Authors: Michelle Woodward
Morning had broken. The sun shone in through my airy white curtains, but I still wasn’t ready to go downstairs to meet the energy that was my siblings. I was usually up the earliest because I loved having quiet time to myself before starting the day, but today I slept in. As I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, scenes from the night before played through my mind in waves. The lake house, Jackson, the hot sex, my emotional turmoil, and the dark stranger who saved my ass all bounced in and out of my thoughts, leaving me feeling lethargic, foggy. I needed coffee – badly.
I checked my phone and found that Jackson hadn’t sent me a text message or anything. This led me to believe my intuition was spot-on. He didn’t give a shit about me. I was just a one night thing to him, and that was fine. I was just another silly girl that got blinded by his slick suits and fancy car. I was just relieved that I left when I did and retained some dignity. I also had twelve missed calls from my brother Henry. This concerned me, but I shrugged it off, thinking it was just Henry being overprotective, wondering where I was.
I decided to make my way downstairs, expecting a huge ruckus to ensue. I was used to that. A house with four bothers and just me and my father to tame everyone everyday was bound to be a disaster. But weirdly enough, I was greeted by the most peculiar thing – silence.
I started to worry. This was never a good sign. I remembered last night my brothers talking. Right before I left they were planning to go out on a hunt.
Possible scenarios started pouring through my mind as I started to dart from room to room to search for my family. I went out to the sheds, the basement, but no one was there. I stared blankly out from the porch. A few minutes had passed when a truck started rattling towards the house. I recognized it as our old beaten up pick-up.
I started counting. I saw dad driving, his grey beard and red bandanna were so clear even from several yards away. I saw Guiles in the shot gun seat, Henry slumped in the back and Vince standing as the truck parked the truck trying to get a clearer look at my father; finally, his face was clear to me. It was bloodshot, pained. I called to him as tears started to fall. He shook his head as he made his way to me.
“I’m sorry Jenna. Nico.” He couldn’t finish.
“Nico got mauled last night Jenna while you were off with your boyfriend.” Vince yelled at me angrily.
“Vince! This is nowhere near Jenna’s fault.” My father shot back at him. But I didn’t get angry. I knew this was just Vince coping the best that he could in the moment. Guiles our eldest brother wrapped me in an embrace as he too started sobbing. Nico was our youngest. We all loved him. Everyone loved him. Yes he was grumpy and pissy most of the time, but all my brothers were. I blamed it on the pent up testosterone. But Nico, he was different. Nico was the one who would help me do the dishes even though he didn’t have to. He was the brother who always waited for me patiently to help close up shop.
Henry was silent, but anger was clearly consuming him. We walked together to the door as Guiles explained everything to me.
There was a grizzly caught in one of their traps. Apparently, when Nico tried to approach it, the bear was able to get free. It was too fast for him. When they heard him scream, they ran to the scene, but it was all too late. The bear had disappeared, and Nico was laying there on the ground, motionless. They had attempted to bring him to the nearest ER, but when they got there, he had already died.
Father had me go to my room to clean myself up. We were to go to the funeral home to set everything straight for his burial two days after the next. I was still shaken. I didn’t want to move anymore. After my dramatic exit from Jackson’s lake house last night, I wasn’t prepared for anything worse. But here it was; pain coursed through my entire body.
Downstairs, I could feel my brothers arguing, but it was mostly Henry just babbling.
“It was them Pa! You know it!” He spoke through gritted teeth.
Father shifted on his seat.
“He’s right.” Vince Pitched in. “No ordinary bear could break through those traps. I tell you, they’ve come back. We need to stop them. Give them a welcome wagon they’ll never forget.”
“We aren’t even sure.” Dad said with exasperation.
“It’s them Damn it! I know it!” Henry roared at him as he pushed his way to the kitchen.
*****
It was a warm and sunny afternoon, Nico’s favourite kind. It was just us and a few of his high school buddies, mostly from the football team he used to play on. We didn’t cry anymore. We were Colemans and Colemans never cry, well, at least not in public. It didn’t matter that Jackson didn’t even come, although he did send flowers of condolences. I was a Coleman. I was strong.
As everyone retreated and slowly returned to their cars parked just a stone’s throw away from the gravesite, I saw a figure emerge from the distant trees. I squinted to see which one of Nico’s friends had possibly arrived late, and to my surprise it was a face that was burned into my memory. It was Garret. Perplexed, I slowly walked toward him as he came closer to me.
“I tried going to your bar, you know, for that drink. The bartender said your brother had passed and that today was the burial.” He talked as he scanned the pain in my face. “I just came here to make sure you’re okay, I mean, after that night I saw you in the woods…” But Jenna cut him off.
“Please.” I said as I held up one hand, gesturing that I didn’t want to discuss it any further.
“I’m sorry. Here.” Garret pulled out a white handkerchief was he wiped away my tears as they started flowing.
“Thanks.” I said through sobs. “I need to return to my family now.” I turned away bidding goodbye to the man who had strangely been in the right place at the right time for me lately.
As I made my way to my brothers waiting in the Jeep, I caught Henry eyeing Garret sternly.
“Who’s he?” Vince demanded.
“A friend.” I replied, not wanting to get into any details.
“You are not to make friends with him. Do you hear me Jenna?” Henry suddenly spat at me.
“What is wrong with you? We’re just friends. What the hell do you care who I am friends with!” I spat back.
My father raised his head. “This is neither the time nor place to be arguing. Jenna, I hate doing this, but I too shall not permit you to go near that man again.”
I was shocked at this. He was a kind and sensible man. He was never the type to judge people that he didn’t know. I was confused and tried to attribute this unreasonable behaviour to the fact that he was still grieving. I still couldn’t get my head around what was going on.
“Why?” I said.
“Just because we said so.” Vince replied quickly. I looked to Guiles for some sympathy or at least a little agreement. He had always been my hero, but today he just turned away. We made it back home in one piece even though we had been hissing and seething with anger at each other for the whole ride back.
The day rested and night had fallen. I felt irate and mad, defeated and enraged, all at the same time. I decided I needed to take a walk. I marched down the staircase, and walked past my brothers on the porch.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Vince called out.
“Out.” I yelled back, pushing my way down the porch stairs and onto the path leading away from our house.
I started marching to the lake – the only place I felt safe lately. When I reached the shore, I slowly walked along its edge while staring at the full moon, which reflected upon the surface of the now eerily still lake. In the distance I could hear the hooting of the owls as frogs croaked a monotonous chorus that added to the melancholic air of the evening.
I lost track of time as I meandered along the water. I turned around to see that I had come quite a distance. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a familiar sight further ahead along the shore; it was Jackson’s lake house. I sat down on a big rock by the water’s edge, and decided that this was as good a place as any to relax and take in what had happened in the span of just less than a week.
My meditation was suddenly broken by a low but audible sound. It was a sound similar to the one my brothers made when I had to repair really bad wounds with alcohol and stitches. It was definitely a restrained cry of pain. I tried to look around, discerning where it had come from until I finally saw a clearing in the middle of an overgrowth just north from where I had been sitting. I tried to peer as stealthily as possible so as not to spook whoever or whatever it was. What I saw shocked me and paralyzed me with fear.
It was Garret. His clothes were torn up, revealing his naked body covered in hard and tense muscles. His large cock swung as he was struggling to contain what appeared to be sheer pain.
Slowly, his body started becoming bigger. His arms stubbier and his legs became heavier. Fur started thickening all over his body as he finally morphed into what looked like an overgrown bear.
I started shaking uncontrollably. Fear gripped my heart. I was frozen right there on the spot. I let out a faint whimper, making the thing notice my presence. It turned to my direction and it slowly approached me.
As it stood face to face with me, I began saying my prayers. Halfway through, the most surprising thing happened. The creature lowered its head and rested it on my stomach. It was still Garret. It was Garret who was now a ferocious looking, but shockingly docile, creature.
It stepped back as I stared at it; my heart started to calm down. Suddenly, a bright light engulfed the creature and after a few seconds, the light had subsided to reveal Garret, once again, as a human. He stared at me with worried eyes. I stepped forward towards him as he flinched at my sudden movement. I reached out my hand to hold his face. He pressed my hand with his as he closed his eyes.
“Aren’t you scared?” He said finally as he stepped back.
“Why? Should I be?” I replied.
“No. You shouldn’t.” As he smiled the kindest and most sincere smile I had ever seen on a man. He let my hand go, turned around and disappeared into the dark forest.
*****
I walked back home with a light heart and a smile painted across my face. I soaked in the feeling of having someone making himself completely vulnerable to me and letting me touch him - I realized this was love. Finally, I felt that elusive feeling that had escaped me all these years. His bright eyes as he smiled at me spoke more than words. I knew that even though he was different, he was still the man who had been there at my worst lately and comforted me without judgement.
When I got home, I found my brothers and father sitting at the front porch looking at me strangely. My father looked down, as though I had disappointed him somehow. He always did this when I disappointed him.
“Dad?” I tried to reach out to him. But Vince cut me off.
“Where have you been.”
I didn’t have to answer him, but I did anyway. “I just went walking.”
“Please Jenna. We’re family, please tell us the truth.” Guiles said with a hurt tone.
“What do you mean?” I asked shaking.
Henry stepped forward as Guiles tried to hold him back.
“You little whore!” He screamed at my face. “What Guiles meant was that you went off to see that Fields guy!” He continued. I froze right there. How did he know? And if he did see me meet him, did he see what Garret had just changed into?
“Yes Jenna, I went ahead and followed you.” He said with a grin. “You know what’s more disgusting? You saw him turn into that monster and you still let him touch you!” He said with disgust.
“Dad?” I turned to my dad who had now stood up.
“You are not to see that monster again. Do you hear me Jenna?” He finally spoke.
“No!” I snapped. “He is not a monster! You saw it,” I turned to Henry, “He didn’t hurt me, did he?”
“Father.” I demanded.
“You really don’t get it do you?” Vince spoke.
“Vince, don’t.” Guiles warned.
“No! She needs to know. Stop sheltering her!” Vince blurted.
“What do I need to know?” I asked confused.
“His family, those monsters. They killed your brother. They killed Nico.” Guiles answered.
“We’ve always known about their kind. We were hunters and they were beasts. We decided long ago to create a pact. Our hunting grounds were off limits to theirs.” Guiles continued.
“Nico didn’t know about them, so when he saw the biggest bear he has ever seen in his life ensnared, he rushed to it to kill it. But it wasn’t an ordinary bear. It was a monster, a werebear. It easily broke loose and mauled your brother.” Guiles finished.
“If they had just stuck to the pact, they wouldn’t have stumbled upon our traps. Nico wouldn’t have died.” Henry said; a tone of hurt visible in his speech.
“But it wasn’t Garret!” I replied.
“We’re not sure.” Guiles replied.
“No. I’m saying it wasn’t him. I was with him that night Nico died. It couldn’t have been him.” I answered with hope.
“Does it matter Jenna?” My father finally spoke again. “A monster is a monster, when I say no, I mean it.” He made his way into the house and up to his room as the boys filed in after him.