by Sky Winters
“Thanks!” Jake had replied, straying from the track to the fence separating the bleachers from the field. “You should join. I know you would probably blow me out of the water.”
I grinned and shook my head. “No, I’m not interested.”
Jake and I were very different. I liked to be by myself most of the time, while Jake was the kind of guy who thrived when all eyes were on him. In fact, he had been absurdly popular all through school. When we had been partnered in the science lab in junior high, I’d honestly expected to hate him. We had seen each other briefly at shifter gatherings before, but he’d seemed like such a conceited asshole that I’d stayed away from him. But during the project we did together, I realized that he was actually a smart, sweet guy. It had been the beginning of a life-long attraction toward him.
“Well it would make the team a lot more fun if you were here,” Jake said, his grey eyes looking deeply into mine. He had no idea how much I wanted for him to mean that. Even better if it meant that Jake wanted to spend more time with me. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“I’d feel too out of place,” I said. Still, I was tempted to join. Just for the opportunity to spend more time with him outside of class.
“Well then we should do something else. Are you free tonight? Practice is almost over and I don’t have anything to do.”
Jake said this as he toweled off his sweating face, so he likely hadn’t seen the way my face lit up. I used this to my advantage, and tried to compose myself before his intoxicating eyes looked back into mine.
“I think it should be fine,” I said, trying to play it cool. All I ever had on my agenda was homework, and sometimes I even got assignments done weeks early.
“Great,” Jake said. “Wait for me in the parking lot. I’ll drive you somewhere cool.”
I could hardly believe my ears, and waited with butterflies in my stomach until Jake was completely finished with practice. He came out freshly showered and dressed in a crisp white t-shirt and snug jeans. I was embarrassed when he caught me staring at him, but instead of acting like he was weirded out, he grinned at me knowingly. It was the first time such a small gesture electrified my entire body.
“Do you have a curfew?” he asked as we climbed into his car.
“No,” I said. “I don’t live with my parents.”
“What?!” Jake exclaimed. “You live alone?”
I was prepared for him to overreact about it, the way many people had when I informed them that I’d been “emancipated,” but instead his face lit up as if I’d told him the best news he’d ever heard. “That’s so cool!”
I shrugged.
“My father lived in the Bayou…an outcast. And my mother moved here. But they were both killed. So now I take care of myself.”
“I’m sorry,” Jake said, frowning. “I didn’t mean that it’s awesome about your parents…”
I laughed awkwardly. I didn’t want Jake to think that I was some weird, doom and gloom kind of person. I wanted him to like me. I wanted him to think I was cheerful like he was.
“It’s not like you knew that. And it really is cool to live alone,” I said, trying to get the spark back into his eyes.
“I can imagine. My dad is such an ass!” Jake exclaimed, punching his steering wheel. It startled me. “He expects me to be just like he was when he was young. He’s got issues or something. Be glad you don’t have to deal with a dad like that. Sometimes I wish I was an orphan.”
I laughed, even though half of what he was saying made me uncomfortable. He wouldn’t be saying that if it actually happened to him. But it wasn’t like he was trying to step on my toes. He just didn’t understand how hard it was to lose your family.
“This is the spot!” Jake said suddenly, swerving the car and pulling over at the side of the road.
“This?” I asked skeptically. It didn’t seem like there was anything here.
We had driven out of the city limits, to an area I had never been before. It was wooded, and the afternoon was becoming evening. Still, I was thrilled to be anywhere with him.
“Get out, I want to show you my favorite thing.”
I got out of the car nervously, and followed Jake through the thick collection of trees. We walked for about fifteen minutes before we stopped at a marshy stream.
“I come out here alone sometimes,” he said, his voice low. “To shift.”
My eyes widened when Jake took my hands in his own and gripped them tightly. “I want to shift with you.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, and somehow I blurted exactly what I had been thinking the whole time we were together.
“I’ll shift with you if you kiss me first.”
Jake seemed surprised for a moment, but soon a fire lit up his eyes.
Soon, his soft lips were pressed against my own, and we spent the rest of the night running through the woods together, the truest form of ourselves that we could possibly be.
Chapter 3
I woke up groggy a few hours later, long forgotten memories dancing in my head. My dreams had been filled of the youthful adventures that Jake and I had shared. While most of them were real, a few of them were made up, but they were still really special.
I was about to have breakfast when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Decker, I need you to come out here, quick,” Jake’s voice exclaimed urgently.
“Why? What’s the matter?” My heart thudded. Something was wrong. Was Jake in danger?
“No time to explain. We’re outside the diner on Route 9. Hurry.”
I dressed in a blind panic and hopped on my motorcycle, speeding toward Route 9. My mind was racing the whole time. What could possibly be going on? Jake had been gone for hours at that point. Anything could have happened.
My bike skidded to a stop and I jumped off with the engine still running, looking wildly for Jake.
“Ungh!”
Something heavy hit my stomach and I dropped to the ground. It took me a moment to recover my senses, but by the time I did another blow to my head knocked me on the ground.
“How do you like that, asshole?” Walker’s voice taunted me.
I got shakily to my feet, ready to shift into my most powerful form to take him on, when suddenly I heard Jake’s voice.
“Good hit, man.”
What was going on. By the time my vision cleared, I was shocked to see Jake with his muscular arms draped over Walker’s shoulder. They kissed in front of me, a long, disgusting display meant to take me off my guard.
“What?” I whispered.
The sound of my voice seemed to remind Walker of what he was doing, and he punched me in the face again. I dropped to my knees, too surprised to even shift.
“I’ll get him from behind,” Jake said. “As usual.”
Their laughter cackled around me as Jake pushed me forward, right into Walker’s awaiting fists. Pain seared through my body, but it was nothing compared to what I felt as I began to process the truth. Jake had betrayed me. He and Walker were together now, and they had probably been planning this mutiny for weeks.
How could I have been so stupid? I had seen the signs. Jake had been acting strange for a while now. The passion in his embrace was gone. Again and again he used my body for his own gratification without caring how I felt. Again and again he had disappeared late in the night only to return almost 48 hours later with alcohol on his breath and an unapologetic smile. How could this be happening to me?
“I think you know what this means, Deck,” Jake said from behind me, his voice taunting. “I know you better than the back of my hand. All your strengths. Your weaknesses. Your strategies. With me and Walker combined, you’re nothing here.”
“Get the hell out of here while you still have a chance,” Walker said, crouching down and staring into my eyes. His eyes were wild, but he was wearing a satisfied grin.
“You’d best listen to him, Decker,” Jake said, circling around until he was finally within my sight. “It�
�s over. Walker’s the alpha now.”
The grey eyes that I loved so much flashed menacingly. The familiar, bright smile twisted in my direction with a menace I had never hoped to see. I had never felt so hurt.
I got shakily to my feet. Sure, I wanted to fight them. I wanted to be angry enough to shift and tear them both apart. But I just couldn’t summon the strength I needed to do so. I was too broken inside. The man I loved had been using me. Who knew for how long? And I had only myself to blame for my downfall.
And so, with my tail between my legs, I left the city where I had grown up and made a life with Jake. His mocking laughter followed me all the way to the outskirts of town, where I rode away and vowed never to look back.
Chapter 4
I was numb with shock as I drove along the winding streets. I had no idea where to go, and let my body resort to autopilot. My instincts would take me where I was meant to be.
Before long I began to realize that the roads I was on were familiar, and couldn’t help but smile to myself when it dawned on me that I had driven to the Bayou. My father had been born and raised here, and even after my parents had made the heart-wrenching decision to part ways, it had been fun to visit him here occasionally.
The familiar scent of water and earth filled me with a sense of peace, and I knew what I was there to do. I was glad I had taken the motorcycle, because a car would have been impossible to navigate on the narrow roads leading into the marshy land that my father had once called home.
After what seemed like an eternity, I made it into the familiar settlement where my father lived and parked my bike. I wouldn’t need it anymore now that I was here. It was a small place, full of warm, caring people. Who knew if any of them would recognize me.
“Krane?” a deep, confused voice said from behind me. I turned around, surprised to hear my father’s name.
“My name is Decker,” I said apologetically, turning to face him. He had long white hair and a beard like Father Time’s. I felt terrible when the man’s face fell. “Krane was my father.”
“A good man, your father,” the old man said. He spoke slowly. “Couldn’t find a more loyal friend if you tried.”
The man shrugged and turned away from me, headed back along his way.
“Wait,” I called. “Please.”
The man turned slowly and raised an eyebrow at me.
“What do you want from here, son? There’s nothing for a youngun’ like you, raised in the city life. It’s best to stay true to your roots.”
I frowned, tempted to tell the man the whole story. I was aching from the heartbreak, but I knew that I couldn’t. He wouldn’t understand about the ways of the bear shifters. And he probably wouldn’t sympathize with a gay man very much either. I shook my head in exasperation.
“Well I’m not going back, I can tell you that. Do you know of somewhere around here I can stay? I have money.”
The old man sighed and was quiet for a moment. Finally he flicked his head as if to say, “follow me.”
“It gets real damp here at night. Ain’t good for your bones if you’re not used to it,” the man said.
“What’s your name?” I asked, ignoring his insistence that I go back home.
“Arthur,” the man said, leading me slowly down a long, unpaved road. There were a few desolate structures here and there, and the whole place was surrounded by dense forest and water. I could smell the swampy air everywhere I went.
“Thank you for helping me, Arthur.”
“Your dad was a good man. But he wouldn’t have wanted you out here. You should go home.”
“Why wouldn’t he want me out here?” I asked. It wasn’t like I had anywhere else to go.
“Dangerous in these parts,” Arthur said with a heavy sigh. “No good for a boy like you. You look softer than your pap.”
“I’m not soft,” I said, prickling.
Arthur shrugged. I fumed quietly until he finally stopped in front of a big white house.
“This is the Greenwalt place. She borders strays like you. Room and board, and three meals a day. You can talk to her about what she charges. Tell her you’re Krane’s boy, might make a difference. That or she’ll run you out herself. She knew your pap too. Knows this place is no good for the likes of you.”
Arthur nodded and began his slow descent back in the direction we had come from without a word of good bye.
“Nice to meet you too,” I mumbled.
Arthur let out a sharp cackle as if he had heard me. But he was halfway down the road already. That would be impossible, unless –
“Hi, stranger,” a woman’s voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to find a slender young woman with auburn hair coming through the entrance. She walked gracefully down the wide porch steps to greet me. “Looking for a place to stay?”
I was surprised for a moment, especially by her attire. Did everybody in this place dress like an antique? I knew the Bayou was out of the way and a little bit slow to accept modern trends, but I hadn’t expected anything quite so classic.
“Yes,” I said, trying not to let my surprise show on my face.
“Mama’s out right now, but maybe I can help you,” she said, leading me inside. “What are you looking for exactly?”
“It doesn’t matter. Somewhere with a bed for now while I figure things out.”
“I see,” she said, grinning. She disappeared into a small room and emerged holding out a key.
“My name’s Penelope. You’ll meet mama at supper tonight. We all eat together around 6:00. Don’t be late; everyone’s gonna want to meet you.”
She disappeared swiftly, and I stared down at the key in my hand. I set my mind to finding room number 3, and tried to fight the foreboding in my chest. This was where I was going to stay now. I would have to find a way to fight my attraction to Jake and begin to make it on my own. No matter how hard it was.
Chapter 5
“Supper!” Penelope’s voice rang a few hours later, followed by the deep ding of a bell. I had showered and taken off my button up shirt. It was full of mud from Jake and Walker’s ambush. My pants were still filthy, but I had a feeling that the people around these parts were used to dirty men strutting around.
I was feeling a little too embarrassed to go down and meet everybody in my dirty clothes. Besides that, I wasn’t hungry in the least. I was too upset about what had happened with Jake, and decided to be a recluse and skip the meal.
“Come on, Mr. Decker, come and join the crew,” Penelope’s muffled voice reached me through the door, as she knocked demandingly on the door.
“No thank you,” I said glumly. I couldn’t even conceive of going anywhere for food.
“Mr. Decker, I’m afraid you have no choice if you want to stay in this house. Mama wants to meet you.”
I sighed heavily and caught a glance at myself in the mirror. I tried smoothing my hair down, but it had ideas of its own. It was a brown jungle that had grown shaggy over the past few months. I hadn’t shaved in the past few days, and thick, dark stubble was beginning to form on my face. I looked a little wild, especially in my white undershirt and dirty jeans. I was dreading the upcoming dinner.
“Mr. Decker,” Penelope said, knocking again.
“All right, coming,” I said, unable to hide my irritation.
I slipped my shoes on and opened the door. Penelope smiled at me as if nothing could be wrong anywhere in the world, and I followed her sulkily to the dining room.
I felt like it was the first day of school, and was reluctant to meet the eyes of anybody else in the room. Nobody here would understand anything about me. What was the point in trying to socialize? It was like walking into a class full of oblivious humans all over again.
“Everybody, this is Mr. Decker,” Penelope said, holding her hands in front of me as if displaying a prize on a gameshow.
“You can just call me Decker, it’s my first name,” I mumbled, daring to glance up from my personal hell and scope out the room. There were
five other people sitting at the table, some men, some women. One handsome blonde man about my age was staring hard at me, and I held his gaze before he looked down at his plate.
“Nice to meet you, Decker,” a tall, elegant woman who was obviously Penelope’s mother said. She rose to greet me and smiled, the epitome of southern charm. “My name is Abigail, but if you could, call me Miss Abby. Please, join us. We’re about to have us a nice chicken supper. Do you like collards?”
“Actually, I’ve never had them,” I said.
“Oh, young man. I assure you, you have. You just can’t remember.”
I looked up at her, surprised, and she smiled mysteriously.
“Fanny, please fetch Decker here his meal.”
“Of course.”
I was surprised by the tall, pale woman standing in the corner. I had been so consumed by my own thoughts that I hadn’t noticed her. I had a feeling that was part of her job description though; just be a whisper of a person until you were called upon.
“Sit beside Alex, here,” Miss Abby said, gesturing toward the blonde man. He didn’t look up from his plate, and I sat down heavily beside him. I really wasn’t in the mood for socializing. “What brings you about these parts?”
Miss Abby’s heavy southern accent was intoxicating. It reminded me a lot of my mother.
“My father was from here,” I said quietly. “Mr. Arthur told me to let you know.”
“Oh, I already guessed that much,” Miss Abby said, her silver eyes twinkling. “But what brings you here?
I could feel all eyes turned on me, and shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“I needed a change of scenery, that’s all.”
“Ah,” Miss Abby said, wisely dropping the question. About that time, Fanny brought out a huge plate of food and sat it in front of me. My stomach grumbled despite itself. “Well, it’s a pleasure to have you. If there’s anything you need, I’m usually in the reception hall. And my room is 16, the very top floor.”
