Searching for Always and Forever

Chapter 2

The next day Hope woke up before the sun would rise, exactly how she planned. Grace didn't talk to her all day, she was reading in their room alone, while Hope took care of the little ones and did her chores. She only let Grace alone to sink into her teenage drama and hormonal emotions because it was her birthday the next day. She kinda felt bad about their little fight. Hope truly wanted to trust Grace more, it would be easier for her too if she could give her more responsibilities, but she couldn't help the awful feeling in her gut when she thought about letting her little sister in town alone.

As Hope was getting out of the bed, Grace stirred and opened her eyes. Hope looked at her silently, hoping she would go back to sleep, but the girl sat up in her bed, rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly.

"Are you leaving already?" Grace asked in a sleepy voice. Hope got on the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Happy birthday" She said smiling and hugged her for a quick second, then she continued to get ready as her sister watched her.

"You know when it would be happier..." Grace added in a sad voice, and Hope just grunted without an answer. "I'm not a child Hope! Why can't you see that?" she continued as her voice started to shake.

"Please don't cry, that would prove your statement otherwise." Hope replied sternly but she did feel bad for her sister.

"Crying is not making me a child... you think I don't hear you cry every single night?" She asked and Hope sat back next to her on their shared bed. She put her hand on top of Grace's and petted it lightly.

"I just miss them." Hope shrugged with a sad smile.

"We all do." Grace replied as tears started to roll down her face and Hope couldn't help but get emotional at the scene. She hugged her sister, and held her tight.

"I couldn't take it if anything would happen to you. I'm just really scared to let you go." Hope said after a long silence. Grace pulled away from her and looked into Hope's eyes.

"I know your rules! Only take your path. Not talking to anyone. Only go to the necessary stores to get what we really need. Spend as little time in town as possible. I'm not stupid, I don't want them to find us again. I can be careful!" Grace said in a serious and convincing tone. Hope took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, then nodded.

"Fine." Hope said finally. "You leave as soon as the sun rises. You are not walking in the dark." She added and Grace jumped and gave Hope a happy hug.

"Thank you!!"

The day went by really slowly. Hope tried some school work with the little ones but she wasn't able to focus, so she just let them play for the rest of the day. She started painting, which always seemed to distract her thoughts. She painted outside on their small wooden porch. Hope loved painting the most in natural light, and at least she could keep an eye on Grace, when she would arrive. It was cold but luckily there was no snow which would slow down the hike significantly.

Hope stopped painting and she was counting the minutes, waiting for her sister to arrive home. She nervously fidgeted with her silver bracelet on her left wrist. She did that when her mind wouldn't settle. She stared at her bracelet. She never took it off, not since that day. She would never dare. Hope wasn't sure if she believed in magic, but she thought she might be cursed and the only thing keeping her from falling apart was that thin silver lace on her wrist. Hope even managed to adjust it so tight so when she would decide to turn to her wolf form, it wouldn't fall off her wolf legs.

Their parents said they were lucky. With their union, their whole pack was freed from the cycle of the moon. They said all werewolves, except for them, had to turn with the full moon every single month. Hope had to experience this once, with her very first transition. One can never avoid the full moon after they trigger their wolf curse. It was excruciatingly painful and Hope was all alone in the middle of the woods. She knew it would happen, so she locked her siblings inside the cabin while she dealt with the transition. She made it through and since then she is not bound to the moon. She could turn freely, whenever she wanted. Even though it was still painful to break every single bone in her body, Hope loved the feeling that came with being a wolf. Running under the moonlight was so liberating. The only thing she cared about in her wolf state was her primary senses and the hunt. She had no problems, no responsibilities. Not a care in the world. It only lasted for a little while, but she craved this feeling, so she turned at least once every month. This wasn't the only reason. Her body and mind craved the turn. It helped ease every sort of tension that would bother her. It gave her a sense of release, a clear set of mind. Hope only knew as much about werewolves as her parents told her. She knew they all tend to be hot headed and they could get angry quicker which could turn to rage. That's why murder was a high probability amongst them which triggered their wolf. So, she couldn't be too mad at her siblings when they were acting out of their negative emotions. As much as Hope tried to discipline them, she understood them. Especially Grace. Hope was a sixteen year old teenager not even too long ago... but she had her wolf to turn into if her emotions were out of hand.

Grace had left nine hours ago and Hope started to worry. If everything went well, she wouldn't spend more than an hour in town. She should be getting home now. It might take longer for her with the heavy supplies... Hope calmed herself.

She tried to occupy herself with the little ones again, but when another hour had passed without any sign of Grace, she started to panic. She ran outside again and looked for her, but she only went as far as she had vision of their cabin. She couldn't leave the kids alone. She started to hyperventilate and sweat in the cold air. She knew it was a bad idea to let her go. After another empty hour, she rushed back to the cabin, took several deep breaths before entering. She didn't want Jack or Riley noticing her panic. She ran to both rooms and packed a bag with all the money they had, and with some other essentials. They had to go find Grace and get the hell out of there, start a life somewhere else. She just hoped they would find Grace, she wasn't able to accept it otherwise

"What's in the bag?" Jack asked with curiosity.

"Are we leaving?" Riley interrupted Jack with worry. Hope knew she had memories of that night when they had to run. They had nothing, only a carelessly packed backpack. But they had no choice, the four children had to run and survive from whoever hunted them. They left their old place, they left their dead parents, they didn't even have time to properly say goodbye or bury them. They had some money in their bag and they travelled as far away from their old cabin as their money let them. They lived in the woods for a while, trying to hide and survive. It was a real pain with the two toddlers. But luckily, very soon they found this little abandoned cabin where they lived now. It was in a rough shape but they made it work. It was perfect for their little family. Hope was sad to leave their home. They had good memories here, they were happy just the four of them. This was their home, their safe place.

.

When Hope was ready to tell the kids they were leaving, she looked outside the window and saw her sister walking toward the cabin. She was so relieved, she almost thought of the worst outcome. Hope rushed outside quickly with a huge smile on her face, ready to hug, then to yell at Grace, but when she took in the sight of her sister the panic returned. Grace was covered in blood, shaking, crying. Hope ran to her and hugged her tight and Grace was shivering in her arms.

"What happened? What the hell happened?" Hope asked, crying. Grace wasn't answering, she was just shivering and sobbing. She was in shock. "Did someone find us? Do we need to leave?" Hope asked as she pulled away, and held her sister's face in both hands so she would look into her eyes. Something horrible had happened, Hope knew and she wanted to comfort her sister more than anything, but she needed to protect all of them. She needed to know if they were safe. "Answer me, Grace! Were they hunters? Are we safe?" Hope asked again, maintaining the eye contact. Grace shook her head. "What?" Hope asked again. She felt bad for being so demanding, but there was no choice.

"No... no hunters. We... we're safe." Grace sobbed. Hope let out a relieved sigh, then hugged her again. This time she let the hug last as long as her sister needed it as she stroked her back gently and spoke comforting words to her. Grace slowly pulled away from Hope after a long time, but she held onto her hand.

"Are you ready to tell me what happened?" Hope asked gently and Grace nodded.