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Chapter 19: Homecoming

Author: Karen Lynn Bennett
last update Huling Na-update: 2022-09-17 14:07:52
AFTER SCHOOL, ISAAC AND Phoebe begged another ride from Ruthie, and once again, I found myself smashed up next to Isaac in the backseat.

Ruthie decided to drop me off first. As we pulled into my driveway, I noticed that Dad's truck was missing, and I remembered that he would be working late a lot this week.

Phoebe stepped out and helped to extract me from the backseat. With surprising strength, she whisked me out and onto the driveway.

"Geez," said Ruthie, "you guys are turning my cute car into a sideshow!"

I chuckled. "It's like a clown car."

We were still cracking clown jokes as I pulled out my backpack and prepared to leave them. Suddenly, Phoebe and Isaac froze and gave each other one of their twin looks.

"Oh, for pork's sake, what's wrong now?" exclaimed Ruthie impatiently. She glanced at her car clock, obviously worried about getting home on time. I knew she didn't want to risk the sweet deal she had with her parents, who were threatening to take her car away if she didn't
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  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 20: Dreamless

    SHRUGGING OFF MY UNEASE, I looked around our backyard again. There was just a small patch of grass next to Mom's garden. Dad was barely keeping it alive. I wondered how long it would last. Mom had been raised in the farming belt of California. Even though the coastal town of Scotts Valley was wooded and often covered in fog, she still managed to produce a flourishing garden. Dad had planted one this summer in her memory. By some miracle, the tomatoes were still growing. I walked closer to pick some of the ripe ones. That's when I noticed the footprints from a dog. But, these were huge! I followed them around the dirt. They were all over the backyard. Although it seemed ages ago, I recalled the wolf I'd seen on the way to school. What was going on? Shivering, I hurried into the house and locked the doors.That night I finally dreamed about my mom. Dad and Uncle Ira were in it, too. It had that nostalgic quality, like a filter on a camera lens.**Uncle Ira sat on the couch, in our ol

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 21: Under the Microscope

    "SO, THROW ME A bone, would you?" pleaded Ruthie. She was asking about Isaac, and about what had happened when she'd dropped me off after school yesterday. It was fun making her wait because her impatience made me laugh. But I couldn't keep her in suspense any longer or I'd be breaking the BFF code. The thing was, I just couldn't work up the excitement I had felt yesterday when Isaac asked me to the dance. Today, it was overshadowed by a sense of apprehension I didn't understand. Part of me wondered if I should have said no."Well," I said, dragging it out a little longer. We were driving to school, and cutting it close to bell time. "What if I said nothing happened?" Telling her might make us late.Ruthie looked like a kicked puppy. "Well, I guess I read the situation differently," she mused sadly. "My skills are seriously slacking. I could have sworn I saw some 'situation manipulation' happening there in the backseat of my car. Plus, that whole kissing chase the other day. I mean,

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 22: Boy Scout

    AFTER THAT SCHOOL PASSED pleasantly and before I knew it, I was walking to English. As was the custom in many California schools, the classrooms opened to outdoor, covered sidewalks, which spread like a web to all the other buildings that were scattered across campus. I was rounding the corner in a rush because the bell was about to ring when two girls sideswiped me going different directions. This spun me in a circle, sending my books flying, and I threw out my hands to stop my fall. I looked up to catch the mock surprise from my assailants, who just happened to be Zena's groupies."Oh my gosh! I'm sooo sorry.""You should really look where you're going! You could hurt someone."Then they hurried off giggling, just as the bell sounded. I caught the words "psycho" and "brain damage." Gathering up my stuff, I noticed that my hands were bleeding. When I rubbed them on my pants, I saw a small tear across one knee. A long sigh escaped me and I continued on to class. Maybe Mr. Mac wouldn

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 23: Minions and Magic

    I REALIZED MY HANDS didn't hurt anymore, which was miraculous but impossible."What?" I gasped. We looked at each other in amazement. "I don't get it!" Was I losing it? "You saw them, right?"Zander ran his hands over mine, turning them over and over, once again sending tingles of pleasure across my skin."All right, class. Back to your seats," ordered Mr. Mac. Zander and I slowly pulled apart. He looked warily at me, almost like he didn't trust me or what he had seen. It killed me. I wondered what he was thinking and hoped he didn't think this was all a ruse to get his attention, because that would make me such a loser. And frankly, I was just as mystified. If I didn't have dried blood and dirt smeared all over my hands, I would not have believed that they'd ever been injured. I pulled out my notebook and peeked at him next to me. He was turned forward, rubbing his face with his hands tiredly. He blinked his eyes a few times and then squished his eyebrows together in concentrat

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 24: Study Buddy

    MIRACULOUSLY, I WAS ABLE to get most of my homework done before Zander showed up. It was 4:00 when I heard the doorbell. Nervously, I checked my appearance in the hallway mirror before opening the door. I had switched my torn jeans and Converses for a pair of shorts and flip-flops. Very casual, but it was a warm day and we didn't have air conditioning.Zander wore the same clothes that I'd seen him in at school - a wrecked pair of jeans, a band T-shirt, and Vans. His dark chestnut hair looked a little windblown, but it just made him look like he had stepped off a modeling shoot where they have all the fans blowing to make you look sexier. Yeah, it worked for him."Can I come in?" he asked after I stood there dumbly. After a mental self-smack, I pulled myself together. "Yeah, please." I gestured toward the kitchen area. "You want to study at the kitchen table?""Sure." He swung his backpack off his shoulder as he headed inside. He took in the whole place with a sweeping glance. I

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 25: Wolves

    WITHOUT GIVING IT A thought, I grabbed a knife from the butcher block and headed out the back door. I walked warily around the side of the house to check if the gate was open. It was closed. I stepped cautiously to the other side of the house to a covered area where we kept our trash cans. The knife was trembling in my hand, but I moved forward anyway. Nothing. Where had Zander gone?"Zander!" I called out, my voice cracking. A growl vibrated through the air, behind me, behind our fence. Something was on the other side. I knew the Jenkins didn't have a dog and automatically backed away."Tru! Look out!" In the next moment, Zander was leaping over our fence and toward me. That alone was confusing, because our fence was hecka tall, and I didn't think even our school's track team could leap that high. Bewildered, I gripped the knife and twisted around to run away. I didn't see the water hose stacked in front of me and tripped. "Aagh!" I felt the blade sink into my arm, which had to be

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 26: Mind-whammy

    "NO!' I YELLED AT Zander. It felt wrong to hurt these creatures, like we'd really, really regret it. Whatever the reason was, I knew that I couldn't let him harm them.I jumped up and was at his side in a second, pulling down his arm. "What the hell, Tru?" He tried to wrench away from me, but I held on like superglue.My wolf immediately moved in to block the gray one, who snapped back at it, his mouth pulling back into a toothy grimace. Just then, I heard tires screeching to a stop in the street and a car door slam. Running feet headed toward the gate.What now? I thought.The two wolves growled, united once again. They lowered their heads as they turned toward the gate. Whatever was coming through it seemed to be a bigger threat than Zander, and my stomach dropped. Suddenly, his brother burst through the entrance. His eyes darted around the yard, zeroing in on our two furry visitors. Before he could react, both wolves circled us in opposite directions, bounded onto the garbag

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 27: Reality Shift

    I DON'T THINK I was unconscious for more than a few seconds, because Zander and his brother were still in my kitchen when awoke, and they were arguing pretty loudly. I remember seeing a similar situation on TV - some wildlife show about armadillos. Basically, play dead and the bad guy will leave; play dead and maybe I'd find out what was really going on. "What part of NO did you not hear!" yelled Zander. Something large thumped roughly against the cupboards. I hoped it was G.I. Joe's head. Whatever he had done to me, well, I was still feeling the aftershocks, like little bolts of electricity through my brain. I wanted to hold my head between my hands, but I didn't want to move and gain their attention."Stand down, Zander!" his brother ordered. "This is protocol! We don't leave witnesses. Ever. What's with you?""You could have killed her, you idiot! And she may be more than we think!""She's fine, man, I promise. Back off, would you?" A pause. It was so tempting to look, but I

    Huling Na-update : 2022-09-17

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  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 230: The Promise

    ZANDER WAS STILL GROGGY, and I helped him lean up against the railing of the general store. I wanted to stay with him, but another problem had cropped up. Polaris was trying to move Dad, and Knox wouldn't let them. No one wanted to risk getting close to his teeth and I feared they might try to drug him or something worse. I sighed and pushed myself up."I'll be right back," I told Zander.I headed across the road and carefully approached the growling Knox. "Hey there, buddy," I said in a soothing voice. "You still have me, remember?" I reached out my hand, letting it hang in the air like Dad had taught me the first time Knox and I had met. Knox's ears flattened, and he whined as he pressed his nose into my fingers. If dogs cried, I'd say Knox was crying now. His eyes looked sticky wet. I ran a hand down his neck, coaxing him off Dad's body and toward me. With a hand on his collar, I eased the two of us several feet away, allowing the others to move Dad. When his limp head dropped t

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 229: Picking Up the Pieces

    BOTH POLARIS AND THE Efotis arrived within minutes of each other. The folks from Polaris had found several locals disabled or dead outside the park, as well as two empty police cars. Someone must have called the authorities about the gunshots or the helicopters. Others had probably been curious enough to investigate the noise themselves. The Nasaru had silenced them before they could see anything. With heavy faces, Polaris began searching the perimeter for more victims and loading up bodies on stretchers to take them away. When the Efotis arrived, Caroline rushed up to me, her eyes wide and desperate. She grabbed me and hugged me like she was never letting go. Despite my reluctance to admit she was my mother, I found her arms comforting. It just felt right. Thaddeus stood as still and straight as a fencepost watching us with soft but wary eyes. I completely understood. My reintroduction to Caroline had been rocky. In fact, it had been like meeting her for the first time, because I'

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 228: Of One Mind

    THADDIE AND I JUMPED away from each other, our eyes wide as saucers. "Shanna!" I breathed out in surprise. But her voice had faded away. "What the heck?" Once again, I'd lost my connection to her."Your eyes turned blue," said Thaddeus with surprise. "Does that happen often? Was that our sister?"I pressed my lips together, frustrated that we'd been so close to talking to her. "Yes, it was Shanna. But she's gone now. Dang it." He opened his mouth to say something else, but I beat him to it. "Wait. Did you just say my eyes turned blue?" "Yes," he answered, looking at me strangely.I thought my eyes had done that before, too, when I'd heard a strange voice. But at the time, I'd convinced myself that it was my imagination. Did this happen every time she talked to me? I held out my hands to Thaddeus, hoping that together we could bring her back. He looked at my outstretched arms with confusion."Just testing a theory," I said. "Take my hands. Maybe we need to be in physical conta

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 227: Retreat

    "THADDIE!" I choked out."You know him?" asked Maverick in surprise.I huffed out a deep breath as we heaved another dead body off his wing."Yes," I said, giving him a watery smile. "He's my brother."Maverick stared at me slack-jawed. After tonight I didn't think anything could surprise him. "You're kidding," he muttered."Yeah, I was going to tell you about him. Turns out, the other sharum guy was my biological father. Is," I corrected, reminding myself that if they took him, he must still be alive."The other guy with Dr. Frankler?""Yeah, I know," I nodded. "Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder."Maverick grunted an agreement.I examined Thaddie, who still struggled with consciousness. "Let's carry him to a brighter area. It will be easier to help him there."Together, we maneuvered him onto Maverick's back. Amid grunts and gasps, he carried Thaddie to the center of the main street and set him down near Zander, who was still unconscious and oblivious to the

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 226: The Aftermath

    I GAVE MAVERICK A wan smile. "There're gone," I sighed, standing up to move wearily to the next body. Kneeling by the woman from Polaris, I gently closed her eyes. There was no fixing her. The other Polaris soldiers were no better. The rest were Gerard's men. My heart pounded, knowing I'd have to face my dad's body now. I dragged myself to my feet and looked toward Dad. A furry head rested on top of his chest. I ran over to them, wondering how Knox could still be alive, not to mention how he had moved. As I dropped next to them, Knox whined softly. I bent over to press my head against his. "Oh, Knox. You're okay," I wept, running my hands along his fur. Blood matted in several spots, but I couldn't find any injuries. Shaking my head at the miracle, I hugged him. "I know, boy," I crooned. "Dad isn't ... he's not waking up. But you still have me." Knox's tail pounded on the dirt, but he remained pressed against Dad.I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Maverick. "I'm

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 225: Just Like Dante

    THE CIRCLE OF SOLDIERS tightened around us, drawing my attention away from my disappearing friends. Zander pulled me to his back, spinning us around as we faced their weapons. It quickly became clear that even with our abilities, we wouldn't be able to overpower them. "Tru," Zander said, mind-speaking. "This is going to hurt, but you can heal yourself. Protect your head." "What?" I barely had a chance to gasp before he grabbed me, lifted me up in the air, and threw me over the heads of the soldiers. I cleared them by at least five meters and landed in a dense thicket near the line of trees. Branches jabbed me, cutting my skin and shredding my already ruined dress.I groaned. What the heck did Zander think he was doing? I started to crawl out of the bushes and yelped when I felt a sharp pain in one hand. It felt wrong, like broken wrong. Looking up, I saw a few of the soldiers peel away from the circle around Zander and head toward me. "Run!" Zander yelled in my mind.The path

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 224: From the Frying Pan ...

    I GASPED, RECOGNIZING Gerard's creepy grin. "No! It can't be!"He laughed, throwing back his head and clasping his hands together. "You've done me a favor, my dear. I may have lost my mate." A fleeting look of sorrow crossed his face. "Trust me, you'll pay for that. But now I have an even more powerful aramusatu, one that will link you and me together forever." He laughed again, and then held out his hand. "Join me, Tru. You belong with your family."I gagged and stepped away. Had I only made things worse by killing Gerard? "No!" I yelled. I felt the world caving in as Wynona's words flitted through my mind. She's a soul jumper. At that time, she'd meant Ruthie. But apparently, she wasn't the only one. Somehow, Gerard Hughes's spirit had taken over Peter's body. I had a feeling that I'd just leaped from the frying pan into the fire."What happened to Peter?" Gerard's eyes swirled, shifting to yellow slits. He squeezed them shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, they w

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 223: Backfire

    OBVIOUSLY, I WAS A healer. But I was definitely no savior. But what about destroyer?The thought of that destiny had filled me with dread before, but now I wanted it so badly that everything but my enemy faded away. I wished I could channel my healing ability into a weapon. Then it struck me. If I could heal wounds why couldn't I un-heal them? I stared at my hands, wondering if it was possible. A dark feeling swirled inside me, like attempting such a thing was straight up wrong, but as Gerard stepped closer to Ruthie, and as Zander continued to bleed out, I knew I had to do something. With shaking hands, I laid Dad's head on the ground. It was too late for him but I might be able to help the others. A fiery rage whipped up inside of me and my eyes locked onto Gerard. He wore a demented look of his own as he considered the chaos around us. I took off toward him. When I was almost upon him, he saw me and pulled out his gun. I plowed forward anyway and tackled him, sending the weapon f

  • The True Nature Series   Chapter 222: Inconceivable Choice

    I YANKED AWAY FROM the guard holding me and ran back to Zander, who gasped, "I'll be fine, Tru. Go to him." I knew he meant my dad and that he'd realized the same thing I had. Ignoring the guns pointed at me, I rushed toward Dad and Knox. Donavitch was grinning at me, clearly enjoying my terror, and Knox was barking out a warning to Mrs. Taylor as she pointed her gun at Dad. "Look out, Dad!" He looked from me to Mrs. Taylor and flinched when he saw the gun pointing at him. "No, Eleria!" yelled Mr. Taylor.Crack!In the blink of an eye, two bodies fell to the ground. At the last second, Mr. Taylor had raced after his wife and thrown his body in front of my dad. They both went down. I fell to the ground next to Dad, frantically searching for his wound. A bright red stain in the center of his blue flannel shirt expanded to the size of my hand within seconds. Had the bullet gone through Mr. Taylor and Dad? Of course! The gun had been loaded with cutters, the Nasaru's usemi-killin

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