by Jordan Deen
The first few pages of the book were written in scribbled, wobbly writing. “How old were you when you did this?” My fingers grazed over the ink stained page, half expecting something to happen.
“I started when I was around twelve.” She showed me a few more symbols and explained some of the chapters in the novel. Before long, the sun disappeared behind the tall trees and the temperature in the cabin dropped. My bond with Serena coated my skin, enveloping me and connecting me to a culture filled with myths and legends. The notebook in my hand held invaluable information about our history through Serena’s young eyes. It even held random feelings and insights into transforming, her own mating, and based on some of the symbols, her childbirth. But, I had yet to meet any of Serena’s children, or her mate.
“I can tell what you are thinking,” she said as a large black and white photo of a man in a tuxedo caught my eye over the flameless fireplace. “That is Josef. He is my late husband.”
“Late?” Serena was old, but not old enough that her husband could have died of natural causes.
“Yes, he died in search of you.” The bodies were really stacking up when it came to search parties for me. With so much collateral damage, I’m surprised they continued to bother. “That was many, many years ago.” Her delicate fingers brushed the length of the frame. “Now, Brandon sent this for you.” She pulled an iPod out of a box from a bookshelf. My iPod. “He would have given it to you sooner, but he wanted to load some new music on there for you. And since we have no computers…,” Or televisions, or phones, or any other device to reach the outside world…“it took him a little while.”
“Thank you.” I hugged her, and then stared dumbfounded at my old friend grasped in my hand. The battered case still had my stickers plastered on the outside. My purple headphones were spun around it, just like I had left it, all those months ago on my computer desk. My favorite drummer, Travis Barker, awaited my return. I couldn’t wait to let him numb my brain and temporarily forget my troubles.
“Let’s go. I think that’s enough for one day. I need to help out with dinner tonight since Emile and Ava are still gone. You can go back to your room though. You have some reading and catching up to do.” She tapped on the iPod and led me back out of her house into the woods towards camp.
“Where are you going?” Lily whined as I walked away from her after dinner.
“To the room.” If I said my room, I’d have to listen to her justification as to why half the room was hers, and why it’s better that we were sharing a room instead of bunking alone. That wasn’t an argument I’d let her win, but one that she wouldn’t give up on either.
“Why? Don’t you want to go hang out with Nicole and Lucia? They are going tracking tonight.”
“Tracking what?”
Lily threw on the breaks. I whirled around to confront her. She was hiding something. “What are they tracking?”
“Ummm…” She examined the floor, waiting for it to swallow her whole, but I’d probably dive in after her to reveal her secret. “I don’t know.”
“You’re lying to me.” I backed her against the wall, cornering her, and denied her any reprieve. If I had to put up with washing Barbie’s clothes along with mine, then she would bend to my will. “Tell me… now.” Intimidating a little girl was an all time low for me, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Dillon. Nicole is bent that he came back and didn’t stop to see her. I heard her say that Brandon sent Dillon back to deliver stuff to Serena. No one knows what exactly, but rumor is it’s something important.” The iPod burned a hole in my pocket. A dangerous trinket that made me wonder if Michael knew Brandon had sent it to me, and had Brandon sent anything else back from the life the Mares had orchestrated around me? Maybe Serena kept other items from my old life from me?
c h a p t e r
FIVE
The sun shone brighter than it had in weeks. The birds sang the first melodies of spring, and the creek’s gentle melody could be heard from the cabins. Chores flew by with my iPod cranked as loud as I could get it. The playlist Alex made for me was gone. Their absence really didn’t surprise me, considering Brandon had my iPod the last few months. He may have removed the playlist, but some of Alex’s favorite artists remained, mixed in with mine. It was easy to slip back into my old routine with my friends to keep me company. All my morning chores were almost pleasant with an important part of my life returned to me. Lily and Nicole asked about the iPod several times, and it didn’t take long for the rumors to fly that it was part of a box that Dillon carried into the camp yesterday morning.
“What’s the plan for today?” Nicole joined my side, tossing a scrub rag and cleaner onto the counter. “Do you want to hike to the creek with Lucia and me?”
If I told her about Serena’s journals, she may tell Lucia or Bailey then more rumors would circulate about the box and Dillon’s visit. Everything around camp had become about the what if’s and what could be’s. The last thing the camp needed was another round of false rumors about Brandon and me. Rumors that ranged from our bond was fake, to he searched for another mate, or he was looking for a way to un-mate with me. That rumor hurt worse than the others, but since he gave me the iPod, I seriously doubted he searched for another mate. Maybe he searched for a way to grow our bond, or strengthen the pack… although, deep down, I knew he searched for Alex; to destroy him because he thought that was the only way to win me back.
“I don’t feel well. I’m not up for a hike.” I blew her off. A hike with Lucia didn’t sound appealing in the slightest.
“We could hang out here. We could play cards? Or, I could ditch Lucia and we could hang out if you want. How are you doing? I know you hung out at Serena’s cabin yesterday.”
“Yeah, I did.” The less information I shared, the better. But she persisted.
“What did you guys talk about? I mean, did she try some more potions on you? Or did she try any spells?”
“Spells?”
“Yeah, I’ve never been to her place, but everyone says she has the old books there. The ones when our pack embraced wizardry. Did you see anything like that?” She leaned on her elbows, expecting me to dish on Serena’s secret cottage, but there was no way. I wouldn’t betray the trust Serena had bestowed upon me.
“No, I just saw photos of my parents and stuff.” After seeing Nicole’s curiosity, I’d have to find a better hiding spot for Serena’s journal and start peeking around myself.
“She showed you their family book?” Nicole stared hard at me, like she could detect the lie lurking beneath the surface.
“No, just the book of mates.” Then, it occurred to me, I probably shouldn’t have told her any of this. Serena said she liked her privacy.
“Oh, that’s cool.” Nicole changed the subject as Bailey came in the kitchen door, “So how about that hike?”
“Sure, it’ll be fun,” Bailey said, not the least bit convincing. She busied herself untwisting the rags Nicole discarded and folded them. That was the first time I noticed, Bailey didn’t have a mark on either of her hands like Nicole or Lucia. She wasn’t mated. It made sense why she got left out of some of the excursions Nicole and Lucia made—both could transform, she couldn’t. We had more in common than I assumed.
“I don’t feel like a hike.” I picked up my hoodie from the counter, and turned to head to the bedroom. The rest of the playlist Brandon created was just waiting to be explored. Most of the new songs he uploaded, I hadn’t heard, but thoroughly enjoyed. Although, I started to realize the underlying theme of many of his songs were love, dying without love, or missing love.
“Did you hear that Dillon was here yesterday?” Bailey asked before I could get out the door.
“Yeah, I heard the rumor.” My fingers dug into the iPod in my pocket.
“Do you know why he was here?” she questioned.
“No. I have no idea.”
“Some people are saying he was here to drop off stuff from Brandon, but what we can’
t understand is why he wouldn’t have stopped to see Nicole.”
“Maybe he was in a hurry,” I snapped at her. Again, they treated me like the outsider.
“Maybe you know more than you are telling us.” Bailey stood directly in front of me, blocking the doorway.
“I don’t know anything.” I brushed past her, but she grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“It’s awfully convenient that we’ve had to go into hiding and be separated from our pack and our families all because of you.” Her fingers tightened around my forearm. Her dark eyes grew darker in the shadowing of her brows as she leaned forward. She tried to intimidate me, and she would have likely succeeded, except Nicole stopped her.
“Okay, truce guys. We’re all on the same side.” She stepped between us and pushed on Bailey’s stomach until she was at least two feet from me.
“Speak for yourself.” She knocked Nicole’s hand away, and stormed off from the kitchen, leaving us standing there. It made me wonder what the hell had just happened. What did she mean separated from their families? We all lived in the same town. Hell, we ate dinner together every night.
“Don’t worry about her,” Nicole said. “She’s just…” Lily danced through the door.
“What’s going on? What’s up with Bailey?” That was the million-dollar question. What was up with her and why had she taken it out on me? “Is she still pissed about Brandon?” Lily threw her hands over her mouth. Another piece of information slipped from her innocent lips, and sparked my curiosity.
“Brandon?” My concentrated gaze fell to Nicole. She started to back out of the kitchen. She wouldn’t get away that easily. “Nicole… what about Brandon?”
The unhappiness she felt weighed down on her shoulders, and locked her in place, for the inquisition to continue. “Why would Bailey be upset over Brandon?”
Nicole glared at Lily before she finally answered. The suspense hung in the air, making it hard to breathe. “See, we didn’t want to worry you over anything. I mean, it’s not like anything ever happened between them.”
The picture became clear. “Bailey and Brandon… dated?”
“No! Oh… um.” Nicole stopped and drummed her nails on the counter, glaring at Lily again. “It’s not like that. Bailey has always had a huge crush on Brandon. Remember how I told you I mated with Dillon? Well, Bailey hasn’t been mated, and she’ll be eighteen soon. So, she was holding out hope that if you weren’t found, she’d…”
I finished her sentence, “That she could be mated with him.” My heart sank thinking of how Nicole thought she would never mate or transform until she met Dillon. Bailey probably thought the pack would see her as Brandon’s savior if I died, and he needed someone. She could have comforted him and loved him. A love she craved, but he willingly gave to me, regardless of my heart being elsewhere.
“She wasn’t even supposed to be here with us…” Lily started, but Nicole stopped her quickly.
“What we mean is—we’re sorry. We shouldn’t have brought this up.” She laid her hand on mine, making the hair on my arms stand on end. “Lacey, don’t worry about it. She’s just hopeful she will transform. You have to understand… all of her friends and family are.”
“Right, I know. I’m not mad or anything. I guess I just feel bad that he can’t be the one for her.”
“Look, the mating happens the way it does for a reason. If she was meant to be with him, then she would have been. It’s just a crush. If she’s meant to transform, she will.”
“Well, I guess that is why she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.”
“Who doesn’t hate Lacey?” Serena had a bad habit of sneaking up on us.
“No-one,” Nicole and Lily mumbled. They were probably afraid they would get into trouble for the information they had shared. But really, Bailey couldn’t help herself. Brandon was compassionate, kind, and gorgeous. Not to mention, the future leader of the pack. I never saw myself as competition for anyone, but that was how she saw me.
“Okay girls. Get to the rest of your chores. Lacey, stay a minute?” Nicole and Lily didn’t waste any time; they abandoned me the first second they were given the chance. As soon as the kitchen door shut behind them, we heard Nicole yell at Lily. Serena’s eyebrows rose, pushing me into the wall with her scrutiny. Obviously, she heard more than we wanted her to. “So, I’m assuming they told you about Bailey’s intentions with Brandon.”
“They didn’t mean to tell me anything. And really… they didn’t.” Ratting them out wasn’t an option. They were the only ones I could rely on to let information slip. “Bailey got upset and I wanted to know what was going on. They just said she had a crush on Brandon.”
“Is that all they’ve told you?” Nicole asking about spells, talking about books, and telling me about Dillon’s mate, all rushed into the front of my mind and probably across my face. The corner of her mouth pulled up, showing she knew more than I was willing to tell her. When I didn’t respond, she continued, “Okay then. How are you coming along with my journal?”
The journal. Truly, I was only five-pages in. And so far, it was just the ramblings of a love obsessed, preteen girl, waiting to be mated so she could move out of her parent’s house and out from under their rules. “I’m getting through it slowly.” Her writing couldn’t hold my interest, but that wasn’t something I really wanted to tell her.
She gave me a knowing smile then headed for the door. “I have some business to attend to. Why don’t you go and work on that journal for a bit, then you can join the girls if you’d like.” Without further discussion, she was out the door and going about her “business.” Nicole and Lily were probably long gone to the stream, or maybe Nicole had gone to smooth things over with Bailey, but one thing was for sure—I wasn’t heading to the stream with any of them.
The playlist Brandon uploaded to my iPod included Breaking Benjamin, old-school Aerosmith, All American Rejects, Kings of Leon and more Framing Hanley. I pulled my earphones out and scrolled through the grouping of mismatched songs.
I thumbed to page six of Serena’s journal and lounged back on the bed.
January 17, 1944
Camilla and Richard are taking the kids to Welches for ice creams. Tawny and Brent mated yesterday, and they are only twelve! TWELVE! Why haven’t I yet? I’m tired of being treated like a child.
Most of the passage reminded me of Lily and her whining. I guess I should have been thankful that Lily already had Matt.
I can’t believe Maxwell and Isla are being allowed to move into the Reynolds house together. If I don’t get to mate with Daniel, I will die. Worse, what happens if I don’t mate? My parents will be so disappointed; imagine, their only child, never mated and never transformed. Never to carry on their legacy. My father will die of embarrassment. They are already disappointed they didn’t have a boy. All they got was me. But I’ll show them. My magic will rival that of Galena. They will see.
“Hey, what are you reading?” Lily bounced onto my bed, startling me, and I threw the journal under my pillow hastily.
“Nothing.” In my rush, the iPod fell off the bed and onto the floor. If it was broken, she’d be a dead girl.
“Then why are you being so secretive?” She grabbed at the pillow, almost getting the journal out of its hiding spot.
“Because sometimes I don’t want to share everything that I’m doing or reading or listening to.” I snapped, and jumped from the bed to claim the iPod from the floor. Quickly, I turned the dial and said a silent prayer that it still worked
“Geez. What’s gotten into you?” She jumped from my bed to hers, and tossed the blankets over her legs. “You know you should just tell me. Maybe I can help you with whatever it is.”
“I don’t want any help, nor do I need it.” With my iPod stuffed in my pocket, and the journal under my arm, I stormed from the room, out of the front door, and into the woods.
It wasn’t until I found a nice patch of grass, next to a tall evergreen, that I realized—
no one followed me into the woods. Other than the chirping of a few birds overhead, and squirrels playing in the trees, I was utterly alone with my thoughts. Outside, in the crisp mountain air, I could sing to the iPod, dance in the stream, or just laugh at myself: anything. And no one would judge me. Another first. Alone in the woods without prying eyes. Then, what Brandon said echoed in the caverns of my mind. He expected me to run. If I didn’t go back, they would assume I had run, and then what? What would they do? How would Brandon react, and had Lily already contacted him? Had she rushed to Serena and told her that I’d run off into the woods on my own?
Then, I decided to do something bold, something brave and later I would realize, something extremely stupid. If I ran then they would likely call Brandon, he’d be forced to come back and search for me again. I sat on the patch of grass, pushed my earphones in, cranked Brandon’s playlist, and turned to page seven in Serena’s journal. If they were going to wage a large scale, all-camp search for me, I figured I might as well be comfortable while I waited.
By page twenty-two, I learned several new symbols, more information about Serena’s family, and delved further into her longing for a mate. But, I also decided no one was coming, and my iPod battery was running low. I shoved it back into my pocket, tucked the journal away, and searched for the path. But with the light fading and the stream’s echo coming from all directions, it was hard to tell which way to go. And if I didn’t figure it out, shortly, I’d be a Popsicle. A hoodie, a thin layer of jeans, and my sneakers, were not suited for a chilly overnight in the wilderness.
“Hello?” I called out. With a camp full of werewolves at my beck and call, surely someone would hear me. Someone would rush through the trees any moment and tackle me. But it didn’t happen. So, I screamed louder, “Hello? Help?” Somehow, I figured adding help would matter, but it didn’t. No one ran out of the woods. Desperation settled in as I stumbled over fallen branches and slipped on discarded leaves. My jeans tore on a jagged rock and warm crimson blood oozed down my leg. Now, I’d die of hypothermia and blood loss.
