by Jade Frances
Curiosity getting the better of me, I chanced a quick look back and could see the two wolves rolling around, tearing into each other. The sound of teeth snapping, howls and snarls echoed across the field. I pushed my legs even harder towards the barn doors that were wide open. A few more paces and I would be there. Just a few more. I felt a presence appear to my left and another flank me from my right. I didn’t look, I just kept running. Straight through the barn doors, I collapsed on the floor and watched as Rosemary and Sandra pushed the massive doors closed with a bang.
“What was that?! How did you get to me so fast?”
Somehow, I had known it was the girls that had flanked me on either side. Protection, that was what I had come here for.
“Shush Evvy, let me listen,” Rose was the first to answer.
“I’m going back out; he doesn’t stand a chance!” proclaimed Sandra.
Before either of them could move or even argue over it, something came flying through the window to the left of the doors. Unlike me, who scattered backward, the girls rushed towards it.
“Get a blanket Sandra, he needs to change back, quick!”
I watched as Sandra grabbed an old blanket and walked back over to whatever was on the floor with Rose.
“Evvy! I need you now! Hurry!” struggling to catch my breath, I crawled over to Rosemary. Daring to take a peek over her shoulder. It was the smaller wolf, it looked in a bad way with cuts, scrapes, and bite marks everywhere. There was so much blood. Bile was rising in my throat at the smell of it.
“Hands Evvy, I need your hands. We need to warm him up, so he can change back.” I didn’t understand, I held my hands out shaking, slightly confused with the situation. “Evvy, now is not the time for you to wimp out! Your gift! We need to warm him up!” she shouted at me. Then it clicked.
“Oh, ok I get it.”
Finally, I understood what she wanted, but not why she was helping something that was about to attack me. Pushing all questions aside, I concentrated on radiating heat from my palms and slowly ran them over the wolf’s body. Careful not to heat them too much, the last thing we needed was the blanket going up in flames. Slowly I watched as the wolf shuddered violently.
“What’s happening?” I yelled hysterically.
I didn’t get an answer from the girls, but I could see myself. It was changing, growing smaller, its limbs were being replaced by arms and legs. Energy shimmered strongly in the air. After a few minutes, Darryl was laying in the same spot the wolf had just been in. Cuts and bruises all over his body. Rose started slowly lifting him and walked him over to some haystacks we had kept in the corner. Boy, she was strong when she needed to be. I could feel Sandra behind me.
“He’s a shapeshifter Evvy, if we hadn’t helped him change back his injuries won’t heal.”
I looked on in shock, not knowing why I expected anything different. Obviously, Darryl had a gift, I just didn’t think changing into an animal would be one of them.
“Why haven’t I been told this?” I asked, narrowing my accusing eyes at Rosemary.
“Sandra, take Evangeline back to the house, I’ll stay with Darryl. Get Taylor for me, please.” Rosemary was sobbing as she spoke. I moved to comfort her, Sandra grabbed my arm and marched me through the barn doors.
“Ow,” I winced. That would bruise.
“Be quick girls,” I thought I heard Rosemary say, although it came more from within my own head, again. Leaving the barn, I saw Taylor rushing towards us.
“What’s happened? I’m just back!” he yelled.
“Rose needs you in the barn, its Darryl he’s hurt,” Sandra shouted back.
I’d never seen someone move as fast as Taylor did at that moment. I’m sure his feet weren’t even touching the ground. Once in the house I ignored Sandra’s side-eye glances and head straight up to my room. I needed to be alone. My breathing was labored, and I felt a headache coming on. Everything had been going fine for weeks. Now I looked like a freak with more than one gift, Darryl is hurt, and everything is falling apart. I never wished to see Avetta more than just now. Her comforting voice and the wisdom in her words I missed dearly.
Looking up, I noticed Sandra in the doorway. Staring at me, arms crossed and a look of hatred set deep on her face.
“How long have you known Evangeline?” she practically spat the question at me.
“Known what Sandra pretty sure it was just now…” She abruptly cut me off.
“You have put us all in danger by not telling us,” She screamed at me. Now I was getting mad.
“Telling you what?! I don‘t know what you are talking about,” I half screamed; half sobbed back.
“Stop lying! You can’t deny it! We all saw you, stood there gawping like an idiot! Now Darryl is really hurt Evangeline!”.
I stared blankly at Sandra, trying for the life of me to figure out what she was accusing me of.
“Sandra… I…”
“Forget it! I can’t bear to be anywhere near you! Liar!”
And with that she slammed the door closed, leaving me to listen to her retreating footsteps. Well, that made little sense, I thought to myself. None of it does. She can’t possibly blame me for a bloody wild animal attack. It was Sandra that left me alone out there in the first place. Exhaustion hit me, a million different thoughts running through my head. What in the hell was going on in my life? My powers had taken a turn, Darryl’s hurt, and I couldn’t process what was happening. I’m overwhelmed, a feeling I was getting all too used to. Would I ever have a couple of weeks of peace? Or any normality at all. Laying back on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling and sighed. This was the first time I wished I had never left the children’s home. Maybe everything would have just stayed normal. Not that I had a choice in that though.
I must have dozed off for a while because when I came to I was in complete darkness and surrounded by an eerie silence. Not wanting to move just yet, I wondered where everyone was and if Darryl would be ok. Eventually, I rolled off my bed, deciding to go check. The hallway was dark and empty, but I could hear hushed voices coming from one room downstairs. Sneaking down, I ambled toward the living room door to see if I could hear more clearly. Better to assess the situation before barging into a room if I wasn’t welcome.
“There’s no way!” I heard Darryl proclaim, I breathed a sigh of relief over the fact he seemed ok.
“Don’t be so naïve D. We looked around the perimeter! He’s obviously been in and out for a while!” Sandra replied, followed by Rose’s soothing tone.
“We don’t know that for sure, everyone just needs to calm down.”
“Rose stop! We need a plan. He needs to be dealt with before others follow!” Sandra was talking like we had a rat problem. Although, there was a sense of urgency in her voice that made me worry slightly. Darryl’s roar snapped me back to the conversation
“He is still my goddam brother!”
“Darryl, sweetie, calm down you are still healing,” Rose’s voice had taken a motherly tone but also had a hint of urgency.
“Taylor, what do you think?” Sandra asked.
“I’m sorry Rose, but I agree with Sandra.” There was a slight pause before Taylor cleared his throat.
“Adam needs to be taken care of. Tonight.”
I couldn’t hold back the gasp that escaped my mouth, nor did I notice the vase falling to the floor and smashing beside me. What I noticed was the silence in the room in front of me. Now they knew I had been listening in. Spinning quickly on my feet, I turned and ran out, making a beeline for the barn. I needed to breathe, to be out of the house. Maybe kick something. The darkness creeping in around me should have scared me, but I was too focused on getting away. Green eyes flashed through my mind. Adam’s eyes. Darryl’s eyes. The wolf's eyes. Until they all merged into one picture. It couldn’t be, there was no way. Another memory tugged at my mind, the note. I thought it was just a sick joke from Sandra. Could it have been from Adam? No, surely not. He would have no reason to leave me it. I did
n’t even know him. Why hadn’t he tried to attack? He had me on my own.
Reaching the barn doors, I slid them open and took in the scene before me. The scent of blood hit me again. Just hours before, they had laid Darryl out on the floor, bleeding. Fighting for his life. His injuries had been so bad. Surely Adam, his own brother, had I heard him say? Well, surely, he hadn’t meant to hurt him that badly. All the similarities between them started coming to mind. How had I not made the connection before? I knew Darryl had reminded me of someone; it had been bugging me since I first saw him. I just never paid much attention to it. I crumpled to the floor in a heap, unable to stop the tears from streaming down my face as I let the day’s events course through me. I had noticed no one behind me until I felt a warm arm embrace me.
“Taylor,” I whispered.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Darryl replied.
“Not quite,” pulling me closer to him. My shoulders dropped in surprise disappointment, but I didn’t resist.
“I’m so, so sorry, I don’t understand any of this,” I sobbed into his chest.
“Hey, come on now, it’s not your fault, we should have told you everything sooner. But Taylor said he wanted to be the one to do it, and well, he hasn’t really been around. Did you know he was here, Evvy?”
I looked up into Darryl’s pleading eyes and noticed he was struggling with all of this just as much as I was.
“No, no, I had no clue, I only ever met him three times, Darryl. We barely even spoke. I never saw him again. He’s your brother!?”
“We share the same bloodline, yes, that’s about all, but he is still the only brother I have left.” I felt Darryl’s heart rate quicken. I didn’t want to push him for information, but I wanted to know more. The last thing I wanted was him even more upset, though.
“How are you feeling, have you healed?” I shuffled back to take in the sight of him, scanning him for any sign of cuts or bruising.
“A few broken ribs, that will take more time, but other than that I’m doing ok.” Throwing my arms around him and without even thinking about what he had just said, I squeezed him. Maybe a bit too hard. I felt him wince and quickly let go.
“I’m so glad. How could he do that to you!?” It horrified me the thought that Adam would hurt him the way he did intentionally, let alone as brothers.
“Technically, I challenged him Evvy. He had done you no harm, and he was there for ages just looking at you. That’s how I know he is still in there! The others won’t understand, but I’m hoping you will.” Darryl pushed me back, so our faces were level. He was looking deep in my eyes as if searching for something.
“Understand what Darryl?” I asked.
“The longer we stay in our animal form, the more we lose our humanity, it’s complicated but has happened to many shape shifters before us. Adam must spend a lot of time in his wolf form if he’s going undetected, not only by us, but I think the Veil too.” He was looking at me so intensely I had to look away, I was trying to take everything in, trying to understand.
Darryl loved Adam, but they were on opposing sides of this conflict. Did he want my help or was he just confiding in me because I’m probably the only one who will listen? But where did this leave us and more importantly what did Adam want? If he was a part of the Veil, then what was he doing here? A dull throbbing had started behind my eyes, I could feel the walls of the barn closing in around me. I closed my eyes. Too much information, too many questions. Why can’t I be stronger! Why does my body shut down every time I feel overloaded? Part of me wanted to welcome the darkness as it called to me. But I had to be stronger than this. I could distantly hear Darryl saying my name, panicked. Fight it, Evvy. I felt his arms surrounding me as I slowly regained control, fighting my out of the darkness.
Opening my eyes, I gazed straight into Darryl’s.
“There she is welcome back,” he proclaimed.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good thing,” I mumbled as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I was getting sick of everything, fainting, all the secrets and most of all the never-ending crap that seemed to come my way. Leaning my head back against the refreshingly cold wall, I looked towards Darryl. Reaching out, I touched his face, taking in all of his features.
“How could I not see it, not notice? The resemblance is uncanny,” I whispered, half to him and half to myself.
“Maybe you just didn’t want to see it, hell, even I don’t, and the others certainly do not. Plus, you didn’t know him,” he retorted back.
“Is he really that bad Darryl? I mean, is Adam as evil as the others think? That he needs to be taken care of?” I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer, but I asked anyway. Standing up swiftly, Darryl reached out his hand and pulled me up next to him.
“Let’s go back into the house, sit somewhere more comfortable and I will tell you my story. Then you can decide for yourself, Evvy,” he said with a sigh. Taking his offer, we walked back to the house. It was comforting being out in the darkness. Other than the far-off sound of an owl hooting, silence greeted us. For a moment I could pretend none of this is happening. Although I noticed Darryl’s eyes darting everywhere.
Walking into the living room, I watched as he lit the fire and threw himself into an armchair. Gesturing for me to do the same. I sat slowly, studying his face and watching the light from the fire flicker and dance across it. It was then I noticed the pain in his eyes, as he prepared to tell me his story. Taking a deep breath, he started.
“It wasn’t always this way you know, we lived in peace us shapeshifters. We had our own little communities. This was the land my pack called home. My parents passed when I was young, leaving it, and the pack, to me and my three brothers. The eldest James became our Alpha through birth rite and boy did he lead a powerful pack.” Darryl paused, staring into the fire as if watching a long-lost memory unfold in the flames. “All of us were homeschooled, free to change and run the lands when we pleased. When whispers of The Veil reached us, we didn’t quite believe it. None of us were overly bothered. Well, no one but Adam.” Darryl shifted and squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable with the memories that must be flooding back. I leant over to put his hands in mine in reassurance. Silently eager for him to carry on.
“Adam willed my brothers to listen, to make some kind of deal before they came for us. James would have none of it, didn’t want to hear it, and said he had no time for Adam’s delusions. My other brother JP shared the same views. If only they had listened…” Tears were shimmering in the corner of his eyes. His voice took on a slight quiver. “It wasn’t long before they came for the strongest of us, James and JP tried to fight. It was such a bloody battle, awful. We didn’t stand a chance from the start. We lost a lot of good people that day. My brothers included.” Once again Darryl stared into the fire, reliving every minute of his past. “Adam,” he sighed, “well Adam, he made his deal in the end. Made Alpha by being the eldest living heir. We had safety and got to live our normal lives, in exchange for certain services. Tracking and the likes as far as I know. We all thought it was over, and for a few months it was.”
Darryl exhaled, the pain of losing his brothers and many more of his pack so clear. “Shape shifters stopped returning from their missions and those that did never came back the same. They seemed so consumed with rage and anguish, I often wondered what had happened or what they had seen. No one would tell me though, I was just a child.” I drank in every one of his words with so much eagerness to hear more. I could feel his pain hovering around the room, but I felt this is something I needed to hear. Needed to understand, and maybe something that Darryl needed to let off his chest. “Adam had no clue what to do, he had no answers for the families of those missing. The day I had my first change I was called for by The Veil, and Adam, well, he panicked. Couldn’t let them take me. So, he made Avetta come and collect me. Tore me away from all I knew, to hide out like a rat. That was the last time I saw him. I only heard through Avetta the horrors that the pack, and Adam, endured aft
er that. The horrible things Adam had done for The Veil. Then the information stopped coming. Adam and the pack disappeared. Until now, at least.” I tried to understand Darryl’s pain but was struggling to find the evil in it other than from the Veil. They were the villains here.
“He saved me, you know, but at what cost? One life for the pain and horrors of so many others. He saved me, yet failed to save our pack, failed to save himself. So you tell me, Evvy. Is he my saving grace or someone else’s devil in disguise?” Darryl’s question hit me hard and I could feel a lump forming in my throat. He resented himself, and Adam, for the pain and torture that others had endured. Even though he was only a child, he begrudged the thought of being saved while others suffered. I cleared my throat.
“I don’t know the answer to that Darryl, but there may only be one way to find out.”
“Oh yeah, and how do we do that?” he asked.
“We need to find him before the others do, and we need to get the answers you need.” I waited for Darryl’s reply. The silence laboured my breathing. I could feel a sheen of sweat covering my forehead. I was certain he would tell me I was crazy, or that I’ve lost my mind.
“Ok Evvy, say we do, how are we going to explain that to the others? They’ll never let us go alone, let alone agree to it.” With a heavy sigh and a sudden realisation that everyone here had been through much more than me. I replied.
“We don’t tell them. When, and if, the time comes just blame me, I have nothing to lose.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Achange of clothes, toothbrush, water, and some snacks were what I had quickly grabbed and shoved into a backpack. Looking at my watch, I had five minutes until I was meeting Darryl at the tree line behind the barn. Sweat trickled down my neck as I thought of the others. One of them would patrol the perimeter. I was having reservations whether we were doing the right thing by going alone. Taking a deep breath, I calmed my nerves. We have no other choice. We needed answers. Answers that only Adam seemed to have. Is it dangerous? But we will worry about any impending danger when it comes to it. Sneaking down the stairs and out the back door, I mentally convinced myself that everything would be just fine.
