I started to frantically search the alley, hoping he might have hidden there. Maybe he was in that dumpster? No. I think no one ever looked for someone in a dumpster, and if they did, no one would ever hide there. The scent was fading away fast. Where on earth had he gone? That alley was a freaking dead-end! I attempted to track the smell, but I was so febrile I couldn’t focus and the air was all over the place, it was windy. The scent was both nowhere and everywhere. What an idiot! A wolf unable to track someone. I either had issues or bad luck.
“Madelyne!” Damn it. I turned around and faced a furious Adélie, with her fists on her hips. How could I explain what had just happened? I still had trouble fathoming it myself. I was lost. My head had stopped spinning and my heart was beating normally. That was insane. Just seeing him had violently turned my world upside down. I couldn’t speak. “What the hell was that?” she asked.
Esthelle arrived running at this moment, and suddenly stopped, leaning forward red-faced. “No… more… fucking… running….” she panted, holding her ribs.
“Esthelle, language!” her sister snubbed. She looked at me again. That was it. I screwed up. I hadn’t even thought about them when I threw myself out of the car to chase that mysterious lycanthrope. Acting on a whim had consequences. Adélie would not let that go, which I could perfectly understand.
I decided to play the honesty card. “I don’t know, I mean, a wolf has been orbiting around me for some time, and I may be paranoid but I smell him everywhere I go and since I recognized his scent when we were in the car, I… I didn’t think it through, and I ran after him. I was desperate to ask him questions and find out who he was, but he vanished. I’m sorry I ordered you to stop the car in the middle of the road, that was reckless. I’ll get my stuff and I’ll be out of here.”
“Out of here?” Adélie wondered.
“Not today Mr Weasley!” Esthelle answered as she could finally breathe again. I looked at her with incomprehension. Even her sister showed signs of it in her mauve eyes. “AHAHAH! You guys should see your faces. Harry Potter, anyone? Ron, in the Chamber of Secrets? Never mind…” she concluded when we didn’t react to her reference.
Harry Potter was something I really liked but probably not as much as she did. This particular scene hadn’t made its way in my long-term memory with the other famous references. Adélie sighed. She was exasperated. I would be too if Esthelle was my sister, but she was so cute she could easily be forgiven. I had nearly forgotten about everything that had just happened, but it quickly came back to mind. “We’re not going to stay here all day, are we?” the elder witch said exiting the alley.
We silently went back to the car she had rapidly parked alongside the sidewalk. I felt so stupid of this overreacting of mine. I still had a lot to learn and being impulsive was not part of it. I should have tried to think it through before running in blind. Because of it all, I had lost him and my only-starting relationship with the witches. The day was not going to be as good as I thought it would be.
“I’ll let you stay, but only if you promise not to do something like that ever again. Next time, talk to us about it so that we might be able to help you if anything goes wrong.”
“What? But… I…” I was stunned. After what I’d done, she should have yelled at me and fired me immediately. Wait. I really needed to realize not everyone was like my former alpha. I was more than grateful to receive this second chance and nodded along. “I promise.”
“Brilliant. No more running away. Especially not in the mall.”
Twenty minutes later, we were there, and I was smiling again. Not for long though, because since the place swarmed with consumers, I suddenly felt very much oppressed. Spending a few weeks alone in the wild had made me feel terribly claustrophobic. I truly had it all, had I not? The witches noticed I was uncomfortable and did their best to take my mind off of it, and it was quite effective. I got accustomed to the sea of people and the restless sounds of the voices, the screams and the laughter. The place was full of life and I needed to feel it. I needed to see life, hope, love and surround myself with positivity in order to forget the negativity I had lived in my whole life. My new acquaintances helped, and the mall too.
“Where do we start?!” Esthelle eagerly asked, jumping around.
“Clothes first, and we’ll take the food later.”
“Fine by me” I said.
The girls headed for the first shop they saw, and I followed them alongside my friend, Awkwardness. I didn’t want them to spend money for me, I already owed them so much – both literally and figuratively. Yet I seemed to have no choice in the matter. It was hotter than hell and I could use one or two pairs of shorts. And would it be too much to ask for underwear? It was torture to wear stiff jeans with no panties on. We browsed through the shop and I almost puked when I took a look at the prices. Fifty dollars for a T-Shirt? No thank you. It was not even pretty for that matter.
“Seeing anything you like?” Esthelle wondered, framing my neck with an orange foulard.
I took that ugly and expensive thing off my neck and shook my head. “This place is terribly costly”
“Madelyne, you shouldn’t worry about money,” Adélie sighed. “Like many supernatural creatures, we have a lot of it.”
Really? I silently replied. I didn’t know witches possessed as many financial resources as lycanthropes. After all, Milo was a shapeshifter and he was definitely not rich. Unlike Bridget. Now that I thought about it, it seemed most supernatural beings had galore money. Looks like I was the exception that proves the rule. How did they manage to do so? Did they all win the lottery? Wait, no, that was not it. William had invested a few bucks in growing companies, and it had worked. And since all the pack worked, there was more money coming in than coming out. The vampires? They just use their hypnosis and compelling gifts to manipulate investors and get themselves nice and easy jackpots. The witches probably had their own way to make money, especially if they live in groups as well – as Esthelle mentioned in the car. In spite of that discovery, it still felt wrong to strip them of their money.
“Maybe. But that’s already very kind of you to get me a job and a roof, so if you really need to buy me stuff, I won’t refuse because I really need some. But I’d be more comfortable if we kept it to cheaper brands.”
“As you wish” she agreed, leaving the store.
Esthelle grouched but made no comment. They led me into a discount store and conveniently enough, I liked everything in there. If Lola were here, she would have been crazed to see so many clothes in a single place and she would have put together thousands of outfits. My heart ached at the thought of the young fiery girl: she was not here, and she would never be here with me. I quickly looked around and noticed it was more about quantity than quality, but it didn’t matter. I was just looking for some clothes so that I might not be naked, nothing more. I picked up a few tops, mostly sleeveless ones or T-Shirts, as well as two pairs of shorts and jeans, two skirts and dresses, and a jacket. As I had lost some weight, I had to try everything on to make sure it’d fit. Seeing myself in the mirror was still an atrocious trial. I loathed that woman I looked like, and I missed my hips, my breasts and my bottom, all of which used to make people’s heads spin.
I was glad to leave the mirror behind – I was definitely not the fairest one of all – and met with Adélie to show her what I’d found. She insisted I take more stuff, but I did not yield, all of this was more than enough. And besides, if I wanted to gain more weight, buying tons of stuff was pointless since I’d need to buy some bigger ones in a few weeks. When she paid, I was incredibly proud of myself: less than a hundred bucks!
We went into a lingerie store with our bags in our hands, and I bought a dozen panties, three bras and a couple pairs of socks. Esthelle forced me to also take two pajamas. She could be very convincing.
Then, it was time for them to have their fun. I gave the best advice I could about what I liked or despised. Warm tones suited Adélie best, but Esthelle looked m
ore beguiling in darker ones because of her purple hair. They spent much more money than I had, and it was reassuring: I wouldn’t deprive them of much. We had the biggest burst of laughter I had in a long time when Esthelle made Adélie try on a yellowish dress after lots of it’s perfect for you, you’ll be irresistible. I kept laughing and smiling for a good twenty minutes while Adélie was in a sulk because of the joke. And she had her revenge when she forced her sister to try a leopard jacket as purple as her hair. I had a great time.
Three pairs of shoes later, we left for the supermarket to fill our refrigerators. It was real torture for me: I didn’t know what to buy. Before everything, I used to go grocery shopping with Clemencia and we decided together what was to be bought for the whole of the pack, to satisfy their desires and not our own. But now, it was about what I wanted to eat, and I was not used to that. Did I crave frozen French fries or did I want to make them myself? What kind of ketchup would I want most? Did I actually like ketchup anyway? All those possibilities both dazzled and confused me. Thinking about your own cravings was different from being taught what to buy for the cravings of others.
Thankfully enough, I could rely on the witches. Even if they were surprised to see me so lost in a supermarket – I felt them, I was incapable to pick some carrots out of the whole bunch – they gave me the best advice they could. My fridge was not a very large one so I took mostly fruits, vegetables and meat, as well as canned goods, bags of pasta, rice and wheat. Esthelle encouraged me to take some junk like peanut butter, bread, Pop Tarts and other snacks. I was excited to have a proper meal. I also added bottles of juice and after I revealed how much of a coffee addict I was, Adélie decided to offer me a Nespresso machine with a couple different sorts of flavors. It was a walking dream. I only needed my unknown lycanthrope to complete the picture.
“Guys?” Esthelle apostrophized when we were queuing to pay our goods.
“What twisted idea came across your brain now?” Adélie sighed.
“It is not a twisted idea! Since it’s still early, I thought we might go grab a bite somewhere near and then stop by the house to drop the bags and show Madelyne around the city.”
“I already know most of the town,” I said, moving forward with the cart. In two weeks’ time of living in the street, I had had the time to wander around. I might have a small half of the town yet to discover, but I deemed my knowledge of this double-headed metropolis sufficient enough. True, I did have a better knowledge of one side of it – the energetic, economical and crowded one – than of the other – in which I lived with the sisters. A bit of tourism wouldn’t do me harm.
“You’ve already been to the port then? And the beach? And the amusement park? That sucks!” she fulminated, throwing the groceries on the conveyor belt.
“Nope, never been to those places! Looks like you’ll get to play the guide!” I teased, preventing most of the stuff she had thrown on the conveyor belt from falling.
“Great! Let’s go to the beach this afternoon! Oh no, wait, you don’t have a bathing suit! Wait a second!”
And she ran away under her sister’s sorry eye. That girl was quirky. I helped Adélie put the last of the groceries on the conveyor. Esthelle came back a second and a half before we had to pay for everything, and she threw the swimsuit in the hands of the cashier. I couldn’t believe she actually had gone to get that for me, especially since it was not a beautiful one, so I rolled my eyes; but I didn’t complain because she was nice enough to have done so.
I almost fainted when I saw the invoice. How expensive life was! It had never occurred to me while I was shopping with the pack’s account, but now that it was someone else’s money being spent, the bill felt terribly hefty. Granted, unlike what Clemencia and I used to do, the witches had bought anything and everything, but I had still trouble accepting their buying my clothes and food. Adélie threw a dark glance at me, as if reading my mind, implying I were not to make any comment about it. And so, I did not. Even if my tongue ached in not doing so.
The drive back home was jolly. Esthelle did not stop humming: she knew all the songs on the radio. Obviously, a musician ought to be up to date concerning the latest tunes, but I still was very much impressed, for everything I heard was unknown to me.
When we reached home, I helped the girls put their stuff away before going upstairs to deal with mine, starting with the food. Gazing at my filled fridge and cupboards was satisfaction itself. I wouldn’t run short on food for the next few days, and that was a little victory.
“I’ll find a way to repay you girls” I said out loud, thinking about the girls debriefing the morning downstairs. I would not let go of that idea. No matter how long it would take, I would return their favor. I had only met them the previous day, but I knew they were good people who needed to be thanked properly for their help. I’d still be roaming the streets and the dumpsters if it weren’t for them. I owed a great debt.
As I was putting away my new belongings, my heart was almost aching when facing so much kindness. The clothes were not actually the trendiest, but they were mine, and that was all that mattered. I ripped the price tags off and folded the clothes away like some precious treasure I might break. Yet again, it felt so weird to be here, building a new wardrobe, pack-less and witch-ful, whilst my grandmother might have been killed and my darling wolf cubs might be receiving a terrible punishment at this very moment, all at the hand of my former alpha. And there was nothing I could do except fold those tee-shirts. What a wonderful life.
I finished by installing my new coffee machine, even though it took me a good ten minutes to understand how it worked. Back in the pack, William’s wife Olive would make breakfast, and her coffee was mere boiling water and coffee powder. That was truly yucky, but since Sir William liked his coffee black and racy, everyone was supposed to follow his lead. I made myself a cappuccino and until it was ready, I went ahead and settled my new belongings in the bathroom. It included two towels, a bottle of shower gel (cherry-pomegranate scented), a bottle of shampoo, a hairbrush, elastics and bobby pins. One needn’t much to feel home.
The scent of cappuccino filled the air and I sighed with pleasure. COFFEE! When I was drinking that delicious hot drink with lots of sugar, I couldn’t think about anything else. I couldn’t think, for that matter.
I left the bathroom and nearly ran to the mug. With a pounding heart, my lips dove into the milky foam and once it reached my mouth and spread over my tongue, all the different savours burst on my taste buds. Pure, intense pleasure. That sounded like a commercial but that was barely an exaggeration. Life without coffee was no life. If you think about it, coffee was energy, and life was all about energy, so in the end, coffee WAS life itself, period. I enjoyed the rest of the life in my cup with my eyes closed, trying to uncover all the different flavors it was made of. It was not as good as Milo’s, but it was very good indeed.
“Madelyne!” Esthelle yelled from the living room. “Let’s not dawdle, I wanna go to the beach!”
“She’s a pain in the neck,” I grumbled half-seriously before yelling back that I’d be right there.
I had my final sip and jumped into my bathing suit. Esthelle’s eagerness to go was both amusing and annoying. But whatever, I didn’t take it the wrong way because I was eager to go there too.
When I was little, I’d often go to the beach with Andrea and my parents. I could picture myself back in the day with my buckets and my little shovel. My dad would build the towers of the sandcastle and I’d dig the moats. My mother would walk by the water and pick some pretty shells to decorate it all. As for my grandmother, she was always gazing at us from her deckchair up the beach, even though she’d hold a book in her hands. True, she’d sometimes come and help us. We’d spend hours in front of the ocean, building castles, turtles or other animals with sand. I would eventually go for a swim or get into our old rubber ring which my dad would push around or spin in the water. The peals of laughter, and my parents’ smile, and the pleasure I took splashing in th
e salted water or fishing crabs or jumping from rock to rock would never be forgotten. Those were good memories. Maybe the best ones of my childhood, even. After my parents’ death, I had never set foot on a beach ever again.
Suddenly, I started welling up. I hadn’t realized I’d be going back to the ocean without them. This sunny afternoon might turn out to be a personal trial after all. But I’d get through it. I always did.
Chapter 7
Everybody was out in the sun of that beautiful Saturday afternoon. Its bright rays spread all over the sand and the ocean, it made the humans’ delicate skin glow and tan. The overwhelming heat lured people into the water, whose waves were like thousands of shimmering diamonds fluttering in time with the backwash. You could hear the far cries of the gliding birds, echoing and melting with the sound of the water. Children ran in every direction shouting with excitement, and some of them were building sandcastles.
It was painful. The memories were all rushing back, and their arrows pierced my heart. The smiles, the love, the happiness, they were sharing them all while I was far away from everything. At least, I was with my new friends, which was truly comforting. And the whiff of the lycanthrope I could recognize amongst thousand others still prowled in the air. Was he following me? Why was he here? Was he watching me right now?
My eyes wandered throughout the beach looking for him, unsuccessfully. That man was the king of the “Hide and Seek” land. I rubbed my shoulders and decided not to care. He had never caused me any harm, and his scent helped me stay calm and overcome my being back to the ocean. And I had no desire to give myself grief today.
“Shall we go grab a bite? I’m starving!” Esthelle complained.
“Where would you like to eat, Madelyne?” Adélie asked.
I was glad she took my desires and opinions into consideration, but I didn’t know a thing about the restaurants and diners around, which meant I was totally useless, for a change. “I have no idea, I don’t know my options.”
She-Wolf I Page 8
