Hyena Moon, page 7
"Can I see if I can stay at Keri's house for a few days?" Lenore tried not to sound too hopeful.
Emmeline smiled. "If Keri's mother says it's okay, I don't see a problem with it." She came over and pushed Lenore's hair behind her ears. "I think it would do you good to get out of here for a little while."
"I'll go call her now." Lenore slid from her seat, leaving the decimated pie and ice cream behind, and ran upstairs.
She did need some time away. Her mother couldn't have put it any better and it gave Lenore an idea. She opened up her laptop as she dialed Keri's number, waiting for her friend to pick up. Keri was her oldest friend—they'd known each other since elementary school. They knew each other's secrets and covered for each other when one of their plans was likely to get them into trouble.
Keri picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey Lenore."
"Ker, I need a huge favor." Lenore pulled up train schedules on her computer as she talked.
"Okay, shoot." That was why Ker was her oldest friend. There wasn't the slightest hesitation when asked for favors.
"I need to pretend to stay with you for a few days." Her eyes scanned the listings. There was a train that would work and she had enough cash to cover the fare. "Is your sister still going to Raleigh to visit her boyfriend?" Keri's sister had been driving her—and by extension, Lenore-- nuts with talk about seeing her boyfriend for the past two weeks.
"Yeah, she's still going. Leave's tonight. Why?" Keri's voice was full of curiosity and excitement. She loved schemes.
"Think she'd give me a ride?" Lenore jotted down the information she'd need.
"If you give her gas money, I don't see why not. What's going on? What are you doing?"
"I'll tell you when I get there. But promise you'll cover for me as long as you can." Lenore needed to get away. She was sick of being told where to go and what to do and who she could hang out with. And if her parents wouldn't okay a vacation, she'd just have to handle it on her own.
"You know I will. My mom isn't back from her trip until tomorrow afternoon so you've got a little lead time."Lenore could almost hear the wheels in Keri's head turning, making up suitable stories for any adult that might ask difficult questions.
"I owe you big!" She got up and began to throw some clothes in a bag.
"You bet you do." Ker's voice held a smile. "See you in a few."
Lenore hit the end button and started to pack in earnest, letting her mind work out the lies she was going to need to tell. She was going to Miami, one way or another.
Chapter Twelve
Lenore sat in the train car, lulled into a half-trance by the rhythmic swaying and drone of the train. She wasn't quite sure how much longer it would be until she reached Jacksonville. So far, she'd managed to get away with everything. The trip to Raleigh with Keri's sister was uneventful; she'd bought her ticket without trouble and the trip had gone smoothly. Her parents were none the wiser. So far.
She rummaged in her purse and pulled out her phone. She was bored. She could have read a magazine or the book she'd borrowed from Keri, but she was afraid that the motion of the train combined with reading would make her sick. Instead, she dialed Wyatt's number.
It took a few rings, but he finally answered. "What's up?"
Lenore swallowed, suddenly nervous without knowing why. She knew he'd keep her secret, but now that she had him on the phone, she thought about not mentioning where she was. It was bad enough that Keri was going to be in big trouble when her parents found out. "Hey Wy."
There was a pause. "Where are you? You sound funny."
Lenore sighed. Probably he had sonic were hearing or something ridiculous like that. He shouldn't be able to tell anything off of two words, unless she wasn't nearly as cool as she thought. "On a train."
"On a train?" He sounded incredulous.
"Did I stutter?" It came out sharper than she meant it to.
"Bitchy much?" Thankfully, he didn't sound too bothered by her attitude.
"Sorry." And she was. Just because she was nervous was no reason to take it out on Wy. She'd never done anything this...well, like this before.
Wyatt was already talking. "What are you doing on a train? Is Keri with you?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm going to Miami." There. She'd said it.
Silence on the other end. Finally he said, "I'm going to guess that your parents don't know."
Lenore didn't answer right away. She felt momentarily bad for dumping this on him, but she had to tell someone. He hadn't been having an easy time of things lately. He'd discovered he was a werebear hard on the heels of realizing he liked guys. Neither of those things would make someone popular in high school. Wyatt had to stay close to home and to his werebear mentor until he got a handle on his changes. Which meant that he couldn't see her or anyone else until then.
"You still there?"
"Yeah." She waited a beat. "And yes, my parents have no idea. They think I'm at Ker's house for a couple of days."
"Have you gone completely mental?" He didn't sound angry, just surprised.
"I couldn't stay there anymore, Wy. I get told what to do, when to do it, who to spend time with--you have no idea how that feels."
His answer was sarcastic, almost caustic. "Yeah, Lenore. I would have NO idea what that's like."
Lenore bit the inside of her cheek. God, she sounded like a complete dingbat. Maybe she was having some kind of breakdown. "I'm sorry. I know you know. I didn't mean it to come out that way."
He sounded mollified, and she thought he might be smiling. "It's cool, Lenore. I know why I can't go anywhere. Imagine a big ass brown bear just appearing somewhere. That would go over really well."
"How's it going?" She wanted something to take her mind off of her situation; now that she actually had a chance to think about what she was doing, she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing. But it was too late now. Talking to Wyatt helped distance her worry and gave her something outside of her immediate situation to focus on. Lenore knew she was one of the few people Wyatt talked to about his changes. Even his mother didn't want to know about them. She just pretended he didn't get the urge to turn into a brown bear and lumber around the forest at odd intervals during the month.
Lenore didn't understand that, but then again, she'd been raised among werewolves. She didn't change—or at least hadn't yet. But she had given up hope of it ever happening. Usually weres experienced their first change when they hit puberty—anywhere from twelve to fourteen mostly. She was almost sixteen and hadn't ever felt the moon urge strike her. It wasn't uncommon for a non-were to be born of two full weres like her parents, but she felt a little cheated. It did make it easier that her eldest brother, Severin, didn't change either. Cormac was the only werewolf out of the three of them.
Still, she was used to being around people who spent part of their lives as wild animals. Her mother and father raised them all to embrace their natures, whatever they happened to be. She wondered sometimes if she wasn't a disappointment to her parents, although they never treated her any differently or gave her a reason to think that. Because of her upbringing, she figured that was why Wyatt felt comfortable talking over his were stuff with her. She understood it and accepted it more than most people would.
"It's getting easier. I'm getting the hang of it and learning to control it. I don't need to change as often anymore. Even Mr. Garrett thinks I'm doing better with it, even though he still bitches about having to train a new werebear so soon after the last one. So it's okay."
Lenore cradled her phone against her shoulder as she rummaged through her backpack for a cereal bar. She knew about Bob Garrett and the last werebear trainee. The pack had run up against that young were and Mac had nearly had his head taken off before anyone had known another were was in the area. She knew her father was more watchful now of other weres on their land. "Your mom any better?"
"Nah. It's a good thing she doesn’t know I'm gay. I think that might send her over the edge. She might stop speaking to me altogether."
"You don't think that after seeing her son turn into a bear, she might just accept the whole liking boys thing as being not such a big deal?" She tried to sound hopeful.
"In a word: no." His voice was tired. "You know how she is."
Lenore did. She knew that Wyatt's mom was a good person, but she wasn't dealing too well with her son's sudden transformation. Wyatt was adopted, so she hadn't been prepared for the whole "bearing" out thing. She was coping as best she could, but it was hard for her to accept. Lenore didn't honestly think that gay would be any easier for her. She hated to hear him be so serious. She'd known Wyatt since the sixth grade and she had known then that they would be friends for life. It hurt her to see him unhappy.
Wyatt changed the subject back to less pleasant topics. "What do you think your dad is going to do when they find out where you are?"
Lenore honestly didn't know. She knew he'd react badly though. She was hoping that once she was down there, Cormac might intercede, but if her father was really mad, there wasn't a whole lot her brother could do about it. He wasn't going to go against the Alpha. And her mom, well, she'd be disappointed, but after that, Lenore didn't know how she'd react either. She'd never done anything this drastic before. But she'd never been so unhappy before either.
"It won't be pretty," was all she said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he catches the next flight out and drags you back to the mountains by your ear and doesn't let you out again until you're fifty." He was teasing her, but Lenore thought that his scenario might not be that far off the mark.
"And that's if he's feeling generous." Lenore tried for joking but it came out bleaker than she expected.
"What are you going to do when you get down there?"
"I'm going to call my brother." This part she'd already mapped out. When she hit Jacksonville, her plan was to call Cormac and tell her that he could either come and get her or that he could pick her up at the train station in Miami. That didn't give him a whole lot of wiggle room and it had the added bonus of making him tell their parents of her little vacation. "He'll come pick me up." She hoped.
"You are in for a world of trouble after all of this, you know that, right?" Wyatt sounded as serious as she felt.
She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "Wy, I'm scared." Lenore knew she was going to be in big trouble, the worst she had even been in, after this escapade. But she'd had to do something. She had to take a stand and show them that they couldn't run her life.
"You should be." When Wyatt said this, so serious, Lenore felt her eyes brim with tears. "But whatever happens, you'll always have me. We can be shut-ins together."
"Love you, Wy," she whispered.
"Love you too, you silly twit." She could hear his mother calling for him in the background. "Call me when you get in." Then he hung up.
Lenore put her phone away and stared out the window, not seeing any of the scenery that sped by beyond the glass. She was torn between wanting to run back home and needing to see things through to the end, as though she had something to prove. She leaned her head against it and tried not to think about what waited for her at the end of her trip.
She would be there soon enough and then she wouldn't be wondering any longer.
Chapter Thirteen
Cormac swam laps, the routine comforting when everything else was strange. Normally he preferred runs, but it was so hot out that unless he ran first thing in the morning, it would be unbearable by midday. Finn was still doing a circuit on the beach every day, but Cormac didn't think that would last too much longer. A lap in the pool was about the only sane option with this heat.
Kess had her nose buried in papers that Masud had dropped off earlier that day. From the frown on her face, it wasn't good news. Occasionally she would mutter something under her breath. Finn had gone inside to get them all drinks and to check on Rafe, who had planted himself in front of the television, when his nose wasn't buried in a book. His sedentary nature was making it very easy to keep an eye on him.
Finn returned with three bottles of water. Kess accepted hers with a murmured thank you and Finn placed Cormac's on the ground beside his chair. Then he called out, "Hey Mac, your phone!"
Cormac swam over to the side, waving for Finn to answer it while he toweled off. Then he levered himself out of the pool and accepted the towel Kess held out for him.
"Cormac's phone." Finn paused, listening to the voice at the other end. "Hey Lenore. How's it going?" Another pause, this time longer. "Well, sure, he's right here. Hang on." He shrugged as he handed the phone to Cormac, sharing a concerned look with Kess.
"Lenore? What's up?" He wondered what could have happened at home that had her calling him here.
Her voice sounded very far away and Cormac waved Kess and Finn to quiet, even though they weren't making any noise. "I need you to come pick me up. I'm in Jacksonville."
Cormac looked at the phone as if he'd misheard. "What did you just say?"
Lenore sounded tired and very small. "I'm in Jacksonville."
He felt thick. "Florida?"
"No, Wyoming." Now she was exasperated. He could sense the impending eyeroll coming. "Yes, Florida."
Finn and Kess were watching him, listening intently to his side of the conversation at the mention of Florida. He turned his attention back to the phone call. "How did you get to Jacksonville?"
"I took the train." There was a voice sounding in the background, announcing something over the intercom. When it was done, Lenore said, "Look, you can either come get me or I can catch the next train to Miami and you can pick me up there."
Cormac rubbed the back of his neck, a little afraid to ask the next question. He had a bad feeling he already knew the answer. "Why did Mom and Dad put you on a train?"
Lenore didn't say anything. The silence stretched out painfully until Cormac said, "They didn't, did they?"
She answered reluctantly. "No. I kind of came on my own."
"Are you kidding me?!" Finn and Kess gestured to ask what was going on and Cormac took the phone away from his ear. "Lenore is in Jacksonville. Mom and Dad don't know yet. She wants me to come pick her up."
Finn dropped his head into his hands. Kess' eyes widened. She got up and went inside. Cormac put the phone back up to his ear to try and get some sense out of his sister. She was saying, "So are you coming to get me or do I buy another ticket?"
"Lenore, this is crazy. Why did you take off--and what did you tell Mom and Dad?" He tried to rein in his temper, but if his sister had been here, he would have shook her until her teeth rattled.
"Mac, please. Can we just talk about this when I see you? Please?" She sounded near tears.
Some of his anger evaporated. Lenore sounded tired and a little scared and very, very young on the phone. Kess came out and threw the keys to one of the cars to him. She nodded at him, and then at Finn, who disappeared into the house. "I'm on my way." He heard her release a breath. "But Lenore, you need to call Mom and Dad as soon as you get off the phone with me. Understand?"
"Okay, I'll call them." The reluctance in her voice would have been funny if he hadn't been so worried about her.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." And I'll try not to strangle you when I see you, but no promises. He hung up and turned to Kess.
"Go get changed," she said with a smile. "And bring her back safe. You've got a long drive ahead of you." When he began to gather up his things, she told him, "Leave it. Finn's already getting changed. I'll get all this."
Cormac dropped his towel on the chair and shook his head. "I don't know what she was thinking."
"She's fifteen. She wasn't." She kissed Cormac lightly on the mouth.
"You'll be careful while we're gone?" He didn't like leaving her in the house alone with Rafe. This might be the perfect opportunity for him to cause trouble. Cormac knew Kess could take care of herself, but he hated the idea of being so far away from her in case something happened.
"Always."
Cormac headed inside to get into some clothes and collect Finn so they could begin the drive to get his errant sister. He'd call his parents on the drive up. He hoped Lenore listened to him and called their parents before he did. If news of her arrival in Florida came from him, it would be worse for her in the long run. Regardless, he wouldn't want to be in her shoes.
**********
Finn stayed in the car while Cormac entered the train station in Jacksonville, eyes scanning the room. He thought it would be better if he spoke with her alone first. Finn had been a calming influence in the car, especially after he'd spoken with his parents, but he was also a little too sympathetic to Lenore's situation. Cormac thought his sister was likely to glom onto their cousin as an unexpected ally and he didn't want her to think she could get out of this easily.
He saw Lenore slouched in a seat, her bag hooked around her feet. She had a light jacket draped over her. She looked like she was napping. He walked over to where she was sitting and said her name. Her eyes flashed open and met his.
"Mac!" She threw herself into his arms. He staggered a little, surprised at the reception. He'd expected her to be much more defiant. "Thanks for coming to get me!"
He hugged her back briefly. He was glad to see her; he just wished it could be under different circumstances, like say without her being a runaway. He pulled away from her and scooped up her bag. "Are you okay?" When she nodded, he turned back towards the exit. "Let's go."
He heard her gathering up the rest of her things, but didn't stop. Her feet pounded behind him as she ran to catch up. When she was alongside him, taking two steps for every one of his, she began to make her case. "Okay, I know you're not thrilled that I'm here, but could you slow down a little?"
Cormac didn't. "So you told Mom that you were staying with Keri. You do know the amount of trouble your friend's in, right?" He looked down at his sister, who at least had the good sense to look guilty.
