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Chapter 103: Aiden
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2021-08-22 19:54:36It’s clear pretty quickly that Tala isn’t okay with things. I don’t know what the difference is between magic for finding things out, and the don’t-see-me thing Shelley wants to do on Tom. Tala’s finding it hard to explain. Something about it having seemed okay to look at something that was already there, but not to do something new. That, and her father would be unhappy with her if he ever found out, which is the part of her explanation that makes most sense to me. It’s obvious she’s trying really hard not to just call us all wrong in the eyes of her religion, but I think that’s the real problem.
It’s Shelley who’s the most understanding. “Of course you have to stay true to what you believe in. Personal integrity is important. We won’t reject you for it. We’ll admire you for it. If you don’t think you can watch, we can get you a taxi, or you and Ella could go and make sandwiches in the kitchen?”
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Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 104: Sarah
I am not expecting to find Nick hovering urgently after the performance, right at the door to the break room, ready to pounce before I can go. “Sarah, splendid, lovely, you don’t need to rush off do you?”“It is rather late,” I point out.“I’m sure it won’t take too long. Customer satisfaction, you know? They pay our salaries, have to keep them happy,” he waffles, which is Nick code for “One of our major sponsors is making noises about pulling out, please charm them into sticking around.”“Am I to know their name?” Perhaps it is more than one, or a married couple. Some people would feel insulted if you didn’t know their partner’s name. &ldquo
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“Tala?” I’m still not sure how I do what I’m doing. I’m just thinking about who I want to talk to over the Link, and that’s seemed to work. It’s not working now though. Tala doesn’t answer. She’s looking at me intently, though.I remember my fathers reaction, when I couldn’t hear him. The feel of his hand when he slapped me, the first time. The crushing sense of rejection and failure. I don’t care if Tala can’t hear me and can never hear me, if she wants to be part of the Pack then she is part of the Pack, and I won’t ever let anyone say anything else.The others are curious. I can hear their questions.
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“This feels silly,” I confess. Sarah is sprawled back against the pillows, her hair splayed out in an aura about her head. Her feet are in my lap as I sit cross-legged on the end of the bed. Her toenails are painted silver, sparkling gently in the dimmed light of the bedroom. She’s given me a pot of body cream to use, something that smells of sandalwood, bergamot and jasmine. The scent fills the room as soon as I take the lid off, woody and spicy.“It’s not hard. Dab some of the cream on your hands. Rub them together to get it nice and warm.”The heat makes the scent even stronger, mingling with Sarah’s own natural moss and resin. I fill my lungs with it. Maybe that’s not the best thing to do, because my jeans are going to get pretty uncomfortable if I keep doing that.
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Aiden seems a little preoccupied over breakfast, and it becomes clear why when he leans forwards a bit over his coffee. “Uh, so. Did you want to talk to the rest of the Pack before you meet them? Because there’s the phone, or the Pack link. I don't know what you’d prefer.” I give the question some thought. It seems more personal to speak mind to mind than to meet in person. Do I want to jump straight in with that? The others all met before the Pack was formed. They were friends first. Aiden and I, we met in the flesh before anything else happened. Then again, how often have I thought that interactions would go differently if people could speak to me first, without seeing me? Even some of those who do their best not to be prejudiced still seem to struggle with treating me no differently than anyone else. Would it be better to strip away the visible surface and
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Nothing happens. Does the time of day, or night, make a difference? It has never seemed to bother Bellmouth, but he’s a dog. The Horseman’s horse only seems to appear at night, although the Horseman himself has shown up at other times. Perhaps the rules for each ghost are different? The kettle is boiling. I reach to get down a mug, turn back to the kettle, and end up almost dropping the mug. Mary is standing there, looking at the kettle with a mixture of distrust and fascination. The kettle at Backmarsh heats on the hob, I remember. Mine here is electric and has no visible means of heating. “It’s not magic,” I tell her. “The base there, it’s something like a warming pan that you’d put hot coals in. It’s not exactly the same. It uses the same stuff that the lights use, instead of coals, and that heats the water in the jug.”
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It turns out I get a chance to speak to the Goldhawk Pack before the shopping trip. It’s kind of by accident. Mr Patel mentioned that we were down on stock because the delivery van had broken down, and I recognised the road name where the van was stuck. He was worried that someone would break into it overnight, because they couldn’t get anyone out to fix it until the next day. I volunteered to go check on it. So that’s how I come to be in Goldhawk territory for work. Paid to be there and everything. I’ve got a list of the more valuable stuff that’s still small enough to fit into the backpack I’ve been given. I don’t have to get it back to the shop tonight, just make sure it’s safe. I should track down that liquor thief and thank him for helping me land such a great job. I go tap on the door of the Pack house. I h
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That was probably a stupid idea. The threat level in the room just jumped from zero to eight. Maybe nine. Not ten, because nobody has attacked me. Yet. “Just so you know,” I say out loud, “anyone can choose not to hear me. I can’t force you to listen. You can block me out. I’m here to help, not to take charge.”Russel in particular still looks furious. Christy places her hand on his arm.“Think about this,” I say quickly, before someone tries taking a swing at me. “Haven’t you ever had to meet with a werewolf from another Pack to talk, when you’d much rather have been able to do it at a distance? Had times when things went bad because someone snapped and lashed out, mostly because the other person was right there in front of them? Or wanted to be able to talk to someone, couldn’t trust the
Last Updated : 2021-08-30
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