Rescued?

I drifted in and out of consciousness as I tried to stay awake to figure a way out of this mess.

"Dammit, Clay! I told you not to follow me!" I heard a voice yell.

Clay? and that voice... I knew it.

"I'm glad that I did. You know that one of us should just bite her now. The pack is going to lose their minds over her. You or I will have to claim her and look at her! We will have to fight every wolf around" another voice said.

I recognized the voices. Both of them. And what were they talking about? Pack? Wolf? I felt myself being lifted up.

"She's so sick. We can't just leave her. Mom will know what to do. Grab her pack and bow." the first voice said.

I fluttered my eyes open and saw one of my oldest and most trusted friends.

"Craig? Am I dead?" I asked, confused.

He smiled down at me as he carried me through the forest.

"No. You're going to be fine. Don't worry. I've got you. You're safe. Close your eyes and rest now" he said as he held me close.

He was so warm that I was instantly comfortable and his eyes were so loving that I felt safe for the first time in such a long time.

"Okay. Just......just don't leave me" I pleaded

"I won't darlin'. I promise" he said and I passed out again.

When I woke again, I was warm in a comfortable bed. I cautiously opened my eyes to see a simple, white room that was familiar. I looked around and realized that it was a guest room in Craig's house. I used to stay in this very room all the time when I would spend the night as a child. Craig's family lived in a huge farmhouse with five guest rooms. His Mom would always let me choose which one I wanted to stay in and I always picked this room. I loved how clean and airy it felt. I heard a noise and turned to see Craig snoring in the armchair by the window. I smiled while I watched him. He had a bit of a beard and was more muscular and toned than the last time that I had seen him but he was still my best friend who I had known for forever.

"I know. I'm gorgeous" he said with his eyes closed.

I chuckled and shook my head as he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and I paused to take inventory.

"I feel fine" I said, puzzled.

"How is that possible? When we brought you in last night, Mom was sure that it was going to take you weeks to recover." Craig stood up and walked over to me as I sat up in bed.

I looked out the window and realized that it was late morning again. A bit later than when I drank the tea the day before.

"It couldn't be that, could it? Did it actually work?" I muttered as I stood up.

"Be what?" Craig asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it" I said.

"I want to ask you a million things but I need to run to the bathroom." I explained as I hurried into the bathroom.

After peeing, I dared to look at myself in the mirror. I was dirty and my hair was wild but my skin was healthy and glowing. I looked vibrant under my layer of grime. I tested the sink and found not only running water but hot water too. I washed my hands and face and tried to smooth my hair down as best as I could. Then I walked back into the bedroom and faced Craig.

"How are you still alive and staying in your home? Haven't the people in the van showed up to take you?" I asked him as we sat on the bed, facing each other.

"They wouldn't dare bother us. Is that why you were living in the woods? Did they chase you?" Craig said mysteriously

"They didn't chase me but they have been looking for me. I left before they came though" I said.

"How did you know about them? How did you know that they were coming?" he asked.

I told him all about the radio message.

"I just knew that they would be at my house soon so I packed up and left. Just in time too" I explained about my last day at home and how the van pulled up as I reached the woods.

Just then there was a knock on my door.

"Come in" I called and Craig's Mom came in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I feel fine, Mrs. O'Brien" I responded.

"Call me Maria, please." She looked at me confused.

"You look great. How is that possible?" She asked me.

She looked deep in my eyes. I had always trusted her. She was one of my only mother figures so I decided to tell her, even though I knew that she wouldn't believe me.

"I think that it's the tea that I had yesterday." I began.

I told her about finding the box and book of my Mom's.

"In the book, there was a recipe or spell or whatever for a tea. My mother wrote that it would heal someone of any common illness exactly 24 hours after drinking it. I made it and drank it yesterday morning. I know that it sounds ridiculous but that's what happened." I finished.

She and Craig both looked at me closely.

"Tell her what you just told me about leaving the house and the van" Craig prompted.

After I told her, she and Craig exchanged a look.

"What was going on with the salt around your campsite?" Craig asked.

I blushed, embarrassed.

"That was from the book too. A protection spell and ring of salt" I stated while staring at the floor.

I yawned.

"You must be exhausted. We'll leave you to sleep. If you want to shower, there should be plenty of hot water and everything you need in the bathroom. I have some clothes that should fit you. They won't be perfect but at least they're clean" Maria offered.

"That would be amazing. I have some clothes in my bag but they are all dirty" I said as I pointed to my bag on a nearby chair with my bow and arrows with it.

"Thanks for bringing it, by the way" I added to Craig as his Mom hurried off to get the clothes.

"It seemed important" he said with a strange look in his eye.

"After I shower, can we talk more? I still don't understand how you are all okay and living here." I implored.

"After you rest and eat, okay?" Craig bargained.

"Deal" I said and hugged him.

"I'm just so glad that you are alright" I said as I pulled away.

Maria came back in with some yoga pants and a tank top.

"Will this be okay?" She asked.

"It's perfect! Thank you" I responded.

"Just leave your dirty clothes in the hamper and I'll wash it all for you today" She said and I grinned.

"Thank you" I said again and hugged her.

"We'll leave you to shower and rest. I'll bring you some breakfast and maybe you will feel up to coming down and talking this afternoon" Maria said as she and Craig walked out and shut the door.

I quickly undressed and showered. The water was heaven and I washed my hair and body three times before I felt truly clean. As I washed, I thought. I'm no idiot. I knew that something was up with Craig and his family. How could all of them survive the Nightmare? How could they all continue to live in this house with electricity and running water? How did Craig and Clay find me in the middle of the woods at night?

Of course, I already knew. The wolves. They had the same eyes. I knew that they were all werewolves but I had also known Craig and his family for most of my life. I trusted them even if they were werewolves. That didn't mean that I was going to trust them completely though. I got one of the silver knives out of my pack and put it in my waistband after I dressed. I grabbed my Mom's book and looked through it until I found what I was looking for. A sleeping spell. Thankfully, I had all the right herbs in my pack. I quickly mixed it in the iron pot and said the words. Then I poured the herbs into my handkerchief and wrapped a hair band around it to shut it. If I decided that I needed to leave, I would open it and throw the herbs up. Anyone near that inhales the herbs would fall asleep instantly.

I hurried to put everything away as I felt someone coming. I had just zipped up my pack and put it back on the chair when there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it.

"Here you go" Maria said as she walked in with a tray. It had toast, bacon and eggs on it along with orange juice.

"Wow! Thanks!" I said and smiled.

After she left, I ate the eggs and toast still not into eating meat. Before the Nightmare, I ate meat but not very often. Now, after going so long without it, it seemed disgusting to me. Animals were my friends in the forest. I always talked to the birds, squirrels and rabbits.

After eating, I brushed and braided my hair. I even brushed my teeth. I felt like myself for the first time in a long time. I laid on the bed and thought. I couldn't believe that the spells were actually working. I know, my best friend is a werewolf, most of the world's population died from a mysterious illness, vampires are hunting people and I can't believe that a few spells worked? It was ridiculous but I could understand how I was making these things happen. The radio recording had talked about witches but didn't give much information about them. I figured that was what my Mom was and I was trying to understand that I was probably one too. At least a bit of one. Is that a thing? Can someone be part witch?

If I accepted that then it opened a slew of new questions. Did my Dad know? Was the rest of my Mom's family all witches? Why couldn't she see her car crash coming? Why didn't she save herself? All questions that I could never find the answers to. I sighed and meditated on the bed. I cleared my head of all questions and thoughts and just worked at relaxing like Mom wrote in her book to do. Suddenly, I sat up and walked to the door right as Craig was about to knock.

"Okay. That's freaky" he said.

"You're one to talk" I muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"Never mind." I shrugged.

"So, I'm guessing that everyone is downstairs and wants to ask me some things" I said as I walked out the door.

"Ummm yeah" Craig said and led me to the stairs.

As we started walking down, I impulsively grabbed his hand. He looked at me in surprise and then smiled.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" he promised as we stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

I looked into his eyes and heard the voice in my head whisper.

"He loves you. You can trust him completely. He will never harm you" it said and I nodded.

"Okay" I said and hugged him quickly.

He kept his arm around me as we walked to the sitting room. His parents and Clay were sitting on one couch. Three large men were sitting on another. Everyone stood as Craig and I walked in. This was going to be good, I thought.