Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  “I’ll have a bowl of oatmeal, please,” Felix said, shattering the moment.

  “Uh... a-absolutely. We’ll have your drinks ready momentarily, and the food should be out in about fifteen minutes,” I said, turning quickly to put the order in before I lost my mind entirely.

  “Thank you, Sierra,” Ely said to my back. His voice sent a chill down my spine, then right back up and out my head. My shoulders shivered as I walked away.

  What a strange fellow, I thought, then busied myself with cleaning the same spot on the counter a dozen times.

  Their food was ready in the time specified, though I had urged the cook to, well—cook faster! Every time I looked up from my work, one of them was staring at me. They didn’t bother to look away when I caught them staring, which was odd for one of them, but for all four to stare at me with such dedication was unnerving. When the food came up, I hesitantly carried it to their table. If Dannie weren’t already working four tables, I’d have asked her to take over.

  “Here you go,” I said. “I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if I can get you anything else.”

  “Thank you,” Ely said, but rather than eat, he continued to stare at me.

  “Is there something you need?” I offered, wondering if he was too shy to ask. Clearly, they were from out of town, at least the woman and Felix were. Their accents were German, I believed, but her husband and Ely had American accents. That, or they’d lived in America long enough it had faded.

  “Hmm?” Ely hummed, never blinking. Creepy.

  “Is there anything else you need? More drinks? To-go bags?” Dear heaven, please let them ask for to-go bags.

  “Ely, please stop staring at the poor girl,” the woman said, then, “You’ll have to forgive our friend. He doesn’t get out much. None of us do, really.”

  Felix and the other man laughed heartily at her joke, but it did not dissuade Ely from his staring in the least. He did, however, take a jab at the woman’s husband while he stared.

  “Shut up, Brody. You’re no one to laugh.”

  Finally, his gaze broke from mine so he could kick poor Brody under the table.

  “Ow!” Brody yelped with a scowl on his face.

  I placed their bill on the table, and Ely reached for it immediately, brushing my fingers slightly as he did. I chuckled weakly to ease the feeling that washed over me when his skin touched mine. It sent the chills up and down my spine again, leaving a sensation behind that was uncomfortable.

  “I’ll take care of that,” Felix said. “We’ll use the... what is that thing called?”

  “Credit card?” Brody offered.

  “You really don’t get out much, do you?” I asked though I meant to keep the thought to myself. All four looked at me with wide eyes, almost as if they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. “Um... I can just take that for you now if you’d like?”

  Felix handed me the card, and I spun on my heel, ready to get them checked out and out of the diner before anything else weird happened. Once the card was accepted, I took the receipt to them and smiled.

  “Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

  The woman nodded and slid the receipt to Felix.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You have to sign it, dummy,” Ely snapped.

  I backed away slowly as they fussed at each other. My brain said I should turn around and run from the strange people, but there was also an undeniable pull toward them I couldn’t explain. Not them—him.

  Ely glanced at me once more, then stood and led the others toward the exit. No one else looked at me as they left the diner, only him. When he finally looked away, and the four disappeared down the block, I let out the breath I’d been holding so long my lungs burned. I went to clear the table, hoping that removing their plates would also remove them from my memory forever.

  I glanced at the receipt, shocked to find a hundred-dollar tip left for a twenty-seven-dollar bill. The signature was impeccable—Felix Beringer. The script was beautifully crafted with slanted lines and meticulously curved arches and dips. The strange neatness—not neatness, but perfection—of the signature only added to the oddness of the interaction.

  Dannie peered over my shoulder at the bill. “Wow, did you drug their breakfast? Because that’s the only way it was worth a hundred-dollar tip,” she teased. I laughed with her and shoved the signed receipt into the register.

  “And here comes the jolly early lunch crowd,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Man, I can’t wait for med school.” She glanced at me already feeling guilty. She would move on to bigger and better things, while I was stuck serving burned pancakes and grilled cheese for at least another two years. I didn’t want her to feel guilty for making a life for herself, so I patted her on the back and smiled.

  “I’m so proud of you, and maybe one day I’ll be a nurse at your practice.”

  “You know it. I’d hire you in a nanosecond, sweetness.” Dannie giggled and headed toward the rush of people to seat them.

  Luckily, the early lunch crowd distracted me from the unusual morning and the afternoon came quickly. When I punched out, I reminded Dannie that I would be out of town for the night.

  “Where do you two go?” she asked.

  “Oh, just upstate to visit... uh... our aunt,” I said, stumbling. I was caught off-guard. Dannie had never asked before, and I had never considered a reason to offer if she did.

  “I thought you didn’t have any family?”

  “Yeah, no, you’re right. She’s sort of an honorary aunt, I guess you’d say. One of Mom’s old friends,” I said, trying to tell a story I’d remember in case she questioned me again later.

  “Oh, that’s nice, I guess. I’ll see you later then. Have fun.”

  “We will. Maybe one day you can come along?” I wanted to smack myself for suggesting such things. I needed to sell the lie, not bury myself with it!

  “Really? That would be great! Maybe next weekend before I leave?” She clapped her hands and squealed, “Oh! A girl’s night before I ship off! Can’t wait!”

  “Um... yay!” I said, mustering what cheer I had left, then slipped out the door.

  I breathed a sigh of relief and left to meet Cecily at our usual spot, a buffet with the best ribs and steaks in the world. Cecily had already secured a table and was stuffing her face with ribs when I arrived.

  “You’re late,” she said. “Sorry, I was already getting hungry.”

  “It’s fine. Eat all you can,” I replied, then glanced around the restaurant. I was exhausted, and I knew it would be a long night. “I wish we could figure out how to end this.”

  Cecily stopped eating and wiped her mouth. She placed the nearly stripped bone on her plate and licked her lips. “We’ve tried everything, Si. I’m pretty sure we’re stuck with this for life.”

  I shoved my chair back and went to the buffet feeling sorry for myself. I was worn down in so many ways, physically and emotionally spent, and I’d yet to experience life at all. I didn’t know if I’d survive another sixty years with our shared condition—shifting into a wolf every full moon. I wasn’t sure I wanted to survive that long. All the same, I piled my plate with food and rejoined my sister.

  “That’s strange,” she said, looking past me. “A coincidence, I guess.”

  “What?” I asked, turning around to see what she was watching. My eyes connected with his and a jolt of adrenaline coursed through me. Ely.

  “You saw him at the diner?” I asked her, confused since she should have been in class.

  “No. Well, yes, briefly. But I saw him again on campus. He was talking to one of my history professors.”

  I whipped my head back around to face her. “He was on campus? At your school? When?”

  “Yes, at my school, how else would I know he was talking to... what’s wrong with you? You seem so out-of-sorts, even for a night like tonight.”

  “He was at the diner with three other people, all behaving unusually.”

 
Cecily chuckled. “You always think people are acting weird, Si. I’m sure it’s just a crazy cosmic coincidence. Are you sure it’s not... you know, Mom and Dad bothering you?”

  I glanced over my shoulder to find Ely had gone, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach remained. “Maybe. I guess it could be.”

  I pretended to brush it off to appease her, but deep down I couldn’t help but feel it was an omen of sorts. There was no such thing as a coincidence, I’d learned that long ago. My gut told me it was more, and my instincts were rarely wrong.

  I ate what I could on an anxious stomach, then we hit the road. Our destination, Valley Forge National Park, was roughly thirty minutes from our apartment, and it was closed to the public after dark. Since no hunting was allowed in the national park, the rabbits were plentiful—at least they were until a full moon hit. Good thing they multiplied quickly.

  We parked the car in a little area hidden by the trees, just deep enough that a park ranger on patrol wouldn’t find it. I felt the tingle, and I knew Cecily did as well. She shook her hands, a useless thing to do, but I did it myself to ease the numbing sensation. She jogged ahead, and I followed quickly, almost out of time. We were still a mile from our usual spot, but time waits for no man—or wolf as the case was. I shifted, and a moment later my sister grumbled and shifted beside me. I always thought she was far more beautiful than me in both human and wolf form. Her deep russet coat was unusual, for ordinary wolves at least. My black coat was dull and boring.

  We ran for a while, deeper into the forest so we could hunt without worry a ranger would hear us. Wolves were not common in Pennsylvania and were long gone from the park. We had no desire to be escorted from the park in a black bag, so we trudged on until we reached the middle of the property.

  I caught a scent and stopped. There were deer, three or more just over the next hill. We usually shied away from larger prey thanks to Cecily’s run-in with a mama bear two springs before, but the scent was irresistible.

  I crept along the forest floor as quietly as possible until they were in sight. Three females rummaged for food under the fresh snow. The wind shifted, and they sensed us, but they were confused. They’d probably never seen a wolf before, and it almost made me sad to kill an animal that didn’t know to fear me. However, if I didn’t eat, I would regret it in the morning.

  I steadied myself, and Cecily moved slowly to the right. When I lunged, she would bring up the right side, corralling them toward the left where I would turn and pounce. The moment my muscles began to tighten in preparation for the jump, a much larger wolf bolted from the trees and scattered the deer in all directions. I ran after them, desperate for food, but their head-start was too much. I slowed to a stop, panting heavily. Cecily growled behind me, frustrated and hungry.

  The larger wolf stepped in front of me, face-to-face with a smirk on his muzzle. I never knew a dog could smirk until I saw his face, his brown eyes staring back at me with amusement. His eyes, they were so familiar, but I was too hungry and too angry to care. I snapped at him, but he easily dodged my teeth. Cecily, on the other hand, dove at him and caught his neck in her strong jaw. His sharp cry echoed in the forest as he fell to the ground. He whimpered in her grip but hardly struggled. He only maintained eye-contact with me.

  There was something about him, something that made me take pause. Those eyes... so familiar. So... human.

  I barked at my sister, but she continued to choke him. I head-butted her, rolling her to her side in a power move that forced her to release him. He sprang from the ground and took a few steps back, clearly not expecting the turn of events that had just taken place. The wolf lay down, bowed his head, then rolled in submission.

  Cecily tilted her head to the left, then right. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her head, ears pinned back, tail rigid. Then, without warning or cause, he shifted. He grew taller, shed his fur, and there, standing in front of me was Ely—stark naked, I might add.

  Cecily uttered a low, frightful growl. She moved closer to me, guarding my right again. She always defended my right side, knowing well I couldn’t see from that eye. I felt safer with her there, my eyes in the darkness.

  Ely shifted again, smooth as you please. He had such control over himself as he moved from one form to the other, I found myself impressed.

  I was in shock. All I could do was stare at him with his stupid smirk and amused eyes. Cecily whined beside me, a hungry plea. I shook my head, reclaiming both my attention and my sanity. I turned toward the left and ran, paws pounding the dirt hard and fast. I heard my sister behind me, flanking my right again, but I also heard him. He pulled up the left and kept in stride with her, committing himself to be a royal thorn in my side. I felt my own stomach rumble and pushed on, harder and faster until I’d nearly crossed the park.

  I slid to a stop when I caught another scent. It smelled delectable, but I’d never smelled anything like it before. I crouched again, blending in with the underbrush. I heard grunting moments before the animal came into view. I was surprised. What is it doing here?

  It was an elk, a large bull that caught our scent quickly. The elk, unlike the deer, did not take any chances with its life. It darted away, but not so fast I couldn’t catch up. I pushed forward, stretching my body to its limit with each long stride. The others kept up, and I wondered briefly how the situation would end if I caught the elk. I’d never hunted with anyone but my sister.

  When I was close enough to reach the elk’s rump, I lurched forward with the last bit of energy I had. I caught the hindquarter in my jaw, causing it to stumble and cry out. Cecily overtook us both and caught him at the neck, but he was strong. He dragged us both along for several yards until Ely sank his teeth deep into its shoulder. It tried to pull all of us but slowed significantly. Eventually, we tackled him to the ground, and Cecily sunk her teeth deep into the neck, puncturing the jugular. It was fast, as fast as we could make it, and I thanked him for his sacrifice to feed our bellies.

  Once he was dead, Cecily and I looked to Ely. Would he try to run us off, or would he submit to us? That was a question that would go unanswered. As quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. Not a shadow remained of the elusive, mysterious wolf that helped us take down our largest prey yet.

  As we ate, I periodically lifted my head to scan the forest. There was still no sign of Ely anywhere. I detested wasting the animal, but I couldn’t eat anything more. I supposed the coyotes would thank us for the leftovers.

  We headed back toward the car just before sunrise. I thought we’d make it back before the shift, but just to be sure I ran the last few miles. I hated the full moons in winter. Shifting naked in the snow was highly uncomfortable, but finding Ely leaning against my car waiting for me was beyond awkward and well into stalker territory.

  Cecily growled when she caught sight of him, but he only laughed at her and said, “I think you’ve done enough damage for one night. I mean you no harm, Cecily.” His accent was a bit different than it had been that morning, confusing me further.

  He opened my car door and tossed our clothing to us, then turned his back and waited patiently for the shift to make us human again. Luckily, he chose modesty in the morning light and clothed himself before we arrived. The shift turned us, and we dressed quickly. Once I was presentable, I put on my game face and addressed the man who had become our shadow.

  “Who are you? Why are you following us?” I asked, angry with him. “And where did the German accent come from?”

  “I am Prince Eliot Salien of Schwarzwald, but you can call me Ely. I’m following you because I have a story to tell you, and the German accent came from Germany,” he taunted.

  “Prince what? Who are you, really?” I demanded.

  “Call me Ely, Ely Manchester. It was once my name, and for all accounts, it still is my identity. Come with me, Sierra, and all will be explained.”

  “We are not going anywhere with a crazy man,” Cecily declared, waving him off.

  “You will if you want to
know who you really are. And you will if you want to learn to shift at will, reclaim your birthright, end a reign of terror for your people...” he prattled on.

  “Okay, what asylum did you escape from? Is this a trick or a prank?” I spat, infuriated with his interference in our lives which were already complicated enough.

  “No asylum, though my family would probably argue I belong in one,” he said with a chuckle. “I promise no tricks, pranks, or lies. We got off on the wrong foot, but I assure you that what I have to say will be of great importance to you both.”

  “Yeah... no,” Cecily said as she opened the passenger door of my car. She slid into the seat and turned the ignition, warming herself as best she could against the air vents. I, on the other hand, was frozen in place, a fact not lost on Ely.

  “Come, Sierra, you must know this isn’t normal? You and your sister, your curse is the same that my siblings and I suffered for over a millennium and a half. Don’t let it keep taking your life repeatedly until you’re a memory in a dusty, old book,” he argued.

  “A curse? You say we’re cursed?” I asked, intrigued, which annoyed Cecily to death.

  “Si, come on! I need to get some sleep before my noon class!” she groaned.

  “Yes, cursed. You didn’t think it was a coincidence, did you? A mystical twist of fate that makes you turn into a wolf, the same as me?” He took a step closer, his mahogany eyes boring into mine. “We are the same, cursed the same and living in a time we don’t belong. We’re from a time long ago, and the sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you can have your life back—your real one.”

  “How do I know you’re not just a lunatic?” I asked.

  “I am a lunatic, but how many other people have you met like you? I know six others, all my siblings, and we’re more than willing to help you.”

  “Is this your crazy way of telling me Cecily and I are related to you in some way?”

  He chuckled and dropped his head. When he looked back up, the expression on his face made him appear boyish, shy even. “Not exactly. We’re... connected, you can say, but not blood related, no.”