Homeward Bound
The further we got from the chaos and madness of home, the more I started to come to terms with our new reality. What had happened, happened; I couldn't take any of it back. My decisions seemed incredibly stupid now, in hindsight, but again, there was nothing to be done.
We took our time. A fourteen-hour drive became twenty, easily, because of all of the pitstops. First it was for Lucy, because she had to pee almost every hour, on the hour; then it was for snacks; then it was for lunch.
"I'm officially off Responsible Mom Duty," I said as we all bundled out of the car and into a random taco fast-food place. "Right now, we eat our hearts out."
"Tacos!" Dylan and Collin shouted, high-fiving each other.
"Tacos!" Lucy shrieked, even though I knew she wouldn't actually eat any tacos, and would instead only eat chicken nuggets. Dinosaur shaped nuggies, to be precise, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"I've got some good news," Rudy said, sticking close to us. "I've made some calls. The kids are all enrolled up at Werewolf Hollow; you've got nothing to worry about."
I looked at him in surprise. "You didn't have to do that."
Rudy snorted. "When were you going to do it? While driving? That's illegal, Sylvia."
I shook my head. "Does every family you have to relocate get this kind of treatment?"
Rudy chuckled. "Sometimes. I do my very best to get families situated during these sorts of trials; it's hard enough on everyone, and my job isn't always that of the good guy, even if I want it to be."
"You're the Good Guy to us, Rudy."
"Yeah, well. Let me put it this way: I never forgot you. 18-year-olds rarely show the kind of responsibility and foresight that you showed. A pair of newborns thrust into your arms, and you were already moving." He shook his head. "I was impressed then, and I'm still impressed, all these years later."
"My sister wouldn't have wanted them to go anywhere else," I said quietly. "I just did what I had to."
"Not everyone would look at it like that."
I shrugged. "I'm not better than anyone. I just did my best."
Rudy smiled, but didn't say anything else. There was a sad look to his eyes, and I had to wonder just what he'd seen all these years.
"Anyway," Rudy said, after a moment. "That's not all. Our program offers a bonus to families and individuals who willingly relocate."
"As opposed to fighting you."
Rudy grimaced. "Some folks need to be relocated, but they... don't want to."
"Do we qualify for the program?"
"Yes. You'll receive a nice, healthy stipend over the next year to help you all settle in, plus cover any house repairs, food, clothes, furniture replacement... everything that comes with a sudden move. Give you time to find a job without the fear of losing the kids."
I blew out through my mouth and had to tilt my head back; tears were threatening at the corners of my eyes. "Rudy, you've got no idea... No idea."
"I can imagine." He moved forward to collect his food at the counter, returning to my side. Dylan, Collin, and Lucy were laughing a few feet away, temporarily unaware of the world around them. Collin had missed that this particular food joint was "werewolf friendly"; the fact that we had to make those sorts of decisions, now, would be alien to him. They laughed, Dylan picking Lucy up and slinging her sideways across his stomach, pretending she was a guitar.
"They're good kids," I said softly. My heart squeezed. "Once he gets that tag, the world's not going to care about that, anymore."
"You made the best choice you could have made, Sylvia. Werewolf Hollow will protect him from that until it's a better time to face it."
"I know." I hugged myself. "I hope I'm ready."
"And if you're not?"
"Guess we go in, anyway."
Rudy chuckled. "That's why you impress me, kiddo."
I looked at him, and I realized that somewhere down the line, all those phone calls had become a source of familial comfort to me. Rudy Rodriguez had kept his distance because to be present was to bring up the question "why". He'd always been watching, like a silent guardian angel. Almost like... a dad.
My throat tightened, and I moved quickly to collect the kids' food. We settled in a corner, and they crowed over their tacky, fast-food quality toys.
The longer they could go without seeing how the world would change to them, the better.
We hit the road again, Rudy leading the way. The kids took naps on and off; Dylan woke up to the unhappy discovery of a shoulder soaked in werewolf drool, which was a whole stop and half because he was disgusted and required "cleansing". Collin would have been upset if it were anyone else; instead, he just cackled and laughed, up until Dylan threw his drool-soaked shirt in Collin's face, which about sent Lucy into a fit of laughter.
We stopped at a cheap motel. I saw that the first stipend had already been put into my bank account, and I waved my phone at Rudy, trying not to cry.
"I highly doubt they move this fast," I said, voice unsteady, even as I tried to joke around.
Rudy shrugged and gave a small smile. "Pays to have connections."
"I owe you," I said quietly. The kids were fighting over who would get what bed- there were only three, of course, which meant Lucy would be sharing with me, which also meant that I would be on the floor by midnight.
"No you don't," Rudy said, leaning forward. "I've been prepared for this day for a long time, partly because I knew you weren't."
I snorted. "You never gave it away. All your awkward Christmas phone calls, your excuses for sending the kids gifts..."
"Ohhhhh," Lucy said, eavesdropping as always. "You're that Uncle Rudy? The one who got me that dollhouse last Christmas?"
Rudy smiled. "That's me."
"No way!" Dylan sat up. "You got me the best books last year. Volcanoes, meteorological anomalies-"
"Dude, you're such a dork," Collin said, making a face- doubly effective, with the fangs and the misshapen almost-snout. "I got that kit that teaches you how to put together wiring. That was cool."
"I'm not a dork," Dylan retorted.
"Yeah," Lucy chipped in. "That's not nice. You're supposed to call him a nerd!"
Rudy and I burst into laughter.
He stayed in the room next to ours, and woke us up bright and early to head out for breakfast.
The second day was much like the first. Pitstops pushed our trip even longer, but by that point, I didn't care. Another motel, more fast food at conspicuously werewolf-friendly restaurants, and people giving us a wide berth.
The third day was officially our final day. We were nearing my childhood home, and maybe the kids were picking up on it, but the pitstops suddenly decreased dramatically, and there was this air of excitement and impatience. I didn't mind the long journey... except that my car was, by this point, definitely not having a good time.
As we were finally nearing Werewolf Hollow, it started making terrible noises. Occasional puffs of smoke leaked out of the hood, and my heart sank. Despite pressing the gas pedal, the car began to gradually slow down all on its own.
"Come on," I whispered. "We're like fifteen minutes out, dude, don't do this to me."
"What's wrong with Old Ben?" Lucy asked immediately. It was what she'd named my rickety old rustbucket.
"Nothing," I said, noticing that the car was beginning to slow down in earnest. "Ah, come on, you old coot, we're almost there."
"You need a new car, Mom," Collin said pointedly. "I've told you this before."
"Yeah, but cars are expensive, and my credit is sh- ah... terrible."
My phone rang, and I answered it; Rudy was starting to stretch ahead of us.
"You're slowing down back there," he said, concern heavily evident in his voice. "What's going on?"
"Car troubles," I said. "I think... I don't think it's going to make it. Damn, we're so close."
"Mom, that's a naughty word."
"I know, Lucy, I'm sorry, I'm just... I wanted this car to make it." I didn't want this car to give out just yet. I couldn't deal with having to come back to Werewolf Hollow with the kids, only to lose my car, too.
"I can call a mechanic," Rudy said. "I know of a good one near the house. I've worked with him before; he's the Alpha for your area."
I could almost hear both Collin and Dylan perk up. "A werewolf?" Collin asked. There was a mixture of fear and excitement in his voice.
"Yes," Rudy said, bemused. "You're going to see a lot more of those, now."
"Give him a call," I said, heart sinking as I managed to navigate the slowing car over to the shoulder. "I think this is it. Old guy's not going to make it."
"Gotcha. I'll pull over, too."
For some reason, my anxiety rose, as we stood waiting, as far from oncoming traffic (which wasn't that much to begin with, this far out) as we could get. We were about midday, closing in on afternoon now, and so close to home... and so close to a life I had run away from. What if it was someone I knew? What if it wasn't? Did the people of Werewolf Hollow know we were coming? It was a small town; word would spread, if they did know. Or if they cared, really. What if they didn't care...?
What are the odds that it's an Alpha I know? I thought, shivering. Probably no one I know. Probably.
A big, shiny white tow-truck with a flatbed pulled up within minutes, followed by a black car that looked like either a Highway Patrol, or one of the local police officers. The first bore a logo on the side of a howling wolf and the words "Black Hollow Pack Auto Repair". I glanced over at the kids; Dylan was standing on tip-toes, eyes as wide as they could go, but Collin was suddenly pulling at his hood again, hunching over. Anxiety was rolling off of him in waves.
The tow-truck pulled up alongside my beat up old car, a large winch set up on the back. The door popped open, and a guy that had to be at least half a foot taller than me- and possibly wider than me- stepped out. A wild mane of black hair framed a dark face, and as he walked over, that feeling that I had seen him somewhere before suddenly started pinging in my head. It was pinging hard, too.
Shit, I thought, panic almost overriding that sensation. I know him. I bet I know him. Shit. Who is he?
He stopped first at Rudy, exchanging a few words in a voice so low and deep, I couldn't hear it from where I stood. He turned toward us, and a pair of dark eyes locked with mine.
Bam. I knew exactly who it was, and because my brain liked to work against me, I was flooded with highly embarrassing memories of being a corny, doofy teenage girl dreaming about a guy a year older than me... all while he walked toward us in a pair of ripped jeans, a black leather jacket, and a pair of massive black boots.
"Aegis" I said, before I could stop myself. "Aegis Black?"