by Lou Grimes
“Thank you. I have to go. Cara is staring at me like I’m crazy. I’m going to text you after. I have a few questions,” she warned as she eyed Arsen. Arsen nodded as if he’d expected it.
“You’re welcome. I’d have lost my shit if Dad hadn’t intervened. I’m sorry he was so harsh about it. I’ll be waiting,” he said, giving her a cheeky wink. They walked off to their own tables.
Louvette hurried back to her table, fortifying herself before Cara demanded answers. Cara’s eyes followed Louvette until she sat down. They stared at each other for a silent minute until the accusation came spilling out of Cara’s mouth.
“What was that? I thought you said you weren’t friends with Arsen,” she interrogated Louvette. Her voice was low as if she didn’t want Arsen to hear her. Louvette hoped he couldn’t either, but if he could, she hoped he’d have the decency to ignore this part. Louvette could already tell it was going to be embarrassing.
“I kind of bumped into Arsen one day after class. Today, he was just stepping up because that guy was being a creep,” she explained calmly, perceiving that all those statements were true in a sense. Louvette couldn’t reveal everything at the moment.
“Arsen is never around any girls, at least not for long. Trust me when I say that he likes you,” Cara said proudly, like Louvette was a prize pig at the county fair. Louvette was confused as to why she was so proud. She assumed it was due to the fact that someone like Arsen would actually like one of her closest friends back.
“You’re crazy. Let’s eat some more of this awesome food before I have to go,” Louvette said. Her hunger had returned at full force. She scooted her seat to dig in.
“Girl, I’ve been pigging out since you left. It’s was like I had to eat popcorn because I was at the movie theater,” Cara confessed. She seemed to be miserably full. The shame over how much she had eaten was clear on her face. Louvette giggled at her friend’s food coma, coming in complete force.
“I’ll just get some to go. I have to get Mom’s as well,” she resolved, checking for the waitress. Their waitress quickly responded and cashed them out.
They were soon heading home. The back seat was full of to-go containers. Cara dropped Louvette off right as her mother arrived. Her mother and Cara waved cordially to each other as they passed.
Louvette watched Cara open the door to her car to leave, pausing mid-departure.
“Oh, hey Louvette! Don’t forget your food,” Cara said. Louvette grabbed her food from Cara.
“Thank you. I always forget to grab it,” Louvette replied.
“Any time, have a good night,” Cara said.
“You too,” Louvette said.
“How was your day, sweetie?” her mother asked leisurely, holding the front door open for her.
“Oh, it was great. I hung out with Cara after school. We went to this place called Latitude 48. I got you some to-go.” She didn’t fib for the most part. Louvette held the bag up as proof.
Louvette watched her mother’s face go pale. She set the food down out of concern. Louvette grabbed her hand and looked into her mother’s unsettled eyes.
“That’s where your father took me on our first date,” she came clean, sighing roughly. The glistening tears in her eyes were threatening to spill over.
“What happened to him?” Louvette asked softly. Her mother bit her lip and stared at her, not wanting to tell. Louvette gave her hand an encouraging squeeze, urging her to go on. To her compete shock, her mother did.
“I loved him with all my heart the moment I saw him. We had been dating a few months before I got knocked up. We were going to get married after you came. I was six months pregnant when it happened. We were supposed to meet for a doctor’s appointment, but he never showed. When I got home, your grandfather came over demanding to see him, and that’s when I knew something was wrong. After that, your grandfather was constantly looking for Declan. He never found him. He never stopped looking, either,” she said, eyes shining.
“I left at right before I had you. Everyone was gone and I couldn’t bear all the reminders of him. But you came into this word like a carbon copy. I could see him in you as you grew wild and unruly just like him. I used to think that I was merely a holding pod for you those nine months. That none of my DNA transferred over,” she laughed harshly. The fondness in her eyes was clear as they gazed at Louvette. Louvette’s heart ached for the struggles her mother had to conquer alone.
“Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how horrible that was,” she expressed sorrowfully. Louvette had felt awful before finding out she was a Lupine, but now she felt a thousand times worse for acting out like she did.
“You were the best thing that could have happened to me, Louvette. Without you, I would have faded or ended up somewhere dark just like your grandfather. I feel it in my bones that he was looking for your father when he died. He must have stuck his nose into something he shouldn’t have,” she divulged.
“Was there no investigation?” Louvette demanded, outraged. Her blood boiled at the fact that no one was ever brought to justice for both of them. No one has doing anything for her grandfather’s murder. No one other than her grandfather had searched for her father.
“There was, but not for long. There was no trail. No signs of forced abduction. The only thing they had to go off of was an employee who saw him get into his car and leave at the time he should have come for my doctor’s appointment. The investigators believed he just abandoned us since they found his car at the airport. Some of his clothes were missing as well. But that was not the man Declan was, he loved us no matter what they say. Your grandfather knew that I knew that, but I was pregnant. My only concern was you at that point, I didn’t want the same people who got him to get you,” Sarah said.
Louvette could tell that she believed one hundred percent that Declan hadn’t abandoned her. Louvette had thought for the longest time that her father had abandoned her and her mother just didn’t want to tell her. Now, she was starting to believe that he hadn’t left on his own accord. That revelation both comforted and tortured her. She had been wanted. However, she’d never have the chance to get to even meet him because someone stole that from her. The same went for her grandfather. Her heart ached.
“Who was the employee?” she wondered. For some reason, that knowledge was paramount.
“Thomas Hollows,” her mother revealed. Louvette’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her father’s lawyer. She made a promise to herself to ask him about it the next time she saw him.
“Is there anymore?” she questioned. Louvette has no clue how much more she could handle, but she didn’t want a pathetic half version of it. She had prayed for answers for years and now they were finally here. She didn’t regret those prayers.
“Not that I know of, but if I remember something, I’ll tell you,” Sarah appeased, gazing at her daughter sadly. She tucked one of Louvette’s wild curls behind her ear. Sarah bit her lip, displaying sorrow in her eyes.
“Thanks for tell me, Mom. I love you. I’m going to turn in for the night,” Louvette responded, feeling her mind whirl at the overload of information she had received. However, the amount of useful information was slim.
“Night, sweetheart. I love you, too,” her mother said, hugging Louvette tight. Louvette returned the hug with a hard squeeze. She gazed off as her mom’s arms enveloped her.
They both retired for the night to their rooms. Louvette immediately locked her door to keep her mother from coming in.
She grabbed out the information that Arsen had left her and splayed it out across the floor so that she had a chance to see everything. Maybe she would see something she hadn’t seen before when she was reading. The papers were blurring together when she finished. There were documents, school notes, and lists.
Louvette hesitantly grabbed a list, recognizing a couple of last names on the front page. If you could call a ten-page packet a list, she thought ironically. The list was so detailed, it was almost military. She realized
it was a breakdown of the Northline pack. It included everything from location, population, and leaders in charge to second in command, allies, and enemies.
Flipping the pages, she noticed only four were bare of markings. While she was flipping, something stood out on one of the packs. The Pacific Coast Pack was highlighted under the “Potential Enemies” column. She scanned the information provided, pausing on the allies. They had four known allies.
She got her phone out in a rush, hoping Arsen would be able to help her. It was faster than digging through everything. Especially if the answer wasn’t even in the stuff he’d given her.
Louvette: Who are the Pacific Coast Pack?
Arsen: Where did you hear that name?
Louvette: I found it in the pack breakdown list under potential enemies. Who are they?
Arsen: They are a large pack that borders us and there is a long history of rivalry. They have more people, but our pack always had more of an advantage, thanks to your dad. There hasn’t been an actual fight for a while because we signed a peace treaty.
Louvette: What did my dad do for the pack?
Arsen: He was a strategist. He’s the one created our war plans. The combat training we go through was his, too. We always came out ahead when he was here.
Louvette: Do you think it’s possible they killed him?
Arsen: Highly. But my father and your grandfather investigated it and no proof was ever found.
Louvette: He never stopped, did he?
Arsen: Would you?
Louvette: I’m obsessing over my dad’s whereabouts right now, unfortunately. It might be easier to let it go.
Arsen: But think about what’s on the end of not letting go?
Louvette chose to not answer his question because she didn’t want to go that far yet. She’d dig as deep as she could before deciding if he was alive or if someone had killed him.
Louvette: Do we have super hearing in the human form?
Arsen: No, only in the wolf form and in partial shift if you focus on the ears. You should be able to tell if someone is listening, though, because they will have wolf eyes with all partial shifts.
Louvette was relieved that she didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing her conversations. That Mr. Campbell didn’t know she’d asked about him. That all the Lupine she was near couldn’t hear her when she talked to Arsen.
Her head nodded forward. The text she’d sent were taking longer and longer to type. Her burning eyes begged to be closed, prompting her to end the conversation.
Louvette: Hey, I’m about to pass out. Thanks for staying up so late for me. You’re a life saver. Good night.
Arsen: No problem, anything for a damsel in distress. Good night. See you tomorrow.
Chapter 8
Two wolves tore through the trees, their paws pumping as fast as they could. The moonlight revealed the larger one to be a steel grey that was accentuated with darker grey fur. The smaller of the two was a chocolate brown and black tipped fur.
They zigzagged erratically, but never truly leaving each other’s sides for more than a few yards. Never did they once halt their momentum. The wolves ran like something was chasing them because something was. Several somethings stalked them. The pack chasing them stuck to the shadows as they did.
The followers made ground on the outnumbered two. The two continued on as if they were going to reach something before the others caught them. The brush that they broke sounded unbearably loud to Louvette’s ears as she watched. Her heartbeat resonated between her ears, making her question whether her heart was even in her rib cage.
The chocolate wolf made the wrong move first. Instead of following its counterpart, it decided to make walk up the creek. The other wolf sustained its speed as their chasers discovered the chocolate wolf’s mistake. Excited snarling and snapping met the grey wolf’s ears and its paws faltered for the first time. Louvette couldn’t breathe. Its furry ears twitched towards the noise, but its face turned back to the original direction that it had been set on.
It made whatever decision it had to make, and the shadows engulfed it as it left the clearing, still progressing forward. Louvette’s attention turned to the other wolf that was being followed.
The river hindered the chocolate wolf’s run. The wolf circled back and forth a few times, sensing the others were creeping up behind it so it couldn’t return in the direction it had come. The others caught up in no time.
It backed into a corner created by rocks, cliffs, and the river. The wolf had nowhere to go. White teeth glistened in the moonlight as the pursuers snarled at the caught prey.
It was no challenge to figure out who the leader was. It was the biggest dark grey wolf out there. The leader urged the others to the chocolate wolf as it stalked closer.
Louvette’s eyes began to burn because she couldn’t look away. She was sure they were going to kill the chocolate wolf, and for some reason she needed to see it happen. A flash of grey darted between the chocolate wolf and the pursuers. It began tearing into the leader wolf.
The grey wolf had returned for the chocolate wolf. Its sudden attack had caused the circle to break into chaos as the two fought to death and the others cheered them on. The chocolate wolf looked at the grey wolf that defended it.
The chocolate wolf decided what it would do in less than a second, though it seemed like years to Louvette. Tail tucked, it scuttled away into the forest.
The grey wolf, familiar confused eyes, was overrun as fur, teeth, and claws as the entire opposing pack went for the kill. Their sickening crunches and barking echoed through the forest and Louvette’s pounding head.
***
“No,” Louvette screamed as she bolted out of bed. Her heartbeat was completely out of control. Her dilated pupils gradually returned to normal as she took in her surroundings. A few seconds later, her mother came charging through her door like an elephant on the National Geographic channel.
Her hands tightly clutched a raised steel bat. Sarah’s hair was wild, and concern was written on her face while she inspected her daughter for whatever harm had befallen her or at least almost had in her startled mind. Her robe was wrapped poorly around her body.
“What’s wrong? I thought someone was killing you,” she demanded out of exasperation, once she realized that there were no intruders in sight.
“I had a bad dream. I keep having them ever since Grandfather died,” she admitted. The confession was like a weight lifted from her trouble mind.Louvette had been reluctant to say anything to her mother. Sarah tended to have weird reactions to anything pertaining to the male members of the Blackwood tree. The absence of any connection with them made her steady flowing dreams confusing since they were usually about them.
“Oh, sweetheart. I didn’t have any idea. I’ll get you some sleeping pills after I drop you off. If you want to talk about anything, just say so,” her mother resolved, putting a comforting hand on Louvette’s shoulder. The corner of her mouth tilted down, exposing her true state of mind about the situation.
Sarah Lynskey was worried, and no one worried like her mother. The next thing she knew, if her mother had her way, Louvette would be lying in a bed with wires coming off of her and a helmet for the doctors to monitor her sleeping patterns.
“Thanks, Mom. I think it’s just all the changes and the new school.” Louvette attempted to smooth over the recurring dreams as a coincidence for her mother’s sake. However, Louvette knew it was the opposite. She had been through enough schools that the change of it all had lost its impact on her.
“You’re probably right. I’m so proud of how great you’re doing, Louvette,” her mother said. The statement amazed Louvette. She hadn’t heard anything like that from her mother since she was in grade school.
“Thank you. I was raised by the best,” she flattered her mother. No matter how weird their relationship was, she was still glad that Sarah Lynskey was her mother. She was a frustrating person, but Louvette believed that she had good intentions. Louvette
would only push so far. At the moment, the truth wasn’t worth the loss of their bond.
“Aww thanks, baby. Now, I wouldn’t be the best if I didn’t tell you that you needed to get ready like five minutes ago,” she added in amusement as Louvette tore out of bed. She wasn’t about to be too late to get anything to eat. Her stomach would be eating itself like she was a member of the Donner party.
Her mother left to get ready. Louvette was selecting a muffin for breakfast when her mother returned. Her prize for pulling together a semi decent look in under ten minutes. She had on jeans, a dark blue pea coat, short black leather boots, and a white sweater. Her hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. A few tresses escaped into her eyes. The necklace that had gray feathers, a number of silver charms, and beads bounced against her chest as she snagged her bag.
“Hey, Mom! We should drive the Gran Torino,” she suggested, flashing a smile that would have earned her temptress of the year.
“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said back while she picked up her stuff. Louvette barely blinked at the rare sight of her mother giving in this easy.
***
Arriving at school in the car got Louvette many looks from the student body, but the one she wanted she got anyway, regardless of the car they drove.That look lasted seconds, but it seemed far longer than that. No one noticed it other than Louvette, but that didn’t mean it didn’t happen.
He was too handsome not to appreciate. Today, his long-sleeved flannel button up gave him a mountain man vibe that Louvette adored. His jeans were stylishly ripped, and he had on black chunky boots.
“Styling,” Cara complimented while Louvette’s mom was driving off. Cara’s deep burgundy lips twisted into a grin. Her nails were sporting black that matched her black sweater tights. She wore a burgundy dress and burgundy high-top Converses.
“Thank you. Maybe one day, I’ll convince her to let me drive it every day. At this stage in the game, it’s in better condition than the Grand Am. It’s less likely to leave us on the side of the road,” she teased, highly doubting that day would ever come, although the conversation from this morning left her more hopeful than she would have been the day before.
