- Twenty Three: Surprise Visit -
We ran for hours. We ran until the scent of panthers faded far behind us and the smell of burning fuel and human society tinged my nose. I had never smelt it when I was bathing in it, but now with the heightened senses I could smell everything.
In the distance I could hear traffic moving on a highway as the early wakers headed to work. The buzz of car engines and squeaking brakes soothed me into a strange sense of security. As if a drone could blow all three of us up at that instant, but everything would be okay.
We're almost there, I announce to Nick and Sam as the area starts to get familiar.
Good. Even in this form I'm starting to get tired, Nick replied.
We finally reached civilization again and we had to sneak down ally ways every now and then to avoid getting seen by a human. I didn't like it. I felt like I was hiding from my own kind.
In here, I said to the others as I felt my skin prickle. Daylight had returned.
I closed my eyes and felt my human characteristics making themselves known again. My ears shrunk into my head and I was human.
"Why do Sam and I always change before the others do?" I asked Nick as we were all back in our human forms.
"The newer the Werecat, the more sensitive to night and day." Nick answered with a shrug, "Where to from here, Riley?"
I hadn't answered Nick. The ally we were in sparked memories of a dark rainy night and a bus I never caught.
"Riley?"
"This is where Dom bit me." I said, putting my hand against the bricks in nostalgia. I pointed to the back door of the pet shop and continued, "He chased me in there and finally caught up and changed me."
"How romantic." Sam said and Nick laughed.
"I hate to interrupt, but can we please get moving? The longer we're gone the more pissed Eran's gonna be when we get back." Nick said after I stood there staring for another minute.
I hadn't even thought about what the plan was after we got back. I gulped as the different scenarios took form and ran after Nick and Sam.
"You do it!" I hissed at Nick.
"No! They're your family." He spat back.
We had arrived at my old home a few minutes earlier. As soon as I saw the small brick house, however, I got cold feet and wanted to go home.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Sam said, marching between us and ringing the bell.
"It's still early, they may not be awake." Nick said.
"They're awake. Aunt Kim always wakes up at six to cook Adam and me breakfast." I explained, my heart squeezing at the memories.
To my surprise, neither my Aunt Kim nor my cousin came to the door, but a large, official looking police officer.
Shit, I thought to myself. If a cop recognized me, I was finished for sure.
The cop stared at me for a minute, but I could see realization coming to his face.
"Stu! Come here!" He yelled.
Another cop, this one wearing a long black coat with a gold bage around his neck, came to the door.
"We've got -" But Stu didn't get to finish. He looked over my shoulder to were an older woman who also lived on my street was walking her dog. The original cop followed his gaze.
They both walked down the steps, as if being pulled by gravity rather than themselves, and approached the woman.
"Ma'am," Stu said, "you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"No!" The first cop said, "You're the lovliest thing I've ever seen."
The two police then began to argue about who saw the old lady first.
"What the hell?" I asked.
"I didn't know what else to do," Nick said, "so I made them fall for that old lady. They've fallen for her and they can't get up."
I began to laugh so hard it hurt. Sam joined in but stopped and stood stick straight a few seconds later. I turned to see what had spooked him and saw a small boy, eyes red and puffy, staring at me.
"Mama!" Adam yelled, "A ghost!"
I didn't realize that Adam thought I was the ghost of myself before my aunt came running to the door.
She stared at me and I could see wheels turning in her head, trying to make sense of what was going on.
"Adam," she said slowly, "go inside."
"But Mama!" Adam protested, grabbing my aunt's sleeve and stomping.
"I said go!" she hissed, pointing up the wooden stairs just beyond the door.
Adam ran for the stairs seconds later.
"It can't be." she said, taking a step closer and then another step back.
I spred my arms out and whispered, "It is." and before I knew it she was hugging me.
I had never been hugged like that before, so desperate and happy all at once.
After a few minutes, or what seemed like hours, she stepped back and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Where in the hell have you been, Riley?" She asked, gesturing for us to enter.
Aunt Kim didn't notice Nick and Sam until they followed me inside. She stared at them and then back at me possessively.
"Aunty, these are two of my friends, Nick and Sam, and I've been away." I said, walking in and plopping on the small leather couch.
Nick and Sam nodded and mumbled hello and sat awkwardly on either side of me.
"So where exactly have you been?" She asked again, beginning to pace.
"I told you, I was away." I tried to dance around the subject.
"But where? You have no idea how terrified I was. They've been searching for your body for days." she said as tears filled her eyes.
"Riley was away for her health, ma'am." Aunt Kim, Nick, and I all stared as Sam answered for me.
"You're health, Riley?" She asked in confusion, "You're hair is darker, almost black, I'm almost positive you're taller, and your eyes... You- You look just like your mother."
My head froze at her words. I had never, ever been told I looked like either of my parents. I didn't even know what they looked like.
"Aunty, I can't tell you what's been going on. Yes, I met these two there," I said, gesturing to Sam and Nick, "No, I can't stay."
"What?" Aunt Kim asked. She stopped pacing and pointed an accusing finger at me, "You are leaving again? Why?"
"Because I've finally found a place where I belong," I explained, "And I wouldn't give it up for the world."
"Not even for your own family?" she asked as tears waterfalled down her face.
"Aunt Kim please don't cry." I said, becoming irritated. I felt my teeth becoming sharp.
"Not even for your family!" she yelled. She pushed over a small end table and a glass of water shattered.
I sat there quietly as she threw her tantrum. Sam began to wiggle which I guessed meant his teeth were now sharp too.
"Stop, Aunty!" I shouted after a minute. I had lost control of myself and my sadness and irritation overflowed, "I am eighteen years old. I can do what I wish."
"If your parents knew about this..." She trailed off.
"Well, the fact is, Aunty, they don't. They're dead. Dead. And me being here is not going to change that. They're gone, and there's nothing anyone can do about it." I didn't realize I was crying until I turned and darted up the staircase, leaving Nick and Sam to deal with my aunt, and walked into my old bedroom.
It was exactly how I had left it. Even the bed was unmade. I grabbed some clothes, a tiny First-Aid kit, and one of my pillows and headed to the bathroom. The pipes were still busted from the first day of my strange new life, but no water flowed.
"The water for your bathroom was shut off the day you left." Adam's voice appeared behind me.
Before turning I asked, "How much of the conversation I had with Aunty did you catch?"
"Enough." he answered. When I finally turned, he sat there in footy pajamas and was clutching a teddy bear with a red, puffy face.
I squated in front of him and put my hands on each side of his face, "Promise me you'll listen to your mother."
"Where are you going?" Adam asked.
"I need to go away. Promise me." I said.
"I promise." he whispered, too afraid to say anything more.
Before I stood up again he threw his arms around me.
"I want you to have this." he said, holding out his teddy to me.
"No, your Mama made you that. I'd be selfish for taking it." I said, pushing it back to him.
"You're not taking," he said, tears coming back to his eyes, "I'm giving."
I took the bear and wrapped it in the pillow. I kissed Adam on the head and before I disappeared from the room, he said, "Can I come?"
"No," I said, not turning back around. I didn't want Adam to see the tears in my own eyes.
"I love you, Cuzzy." Adam said as I walked down the hallway. My heart lurched as I heard him use my old nickname from when I was a child. He hadn't been able to pronounce my name when he was born, but he could easily say 'Cuzzy'.
I arrived back downstairs and Nick pointed at the kitchen saying, "She's in there."
I walked into our small kitchen to find Aunt Kim bent over the table, studying something carefully. I shifted to catch a glimpse of an old, leather bound book that sat in front of her, unopened.
She began speaking without looking up, "When you're parents died, your father had left me a note saying to give this to you when you were old enough. I had forgotten about it until now."
I took the book off of the table and studied the cover. It was blank except for a leather band wrapping around the entire thing and ending on the front side with a lock. Above it in gold lettering said: I OPEN WITH THE CHALLENGE.
I stuffed the book into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. I kissed Aunt Kim on the head as she still stared down at the table surface. Just as I was about to shut the front door, I heard her say, "Will you ever come back?"
I closed my eyes to block tears as the door clicked shut behind me.