The Waking (The Upturned Hourglass) (10 page)

“What is
wrong
with you?” she fumed, glaring at the boy sitting on a small stump as he pulled his shirt over his head. He looked freaked, more agitated than Shane had ever seen him.

“She’s Isaac’s daughter, Shane,” Jack whispered, staring off at some unseen thing. “She’s his daughter.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jack met her eyes with his own intense stare. In the bleakness of the heavy overcast, the eyes appeared to glow—one of the more anomalous characteristics of Lycanthropy.

“Valie! Valentine McRae is rightfully Valentine Quinn.
Isaac Quinn’s daughter.
”

Shane shook her head definitively. “That’s not possible. It’s against Lycan law. No human relations—it’s clearly explained to every newborn cub. Even Noah knows that rule—not that he could get any action. Anyway, Isaac is a pack leader. He knows the rules!”

“Don’t you think I realize that? But this
is
his daughter. I’m sure of it. It’s why this entire operation has felt wrong. Isaac’s too interested, too attached. And Valie . . . Valie is too different, unique. And she is right; I can see some of Isaac in her, especially in the eyes . . . .” Jack began to sink deep into thought, but Shane wouldn’t let him.

“No. You’re wrong. Isaac would
not
have . . .
could
not have broken the rules like that.”

Jack was shaking his head before she could finish. “Not even for love? Think about it, Shane. It was years ago. He fell in love. She conceived a half-blood child. The mother predictably dies and out of guilt, Isaac lets the child live, lets
Valie
live.”

“And that would mean we’re here to do what? Check up on his illegitimate child? He obviously can’t change her. She’d be an Abomination, Jack!”

Jack stared at Shane, waiting for her to come to the conclusions that he himself had instantly drawn.

Her face paled. “No,” she gasped.

Jack continued to wait, letting it sink in.

“Jack. He can’t kill her. She’s his kid.”

The boy’s tone of voice turned reassuring and reasonable, as if he were breaking the news about a deceased family pet. “She is the only evidence of his indiscretion, the only evidence of his crime. And Isaac’s gunning for a place on the Council. Why do you think the Council meeting is being held by our pack this cycle?

“Valie is the only evidence that exists, other than Isaac’s own memories. Anyone who knew him as Elizabeth McRae’s lover is either dead or drunk.” Jack fought not to growl at the thought of Alden and his violent actions.

“So couldn’t we just be here to protect her? Couldn’t Isaac just want to make sure the Council doesn’t find her?

“He’s making the moves as if she’s to be changed, Shane. He obviously means her harm. You’ve seen the crazy look in his eye whenever he thinks about her. He is not here to watch from afar and scare away the boogie men. No. The only way for Isaac to keep himself out of harm’s way is for Valie to no longer exist.”

A dreadful silence filled the air, until Shane couldn’t take it anymore.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Jack watched as the situation rose to a boil in the she-wolf’s mind.

“That’s not good enough!” she exclaimed. “What if we’re supposed to help kill her? I mean, I’ve killed Vampyres before, even the odd Fey-born, but a human being? I can’t do that.”

Jack snorted at the irony. She could aid in taking a human life and make it into some ungodly thing by changing them into a Lycanthrope, but she couldn’t kill that same life.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Shane.”

She stared off at the rising moon, a dark expression on her striking features.

“Do you think Terrence and Eliza know?”

“They’d have to. They’ve served as his personal guard for a long time. They were with him back then.”

“And those two just stuck around while he had a secret relationship?”

“I don’t have all the answers, Shane. I know almost as little as you do.” Jack sighed, aggravated. He wanted a plan. He needed a plan.

They sat there in silence, thinking, until Shane spoke.

“We should get back to Noah. He’s trying to keep up with the Mark. If Isaac finds out we left him on his own . . . .”

Jack grunted. “He better be human when we find him. I swear if he approached her in his wolf form again . . . .”

“You’d what? Give him a pat on the back, I hope, because what you’re proposing Isaac has done means that we’re all criminals; rules wouldn’t matter anymore.” Shane shot him an incensed look before throwing on her backpack and taking off in the direction of Anders.

Jack paused. Shane was right. He was breaking all the rules, but so had Isaac, almost eighteen years ago. They were no longer in a world controlled, but a world chaotic. They could no longer simply abide by the rules.

Jack had run farther than he thought; it took more than a few minutes to get back and when they reached the street where Pete’s was located, no one was in sight.

“Where are they?”

Shane looked at him helplessly.

They could not afford to lose track of the girl. If Isaac had too great of an opening he could move in without the others’ knowing. Jack did not want him to have that kind of chance.

“There,” Shane hissed. She pointed to the sidewalk. Valie was walking in the direction of her friend Luci’s house, holding herself, trying to keep herself from shivering with the cold.

Unbeknown to the sorry-looking girl, Noah was following a good twenty paces behind, soundlessly padding along in his bare feet.

Jack and Shane deftly caught up and dragged Noah further behind the girl’s pace.

“Too close,” Jack breathed in Noah’s ear. He looked down at Noah’s pale, wet feet. “Where are your shoes?”

“I was being too loud,” Noah explained. “So I took my shoes off.”

Shane snorted quietly in laughter. “Nice one, Noah. Your feet are going to be numb.”

Noah shrugged. “At least I’m quiet.”

Shane heaved a sigh and shook her head. She was about to speak, but a motion from Jack silenced her.

Meanwhile, Valie knocked on the door to Luci’s home. She’d stopped crying, but she could tell it was temporary. Nothing felt right.

It was Mrs. Whitworth who opened the door.

“Valie?
What’s wrong, dear? Why aren’t you at school?” The short, tan-skinned woman looked worried as she took in the sight of the wet, shivering girl in front of her. Valie looked at her, keeping her hair over her cheek and her hands in her pockets. Mrs. Whitworth was a worrier and Valie didn’t want to make her overly anxious.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Whitworth. It’s a long story. Can I come inside please?”

“Of course, dear. Come in. Come in.”

It took Valie awhile to convince Luci’s mother that she had felt sick at school and had gotten into a fight—a verbal one—with Alden. Eventually, though, Mrs. Whitworth believed Valie and told her that she was welcome to wait for Luci to get home from school. Honestly, Valie didn’t
want
to wait, but she had no choice.

When Luci finally arrived, it was after
three o’clock and Valie had been pacing Luci’s spacious room for over an hour.

“There you are! Jonathan and I looked for you everywhere at school! Alden seriously needs to get you a cell-phone.”

Valie laughed once harshly before the story began to spill out of her mouth. “I’m sorry, Luc . . . I left school because I’m still not sleeping and I was tired, but instead of getting coffee . . . I—Ugh! I
should
have gotten coffee . . . .”

“Valie?”

“Luci, I went back to Alden’s and he was . . . he was drunk and burning my mom’s picture.” Tears started to fall down Valie’s cheeks anew. “And he . . . he hit me and . . . .” Without thinking, Valie’s hand came to her cheek that still throbbed with the painful memory.

Luci, with a genuine look of horror, came to stand in front of Valie, lifting her hair and looking at her cheek. Valie had had the chance to examine the bruise while Luci had been at school. It was reddish purple, but it didn’t look absolutely horrible. It would go away within the next couple of days.

“And here I thought the trouble would have been that Jack Haden.”

Valie laughed bitterly and muttered, “Yeah, well . . . he’s not the
only
trouble.”

Luci waited for more. Slowly, Valie told her how Jack had found her in the park and comforted
her at first, but then totally bailed on her at the pizza parlor—even after she’d answered his stupid questions about her life. Obviously, he hadn’t really wanted to hear the answers.

The curly-haired girl took off her glasses to clean them on her shirt; it was a habit of Luci’s that betrayed the fact that she was angry about something.

“It’s okay, Luc. You were just right about him, that’s all. I should have trusted your vibe.”

“I know, but even I didn’t think he could be
that
big of a jerk. I guess I’m just sorry I
wasn’t
wrong . . . if that makes any sense.”

Valie laughed as she wiped away the tears which she had shed during her sad story-telling. “Yes. It makes sense to me. I wish I’d listened to you. But who cares about the stupid, little man-boy?  I have bigger problems.”

“You mean Alden.”

With downcast eyes, Valie nodded.

“How about you just stay here tonight and we’ll figure it out in the morning? Take a night off from worrying. It’s Halloween!”

Valie smiled with some relief. She liked the plan immensely—until she remembered something.

“Doesn’t that mean that the Halloween party is tonight? Tim Wallash’s place?”

Luci hit her forehead and flinched. “With all the drama, I totally forgot! What time is it? Five! Wow, we talked longer that I thought. I’m supposed to be there in a little over an hour!”

“Are you and Jonathan going together?”

The girl nodded guiltily. She’d evidently worked up the nerve to ask him.

Valie shook her head and smiled back, trying to make the gesture as warm and genuine as possible. “Then, you will have a blast. I don’t want to be the third wheel, anyway. I’ll just hang out here and read a book. I have yet to get through
Wuthering Heights
.  And if I get bored, I’ll help your dad hand out those toothbrushes to all the poor little disappointed children who come for candy.”

“Don’t feel bad for them! They don’t have to live with him year-round and keep a stash of sweets hidden under a
floorboard. . . .Anyway, please come to the party! If you came, I promise that you wouldn’t feel like a third wheel!”

“I know, I know, I’m just saying . . . . I’ll clean myself up here and then maybe catch up with you at the party later. But if not, then I’ll see you when you get back here, okay?”

Luci suddenly looked uncomfortable, almost shamefaced. “Umm, I was actually supposed to watch monster movies with Jonathan at his place after the party. His parents are going to some charity function. But you can come by! Just meet us there if it’s late. Or I can cancel! It would be no big deal. I don’t think we’ll be staying at the party very long. Just long enough to show off our
amazing
nerd costumes!”

“You need a costume for that?” Valie ribbed.

And just like that, with both girls laughing hysterically, things felt almost normal again. Almost . . . and Valie knew that no matter what she was going through, she couldn’t ruin Luci’s night.

“Don’t cancel your date with Jonathan.”

“It’s not a . . . .“

“Just don’t cancel,” Valie said firmly, before smiling. “Now come on. It’s time to dress you up for your
date
.”

what is truth

As altruistic as Valie had felt when she was helping Luci get ready for the Halloween party, it all disappeared after her friend left and the loneliness returned. She felt hollow, almost invisible. She couldn’t think ahead—about Alden, her future—but only in circles. One circle in particular had her growing more and more restless and it wasn’t the one she expected.

I wanted to trust him. I wanted to, but I shouldn’t have.

Valie tried to immerse herself with reading, but it just wasn’t working—there were too many distractions.