by Thea Chin
* * *
As the representative from the werewolf council took his leave earlier, he beckoned Chan to follow.
“A summoning,” he told him. “We had to tell an outsider about us. The Council wants to see the alpha behind this.”
“Of course,” Chan said blankly and void of emotions.
Now, he stands by a podium with three spotlights on him. Surrounding him are rows of theater balconies. He doesn’t have to see to know that hiding in them and their harsh shadows are members of the Council.
“Name.”
“Chan. Alpha of the territory of Lynford.”
“Case number.”
“Information leak case 0017.”
“The experiment’s case,” someone in the dark whispers.
“Excuse me?” Chan asks.
“A very grave crime,” someone else interrupts. “The defendant may now speak.”
So he does. There are no lawyers, no prosecutor—just him. Chan steadies his gaze on the void in front of him and begins.
“A member of my pack has, despite proper warning, decided to engage with a partner other than his soulmate. A child is confirmed, and I, as a result, requested from the Council permission to inform the mother the possibilities of the species of offspring she may procure as I felt it is in her rights to know.”
“Permission was granted, but the Council has still found fault in your leadership as this event could have been avoided in a multitude of ways.”
“That was my oversight. I apologize to the Grand Councilor and the rest of the Council,” Chan says formally.
“Or was it the immoral dog’s fault?” a high pitched voice piques.
“No, it was my responsibility as his alpha that has failed. It is of most justice that I carry the burden of this wrongdoing,” objects Chan quickly, clenching his hands into fists.
The first voice returns. “This crime is of no light matter, Alpha Chan, nor are its consequences. Do you wish to continue your defense for yourself?”
“No, Councilmen.”
“Very well. The defendant has spoken. Now the Council.”
A murmur surrounds the young alpha as the Council cast in their votes. He already knows what the results are, however.
“Chan, leader of Mu Alpha,” the voice continues. “You have been found guilty of first degree treason to the Council. As this is your first offence, you will only be punished with whipping…”
He nods and allows the guards to shackle him to the podium. Just as he is expecting the first lash of pain on his back, however, a sharp sensation runs up his arm instead. Chan’s features widen immediately as his wrist begins to glow vibrantly.
“N-no! Y-you can’t—!”
“… of your soulmate.”
“I haven’t even met her yet!” he screams.
“But we have. Don’t worry; it’s only to protect the longevity of our species,” one of the Councilmen consoles.
Chan has never felt so much pain in his life. Never mind the agony shooting up from his soulmark, telling him that his other half is in danger, his heart rips from the inside out as he is forced to imagine his love getting whipped over and over and him not being able to help her. He tries to rip through the chains and even turn into his beastly form, but nothing works, and nothing makes the pain subside. He hopes she will forgive him for this even though he cannot expect her to. He grits his teeth as screams escape him. Screams that cannot drown out the apologies he wishes he can voice as they whip his soulmate over and over and over… and over…
… and over.
When the ordeal is over, Chan stays in a defeated position on the floor, his hands tied to the podium above his head.
“Information leak case 0017 closed,” the voice announces. “For longevity.”
“Wait,” Chan coughs out.
He hears all but one pair of footsteps exit the room, the majority more concerned about tea than what he has to say. Chan takes it.
“Tell me this at least: if the child carries the W gene, how do we save Tsukiko Tsujii?”
“We don’t. The wolf would have found a suitable match for himself without the aid of soulmarks, and the species prevails.”
“There has to be a way,” Chan objects. “What if she can still birth wolves? Wouldn’t it not be in the species’ best interest if a capable person like her dies?”
“Alpha Chan, you should know better than to think that we would let our precious soulmarks go to waste. For longevity.”
Chan heaves heavily against the ground, not understanding what he had just heard. Was there really not a way? It’s what the Council says, after all. Or is there? He is too worn out to question it. Even if he had even the slightest shred of energy left, maybe he would have spent it noticing how familiar the Councilman’s voice is.
T-39 Moons
Ever since she has learned of her possible fate, Tsukiko has been spending so much time at the Mu Alpha library that Chan has given her a small room in the frat house complete with a table, clothing rack, and even a cot. However, when they do find her asleep over a book in the study, she usually wakes up the next morning curled up against Jaiden’s fluffy fur instead of in her own room.
Today is one of those days. Her dying phone chimes as the sunlight pours in from the window.
Tsukiko slowly wills her eyes open as she automatically turns off the alarm. Jaiden whines and sweeps his tail over her shoulder, asking for five more minutes.
“Sorry, Jaiden,” she mumbles tiredly and stands up. “I have work today.”
Jaiden transforms and stumbles to his actual bed. “I’ll drive you. Just let me sleep a bit more.”
“Sleep then.” She pauses for a stretch. “I’m taking the bus anyway.”
He lets out a grumble and shakes his head, opening his arms as if inviting her into a hug.
Tsukiko chuckles at his usual sleepy antics but heads towards the door nonetheless. “Sweet dreams,” she wishes before closing it behind her.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Tsukiko finds Jaiden standing between her and the front door, slightly disheveled with his flannel haphazardly half tucked.
“I can’t believe you’re actually leaving without me!” he exclaims.
“Jaiden!” one of the boys complains from their rooms. Eight in the morning on a Saturday is much too early for a college kid to be rudely awakened by the sound of his voice.
Jaiden flinches before going back to staring at Tsukiko.
The girl grabs both his shoulders and rotates him back in the direction of his room. “I’m going to be much too early if you drive instead of me taking the bus, so go back to bed.”
He grabs his keys off the hooks and walks the other way. “Then we’ll get coffee on the way.”
“Why are you up so early?” Tsukiko asks, hurrying to match his pace.
“My father has asked me to fill in for him at a meeting about a four hours drive away, so I was supposed to get up anyway.”
“Dressed like this?” she questions.
“Relax. I have a suit in the trunk. I wasn’t going to drive for hours wearing it anyway,” he laughs at her panic.
“Oh. Maybe I should take the bus then, so you can get going.”
He unlocks the white vehicle with a beep. “No need. I was planning to grab breakfast regardless. I heard there’s this little spot that just opened not too long ago. Get in.”
“If you insist… Thank you.”
“Still so formal, huh?” Jaiden teases as he buckles his belt. “How long have we known each other? Four months?”
“Sorry,” she blushes. “So, uh, finals next week, right? Which are you most worried about?”
“The chem lab one,” he answers easily.
“Why? Our scores have been pretty good.”
“You haven’t seen Matthews’ look of disappointment, have you?” he shudders, making his friend giggle.
“I guess having your frat big as your lab instructor is pretty stressful.”
&nbs
p; “Worst decision of the semester!” he groans.
Before long, the two pull up to a quaint building located just before where the towering skyscrapers of downtown begin to shoot up from the ground. Ivy grows both inside and out of the cafe, giving the place a mysterious and rustic feel.
“Welcome to Yellow Brick Cafe! My name is Irene Silva. What can I get you two this morning?” the barista chirps.
“An Americano please,” Jaiden orders. “An Oolong for her and a croissant each.”
“Hot Americano?” Irene clarifies, seeing the weather outside.
“Iced, actually.” He turns to Tsukiko sheepishly before she can tell him about how hard his homeostasis is already working against the December chill without him pouring more ice into it. “It gets hot on the road.”
Irene agrees politely while she types in their order. When she hands Jaiden his receipt, he catches sight of a fresh scab on her caramel skin.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
“Oh, this?” She looks down at her right limb with a light chuckle. “A cat broke in one night, and I woke up with these kinds of things all over my body.”
“You should get that checked out; street cats can carry a lot of diseases.”
“I already did at that hospital a few blocks down. St. Valentine’s, was it?”
“Oh, that’s the one I go to,” Tsukiko adds. “It went well, I hope?”
“Yep! They gave me some ointment and told me to lock the windows at night. I’m usually more careful about doing that, but I guess I forgot that night.”
“The night a cat just so happened to pass by, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m pretty unlucky. Please feel free to take a seat; your order will be right out,” Irene suggests as she turns to her espresso machine,
As they wait for their food, Tsukiko looks around the cafe. The walls are covered in neatly trimmed greenery, and fake butterflies sit on a few of the leaves.
“Let’s take a picture over there,” Jaiden suggests, pointing at a wooden garden table set with a particularly big butterfly.
Irene is busy with their drinks, so he insists that Tsukiko sits at the table while he pops his head into the shot a little further away. When he is done, so is their food. They thank the worker and head back to the car. A few sips of tea later, Tsukiko steps into the front courtyard of Destiny as a motorcycle zips by them in the valet zone.
“I’ll probably stay overnight at the hotel where they’re having the meeting, so don’t fall asleep at the frat house tonight or one of the boys will dump you onto that uncomfortable cot!” Jaiden warns through the window.
Tsukiko bends down. “Don’t worry; I won’t! Drive safe!”
The werewolf flashes two thumbs up and a smile before pulling away, and she walks towards the building. The motorcycle rider from before, having parked his vehicle, approaches the entrance at the same time.
“Good morning,” he coughs awkwardly.
“Good morning, Darren,” she returns.
He scratches his ear nervously and hurries inside. Tsukiko watches from behind with a frown at how their progressing acquaintanceship has fallen apart ever since she learned what he did and what it might mean for her. The glow on her wrist fades as he scurries further and further away.
“Miss Tsujii!” someone calls as soon as she steps into the building herself.
“Good morning,” she greets when she recognizes her supervisor running towards her with a tablet in hand.
“Thank goodness you’re early. So you know the project we have been handling for Valentine’s Memorial right? Well a shipment came yesterday with some blood samples, but we’ve lost the files with the patient information spreadsheets. Luckily, every vial is labeled with patient numbers and their names.”
“So you want me to type all the names and numbers up, right?” Tsukiko assumes.
Her supervisor nods. “Yep! Someone upstairs will fill in the rest of the information with the master database once we have the numbers. The shipment is in the laboratory. I gave your badge clearance for entry.”
“Alright. Which lab?”
“Basement floor one, room eight. Try to finish before the researchers come in at ten!”
“I will get started on it then.”
Tsukiko takes the elevator for her destined floor and swipes her employee badge at the door to unlock it. Once inside, she is nothing short of amazed at the equipment and abundance of knowledge written anywhere scientists can find room. Honestly, being an organic chemistry major, this is where she hopes her current internship with Destiny’s business operations will secure her future job. Now having seen the place in person, her desire only grows.
First thing first though. Tsukiko pulls on plastic gloves and quickly finds about five hundred samples chilling in a refrigerator. She takes the first rack out onto the table and returns the rest to their frosty environment.
About half an hour and four hundred vials go by before she sees something that catches her attention.
“Leiah Takeda. Patient 1204176,” she types.
Her finger freezes at the last digit. Why does the number sound so familiar? No, why does the whole thing sound so familiar? A pain ripples from her head to her entire body, and Tsukiko begins feeling her throat close. Panic rises, making everything worse as all thoughts are replaced now with ones necessary for survival. Hurriedly, she types for help into her spreadsheet, knowing that another intern at the office has been filling it out with patient information as she put in their names. Before she can finish her sentence though, the pain grows too intense, and she loses consciousness, dropping the tablet with a thud as she slips off her stool and onto the floor. The same eight red letters that can be read next to every name she inputted before shows up next to Leiah’s.
“DECEASED.”
* * *
Blue lights. As the fog in her eyes slowly clears, that one color dominates her vision. The next is Dr. Lawrence. Why does she look different today? Her perpetually gloved hand waves over her eyes to check for consciousness.
“Miss Tuskiko Tsujii,” she states as she does every time they see each other. “Have you regained some of your memories?”
Tsukiko slowly shakes her head.
“What is the last thing you remember?”
“Leiah…” she manages out of her cracked lips.
Leiah… The name sounds familiar. That’s when it strikes her; it is the same name as the person who Jaiden had mistaken her for.
“Anything else? Anything before you became unconscious?” Dr. Lawrence interrogates.
“… Takeda. 1204176…”
1204176.
“Very good. Now, we’re just going to do a quick brain scan to see if we find anything. You remember how this works, don’t you?” Dr. Lawrence follows her question with a short chuckle.
Tsukiko is placed into a chamber before she can answer. 1204176. The number is what struck her attention first. For some reason, she feels the need to remember it as liquid seeps through her gown, making her more and more drowsy.
1204176.
1204176.
1204…
* * *
Tsukiko opens her eyes to see someone holding her IV bag between his two thumbs and index fingers, looking at her like a cartoon robber being caught in an act.
“Darren?”
He quickly rehooks the pouch and straightens his posture. “I was, uh, just curious,” he says while clearing his throat.
The girl sits up and feels a little lightheadedness accompanied by an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. “How long have I been out?”
“It’s been about four hours since the ambulance showed up at the office.”
Four hours? Tsukiko quickly swings her legs off the side of the bed, needing to get back to work.
“Relax,” Darren urges, placing his hands in front of him. “Some lab assistant finished the job you left behind, and your supervisor understands what’s happening; we don’t hire monsters.”
“What
lab assistant?”
“I don’t know; some guy who works in Lab 8 where they found you unconscious.”
Tsukiko mentally runs through her tasks that involve entering the labs but finds no results. Well, if someone completed it, then it must be fine. She’ll ask her supervisor about it to see if she needs to follow up on anything later.
“There’s still that form I need to complete and data that needs to be compiled by tomorrow,” she insists.
Darren sighs at her determination. “Matthews is finishing your paperwork with the hospital right now. Just lay down for a little more and we’ll see if he got you discharged, alright?”
“Matthews?”
A nod. “I called him in case you didn’t wake up before I have to leave for my meeting in… ten minutes. You know, since Jaiden’s out of town.”
“Jaiden is out of town?” Tsukiko repeats. She feels like a parrot.
“He didn’t tell you? He’s gone to one of his father’s properties for the day. I’m surprised that even I know.”
Tsukiko shakes her head.
“That’s odd, but anyway, Matthews should be finishing at the front desk soon, so I’ll be heading to my meeting now.”
“Thanks for looking after me,” she calls as he shuffles off.
Darren pauses, not turning around as he answers, “No, don’t thank me,” before continuing out the door.
As promised, Mark flings open the door without knocking five minutes later.
“What kind of dimwit faints from standing with her knees locked for too long?” he yaps.
Is that why she fainted? She wonders why her chest hurts too.
“Sorry,” she laughs sheepishly.
“If you think this is going to get you leniency on the final next week, you’re wrong,” he glares jokingly at her. “Not that you need it.”
“I didn’t,” Tsukiko promises. “Am I free to go?”
Mark nods. “A nurse is coming in to just do a final checkup and we’re good.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Mark.”
“Mark.” She fidgets with the top of her blanket. “And um, is it okay that we don’t tell Jaiden that I was here today?”
Mark raises an eyebrow but agrees. “I guess he would flip, wouldn’t he?” He then turns his head away for a dramatic aside. “But I kind of want to make him suffer for going on a trip the weekend before my final.”
