Chapter 7 #2
Stacey folded her hands on her lap. “It’s genetic, actually.
All the Brighams are shifters, but they’re bears.
Then there’s Pierce and Rick. They’re wolves from a family of shifters out in Oregon.
Ruby is a bit of a unicorn, in that she can become either a wolf or a bear.
From what I understand, that’s rather unusual.
But the mechanics of it aren’t the most important part right now.
You just have to know that this is who these people are. ”
Julie’s entire body was shaking. This was real. This was no prank that the whole family had put together. It wasn’t a result of too much alcohol or some accidental drugging. It was just as real as the furniture in the room. “So…Dylan?”
“Yes.” Stacey pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. “And Will, of course.”
“But I—holy shit.” Julie shook her head.
She’d experienced everything with Will—good and bad—with the perspective that he was just a normal human being like her.
Like everyone else she knew. It was like a whole new part of her mind was cracking open to allow this information, and it hurt.
“I don’t even know what to think or say.
It’s not that I’m unsympathetic to people who are different.
It’s just that this is a whole new level of difference, and I didn’t even think it was possible. ”
Stacey stood and crossed the room. She put her hands on Julie’s shoulders and looked her in the eye.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. It’s an important secret to keep, and the general policy is not to tell anyone until it becomes absolutely necessary.
Just think about what would happen to someone like Ruby if the public at large found out what she could do. ”
The little girl was a darling, no matter what her genetics held. It didn’t take much imagination to envision the consequences. “I’m not going to say anything. You don’t have to worry about that.” Not that anyone would believe her. She still wasn’t sure she believed it herself.
Reaching down, Stacey took Julie’s hand and held it in both of her own. “They’re not bad people. My mom and I have both ended up with shifters, after all, and we live right here with them.”
“Carol,” Julie whispered. “She’s always been a firecracker. I’ll bet she handled all of this much better than I am.”
Stacey suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. “Uh, well. Yeah. It turns out she’d already known about them for a long time. And she also ended up becoming one.”
Whatever progress she’d made on understanding this was suddenly unraveled like an old sweater. “What?”
“It’s a story of its own, really. I’ll tell you about it sometime, but it’s nothing you have to worry about. It’s not like you’re going to wake up one day with cute little ears and a furry butt.” Stacey gave her a sheepish smile.
“Uh huh.” Julie’s mouth was literally hanging open, but that was the least of her concerns. “I’ve gone crazy.”
“You haven’t.” Stacey took Julie’s hand in her own and squeezed it.
“It’s easier to understand how we landed on the moon than how shifters can live among us.
I know. But they really are wonderful people.
They have strong, close family relationships and look out for each other no matter what.
I think you’ve already seen at least some of that. ”
“I have,” Julie admitted, thinking about how all the Brighams had gotten together just to decorate for Christmas.
They watched each other’s children, and she’d already sensed that this string of Brigham cottages along the beach were a lovely safe haven for them to grow up in.
That was great, but Julie couldn’t get that idyllic scene to line up with the idea of people who were also wild beasts.
“You’re probably going to have a lot of questions. I know I did, but I won’t overload you with information. You already have a lot to sort out in your mind. I’ll give you some time, but I’m here to talk whenever you want to.” Stacey’s eyes were sympathetic as they looked into hers.
“Okay. Yeah. Some alone time might be best right now.” When Stacey had slipped back out the door and downstairs, Julie stood still for a long time.
She’d always known who she was. As she’d moved through life, through the city streets of Boston, she’d never had any reason to believe people were anything other than human.
Her perspective was newly skewed, and it was disorienting.
Below, she could hear that the music had started up again. The Brighams might’ve had a major interruption to their merrymaking, but they’d decided to carry on. It was their house, and she was the outsider. She couldn’t blame them in the least.
Under the bed, she could see the edge of her suitcase where she’d stashed it.
It wouldn’t take much time to throw her things in there and run out the door.
But what did she have waiting for her? An empty apartment and a sad holiday.
She was surrounded by a big family who wanted to celebrate, who had been kind enough to welcome her into their home even though she was different.
Somehow, that generosity made her feel even more lonely than ever.