even notice that we had stopped walking and were now waiting in front of a big white house. I looked up suprised at the setting. The house had an ancient look to it like it had been in that spot for ages. The paint along the window sills was chipping off and there were wind chimes dancing in the wind making a lovely sound. I was speechless. The house was so serene, so beautiful even with it's luster gone. That seemed to make it that much more enjoyable. It seemed like one of those homes from a fairy tale. Where any moment now an elderly grandma was sure to come out with a batch of cookies and elves singing behind her.
"Well it's about time you got here", an elderly woman was looking at us impatiently in the door frame. She had a stern look in her eyes and kept her hair in a tight braid that swung at her sides. Her mouth was turned down in a frown. She wasn't at all like the grandma I had dreamt of.
"Well, are you going to stand there or are you going to come in?" She disappeared back into the house not bothering to wait for our answer. And something told me she wouldn't really care if we gave her one. Either way she wouldn't have waited for us. The others in the group finally caught up to us and seemed to catch onto the end of her statement.
"Don't worry, she's not that bad once you get to know her", Gwen patted my back with a smile and followed the elderly woman through the door.
"Yeah, she's real cool once you get passed the crabbiness and everythin", Geoff smiled at me and pushed me forward. Did I really look that worried?
The inside of 'Aunt' Julia's house was filled with crystals. There were crystal vases, crystal chandeliers, and crystal figurines on every surface. The all glowed and shined perfectly next to each other. The crystal chandeliers bumped together ever so slightly making light muscial notes similar to the ones outside. It was a magical place to be. Just like the outside it had a surreal touch to it. It was hard to believe that such a place could belong to such a person.
"I'm in the back room", Aunt Julia's voice came from the very back of the house. The curtness from outside was still in her voice. We followed her voice to the back room where she was waiting on a long sofa reading a small book. A cat with black and white stripes was laying her her lap. I almost laughed at the cat. Was it aware that the person it was snuggling against was just another version of an oversized dog? It had to know. Animals avoided us as much as possible. They sensed the predator within, especially cats. They were the ones who feared us the most. The cat looked up at us with forest green eyes and hissed. I was pushed back by Gwen because we had come to close.
"Just stand back for a little bit, Madeline takes some time to get used to strangers", Gwen whispered to me before taking a step forward herself and reaching out to the feline. Again the cat hissed at her hand with the same attitude it had given me.
"And Gwen", Duncan walked past Gwen and sat next to Aunt Julia, the cat happily jumped from her lap to his without a hiss. Gwen just huffed at his response and took a seat across from him. Trent naturally gravitated towards her.
"I thought today was sure to be it", she pouted in the corner with her arms crossed. I looked around the room confused. There was something I was definitely missing.
"Madeline is Aunt Julia's pet and she's suprisingly good with our kind. Well at least with the our pack. But once she gets to know you she'll love you, or tolerate you. That's what she does with the rest of us", Bridgette looked around the room at the nodding heads. "Aunt Julia's really the only one she'll let touch her, well her and Duncan".
Duncan was sitting in the corner paying the cat no mind as it purred and rubbed against his body. He didn't move from his spot or give it any attention. He just sat there and muttered, "Wierd cat".
"Enough talking about my madeline", Aunt Julia snapped at us making Kristina and I jump. The others seemed to be unfazed even madeline who was still nesting into Duncan's laid back stomach. She then looked at the two of us, me especially. The silence in the room seemed to last forever.
"So you are the new comers", she paused for a second like we should tell her our names but continued before we had the chance. "Names are not important to me so save yourself the trouble of telling me". She was talking to both Kristina and I but her eyes never moved from my face.
"Are you hungry?" Her eyes looked back around the room finally leaving my face. Her mood never changed but something in her air seemed a little lighter than before.
"Hell yes!" Geoff shot up from his stool in the corner peircing the room with his loud voice. He looked excitedly at our faces like it was christmas morning. Man that Guy could eat.
Aunt Julia led us to a the kitchen where she shuffled through her fridge pulling out containers of all sizes. Each held another kind of food. Mashed potatoes, ham, prok, a pile of steaks-still raw my favorite, and a small amount of green stuff that looked like a bunch of tree leaves and carrots. There was a flurry of action moving around me. The boys were blurrs grabbing containers and peices of meat to put on their plate. There was a long line for the microwave that eventually Geoff shoved out of. Too impatient to wait he ate his plate cold. After my plate had been warmed I took a seat next to Bridgette who was already halfway through with her meal. She seemed nice and always gave me a friendly smile so I figured she wouldn't mind my presence. Besides when we were walking together earlier we seemed to hit it off right away.
"Hey did you want some of my steak. I know you weren't able to get any kind of meat earlier", I moved my plate towards hers. She had been so kind to me so far I felt like I had to return the favor. Besides the whole day all she ate was cereal and berries. Not once could she get her hands on any kind of meat...poor girl. to deny her some now would be just plain cruel.
"Oh I'm a vegetarian", she looked back at me with an uneasy smile. She made a face at the meat in front of her like it was rotten. I sniffed the air to make sure it was ok and sure enough it was perfect. I looked back at her confused.
"What's that?" I asked. I had never come across that word before and it sounded terrible.
"It means I don't eat meat", she calmly explained like she had done it a million times before.
"W-What?" I dropped my fork on the ground shocked. I had never heard of a wolf that didn't eat meat. It was a way of life. A neccesity to keep us going. You couldn't get that power from vegetables and fruits. Every wolf I knew loved meat. Well almost every wolf. The only exception I could think of was Darius. When I was around 13 he came to our pack with his father. They were both native american nomad wolves and traveled around the world seeking new temporary homes. And when his father believed it was time to move on DArius decided to stay with us all because of Kristina. They had an instant connection and soon became mates. They were so happy together before the accident. And he was so sweet. He had always loved animals and was one of the only wolves I knew that could get near an animal without freaking it out. He refused to go on any hunting trips with the rest of the men. Instead he chose to give back to the pack by working as what he called a medicine man. And everytime he did eat meat he felt so guilty for taking a life he would pray over the animals spirit. He even had a pet bunny of his own that clutched onto his side every second. But back to my point, even he ate meat.
"Well, I do eat meat but only when I'm in my fur and I have to. Otherwise I stick to this", Bridgette looked at my expression amused and pointed to her plated covered in green things.
"Ah, I see", I pulled my plate back towards me and looked away still a little confused. No meat. I couldn't imagine not eating any kind of meat at least twice a day. Like I said it was just a way of life. I slipped back into the conversation around the table. Putting a few words in every now and then. Every so often I would glance back at Aunt Julia nervously to see she was still staring at me intently. I tried to avoid eye contact with her as much as possible. Something about her intimidated me-and that has never happened to me before.
After dinner was finished we got ready to heed back to the house. I copied the others as we waved good bye to Aunt Julia and madeline on the porch. Before I got completly out of the way she caught my arm fiercely. I was spun around quickly almost getting whiplash.
"Wh-", I started but was cut off.
"I will be seeing you very soon...very soon", Aunt Julia looked me firmly in the eye and moved her face inches from my own. And just as soon as she had gripped onto me she let go. Madeline was trailing behind her leaving me stunned.
I will be seeing you very soon? What was that supposed to mean? I stared back at the closed door and at the house that once looked peaceful and magical. What was with that woman?