Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

146. Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Come Monday, Nathan's side of the family and their guests all went to the airport together preparing to return home. Levi was able to say goodbye to Nadja once more before they had left to make their flight. Immediately after, he endeared more teasing and tormenting from Caleb and Sergei, but he did his best to ignore them and started reading the book Nadja gave him while they waited for their flight. At first, Levi was having an extremely hard time reading the book. It was certainly an interesting read, but it was extremely dry with paragraphs that went on seemingly forever and there were a number of passages, albeit brief as they were, that were in French which would make him stop to ask either Kevin or Levi sr. what something meant, but he kept going. He would be rewarded for his efforts to be sure.

While they were on the plane home, Levi came across a few pages in which it was describing one of the exorcisms performed on Mother Superior Jeanne – specifically of the demon Asmodeus - but one depiction in particular caused him to make a bit of a scene on the plane. The book described a situation in which one of the demons possessing Sister Jeanne was exorcised out of her in a manner that made Levi read the passage several times to make sure he'd read it right:

'But instead of departing, Asmodeus merely laughed and uttered a few playful blasphemies. Another man would have admitted defeat. Not so M. Barré. He ordered the Prioress to be carried to her cell and sent in haste for the apothecary. M. Adam came, bringing with him the classical emblem of his profession, the huge brass syringe of Molièresque farce and seventeenth-century medical reality. A quart of holy water was ready for him. The syringe was filled, and M. Adam approached the bed on which the Mother Superior was lying. Perceiving that his last hour was at hand, Asmodeus threw a fit. In vain. The Prioress's limbs were pinioned, strong hands held down the writhing body and, with the skill born of long practice, M. Adam administered the miraculous enema. Two minutes later, Asmodeus had taken his departure.' (The Devils of Loudon, Page 98-99)

When Levi realized that he'd indeed read this right and the Mother Superior had been given a holy water enema and, in plain if not crass terms, had effectively shit in a room of priests then her shit being dubbed a demon, Levi started chuckling. Then his chuckling turned to full on laughing. It was a ludicrous image and it was enough to make his sides hurt.

"What's so funny?" Caleb asked Levi and rather than answer, Levi pointed at the paragraph in question that Caleb read and soon he was laughing just as hard and once he'd finished reading about the demon departing, he laughed that much harder. "Did you get to this part?" Caleb barely managed and showed it to Levi.

Levi nodded and said, "Yeah, I bet he did," the two of them kept laughing.

Thankfully, there was virtually only family on their flight save for a few strangers but soon Kevin asked what all the ruckus was about. Not confident that he wanted to risk Kevin knowing what they were reading, Levi only said they'd read something funny and put the book away so he wouldn't risk another outburst. Although he was already planning his letter he'd write to Nadja. "Maybe I should read more," Levi said absently to Levi after he'd put the book away.

"Can I read that once you're done? Anything that describes a holy water enema is worth reading," Caleb asked and the two of them started snickering again but were quieter.

"Maybe I should send her a Bot Mitzvah present to thank her for this," Levi said.

"Getting your girlfriend a birthday present is typically expected," Caleb said.

"She's not my girlfriend," Levi muttered harshly.

Caleb teased Levi a little more until a flight attendant came up to them asking if they wanted anything to drink. Once they'd landed and returned to the house, Levi went right back to reading. He managed to finish the book in a week which was impressive for him and he was shocked how much he loved it. He was excited to write to Nadja to let her know he really liked the book and before sending the letter, he went to a book store searching up and down for a book to send her that he hoped she might like. He found Lord of the Flies and bought that for himself to read but kept looking until he found a collection of Edgar Alan Poe's short stories and then later found The Great Gatsby. They were both books he'd read and thought Nadja might like, so Levi bought that collection of books and got them packed with his letter to her in the pages of Poe's collection for her to find. After sending his letter and copy of Poe's short stories and The Great Gatsby, Levi started reading Lord of the Flies. It was much easier to get through and he was surprised that he really enjoyed it. He made a note to let Nadja know next he wrote to her that he'd taken her recommendation to read Lord of the Flies and quite enjoyed it.

While everyone returned home after the wedding, Salem got on the next available plane to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While he wasn't sure how long he would be gone, he did promise Natalie that he would call the house as soon as he landed letting them know he arrived, even if he had to leave a voicemail. By the time he arrived in Florida, he'd experienced a 2 hour time jump, it was nearly nine in the evening and he was feeling the effects of the jet lag. He called home as he promised and let Natalie know he'd arrived safely and once he'd done that, he got a room at a hotel near Andy's shop. His plane was to go in first thing in the morning and set up the appointment for his tattoo. He'd be in Florida for however long it took to finish and then he'd fly back to Washington. The next morning, he went to Andy's shop bright and early just as the man was opening but before any clients had come in for their appointments. Andy was at his station making sure everything was clean for his first appointment when Salem knocked on the glass window.

"We open at 8!" Andy yelled from his station, not looking up.

"Are you open of a visit?" Salem called back and Andy finally looked up.

"Salem?" Andy said though Salem could barely hear him through the glass. Andy put down the tool he'd been sterilizing and went right to the door, unlocking it and letting Salem in. "Well fuck me, Salem. What brings you to Fort Lauderdale? Don't tell me you were stupid enough to ask to be station back here with Klan Daddy's watchful eye."

"Not at all. I retired this year actually."

"You did? I would have thought you'd stayed in the Navy until they kicked you out," Andy said.

Salem chuckled, "That had been my plan but Nam really fucked with me. I'd promised my mom after serving in Da Nang that I'd retire and be home for good and after two years there, it wasn't too hard not to reenlist."

"I've heard Vietnam is not a pretty sight," Andy said, "Well thank God you got out in one piece."

"Physically sure, but mentally I'm a wreck. I went on land once while I was there. You know what fucking happened?"

"You killed somebody?"

"Well, yeah, the motherfucker put a bomb in the bar!" Salem said and then groaned a little, "but that's not what really got me. This woman had shot a buddy of mine. He lived, but I chased after her and shot her. I couldn't believe what I'd just done. Then I overheard crying in the elephant grass and when I followed it, I found a pregnant woman that the Charlies had abandoned. I tried to help her, but she was so scared of me that she shot herself rather than let me take her back to base. I managed to save the baby. A little girl. Some family of mine adopted her."

"I'm sure that little girl will thank you one day," Andy said.

"She'd better. She's a brat," Salem managed to joke, but he was still thinking of Emma Leigh's birth mother. "Her mother's name was Chi Man. I found out from her sister. They'd not seen each other in 3 years. I'd gone back to where I'd found her – I don't know why – and found this nurse there. Three years and she finally sees her sister again after she's dead."

"It's not your fault she shot herself," Andy said.

"I should have fought harder to stop her," Salem lamented. "Anyway, her memory haunts me."

"Sounds like it. So how are you commemorating her?" Andy asked, knowing why Salem was visiting now.

"I want the image of a lotus with a Vietnamese centipede around it and I want Chi Man's name under it and the year: 1966. I also want to complete the collage on my back. Since I've retired, last thing to do is put the emblem of the Navy in the center with my years of service: 1957 to 1967. I can't believe it's already been 10 years," Salem said.

"Time flies; I know," Andy said and pulled out the book he had. "I'll need at least four appointments for both tattoos. How long are you in Florida?"

"As long as you need," Salem said.

"Alright," Andy laughed and skimmed through his book. "You know what? I've got next Monday and Tuesday wide open. We can start there. I've got half the day free that Friday, then Monday and Tuesday after that are also wide open, so I can have you done in 2 weeks tops."

"Let's do it," Salem agreed and Andy got Salem into the schedule.

"This will give me time to draw something up. Is there any particular style you want for your memorial tattoo?"

"I trust your judgment," Salem smiled. "You've never steered me wrong before."

"I like that kind of confidence. Now where are you wanting to put it?"

"My right ribcage," Salem answered but Andy looked thoughtful. "You think I should do another spot?"

"Possibly," Andy said. "Shirt off: let me see the canvas." Salem laughed a little and pulled off his shirt so Andy could review what open spaces they had to work with. "Truthfully?"

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"I think you're better off putting it on your thigh. Unless I make the centipede larger with multiple lotus flowers, it might look a little awkward on your rib. It won't flow the way it should."

"If I said I like the idea of making that tattoo bigger, would you still be able to finish in the appointments we have scheduled or would you need another day?"

"Hm," Andy hummed thoughtfully as he looked at the spot. "Would you be open to another full day?"

"Sure," Salem agreed and they took up the Wednesday that was free. "I'm really excited for these. I could use some me time."

"I bet," Andy chuckled. "Look, I need to finish getting ready for my first client for the day, but I'll see you again next Monday."

"I can't wait," Salem smiled and the two shook hands before Salem walked out of the shop.

Having his appointments set up, he returned to the hotel and called home to let Natalie know he'd be gone for roughly three weeks. Afterwards Salem went to the beach and found a spot where he could just lay on the sand and soak in the sun. He'd missed being able to do this and as soon as he was on a blanket at the shoreline, he was at peace. Mostly anyway. He wound up taking a nap but woke up when the shoreline hit his toes. After returning to the hotel and to his room, he looked through the pamphlet in his room to see if there were any new places that he might want to try for dinner, but The Seagull was on that list. He hesitated at first and looked through the other options, but ultimately he determined that's where he'd go. He wanted the familiarity of the bar. He wondered if Lilly still worked there. He'd be shocked if she did. Salem walked from the hotel to The Seagull and found a spot right at the bar ordering fries and a beer to start. There was a woman on stage performing, but he didn't recognize her.

"Salem?" a voice that he vaguely recognized came and he glanced at a redheaded woman. He couldn't for the life of him remember her name though.

"Please don't be angry; I don't remember your name," Salem said.

"Well, I am angry I'll have you know," she said with a giggle. "I'm kidding. Peggy? You and I met here and there while you and Lilly were a thing."

"Oh! Right, I remember now. How've you been?"

"Alright. Sailors prove to keep me busy. In and out of work," she giggled and winked. "Although if you're looking for Lilly, you won't find her here."

"I didn't figure I would," Salem said. "How's she doing?"

"Good I hope," Peggy said. "I haven't seen her in months. She found herself in love with a negro and when she found out she was pregnant, they ran away."

"Really?" Salem asked. "What was his name?"

"Isaiah I think she said. I don't remember what he did but his work brought him to Florida and I guess they were friends as children and, well, one thing led to another and before she knew it she was with child. I don't know how much her daddy knows but he only knows she was pregnant and she was leaving for Chicago with her new husband."

"They got married?"

"Somehow," Peggy said. "I admit I don't envy the stares they'll go through. That poor baby."

Suspecting he should word carefully, he said, "I hope they've found happiness together at least."

"I just hope it lasts," Peggy lamented. "She was head over heels for Isaiah but I can't give much faith it'll last. Sometimes, you've just got to know when to be with your own kind, you know what I mean?"

Salem eye twitched, but he only said, "I suppose when the occasion calls for it."

There was a brief awkward silence before Peggy said, "Well, enjoy your beer, Sailor. Be sure to have a good time," and then walked away.

Salem stayed long enough to finish his fries and three beers before walking back to the hotel. He was sad to not be able to see Lilly if only to have a friend, but he was happy for her. He knew she was certainly happy even if her friend didn't see it that way. He just hoped her father never ruined things for her, though to think he wouldn't might be naïve. Leading up to Salem's first appointment, he just enjoyed being in Fort Lauderdale going to shops and locations he remembered fondly and even went to the Navy base to visit and see if anyone he knew was still at that location, but everyone that he'd known was either transferred out of state or in Vietnam. The longer he was in Florida, the more he started feeling really lonely. By that Monday, being in Florida felt nothing like it had when he'd been stationed there.

"Good morning, Salem," Andy said to Salem when he opened the shop to let him in. The shop wouldn't open for another hour, but Andy had said Salem could come in early so they could get a head start. "I'm just finishing sterilizing my tools. I figure we'll start with the Navy emblem and I can get that done before the end of the day. It'll give me time to start the outline for the side piece. Then tomorrow we'll start the filling and shading."

"Sounds like a plan," Salem said. "Could I look at the outlines really quick?"

"Go for it. I've got them here," Andy pointed at the two outlines he had out and the Emblem was the smaller of the two. It was American Traditional style and would fit into his collage perfectly. Then he looked at the memorial tattoo and was in love with it. There were three lotus flowers of varying sizes and the centipede looked just as much the hated pest he remembered his comrades referred to it.

"They're amazing, Andy. I knew I could count on you," Salem smiled.

"I knew you'd like them," Andy said. "Alright, shirt off and I'll get the stencil on for you." Salem complied and once his shirt was off, he sat on the table so Andy could put the stencil in the center of his collage as he'd requested. Once in place, he told Salem to lay down and got right to work. "So how've you been?"

"Lonely if I'm honest," Salem said.

"With Betty Crocker at your side, how can you be lonely?" Andy asked and Salem smiled but made sure not to laugh so he wouldn't disrupt Andy's lines.

"I guess I'm wishing she'd materialize into a real woman," Salem said.

"Don't tell me you're eager to marry or something," Andy said. "Take it from me: all women leave."

"Your wife left, Andy. Besides, she was a bitch that didn't deserve you anyway," Salem smiled.

"That's sweet, kid," Andy said. "All I'll say is don't marry the first gal that drops her panties for you."

"I haven't seen the first girl that dropped her panties for me since I was 17. Or 18. I can't remember anymore."

"All I'm saying is it takes more than cooking and spreading her legs to be a good wife," Andy said.

"I think I'm understanding why your wife left, Andy," Salem joked.

"Watch it, kid," Andy said. "Although don't try looking for the personification of your Betty Crocker. You'll never find her. Look for a good woman with half a brain and you'll be fine."

"I'd like a full brain at least," Salem said.

"Hey, there's plenty of fish in the sea, so keep fishing and you'll eventually catch your choice cut. Just don't keep the shark. Take a picture with her to show off you caught one then let it the fuck go. Otherwise you're in court admitting to hitting your wife when you never laid a hand on the fucking bitch."

"Let's change the topic," Salem said.

"Yes, let's," Andy agreed. "So aside from the source of your memorial tattoo, how was Vietnam?"

"So long as I was on the ship, it wasn't so bad," Salem said. "As a late birthday present before I retired, the guys brought a prostitute on board for me. Her name was Yen but insisted she be called Missy. She sang happy birthday to me and we had sex in the boiler room."

"Aren't women not allowed on the ship or something?"

"Captain looked the other way," Salem said. "Hell, he apparently helped pay for her."

"How was it?"

"It was fine I guess. I mean, it was amazing at the time, but that had been after two years of celibacy on a boat full of men," Salem said.

"Sounds like a sausage fest," Andy said. "Well, you're home now. Now you can fool around to your heart's content."

"I'm tired of fooling around," Salem said. "I've been fooling around for over ten years; I'm tired of it. Can I admit I'm jealous of my brother?"

"You mean the one married to an Asian lady with six kids?"

"Yeah," Salem said.

"Can't say as I share the sentiment but to each their own," Andy said. "You may just be going through a late quarter life crisis. Give it time and it'll pass; trust me."

Salem only smiled, figuring Andy wasn't the person to lament being lonely to. "I guess I just need to make myself busy. A friend of mine and I are considering opening our own tattoo shop in Port Angeles."

"He's actually a tattoo artist I hope?"

"Yeah, he's a tattoo artist," Salem said. "I'd be the investor I guess. If we can figure out how to do it, I'd love to sell Rum too. His wife has a rum recipe that I've had the opportunity to try and it's amazing."

"Now that's a woman worth marrying," Andy joked. "Although warning you now: you'll need a liquor license."

"Yeah, that part I know," Salem said. "My brother promised he'd get a liquor license too so he can sell at the general store if we can make it happen."

"Your brother runs a General Store right?"

"Yeah," Salem said. "He's considering expanding. The shop was the perfect size when Forks was still a teeny tiny town in the middle of nowhere with less than 1500 people, but the population's kind of exploded since the war."

"Baby boomers," Andy said. "Might do him good to expand the store. So what are you doing for work right now?"

"Nothing," Salem said. "I'm still operating off my retirement."

"Well, shit, no wonder you're so damned bored. You need to get your ass a job."

"Working on it," Salem answered. "Arturo and I will start looking for a shop once I get back and we'll get the shop up and running. Maybe hire ourselves another artist once we establish ourselves."

"The sooner the better. If you can get a guy that does the walk-ins, it'll help. You'd be surprised how many kids come in with signed notes from parents for a tramp stamp or something they think is cool. Have your state's legal sign off for kids under 18 but I'll tell you right now: most of them are forged. In fact, I'm positive most of the ones I get are forged. Regardless, cover your ass."

"You got it," Salem said. "Do you think I should learn to be a tattoo artist?"

"You can't 'learn' to be an artist. Either you are or you aren't. You can learn how to put art on human skin, but a natural artistic talent is required beforehand."

"Well, thanks for not sparing my feelings," Salem joked.

"Your future customers will thank me. Having a bunch of tattoos is great but it doesn't mean you can put them on people yourself."

"Noted," Salem said.

Andy finished the emblem by one that afternoon and gave Salem a chance to look at it in the mirror. Salem smiled when he saw it. It was ten years in the making and it was everything he'd imagined it would be when he decided he wanted a tattoo from everywhere he'd seen in the Navy. Andy did some aftercare on that tattoo and then finally moved on to the memorial tattoo. Andy was able to get the outline of the tattoo done that day and the two parted ways that night affirming they'd see each other again the next day. Same as before, Salem was in bright and early and Andy used that appointment to focus on the centipede since the colors of the centipede would be far easier to get into Salem's skin. Andy kept the image of the centipede closer to photo realism unlike the alligator Salem had on his arm. Andy finished most of the centipede that day by would need to finish it at their next half day appointment. Once the centipede was finished on their half day appointment, Salem enjoyed the break between appointments by just relaxing at the hotel. Then their last three days, Andy got to work on the flowers practically forcing the white ink into Salem's skin having to go over the spot over and over. That was the worst part of the tattoo for Salem: getting the flowers in and making them stay. Andy gave Salem a break from the flowers and did some final touch ups to the centipede making sure it was perfect and then, finally, finished the flowers with another layer of white and very light purple shading. Once it was done, he finished it off with Chin Man 1966 below the tattoo.

"Holy shit, that might have been the hardest tattoo I've ever sat through," Salem said after Andy told him it was done.

"I tried to convince you not to make the lotus flowers white but you wouldn't listen," Andy said.

"I wanted them to look authentic," Salem said as he sat up. Then he went to the mirror so he could look at the tattoo.

He already knew he'd love it, but seeing it was still a thrilling experience. It looked as though the centipede was climbing up behind the lotus flowers and its head was in full view with its jaws in full display like it was about to attack and below it all was Chin Man's name. As he stared at it, something told him the tattoo truly was an embodiment of the woman she was: a fighter to be contended with hidden behind the beauty of Vietnam.

"It's amazing, Andy," Salem said.

"That's what I like to hear," Andy said. He was staring at Salem's pin up and sighed a little. "I'm still damned proud of that pin up I gave you."

"You should be. It's easily my favorite," Salem said. "Although this centipede is a contender for a close second. Hell, what would you say to moving to Washington and starting a business with me and Arturo?"

"Sorry, kid, but I could never leave Florida. I love it too much here," Andy said.

"Worth asking," Salem smiled.

"Beautiful as she is, take my advice: don't hold out for a living Betty Crocker. I don't know what possessed me to give her blue eyes. I'm glad I did; they look amazing on her, but you'd be hard pressed to find an Indian woman with blue eyes."

"I guess I've just gotten so tired of being alone that Betty's all I've got," Salem shrugged. "You've ruined me, Andy. I've never been able to find a woman as beautiful as Betty Crocker."

"I'm sure you'll meet someone, Salem. Just don't rush. I've already told you how that can go badly."

"Thanks for the advice," Salem said. "Thanks for the artwork, Andy. I can't wait to show this off."

Before paying, Andy took a picture of the tattoo for his portfolio and made sure it was on the wall along with Salem's pin up. Even now, Andy said to Salem, that pin up brought horny sailors to his shop in droves wanting their own version of Betty Crocker. The next day, Salem finally got on the next flight home ready and eager to start a shop with Arturo. Andy was right: Salem needed to get his ass working. It might not alleviate the loneliness, but it will keep him busy at least. Once Salem returned home, he and Arturo got to work right away finding a place to convert into their own shop in Port Angeles. Once they found the perfect location, they spent days getting it cleaned and set up just the way they wanted it with some of Arturo's artwork and his portfolio at the front so walk-ins could see what the artist could do.

For Embry, he'd returned to New York after the wedding. He'd largely kept to himself through the wedding having literally flown in hours before the wedding started and flew back shortly thereafter, causing him to effectively be a dead man walking or so he felt. Being the peak season to return to construction, Alphonse was rather demanding of making sure work was being done on the house. He'd seen Heather during the wedding but had not spoken with her. He couldn't; not in good conscience. He wondered if she would be shifting soon. When he saw her, she wasn't' a child anymore; not visually anyway. She'd grown taller than she'd been over Christmas, she was dressed to the nines for her big brother's wedding and looked stunning, she had a bright smile and teary eyes for Anatoli when she was dancing with Kevin, Embry realized his feelings had finally changed. But she was still a child. So he avoided her lest he admit it to Heather and open a door he had no business going through. When he returned to New York, he'd dove right back into his work trying to bring to life Alphonse's dream home. He was shamed that he found himself tempted to say he couldn't go to Levi's Bar Mitzvah, but he dismissed the sentiment immediately.

Ivory and Anatoli stayed in California for two weeks before finally returning back home. When they returned, Anatoli couldn't resist carrying Ivory of the threshold again to bring her inside before going next door to pick up Argo. Argo was beside himself when Anatoli came and got him and then once Argo saw Ivory he bolted to her with his tail wagging vigorously.

"Argo!" Ivory cheered in a loving voice before kneeling to give Argo a hug. "Did my baby miss me? I know I missed you." Anatoli came back in from getting their luggage and brought everything upstairs while Ivory continued to dote on Argo and make up for the two of them being gone for so long.

Anatoli returned to work the Monday after they returned home while Ivory turned her attention to finding work. Thankfully, the Macy's on Stewart St. was hiring for their make-up counter and, knowing the manager there, Amber helped Ivory get an interview. Sadly she didn't get the position for the makeup counter, but she was able to get a job working for their call center. It hadn't been her first choice, but the pay was good and so were the hours, so she accepted the job and started right away.

To celebrate her first day, Anatoli bought flowers (white dahlias) and put them on their dining table for Ivory to find and then started making cabbage rolls. Argo was in the kitchen with him the whole time hoping for scraps despite his dinner having been placed on the floor for him only to be gobbled down in seconds. Anatoli had finished prepping everything and was just waiting for the rice to finish cooking when Ivory came home. She saw the flowers on the table and went right to them with a big smile, smelling the flowers.

"How was your first day?" Anatoli asked.

"Interesting," Ivory said. "The woman training me is named Ethel and she's been working there for two years since she graduated high school. I'll be working in the furniture returns department of the Macy's call center."

"And by returns, you mean a person bought something but no longer want it? Do they not have to go to the store for that?"

"They can, but most won't," Ivory said. "We're talking about dressers, bed frames, tables and really heavy furniture. So usually people order the furniture in store and it gets delivered to them. If they receive the items and they're not as expected or broken or whatever, that's when they call our department to make the arrangements to have the item picked up from their home."

"Ah," he said, "you said your first day was 'interesting'?"

"Yeah," Ivory giggled a little, "the first call Ethel had me listen in on, this woman was screaming at her over the phone demanding a pickup appointment for today. Ethel had to explain that we didn't have any appointments open for today but tried to offer tomorrow and the woman went into a rage. She claimed the driver damaged her floor, she claimed he was rude to her and then she demanded a manager."

"At least you know how bad it can get," Anatoli said reassuringly.

"Oh, no, it can get worse as I'm being told. The teammates on the delivery end were telling me about people that call screaming because their shipment's on back order and their delivery is taking a while. There was a man that threatened to call the police claiming the warehouse had stolen his dresser and the whole office had been laughing about that one."

"Would you not get arrested for something like that? It is wasting the dispatcher's time right?"

"I doubt they'd bother arresting him over that but I promise you that dispatcher will give him an earful." Ivory then thought about Jaedynn and couldn't help but laugh. "I just imagined if that guy were to get Jaedynn on the phone. I mean, he wouldn't; she only gets 911 calls from La Push and Forks, but still. She'd rip that man a new asshole."

"I really want him to call 911 and get your sister on the phone now," Anatoli chuckled.

"'Sir, this is 911, not a bitching hotline! Your dresser not delivering is NOT an emergency. Fuck you, sir,'" Ivory said in her sister's voice and started giggling. "I'd pay money to listen to that phone call."

"I would too," Anatoli said. "I am making cabbage rolls to help the day melt away."

"Sounds heavenly," Ivory said and walked into the kitchen.

"Check the fridge. I have another present for you," Anatoli said. Ivory looked at him strangely but opened the fridge to find a bottle of gin, vermouth and a jar of feta stuffed olives.

"Anatoli," Ivory said cheeringly with a big smile. She pulled everything out and immediately mixed herself a dirty martini in a larger glass with ice and then poured it into a martini glass Anatoli had even put in the freezer for her. She took a sip of her martini and moaned from the taste. "Thank you, Anatoli. You're the best husband ever."

"Thank you, Ivory," Anatoli chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. He stole a sip of her martini and she giggled before pulling her drink away and having a sip of her own. Then she looked at Argo who was sitting nearby with pitiful eyes. "Do not let him fool you; he has been fed."

"Are you lying to me, Argo?" Ivory asked in a motheresse voice. "Why would you lie to mommy?" Argo began wagging his tale and came right to her to get pets.

Once everything was ready, Ivory helped Anatoli assemble the cabbage rolls and put them in the Dutch oven while they talked about their day. Once the rolls were in the heavy pot, Anatoli put it in the oven to bake for 2 hours and while they waited, the two of them went outside to enjoy some drinks together, Ivory with her martini and Anatoli with a beer. They had a late dinner but neither of them minded. Anatoli finally gave in and let Argo have one cabbage roll that was scarfed down in seconds making the two of them laugh, especially when Argo returned to looking pleading and pitiful as though he'd not just received a tasty cabbage roll.

For the remainder of spring, attentions shifted to preparing for Levi's Bar Mitzvah. Anatoli had his present lined up already but in the meantime, Kevin continued claiming the plan was to go to California together as a family and have a beach vacation. It wasn't his first choice certainly, but he never voiced it. He knew better. Embry had not spoken with Kevin since the wedding but it was for no other reason than Embry wasn't ready to talk to Kevin yet. He'd have no choice come Levi's Bar Mitzvah. He'd promised to tell Kevin once his feelings changed and he'd already waited months to do so. He couldn't keep it from Kevin anymore. Before his birthday, Levi received a package from the UK that he was stunned then really excited to receive. He opened the package to find a Beatles record and a copy of The Lord of the Rings. Between the pages of the book he saw a folded piece of paper poking out and he pulled out the folded paper and opened it.

Dear Levi,

Once again, happy soon-to-be-birthday! I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed The Devils of Loudon and more so to hear you picked up Lord of the Flies. Once you are finished reading that (assuming you haven't already) I highly recommend this book. There are three books in the series in total so if you enjoy Fellowship of the Ring, I would recommend you find and read the other two. The other two are called The Two Towers and The Return of the King. I received Poe's short stories and The Great Gatsby that you sent me and look forward to reading them. Good luck at your Bar Mitzvah and I hope you have a happy birthday celebration.

P.S. Just wanted to let you know: I GOT THE PART! I will be playing Katherine in the summer production of Taming of the Shrew and right now we are practicing nightly. No worries; I still make time to read and I look forward to any and all additional books you send me.

Sincerely,

Nadja Rimsa

Levi wasted no time putting the Beatles Album into the tiny record player in his room (regardless of already having this album) and set that to play while he began reading Fellowship of the Ring. It was clearly a fantasy novel and Levi made a mental note to find a fantasy novel to send Nadja next he went to the book store. In the meantime, he was spending hours a week at the Synagogue preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, but he was also making a point to speak Quileute with Kevin. With all the extra studying and preparing even after school had let out for the summer, the days leading up to Levi's birthday and Bar Mitzvah seemed to drag. His birthday fell on a Tuesday, but his Bar Mitzvah was that Saturday. The Rabi did, as a birthday present, let Levi have that day off from studying and he was able to go to a friend's house after which they went around the neighborhood collecting some other kids so they could play baseball at the school.

Friday before his Bar Mitzvah, Kevin and Amber had near all the kids at their house. Evalynn was over and slept in Heather's room with her joined by Nadeshka, Sergei and Caleb all shared Anatoli's old room, and Lee stayed with the twins for a sleepover. Levi Sr. and Anna came to the house early so they could all have breakfast together as a family and since it was uncharacteristically sunny that day, once Anatoli and Ivory arrived with Argo, they all ate breakfast outside. After breakfast, everyone got ready in their nice clothes and Levi in particular wore a really nice suit. He didn't really feel like a man that day. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he still saw an awkward looking boy with a baby face from the fresh shave and a long body like a stick figure with dark brown hair and brown eyes. A knock came at his door after which Kevin stepped in.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Levi answered and looked at himself again and groaned. "I don't feel like a man."

"You will soon," Kevin promised.

"When you were my age, did you feel like a weird stick figure?" Levi asked.

"When I was your age I was enlisted in the army about to be shipped off to France," Kevin said. "I wasn't really thinking about it truthfully. Although if I'd never gone to war I probably would have." Levi remembered his father's picture from when he'd first deployed. Granted he looked much younger in that picture than he is now and he'd not quite grown into the features he had now, but Levi couldn't help comparing himself to Kevin.

"You looked better," Levi mumbled.

"I'm flattered, but don't be too hard on yourself," Kevin said. "I forced myself through a lot when I was a kid. I don't regret it, but I don't lie that I wouldn't wish that on you."

"I'm not saying I want to go to war; I'd settle for not looking like a toad," Levi complained.

"You don't look like a toad," Kevin said as he chuckled and approached him. "You're just growing up. It's a part of life. Thankfully, it's a very short part of life. I know it doesn't feel like it, but it is; so enjoy it while it lasts." Kevin hugged Levi and patted his shoulder. "Come on. We'd better leave now if we're going to make it to the synagogue." Levi nodded and followed Kevin downstairs beginning to get extremely nervous. Everyone came over to give Levi a hug and when Jacob got to him, he did exactly what Levi figured.

"Are you happy for your big day?" Jacob asked him in Quileute.

"I'm really nervous, but I think I will be alright. I was telling dad I didn't really feel like a man, though," Levi answered. Jacob smiled proudly at Levi's proficient answer and tightened his hug.

"I know how you feel. When I was your age, I always felt awkward and weird. I felt like I was too long with no muscle."

"At least someone gets what I mean," Levi smiled and Jacob chuckled.

"Trust me; I do."

"When did you stop feeling like that?"

"When I shifted and grew into a beast seemingly overnight," Jacob answered and rubbed Levi's back. He felt Levi's shoulders slump and it made Jacob chuckle a little more. "Don't be discouraged. Today you become a man; soon you'll feel like one too. I promise."

"Thank you, grandpa," Levi answered.

The immediate family, as in those that had been at Kevin's house that morning, were at the Synagogue well ahead of the start time for the ceremony, but such was the norm. Once guests had begun to arrive and were taking their seats, the prayers began while Levi was on the stage in his robes and hat. Family was all up front mostly while any friends and other congregants that had been invited were further back. Embry arrived just in time for the ceremony to officially begin. He'd flown in quite literally less than an hour ago, had gotten himself to his house to shower and get dressed into a suit and then drove as fast as he could to arrive at the Synagogue. He stayed to the back especially once he spotted Heather. She'd not seen him but she did turn her head to look behind at Evalynn so the two could speak briefly. Whatever they said to one another made Heather laugh and Embry was dazzled by her smile. He looked away and focused on the Bar Mitzvah if only for his own sake.

Once the Bar Mitzvah was over, Embry left early and made the drive to the banquet hall where Levi's after party would be and waited while everyone else was arriving. Eventually Levi Jr. arrived and everyone was able to start having dinner. Speeches were made, congratulations were offered and once they'd had dinner guests started walking around to talk and dance. All the while, Embry was working up the nerve to talk to Kevin. He thought back to when he'd imprinted on Heather. He'd been nervous to tell Kevin at the time, but he wasn't filled with the sense of dread he did now. Eventually, Kevin was the one to find Embry and once he had, he approached.

"There you are," Kevin said once he was close. "I was beginning to think you hadn't come. When did you get in?"

"Maybe an hour before the Bar Mitzvah," Embry said. "I'll be flying back tonight. We've finally finished laying the ground foundation so we're moving on to the bones of the house. That won't take nearly as long as the foundation had taken, but it'll still take a while."

"Alphonse tells me he's happy with the progress you've made so far," Kevin said.

"Yeah, he's happy," Embry said. "Once we'd gotten all the permits sorted out and we were finally able to really start, that improved his mood even more."

"Can you stay at least until tomorrow? I barely saw you at the wedding."

"I guess I can stay the night and then return in the morning," Embry said hesitantly.

"At least come to my house for breakfast before you leave," Kevin said. "I feel like I haven't seen you in years."

"I know," Embry said. "Can you and I go somewhere for breakfast? Just us? We need to talk."

"Is everything alright?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, I promise. I don't really want to do it here. It's Levi's day; I don't want to ruin it."

"Alright," Kevin said after a brief hesitation. "I'll pick up from your house at 7?"

"I'll see you then," Embry answered.

Although Kevin didn't like leaving it like that, Kevin walked away from Embry and went back to Amber so they could watch over Levi while he had a good time with his friends. Anatoli and Ivory were at the table with them and while they were the only ones at the table, Kevin took the opportunity to talk to Anatoli.

"So when are you going to tell Levi about your present?" Kevin asked.

"I wanted to wait until after the party," Anatoli said.

"It'll just be you and Levi going?" Amber asked.

"Yeah," Anatoli said. "Our flight leaves tomorrow at two so once we get back he will need to pack."

"I'll make sure he has everything he'll need," Amber said. "You both stay safe, okay?"

"We will be alright, mama. I promise," Anatoli answered with a smile and squeezed Amber's hand reassuringly.

Levi enjoyed the rest of the party blissfully unaware. He danced and had fun with all his friends including Sergei and Caleb. Once it was getting late, people began to leave the party offering their congratulations once again for reaching this important milestone in his life and knowing he would go on to do great things. Eventually they left the venue as well with all Levi's birthday presents packed into the back of Anatoli's truck protected from the light drizzle by a tarp. Anatoli went back to the house with them with the perfect excuse of dropping off Levi's presents. Caleb and Sergei and all the others returned to the tribe with their parents so when they returned home, it was just Levi and his siblings, parents and Levi sr. and Anna. He was so tired that he didn't want to stay up and open his presents. However when Anatoli said he had a gift he needed him to open now, Levi accepted the envelope with a groggy look.

"I promise you can sleep after all this, okay?" Anatoli smiled as Levi opened his gift. He remained groggy until he pulled out two plane tickets listing the destination as Munich. Then he was gawking.

"You're taking me to Germany? Really?" Levi asked and then looked at Kevin and Amber is though scared they didn't know and would insist he was not allowed to go.

"Yes, our plane leaves tomorrow," Anatoli smiled and rubbed Levi's shoulders a moment. "Dad says this was always where you asked to go as your Bar Mitzvah present. He and mama agreed I can take you."

"Really?" Levi asked and looked as though he might cry. Levi stared at the tickets a moment longer and when Anatoli affirmed he was really taking him to Munich, Levi grabbed Anatoli in a big hug repeating thank you over and over again then bolting upstairs to start packing the suitcase that he was surprised to see was already on his bed.

"I'll help make sure he has everything he needs," Amber said before going upstairs to join Levi and help him pack.

"I think your surprise was a hit," Kevin smiled. "How long will you and Levi be gone?"

"About two weeks," Anatoli said. "I will try to make arrangements for us to go to Berlin, but it is more likely we will only go to Munich."

"You need to pass through East Germany to arrive in West Berlin, so it may be more trouble than it's worth," Kevin said.

"We will see," Anatoli said.

Kevin helped Anatoli get all Levi's presents inside and Anatoli returned home so he could get his own suitcase then returned to Kevin's house to stay in his old room that way Levi and Anatoli could leave early in the morning. When morning came, Amber made the family a big breakfast but Kevin only stayed long enough to have coffee before leaving to go to the diner where he and Embry had agreed to meet. When Kevin arrived, Embry was already at a table so Kevin sat across from him at the booth.

"Morning, Embry," Kevin said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not well honestly," Embry answered. The waitress came to their table to pour Kevin some coffee and asked if they knew what they wanted or if they needed a moment to look at the menu. They ordered something they knew was on the menu, she took down their order and finally walked away. Once they were alone, Embry took a deep breath.

"What did you want to talk about?" Kevin asked, although he suspected he already knew the answer.

"It's about Heather," he answered. Kevin waited for Embry to elaborate but it took a moment for him to do so. However when he did, he nervously continued by saying, "my feelings for her have changed."

Kevin nodded his head evenly while taking a deep breath of his own, "I see."

"I'm sorry," Embry continued, "I'd not meant for it to happen so soon."

"When did you realize it?" Kevin asked.

"I realized when I saw her at Anatoli's wedding. I didn't have the courage to face her or tell you then so I just avoided everyone and returned to New York. I wasn't expecting it. I saw her and suddenly, I realized she wasn't a child in my eyes anymore."

"She still very much is, though," Kevin answered evenly. He needed to remind himself of when he was in the same position: in love with his imprint when the time wasn't right. Although, he also remembered that Amber had realized quickly her feelings for him had changed too at that time and their relationship had become romantic shortly thereafter. Behind Levi's back no less.

"I know," Embry said. "I'm so sorry. It's been eating at me for months now. I don't know what else to do except avoid her but I can't keep doing that. She'll realize it eventually if she hasn't already."

"She hasn't said anything to me or Amber," Kevin said. "Look, Embry, I understand what you're going through. And I appreciate you being honest with me." Embry nodded absently but he still looked uncomfortable. Kevin was too. He still remembered when Heather was born and Embry told him he'd imprinted on her. It was awkward but it hadn't been so bad then; it hadn't been romantic then. Now that it was, it left Kevin feeling angry about it no matter how he tried not to and left Embry knowing it full well and trying to do the right thing. "I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," Embry said "I know I should have told you the moment I realized it, but I didn't have the courage to then."

"I understand," Kevin said. "Just keep being the adult here. No matter what, keep a hard line in the sand at least for now. She might not think so, but she's still just a girl."

"I know," Embry said. "I hate feeling like this, Kevin."

"Me too," Kevin said, "Look, Embry, you're still my best friend. I don't want you to think that imprinting on Heather changed that. I don't want to be upset and I'm trying not to be. I'm no one to talk and you don't deserve that from me."

"No, I do," Embry said. "Before I left for New York before her birthday, I'd admitted to her I'd imprinted on her, but at the time I still felt only platonically towards her. She'd been understanding about it and I thought it would stay that way. Now I'm scared I've set myself up to make this harder on us both."

"There's not much you can do about it," Kevin accepted and rubbed his forehead. "You've already done everything in your power to be as respectful to me as possible and I'm grateful for that. All I can ask is it keeps on that way."

"Thank you for understanding," Embry said.

"When the time's right, everything will work itself out. I know you can't control what Heather does or how she may react but I only ask you remain the level headed one in all situations. I know firsthand that's easier said than done, but do what you can. And I'm always here if you need to talk."

"I appreciate it," Embry said. He looked up at Kevin and although he looked frustrated, he knew Kevin was trying to take his own advice. "No matter what happens, just know I love her. I won't do anything to hurt her."

"I know," Kevin said and took a deep breath, trying to relax. "When are you leaving for New York?"

"I'm planning to go back to my house to get a few things after breakfast and then I'm leaving."

"Alright," Kevin said and then finally managed a genuine smile. "Get some sleep once you get back, alright? You're still staying at the apartment?"

"No, I found myself an apartment closer to the site," Embry said. "It's small but the rent is reasonable and it makes sure I'm not driving an hour from the city out to the Hamptons every day."

"That's fair," Kevin said. "You're still welcome to stay there whenever you need it."

"I appreciate it. I still stay there if I'm in the city for a weekend or something. I wish New York wasn't so damned noisy otherwise I'd like it a little more."

"Yeah, the city never sleeps and it doesn't let you sleep either," Kevin joked. "It has it's good points, though."

"Like that Deli that's down the block from your apartment," Embry smiled. "I always get a bagel from there in the morning while I'm staying in the city."

"Yeah, the kids love that place," Kevin said. Just then their food arrived and once the waitress walked away after refilling their coffee cups, Embry and Kevin made a point to relax and just enjoy their time before Embry had to leave again.

After finishing, the two of them said goodbye and parted ways so Embry could get what he needed and return east. Embry was just about to get going when there was a knock at his door. He went to his door and opened it to see Heather at the other end. It took him by surprise and for a moment he wasn't sure what to say. She didn't look angry or upset. She just smiled sweetly at him.

"Good, I caught you," she said and walked into his house. "So how've you been? I didn't get to talk to you at the wedding or Levi's Bar Mitzvah."

"I'm alright," Embry said, "just busy. We're making good progress on Alphonse's house; it looks like we may have it finished ahead of schedule."

"So you'll be moving back to Washington sooner?" Heather asked eagerly.

"I hope so," Embry said. "I'd better return, though. I want to get some sleep before I have to go back to work tomorrow."

"Stay at least another hour. I haven't gotten to speak to you at all. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me," Heather teased.

"It's not that," Embry rushed. "It's just been hectic – that's all."

"I bet," Heather said and sat down on Embry's couch. When he didn't sit down right away, Heather looked back at him and patted the spot beside her. "Come on, Embry; sit down and talk to me." Embry hesitated a moment but finally walked over to the couch and sat on the other side of it. Heather noticed but said nothing about it. "So how do you like living in New York?"

"It's fine. I miss home, though."

"We all miss you too," Heather said. "The sooner you can come back for good, the better."

"I know," Embry said. "So…how has school been?"

"I got my license," Heather answered proudly. "When daddy brought me home from the DMV, I was so proud of myself. I'm planning to use my savings to buy a car."

"That's great, Heather! Good for you," Embry smiled.

"I told mom that and she says to me, 'Good! Now you can get a job'," Heather said and giggled a little. "So as soon as I buy myself my own car, I'll start looking for work. I'm hoping I can get a job at the mall or something."

"I'm sure you'll find something right away," Embry reassured. "And even if it takes a little while, don't get discouraged."

"I was able to convince three of my teachers to act as my references," Heather said. "I don't know how much good that'll do me but I hope having references will give me an edge."

"It definitely will, but since this is your first job, no one expects you to have experience. That'll come with your first job and all work going forward."

"I hope so," Heather sighed. "You know Evalynn's studying herself to death to graduate early? She really wants to get into Yale just like Uncle Kyle and daddy did but she wants to get in because she's the smartest girl in her class and not because she knows two alumni."

"She's got lofty goals to be sure. Truly she is her father's daughter."

"Yeah," Heather said. "She's already taking practice tests for the entry exams, and she's studying for both the MCAT and L-SAT."

"Jesus," Embry groaned.

"No kidding. I asked her why she can't just take one and she said she still isn't sure if she wants to go for Medical School first or Law School first so she's studying for both and whichever she's most confident in come entry exam time, she'll take that one. Uncle Kyle is suggesting she should take the MCAT and get Medical School out of the way first and foremost since Law School won't take nearly as long. From what I can tell, she's in agreement with that and she's already interning at the hospital with Uncle Kyle and Aunt Evalina so she has the extracurricular activity to put down that'll be impressive."

"It certainly is," Embry said.

"Show off," Heather said but with an affectionate smile. "I don't know what possessed her to think being a Malpractice Attorney was a good idea, but if anyone can pull it off, it's her."

"No kidding," Embry said.

"On top of that, once she's able to get her license, she's planning to get a job too."

"Christ almighty; when is she going to sleep?"

"I asked her the same question and she said, 'At night', as though it were obvious. Smart ass," Heather giggled. "Although I can't help wondering if part of all this is just an avoidance of anyone asking why she's not dating."

"Why would anyone ask that at all?"

"She's just not interested in dating," Heather said carefully and shrugged. "Honestly, I think she may be more of a nerd than Levi is. Even he's planning to finish high school at the normal time like a normal person."

"You never know," Embry said. "Either way, don't rush growing up. Take it from me: being an adult's not all it's cracked up to be. It's worse when you force yourself to grow up too fast."

"I don't know. I think being an adult would be rather liberating," Heather said, looking at Embry with a rather knowing look that took him off guard. He was quiet trying to think of anything to say but nothing came to mind. Misinterpreting his silence, Heather scooted closer to Embry on the couch so they were sitting right beside one another and gave him perhaps the most sweet and alluring smile he'd ever seen and he had to look away. "I for one am looking forward to graduating high school."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Embry finally said and stood up from the couch. "I had better leave soon or I'll never get time to sleep before work tomorrow. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No," Heather said, appearing in lower spirits suddenly as she stood from the couch. She went around to the front door but stopped and turned to face Embry. "Did I do something?"

"No. Why would you say that?"

"You're actually avoiding me. You didn't talk to me at Anatoli's wedding and you didn't talk to me at all during Levi's party and now you're in a rush to get me out the door. What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Heather," Embry insisted. Heather stared at him a moment as if trying to read him. Embry was doing the same, worried that she was angry with him. He wasn't sure what else to do. Heather started to approach him until she was standing right before him. She was taller than before. She came to his chin – certainly very tall for a young woman but that was usual for many in their tribe – and her brown eyes and brown hair were a rich color that Embry found dazzling. Something must have changed on his face because Heather's expression changed from serious to a loving smile that took his breath away.

"You're a horrible liar, Embry. Do you know that?" she asked with humor in her voice.

"I'm not lying to you: you didn't do anything," Embry said.

"That's not what I meant," Heather giggled.

Her voice was deeper than it used to be. It was no longer an innocent high sound, rather was a deeper woman's voice. The longer she stared at him with those beautiful eyes, the weaker he felt. Then she took him completely by surprise by going on her toes so her lips pressed against his. Embry's eyes were wide, staring at her while her eyes were closed as they kissed. He was still for a moment, unable to move or really even think. Her lips were warm and soft and tasting sweet and clean. Had he stayed like that any longer, he might have deepened the kiss and fallen into the moment with her, but he instead pressed his lips to hers just enough before pulling away. When he did, Heather opened her eyes and looked at him with the same sweet smile.

"Don't be a stranger, Embry. You got it?" she said and all Embry could do was nod. She batted her eye lashes with a light laugh and he felt his chest tighten. Truly this was torture.

"You get home, okay? I'll see you again come December," Embry finally said.

"Okay," Heather answered and went to the door. She opened and was about to leave but turned her head and said, "I love you," before closing the door behind her. He even heard a nervous giggle at herself for being so bold.

Only because she was no longer there, he allowed himself to whisper to himself, "I love you too," before stepping into an ice cold shower and finally flying back to New York.

That same day, Heather asked permission from Grandpa Levi to burrow his car which he permitted but expected it back before nightfall. Heather affirmed she would have the car back by then and made the drive to the tribe. When she arrived at Kyle's house, she parked out front and let herself in. Evalina was home and glanced at Heather as she came in.

"Hey, Aunt Evie. Is Evalynn home?"

"She's upstairs. Was she expecting you? She didn't say you were coming over," Evalina said.

"I decided I wanted to come over. I'm sorry to pop in unannounced."

"Kevin and Amber know you're here right?"

"Yeah, they know," Heather nodded and then started going upstairs. She knocked on Evalynn's door, announced it was her and then let herself in. Evalynn was at her desk working on something for school but right by her desk was a bookshelf filled to the brim with study guides for the MCAT and L-SAT as well as other textbooks to help her prepare and notebook after notebook filled to the brim with her own notes.

"Heather?"

"Hey," Heather said as she closed the door and sat at the edge of Evalynn's bed so she was right beside her. "I think Embry's feelings have changed. I think he loves me romantically now."

"Gross," Evalynn said.

"Stop it; it's not gross," Heather persisted and continued smiling. "I guess it's silly to get too persistent right now since he's still working in New York but I can't help it."

"I say help yourself for now," Evalynn said. "Honestly, Heather, how do you think Uncle Kevin would react if you and Embry started seeing one another romantically right now? He's be furious."

"Daddy should understand."

"Just because he understands Embry imprinted on you doesn't mean he wouldn't be upset that his sixteen year old daughter is dating an older man," Evalynn said. "You could put a wedge between Embry and Uncle Kevin that they couldn't recover from."

"But Embry imprinted on me. If his feelings for me have become romantic, we should be able to be together," Heather reasoned.

"And you will be, but you need to give it time," Evalynn insisted. "Uncle Kevin being furious aside, if you and Embry started seeing each other now and someone found out, Embry could get in a lot of trouble." Heather went quiet a little and held her head down. Evalynn sighed and rubbed her face. "Look, Heather, I get it. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I get it. All I'm saying is just because Embry is now physically attracted to you does not mean you should take advantage of it."

"I'm not trying to take advantage of him. I just want him to not feel ashamed for loving me," Heather said.

"Then don't force him to do anything," Evalynn said. "Just let everything happen naturally."

"How can anything happen naturally if he keeps avoiding me and dancing around how he feels about me?" Heather asked.

"Avoiding you? How is he avoiding you?"

"Remember when we were at the wedding? I know for a fact he was there but he avoided talking to me and he did the same thing at Levi's birthday. He didn't talk to me until I went to his house and even then he was trying to push me out of the house. He's so scared of his feelings for me that he'd rather avoid me altogether."

"Likely because you're still a miner," Evalynn pointed out yet again.

"What does that matter?! Do I still look like a child?"

"Doesn't really matter," Evalynn said. "This is what I mean, Heather. You're letting your own sexual frustration and impatience make the situation worse. When Embry left after your birthday, you were extremely mature about it. I was proud of you. Now you're throwing that all away because his feelings have changed and you're not willing to wait. You're being really immature about this and I know you're better than that." Heather wanted to be angry at Evalynn but she knew she was right. It was partially why she was so irritated.

"You make it sound easy, but it's not."

"I know it's not," Evalynn said. "Love makes everything complicated and when it's love like the wolf's imprint, it makes everything more complicated to start."

"No kidding," Heather said and rubbed her knees a little and groaned with frustration before sighing heavily. "I'm attracted to him, Evalynn. No matter how wrong you keep saying it is, I can't help it."

"I know you are and that's fine but – and forgive my choice of words here – you need to learn to keep your panties on and legs crossed because if you push him to anything more, you're setting the two of you up for a potentially bad situation."

"You make it sound like I'm being a slut."

"No, I'm making it sound like you're a horny teenager and you need to do your best to keep it to yourself," Evalynn said. "Because that's what this boils down to: you're horny and hormonal and you're shaping up to take that out on Embry. It's not fair to him and you need to get a hold of yourself." Heather was about to say something but she stopped and stood up from the end of the bed instead.

"I don't know why I bother coming over and tell you all this," Heather grumbled.

"Because you know full well you need someone to reign you in," Evalynn said. "I like to think I do that pretty effectively."

"You're a buzz kill is what you are," Heather complained and sat on the edge of Evalynn's bed again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"It's fine," Evalynn said. "Just remember this isn't just about you. It's about Embry too."

"But what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Masturbate?" Evalynn said.

"Funny," Heather said.

"No, seriously. It released tension. Have you really never thought of that?"

"Sure I have; it doesn't help," Heather insisted. "Not for long anyway."

"You do know how to-"

"Yes, Evalynn, I know how to do it," Heather said with exasperation.

"I just wanted to be sure," Evalynn said. "Try not to be so impatient. Give yourself and Embry time and the years before he moves back to Washington will fly by. By then, you'll be out of school and the two of you can move forward with a relationship. Think of it this way: you turn 18 in two years. Once you're 18, it won't matter what anyone says. You're legally an adult. But you need to be patient."

"Fine. I guess you're right," Heather finally said. "I did get a kiss though."

"Pardon?"

"I got a kiss," Heather repeated, her smile returning as she looked back fondly on the moment. "I gave him a kiss on the lips and told him not to be a stranger. Before I walked out of the house, I said I love him."

"Heather," Evalynn said firmly then pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're right; I don't know why you bother coming to me. You never take my advise anyway."

"I take your advice," Heather said. "I just hadn't gotten your advise earlier this morning before I went to Embry's house."

"Start talking to me before doing anything where Embry's concerned. I'm not sure you can be trusted anymore," Evalynn said. Heather's answer was a light giggle.

"Frankly I think he liked it."

"He's a man; of course he did," Evalynn said. "This is what I'm talking about, Heather. You're letting your own needs overshadow your good senses. And if you keep tempting him, no matter his intentions his needs will get ahead of his good senses. I will remind you that isn't fair to him."

"I get it, I get it. I won't do it again," Heather said and crossed her arms. The two of them stared at one another moment as though Evalynn didn't believe Heather. Truthfully, she didn't.

"Here's what I'm going to suggest: get yourself one of those shoulder massager things," Evalynn said and then went to her nightstand drawer and opened it to pull out a large wand like massager that Heather had seen at the stores but it was a shoulder massager. "This thing has different vibrating settings and if you press it against your clitoris, it will act as a great stimulator. Best part is this thing isn't too loud so it can stay discreet but I would still suggest wrapping the wand part of it in a towel or something just in case."

"That's a shoulder massager," Heather said.

"That's its intended purpose, but I found a better use for it," Evalynn said and put the massager away. "Trust me, Heather. Get yourself one. You'll thank me. It takes the edge off better than just using your fingers."

"Alright, alright, I'll try it," Heather said. "How did you even get that thing anyway?"

"I saw it at the store, figured a better use for it and then saved up for it," Evalynn said with a shrug. "Best part? Someone finds this, you just tell them it's a shoulder massager. It's not a lie." Finally, Heather couldn't help but laugh a little.

"And here I thought you didn't have time for this sort of thing."

"If I'm stressed out enough, I make time," Evalynn said. "Since beginning studying the MCAT and L-SATs at the same time? That's been a whole lot more."

"You bring it on yourself," Heather smiled.

"It'll be worth it in the end," Evalynn answered. She came back to her desk so she could sit across from Heather again. "And if you and Embry give each other space for now, it'll be worth it in the end."

Heather took a deep breath but did smile appreciatively at Evalynn. "I guess you're right."

"Good," Evalynn said and gave Heather a reassuring hug.

Levi and Anatoli's first flight stopped in New York and they stayed at the airport for about two hours in which they waited by their loading area for their next plane playing cards together. Their next plane was laid over in London. Levi was desperately tempted to ask that they be able to tour London in the vain hope he might happen to see Nadja, but he was far too embarrassed to ask and they were only laid over in London for three hours, so there wasn't enough time to truly explore London anyway. Once they got on their plane, their final stop was the airport in Munich. Once they had collected their luggage, Anatoli hailed them a cab and asked Levi to tell the driver to ask for a hotel in Munich they would stay at.

"I speak English; it is fine," the driver said, repeated the name of the hotel and then they were on their way.

The hotel they stayed in was in the heart of the city; prime location that would help touring the area that much easier and within walking distance in some cases. There was a bakery across the road that Levi asked if they could go to after they'd checked in and got their luggage situated. Within the hour, they had their things situated and were able to explore, so they went to the bakery Levi had asked about and his mouth watered seeing all the bread options on display in the window. They stepped inside and Levi ordered a pretzel and raspberry strudel and some water and Anatoli got himself the same thing and the two walked around the immediate area of their hotel just taking in the sites. They stopped by a bank so Anatoli could convert more money to Marks before returning to the hotel for the night to get some much needed sleep.

"Anatoli?" Levi said when the two of them had gotten into their separate beds.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for taking me to Germany."

"You are welcome, Levi. Now go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow," Anatoli said.

Come morning, they had breakfast together at the hotel and took a walk to the nearest museum (an art museum) and walked around enjoying the artwork.

"When you had come to Munich, did you get to do any site seeing?" Levi asked.

"No," Anatoli said. "I went to Dachau to find mama and when I could not find her, I went to the college to find out whatever I could. Then when I knew she had lived and was likely in America, I went to Paris to save money."

"So this is a treat for you as much as it is for me?"

"Absolutely," Anatoli said and then they moved on to another painting.

Once they'd spent hours going through the museum staring at the art, the two of them went to the gift shop to find some souvenirs for themselves and for family. Having the address from Levi Sr. Anatoli and Levi tried to find the family's old house before they'd fled to Berlin. Sadly, the house was no longer there. In its place was a car parts store and any other homes that were there previously were converted into shops of some nature. Since it was getting late, they hailed a taxi to get back to the hotel for the night. The following day, Levi requested that they go to a bookstore. He'd not finished reading the first Lord of the Rings book, but he wanted to get a book for himself in German as well as a souvenir for Nadja. For himself, feeling like he should give himself a challenging read, Levi picked up Das Schloss (The Castle) by Franz Kafka following a recommendation from the clerk that worked at the store. Finding something for Nadja proved more troublesome, but he ultimately decided to pick for her something that, even if she can't read German, she can appreciate the stories seeing as she likely already knew them.

"A collection of Grimm fairytales?" Anatoli asked after Levi picked it.

"Do you think I should pick something else?"

"Who are you buying it for?"

"I wanted to send this to Nadja as a souvenir."

"Nadja? You mean Mykolas's daughter?"

"Yeah," Levi said with a blush forming. "We've been sending each other books through the mail. Last time she sent me Lord of the Rings. The first book of it I mean. I want to buy the other two but I need to finish the first book before I do. I want to send her a momento from Germany and I figured a book would be the perfect gift to send her." Anatoli made sure he didn't laugh in the slightest, but he did purse his lips in an effort to ensure he didn't laugh. "What?!"

"Nothing," Anatoli smiled and patted Levi's back. "I just did not realize you and Nadja hit it off so well."

"We're just friends," Levi said defensively as his blush deepened.

"Nothing wrong with that," Anatoli chuckled. "I am happy she has given you a new love of reading."

"She said really liking math and didn't like reading meant I have no imagination," Levi said. "I don't know if reading has made me have any better an imagination, but I've at least found books I like thanks to her recommendations."

"Well, it is always nice to have a friend," Anatoli said. "Does she usually like fairytales?"

"She didn't mention liking them, but I thought the Brothers Grimm would be something she would be familiar with regardless."

"I say buy another book that is more akin to what she has recommended to you," Anatoli suggested.

With that suggestion in mind, Levi began looking through all the books trying to find more recently published ones. He found one book who's plot summary on the back spoke to him. Damals War es Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter. He started skimming through it to get a handle on what it was about and it told the tale of a young Jewish boy who'd effectively lost everything and was killed in an air raid when his former land lord refused to allow him into the shelter. It was, apparently, a boy that the author had known and been friends with making the story all the more tragic, yet Levi was baffled how the character had never been sent to a concentration camp. From what he could tell, it was because he'd just been able to hide himself following his father's death. He grabbed two copies: one he would read and one he would send to Nadja. A number of the novels he skimmed through were either based during the war or trying to pick up the pieces after the war had been lost. He wondered if Nadja would learn German just for the sake of being able to read it. Levi laughed a little to himself thinking that was definitely something she would do. While checking out with their purchases, Levi decided he would at least try to translate the book for her so she could appreciate it more.

The next day, they used the time to tour around Munich finding notable locations (be those notable locations for the better or worse) and eventually found the neighborhood where Hitler and his small army had been reprimanded following their attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government. It was near the family's old house of course and Levi could actually imagine his mother and grandpa walking down the road getting ready to start their day only to see a battle unfold before their eyes.

"Anatoli?" Levi said while they were walking down that street. "Can we go to Dachau?"

"You want to go there?"

"I think I should," Levi said. "Will we be able to go in?"

"When I went there, it was open to the public. Survivors are making memorials there and I think there were plans to rebuild at least one building for people to know what they looked like. It definitely will not look the way it did when Mama was there."

"I know that. I wouldn't want it to. Maybe we'll make that the last thing we do before we leave," Levi said.

"We'll save it for last," Anatoli agreed. "In the meantime, let us go to a beer hall."

"Will they even serve me?" Levi asked.

"Do not worry about it. If they ask your age we will tell them, but you can drink beer here as long as you are 13 and with a Guardian. I am your guardian while we are here," Anatoli said. "Just do not tell mama and dad."

Levi smiled and laughed a little, "I won't say a word."

The two of them walked around for a while until they located a Beer Hall that was open. It was a little early, so they started with having some bread. Their waitress was especially kind. Erika was her name who had been working there only a month but you would never know it when asking her questions about the menu. She was able to help Levi pick a sausage dish that didn't contain pork, she recommended a good beer for him to try for the first time and, after they told her they were there on vacation for Levi's birthday, she ended their meal with a free piece of cake and a kiss on Levi's cheek. She even comped Levi's first beer of the night. He only ended up having two that he milked for the whole several hours they were there, but two beers was definitely enough to do the trick. While most of the music coming from the Juk Box was not anything Levi was familiar with, he was able to find Yellow Submarine by The Beatles and had that playing for a bit. Erika was sweet enough to sit next to Levi while he sang the song, already drunk halfway through his second beer (though likely due far more to the atmosphere of the place than the actual amount of alcohol he'd had), and sang right along with him regardless of not knowing the words and not speaking an English herself.

"Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Levi," (Happy birthday, Levi) Erika said after Anatoli paid for their food and drinks and she returned with the receipt. "Komm auf jeden Fall zurück und trink noch einen Drink mit uns, bevor du nach Hause gehst." (Definitely come back and have another drink with us before you go home). She pressed one more kiss to Levi's cheek to ensure his night was extra special.

"Danke, Erika. Haben Sie eine gute Pause von Ihrer Nacht," (Thank you, Erika. Have a good rest of your night) Levi answered with a blush before she smiled at him and walked away.

"Look at you, flirting with the waitress," Anatoli teased.

"She's just being nice because it's my birthday," Levi insisted while his cheeks continued to burn.

They left the beer hall and made the long walk back to their hotel. Before going to sleep for the night, Levi got a head start on translating Friedrich so it would be ready to send either by the time he returned to Washington or shortly thereafter. The following day while they were out touring, Anatoli brought them to the train station so they could look into a trip to Berlin as part of their visit. Thankfully, so long as they had their passports, they were able to get two train tickets to Berlin. It would be a several hour trip, but Levi was excited to be going. On their last day in Munich, as planned, they left the city of Munich and went to Dachau. Once they arrived at the village of Dachau, the camp was not far off.

"This is it?" Levi asked once they were outside staring at the entryway. Arbeit Macht Frei. Seeing it even made Levi shiver.

"This is it," Anatoli answered.

They stepped into the camp and there were people there but Levi wasn't sure who they were. It seemed to be a large group and they remained in one specific part of the camp talking amongst themselves. From what little he could overhear, it sounded like they were talking about erecting a memorial of some nature.

"I remember dad saying that when he came here, a guard said mom was kept in the fifth building on the right of the trees," Levi said mostly to himself.

They followed the camp road but there were no trees and all the buildings were gone. There was still a lingering, horrible smell that Levi couldn't quite identify. There were still the outlines of where buildings had once been, so Levi counted the ones to the right of the road until they came upon the fifth building's outline. Levi looked around the camp once he'd reached that spot. It was nothing like he'd imagined it would be. It was hollow; nothing of the atrocities that occurred as though it was desperately swiped away. He suspected that's exactly what happened. He'd tried picturing what his mother must have seen, but he couldn't seem to do it. When he was little, he couldn't understand such atrocities ever happening. They seemed so inhuman – like something that man should not be capable of. Yet he knew too well it was true. But he still couldn't understand it.

"Why did this happen?" Levi asked mostly himself.

"I do not know," Anatoli said.

Levi was quiet a moment while he continued looking around. "You know," Levi finally said, "when I was in 7th grade, my class and I read Night. It was about Elie Weisel's time at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. The first addition of his book was written in Yiddish so I hear. I'd love to get a hold of that copy, but we read the English translation. I'll never forget how it ended."

"How did it end?" Anatoli asked.

"He looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't recognize himself," Levi said. "I always wondered if that's how mom, grandma and grandpa felt. Even reading his account in such detail, I still can't understand." Levi started rubbing his eyes a little. "He'd somehow survived the death march away from Auschwitz. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd known my grandpa or if grandpa had known him. I asked and he said he didn't remember. No one had a name; only a number. And since he'd become the favorite pet of anyone that needed their taxes done, he was kept cooped up comparatively. I asked him if that made things easier. He said only superficially."

Levi started walking further up the building's outline towards the end of it. He remembered being told Amber was being kept at the last room. Once he reached the end of the building, there was nothing there but he stood in that outline trying to imagine how it must have felt; what it must have been like. He felt a horrible chill while he stood in that spot. He'd only been in Dachau for thirty minutes but he couldn't stand to be there any longer. When the thought occurred to him, he felt horrible. He was experiencing the palest shadow of this hell on earth; it's dilapidated, harmless skeleton yet he couldn't stand to be there.

"I can't believe even now this place is so evil that even now it's palpable," Levi finally said. "And you don't remember this place?"

"Not as it was," Anatoli said. "I only remember mama's face."

They remained in the camp looking around for a bit longer, but eventually it became far too overwhelming and Levi asked that they leave. He never wanted to set foot in the place again. The next day they took their train to Berlin. The city was cut in half by a large, concrete wall and it was one of the first things they saw when they left the train station and began to explore. Once they reached the wall, they just stared at it. Anatoli showed Levi where he'd snuck into West Berlin showing a small area where, on the other side of the wall, it wasn't being guarded at all. He'd merely been lucky that the same applied on the other end. The wall itself felt oppressive unlike the rest of the city which was full of life and plenty of things to do. He asked Anatoli what East Germany was like; how it compared. Anatoli's answer was to say 'It is Soviet'. Levi didn't ask Anatoli to elaborate.

For the rest of their time in Berlin, they focused only on enjoying the city and having a good time. They found a hotel, they went to another Beer Hall, and they tried to find the old candle shop but could not find it. Determined, Levi asked around and was eventually able to find someone who knew what he was talking about. He'd assumed the candle shop had been converted to just being a home or maybe a different business but the news was much sadder.

"Dieser Laden ist im Osten, mein Junge. Selbst wenn es noch hier wäre, würde es keine Kerzen verkaufen. Die jüdische Familie, der Laden gehörte, floh nach Paris, wie ich hörte" (That shop is in the East, my dear boy. Even if it were still here, it would not sell candles. The Jewish family that owned the store fled to Paris as I hear) a man that ran a shop nearby said.

"Erinnerst du dich an sie?" (Do you remember them?) Levi asked.

"Nein, ich war nur ein Junge, als der Krieg begann. Sie waren lange vor meiner Geburt verschwunden. Meine Mutter hat eine Kerze aus dem Laden und hat mir davon erzählt," (No. I was just a boy when the war started. They were gone long before I was born. My mother has a candle from that shop and told me about them) the man answered. Levi gave the man an awkward smile, thanked him and then asked to buy something from him. They only stayed in Berlin for three days before taking a train back to Munich. While they were on the train, Levi was staring out the window at the countryside.

"Are you alright, Levi?" Anatoli asked.

"Yeah," Levi said. "It's weird. I feel more like a man now than I did at my Bar Mitzvah."

"How so?"

"There's so much history with my tribe. I see it every day just by looking at Grandpa Jacob, but I could never see the other side of the coin. I could never see my mother's side because she and our grandparents never wanted to remember Germany. Or mom never did. I think they only reason grandma and grandpa speak German with me and Heather and the twins is because they're just most comfortable in that language. But all I had was their language. Now I have more. Now I've seen it. I guess I'm trying to say I feel whole."

"Glad to know this trip had such an impact," Anatoli smiled.

"It did," Levi smiled, staring out the window onto the countryside as the train rushed passed it. "It really did."

*Huxley, Aldous. The Devils of Loudon. Harper Colophon Books, 1952