Chapter 2 - The End of the Beginning

I flinched back a step and eyed him warily. When he moved like that, he looked a lot younger than his grey hair and weathered skin indicated. So, although he kept his tone light, I remained cautious.

“Guys under sixty and boys over ten.”

“Well, you’re young and pretty, so I’m sure it’s not unusual for men to be attracted to you, dear.” He settled back with a laugh.

He’d said it easily and without inflection as if he’d made an observation and stated a fact, reaffirming the pull I had on men didn’t seem to affect him. Did that mean he didn’t know about my gift and might not understand? Part of me deflated a little. Should I try to explain it? If I smelled different to his kind, it might still relate to my gifts. Confiding in him might be worth the risk. Besides, he could hardly run around telling people that I had special abilities when he’d just turned into a wolf in front of me.

I took a step closer, partially forgetting caution.

“No, it’s more than that... A boy in school, extremely shy, picked on by jocks to the point of physical cruelty, nudged past those same jocks to wait by my locker to ask me on a date. A man shopping with two kids stopped me in the grocery store to ask if I’d consider dating an older man once I turned eighteen. The eighteen bit he threw in after my foster mom gasped in shock.” I inched closer, becoming more animated as I spoke, trying to make him understand. “When I turned him down, he went back to his kids, red-faced, and told them that he’d just been asking for grandpa, who wanted to date again. I knew that wasn’t true.” I paused a moment, then added, “Those are just examples of what happens to me every day.”

Sam studied me for a moment.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“Gabrielle Winters. I prefer Gabby.”

“Well, Gabby, I don’t know why men act the way they do around you, but I’d like to help you figure it out. Few people would believe what I’ve shown you tonight, and I ask that you not try talking anyone into believing. I revealed myself to you because you’re special and worth the risk.”

He stood and approached me. With the pond reflecting dimly behind him and the warm breeze ruffling our hair, I knew that memories of this night would stay with me for a long time.

“There is so much about werewolves that you need to know. The first is that I’m not the only one.”

My heart sank. I didn’t like the sound of that.

“I’d like to meet your foster parents, and I’d like to get to know you better. I want to be there for you if you ever need anything.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on the heels of his brown-laced shoes while I considered his words.

“You said that I smelled good to your kind. Does that mean I’m going to be run down by other werewolves?” The prospect scared me, but I managed to keep any tremor from my voice.

“It’s unlikely, but precisely why I would like to be involved in your life. I can help guide your introduction to our world so it’s not as scary as tonight.”

He waited quietly while I thought it over. I watched him closely. I liked that he maintained eye contact. It was a refreshing change since the majority of conversations with men occurred while they tried to discover, visually, what about me attracted them.

He offered me an opportunity. With his help, maybe I could find out the reason behind my abilities. And given his condition, I felt certain he’d be able to keep my secret if I decided to tell him about the lights. Could I trust him? Not blindly, but I could start small.

“I’m willing to get to know you better, but I’m not ready for you to meet my foster parents.” I wasn’t sure if I ever would be.

I wanted to protect Tim and Barb Newton from what could be a monster. They were the first set of foster parents I actually liked. But, if I wasn’t willing to bring him home, then just where would we get to know each other better? Dark nights in the park were out, and I had more brains than to suggest his place. He still scared me. Did I think he was going to hurt me? No, he had plenty of time to try to hurt me tonight and hadn’t. But, I barely knew the man so anything was possible. Safety in numbers. Somewhere public. Then, I remembered he already knew I volunteered at the hospital, thanks to our run-in.

“Let’s meet Wednesday nights at the hospital café. Around six?”

“That sounds good. I look forward to seeing you next week and am truly sorry for scaring you tonight.” He held out his hand for a handshake.

I looked at him closely and ignored his hand. Instead, I decided to go for blunt. “You’re not going to turn creepy uncle on me, are you, Sam?” I honestly didn’t expect him to admit it if he did have that planned. I just wanted to see his reaction to the question.

He barked out a laugh and dropped his hand back to his side. When he saw I remained serious, he sobered.

“I suppose that’s a fair question, given what you’ve just told me. With me, you’re safe. Honey, I’m older than I look. Heck, I’m probably old enough to be your great grandfather.” He looked at me for a moment. I mean really looked at me, studying my face as if he could read all of my secrets there.

“When I look at you, I see a young girl I want to help. I see a grandchild I could have had if only I’d met my one and only. And I see hope.”

Fair enough. I’d wait until next week to pass any further judgments.

“All right, then. I’ve got to get home. See you next week.”

He nodded his goodbye.

Reluctantly, I turned my back on him. Fear skittered along my spine as I walked away. My feet whispered through the grass until I reached the paved walk. When I looked back, he no longer stood by the pond, but I monitored his progress with my other sight as he left the park.

My already complicated life had just gotten more so. I took a huge risk, meeting with a complete stranger, but how could I refuse? Learning about him and his kind might give me more insight about my abilities, which had caused me so much grief over the years. I really wanted an explanation.

When I got home, it was later than I thought. Barb and Tim waited for me in the kitchen. They fed me dinner and sat with me at the table while I explained what kept me. I didn’t mention a werewolf, just an old friend of my grandfather’s I’d bumped into.

I mentioned my plans to meet up with him at the hospital next week, to talk some more. Barb looked at Tim with worry a moment before Tim asked when they’d get to meet him. I asked for their patience and said I wanted to get to know Sam—again—first.

****

Three weeks later, I exited the sliding glass hospital doors with Sam. We both eyed the dark clouds. The imminent downpour had cleared the usually bustling sidewalks, but the charged air filled me with anticipation.

I turned to Sam. “What do you think? Still want to go? We will probably get wet.”

Sam, dressed in his unusually trendy attire for an old guy, continued to study the sky as we walked toward the bus stop.

He had been kind and informative during the first two meetings, telling me as much as he could in such a public place about his “relatives” in the hour I allotted for our meetings. Wary of outsiders, many of his kind chose to live in a closed community across the Canadian border. It had plenty of land, and the rural population of the surrounding area allowed them more space to roam freely. It also had a few old buildings that, up until twenty years ago, had been more for show than living.

After the marriage of their leader, things changed. The leader’s wife helped the community see they’d slipped too far from society and that their only chance to survive was to adapt.

A few people agreed and left to help reintegrate. A few more stayed in the buildings and started making small improvements. However, several of the structures needed larger-scale remodeling and, collectively, Sam’s “relatives” just didn’t have the money for it. Although remote, a few of the community’s members ventured out to find work in nearby towns and supplemented the income needed to support their not yet fully self-sufficient way of life.

Gradually, those who’d denied the need for change started seeing the reality of what they’d become...a dying species...and more of the single men went out looking for work. When the leader’s sons were old enough, they too left.

Sam had been sent even farther from the community to get the lay of the land in a more urban setting. Trying to blend, he’d decided he needed to dress more like the people of the area.

At that point in his narrative, I’d wondered what he’d been wearing. Furs?

When he’d gone shopping, he’d asked a sales clerk’s advice regarding what to buy. The sales clerk had been about my age, which explained Sam’s trendy choice of clothes.

It amazed me how much I’d learned about the man walking next to me. The compassion for his people’s plight impressed upon me his selflessness, and watching him interact with other people around us, showed he had a sense of humor. Those defining characteristics had decided it for me—it was time to introduce him to Tim and Barb.

We’d reached the bus stop without a drop of rain.

“A little rain never hurt anyone,” he said answering my earlier question.

Another thing I liked about Sam. He sensed when I was lost in my own thoughts and let me be.

“Okay, I’ll text Barb and let her know you’ll be coming over. They’ve been asking about you every week.” He looked at me questioningly.

“I mentioned you that first night we met in the park. They wanted to know why I was late. I said I ran into an old acquaintance, a friend of my grandfather.”