Goldilocks (22 page)

Chapter 29:

Hannah had been glad to come home to an empty house right after school. Lindsey hadn’t been able to keep her mouth shut and by fifth period, it seemed like the whole school knew about her and Jake. Kids who had never even spoken to her before were suddenly brave enough to ask her the most personal of questions, forcing her to hide out  last period in the girls’ locker room.

Coach wasn’t happy about her decision to quit the track team, and his words had been harsh when he’d accused her of throwing away her future. She’d wanted those first few moments alone to
de-stress from her day, but Jake’s constant updates had kept her on pins and needles for most of the evening. It had been almost an hour since he’d last checked in to make sure she was safe, and to also tell her that they’d located two more wolves along the northern pass.

There was little solace in knowing that her father and the men from the mine had headed west, down into the valley on their own hunt. According to Jake, it would be impossible for the wolves to cross the canyon on the western side, but it still didn’t keep her from worrying that one would head that way anyway. There wasn’t enough busy work in the tiny cabin to keep her occupied for longer than it took to make dinner, take a shower and get ready for bed. So by the time she heard
‘Big Red’ pulling into the driveway, she could barely keep herself from running and throwing herself into her father’s arms when the door opened.

“Dad!” Hannah cried in relief as she jumped up from the kitchen table. “What happened to you?!” she demanded rushing over to examine the oozing cut on his forearm.

“It’s nothing,” Paul Adler shrugged off his daughter’s concern, making sure to set the safety on his gun before standing it in the corner by the door. “Another collapse at the mine today,” he sighed, kicking off his work boots before pulling her into a hug.

“I was worried sick,” Hannah admitted, her arms wrapped tight around her father’s waist for a brief moment. “Someone at school said that you were hunting or something…” she fibbed, hoping that it would prompt him to tell her the whole truth.

“Not hunting really…searching,” Paul answered warily, plopping down in the kitchen chair she’d just vacated. “The explosion happened so fast, I barely saw them, but I was sure this time.”

“Sure of what?” Hannah pressed, hurrying to the stove to fix him a bowl o
f the dumplings she’d made earlier.

“Sure that we’re not the only ones in that mine,” Paul murmured, his head shaking in thought. “I know what I saw. And I know I was right to tell you to stay out of the woods. A wolf, maybe a bear…but bigger…much much bigger.”

“And you went after it?” Hannah asked in alarm, her fingers trembling as she set her father’s dinner in front of him. “You could have been…
killed
…hurt,” she finally forced out past the lump that was suddenly lodged in the back of her throat.

“I gave my word to those men that I would do everything I possibly could to try and keep the mine open. It
’s their livelihood, their life,” Paul sighed heavily. “I was thinking about protecting them, and more importantly I was thinking about protecting you. Something that big,” he shook his head again, busying his hands with cutting up the chicken breast she’d made especially for him. “I don’t want to even think about what would happen if someone ran into those things in these woods.”

“So what caused the explosion?” Hannah pressed, now rooting through the cabinets for the first aid kit she’d stored away on move in day.

“That’s just it honey,” Paul frowned as his daughter settled down beside him with the metal box. “I thought it was explosives that was causing the tunnels to collapse, but now I’m not so sure. Those animals were big enough to knock through a brick wall. I can’t help but think…what if there’s something buried there, and we’re just now weakening the rock enough to let it out.”

“You’re scaring me,” Hannah shuttered, her head dipping to examine the cut on his arm more closely.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you sweetie,” Paul assured her, his good hand settling over hers. “But I do want you to be scared to go into the woods. It’s just not safe. I never should have brought you here.”

“No! Don’t say that. I love it here!” Hannah proclaimed a little too hastil
y, her face flushing hot when her father raised his eyebrows in question.

“Love?” Paul chuckled, a twinkle of suspicion in his eyes
when his daughter suddenly looked away. “A few weeks ago, I almost thought you were going to run away, back…”

“This is home,” Hannah stopped him, her fingers carefully pressing the bandage into place. “Where you and I are is home. I’m just getting to know my dad again, I don’t want to leave this place.”

“Well…” Paul breathed heavily. “We might not have a choice. The town has called a meeting tomorrow night, and I will have to announce the mine closing then. I can’t send my men back down there in good faith, until I know what’s going on.”

“So just like that…we’re leaving?!” Hannah tried to hide the panic from her voice, her eyes on her father as he eased himself to a stand.

“Not right away of course, but maybe. It’s too much for me to think about right now. I’ve had a long day, and an even earlier morning tomorrow.”

“You should rest,” Hannah agreed, her gaze shifting to the clock that hung just above the stove.

“I love you Hannah bear,” Paul murmured, ruffling the top of his daughter’s head before turning towards the hall.

“Love you too D
ad,” Hannah replied, a smile on her lips at the ironic use of her old childhood nickname.

“It’s going to be okay,”
she whispered, watching as he went, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest as the clock chimed on the eleventh hour.

It
had to be.

**********

Hannah didn’t need to creep down the hallway, leading to her father’s room, to know that he was deep in sleep. Not even the whining creak, of the front door opening, disrupted the rhythmic pattern of gentle snoring she’d been listening to for the last half hour, but she still left a note on the kitchen table just in case he woke before she returned. He wouldn’t be happy, but at least he would know that she hadn’t just disappeared.

Warmth filled her as she jogged around the house and across the back yard
, towards the garden, where she knew Jake was waiting for her. She’d felt his presence long before the midnight hour, and also the anxiousness that clouded his thoughts. His face was somber as she approached, his hands reaching to pull her into a tight hug that nearly took her breath away.

“What’s wrong?” Hannah whispered as he caressed a lock of h
er hair before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Are you sure
?” Jake murmured, his eyes meeting hers as he released his hold.

“I’m sure,” Hannah nodded firmly, her fingers stroking his cheek just as his face began to change.

His shift was complete by the time he’d dropped to all fours, his haunches lowered to allow her to climb aboard. The council had agreed, she could see it in his thoughts. Tonight was the night she would be changed forever, and it was suddenly happening too fast.

Don’t be scared… I won’t leave you,
Jake assured her, his claws digging into the soft earth as he began to climb back up through the woods.

“If something happens to me…”

It wont.
Jake stopped her from saying what had been heavily on his mind since he’d met her.

“I love you,” Hannah whispered, pressing her cheek into the fur of his neck.

Forever I’ll love you,
Jake replied, his thoughts now filled with memories of their time spent together thus far.

It was all that needed to be said. They climbed the rest of the way in silence, their connection one, his thoughts hers.

**********

“Approach,” Rone
spoke first, gesturing to the ancient markings that had been carved into the stone before them.

Hannah gasped as she slipped from Jake’s back, surprised to see that every one of the council was now in human form. Where there once had been six, there now stood seven, Jake’s mother emerging from the shadows to take her place at her husband’s side.

Hannah followed as Jake entered the circle first, his head bowed in reverence of the markings that seemed to glow from within. The pull felt almost magnetic, her feet suddenly heavy as she took her place on his right side, her legs now trembling. Life seem to ebb from every living thing around them, even the moss growing greener and more full as the seven surrounded them as one complete unit.

“Daughter of man, born full blood kind of bear, is this your desire? To serve us? To be bound forever in life and in death?” Rone spoke solely to Hannah now, his palms open as he directed her to speak to the council.

“It is my desire to serve you and your purpose,” Hannah’s voice trembled as she looked from one council member to the next. “To save human kind and be bound forever in life and death,” she vowed, her fingers slipping into the soft fur pressed against her side.

“Son of bear K
ind born, is this also your desire? To be bound forever to a daughter of man, in life and in death?” Rone’s gaze fixed on Jake’s next, his shoulders squaring when his son lifted to his full height.

It is my desire to be bound to this daughter of man in life and death. To honor and serve my kind and hers forever.

“Because of the task before us, we the council have agreed upon your word and our purpose that you be bound by all things sacred unto every Kind,” Rone addressed the two of them now, his hands stretch forward so that they were mere inches from touching.

“
Daughter of man, by giving life to the blood of the bear kind within you, you vow to obey our laws and commands; honor this council and serve out the penance of protection for all humans within your realm,” Marigold spoke softly, a tear slipping down her cheek as she too stretched her hands out towards them so that they were barely touching.

The earth was trembling now, the markings beneath them lifting from the stone like prisms of light
that had suddenly been set free. Hannah’s head was abruptly filled, her thoughts and memories spiraling as she struggled to make sense of what was being said next. The voices were everywhere, prying, pulling, digging until it felt like her mind would shatter from overload. Fire was in her chest, her limbs, her fingers, and she cried out for Jake, her hands grabbing at thin air as she suddenly begin to fall.

Stay with me…

She could hear Jake’s pleas, but couldn’t grab hold to them from the rest of what was happening. Panic gripped her as her vision blurred and then went black, a cocoon of warmth suddenly covering her whole. She couldn’t breathe. The life was being sucked out of her and she couldn’t even move.

Hannah?

Mom!?
Hannah couldn’t force the feeling of thick cotton out of her mouth fast enough, but there she was.

Golden hair swirled around the figure that was reaching for her. That smile, those eyes…she’d almost forgotten how beautiful they were in person.
There was so much she wanted to say, so much that belched up from her belly and lodged in the back of her throat. Her hand lifted to close the gap and then drew back in surprise at the trickle of blood trailing from an inch long slit, down her arm.

Hannah flinched as the pain suddenly became real, her fingers suddenly intertwined with Jake’s as he pulled her away from what she’d just found again. She wanted to fight him, to grab hold of her mother and never let go, but she couldn’t. She was weightless and floating despite the heaviness that suddenly consumed her.
Blackness threatened to suck her under once more, her eyes straining to focus on the fading figure.

Go back Hannah. Dad needs you…

No!
Hannah tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Her fingers tightened, but it was no use; there was only air there.

Warm. Black. Air.

Chapter 30:

“NO!”

The scream ripped from her throat like glass tearing through already tender flesh. Hannah fought against the sheet that trapped her in place, her arms and legs flailing as she jumped from her bed and immediately fell to the floor.

“Mom?!” Hannah sobbed, her eyes searching wildly about the tiny room, bits and pieces of the night before slowly filtering in.

Her entire body was trembling with weakness as if she’d spent every muscle and then some. Her legs wouldn’t work to lift her to a stand, tears springing to her eyes just as her door suddenly flew open.

“Hannah?!” Paul cried in alarm, stopping short as he surveyed the tangled covers and then his daughter curled into a ball on the floor.

“She was here! I saw here! She was holding my hand and then…”
Hannah shook her head as another sob broke free, reality crashing in like a ton of bricks on her chest.

“Oh honey
,” Paul sighed, bending low to scoop his daughter up in his arms. “It was only a dream,” he murmured into her hair, laying her gently back onto her bed. “I still…see her too sometimes,” he admitted, his fingers gently brushing the tears from her cheeks. “It’s hard I know… But I’m here, and we’re still together. She would be proud of that,” he whispered, stroking her hair now.

“She was right there…” Hannah whispered, fresh tears filling her eyes as she turned her face into the pillow.

“You’re burning up,” Paul noticed as his hand settled flush against his daughter’s head. “Maybe you should stay home today. I’ve got to get going, but I’ll bring you some soup for lunch,” he offered, pulling the sheet back over her and tucking it in.

Hannah could only nod as she kept her face buried and out of sight. She listened as her father tipped from her room, the sound of his heavy boots gradually fading as he collected his stuff for work and eased
out the front door. Her memory was suddenly coming back to her so fast that she felt nauseous. The lump in her throat was back, except this time, it was definitely coming out.

The initial shock of waking so suddenly had drained her, but enough strength had returned for her to slide from her bed on wobbly legs. Her feet couldn’t go fast enough, her stomach heaving once and
then again as she stumbled her way down the hall and into the bathroom before collapsing with her arms around the toilet.

Daughter of man….

Born full blood kind of bear….

It was all coming back to her now; the ceremony, the markings.

Bound forever in life and death…

Purpose…

Vow…

Serve…

He’d carried her home. Kissed her good night.

Forever…

Forever…

Forever…

Stay with me!

He was here.

Jake!

“What’s happening to me?!” Hannah groaned, her eyes widening as she lifted her hands to grab her head.

Only it wasn’t her hands that she saw. Five razor sharp claws spread before her, displayed on the tips of what was quickly becoming hairy paws. She had no control over what was happening, the nightgown she was wearing suddenly tearing as her body seemed to expand on its own. Like during the ceremony, fire seemed to envelope her whole, but this time it didn’t take her breath, it filled her, broadening her frame until she toppled backwards from the sheer mass she had suddenly gained.

“I need you!”
She cried, her body suddenly stuck fast between the sink and the tub, her jaws spread wide just as a terrifying roar ripped free.

“Hannah!
?”

Jake’s voice was like music to her ears
.

“In here!” she tried to shout, her words coming out as another roar that only succeeded in scaring her further.

“Stay calm,” Jake’s voice came from the opposite side of the bathroom door, his body only succeeding in pushing open a crack large enough to poke his head through.

Hannah’s head jerked around, her paws flailing wildly as she struggled to free herself from the position she was pinned in.

“Easy,” Jake warned, cringing as her sharp claws ripped through the wood of the cabinet below the sink. “Your father is going to think that you were attacked.”

Help me!
Hannah managed to push the frantic thought forward, a growl in her throat as Jake’s lips curled into a smile.

“Just concentrate on your human body, your toes, your fingers…” Jake instructed, easing the door open a little more as Hannah began to immediately shrink. “That’s it, just imagine yourself….”

“Naked!” Hannah screamed as the golden fur that had just engulfed her suddenly vanished, her fingers reaching to snatch the shower curtain down from its rod and around her shaking body.

“You make a beautiful bear,” Jake murmured, a smile on his lips once again. “Get dressed, we have a lot to talk about.”

“Right,” Hannah breathed, her hands trembling as she held them up to inspect.

She hadn’
t imagined the blood or the pain from the cut, an angry red line greeting her as she flipped her palm over and then squeezed slowly. Tenderness caused her to wince as she pushed herself up to a stand, her green eyes wide as she inspected her very human face in the oval shaped mirror above the sink. It was her, but not her. Her skin was perfect, her hair shinier than she’d ever seen it. Her body even seemed more toned, as if she’d been photoshopped in her sleep.

Despite her still racing heart, Hannah let her thoughts creep slowly back towards how she’d felt for those few seconds as a bear, a small gasp escaping her throat as golden downy fuzz slowly covered her face. In a blink of an eye it was gone again, her fingers tracing in wonder across her once again silky smooth skin.

This was going to take some getting used to.