Chapter 4 – Momentum

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                "I don't understand!" Pets yelled, the panic rising in her voice as she stalked her brother around the room.  "Why aren't I going with you?"

                "It's too dangerous," Chun explained yet again as he threw clothes haphazardly into the duffle.  Dawn was approaching fast and he still had to meet with Jiro and the others.   Ella and Calvin were out there but so was the unknown; he had to be prepared.  "You're going to stay with Benji for a few days while I sort this out."

                "No!"

                "Pets, we're not going to go into this right now.  I will send for you when I know it's safe." 

                "I can't stay here."

                "Pets…"

                "NO!" she paced the room like a caged animal, every step a physical manifestation of the repressed nervous energy.  She tightened the robe around herself and tried to hide her trembling arms.  Coming home to find your brother packing to suddenly leave town had the distinct affect of making her extremely cranky… not to mention scared as hell.  "If you're going to run, I'm coming with you.  I can't stay here any longer."

                Chun stopped, his body suddenly tensed with concern.  "What happened?" Never far from his mind were the turbulent times of the past.  Pets was only eight when they lost their parents and Chun had taken on the role of her protector.  Stability and safety were luxuries in their lives but nobody was allowed to threaten his sister, not while he's still got breath in his body.  "Did someone say something to you?"

                "No.  No one's that stupid," she ran her hand roughly through her hair and forced herself to sit.  "Well, no one but Sunnie.  But I can handle Sunnie and her little squad."  The left hook to the jaw took care of the nasty little gossipmonger.  "I…" she shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts.  "I just need to get out of this town.  The thought of being trapped here is enough to make me want do something drastic."

                Tossing clothes aside, he sat down in front of her and held her hands.  "Hey, look at me.  Talk to me.  What's going on?"  No matter how desperate he was to see Ella and Calvin, Pets came first - always.  "I won't leave town if…"

                "No," her hand closed tightly over his, her eyes bright with urgency, "We've got to get out of here."  She had to before it was too late. 

                Eyes narrowing with stern determination, "We're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is wrong."  No one mess with his sister; no one.

                "I'm fine," she said insistently.

                "Well obviously you're not."

                "I am," she replied with a frustrated sigh.  "This… this isn't something I can discuss with you."

                Now that was a first.  "What the hell does that mean?"  There was nothing in the world they didn't share with one another. 

                Pets groaned pitifully and hung her head.  The truth was… it was… "I… I've been… I…"  She felt her face heat with mortification.  "I've been having weird recurring dreams," blurting it out as fast as she could.  *Oh god, kill me now.* 

                "Dreams?"  Pulling his hands back, Chun sat on his hunches in silence for a moment.  There are dreams and then there are 'DREAMS.'  He wasn't really interested in hearing about those kind of dreams.  From what Jiro hinted at, those can get pretty damn graphic.  "What kind of dreams, exactly, are we talking about here?"

                If there was ever a time for a sinkhole to open up and swallow her whole, Pets would wish for it to be right now.  "It's not that kind!"  Jeeze, was it possible to die from embarrassment?  And it's not like she could tell him exactly what it was.  Heck, she wasn't even sure what the hell it was. 

                "It's not?" Okay, now he was even more confused.  "Then why…"

                "At least I don't think it is," she confessed, "I don't know.  It wasn't like anything they say are in the book," referring to the ancient tome by the Gypsy Queen – their bible one might say.  But she's always considered that book as useless as the 'crystal magic' it prescribed to cure everything from a headache to holding off the change in a teenage boy as they hit puberty both in the human and wolf sense.  Not that any of them have actually seen or read the book – the only known copy of it in their clan had been destroyed in the last territory war along with most of the Elder Scrolls, which documented the clan history.  "It's not anything that… and there's no…  I thought that it'd be more like something out of those trashy romance novels Kirsten likes to read but it's not.  It's darker, more confusing than anything else, but it’s… and I…”  She wanted to scream and tear her hair out.  “God, I wish Mom was here."

                Chun's heart broke for his sister.  With so few of their kind, and even less of the women folks, there were very few people she could turn to for answers.  "Have you spoken to Rainie?"

                "Yeah," she nodded.  "But what she described…"  Now there was a conversation she'd like to have never lived through… ever.  "It's not really what I'm seeing."

                Since he didn't want to know or he'd never be able to look Rainie in the eyes again, Chun decided not to ask.  "So what kind of dreams are we talking about then?"

                Pets stood to pace, the repetitive movement helped to focus her mind.  "I don't know.  I'm not sure what any of it means or is supposed to mean or isn't suppose to mean.  Selina and Kirsten think they're anxiety dreams; and I can't say I don't agree with them since these things are making me really nervous now."  No, that wasn't right.  It wasn't the dream itself that was making her nervous; it was the implication of what it might mean. 

                "Are they just anxiety dreams?" Chun asked, more than a little disturbed now.  He knew the day would come when Pets would be all grown up and actively participating in pack business – he just wasn't expecting it to be so quick.  And at a time like this.  "Do you need to speak with an Elder or…"

                "NO!" Pets couldn't have been more horrified.  She stared at him as if he'd grown another head.  "I don't want anyone outside of The Orphans to know about this.  The last thing I want is someone from this stupid town to think that they might be 'THE ONE.'"  She shuddered at the thought.  "If I have to live in this town with these…" she stopped herself.  "I have to get out of here!"

                He couldn't agree more.  The last thing he wanted for his beloved sister was a lifetime in this miserable place.  "But you can't fight The Moon."  Every male of their kind knew that.  And every female would learn it.  And if Pets' fate was tied to this pack…

                "The Moon wouldn't be so cruel as to trap me with someone here," she pointed out.  Her life couldn’t be that horrible. 

                "Wouldn't be the first time," as history has shown.  He's heard of enough tales to know that the Moon wasn't always kind. 

                "I can't accept that," Pets replied firmly.  "And I don't believe for a moment that this is what's happening to me."  She couldn’t allow herself to even think about it.  "I need to get the hell out of this place."

                There was silence for a moment as Chun considered the consequences.  You can't fight The Moon; if Pets was fated for this place, then she would find her way back here again – nothing they did would make a difference.  So taking her out of town shouldn't be an issue… right? 

                "Please, Chun?" Pets begged.  "Please?"

                He's never been able to say no to her.  "Pack one bag; only one.  We leave just after dawn."

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                The kitchen was warm, crowded, and dark; they really didn't need light to see.  None of them wanted to announce a gathering by blazing lights all over the house.   Sitting by the open back door, Rainie handed out coffee mugs and towels as each member of the Orphan Pack, minus the girls, arrived on all fours under the cover of night.

                "She thinks it's just anxiety dreams, doesn't she?" Rainie asked as she joined the table, twisted with displeasure.  She didn't like the fact that girls were excluded from the impromptu meeting but understood the need for it. 

                "Forget about Pets and her dreams," Jiro interrupted in agitation, "What are we going to do about Calvin?"

                "There's nothing more to be done," Chun replied calmly as he wipe the sweat from between his shoulder blades and checked the clock on the wall: it was just creeping past four in the morning now.  "I'm going to go to him, check this location out, and report back.  Let's not overreact and complicate things even more."

                "Overreact?  You just said that Calvin's losing himself out there on his own!"

                George raised his hand like a schoolboy in class, "David and I can go.  We can stay with him and figure out…"

                "You're staying," Chun said firmly.  "Besides the fact that you've got Selina and Kirsten at the house to think about right now, I'm not adding any more problems to the already messy situation."

                The uncomfortable smile hid his nervousness; George nodded and sunk back dejectedly into his seat.  Having Kirsten at the house was the problem.  The girl was a disturbance to the peace in his usually tranquil home.  The increased frequency of running into her in the middle of the night in her barely there nightgowns were playing havoc on his sleep. 

                David grinned and rolled his eyes, trading quick amused glances with Benji.

                “What about me and Wes then?” Sean suggested, sipping coffee quietly from his corner of the table.  “We’re not tied down either.  Jobs aren’t exactly rolling in,” referring to the construction business the two best friends jointly owned, “It’s more than easy and reasonable for us to shut down and run off; can't blame us if we've got no work to keep us here.”

                “I agree with the shutting down part,” Wes nodded and tightened the towel around his hips.  He didn’t mind it when it was just the boys but this was Rainie’s kitchen… and she was sitting right there.  "I think we should start making plans to consolidate.  But Chun's right about the disruption.  No need to clue the rest of the pack in on our movements.  The less ripples, the better."

                "Then in that vein, Pets should stay," Rainie pointed out.  "You going off on a business trip isn't so unusual, Chun; you've done it before on short bursts.  But Pets…" she looked around the table, trying to gage what the boys were thinking, "Taking Pets out of town is a huge risk.  They may not like her much but she's still a viable female to the pack – and there aren't that many of mating age."  And less by the passing year. 

                "She's right," Aaron nodded as he fished a cookie from the jar Rainie pushed to the center of the table.  "Why are you taking Pets with you?"

                Chun wished he hadn't asked.  "She asked to leave."

                Benji, Sean, Wes and David all sat up taller in their chair.  "Is it Rufus?  Did he say something to her?"  The boys won't tolerate anyone harassing the girls.  They can put up with it but the girls were off limits. 

                Slanting them an annoyed look, "You think Rufus and his boys would still be standing upright if they so much as think wrong thoughts about my sister?"

                Jiro laughed out loud as the others looked abashed. 

                Aaron frowned, "Rainie said something about a dream."  He made a face, "It's not the dream, right?"  Pets was like a sister to him; the thought of her having dreams about… He shuddered, unable to even contemplate it.  "You know what?  Never mind.  I don't want to know."

                Wes and Sean snickered but sobered quickly when Chun didn't react at all.  "Wait… seriously?  She's having the dreams?  Now?"

                Benji made a face.  "Pets has got to have the worse timing ever."

                "I'm not saying that she's having the dream," Chun replied, "Heck, she's not even saying it.  But we can't discount the possibility either.  She's simply not sure."

                Rainie nodded in reluctant agreement, "What she's describing isn't normal.  At least not the normal I hear about.  But everyone's dreams are different."

                "You girls talk about these things?" Jiro asked, looking just a little horrified.

                "Girls talk about everything," Rainie admitted with a smirk, "But don't worry, honey; I don't go into details."

                "Eww…" Aaron made a face.  "Seriously guys, can we not talk about this?"

                "Not a choice right now," Rainie pointed out before she turned back to Chun.  "What exactly did she tell you about the dream?"

                "Next to nothing," Chun admitted, "Only that they didn't seem normal and that she doesn't believe them to be Mating Dreams."  A part of him wanted details but another part was too afraid of what it meant.  "What did she tell you?"

                Considering it a moment, she debated on how much she should reveal to the others.  "There's no face."

                "What?"

                "She can't see his face," Rainie clarified with concern.  "I've not heard of a Mating Dream where you can't see your mate's face.  It's not… normal."

                The others took a moment to absorb this. 

                "So you knew who Jiro was before you came to town?" Wes asked curiously.

                "No," Rainie shook her head.  "I didn't realize it was a Mating Dream until I met Jiro."  She glanced at her husband for a moment, "It was a shock to say the least.  But the fact that Pets doesn't see a face could suggest that it isn't a Mating Dream at all."

                Chun nodded, relieved by it.

                "But it doesn't mean that it isn't," Benji pointed out.  "You said so yourself, everyone's different."

                "True," Rainie nodded.  "There's no way to confirm or deny it until she's put through the ritual."

                Jiro nodded gravely, "Something she shouldn't be risking."

                "She doesn't want anyone else to know about this," Chun said, "So keep it on the download.  I'm going to take her out of town with me and we'll see if she's pulled back here again."

                "You can't fight The Moon," the boys all quoted soberly.

                "And if it is the Mating Dream?" Rainie asked because she needed to.  She couldn’t imagine that Chun would ever abandon his sister but if they were to run and she was tied to this pack…  Mates, True Mates, couldn't be apart for long; whatever magical connection was between them always somehow pulls them back together. 

                "That's a bridge that we'll cross when we come to it," Chun replied with obvious reluctance as he stood.  He needed to get back and check on Pets' progress.  Dawn was when most took to shelter again and he wanted to be gone when the streets was clear.  "I better get going soon, give ourselves a little lead time before the rest of the pack finds about this and…"

                "Don't come back," Jiro said suddenly. 

                "What?" was the reaction from most quarters.

                Face sober and just hinting at his fears, "You stay with Calvin.  Don't come back here.  No matter what happens, don't come back."

                "Jiro…" Rainie's fingers dug into her mate's arm, her fear palpable. 

                But the steely resolve was in Jiro's eyes.  "Once you're gone, stay gone.  There's no way to guarantee your safety if you return and try to leave again.  You know they'll be watching at that point."  Squeezing his wife's hand on his arm, "We're going to hold the front here and try to divert them as long as possible before we have to make a move."

                "What's the plan?" Benji wanted to know; no other questions asked.  He'll do whatever was necessary to protect his family; this family.

                Looking across the faces with various reaction, Jiro nodded and told himself to make the hard choices.  "Rainie, I need you to head to the store tomorrow morning, grab stuff to bring to Chun's.  Hint, gossip, do whatever you need to spread it around that Pets got the flu."  Rainie looked confused but nodded.  "Chun, prep Pets to call in sick.  Unlike you, she works with people; she can't disappear unnoticed.  Stomach flu usually debilitates so let's go with that one; that should buy us at least a few days."  Chun nodded his agreement.  "Take your essentials and leave what you want us to bring for you.  The boys and I will move your stuff slow, clean out the place, and prep the rest of us for evacuation.  We'll all move on your word." 

                Nodding in agreement and seeing the logic, Chun hated himself for leaving it to the others.  "One or two of us leaving isn't going to clause a ruckus but all of us…"

                "We're not going to have a choice," Wes replied in his sober quiet tones.  He saw the need for it.  "Once they realize that we're making a break, they're going to make it hard on anyone that might be left around."  He didn't want to contemplate what the Alpha's lackeys might do if it came down to it – a convenient accident wasn’t unheard of.  "If we move, we've all got to move at the same time; no one gets left behind after this." 

                "Agreed," George frowned and looked at David with concern.  "We should have the girls make the rounds too.  Have them set different light timers so it looks like you guys are just quarantined at home; it won’t buy much time but every hour helps."

                "Good point," Rainie muttered as she got up and went to dig into a junk drawer.  "Chun can get away with seeing in the dark but Pets can't."

                "And if Pets is pulled back," Jiro pointed out ruthlessly, "You send her back alone." 

                Chun's face twisted in pain.  "I can't abandon my…"

                "You can't fight The Moon," Rainie rebuked gently, "But we're not going to let you walk back into hell.  Pets wouldn't want it either and she’s got enough protection with just the knowledge that she’s seeking her mate."

                He couldn't argue that.  His sister was more like him than he'd like to admit to.  "We'll cross that bridge later."  And he prayed that they wouldn’t have to. 

                Aaron looked at the sober faces around the table before he asked the question he already had the answer to, “We’re running out of time, aren’t we?” 

                Benji nodded.  “We can hold them off a week at most.  The minute they find out Pets skipped town, things are going to get ugly fast.”

                “Full moon is in eleven days,” Sean pointed out.  “We’ll have to disappear before then.”

                Chun shook his head.  He hadn’t planned it well enough to protect his family.  “Maybe I should hold off and…”

                “No,” George shook his head.  “You have to go.”

                “For Calvin’s sake,” David reminded him.

                Hating himself for not being strong enough to protect the things that are important, Chun nodded his head slowly, disgusted with the fact that he was relieved that he was leaving and that there was a bright light at the end of this tunnel to receive him.  “Prep to leave a day before the full moon; they’re less likely to expect that but it doesn't give you guys much time.  You’ll have to be gone quickly, put as much distance between you and the town, and find a safe place before the moon reaches its fullest.”  Before the younger ones can no longer hold off the change. 

                “Jiro and I can protect the girls,” Rainie added just to give the boys a peace of mind.  Mated, the two of them had a great deal more control over their inner selves.  “We’ll handle it.”

                “We should split up,” Wes added with reluctance.  He hated it but it had to be done.  "It’s safer if we aren’t traveling as a pack, or shift as one when the full moon hits us.  We can rendezvous at another point after; make it a little harder to track.” 

                "We can discuss further escape plans later," Benji frowned and looked at the clock.  "It's time for Chun to get going."

                "Promise me," Jiro whispered, his fear surfacing now that the time to part grew closer.  He was sending his brothers away, one by one; and he couldn't go with them to watch their back.  The fear of losing the only family he’s had since he was a child petrified him.  "Promise me you'll stay safe.  Promise me you'll find a place for us."

                No doubt.  No hesitation.  No recourse.  "I promise." 

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                Emma awoke with a start.  Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, threatening to burst out of .  The cold sweat dampened her nightgown and stuck the thin cotton to her back, sending chills down her spine.  Her visions blurred as she tried to focus on the clock by the bed – 4:50AM.  Tossing back the threadbare sheets, she walked to the window and stared at the sliver of moon that hung in the sky, already starting to fade with the first hint of dawn. 

                The rain had stopped and left behind a dewy canvas of nature for the sun's warm rays to paint.  It should have been beautiful but all Emma saw was the darkness that hung around her; a noose threatening to suffocate.  And she wondered if anything she did really mattered in the long run.  Fighting nature was an uphill battle that no one ever won against; no one in what little there was of their recorded history.

                "Can't fight The Moon," she whispered softly, resisting the urge to throw herself a pity party. 

                Heading to the kitchen, she wasn't surprised to find it lit up and already put to work.  Ella stood in the middle of the industrial size room with its gleaming metal surfaces and tiled white walls, elbow deep in flour, butter, and milk.  Neat little stacks of biscuits on greased metal sheets lined the island surface as the wall to wall ovens were set to preheat.  But Ella's hands had stopped and she was staring out into nothing, lost in her own thoughts.

                "What are you thinking?" Emma asked, stepping onto the cold tiles.  She had forgotten her slippers in her room again.

                Ella turned, her eyes unfocused for a moment before awareness set back in.  "We're about to run out of options."

                A disaster in the kitchen, Emma poured herself a glass of water before taking a spot across the room where she was out of the way.  "I dreamt."

                Turning back to the pastries on the table, "Details?"

                "There was a fire.  And the café burned."

                "Anyone inside?"

                "Yes."

                Hands pausing a second, "Anyone we know?"

                Sipping water again, "I'm not sure."

                That got her undivided attention.  "What does that mean?"

                Emma's eyes lifted from the water glass.  "I don't recognize any of them but I knew them."

                "Past tense?"

                "Future tense."

                Ella groaned.  "Great…" The whole seer thing was full of weird like this – not that she had any choice but to take it all in stride.  "Any idea how far into the future we're looking at?"

                Shrugging her shoulder, she gave up the water and reached for the corked bottle of wine on the counter.  "Anyone's guess.  But there was a heavy rainstorm happening so I'm going to guess not too long from now. "  The rainy season had only just begun and would last through the fall. 

                "Brace yourself," Ella cautioned, her hands moving in quite succession to cut little round biscuits, "I don't think what's coming is what we think it is."  Six dozen down, four more to go. 

                "I try not to guess anymore," Emma replied, pouring out the water and filling her cup with wine.  She hated wine; to her, wine was medicinal.  "I'm not sure what curve ball is around the corner and it just stresses me out."  She studied Ella in the harsh bright kitchen light; her sister looked tired and about as rested as she felt.  This was the first time in their lives that she felt so uncertain about their future.  "Are we going to be okay?"

                "Of course," she answered too easily, "Why would you think that we wouldn’t be?"

                "Elder scrolls, Book of the Gypsy Queen, nursery tales," Emma whispered thoughtfully.  "None of them have happy endings for seers."  She drained the wine.  "I can't help but think that this horrible cloud that hangs over us has to do with it."

                  “Don’t get paranoid on me, GuiGui,” Ella said as she lined up the trays and check the oven temperature again.  Business as usual helped to keep her mind off other things. 

                Emma almost smiled.  Her sister only called her GuiGui when she was worried, as if evoking the childhood name could somehow protect her from all too grownup realities.  “Just being cautious, I like to keep in mind that I’m not really safe; keeps me on my toes and wary of strangers.”  She meant it to be lighthearted but knew she had said the wrong thing the minute it was out of . 

                With pained eyes, “I will never let anything happen to you.”

                Sorry she had even attempted to joke about it; Emma rushed around the center island and hugged her sister tightly from behind.  “I know.  I know.  I’m sorry.”  The pressure fell especially hard on Ella’s shoulders and even running away hadn’t brought her any peace.  It just left her even more broken when she came back. 

                Ella had never spoken of the year she had been away but Emma saw the damage in her sister’s eyes.  The girl that returned wasn’t the same one that left.  This one wasn’t full of smiles and laughter, bubbling with optimism and an eager joy of life.  The sister that came home no longer giggled with abandonment, danced under the moon, or twinkled with simple happiness.  Whatever happened out there had broken her and she had left a piece of herself behind. 

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                «The humidity hung like a wet blanket in the room.  The fully opened windows brought in a hint of the sweet night air that did little to ease the heat.  The thin cotton clung to her back as the drop of sweat rolled down her neck, disappearing into the collar of her shirt.  The thick air made it hard to breathe, even more so over the nervous rapid pounding of her heart.  This was not a night for activities.  

                Swinging her leg over the windowsill, she briefly wondered how she was going to get down again later.  Perhaps this plan wasn’t her most brilliant… or even remotely cautious.  But things cannot continue as they have been.  Sleep was important and thoughts of him were making it difficult – best to confront the problem head on and be done with it.

                The lump in the middle of the bed hadn’t moved, which was strange.  She was probably the worse burglar known to man.  Just climbing up the trellis and through the window had caused her to bump her leg half a dozen times.  Even without his sensitive wolf hearing, he should have been awakened by all the ruckus she was making.

                Maybe something was wrong.

                Maybe that’s why she felt compelled to come tonight.  Despite all the logical warnings not to.

                What if he was hurt worse than he had let on?

                What if…

                All the self doubt and questioning wasn’t doing her any good.  Head on.  That’s the answer.

                Coming around the bed, careful as always, she slowly peeled back the thin sheet that clung to all that lean muscles that he never allowed…

                Bright golden eyes stared back at her a split second before he grabbed her.»

                She didn’t gasp per say… but it was pretty close.  Sitting up in bed, she looked at her own wrist for a moment, still feeling the firm grip of his hold.  There were no markings, no one in her room.  But it had been so vivid; like nothing she’s experienced before.  There was a weird sense of déjà vu though she knew for certain she’s never had the dream before. 

                “What the hell was that?”

To be continued…

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Author’s Note:  (wince)  I didn't realize that I would need some fillers so early in the story.  Oh well… Hope this brings a bit more mystery and maybe a few answers to everyone.  Drop me a note and let me know what you think so far?  Is it still interesting?