by A. Z. Green
“Garik, you've barely shown your face since your return. You've told me nothing about your visit-”
“They're my family, it's my business.”
“Nevertheless, I'm your Pack Leader, and I need to know everything that's going on.”
Garik turned to face Nik. “Well, it's a shame you're not telepathic then, isn't it?”
Nik regarded him sternly. “I hope, you didn't upset them.”
Garik scoffed. Nik glared at him. Garik became serious and sighed. “I told them that we had Jaz.”
“That sounds like a ransom note.” Garik was about to protest when Nik cut in. “What else?”
“They were upset to say the least.”
“I'm sure you were very sensitive about it,” Nik said, in a way that you were never sure if he was being serious or just plain sarcastic.
Garik eyed him uncertainly. “It wasn't all hugs and kisses, but I'm fine, thanks for asking,” he retorted, adding enough sarcasm for the both of them.
Nik's lips twitched up in a momentary smile, then disappeared without a trace. “I realize it must have been hard for you. And I know that's why you've been avoiding her-”
“I haven't been-”
“-but you'll have to meet her, sooner rather than later.”
“Is that an order?” Garik asked sardonically. He wasn't disloyal, just very stubborn and hotheaded.
“No. More like friendly advice.” Nik turned ready to head for the door. Garik calling his name stopped him. He looked back at him, one hand resting on the doorframe.
“How is she?”
Nik regarded him for a moment. “She's well, considering. But it will take time for her to process all this.”
Garik nodded. “It will get harder for her if the Change doesn't start soon.”
Nik studied Garik with a faint smile replying, “But she has people around who care about her, right?” Garik stared intently at Nik.“We'll just have to wait it out till then.”
Garik scowled. “She's my niece, my blood. She will Change make no mistake about that, and she'll do it in her own damn time,” he snapped.
“I don't doubt it. Believe me.” And with that, he left the office, and Garik with a puzzled look on his face.
Then Garik's face lit up when he understood and slapped his head for not realizing it sooner.
~Chapter 19- Discover~
Saturday May 28th , 5:05 p.m. - Cabin no2
From the moment Jaz was in her new bedroom she sat on the bed and began reading her dead sister's diary.
It was upsetting and eerie to read the words of a dead person. Especially when she wrote about a baby that had felt like Jaz's. That she'd grieved for when she'd 'lost' it. Now she knew for sure the baby in the nightmare had been Lora's. And for some very terrifying yet strangely comforting reason, she and Jaz had been bound together during her sister's last breaths.
She'd first scanned to the last page Lora had written. It was full of worry, excitement and suspicion.
Fri, Jan 15th, 2010.
I have an odd feeling. You know that feeling you get when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end? Like something is very, very wrong? That's the best way I can describe how I feel right now.
I know I've been going through all these difficulties with Fraya
Jaz frowned.
Who's Fraya?
but I have a feeling that something bad might be about to happen.
She's always been offensive and rude towards me. Always giving me grief. But she's suddenly changed, as if she's waiting for something. Like today, she's given me the same look. It's unnerving.
I've seen it before, in a film or on TV perhaps.
All it reminds me of is the look someone gives their enemy when they have a plan brewing and it's beginning to come to fruition.
She's always been jealous of me. She's always wanted what I have. And she hates that I got it so easily when she's struggled and still hasn't succeeded. She even lost her mate. I feel for her, I felt for her more before than I do now, but after all this shit and stress she's put me through, I can't defend her reasons anymore.
She's always wanted Nik. But he's mine.
“Nik.” Jaz frowned at the name on the lined paper. “Nik?” She'd never heard of anyone called Nik. But he had obviously been very close to Lora.
Maybe he was the father? Maria never said though... Jaz frowned at that realization. And this Fraya had been jealous of her?
That made her gut turn cold. Something was very wrong about this. She knew what her fear was trying to say but she shut the thought out. “No.”
She noticed that Lora was much more mature than Jaz. She had a grown-up, eloquent way of writing. And she didn't swear as much. Jaz felt a little embarrassed about that.
She thought about her sister's last words.
But he's mine.
Lora was strong-willed, defiant and it sounded as if she spoke with absolute conviction. Jaz suddenly felt low. She wished she could feel that way about someone. And that they would feel the same for her. And it made her even more upset that Lora had lost all that love so tragically.
Another thing she realized with a gasp, was the date of the last entry. It was the night before Jaz's nightmare. It confirmed everything she knew was impossible and yet it had really happened. When Lora had been dying, when she'd lost her baby, Jaz had been there not physically but in spirit or the nearest thing to it. Jaz wondered what would have happened if she had been awake at the time. Would it have flashed in front of her eyes like a hallucination?
She remembered the sudden image of the terrifying dark face when she'd been standing inside the public toilets at the petrol station and shivered. That day felt like a millennium ago.
It was the last time I'd spoken to Lisa, she recalled, and pain seared through her chest. She had to ask Maria or Driver again to allow her to speak to her family and friends. She'd beg if she had to.
She snapped out of her thoughts and continued to flick through pages, starting from the first entry, scanning for Nik's name.
The first entry dated from two months before Lora found out she was pregnant. May 23rd 2010.
There were lots of mention of Fraya, two girls called Sunhild and Kenna. Another called Kelda who Jaz found out was Kenna's younger sister. There was no mention of ages. Jaz guessed there was another diary somewhere with more information on the people at Deer Creek. Lora had obviously been there long enough before this diary to write who was who.
Edda was also mentioned. She hadn't been Lora's trainer and that surprised Jaz.
There were other names mentioned too but she didn't take the time to read much about them. Garik her uncle, who she still hadn't met and didn't care to meet either. Arik who sounded like a pretty important guy.
Maybe he's the Pack Leader? She wondered.
When Edda had said she had been chosen to be her Carer by the Pack Leader, Jaz had been too stunned by the term to ask who it was.
After all the books she'd read -Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong to name a few- she associated the term with werewolves. That horrified her beyond belief. She'd then silently laughed it off as she'd gotten up to put her plate in the sink and thought, Oh come on, werewolves? Seriously? If I'm a werewolf then pigs fly. She'd eyed the sky out the window momentarily before blinking and shaking her head at her stupidity.
She reminded herself to find out who this 'Pack Leader' was later.
In Lora's diary, there was a lot about Nik. Some pages she scanned over, blushing. She thought it would be disrespectful to read all the intimate moments between her sister and her lover. And he was her lover. There was no doubt about that.
She raised a brow then focused on the page she'd been reading, realizing it was a pretty detailed account of sex between them. She slammed the book shut looking back at the closed door as if she'd been caught doing something very naughty and then giggled quietly to herself with her hand clamped on her mouth. When she'd gained her composure, she brushed her finger
s through her hair and blew air out her cheeks. She hugged her knees to her chest and glanced to her side at the blue book.
Just then, Edda called her for dinner. Jaz furrowed her brow, peering up at the pastel green wall clock to her right. It was already six o'clock. She slid off the bed, tucked the book under the mattress and sauntered left down the hallway, through the doorway into the kitchen.
The smell of blood and meat nearly choked her. It was revolting and mouth-watering. She was getting sick of the double feelings.
The primal side that she'd only recently been introduced to, was threatening to unleash itself. She forced herself to hold still. Not seeing the kitchen or Edda as she placed the food down in front of her on the breakfast bar.
She held her breath, then slowly, very slowly, breathed in. Then out. Then in. She let the scent pour into her nostrils. It entered her lungs and then escaped again. She could feel the monster inside being slowly chained up. She held it there, daring it to break free. It snarled inside of her. She blanched but knew it was a part of her and she needed to control it. For now, she was safe.
Edda had been watching her from the corner of her eye. Jaz now looked up at her as she stood reluctantly behind her bar stool. “Well, come sit.” Edda encouraged as she opened her hand out to the food.
It was then Jaz observed the sight of it for the first time. There were two plates piled high with steaks 'cooked' rare. It was still bloody and pink. Jaz had a mental image of it getting up and jumping off the plate. She nearly burst into another fit of giggles. On top of her sordid reading, the strong meaty smell and her tightly wound control made her feel giddy and lightheaded.
She sat down on the bar stool before she fell down, staring with wide eyes at the tower of meat. There was an oven dish with roast potatoes, another bowl with green beans and peas, and another with carrots and parsnips. Now, it smelt sensational.
But if Edda expected her to eat all of it, she was dreaming.
“Are we expecting the whole village for dinner?” Jaz asked with a raised eyebrow.
Edda grinned.“Funny.”
“You can't expect me to eat all that? My arteries will clog up before I can finish it.”
Edda gazed at Jaz disapprovingly though she didn't hide her amusement at her jokes. “This is what you should be having.”
“I'll be the size of a house within a week!”
Edda rolled her wide brown eyes. “I've got a plan all worked out for you, starting tomorrow.”
Jaz frowned. “What's happening tomorrow?”
“You'll be working hard, like the rest of us. And you'll soon have a fitness regime. Trust me, after that, you won't be worrying about putting on any weight, other than muscle.” Jaz watched her uneasily. “Now eat up, or I'll double it.”
Jaz obeyed and rather than scoffing it down like a part of her really wanted to, she ate slowly and chewed more times than was necessary before swallowing. It meant she felt full quicker, but she persevered.
When she managed to finish her monstrous portion, she leant back in her chair and held her swollen stomach. The image of her nightmare came back to her. Her belly had been swollen then, but with a lifeless child. Edda saw the change in her expression and immediately dragged her out of her dark thoughts.
“I'm really proud of you.” Jaz looked up. Her dark green-blue eyes were sad. She smiled weakly and Edda asked, “Room for dessert?” Jaz's face lit up as she laughed. “Take that as a no?” Edda smirked.
“Hmmm...Maybe later.”
~Chapter 20- Scatter~
Saturday May 28th , 11:48 p.m - Library
“What do you want?”
“She's been moved to a cabin.”
The young man rolled his eyes. “Yes I know that. The whole community knows that! Tell me something useful!” he hissed. The taller man, his other contact, studied him carefully. The young man sighed and asked calmly, “She hasn't had any attacks? Anything?”
“No.”
“What about Lora? What does she know about her?”
“Just what Maria told her,” his contact shrugged.
“Is there anything she didn't tell us at the council meeting?”
His contact shook his head. “I don't know for sure,” he replied, sweeping his calloused hand over his very short hair.
“What about Lora and Nik? He was very reluctant to talk about that at the council meeting.”
“No one's told Jaz. Nik made them swear not to.”
The young man snapped his head up.“Interesting,” he purred thoughtfully. “When did you find this out?”
“Yesterday. I know someone who likes to gossip,” the contact added with a mischievous grin.
“Hmm. See what else your gossiper knows.”
The taller man bowed his head ever so slightly in compliance. “She also doesn't know who he really is,” he added, not knowing if this was important or not.
The young man frowned. “Meaning?”
“She doesn't know he's the Pack Leader. And she doesn't know his real name.”
The young man raised his brows.“You mean...?”
The taller man nodded. The young man grinned menacingly. “Oh that is interesting. Nik has a crush on the new girl. Two sisters. You dirty dog.” He smiled darkly.
“What are your orders?”
The young man turned to him. “Watch her. I want you to keep an eye on her. Tell me when she changes, tell me who she's close to, anything you can find out. Especially if it involves Nik.”
“I'll meet you here the same time in a week, unless it's urgent.”
The sound of someone passing by the library entrance made the two of them scatter away, like cockroaches from the light.
~Chapter 21- Build~
Sunday May 29th , 6:39 a.m. - Log Cabin
Jaz stumbled into the kitchen in red short-shorts and a Guns 'n' Roses t-shirt. Her dark auburn hair -now halfway down her upper arm- was a bird's nest. Her face was all puffy, her eyes red and droopy. She hated being woken up early. Especially when she'd had a bad night's sleep.
It made her very grumpy.
“Jaz this is-”
“What time is it?” she grumbled. She squinted at the kitchen clock through heavy eyelids. Her eyes widened as if she'd been splashed with cold water. “What the hell!? I don't think I've ever been up this early in all my life!” she cried.
The three girls in the living room stared at her, unable to hide the fact they found her reaction, strange and yet, hilarious.
Skye was sitting on the armchair in pale, denim shorts, high top grey trainers and a yellow t-shirt with the iconic smiley face from Forrest Gump. She had her strawberry-blonde hair tied up high in a pony tail. The waves cascaded down like a silky waterfall.
A girl with a bright smile was sitting on the three seater back to front on her knees, with her elbows resting on the top of the cream leather. She was wearing harem style, khaki combats with cuffed legs, old, white canvas trainers and a white vest with a checkered red and navy shirt over the top. Her hair was the same colour as Edda's sandy brown, though very long and wavy. She had it tied to one side in a loose ponytail.
The other girl was standing by the fireplace. She had turned around when Jaz came in, peeking up at her between her solid bangs. Her hair was honey blonde, thick and poker straight. Her eyes were framed neatly with black eyeliner and she had on a luminous peach- coloured lipstick. She was wearing a loose, sleeveless, white, cotton blouse with buttons down the front, navy leggings that stopped halfway up her toned pale calves and navy canvas trainers with white laces.
She was very light skinned compared to her golden tanned sister. From the short glance Jaz sent their way, she could see they were sisters because apart from the hair and make up -or lack of-, they looked almost exactly the same.
But she barely paid them any attention. She didn't even notice Skye sat near the door. She was too busy focusing on Edda as she was the one who had woken her up at this ungodly hour. “Why in the hell did you wake me up so bl
oody early!?” she snapped, glaring at her.
Edda tried to stifle the urge to smile but failed. She leant against the worktop, clothed in faded jeans and a vest. “I told you I was gonna work you hard. You'll have to get used to getting up this early and sleeping when I tell you to sleep.”
Jaz scowled. Skye stood up and walked over to the breakfast bar. She leant against it and smiled at Jaz. It took Jaz a moment to recognize her, she was that exhausted. Her expression changed from angry to apologetic in a flash. “Skye...”
“Hey Jaz,” she beamed.
Edda barged in. “As I was saying before you got your pants in a twist- you know Skye, so she needs no introduction. This,” she pointed to the bright smiling girl on the sofa, “is Kenna and Kelda,” she pointed to the golden blonde by the fireplace. “My daughters.” Jaz glanced at Edda with surprise. She couldn't imagine Edda having two grown up daughters. They must have been about Jaz's age, maybe a few years younger. As if reading her mind, Edda added, “Kenna is my eldest. She's twenty-one. Kelda will be nineteen next month.”
Jaz gazed at them awkwardly. She'd lashed out at their mother without even realizing they were related. Her cheeks grew hot.
But they didn't seem to have been offended. In fact they both smiled.
Kenna grinned at her widely and had a very friendly face. Kelda was softer, quieter and seemed the type to listen rather than tell you her problems. But Jaz was just guessing. She was usually a good judge of character. Apart from her Aunt Erica. That was a one off cock-up of the century.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Kenna said, after walking up to her. She then held out her hand. Jaz shook it lightly.
Kelda bobbed her head from her place by the fire. Jaz did the same in response.
“We've got a job for you to do,” Skye announced, revealing a small gap in her front teeth as she grinned.
