Sepia Dreams
In spite of my proclamation to no one, I slept… and I dreamed.
Most of it was made up of lost snippets of memories; no plot, just… vignettes. I relived pockets of my childhood, sitting at the bar in the kitchen that my kids now sat at, eating pancakes that my parents once made for me.
In some of these tiny windows to the past, I sat laughing beside Ivy, who slept over often. The doorbell would ring, and there was Marcus to escort us to school; Marcus, who had the world going for him, and was taken too soon.
I went even further back. There was the time Ivy’s family arrived in Werewolf Hollow. Humans like us, we were naturally drawn to each other; at the time, I had one friend: Brittani Choi.
She and I had been inseparable for a small time in diapers, despite all of our differences. There was a time when it was her that I told all my secrets to, even if they were the secrets of a very small child.
When Ivy arrived, I’d felt she fit into our group perfectly. Brittani disagreed, insistent that our duo was never meant to be a trio... but Ivy and I had too much in common. Instead of trying to adapt, Brittani left, and our friendship became something far worse.
The dreams were scattered and aimless. I saw myself walking the halls of my eighth grade year, shyly holding hands with a boy: the first boy I’d ever liked. We laughed, and I would run to Ivy to tell her everything. We were so excited. My first boyfriend, if only he’d ask me out.
Then I found him making out with Brittani Choi one day, and I was the laughing stock of the school, because I’d always worn my heart on my sleeve.
I couldn’t even remember his face in the dream, he mattered so little, but I remembered the feelings of hurt, embarrassment, and shame. I had put myself out there, and he had let me believe he returned it all… only to immediately leave me for Brittani the second she offered her hand.
The dream showed me running. It was Main Street. I was crying. I slammed into someone, and I looked up to see Aegis, then a ninth grader, and freshly in control of his werewolf and human forms.
We weren’t friends, then. We were barely acquaintances. I didn’t think he even knew who I was, being the werewolf in Werewolf Hollow, sitting smack at the top of the social food chain.
I heard his voice: “What the heck happened, Sylvia?”
I could feel my surprise. Aegis Black knew who I was?
Of course he did. He knew everyone.
I woke up to see early morning light on the ceiling. Even with some of my fondest memories floating around in my mind, I woke up somber and thoughtful. That was definitely the start of everything, that day, when Aegis sat with me while I cried over a stupid thirteen year old boy who mattered so little in the grand scheme of things, I didn't even remember his face.
I got up, feeling groggy and embarrassed. A part of me felt like a sixteen year old girl again, giddy at the thought of seeing Aegis. It helped distract from all of the concerns I couldn’t exactly force into a resolution, like Collin’s surliness. Though I wanted everything to be good between us all again, that wasn’t something I could force.
Aegis’s presence was like a weird mixture between calming boon and heart-racing panic. He reminded me of things I’d felt ten years ago, dreams I’d secretly harbored. We all guessed of course that a human could theoretically be a werewolf’s fated mate, but considering all the laws and black tape surrounding unlawful transformations, it was a difficult theory to prove. You couldn’t go back, either; once bitten, that was it. Life changed, drastically and forever. No cure.
Not an easy basis for testing anything, let alone fated mates.
I sat for a long moment in the silence of the room, looking around. I could just see the faded memories of furniture that had once filled the room, things my parents had worked so hard for. I could almost feel my mother coming in to tuck me into her blankets, asking if I’d had a nightmare.
I’ve been having nightmares for years, mom, I thought, my eyes stinging. I need you.
But there was no answer.
I reached for my phone, feeling a slight anxiety as I shot off a text to Rudy.
Sylvia: Everything going okay, old man?
I bit my lip, nervous. What if everything was really fine, and I’d misread it all? But we hadn’t heard from him in days… he’d left because of problems back in Los Angeles. What if something had happened?
What if he felt he’d “seen things through”?
I was relieved when a text came through.
Rudy: Hey kiddo
Rudy: Everything’s fine, just chaotic
Rudy: Been a few illegal bites; we’re trying to track down all of the victims
Rudy: I’ll be gone a bit longer
Sylvia: We all miss you
Rudy: You just miss having a buffer between you and Aegis
I snorted, shaking my head.
Sylvia: Well, then you better hurry back
Sylvia: I need a buffer before I do something stupid
Rudy: Loud and clear, boss
I scoffed and set my phone down, satisfied that Rudy was, at least for now, not in any danger.
I distracted myself by making breakfast, an ensemble of the last of the eggs, the bacon, and the sausages. I need to go to the market, anyway, I thought, glancing at my list of ingredients needed for all those dang deserts.
The kids came down just as I was portioning out the plates, and I looked up in total surprise to see not only that they were completely dressed, but also in possession of their jackets AND their backpacks.
“I’m dreaming,” I said, staring at them.
“Nuh uh,” Lucy said, bouncing forward. “Aegis told us that if you said we’d gotten ready and had everything good to go, then he’d give us treats.”
“Hey! Why can’t you do that when I offer the same thing?!”
“No offense, Mom, but you’re not as cool as Aegis,” Dylan said, giving me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
“Yeah. He’s a werewolf,” Lucy said, very matter-of-fact. “That’s way cooler.”
“I basically have no choice but to listen,” Collin muttered. “At least I get paid for it, I guess.”
I decided not to battle that one.
When the doorbell rang, I nearly jumped half out of my skin, my nerves bouncing around.
How was I supposed to act around Aegis? Did I hug him? No, that was stupid. Did I… was I supposed to act like he hadn’t kissed me last night? Well, not kissed, of course, just my forehead, but that wasn’t the point, the point was-
“Mom,” Collin said, waving a hand in front of my face. “You gonna get that?”
“Ah,” I said, snapping out of my transfixed horror. “Yes. Of course. Door.”
I still didn’t move, and the doorbell rang again.
“Mom,” Lucy said, giving me a pitying look. “You have to walk over there for the door to open. Psychic powers aren’t real; trust me, I checked.”
“Of course,” I breathed, moving around the counter with a jittery energy. I opened the door and felt a strange rush of disappointment: It was Ivy.
Then I felt guilty for being disappointed to see her.
“Hey,” I said in surprise, stepping back.
“It’s my day off,” Ivy announced happily, wiping her boots outside the door. “It’s chilly out, make sure you’ve all got your coats.”
The kids all pointed to their very primed and ready bags.
“Excellent.” To me, she grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “I know I’m not who you wanted to see, but Aegis had an emergency this morning. He asked me to come help you drop off the kids so you don’t drive the moving death trap.”
“It is not that bad!”
“No offense, but I’m not taking your advice over the trained mechanic,” Ivy said dryly. “You and I are going to take a trip to the market to get what we need after we pick up the kids today. I have my air fryer in the trunk, so we can get this party started.”
I laughed. “Awesome.”
Ivy checked her watch and grimaced. “Ugh. We need to get rolling. I’m running behind today; even though I’m off, I had to chase down a couple of stupid kids who just got their licenses. They were racing each other through the neighborhood like a couple of morons.”
I burst into laughter. “You used to do the same thing when you got your license!”
“And boy, am I paying for it,” Ivy groaned. “Come on, before I see some other dumb kid driving like a maniac.” She pointed at the boys. “You guys ever speed, you don’t come to me for backup. I’ll bust your butts twice as hard.”
“Yes, sir,” Dylan said, saluting.
“It’s madam, buttface,” Lucy said in total outrage.
“I think it’s supposed to be ma’am,” Collin said seriously. “That sounds way more appropriate for a Sheriff.”
“I don’t want to be either of those titles,” Ivy complained. “Too boring and stuffy. Now come on- everyone in the car!”