Wolf's Essence, Chapter 3 - Theo

Chapter 3- Theo

I awoke as a jolt of what felt like electricity surged through my body. I grabbed the handle attached just above the car door as I gasped, and looked up in time to see a sign rush by so fast that I barely had time to read it.

                                                         Welcome

                                                              To

                                                       Cedar Falls

                                                   Population: 914

                                      Elevation: 6,139 Ft (1871.167 m)

“You alright son,” my dad asked, glancing in the rear view mirror at me. I gave a quick nod while taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, tripped in my sleep.” I lied. My right hand furiously squeezed the blue stress ball I only used for long travels. I didn't do well in the backseat of car rides, ever since I was young I always got anxious when in the rear. I couldn’t remember much of the accident from my childhood, but that didn’t stop my subconscious from freaking out apparently. On top of that, I didn't feel comfortable telling my parents about how I really felt. They'd probably think I was crazy, or chalk it up to a dream anyway, so why not go with that excuse?

Being that the plane ride was a little over 6 hours long, and we had woken up at 5:30 am in order to catch our flight at 7:30 am, and that I had finally fallen asleep around 2:30-ish am, you could say I was more than a little tired. I had stayed the night at my parent’s house and had been way too excited to fall asleep early as I had planned. I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to visit my childhood home. Would it be overgrown with weeds, or had my parents hired someone to take care of it over the many years? I had, of course, fallen asleep on the plane two hours into the flight and had gotten a good three hour nap, only to be awoken by my father an hour before landing. Once in the car, it didn't take long before I caught some more Zs.

I was tired. But, honestly, I didn't care. I just couldn't wait to get to town and explore. Now, here I sat, in a rental car we had picked up shortly after our flight landed, and we were just crossing the town line. My body tingled with anticipation, or was that due to the shock I had felt that woke me abruptly? What was that anyway?

I had felt as though I had walked into a sheet that had been hung up to dry. Only, instead of the sheet stopping at my face it had passed right through my body. As it did I felt the shock pulse with it, like the light of a scanner on one of those fancy factory printers. It had happened so quickly that one could've said it was static electricity. Perhaps it was. But now I felt tingly, everywhere. My whole body felt as though it were fuzzy, just like it did when I hugged my parents, only this was more intense and was rapidly fading. It oddly didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, I felt great, cozy even. I felt. . . Home.

I began fiddling with the medallion around my neck, feeling closer to my birth parents now than I ever had before. As we began to officially pull into town, my eyes darted back and forth from building to building. I felt like a kid at the zoo, wanting to see every animal as quickly as possible. We passed a diner titled Grizzly Café, we passed a dive bar that had a couple cars in front, an auto repair shop, and even a small shop with what looked like cauldrons bubbling in the windows.

I noticed a bright red truck parked on the right side of the road, in front of a large building with the words ‘Mitchell's Lodge Furnishing’ embroidered in big bold black lettering on the front. It was at that moment that I felt another unworldly sort of tug on my weird inner compass, the same compass that had been pulling me to the west, to this town. Now the invisible rope in my chest felt more solid, and as though someone was on the other end pulling. Only the tug was no longer leading me west. It was leading me here, to this building. But why?

I felt the tug shifting direction as we passed the structure, and I did my best to look back over my shoulder at it until we took another turn and it was lost from view. That was when I noticed we had driven all the way through the town and pulled off the road onto a dirt trail. It wasn't paved with concrete or asphalt, so I couldn't really call it a road. I didn't care. All I cared about now was the worry of my teeth shattering from the extremely rocky path we now traveled. I was convinced that if my teeth didn't shatter first, then the car would totally fall apart around us as this road would most likely rattle the vehicle apart.

Looking to the left I saw a thick blanket of trees, if I looked carefully I could catch glimpses of the town about 200 yards away. To my right there were still a few trees, though not nearly as many, and I kept seeing a glint of sunlight reflecting off of something. Just as I was about to turn and look away, there was a break in the trees, opening up to reveal a tall cliffside with a mesmerizing waterfall refracting the sunlight as it poured down into the beautiful crystal clear lake we were currently driving around. I couldn't help but wonder if there were any trails to hike that lead around the lake or even to the top of the cliffs. I did my best to take it all in before the trees cut it from my sight.

We rounded a bend to the west side of the lake and found our path leading directly up to a large two story log cabin. I found myself shaking my head. If I was going to stay here the entire summer, something had to be done about this god awful driveway. I pushed the idea aside as I locked eyes onto the charming oversized cottage. It only seemed to grow larger as we drew near, greeting us like an old friend coming with outstretched arms.

The driveway opened into a clearing that looked to circle the cabin. As we neared, I felt the fuzzy feeling begin to rise again but on the front of my body. The closer we got to the clearing the more intense the feeling became. The moment we entered into the large circular yard I instantly felt my body jolt with electricity as it had when driving into town, only this time it didn't feel nearly as intense, possibly because I was awake. It started at the front of my body and rushed through me to my back, like gently sinking into the surface of water and feeling it envelop you. Once the shock had passed the fuzzy feeling was now at my back, growing more faint the further into the yard we traveled.

My dad parked the car just a few feet from the bottom step of the porch. The building stood tall, two floors looming over us. The wood logs were stained a dark rustic brown and a dark green roof. A stone chimney poked out on top of the roof, each rock a different shade of gray or tan. The porch was shielded by an overhanging roof, pillars standing evenly spaced every ten feet or so. The porch itself jutted out from the building by a good ten feet as well, before a railing stopped its reach, and wrapped around to the east wall to my right. On the east side of the second floor, facing the lake, stood another balcony, the roof of the cabin reaching out just enough to cover that second overhand as well. The front door was a deep brown with a beautifully twisted metal handle.

The clearing itself was indeed large, and had a perfect opening that led down to the lake almost like a private beach area, complete with our own dock that looked as though it had been built recently due to its much lighter colored wood. Eyeing the lake I noticed another two story cabin that sat on the opposite side of the crystal waters. Its wood was stained a beautiful orange-brown, almost resembling a late sunset, with a massive back porch. Complete with a dark brown roof and a second floor balcony to match ours, only no overhanging roof. I grew curious to know who lived there and made a mental note to introduce myself later.

Grabbing my bags from the car, I slung one over my shoulder and carried the other two as I began making my way up the steps. I paused on the top step, my right arm beginning to tingle. I looked down and noticed my arm about a foot from the nearest wooden pillar. Now getting a closer look I noticed a strange symbol that looked to have been burnt into the wood, looking almost like a curly R across a shield. I reached forward and brushed my fingers against it. It was warm to the touch, as if it had been burned in recently, which I highly doubted as it looked like it had been there for years.

My father walked past me, fiddling with his keys, before using one to unlock and open the front door. He entered and gestured me in. I found my mother standing next to me, an endearing look on her face as she gave me a smile and nod of encouragement. This was it. I let out a deep breath and carried my luggage through the door.

The moment I crossed the threshold I immediately felt the familiar tingle once again, but this time it didn't seem to fade. It seemed to wrap around me like a blanket, coming from all directions. It was comforting to say the least.

Pushing the feeling aside, I looked around at the beautiful interior. The living room and kitchen stood next to each other. To my left the kitchen held a wooden dining table, an island counter, and cupboards all stained a kono maple color. Along with the inner walls of the house and the furniture. The fridge looked surprisingly new with its stainless steel doors, perhaps it had been purchased within the year. Windows stood above the sink and left counter, letting natural light shine in. Each counter had a black marble top.

The living room, to my right, held a sofa and lounging chair, both consisted of similarly stained kono maple log furniture, with red cushions. A TV sat in the corner. Two large windows were built in, one facing the driveway and the other facing the lake. The wall on the lake side even had another door that led onto the wrap around porch. A coffee table with a glass center sat in the middle of the room, sitting on a beautiful red, brown, and white striped throw rug. Two side tables sat on either side of the sofa holding a single lamp each, both lamp shades contained a black design of trees and bears walking along the lower portion, and the bodies of the lamps looked to be hand carved black bears climbing trees.

Across from the front door was a staircase going up, to the right of that was a hallway leading further into the house with a few other doors lining the hall. I didn't realize how long I had been standing there admiring the interior, until my mom spoke.

“Sweetie,” she said softly, both her and my dad stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting patiently. She gave a smile as she gestured toward the stairs. “We have a surprise for you.”

I followed her up to the second floor, my dad taking up the rear, the wood groaning beneath our feet. On the second floor there were four doors. The one on the left was open to a bathroom, the one to the right of that was a small guest bedroom. My mother paused at the door on the far right. She gave me a loving glance before opening it, revealing another small bedroom with toys sitting on shelves, a small dresser in the corner, and a twin sized bed.

“This. . used to be your room.” My mother gave a smile as she took a step back, allowing me to get a full view.

On the shelf of toys I eyed the stuffed bears and giraffes and lions. My eyes stopped on the stuffed wolf that sat with its tongue hanging from its mouth. Its blue eyes seemed to look at me with recognition, and I couldn't keep myself from smiling.

“And this, son.” My father spoke this time, standing at the final door, to my left. “This room belonged to your mother and father. We thought it only fair that you took this room while we stayed. We'll be sleeping in the second master bedroom downstairs.”

My heart skipped with excitement as he pushed open the door, revealing a large room with a king sized bed. The room had a gray hue stain to it, even the carpet was a light gray. A full private bathroom was on the left, and a walk-in closet was built into the north wall. Set against the same wall was a large California king sized bed built in the same wood-log style as the rest of the furniture, and was perfectly set with dark gray bedding. The east wall however, had a massive window that looked over the yard, and gave a perfect view through the trees and down to the lake. Next to the window was a sliding glass door which led out onto the upper balcony I had seen from the driveway. I didn't hesitate to drop my bags next to the bed and open the glass door. Once on the balcony I smiled while I eyed the surrounding area. The trees were thick, but I could see the top of buildings from the town peeking just above the tree line. Even the house across the lake seemed to smile back at me.

I walked back inside and gave both my parents a massive hug. Feeling their arms wrap around me I felt their familiar fuzzy hugs and didn't want to let them go.

My father helped me unpack and explained that he and my mother had hired a woman who lived nearby, to come and clean the place up a bit before we arrived. She and her son, Azur, were all too excited to do so. They even picked up the new fridge and installed it after my father had bought it online. Though my parents insisted we would do our own grocery shopping.

Once we had finished unpacking my luggage, my father and I made our way downstairs where we found my mother making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, since it had been nearly five hours since we last ate. As she slid me a plate I thanked her before giving them both a stern look.

“Since it's been a while since we all lived under one roof, I have a request.” I raised a brow, making sure they were both listening before I continued. “I am twenty-seven years old now, that means I need my privacy. If my door is shut, please knock and wait for a reply before you walk in. I don't need either of you walking in on me during another awkward situation, dad.” I emphasized the last word as I raised both brows at my father.

He put his hands up in a way that showed his surrender to my point. “Don't worry, I learned my lesson last time. I don't need a reminder that my son is old enough to have his ‘Alone Time'. I still can't believe you hit me from across the room, I threw that shirt away and took three showers. Never again.”

I thought that back to the time that my father had walked in on me jerking it. I was 19 at the time. I had been so pent up for days, and was so lost in the moment of ecstasy that I didn't see him enter my room until it was too late. I had shot my spunk 15 feet across the room and nailed him right in the face and on his red dress shirt. I had stared as my dad hollered his disgust, ripping off his shirt he began wiping at his face as he rushed down the hall to shower. We were barely able to make eye contact with each other for over two weeks after that. It was just another reason that encouraged me to move out on my own.

I chuckled at the memory. It was embarrassing and horrifying as all hell, but I had to admit it was pretty hilarious. “Good. And don't go snooping either. You've been warned.”

“I promise, sweetie.” Mom nodded as she gave her kind eyed smile, reassuring me that they'd respect my wishes. “We'll give you your privacy. Now, your father and I need to go buy some groceries. Why don't you finish your sandwich and then go explore the property? Get to know the place a bit.”

I gave her my own nod of acceptance as I took a bite of my sandwich. “I think that's a good idea. I’ve been curious if there were any good trails to hike.”

“There are plenty,” dad stated between mouthfuls of his own sandwich. “There is a trail on the west side of the house that will lead you a good five hundred yards before it starts leading you up the cliffside to the top of the waterfall. At least, it was there 20 years ago. It's probably overgrown again by now. But you can always look.”

“I'll do that, thanks dad.” I finished my sandwich and made my way out the door facing the lake, giving my parents a quick wave before closing it behind me.

I gave a glance at the house across the lake, the afternoon sun illuminating it against the green background of trees. I smiled to myself. This was the perfect opportunity to walk over and introduce myself. I turned and began making my way down the driveway, kicking at any little rock that found itself unlucky enough to be in my path.

My torso began to tingle as I neared the edge of the clearing and I remembered the odd jolt I had felt coming into the yard. I stopped a foot away from the tree line, my entire front side buzzed, tingling with energy. I raised my right hand, extending it forward, feeling my fingers tingle more and more as I did. The moment my hand reached the edge of the clearing I felt as though I had been playing with one of those shocking pens for too long. My hand seemed to electrify suddenly, followed instantly by going numb. I held my hand in place, moving my fingers and clenching it into a fist. It wasn’t painful though, and the shock didn't seem to be rising up my arm. In fact, it was warm and comforting. I extended my arm forward completely. The feeling in my hand returned to normal, however the numb electric feeling rose up my arm like a large ring sliding up and stopping at my elbow. Again, it didn't hurt, it just buzzed with new energy. My bicep and forearm now had the strange tingling sensation. I pulled my arm back through. I could only describe it as the same feeling I had when I was around my parents, the same tingling fuzzy feeling they gave me. But I didn't understand. There was nothing there in front of me and my parents were inside, but there obviously had to be something causing it, like some sort of generator or something. But, how? Why?

Looking left and right along the edge of the clearing I could see nothing. No electrical fencing nearby, no wires, no generators. There was nothing out of place. Being that I wasn’t all that great at science, I chalked it up to a naturally occurring electrical field, which still didn't make sense to me. But nonetheless, I took a deep breath and stepped forward into the tree line.

Just like before, when we had arrived at the cabin, I felt the familiar wave of the strange energy flow through me like a thin sheet traveling evenly throughout my body. The moment I was out of the clearing the buzzing vanished, leaving me tingling once again. I turned and faced the house. Looking left and then right again. Nothing. There was nothing that could've been causing this. There was nothing out of place, no cables, nothing except a marking carved into a tree looking like an odd snowflake. Obviously someone was bored and decided to carve on the tree. Not wanting to get lost in trying to find an electrical source, which may or may not exist around the property, I turned and continued walking down the driveway.

Moments later I was waving at my parents as they passed me, the car rumbling loudly as it crossed every bump in the road. I soon passed the little break in the trees that revealed the lake and falls. Just like before, it was breathtaking. The way the evening sunlight refracted in the misting waters creating a beautiful rainbow that painted the stones of the cliffside. The gorgeous water of the lake was so clear that even as it rippled I could see the bottom and the fish schooling together as they swam along. The sound of the stream nearby letting the lake water flow out peacefully to the east into the surrounding woods.

I could've stood there all day admiring the scene, if it weren't for the all too familiar tugging at my chest. I had felt the pull every day for so many years, it was nearly impossible to ignore. But today had been the first time in the last 6 years that I had completely forgotten about it, having been too lost in the admiration of my childhood home, even for a short moment. I had completely forgotten that I had come this way not just to learn more about my childhood, but I had intentionally come to discover what it was that pulled me all this way. I turned once again, this time not bothering to follow the road, I walked straight through the trees toward town. I didn't care about where I was going, but somehow I knew that my pull could guide me to the source of whatever had led me here.

Within minutes I found myself strolling down the sidewalk of main street with nothing to direct me but the tugging at my chest. I watched as cars rolled by, waving to a few of the drivers or passing pedestrians as they noticed me. Even chuckled at my own disfigured reflection in the vehicles parked on the side of the road. Though I was far from my cabin and the clearing, and my parents were nowhere around, there were still moments I would feel the same tingling sensation when someone passed by me. It would start faint, but as they drew closer the sensation would grow more intense, only to slowly fade after they passed me. If I didn't know any better I'd have sworn that some of the people here were full of some sort of invisible energy, and each one felt different in some way almost like they had a bigger charge or gave off a different temperature.

I had locked eyes with a handsome gentleman, giving him a smile as he passed. His well built frame, and chiseled face, his upper lip sprouting a graying horseshoe mustache. I couldn’t help imagining what he would be like in the sheets. But the fantasy was short lived as a loud CLANG rang through the air as I walked directly into a pole. Giving a groan of pain as I rubbed my face I managed to catch a glimpse of the man laughing through his mustache as he continued walking. I gave the pole an irritated glance before I turned and discovered I was standing across the street from the front of the lodge furniture building, the same building I had felt myself being drawn to when we first drove into town.

My heart skipped with excitement. I was just about to cross the road and head inside but stopped myself. Something was different. The source was gone. At least gone as in the fact that it was no longer leading me to the building. It had moved. I now felt as though I were being pulled to the opposite side of town. How was that even possible? I didn't try to make sense of it, after all I was the one who felt myself being pulled by some invisible source all the way across the country. The same person who found random invisible electrical fields around a cabin. Who knew what was possible at this point? With a sigh I began walking again, making my way to the corner and turning right. I sadly didn't make it far. I stopped the moment I felt the source begin to move again.

I must have looked like a crazy person walking up and down the street. I'd walk one way past a shop just to pause, turn, and walk back the other way. I even stopped in one spot for several minutes, giving whatever it was pulling me a chance to stop and stay in place. Once I believed it had and I started walking toward it again, it'd start moving all over again. Growing frustrated, I stopped moving, took several deep breaths and waited patiently in hopes that whatever it was would come my way instead.

Sad to say, it didn't feel like we were growing closer. However, it did eventually stop moving. I gave it a good five minutes before I decided to chance it. Feeling the pull, I turned and faced the building that the source seemed to be pulling me toward. The name of the shop was titled “Potions & Lotions”. It had two large windows on either side of the entrance door, both of which had a large bubbling black pot that looked like a Halloween witch's cauldron. The left window display was full of books and the one on the right was full of what looked to be lotions, soaps, and toothpastes. Feeling the tug in my chest pulling me this direction, I entered the shop causing the bell above the door to ring.

The place was filled with shelves, tables and baskets. Each one had a small sign or label for their contents of which were supposedly magical stones, crystals, spell books, oils, gems, medallions, candles, even some fabrics, leathers and wires. There was a small cash register on the left side sitting atop a glass case that was full of more labeled items and trinkets. The shelf behind it was filled from floor to ceiling with random items like gloves, sticks, metal rods with gems in them, even a small statue of a black cat. There was even a section full of jars, each containing some different kind of contents like black sand or clear flakes of some sort. I felt the familiar odd tingling sensation directing me toward the shelf, but I didn't follow it. I was more focused on finding what was pulling me up and down the street and now into here. I was looking along a shelf when I heard a disembodied voice emanate from behind the farthest shelf.

“What you seek is not in here, young one. But, I might be able to shed some light on your affairs.” The voice was female, silvery, and old. I followed the voice, rounding the last shelf to find an old dark skinned woman sitting at a small round table with a white sphere, the size of an average person’s head, sitting on a stand in the center. The woman had nearly fully gray hair done in a combo of box braids and faux locs. Beautiful emerald green eyes peered up at me as she smiled. She wore a violet and gold African styled Maxi dress, golden circlets around her wrists and rings on her fingers. She rested her hands on her dark wooden cane and nodded to the chair across from her, next to me. “Won't you entertain an old woman and take a seat?”

I hesitated before slowly lowering myself into the old creaking wooden chair, my eyes never leaving hers. I could feel that familiar fuzzy feeling coming from the sphere on the table at this point. The moment I was seated she leaned in with her wide smile. “You've come a very long way, young man. You have questions, which will be answered with time.”

I scowled with confusion. “How do you know I have que-"

“I have my ways, child. Word gets around quickly in a town of nine hundred people. I have been waiting for you, Theo, for twenty years.” She gave a chuckle.

I was stunned. I hadn’t given anyone in town my name, I haven’t even spoken to anyone since getting here, other than my parents. “How did y-"

“Know your name?” She gave a shrug, “I have my ways. You could call it a “Gift" of sorts. I have many gifts, just like you. I know quite a bit about you, lad. I knew you when you were just a child.”

Gifts? What gifts? Was she meaning a present or some sort of skill? I was just some guy from Maine, I didn’t have a present for anyone, and I certainly didn't have any special skills. I quit kickboxing years ago because I kept breaking my knuckles. Now she was saying she knew me as a kid? My parents had never mentioned an old woman like her before. I was rapidly starting to feel uneasy in her presence, and I was certain it was showing on my face as she spoke up again.

“Do not fear,” she raised a hand in an attempt to show she meant no harm. “I'm Nana Uni. You're safe with me. I know this is a bit startling, child. But I give you my word, that I will not harm you or your family. In fact, I'm going to help you, dearie. You may not understand now, but you will. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, you get these feelings around some people and objects that you can’t explain, almost a fuzzy feeling as if your body feels numb.”

How could she know about that? I've never told anyone about those feelings before. I was startled and yet impressed at the same time. My brain told me to run, but my body wouldn't listen, as if it knew that what she said was true and sincere. I paused for several moments before giving a slight nod, never pulling my gaze from her deep green eyes. That was until I felt the tug in my chest rotating around me. I stood, rounding the shelf, catching a glimpse of a red truck, with a few planks and logs of wood sticking out of its bed, driving by the window.

The old woman chuckled as she stood next to me. She gave a kind smile as she gently took my hand in hers, “I thought so. You have a gift, child. You may not understand it now. But you will in time, and more. I know this doesn't make sense now, but it will.”  She wobbled slightly with her cane as she began pushing me to the door. “I'll give you a small piece of advice, if you promise me you'll come back and see me when you see the flash in your hand.”

“Wh-what? Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I'm so confused. What flash?” I stammered as she pushed me along. “I have no idea who you are, and yet you're acting like we talk regularly. Who are you and what are you talking about?”

She gave a small cackle. “My dear boy, it's been many years since you last saw my face. But don’t worry, we’ll talk more soon. Tell your parents you saw Nana Uni today and they’ll explain. Now, you better hurry.” The front door chimed as she pulled it open. “You've walked a long way, and it’s a bit of a walk back home. Be sure to stop at the bar for a quick drink before you make your way home, alright? Goodnight, dearie. And don’t worry, he's a good man, and when he offers you a ride home, be sure you accept it. You don’t want to be walking home in the rain. Oh, and don't worry about the tugging in your chest, you'll find the source soon. Again, be sure you stop at the bar.”

“What? What rain? Who-" the door closed and locked as soon as she pushed me outside. She smiled at me through the glass and gave me a wave before pulling the curtain down. What an odd crazy woman, I thought to myself as I began my walk home. I looked up at the sky, not a single cloud in sight. First she drops the bomb of knowing me somehow, and then says it's gonna rain. She’s off her rocker.

However, it was starting to get late as the sun had set and the light was fading fast. I knew I had to hurry if I was going to make it home before night. Even though I would much rather follow the tug in my chest. Was it that red truck I had seen? But there was one thing that stopped me. Mrs. Nana Uni was right about one thing, I had been walking around a while and one thing was for sure. My throat was dry and I needed a drink soon. As confused and weirded out by the old lady as I was, I made my way to the bar, following her advice to get a drink.

It wasn't a far walk, but it was long enough that by the time I was at the bar door there was barely a hint of daylight peeking over the surrounding mountains. Pushing open the door, my ears were instantly assaulted by the sounds of country music and people chattering, doing their best to speak up over the music that was obviously a bit too loud. The interior was full of signs advertising several kinds of beers ranging from Coors to Irish Red Ale and more. Signs for beers, Pepsi and Coca-Cola hung on the walls and even above the two pool tables that sat in the middle of the room. Tables were scattered around, booths lined the walls. A DJ had his own booth in the south corner his headphones were on, so he obviously couldn't hear how loud and obnoxious his music was. To the right of the DJ booth stood an area for when there was a live band. On the north side of the room sat the bar counter, a hundred bottles lined the wall behind it along with a large mirror. At least 30 people were standing around drinking, doing their absolute best to shout over the blaring music. Few were at the bar and I took this opportunity to grab a seat on the far side.

The moment I sat down the bartender, a lean bearded man with short graying hair, gave me a smile and a nod. I watched his mouth move as he said something that I couldn't hear. I cupped my hand to my ear, showing that I had missed what he said. I watched him speak again, but to no avail. Pointing at my ears and shaking my head, I shrugged. Understanding what I was implying, he walked out from behind the bar and briskly made his way to the DJ. The DJ threw his hands over his ears the moment the bartender ripped the headphones off him. Within seconds the music was turned down to a more comfortable level. A cheer rang out through the bar as everyone was finally able to hear one another again.

The bartender returned, shaking his head. “Sorry about that,” his voice sounded hoarse, probably from trying to shout over the insanely loud music. “I've been trying to get him to turn it down for the past five minutes. Every time I pointed down, he’d change to a louder beat. I honestly don't know why he's still working here.”

We shared a chuckle as he wiped a glass and set it on the shelf behind him. He then put his hands on the counter and raised a brow to me. “So, what can I get ya?”

“I know this is going to be a little irritating,” I gave a pained expression. “But, I honestly would just like water. I've been walking around for a few hours and that old woman in the shop down the road, Mrs. Uni, said this would be a good place to get a drink.”

“Well, she's not wrong,” he gave a smile as he grabbed a glass, scooped some ice into it and filled it with the clear H20. “It's just like her to help benefit other businesses. But, as a friendly reminder, she prefers to be called Nana Uni, not Mrs.”

“Oh, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you,” I accepted my cold glass of water and found myself chugging it furiously.

"Wow, you really are thirsty,” he stated as I put my empty glass down. He took it and filled it once again before handing it back as I nodded. “So, you're new to town, I take it.”

I nodded, “Good eye. Yeah, my parents and I just got into town today. Little over a few hours ago. I was born here, and we came back to visit for the summer.”

“Ah, okay. So, I'm guessing you're one of them, then.”

I paused mid gulp and lowered my glass. “What do you mean? One of who?”

“Ah, guess I'm mistaken. Sorry,” he shrugged as he went back to wiping glasses.

“No need to apologize.” I shook my head as I leaned against the counter. “Just explain. What do you mean by “one of them"?”

“Well, you know. One of them.” He said again as he put two more clean glasses on the shelves. “The protectors and the ones they protect. The coven people.”

“Coven people? That sounds almost like you're talking about a cult.”

“Nah, they're far from a cult. They protect the town and the wildlife. They're good people. They're just misunderstood.”

“Why call them a coven then?”

“Well, you see they-"

“Hey Frank!” A young woman shouted from the opposite side of the bar, driving an ax in our conversion. “We need three more bear claws and two peach margaritas!”

“Alright, Susan. I'll be right there,” Frank rolled his eyes at me, obviously having already become annoyed by this woman in a short amount of time. “Would love to keep chatting, but work calls.”

I gave him a nod, showing I understood and went back to sipping my water. The moment I set my glass down I felt something change within me, something that I had never felt before. The tug in my chest pulsed, almost throbbing like a heartbeat. I realized I had been so confused and distracted by meeting Nani Uni and what she had told me, I had completely forgotten that I had been chasing down the source of the tugging. Well, now I was fixed on the feeling once again, especially now. I focused on it, feeling which direction it was pulling. My heart skipped as I felt it nearby, closer than I had ever felt it before. In fact, it was here. Right outside the door. Now.

The door opened and a rotund man in a brown t-shirt walked in, but what followed him was even better.  My heart nearly leapt from my chest as the most handsome man I had ever seen walked in behind him. He was tall and wore a red and black plaid flannel shirt, the long sleeves were rolled up to mid forearm, hugging his muscular figure and betraying the small curve of his stomach. The shirt was tucked into a pair of jeans that hugged his strong lower half even though they weren't form-fitting. He had short thick black hair that was done in a neat crew cut, and an inch long thick full beard hugged his face. Gray was showing on his sideburns and the chin of his beard. He had a strong jaw figure with a slight roundness to his cheeks. The slight curve of his middle said that he ate well, while the rest of his body screamed that he exercised regularly. I watched as he almost seemed to sniff the air as his gaze darted around the bar furiously.

Then, our eyes met.

I couldn't explain how or why, but I knew without a doubt that this man was the source of what had been pulling me all this way. The source that had pulled me all over town. The source that had been tugging at my chest for six long years. But how could it be a person? And why him? Not that I was complaining.

As he approached, while never breaking eye contact, I could tell he was doing his best to keep himself from rushing over. It wasn't until he was leaning against the bar, merely feet away from me, that I noticed his eyes. Maybe it was a trick of the light in the bar, but he had the most amazing golden amber eyes that instantly made my heart swoon. Giving me a smile that made me forget the rest of the world existed, he extended his hand. His voice was deep and strong.

“I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Luke, Luke Mitchell.”