Fate Fixed (3 page)

By the end of the first week of class, the two were back at Liz’s house eating apples with peanut butter and designing outfits for her Bratz Dol s. Liz’s favorite had been a Jade dol with her hair chopped off into a Mohawk and eyes

darkened

with black sharpie, a memory that made them both laugh.

Neither of them had to try to impress each other, their friendship was just natural.

Lexie always loved Liz’s unique style. Her mom never

would have al owed Lexie to highlight her hair or even wear makeup if it wasn’t for Liz. Ruby warned her to not take it too far, the way Liz did, and end up looking like she

belonged in a manga book. Not that she would have

anyway, Lexie’s look was more relaxed – with jeans and fitted tees being the go to outfit of choice. A late bloomer, Lexie was natural y slender and petite.

Only Liz knew the secret relief she felt when her breasts final y developed. At five foot three, she was only a little bit tal er than El a.

After arriving at the coffee shop and ordering their usual, the two found a seat next to the window.

“So, this morning, you wouldn’t believe who actual y spoke more than one consecutive word in a row to me.” Lexie instigated with a grin, knowing Liz loved to make fun of her new stepfamily.

“Yikers, what would have brought that on? Did he want you to load his jock strap on to the truck for him?” Liz joked as she stuffed a bite of cappuccino muffin into her mouth.

“Nice visual! Thanks for that.” Lexie’s nose wrinkled with the thought.

“No prob.” Liz was the funniest person Lexie knew and her dark haired friend took great pride in that fact. “So, what did his Mighty Prickness want so dearly that he was wil ing to converse with someone as low as yourself on the food chain?”

“He wanted to take me to breakfast.” she offered with a sly smile.

“Shut! Up!” They both laughed in unison at Maxim’s

unexpected behavior. “I knew it! He wants you Lexie. That is why big Blondie is so hostile. It’s al that pent up sexual frustration!” Liz was animated and a few other patrons
looked over at them with scowls.

“Okay, now you have managed to agitate my gag reflex,”

Lexie grinned. “I’m hoping he’s going to try to act human, which is best case scenario. Most likely, he was afraid I would slow down everyone even more by taking off, which is what I have done anyway.” With a laugh she nibbled away triumphantly at her half of the muffin and washed it down with her mocha latte.

“Speaking of time, when are you hitting the road?” Liz asked although they both had discussed it al week.

Glancing at her cel phone, Lexie knew she should be

heading back. It was already close to nine.

“I can stay another ten minutes. I don’t want to appear too eager, but I don’t want Mom anymore stressed than she

already is. She said last night that she thinks her hair is starting to fal out.” Suddenly Lexie wasn’t feeling up to laughing anymore. The stress was getting to Ruby and even Lexie noticed al the extra hair plugging the sink.

“You know Lex, if it’s a total hole up there, Bev said you can crash with us. I already talked to her about it. She said just give it a chance, and if you are not happy by the time
Christmas rol s around, she’l talk to your mom and you can stay with us.

We have plenty of room.”

Liz’s Aunt Bev was a proud Avon representative who had a passion for cupcakes and British Literature. It was easy to see where Liz got her individuality from. Lexie thought it was pretty amazing that Bev al owed Liz to live with her so her niece wouldn’t be forced to fol ow her single father al over the world each time he was reassigned to a different naval base. As a career navy man, Liz’s dad knew a lot about sailing and military strategy, but nothing about females. Perhaps that is why Liz’s mom vanished before her first birthday.

“I know Liz, but Mom and El a need me, or I would have already applied for emancipation when I was old enough to research it on Wikipedia.” She swirled the liquid around in its cup.

The truth is, she had thought about pleading her case to her mother, but just could not bring herself to say the words that

would devastate the woman who had sacrificed so much to raise her and El a alone for the last year. Lexie knew she needed to show the same courage now that her mom did

over those first horrible months after her dad died.

“Wel , my bestie can’t leave without some presents…so

close your eyes!” Liz asserted with satisfaction.

“Okay, but just so you know – I’m peeking.”

Liz reached into her tattered back pack and pul ed out two gift boxes in ivory tissue paper with black satin ribbon.

“Here, this one first.”

Lexie took the smal est package and opened the delicate wrapping, unveiling a smal box. Lifting the lid, she

discovered a beautiful silver cross with a little emerald stone, on a choker length chain. It was gothic enough for Liz to qualify it as cool, but simply stunning to Lexie.

“Liz, I don’t know what to say, it’s so pretty.”

“I just knew you would love it. It’s a little tame for me, but the green in the stone looks like your eyes. Besides, it wil protect you from vampires.”

Lexie laughed at their ongoing joke. She always told Liz if she saw a vampire, she would turn and flee but Liz would run it down and tackle the unsuspecting creature of the night.

Lexie fingered the delicate chain, loving the sterling silver
and admiring the green in the stone. Liz was right; it was a lot like the pigment in her eyes. She knew that whenever she missed her friend, she would wear the necklace to think of her.

“Okay, next gift…you’re going to love this.” She handed Lexie the weighted package.

This time Lexie didn’t take her time, she pul ed away the tissue paper to discover a black leather address book. She flipped it open and ran her fingers through the feather light pages. When she got to the “L” section, every single page had Liz’s name and address penned in it.

Lexie reached out and hugged her best friend. She knew no matter how far apart they were – Liz would be up visiting soon enough.

The wolf’s claws extended out and burrowed into the dank soil. The smel s of decomposing foliage deep within the
earth aroused his appetite. It had been too long since he shed his skin and the feeble form he was trapped in. He wanted to hunt.

He walked a tight rope. Always pretending he was just a backdrop in everyone else’s world. It angered him how

oblivious humans were. They were so caught up in their supremacy that they couldn’t see they were nothing but cattle at a slaughter house. They spit on him and made jokes at his expense when he held their lives in his hands.

It was the moment of capturing his prey he loved most.

Seeing the fear and acceptance in his victim’s eyes as they flailed beneath him in surrender, that real y did it for him.

His body shivered with pleasure at the thought of tasting blood

again. It had been months and he could barely contain his desire for it.

With his nose in the air, he raced into the vast forest fol owing a decadent smel . The others yelped as they fel into formation. Staying low to the ground, he could smel his prey’s fear and knew he would be the first to go for the throat. He tensed with anticipation, his excitement made him want to do more than just kil .

Change was in the air and he was ready to mate. He wouldn’t wait in the background anymore.

Torin stepped out into the beautiful quiet of the morning.

It would stil be dark for a mortal; just a year ago, it would have been black out for him too. However, as he walked out to the lake his family home was built upon, he could see every blade of grass, every ripple upon the surface of the water. He was wide awake and ful of the desire for

escape.

He breathed in the rich predawn scent of the air.

Although he was not transformed yet, he enjoyed the

interesting musky scent of a bear who had wandered past during the night.

He ran his tongue along the top of his teeth. Soon he would show the slightest sign of fangs when he thought of the hunt and the need to feed.

Torin looked at the stars reflecting off the crystal clear water from where he sat on the dock. The older he became the

deeper connection he felt to the earth. He intended to remember the joy he felt inside as he sat awaiting the sunrise. If it were a perfect world he would let himself dream of having his fate-partner by his side and they would watch the sun awaken the day together. He pul ed off his t-shirt and dove into the refreshing water, al owing the pleasure of releasing himself into its hidden depths.

After twenty minutes, he noticed a lone figure on the shore.

Even though he was about thirty yards away and the sun had just begun to cast a slight glow from behind the horizon, he could see it was Cian. His dark haired friend looked like his only company was misery.

Torin swam to the water’s edge and hoisted himself onto the dock. The two sat in silence and watched the sunrise.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to never see the sunrise again?”

Cian nodded. “I always think of the others, only knowing darkness for so long. What would that do to a person?”

“I don’t know. I think it would make you even colder on the inside.” Torin wondered how maddening it would be to

never get warm again or feel the heat from someone else’s skin.

It was not an experience he would wish for – not for him or anyone else.

He studied his cousin, who was only two months younger than himself. The hardest part for Cian wasn’t the worry that he would feed on humans, it was recognizing that someday he would dream of his fate-partner and his feelings for his girlfriend would end. Regardless of their feelings, history or memories, he would change towards her. Cian once told

Torin that realizing he would break Brooke’s heart

someday kept him from sleeping at night for fear he would dream of someone other than her. He had tried to break it off in order to prevent the inevitable, but he could not stay away. That selfishness was the one thing he hated the most about himself.

“How much sleep did you get last night?” Cian broke the silence.

Torin thought for a moment, “Two, maybe two and half

hours. You?”

Cian turned and looked at Torin. The circles under his eyes were harsh. He was exhausted. “I haven’t slept in a week.

I could for a while, but I don’t want to dream.” His words sounded haunted and Torin felt for his friend’s predicament.

“It’s not my business Cian, but did you ever think that maybe you wil dream of Brooke once you stop trying to control your destiny?”

Cian considered him for a moment, his dark hair in his eyes. “You’re always ful of answers, aren’t you?” A slow smile

crept across his face, “I know it must be very difficult Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility.”

Torin punched Cian in the arm. “You have no idea, you poor whipped bastard. You hungry? I can smel my mother

cooking omelets with extra sausage and onions.” Torin

knew if anyone could help Cian forget about his fear of losing Brooke, it would be Endel ion. “You know how happy she is when you come and see her.”

Cian stood up, and brushed the dirt and grass from his jeans. “I could eat. That rich scent out here – it has my stomach growling. What is it? Elk?”

“That my friend is bear and you’l be getting your fil of Yogi soon enough. As for my mom’s omelets, time’s running out.

Braden said anything cooked and not raw tastes repulsive.”

Torin pul ed his shirt on and ran his hands through his thick wet hair.

As they headed to the house, Torin noticed his cousin was smiling.

“Brooke wants me to bring her to the park this weekend.

Come with us.”

“I don’t know. I like Brooke, she’s cool. Nevertheless, some of those people she goes to school with....” Torin cringed, “Besides, that Courtney chick wil probably be there, and she doesn’t take a hint.”

“Yeah, some of them are a bit much, but Julie and Theo are going. They’re pretty cool. Besides, if you go, maybe

Braden wil come and actual y relax for once so he isn’t on my case.”

Torin knew Cian was right. If he went, Braden would back off.

“Maybe.”

Lexie did not get a good look at the outside of the house the night before. By the time she arrived in Erris, it was almost midnight. She had to vacuum and dust her bedroom before they could bring in her bed and bureau. El a’s room adjoined hers and she needed help too. The place was

filthy and had a stale smel . It sat empty for a long time; she hoped there weren’t any mice.

She would have to tel Liz she lived in a haunted house.

She could swear she heard strange sounds last night once she started to drift off and then there was the howling out in the woods. She would have to warn El a not to explore the forest near the house unaccompanied. She had not

considered the fact that there would be wolves in Maine.

Bears, moose, and deer she expected, but wolves – not so much.

Her bedroom wasn’t horrible; it was three times the size of her room back home. The hardwood floors could use polish
and a few colorful throw rugs. She wanted to paint the wal s and dust the baseboards before she hung her posters.

Instead of the deep closets like she had back home, she now had one wal with custom drawers built into it, several large open shelves that could hold her extensive book

col ection and a tal wardrobe to hang her clothes in.

Her favorite part of the room was the large windows that opened onto a private second story balcony that only she could access. She could sit out on a cool evening and

watch the stars.

El a’s room was symmetrical to hers, with a smal hal way containing a bathroom and door connecting the two

bedrooms.