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CHAPTER 72
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Marked CHAPTER 73
As we walked towards it, leaves rustling, getting closer, I felt encouraged. It was a huge thicket of tangled branches and thorns. It almost looked like a wall. We circled it, and it must’ve been 100 feet deep in every direction. It was impenetrable. If anything fit his description, this was it. No one could get anywhere near this thing, unless they had a thick machete, and were willing to spend days chopping. Whatever was at its center—if anything—would likely be untouched.But then again, maybe this was just a huge thicket of branches and thorns, and all that we would find for their trouble was more thorns.Caleb nodded slowly. “Yes,” he said. “This could be it.”He studied it for a while, the finally said, “Stand back.”I took several steps back, wondering what he would do.Caleb pulled his sleeves down, over his hands, shielding them, then reached in, and with his incredible strength, tore at the thicket of branches. It was incredible, like watching a chainsaw attack the pile.
Marked CHAPTER 74
“This is definitely the place,” Caleb said. “This is where Elizabeth lived. The question is: why did the map send us here? I don’t see anything,” he said, finally, admitting defeat.“Neither do I,” I had to admit.A comfortable silence fell over us. After the whirlwind events of the day, I was exhausted. I was just happy that we had shelter for the night, and too tired to think of anything else. I loved the feeling of his coat around my shoulders. I felt the shape of my journal, still inside my jean pocket, and felt like taking it out and writing. But I was too tired.I looked across the room, and studied Caleb. I marveled at how he was so impervious to the cold, to being tired, to seemingly even being hungry. In fact, if anything, he seemed to gain energy at night. He still looked in perfect condition, despite all we’d been through. Despite being shot. I looked at his arm, and saw that it was already entirely healed.As he stared into the fire, lost in thought, his eyes glowed an
Marked CHAPTER 75
At the same moment, we both hurried to the spot on the floor where the log landed, as Caleb smoothed it over with his hand. Centuries of dust were wiped away, revealing the bare wood. He rapped hard on it with his knuckles, and there was, again, a hollow sound.“Stand back,” he said, and I leaned back against the wall.As I did, he pulled his arm back and punched the floorboard. There was cracking wood, as he punched a hole right through it, and reached in and tore up several floorboards.I grabbed a candle, and put it inside the hole. There was not much space, and we could see the dirt on the ground. I moved the candle. At first, it revealed nothing. But as I moved the candle to the corner, I suddenly saw something. “There.”I reached in and slowly extracted it. I held it up, and wiped away an inch of dust.It was a small, red satin pouch. Tied shut by a string.I handed Caleb the candle, and began opening it. I wondered what on earth it could be. A coin? A piece of jewelry? My
Marked CHAPTER 76
{SAMANTHA’S POV}Samantha woke at the crack of dawn, and looked over. There, in bed beside her, was the teenage boy. Sam. He had been so easily seduced. She almost felt bad. She knew she had violated a law in sleeping with a human, but this one was so young and fresh, she had decided to bend the rules. Why not? No one would ever know. Of course, she would never tell, and she wouldn’t keep Sam alive long enough to tell anyone himself. Once every few hundred years, she had to indulge. It was the least she could allow herself.Besides, there was something about him, something that, for a human, made him almost tolerable. In fact, if she were being honest with herself, more than tolerable. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, and this, more than anything, bothered her.Agitated by her feelings, she sat up, still naked, and in one swift motion jumped to her feet and walked silently through the room. She picked up her clothes and dressed quickly, looking out the sliding gla
Marked CHAPTER 77
{SAMANTHA’S POV}Samantha looked out to see a car door open. Out came a human, poorly dressed in a cheap suit, carrying a “for-sale” sign beneath his arm. He walked towards the front door of the house.She was so relieved, that she laughed out loud. It was just another pathetic human. And this one, a real estate broker. The worst of them all.Of course. Now it made sense. He was probably preparing to show the house, probably had an open house scheduled, and was here bright and early to make sure everything was fine. Overzealous. And desperate.As she watched him approach, she saw his brow furrow in confusion and then concern, as he began to notice the signs that the house was occupied. Sam’s pickup truck in the driveway. A light on.He seemed utterly confused, as if racking his brain to remember if he’d left a light on, or whose car that could be. Then, as he seemed to realize that it was something more, his expression turned to annoyance.Samantha smiled. She loved how annoy
Marked CHAPTER 78
I was running. I was back in the field, running through the knee-high grass. It was daybreak, and as I ran, the world seemed to rotate. I felt as if I were running right towards the large, glowing sun.There, on the horizon, stood my father, his silhouette lit by the sun. His arms were opened wide, waiting to embrace me. I could not make out his features, but I did know that he was grinning, waiting to embrace me. If only I ran faster.I ran for all I had, but no matter how fast I went, he kept getting farther.I was not surprised. This was how the dream always went. A part of me knew this even as I dreamt it.But this time, something happened. This time, suddenly, I gained ground. He was actually getting closer.As I ran closer to him 50 yards, then 20, then 10, for the first time, I saw him. He was standing there, huge, so tall and proud, in all his glory, lit up by the sun. He was a beautiful man. A warrior. Somehow, he resembled Caleb.I ran right into his arms and gave him a
Marked CHAPTER 79
Although I myself had turned into a wolf, I had never seen another wolf before, and had no idea how to react. Oddly enough, I wasn’t afraid. I was intrigued, mesmerized. In fact, as I watched them, I almost felt a strange sort of kinship.While watching, I reached over and placed a hand on Caleb, shaking him.He suddenly sat up beside me, alert. The two of us stared together as the pack came in close, only feet away, sniffing and circling.“Don’t be afraid,” Caleb said softly. “I can feel their thoughts. They are just curious. Remain still.”I sat very still, watching as their leader came up close to me, inches from my face, putting its nose right up to my cheek.Several tense moments followed, as I wondered what to do. My heart was pounding, and I felt like pushing him away. But instead, I followed Caleb’s direction and sat very still.Suddenly, he turned and walked away.As he left, the pack followed.Except for one. A small wolf, a pup, hardly bigger than a small dog, ling
Marked CHAPTER 80
{SAM’S POV}Sam woke in the strange bedroom and looked around. He tried to remember where he was. The bed was comfortable, more comfortable than any he’d slept in in a long time, but he couldn’t remember whose it was, or what he was doing here.Then it came back to him. Samantha.He turned and looked for her, but she was gone. Had this all really happened? Had it all just been a dream?He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and realized he was naked, lying on a mattress with no bedding. His clothes were strewn out on the floor. He was exhausted, but in a great way. He was a changed man. Man was the key word. He woke up feeling like a real man for the first time in his life. He never had a night like that before, and he already guessed that he never would again. She was incredible.Sam jumped to his feet, dressed, and walked around the empty house. He looked out the glass doors, and saw that the day was just breaking. That, too, was crazy. He hadn’t seen the sun rising in he didn’t know how
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