Unknown Touch

by Gina Marie Long

  He showed me all of the cabins including everything else he could think of on the property. Then, we carefully made our way down the little trail to the dock so we could view the lake. He guided me and at times held my hand if he thought I might slip on the trail. I knew I wasn't going to fall. I was very sure-footed and the trail was safe enough. But it was really sweet how he seemed so concerned about me. We stood on the dock, looking out across the water. The sun was setting fast and the view was spectacular. I wished I had a camera since the scene was postcard worthy. I worried about it getting dark and trying to make our way back up the trail.

  I asked, "I guess you know your way around here pretty good, huh? It's going to be dark in minutes and trekking up that trail could be a nightmare."

  Daniel chuckled, "I'm a werewolf, remember? My sense of sight is ultra heightened even in human form. I can see in the dark, so no problem. In fact, ALL my senses are ultra heightened," he smiled, leaned down and briefly kissed my lips.

  "Oh," I smiled back at him and gulped.

  Chapter 8

  History

  After Daniel easily guided us back to the resort in the dark, everyone started to gather in the dining area for the evening meal. Abigail was a pro in the kitchen. Maybe she and Dominic should get together, I inwardly giggled. She made a delicious, satisfying meal which The Liaison people raved over, including myself. The werewolves' hospitality was truly sincere which reminded me of an earlier thought.

  "I would like to compliment whoever takes care of the cabins," I stated. "They are so unique and beautiful. Well maintained and extremely clean."

  Daniel and Abigail looked at each other with approval. Daniel said, "We all chip in around here wherever needed. The ones that maintain the campgrounds, Anthony and Sarah, sometimes do not have very much work and will float around to the three resorts, helping out. Thank you for the compliment; I'll pass it on to the others. We enjoy positive feedback."

  "Well, I don't know if it's because I'm the oldest one here, but I'm ready for bed or at least to just lie down," Eli softly sighed.

  "Actually," Abigail teased, "Daniel is the oldest one here. And by quite a few years, Eli."

  Everyone got a big laugh out of that. I thought how ironic that was. Daniel was hundreds of years older than Eli, but retained the look, the youth and the vibrancy of a man in his mid-twenties. Dom had mentioned he became a werewolf when he was 26 years old. But how did he become a werewolf? I could kick myself a hundred times over for not asking that question.

  I wondered if Daniel had picked up that idea in my head somehow. He announced, "When we meet tomorrow morning, I would like to go over our history. Werewolf history. Dominic and Eli already have a decent amount of knowledge on this subject. I am concerned that Zac, Tessa and especially, Kara, need to be more informed. I'm sure that some of you have unresolved questions. And that curiosity is probably getting the best of you when wondering about us and our past. I'd also like to see with my own eyes some of your increasing talents, Dominic. We can have a little show and tell tomorrow."

  We got up from the tables, lingered around a while longer, and soon our group took off for our cabin. It was getting colder outside now that the sun was down. The five of us, The Liaison, huddled close together during our walk back. Dominic put his arm around me for added warmth as he could see I was shivering. He hadn't had a chance to ask about my jaunt out and about with Daniel. We entered our cabin, took turns in the bathroom, and then each one of us literally collapsed on the beds. Dominic showed up suddenly standing next to my bed. He startled me so much I about screamed.

  He gently asked, "I have an extra blanket if you need it. Here, let me go ahead and cover you with it. I'm hot-blooded and don't need so many layers."

  "Thanks, Dom. You are so sweet for thinking of me like that," I felt humbled with his unselfish actions, concerned about my comfort. With that, he reached over and kissed my forehead. My head was sure getting a lot of attention tonight. First, Daniel kissing it and now, Dominic. I tried to conceal that thought from Dom, not sure if I was quick enough to put up the mental block before he might have caught that thought. I was exhausted and fell asleep within seconds.

  * * * *

  By 9:00 in the morning, the gang was all there. There being the conference room again. The gang being The Liaison and the werewolves. Daniel brought the group to attention and suggested that Dominic and I show off our skills first. All the wolves were immensely curious as to what we were capable of doing. Daniel figured we could experiment for an hour or so and then some of the wolves would leave to go about their duties for the day. They were not all needed to sit in on the next session which was werewolf history.

  Dominic was not shy to dive into showing off his abilities. He took on the facade of a magician, performing his act to perfection for the small audience. First, he started with moving objects with his mind. Small items to begin with, like the pen sitting on the table. Then he moved a chair, the table, the huge (expensive) LCD TV, and I held my breath until it was firmly put back in place. Gradually, he had worked up to the grand finale when he asked me to throw one of my shoes at him. I looked at him and mentally said, Couldn't you have come up with something better than my shoe?!

  Sorry, spur of the moment idea. Just do it for me, he pleaded.

  I took off both of my shoes for a double whammy. I knew he could handle it even though he had requested only one shoe. We had practiced such things back at Eli's facility. I stood up and with all my strength threw first one, then two shoes directly at him. Both shoes stopped in mid air as they hit the invisible barrier Dom mentally put up and fell to the floor. I walked over to retrieve my shoes, feeling a little weird, like his stage girl or something.

  Isaac inquired, "Very impressive. This can be put to good use. I'm wondering; have you ever tried moving or stopping a living being?"

  The room was quiet. It was a brilliant question. And something we had not practiced or even thought of. I looked at Dominic as he stood still, unsure how to respond. I sensed his tension and embarrassment for not having thought of that very idea himself. I entered his mind, Dom, quit feeling so awkward. It's showing on your face. Tell the truth. And take a brave stance and tell them we'll try it out right now. You can use me.

  He was so grateful and replied, Okay, if you're up to it. I don't know what will happen if anything. Why, oh why didn't I think of trying this skill on something alive instead of just inanimate objects?

  Get busy, Mr. Show Off, let's see what you can do. I prompted him.

  He proceeded to tell the group what we had mentally discussed. The wolves appreciated his honesty and sat ready to observe his next moves. When Daniel heard Dom say I would be the test subject, I swear I heard a tiny growl escape Daniel's lips. He did not like the idea that Dom had never tried this before and now I was the guinea pig. I think some of the wolves glanced over at Daniel when he growled but I don't believe any of The Liaison heard him. I was the only human who did catch his reaction.

  This time I pushed at Daniel's mind, Daniel, do not worry. I will be fine. Just watch.

  I played out my part in the experiment. Quite simple since all I was going to do was walk at Dom and see if he could halt my approach. I took off at him, probably a little too quick, when all of a sudden, bam, I hit his invisible wall with my face and literally bounced backwards and fell on my butt.

  Immediately I blurted out, "I'm totally fine everyone. Chill out. I didn't think Dom had thrown up his barrier so fast. Well, Isaac, your question has been answered. Dom can stop a living being in mid-tracks and quite well, I might add."

  "Can you physically move or shove at a person with your mind?" Isaac was sure onto something here. I realized it all had to do with providing safety for any of us coming up against Stephen. Defense against an enemy.

  Daniel stood up and asked Dominic, "Do you feel like trying it out? This time, use me as your test subject."

  Wow…head to head combat between two men I really adored. I shouldn't
say actual combat. To them, this was just men horsing around, pushing things to the limit. I plunked down in my chair and watched with enthusiasm, sitting on the edge of my seat. Everyone in the room held their breath in anticipation, too.

  Dominic was gaining more confidence. He nodded his head in agreement to Daniel to try the experiment. They both respected each other and were definitely considered friends. None of this was meant to be aggressive. But if Dominic could fight with his mind, could move people, shove them away with his thoughts, this was a huge achievement.

  Daniel approached Dominic slowly, almost circling him as if going after prey. Their eyes were focused only on each other. Dom concentrated and attempted a push at Daniel. It appeared Daniel did feel some sort of brush at his body but it was not enough to stop him.

  "You've got to try harder than that, Dominic. You can't hurt me with what we're doing here. Give me all you've got," Daniel tried to provoke Dominic.

  Without warning, Daniel lunged at Dominic, hoping he would take the bait and really push his telekinetic skills to the max. Milliseconds before Daniel's hands made contact on Dom's throat, Daniel was shoved away by some invisible force. He landed ten feet away, hitting the conference room wall with a hard thud.

  I think everybody in that room jumped up out of their chairs in astonishment. Under normal circumstances, Daniel was not one to be shoved into a wall. But, he had given Dominic instructions and permission to experiment on him. And it worked.

  Thank God the look on Daniel's face was of pure fascination and pride in what Dominic had just done to him. "Dom, my boy, you just went up against a werewolf and knocked me right off my feet. That is not something easily done by anyone."

  Then they shook hands. Men will be men, I realized, knowing they joke fiercely with one another and try to one up each other all the time. I thought it was simply adorable how they could roughhouse then turn around and have a good laugh. I had tears in my eyes. I was thrilled with Dom's skills. I was equally enthralled by the camaraderie they shared. We all shared. It felt like a family setting.

  We moved on to mind reading and mental manipulation. The best way to demonstrate these abilities was to perform them on some of the willing werewolves. Daniel already was one step ahead of the game since we shared a common mental path. We had done plenty of mind reading over the past weeks and I had soothed his emotional state more than once. Throw Dom into the mix and we had experienced a three-way telepathic conversation a few times. I wasn't sure how much the other wolves knew about the mental bond that Daniel and I shared. He may have told them the basics of how we had communicated but I doubt he would have given out any personal information about our connection. It was very personal for me.

  My mind reading gift seemed to work the best when I had either touched or been very near the person whose mind I was trying to read. We also came to the conclusion that if a person or werewolf was emitting strong enough emotions within the immediate area, I was able to pick up on that and usually be able to read their minds then. This had seemed to be the case with Daniel and me as I did not recall having seen him or touched him during my initial vacation trip to his resort.

  I took turns reading several of the werewolves' minds, as did Dominic. We felt like we had to prove ourselves to them, but I accepted that. We kept things quick and simple and they got the idea behind it. The highlight for my own little magic show was getting the chance to use mind manipulation on one of them.

  "I want to try implanting a thought into someone's mind. You could call it mind manipulation or mind control, although I hate that word control. My team has already had me experiment with them," I turned and eked out a smile at them. "So one of the werewolves would be best for the greatest effect. The catch is, if you know positively I'm going to try something on you, your guard is up and it doesn't work quite as well. Is it all right if I randomly choose someone? It won't hurt and I'm not going to program you to beat someone up, so don't worry about that."

  Daniel revealed, "Kara has done this trick on me when my anger was getting the best of me. It works like a charm. Let her try."

  And with that I sensed that the wolves were giving me an open invitation. Still, I felt their guards would be up anyway so I struck fast. As I stood there at the table, I casually reached over to pour myself some water. They believed I was preparing to say a little more before the experiment. Instead, I zapped into Isaac's brain, attempting to mentally mask myself so he wouldn't discover my presence. I had only planned this out ten minutes before but there was no hesitation on my part.

  As Isaac saw me pour the water, he jumped up, and came over to me almost at a full run. He grabbed the pitcher out of my hands and exclaimed, "Kara, let me get you a lemonade instead of this water. And I bet you'd like a mid-morning snack, too. Cookies sound tempting. I am absolutely starving to death. I'll be back in a sec; don't do anything more till I get back." And out the conference room door he ran. I started laughing. I couldn't help myself. The werewolves realized that I had made Isaac behave overly hospitable and put the idea of lemonade and snacks into his head. The whole room was almost rolling on the floor laughing at this point. We waited a few minutes for Isaac to return with the goodies. After all, cookies did sound good. Why not indulge a bit?

  Isaac walked in, still acting a bit goofy, and plunked everything down on the table. I said, "Wow, how thoughtful of you to do this, Isaac." I withdrew any coercion I had placed in his mind that might be lingering so he would get the immediate effect and understand what I had just done to him.

  He sat back down in his chair slowly. "It felt like it was my idea. I wanted to get the snacks. No one told me to do it. I just did it," Isaac stared at me in amazement. "If this works on Stephen, we have hope for him then."

  Daniel said, "And remember I told you Kara did calm my nerves before. Here, she merely put this idea of food and drinks into your head. Plus, she had you acting like she was a princess, waiting on her hand and foot. That was hilarious."

  Eli spoke at this time, "Daniel, you mentioned we should discuss werewolf history this morning. Kara will find this quite intriguing."

  "Yes, let's move on to that. As for Dominic and Kara demonstrating their skills, I speak for all of us when I say - outstanding. For those who want or need to leave, go right ahead. You already know your own history," Daniel spoke directly to the werewolves with that last statement.

  Daniel was the only wolf that remained with The Liaison. I didn't expect the rest to hang around. I burst out with, "How did you become a werewolf? Were you born that way?"

  "No," Daniel began, "I, personally, was not born a werewolf. Let us go back in time…It was the year 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts."

  Daniel told the story of how he, Isaac, and Stephen were hunting for witches during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. None of these men were werewolves at that time. All were in their twenties, the prime of their lives. Daniel was married to a young lady named Mary. The other two, single. They had brought in several witches to the jail cells, awaiting trials for their crimes. Most of them were later hanged. But there was a group of very powerful witches that had still not been found yet. The entire area feared them and the spells they could cast. Their dwelling had not been found and they continued to elude capture when spotted.

  One night, the three men recognized explicit signs of witchery on the grounds they were hunting. Daniel knew they had to be close to discovering the witches' hideout. Well, the witches were quite aware of how close these hunters were getting to them. They had spies everywhere. They could be in the form of a bird or a cat. The spies must have reported to the witches that the men were approaching fast. There were numerous witches gathered together during this specific night, which was not a good thing for Daniel, Isaac and Stephen. Who knows what type of ritual or sacrifice they were preparing for. The witches joined hands together in a circle, knowing there was power in numbers, chanting an ancient curse, while their sorcery, their power increased tenfold. They were ready to lash out at the men
who were hunting them. If they were captured, the witches knew they would most likely be put to death by hanging. They were fighting for their lives. They would not let these men take them in.

  As the men stumbled upon the scene, flames burst straight up in the air from the nearby bonfire. The air crackled, electricity zipped through the atmosphere. A lightning bolt screamed through the night and blasted the ground about fifty feet from them. Their skin was tingling from the aftershock, hair was standing on end. The witches, perhaps six of them, all turned simultaneously and glared at the three shocked men. The curse was almost complete. Another few mantras in a strange language and then the men were knocked back off their feet by an unseen force. They immediately felt different. Something was wrong. The witches cackled and clapped their hands in approval of what they accomplished. They had cast the Lycaeonia Curse onto those poor unsuspecting men. Turning them into werewolves.

  Things just kept getting worse. The men took off running through the woods. Their fear, their confusion, their emotions were at an ultimate high. As they ran, suddenly their bodies transformed into what we know as werewolves. Clothes were ripped to shreds, fur covered their entire bodies, eyes were pitch black, claws gripped at the dirt, as they found themselves on all fours. They came to an abrupt stop when this transformation occurred. In the background, they could hear the laughter of the witches.

  By the time they arrived close to their homes, they had turned back into the form of men again. They were exhausted and perhaps because of this loss of strength, it allowed them to transform back. Over the next several days, if you can imagine, things continued to get worse. The three cursed men were unfamiliar with how to control themselves, how to prevent from transforming into the werewolf. They had no knowledge of these things. No one to tell them what to do.