Chapter Twenty Seven

Caden

I pretended to be asleep when Rachel came in to check on us. Charity had crashed out as soon as she got into bed, especially as she had Daisy with her although how she had kept a hold of her doll when we were taken I had no idea, I was just really glad. She would have gone nuts if she didn't. Charity was so attached to Daisy she wouldn't even leave the house without her. Once the people in the cabin had settled down I crept out of bed and slipped on the clothes left me for tomorrow, glad to see Rachel hadn't taken my sneakers although I wasn't sure how they would stand up to the heavy snow. I couldn't go out through the bedroom door because to get out of the cabin I would have to walk through the lounge. I wasn't sure if anyone was on guard outside our room either although I couldn't hear anything. So, instead, I opened the window just enough to squeeze out then pushed it shut again, I didn't want a breeze waking Charity because if she saw me missing she would start to cry and then I would be missed.

It was still snowing but I didn't notice the cold, much like my dad, and I peered round the edge of the cabin just in time to see Sam Uley going into another cabin with an old lady so I waited until they were inside then ran over crouching so not to be seen. There was a door around the side of the cabin and it wasn't locked so I crept in out of sight of anyone passing and moved slowly towards the inner door until I could hear voices then I slid down the wall to listen.

"You told us the children were escapees from the leeches but I think you meant something else entirely didn't you Samuel?"

"Yes, I suppose so but does it matter Annie?"

"I like to keep things straight so humor an old lady, please. The police man tried to stop you and that's why you brought him along? Why didn't you just dump him along the road? He wouldn't have known where you were coming would he?"

"No, but he is a leech lover and might have alerted the others too quickly."

Then I heard another man's voice,

"A leech lover? Why not kill him then? We don't need any of those around. We could take care of him for you if you want."

"No, he's a friend of some of the tribal elders."

"A friend? Why would they befriend a leech lover?"

"They knew him before he met the leeches and in his defence he doesn't know the leeches exist, or the guardians."

The lady spoke again then,

"In that case bringing him here was foolish. He's more likely to find out something while he's here."

"That's why I said we need to keep him locked up and separated from the children."

Uncle Charlie was here? That made me feel much better.

"We can keep him locked up until the children are gone then drug him and dump him somewhere close to the border. He won't know where he was kept."

"I think the children should stay here until Johnny gets back, the policeman too."

"Why? Don't you think I can handle this? Once he hears what the leeches did to that girl and the spawn they produced he'll be only too happy to help. In fact I'm going to contact him later and I've already collected together some volunteers to go back with the Quileutes and help to take care of the leeches."

"You are going to start a war? That's not wise Atiqtalaaq. You should wait."

"According to you Annie that's all I should do, wait. I'm more than capable of running things while your precious son is away so please allow me to. Now Sam. You said your Beta is dead, killed by an unknown nomad?"

"Yes."

"Have you reached the reservation yet?"

"No, I haven't been able to but the lines are down and cell reception almost impossible here at the moment."

"That's the snow storm further north and it's moving this way. Can you send some of the pack back to let them know what's happening."

"I will, yes."

The old lady spoke again, she hadn't been upset by the strangers rudeness,

"Do the elders know what is happening Samuel? Only we never heard from them before you arrived which is most odd. I would have expected some warning."

"Actually no, we couldn't tell them our plan because of their friendship with the policeman."

"But what has he to do with kidnapping the children? Surely he wouldn't know anything until their...guardians told him they were missing?"

"He was hanging around the children for some reason and one of the elders could have given the game away. They knew we were watching the leeches and the Chief."

"I see, but they did not give their blessing or approval for your actions?"

"No, but that doesn't make the actions wrong."

"You are beginning to sound defensive Samuel."

"Are you surprised Annie the way you keep attacking him. Leave this to us, your job is to keep the cop safely locked away."

There was some movement and afraid I might get caught I slid back through the door into the snowfall. If I waited for the old lady to come out I could follow her and find out where Uncle Charlie was being held. Maybe he could explain what was going on. It sounded like these people were going to help Sam spirit us away from here and then our parents would never find us again and I didn't know why. Who were the leeches? Our parents? Of course, they called vampires leeches but who were they? It was all so confusing and there was so much anger and another emotion I couldn't find a name for in the village. Luckily it was snowing quite hard and getting windy so my footsteps would soon be covered by a fresh fall keeping me hidden from these people. I just hoped Charity wouldn't wake and that the pillow I put under my covers would fool anyone looking in through the bedroom door.

There weren't many people about and those that were seemed busy looking where they were headed so I kept to the shadows and crouched down following the old lady as she made her way back to her cabin. It was across the road from ours and much further down towards the edge of the village. Then she stopped and slowly climbed the steps and opened the door going inside and switching on a light, did that mean she lived alone? If she did then I might get a chance to sneak in sometime and speak to Uncle Charlie.

He might know what to do, he would be able to answer my questions and save Charity and I. Deciding it should be safe to get a good look around the cabin I crept slowly to the wall and made a circuit of the building testing the air for the scent of my uncle. It was strongest at the back and I saw an area of the snow pushed away to show an opening in the wall just above the ground. Laying down I peered in but although the was a weak light shining I couldn't see down into the space below the cabin. Maybe it was a cellar like Uncle Charlie's. If so, then there would be a door inside leading down. I had to find a way in but not now, not while the old lady was there. I could wait for her to go to sleep but that risked being missed at Rachel's. I was torn but then I heard footsteps in the snow coming around the back so I scuffed the snow and stepped backwards into the darkness holding my breath and hoping I wouldn't be discovered.

The figure who appeared was short and I recognized the old lady as she bent down and brushed more snow from the opening then stood up holding her back as if it hurt her. Her gaze passed over me as she looked into the darkness then she turned and went back inside. As soon as I thought it was safe I made my way back quickly to Rachel's and pushed the window open enough to climb back in brushing as much snow off my clothes as I could then draping them close to the heater in the hopes they would dry by morning. Charity was still sleeping hugging Daisy close and I went over to her and kissed her gently on her forehead,

"Sleep well Chatty, I'll keep you safe somehow."

I had yet to figure out how I would do that but someone had to hear our side of the story. Who would listen to a kid though? Maybe they would listen to Uncle Charlie if I could only speak to him. That would be my goal, to see my uncle and explain what the dog men had told these people who also smelled strange, or at least the few guys I had met, not Rachel though, she smelled just like mom and Uncle Charlie, like humans. Which meant the men here weren't human, or not completely human, they were like the Quileutes, the dog men although they didn't smell like dogs so what were they?