Awakening

Chapter 19

It was nearly eight in the evening and pitch black on the small road leading to Hawthorne Farms. Max and Rose were quietly making their way towards the barn where the attack had taken place. Doing it during the day would result in too many questions, hence the middle of the night excursion.

They made it to the fence and snuck over, making almost no sound as they did, following the smell of the blood. It was starting to fade, but it was still enough to give them a general direction.

When they neared the barn, they saw the lights were still on. A police cruiser stood in front of the dreary looking building and next to it were two officers talking to Mr. Hawthorne.

"Shit." Max exclaimed, pulling Rose down. "What are they doing here so late? We'll need to wait them out. If we don't do this tonight, we'll lose the scent."

Rose nodded and they made their way to a nearby bush. They sat there for a while in complete silence, waiting for their chance.

Finally Max broke the dead silence surrounding them, softly whispering. "How old are you?"

His question caught her by surprise. "What? Where is this coming from?"

"You said earlier that the last time you met another lycan was fifty years ago. I'm just curious as to how hold you really are." He shrugged as he said this, like it was just an everyday question. Which it was, but not in her case.

"You know, you're not supposed to ask a lady that question?" she asked, trying to dodge the question.

He laughed softly. "Yes, normally. But lycans are a bit different. It's not like we actually look our ages. Plus, only the tough ones really last long these days, so old age is like an honor."

She knew she would have to give an answer, it would look too weird if she didn't. "Just checking that you actually have manners... If you must know, I opened these green eyes in 1946."

He was surprised, and excited, at this news. "What? No way, I was born in 1941! You know what this means, right? I'm older than you... Which technically puts me in charge." With this statement, he puffed out his chest a bit.

She laughed at this. "What are you? Five?"

"No. I just told you, I'm 78."

She rolled her eyes at this. If only he knew she was 119 years his senior.

He continued. "So, were you born a werewolf or were you turned?'

She smiled at this, trying to hide her discomfort. "When did we agree to play 20 questions again?" She really didn't like the direction the conversation was taking. "I came out like this"

"Just trying to get to know my partner in crime." He nudged her softly. "If I'm going to risk my life, I'd at least like to know who I'm doing it with."

She felt a twinge of guilt. She wasn't technically lying to him. She did open her eyes in 1946 and she did come out of the ice as a werewolf. She knew if she told him the truth, it would definitely lead to a bunch of unwanted questions. And loads of guilt. But it still felt wrong lying to him.

She shook it off and decided to turn the conversation away from her. "You've got a point there. So, how about you? Pure blood or bitten?"

"Pure blood. To quote Lady Gaga: 'I was born this way'"

She laughed softly at this. He could be a real dork sometimes. She looked at him and had a sudden the urge to know him. To know where he came from, what his childhood was like. What his home was like.

"Since the Hawthorne's don't seem to like sleeping, tell me more about you. Who is Max Stevens?"

He chuckled and shifted his body weight to get more comfortable. "Well, I was born in Namai. My family has a farm there, been in the family for a few generations. My dad was a forest ranger, the best in the county, for obvious reasons. My mom stayed home with me, homeschooling me and trying to teach me some manners. Not that she was always very successful."

She laughed at this. "No, I wouldn't say so."

"Hey!" He playfully shoved her before continuing. "Anyway, Dad would read to me every night before bed, usually Charles Dickens. He was like a super fan. Mom would come in after he was done and tuck me in and sing me to sleep."

She smiled. "That sounds lovely. What else?"

He thought about this for a moment and then a smile crossed his face. "Well, Sundays were the best. Mom would cook up a big breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast. You name it, she made it. She was the best cook. And afterwards dad would take me outside and train with me. Teaching me the ropes of being lycan. Telling me the stories. We were happy, you know? Just a normal family." His voice fell. "But... There was an accident and things kind of changed."

He was silent for a moment, looking away. Trying to hide the emotions. But she could hear his heart beat beating faster and smell the salt of tears threatening to spill.

She moved closer to him and put her hand on his arm. "Max. I'm sorry. It's ok if you don't want to talk about it."

He cleared his throat and scratched his head, trying to shake off the feelings. "No, no. It's ok. It was a long time ago... Uhm... Dad went out to get pizza one night and never came back. Drunk driver. We heal fast and are pretty durable, but as you know, we're not immortal. Mom was not really ever the same after that. He was the love of her life. She didn't know how to cope without him. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. I mean, can you just imagine loving someone that much?"

A pair of blue eyes made their way into her thoughts. Oh, she knew alright.

He continued, even more softly. "She started looking too deeply into the bottle. I tried to help her. Tried to get her to sober up, but she relapsed every time. One night I came home and she..." he swallowed hard before continuing. "She left a letter explaining that she just couldn't face life without him anymore and that she was tired of disappointing me..."

She could hear the heartbreak in his voice and she felt his pain. His and his mothers. She moved even closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, hugging him with her right arm.

"Max, I'm so sorry."

He dropped his head to hers and took a deep breath, steadying his emotions. He breathed in her scent, listened to the steady beat of heart. They sat like that for a few minutes. He continued. "You know, I left the next day and never went back. I just couldn't face that empty house. I still think about it sometimes. Wondering if it's still there and how it looks. Isn't it strange how something that made you so happy can also make you so sad? I started running that day and I guess I haven't really stopped since."

It was strange, but at that moment she felt less alone than she had in years. She was running too. She felt guilty. He just bared his soul to her. Told her about the most painful part of his existence. Right then, she made an impulse decision.

"Max. There's something I need to tell..."

Suddenly he was sitting on his heels, looking over at the barn.

"They're leaving. Now's our chance. You ready to do this?" He looked at her expectantly.

She slowly got up, also sitting on her heals. There was a more pressing matter at the moment. Maybe she would tell him later. Or maybe she was being rash. It was never good to let your emotions rule your decisions. She shoved the thoughts far away and decided to focus on the task at hand. "Yeah, let's go."

He smiled at her and held out his hand. She didn't hesitate before taking it and letting his warm hand envelop hers.