Clan of Redemption

by Rushell Ann

  **********

  I dreamt about my mother again, but this time we were at home and she was reading me stories about her childhood. I don’t remember what they were, but when I woke up I felt rested and had a wonderful happy feeling.

  “Good evening Princess Jayden, how are you feeling?” Sydney asked me.

  “I feel groggy, but well rested,” I said wondering what she and Logan had talked about while I was sleeping.

  Wait. What!

  "Princess, I might be spoiled since I was an only child, but I've never been called a princess," I said as I felt my good mood slinky away.

  As I started to sit up I realized that I was back in my human form.

  “How did I get back to my normal body?” I asked Sydney as I sat up, the blanket that was covering my body started to fall.

  “The spell I used to get you back in to your body is a total transfer spell; it reads your aura and returns you to your true form before re-entering your body. I put some clothes for you at the end of the couch. I guessed your size, 8, right?” Sydney said, transitioning from one subject to another like it was no big deal.

  “Yes and… thank you,” I said looking into her eyes with the gratitude and heartfelt thanks of a person who had just been pulled from the jaws of death. She just nodded and said “You’re very welcome Jayden” then poured us some tea.

  I reached over and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt. The shirt felt very soft almost silky. I took clothes and put them on while trying to hold the blanket up.

  “What a beautiful shirt,” I said as I admired its intricate details. The sleeves were form fitting until they got to my elbows then they flowed out. The shirt was a pale blue, with hints of sparkles throughout, it came to a v shape on the neckline with little ties that brought the front together. The bottom flared out just a little and it went perfectly with the blue jeans. She even had a pair of brown Sketchers shoes that fit me.

  “How did you know my size, and the clothes, this shirt is beautiful?” I said as I grabbed the warm cup.

  “You could say that I helped raise your mother,” she said as she took a sip knowing that I would want to ask her more questions.

  “You knew my Mother that well? I asked, wondering about this mysterious lady sitting in front of me.

  “I practically raised your Mother; I lived in your grandmother’s house from the time that she became pregnant. Your grandmother was very concerned about her pregnancy and wanted to make sure that everything went well. I was close to your grandmother until you Mother was born and then something changed, but I did become very close to your mother,” Sydney said as I saw her stare out the window with grief in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, but she didn’t talk about her life here, at least not that I remember. I do remember some memories but she would tell them as stories at bed time, but after she died I tried to remember the stories but couldn’t. I’m sure that you meant a lot to my mother, but from what I gathered, she didn’t want to have anything to do with this life,” I said as I realized my stomach was making really loud noises.

  “Here, have some stew, let’s try to calm that stomach of yours. The stew seemed to agree with Logan,” she said as she pointed to Logan sleeping on the floor.

  Mmmm, this is really good, I’ve had stew like this before. My mother use to make it, especially if I had a bad day. I would come home to this smell. It was almost like she knew when I’d had a bad day,” I said as I continued to eat.

  “Jayden, you and I have a lot to discuss, but we’ll have time for that later, what I need to know is what you know about what you’re doing here?”

  I told Sydney the story of Logan’s death, the letter from my Mom, with the ring, the necklace from Sully, which really made her eyes light up. She sat and listened very intently while I told the rest of the story, leading up to the moment that she found us in the woods.

  “Well Jayden, you sure have been through quite a bit over the last few weeks, but I want to warn you. If you intend to find the answers that you are searching for, you need to know that this is only going to get harder and more painful. The first question that you need to ask yourself is, do you really want this for yourself, are you prepared to take on the responsibility that it comes along with? If you want to walk away as your Mother did, you need to do it now before you get to involved. Your Mother had to give up all the people that she cared about the most. Many people felt that she abandoned them, and it divided us as we are today. She went through years of guilt to make sure that you had a normal life, but what she failed to realize is that you can’t change destiny, but you need to make that decision for yourself.

  “Did your mother give you anything else besides that letter and ring?” Sydney asked me.

  I know that the look on my face was giving away the answer before it even came out.

  “Do you not trust me, can’t you feel that I mean you no harm,” she asked me as she reached over to touch my hand.

  When she touched my hand, I had a flash memory of my Mother at the age of 4, playing hide and seek in my grandmothers’ house. Sydney was there with her eyes closed and my mother was the one hiding.

  “Did you use to play hide and go seek with my mother?” I asked her.

  “We did, it was one of her favorite games. Did she tell you that?” Sydney asked me.

  “No, I just got what seemed like one of my Mother’s memories, of the two of you playing the game.”

  We were about to continue our conversation when the falcon flew in the window and landed on the arm of Sydney’s chair.

  Sydney took the message off the leg of the falcon, bowed and thanked him again for going out of his way, and then the bird flew off.

  “Jayden, this message is for you.” Sydney handed me the tiny message rolled up. I opened the message and it read:

  My Dearest Jayden,

  Sully and Thornton told me where you are, and I am comfortable with you being there, but I need to talk to you before you see your Grandmother tomorrow. Meet me at your mothers’ favorite hangout around 8am tomorrow morning. And please tells S that I am thankful to her for her kindness.

  Your Grandfather

  “But I don’t know where my Mom’s favorite hangout is?” I said as I looked up to Sydney.

  “Oh, that’s easy I can tell you that. There’s a book store in Long beach called BLANK. She loved to go hide out there with a cup of coffee and read her books,” Sydney said as she took my empty cup from me.

  “Why was Grandfather so cryptic in his letter?" I asked.

  “Because, just in case this note was intercepted, he didn’t want anyone to know where you are or where you’d be meeting him. He is going against his wife by talking to you in private. If he was to get caught, he could be killed,” Sydney said as she came back out of the kitchen.

  “Killed! For what?” I asked with horror. Who are these people, what did I get myself into by coming to find my family? Shape shifters, magic, it all seemed like I stepped into a fantasy book. I did tend to read those. Could I have hit my head and I'm in a hospital bed and this is all a dream?

  “For what you would know as treason, I guess you could say, for going against Catherine’s wishes,” Sydney said.

  “So, why are you not worried about yourself, won’t you get into trouble too?” I asked with concern.

  “Catherine doesn’t scare me, I use to be more powerful than her, but over the last 19 years I haven’t practiced as much and I’m a little rusty. Plus I have a spell cast over my house, actually it surrounds my house by several miles in every direction so she wouldn’t even know where to find me. Don’t look so worried Jayden, she can’t hurt this old battle ax,” she said as she handed me a jacket.

  The jacket reminded me of one that mother had when I was just a girl. It looked like it was made out of deerskin, almost Native American.

  “This jacket will help protect you, wear this jacket with pride, the buck that gave his life did so with honor. And yes this is the same jac
ket that your Mother wore.

  “So you were in contact with my Mother before she died?” I asked her.

  “Yes I was, but we can talk about that later, you need to get going. I have something I want to give to you; actually your mother gave it to me to give to you.” Sydney walked over to a dresser and pulled out a pouch of some sort.

  Sydney handed me a pouch tied at the top.

  “What is this?” I asked as I started to open it.

  “NO, don’t open that, keep that attached to your belt loop at all times. Your mother made that for you and asked me to give it to you when you came one day. I don’t know what’s in it, but once you open it you have to use it. All she said was it was for an emergency and was only used when there is no other option,” she said as she helped me tie it to my belt loop.

  “Ok, I won’t open it, I guess, but I’m still so confused. Everything seems so…. Well, kind of like a dream,” I said as I walked over to wake up Logan.

  I bent down and stroked his back. “Logan, wake up, it’s me Jayden, time to go. Logan, are you awake yet?"

  Logan slowly started to open his eyes. “I’m awake, a little groggy, but awake. Are you ok, you're back to your human form? I am so glad.”

  “The grogginess will go away; you were just so exhausted you didn’t even know it. I would try to sleep tonight; tomorrow will be a big day for both of you,” Sydney said as walked over and opened the door.

  As we were leaving, I was compelled to hug Sydney. I could feel, like she had said before, that she was there to help and meant us no harm.

  As I hugged her I felt sorrow myself for my missing mother, I wish that she could be here with me, I miss her so much and these strangers that I’m meeting are all I have left of her to hold on to.

  Sydney told us to go back the way that we came and we should find our way just fine. As we walked all I was glad to be back in my own form, not that experiencing those animals wasn’t the most amazing thing, but I missed walking on two legs. I watched Logan and he seemed to be in deep concentration, but also listening on high alert. What kind of life must he have had, always having to protect me? What if he found someone that he wanted to be with? Is he aloud to do that or does he have no choice but to stay with me? That was something I will bring up to him later, but for now, I just want to get back to the cabin and relax before my two meeting’s tomorrow.