by Rushell Ann
Chapter 7
Healing
We got our things together and I made sure that I wore my wool sweater that my Dad had gotten me for Christmas last year. It’s gray and has a mock turtle neck, this sweater has always given me a cozy feeling, plus it’s one of the only pieces of clothing that my Dad has bought me that I ever liked.
The drive to the beach was nice and quiet. it made me think of the time that my Mom brought us to a beach when I was around 7. We rented this house on the beach in Oregon. I wonder if that’s why we had to go to Oregon, maybe Mom didn’t want to run into her own Mother. We had such a great time; my Mom would sit on the porch at night, wrapped in a blanket and just stare out at the sea. It was one of her favorite places to visit.
We parked on a road that lead to the beach and walked the rest of the way. Sully had complained that I might get salt water under the car and it could hurt my engine. I think she loves my car more than I do.
“This is so beautiful, I’ve forgotten what it looked like, no wonder my Mother liked to come here,” I said as I looked at the ocean waves crashing onto the beach.
You belong here Jayden.
“Who doesn’t belong here, it’s so peaceful and simple,” I said as I realized that it was cold outside.
“Hey Jayden, do you mind if I go check out that bonfire those boys have going on over there, I’m getting cold,” Sully said.
“Sure, just be careful Sully,” I said as I watched her start walking over to the bonfire.
Logan and I sat down. I buried my feet in the soft sand, watching the waves roll in. I felt a poke on my hand and looked down and saw a small crab pinching my finger.
“Owe, that hurts little guy.” I picked him up and watched him try to get my fingers with those pinchers.
“You shouldn’t go around pinching people that are bigger than you,” I said to him.
The crab just stared at me, he was kind of cute.
“Your Mother use to love to come to the beach and try and find the crabs.” A voice said that sounded like it was coming from behind me.
I turned around and there stood an older man with salt and pepper hair and brown eyes. He was wearing slacks with a dress shirt, not an outfit you wear to the beach.
“I’m sorry do I know you?” I asked the man.
“You should know me, I’m your Grandfather,” he said as he came and sat down next to me.
Wow, this was my Grandfather. He was so handsome.
“Oh, hi, I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of you or Grandmother, sorry I didn’t recognize you,” I said as I kept starring at him. He wasn’t what I expected, even though I really didn’t know what to expect.
“Don’t be sorry honey, it’s not your fault that you don’t know me. I blame that on your grandmother. I recognized you right away; you look just like your Mother. He sat starring at me. I think I saw moisture in his eyes.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked.
“You’re Mother and I use to come down here all the time, it was her favorite spot. Your grandmother told me that you were coming for lunch tomorrow so I thought I would look here for you. I also like to come here and be close to your Mother,” he said as he picked up the crab that I had just put down.
“Yeah I was just telling…..I was just thinking that to myself before you came, that Mom use to take Dad and I to beaches in Oregon,” I said as I realized that I had almost given Logan’s identity away.
“Would you like to go for a walk up the beach, I have some time before I have to get back?” he asked me.
“Sure, that would be nice,” I said as I stood up and brushed the sand from my back side.
“Logan, can you please walk up ahead of us and make sure that it’s clear,” Grandfather said as he dusted off the sand from his pants.
“You know about Logan?” I asked with surprise.
“Of course I know about Logan, I sent his father to your Mother and he to you,” he said as we started walking along the beach.
“What do you mean sent him to me,” I said as I thought about Logan’s Dad.
“When your mother left and went on her own, I worried for her safety, so I sent Logan’s father after her to protect her,” he said.
“So Logan has been my friend because he was told to be,” I said as I realized that I was getting angry again about my friendship with Logan.
Towards the sand dunes there were several bon fires going with people all around them. I heard screams and turned around and saw the fires growing in size. The people were panicking and trying to throw sand to put them out.
“Jayden, listen to me, you need to calm down. Your anger is causing those fires to burn out of control. If you’re not careful you could hurt someone,” he said as I tried to take deep breaths.
He grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me towards him. His eyes, I know those eyes, they’re a different color than my Mother’s, but those were her eyes.
“You are a very special girl, just like your Mom. Things are going to start happening to you that might be scary and confusing, but you need to try to keep your emotions in check. I will try to explain whatever I can, but until then, try to think about the bigger picture, not about your feelings for Logan,” he said as he hugged me.
I felt uncomfortable at first, then I gave up and I hugged him back with all my heart. I started to cry uncontrollably where my body just went limp. My grandfather picked me up and held me in his arms.
“It’s going to be ok, little one,” he said as I could barely hear him through my tears.
Sir, we need to leave, Jayden’s barrier is down and men are coming from the other side of the beach.
Logan had come back from his scouting mission and I hadn’t even noticed.
“Jayden, you and your friend Sully need to leave, you’re not safe right now. Listen to what Logan tells you, he is here to protect you and knows when things are going badly,” he said as he put me back down. I could tell he wanted to stay holding me, I could feel it.
“But I don’t want to leave yet, I just got a chance to talk to you and now you’re leaving,” I said as I wiped the last of my tears away.
“I will see you again, but until then, try to stay focused and when you see your grandmother tomorrow, do not think about me. She must not know that we have talked. At least not yet,” he said as she bent down and kissed me on my cheek.
“If I need to talk to you, how will I contact you?” I asked him.
“The same way you talk to Logan, you have the power to talk to me the same way, just be careful. Now get going, I don’t want to have this confrontation with these men right now, on this beach,” he said as he waved his hands for me to go.
Come on Jayden, let’s go.
We ran up the bon fire where Sully was talking to some guys.
“Sully, we need to go.” I said, as I grabbed her arm.
“Hey, Jayden, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Max….he." I didn’t let her finish.
“Sully, we don’t have time, we have to leave right now…come on,” I said as I started to pull her.
“Ok, ok, well Max, I gave you my cell number, I should be in town for awhile, give me a call. She winked at him. Leave it to Sully to find a fling at the beach, or anywhere for that matter.
We started walking back to the car, but Sully wasn’t moving as fast as I wanted her to.
“Sully, let’s pick up the pace,” I said.
“Did you see that guy, he was hot, why do we have to leave, we were just getting to know each other,” she said as she turned to look back at him.
“Hey Jayden, are we leaving because of those group of guys that are running at us,” she said as I turned to look back.
Jayden, this could get bad, we really need to run a little faster.
“I can’t run any faster, running in this sand is like running on an escalator. If we just had something to distract them, like a bunch of seagulls that would dive bomb them,” I said as I tried to make my legs move faster.
>
We got to the car and I unlocked the passenger side for Logan and Sully and we all were looking towards the guys when out from behind some low clouds came a flock of birds in formation diving towards the men chasing us.
“Well I guess you got what you wished for, didn’t you,” Sully said as she climbed into the back seat.
“Yeah, that’s strange,” I said as I ran around the other side and got in and started the car. As we drove away, the birds started to fly away as well, and the men that seemed to be chasing us stopped and just starred.
“That was creepy, do you see the way they were starring at us. It’s like they were in a trance,” Sully said.
“Yeah, it was really weird, so Logan, did I do that bird thing?” I asked him.
Yes you did and at the right moment.
“So, I can talk to birds?” I asked.
Not exactly, more like control the birds.
“Was my Mom able to do this stuff too?” I asked as we headed back into town.
Some of this stuff, yes, but she didn’t have the necklace and together they are more powerful.
“Are we safe at that motel room anymore, if those people know I’m here, and what my cars looks like, won’t they come looking for us?” I asked.
Yes, I think we need to find another place to stay, I think I know of a place that we might be safe at, for awhile anyway.
We stopped by the motel first and loaded all of our things into the car and checked out of our rooms, and Blake's too. Logan gave me directions to a house that was outside of town, it took us about 20 minutes to get there but it was definitely secluded. It was in a wooded area that I don’t think I could have found if you asked me to. We turned off a road onto a dirt one, which went back about 2 miles until we came to a clearing and there sat a house, or I guess you could call it more like a cabin. It was small but it looked like it was in good shape for being abandoned for so many years. There was moss growing on the roof, but the siding looked like it wasn’t but a few years old. The porch looked like it needed to be replaced soon, the boards sunk in, and then were warped in other places, poking up.
“Who’s place is this?” I asked Logan.
This was my Mom and Dad’s house from a long time ago, before I was born, but my Mom had told me about it just in case we needed to use it. We should be safe here, no one knew about this place, it was where my Mom and Dad came to be together in private.
“So your Mom and Dad weren’t supposed to be together?” Sully asked as we started walking up to the house.
No they weren’t, Jayden’s Mom was promised to my Father, but they didn’t love each other.
“You mean like an arranged marriage?” I asked as we walked up the step to the front door.
Yes, like an arranged marriage.
“I didn’t know they still did that anymore, that’s like old and barbaric. Did either one of you notice when we pulled up that smoke was coming out of the chimney,” Sully said as she tried to peer through the window.
“Does someone live here?” I asked Logan, but he was busy sniffing around the door.
Not that I know of, but there is someone here I can smell them.
“Maybe we should just leave, what if they mean us harm?” I asked as I started to feel dizzy.
“Jayden, are you ok, you look flushed again?” Sully asked as she walked over to me.
“I’m ok, I just felt a strong sense of something,” I said as I leaned again the railing of the porch.
Just as Logan came over to me, the door to the cabin opened and there stood something that would have normally made me scream and run away.
It was a man, I think, but he looked like a mixture of a man and a beast. He was way over 6 feet. His hair, or fur all over, except his arms, almost a dark brown to black color. His face resembles a man but a mix between a man and a beast. His arms are still furry but he has man hands, but his legs are like horse or sheep legs with hoofs.
What's going on?
“Bring her inside before she passes out, put her on the couch by the fire. I’ve been expecting you,” he said as he moved aside for us to come in.
I could still walk but barely, Sully helped me over to the couch and I laid down.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but who the heck are you?” Sully asked.
Sully, be careful about what you say, you could offend him and we don’t know if he’s friendly or not.
“I’m not offended; I expect reactions like that, looking like this anyway,” he said as he shut the door and went over to what looked like a kitchen area.
“So, if you’re not offended, then answer my question,” Sully said as she took a defensive position next to me.
“Easy Sully, I mean you no harm, I am a friend. I was sent by Jayden’s grandfather. He knew that Logan would bring you here, so he sent me to get this house ready for you to stay. The only thing that I couldn’t do is get food, for obvious reasons I cannot be seen by anyone, so Sully will need to go into town and get supplies for us to stay.
“Hey, when did you decide that you get to order me around?” Sully barked.
Sully, no one is ordering you around, we need you very much, and Jayden isn’t up to going anywhere.
“Ok, but remember furry guy, I don’t take orders from anybody,” Sully said as she looked at me.
“I do have a name, if you don’t mind,” he said.
“So are you going to make us guess what it is?” Sully sneered.
“Sully, that’s enough, he seems to be helping us, I really don’t think that’s anyway to treat him,” I said.
“My name is Thornton,” he said as he poured hot water in to three cups.
“Hi Thornton, I’m Jayden, and this is Sully, and this is my dog Saska,” I said not sure if he knows about Logan or not.
“Nice to meet you all, and I thought his name was Logan?” He said as he offered Sully and I some tea.
“Oh, yes he is Logan, I just wasn’t sure if you knew,” I said as I took the tea.
“Your Grandfather keeps me informed all the time,” he said.
“So can I ask you why you look like this,” I said, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer.
“I didn’t agree with your Grandmother,” he said.
“So, what, she turned you into this?” I asked not able to drink my tea, I think my mouth was still open from the shock of this all.
“I am able to turn into a dog, and as you can see many other animals, like your friend Logan here, and I was once part of a group that protected your family. Your Grandmother was punishing someone and I didn’t agree with her so I stood up and said as much,” he said as he sat down in a chair across from the couch.
“So Jayden’s Grandmother is a witch?” Sully asked.
“We don’t use witch in our society, she is called our Queen Charmer,” he said as he sipped on his tea. The tea cup in his hands was tiny compared to his fingers; with a little squeeze he could probably crush that cup.
“So what am I then?” I asked.
“Jayden, you are the Princess Charmer, your mother was in line for the position but she didn’t want to follow our laws and she left.” Thornton said.
“Logan, why can’t you tell me any of these things?” I asked him.
“Logan, I’ll answer that for you. Logan is still in our society and if he was to go against our laws, he would no longer be able to protect you. Protecting you is most important, especially from the opposing clan.
“Why am I so important?” I asked as I sat up. I was feeling much better, I think I’m starting to get the hang of these so called “powers”.
Jayden, have you not been listening, you are in line to rule our people ,and you have the necklace which your grandmother hasn’t had in many, many years.
“You have the necklace, your Grandfather is going to want to know this,” Thornton said.
Oh shit, guess that's out of the bag.
“Are you all hungry, because I think that Sully should get going so that
we can make something to eat,” Thornton said as he got up.
“Logan, will you go with Sully, I don’t feel comfortable with her going into town by herself?” I asked him.
And I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.
“Logan, I will protect Jayden while you are gone, besides, no one knows that we are here, except your Grandfather,” Thornton said.
Can we really trust my Grandfather. These people don't know me.
“I really don’t need any protection, I have a black belt in karate, so I’m pretty sure I can take care of myself,” Sully said.
“I would still feel better if Logan went with you, plus he’ll make sure you don’t drive crazy in my car."
“Great, I have a mutt as a chaperon,” Sully said as she threw her arms up.
Logan shot sully the best look he could muster from his dog face.
“I’ve made a list already, and feel free to get other things too. Here is some money that Jayden’s Grandfather gave me,” Thornton said as he handed Sully the list and money.
“Let’s go mutt, times a wasting,” Sully said as she took my keys from me and headed for the door.
Sully, I will remind you not to call me a mutt only one more time, after that you might have to get a rabies shot.
“Hey now, don’t get physical, I was just kidding,” Sully said as they walked through the door.
After the door shut, I was a little uncomfortable, not knowing this half beast I didn’t know what to say.
“You have the same presence as your Mother did and you look a lot like her,” he said as he came to refill tea.
“You knew my Mother?” I asked with excitement.
“Of course I did, remember I was one of her protectors,” Thornton said.
“So why didn’t my Grandmother have this necklace for so long?” I asked him.
“Well your Grandmother was a nice person once, but after she changed she became cruel. A bunch of us got together and hid the necklace from her, she never knew who it was, she had always thought it was Nikolas's clan.
“Clans, what do you mean by clan’s?” I asked him.
“Well there are two sets of people in our community, there’s Nikolas's clan and your Grandmother’s. But over the years your grandmother’s clan has been diminishing.” Thornton said.
“So what are we anyway, are we all charmers?” I asked still not sure of what he was talking about.
“No, no we have some powers but really your family are the charmers, you keep the peace and make sure that we live together in harmony with the others. I guess you could call us shape shifters,” Thornton said.
“So what is the ring and necklace do?” I asked as I rubbed the stone on the necklace.
“Oh, that you’ll have to talk to your Grandfather about, I don’t know that much, like I said I was just a protector, my role didn’t entail as much information as you’re asking,” Thornton said as he got up and checked out the window.
“Do you see something?” I asked getting a little worried about Logan and Sully.
“No, I just thought I smelled something,” Thornton said as he came and sat back in the chair.
“So what happened after Grandmother did this is you?” I asked wondering what his life must be like.
“I was cast out of the community, unable to live with the others, or with regular humans for that matter. Can you image what people would say if they saw me,” he said as he caught a glimpse of himself in a picture that was on the wall. I could tell by looking at him that he has lost a lot in his life being like this.
“I am so sorry that this happened to you.” I got up from the couch and walked over to him. At first I was hesitant of touching him, probably how people would be out in the world, and then I stopped myself and reached out and touched him on the shoulder.
“You don’t have to feel sorry for me, I don’t need people’s sympathy,” he said with anger in his voice.
“I feel sorry that you have missed out on years of life living in solitude like this. No one deserves this kind of punishment, no matter what they’ve done,” I said as I got a tear in my eye thinking about my Mother and what was done to her when she spoke up.
I started to wonder what Thornton looked like under all that fur, and my chest started to warm up like it did when I saved Logan and when that car attacked us. I looked at my arm and it started to glow a very soft white.
“What is happening?” I said as I got scared at the feeling and what I was seeing.
Before Thornton could answer, the fur around his hand started to disappear and I saw skin, it only took a few minutes, but his face started to change, it went from big and animal like to a human man’s face. I looked at his legs and they too started to change back to human form.
“Thornton, look what’s happening,” I said as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“Jayden, you’re changing me back,” Thornton said as he turned around.
He was human again, no more fur, no more animal features, just a man. His height had only shortened by a few inches and his face, well, he reminded me of a teacher I had in high school. The bone structure in his face was very defined, with high cheek bones and a very long nose.
“Umm, Thornton, I am really glad that you are back, but you’re naked. Are there any clothes here?” I asked trying not to look at him too much.
“I think there is, upstairs in one of the bedrooms, I’m going to go look, I’ll be right back,” he said with much excitement. He ran from the room.
“Ok, I think I’m going to lay back down, I feel a little tired.” I went over and sat on the couch. Being tired is getting really old, why do I feel so tired all the time.
Jayden, are you ok.
“Logan, is that you?” I asked as I looked around for him.
Yes it’s me, we aren’t far from the house, I felt you fading, are you ok?
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll see you when you get here,” I said as I closed my eyes for just a minute.
Why didn’t my mother want to be in this life, was it because of an arranged marriage. Had she already met Dad, or was love that important to her. These are questions that are running through my mind, but I will probably not ever be able to find out the answers. If she would have lived longer, would she have told me about her life and what I might be in for, or was she hoping to shield me from this life completely. I miss her so much, I really need her in my life right now and I wish that I could just talk to her.
