Chapter 61 Chapter 61

Chapter 61 Chapter 61
Cricket

Mom and Beck were up to something tonight, they thought they could hide things from me but from the bits and pieces I picked up and the tense feel in the air I knew it was dangerous, that it involved the man who hurt Auntie Adelaide. Right now, mom was making me nervous, she wasn’t doing that thing she did when she pretended everything would be alright. She pulled a shirt on and dropped the towel, finding her boy shorts and pulling them on underneath. She smelled like her shampoo, her soap, and Beck. Not like they do from being around each other like normal but how adults do when they are…”together.” Like I've smelled a few men on her before. I was curious but I decided not to say anything about it. Sometimes when I picked up on stuff it made her nervous. 

I didn’t know what to do with mom like this, she seemed far away, distracted. She grabbed a brush and tugged me over to the bed with her. She hugged me tight as she sat down.

“I love you so so much, baby,” she said and the scent of  tears alerted me before I felt them hit my hair. Mom never cried in front of me, she always tried to hide it. “Let me brush your hair,” she said. That was another warning, she hated doing my hair, she never let me go to school a mess but I know I didn’t make it easy either. I usually made it more difficult, I hated it as much as she did, but something told me to just give in.

“Okay. Is everything alright?” I asked.

“Yes, sweetie. I just… I just want to be close to you for a little bit. It will make me feel better.”

“Are you sick?”

“No, I um, just had a scare. It feels better knowing we are both safe.”

“What happened?”

She paused as she undid my hair letting it fall around my shoulders. She began brushing before she talked. “The man that hurt your auntie sent some men after us, but its okay, Beck was there.”

I giggled. “Did he kick their asses?”

“Cricket! Language!”

“Sorry, mom.” Sometimes the bad words just slipped out. I saw a small smile cross her lips. “He did though, didn't he?” I asked, wanting to know.

“He did,” she answered without saying more about it. Stuff she didn’t want to tell me cuz I was a kid, I guessed. She started braiding my hair.

“Cricket.”

“Yeah.”

“What would you think if we had to move away?”

“You mean like where Auntie Ads and Mr. Carter live?” I asked, trying not to sound too excited about the idea before I was sure what she meant.

“Maybe, we may not get a choice.”

“Why not?”

“Because I may need to go somewhere safer, the city has too many shifters, and not all of them are good, some of them are very, very bad,” she told me.

“Like Uncle Tanner?”

“Yes, like Uncle Tanner.” 

I hated that man. Mom and Auntie did too, I guess so did Beck, my bear always felt like she was about to burst out of me when he came around. That was one reason I liked Beck being here. Mom worried less.

“If we go, will Beck come with us?”

“I don’t know about all that, Cricket. Would you like him to visit though? Teach you about being a bear?” she asked.

“Yes!” I blurted out and she chucked a bit as she tied off the end of the braid.

“I’ll ask him, no promises,” Mom warned in that tone that said not to get my hopes up. “For now, I think we need to start packing, just in case. We won't be able to take everything with us, Cricket. Only the most important things. Stuff isn’t important, us being safe, staying together; that's what matters in the end.”

“Why did that man come after you?”

“Because we went after him for what he did to your Auntie,” mom said, her voice calm, even. She was talking to me like a grown up kinda, like auntie did.

“Auntie is more important than staying,” I agreed. She was halfway through the other braid when I blurted, “Is Beck your boyfriend?”

“Cricket!” she hissed. “Keep your voice down, and no. It's not like that and that's important for you to understand. I don’t want you to get confused,” she said in a hushed voice. I just nodded, still confused.

“But you like him,” I pointed out.

“I do, but, Cricket, there are just some things I can’t explain to you until you are old enough to understand.”

Adults were so dumb sometimes.

She finished the braid and I turned to look at her. She just smothered me in a hug.

“Okay, okay, I love you too, Mom,” I grumbled. She squeezed tighter. “Oh my god, Mom, you're gonna suffocate me,” I said, laughing.

“Doubtful, you're still talking.” Then the tickling started and I erupted into a fit of giggles.

“No fair!” I said, gasping. I could have gotten away but I really didn’t want to. She stopped as I scrambled for distance.

“Alright, time for bed, kiddo,” she said.

I righted myself and she seemed a little lighter, more settled as she smiled back and followed me across the hall. She turned my music on a little louder than usual, I didn’t complain. She tucked me in and kissed my forehead.

“Love you, sweetie,” she said and I relaxed. I had the best mom, she worked hard, she loved me and she was so brave. With Beck here I worried less about her too. I felt safe.