Chapter 2
Friday night, Barb and Tim dropped me off as Sam’s with hugs and a misty goodbye. I used the eight-hour drive to ask Sam blunt questions about werewolf life soaking in everything he said. Headlights showing the way, we turned off the blacktopped road onto a deeply rutted dirt road that I doubted saw much use. After about a mile bracing myself against the rough ride, the truck passed two wooden poles suck in the ground on each side of the driveway. We emerged from the tree-lined path into a wide clearing.
In the dark, I could see a large two-story log cabin style structure dominated the clearing with wings branching out to connect to outlaying buildings. Rolling forward slowly, Sam parked in the area in front of the buildings, which was a combination of old gravel, stubborn grass, and plain dirt.
The werewolf community reminded me of an old wilderness resort, one that’d been closed for a few years. If not for the lights pouring out from several of the windows, I would have locked the truck door instead of following Sam’s lead.
I trailed after Sam carrying my bag and stepped up onto the covered porch. Sam didn’t hesitate, but pulled open the solid wood door without knocking. An eclectic set of rugs set along the perimeter of the large main entry accommodated numerous sets of shoes, while hooks on the walls held a bounty of coats, jackets, and overalls.
Sam caught me looking around at the mass of shoes and said, “We don’t have to worry about stealing here.” He removed his own shoes. “It keeps the rest of the place cleaner if we leave our outside things here.”
“You would not believe how messy this place was thirty years ago,” a voice called from the hall.
I looked up from untying my shoes. A tall woman with blonde hair and a gentle smile walked into the entry. I estimated to be in her late twenties.
“Hello, Gabby,” she said coming to stand next to me, “I’m Charlene.” She held out her hand in greeting as I stood and stepped out of my shoes. Her hold was firm and sure. “Sam’s told me about you. I’m so excited to meet another person like me.”
Excitement coursed through me. Finally! I stretched out my senses looking for her spark in the vast darkness in my mind. The brilliance of the sparks surprised me, their normal soft glow amplified so much that the blinding light obscured their gentle colors. I let go of her hand and they dimmed considerably so I could again discern their soft colors.
Sam’s spark glowed blue with a green halo and hers, while still containing the yellow center like any human, had a red halo. I’d always attributed my orange halo to the possibility that I couldn’t see myself correctly using my other sight. Seeing Charlene had me reconsidering.
Beyond our sparks, I noticed other blue-green lights. Not in the immediate area, but spread throughout my area of awareness. The coloring matched Sam. Maybe Sam wasn’t abnormal after all. But Charlene and I didn’t match.
Focusing on Charlene, I asked, “Like me?” Could she see lights too?
“So far, we are the only two humans that seem to be compatible with werewolves,” she said still smiling in welcome.
My hope sank. So we were human and … wait… “Compatible?” I looked to Sam confused. I knew that I smelled different to them, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about compatibility.
“Yes, werewolves choose their mate, husband or wife, instinctually. They have no history of ever before selecting from humans for their mates, but here we are. Whatever it takes to become a mate, we apparently have it too.”
My mouth popped open in shock as I understood. I turned on Sam distantly aware of Charlene. “Are you telling me you brought me here to hook up with a werewolf?”
Charlene spoke up from behind me, “No, Gabby, I apologize for upsetting you.” I turned to look at her. “Yes, we’re different in that a werewolf might choose us, but that doesn’t mean that they have to choose us or that we have to choose them. At your age, there will be no hooking up.”
She looped her arm through mine and gave me a motherly pat. Too afraid to appear rude, I didn’t pull away.
As soon as she touched me, all of the sparks around us brightened again. I didn’t even need to focus. The lights just flared and continued to glow brightly without effort. Weird.