Silent Heroes: Wildcat

Chapter 41: Premonitions

We drove for hours and arrived in Charleston, South Carolina around noon.  I had to admit—as far as the human world went—It was a pretty nice city.  It boasted miles of coastline and white-sand beaches.  The weather was balmy, with a refreshing breeze coming in off the Atlantic Ocean.  The colonial architecture gave it a cultured, sophisticated quality, while the huge, sweeping oak trees added a sense of mystic beauty. 

Our first step was to check into a hotel.  It was a perfectly nice place.  Spotlessly clean floors, gleaming counter tops and the distinctive smell of chlorine.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, yet the place bothered me from the moment I walked in.  I disliked the thick, heavy walls that separated me from the outside world.  I disliked the echoing silence inside the lobby.  I disliked the harsh, chemical smells that surrounded me and the sharp, fluorescent lighting that seemed to bleach everything of colour. 

I was used to big, open spaces.  Natural sunlight streaming in through the walls.  Birds coming and going as they pleased.  This completely enclosed, artificial space was making me feel a little claustrophobic.

I reminded myself that this whole situation was only temporary.  Before long, I would be back among my own kind.  Back among my fellow shifters, who loved the woods and the wilderness just as much as I did.

Until then, I would just have to put up with this dull, drab human world.

Deanna got us checked in.  Three rooms side-by-side.  One for Shane and Reza, one for her and Danielle, one for me and Jewel.  I jumped impatiently from foot to foot while the payment went through and the keys and paperwork changed hands.  My wildcat was restless and agitated after spending all morning cooped up in the back of the car.  If it didn't get some decent exercise soon, there would be trouble.

The moment we got upstairs, I threw open the big, sliding glass door that led out to the porch and took several deep gulps of fresh air.  Jewel plopped down on one of the double beds and flipped on the TV.  "Feeling a little claustrophobic, Eve?"

"Yeah.  Aren't you?"

"A bit," she said casually.  "You'll get used to it, don't worry."

I rested my elbows against the railing and took a couple more slow, measured breaths.  A light breeze cooled my face, bringing the salty smell of the ocean with it.  The sky was a clear, perfect blue.  I could just make out the water through a set of palm trees. 

The sights and sound of the outdoors helped to calm me down, but not as much as they should have.  Something else seemed to be bothering me.  Something beyond the confined space inside the hotel.

I had this strange, uneasy sensation in the pit of my stomach.  A feeling—a premonition, almost—that something bad was about to happen.

But, that was ridiculous.  Really, what could possibly happen?  Deanna and Shane were right here keeping an eye on me.  If I lost control, they would be quick to step in and put a stop to it.  I wasn't likely to shift into that Saber tooth without Lucas around to provoke me.  Yes, Kerry had threatened to keep me from entering any other shifter villages, but I doubted she had that kind of power.  The worst she could do was spread rumors about me like some petty high-schooler and how much would that accomplish?  Some people might believe her, but plenty of others would see right through her lies.

As for Lucas.... well he was barely worth thinking about anymore.  He was lying in the hospital right now with a broken arm and maybe—hopefully—thinking twice about the next girl he was tempted to mistreat.  He was no threat to me at all.

So what was bothering me, then?  I was supposed to be excited.  I was going to a new country, a new continent, and a new village.  But, all that seemed completely and entirely surreal at the moment. I couldn't quite imagine myself at this village in Peru.  I couldn't conceive of how it would feel or what it would look like.  Deep down—in spite of the fact that we were already fully committed to making the trip—I sort of doubted we would ever get there.