Have No Fear

Cabin

I'm surprised that I somehow eventually managed to fall asleep in the front passenger seat of Ambrose's truck. When I do wake up, it's almost dawn and as my eyes focus we're somewhere unfamiliar.

"We'll be there in about an hour" he says, sees me looking out of the window.

"Where are we?" I ask tiredly.

"Washington".

I'd never actually been here before, but the trees are beautiful.

"Let's get breakfast first. I'm starving and in need of caffeine" he yawns.

After a quick stop, we continue on our journey and he's less than pleased with me when he notices that I still haven't eaten anything yet.

"You need to keep your strength up".

"Maybe I will when I get the damn taste of blood out of my mouth".

"It won't go away until you eat human food, preferably something flavourful".

"How do you know that?"

"I bit a person once. I found someone camping on our territory and I tried to scare him off, but he pulled out a knife".

"Did you kill him?"

"No, I just gave him a nasty scar that he wouldn't soon forget".

I wanted to ask about my parents, but I was worried that he wouldn't want to incase it risked upsetting me.

"What are people going to say? About why I'm gone?"

"Do you really want to know?"

I nod.

"We have connections. People are going to think that you and your parents moved away suddenly because your dad got offered a new job in Hawaii".

So that would be it? Nobody would know what really happened to them, except those that needed to?

"Why bother going to all that trouble?"

"Because if you do decide to come back to Idaho after your exile, then it'll just look like you chose to move back to your hometown".

Smart, I guess.

"What if you don't find the other man?"

"I have my best trackers on it. Even if we don't find him, he'll probably be too scared to tell anyone what he saw anyway. That will give us more time to find him".

"Will you kill him?"

He doesn't answer my question. Maybe they will, but four missing people is more noticeable than three.

"I wanted to be there for Claire when she shifted".

I just realised I that never got the chance to say goodbye to her or her grandparents either. They'll be worried sick.

"Don't worry about her. When I get back, I'll explain everything and let her know you'll be in touch as soon as you get settled".

"Promise me that you'll keep her safe?"

If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be contemplating the idea of going back there after seeing what happened to my parents.

"I promise".

He soon leaves the main road and drives onto a narrow dirt road through the trees that I wouldn't have noticed was there.

After another thirty minutes, we reach a large clearing with a stream running through it and there's a large log cabin at the opposite side. It's so isolated out here.

I notice the anxious look Ambrose has when we pull up. Something had him nervous.

"Wait in the truck, okay?"

I nod, then watch him get out and approach the cabin with less of an intimidating stature than usual. Is he scared of whatever werewolf lives in there?

Is there some bigger, badder wolf living out here that even Ambrose is intimidated by? I can't see who it is because of where we're parked, but someone answers the door and lets him inside.

After around twenty minutes of waiting, he comes back outside being followed by somebody. A woman?

I hesitantly step out of the truck and immediately sense something weird about her. Her scent isn't like ours. She's human?

"Ren, I'd like you to meet someone. This is my friend, Carol Hart".

"Hello, Ren. It's nice to meet you".

She reaches her hand out to greet me, but I move back. The last humans I came across I killed, so I'm not exactly comfortable with the situation.

"Sorry" I feel bad.

"It's okay" she says.

"Carol has agreed to let you stay here with her for as long as you need. She knows all about our kind".

"I have plenty of room here for you" she reassures me.

"Okay".

We all walk to the cabin together and it's nice on the inside, very homely. It had only just occurred to me that I haven't brought anything with me.

Even the clothes I'm wearing right now aren't mine, they're Claire's that she let me borrow.

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs that you can sleep in and we can go into town later today to get you some things".

I watch as he passes her a thick brown envelope.

"What's that?" I ask curiously.

"Just some money to help you get by out here" he tells me.

"Oh".

Of course she would need money to feed me and buy me clothes.

"So if the money is for her, then she should have it. Nobody's forcing her to stay here with me and if she decides to leave, then she'll need it for herself" she points out to him.

I was surprised at how forward she was with him. Most humans would be probably be terrified if they knew they had two werewolves in their home.

That's when it occurs to me, this woman must be his ex wife that my mom told me about, and the one he'd talked about too. He did say she knew about what we are, so it makes total sense.

She passes me the envelope and I smile weakly at her. I still find it weird that I'm going to be left here with a complete stranger.

"I have to go" Ambrose announces suddenly.

Carol stays inside while I follow him back outside to his truck.

"You're not coming back, are you?" I question nervously.

"I can't. This is a safe place for you to stay, but only if it remains a secret".

"She's your ex wife, isn't she?"

That question catches him off guard.

"She is and that's another reason why this place has to be kept a secret. Humans aren't supposed to know about us, so if you do choose to return in three years time then you can't tell anyone about her".

"I won't".

"I'll keep in touch, I promise".

And that was it. I had little choice but to stand there and watch him drive away. The last connection I had to my home disappears into the distance and completely I feel lost.