Chapter 205 Chapter 205
He ran across the log and jumped down just as Thera came out of nowhere and cut him off. Damn, real cats were hell to keep up with. She was having a great time while he was working hard to not have her make him look like a fool. Despite that aspect of this run, he was loving it. It had been a long time since he’d been able to run like this, without looking over his shoulder. Tomas’ people had no reason to come back looking here, as far as they knew they had all the members. All but the elders that were left behind.
Jesse had messaged Devin giving him a quick rundown after dinner, telling him that was probably what happened to the other clans. He hadn’t gotten a reply, but if he knew Devin, he was out running off the frustration of it as well.
Calum had messaged telling him Shaelan would get back to him in the morning, she was still looking into things for him.
He slowed and debated on heading back, Leah looked really tired and said she was going to bed. It wasn’t his place to worry, was it? She was clearly an adult and able to look after herself, so why was it bugging him so much?
Thera flew past him again. Get out of your head and run. He gave his cat more control and felt his legs moving faster.
Jesse watched the water drip through the metal screen into the pot below. He’d never made coffee this way but was thankful for it. He knew once he started reading that journal, he wouldn’t stop until he was finished. Somewhere in there were more answers. Tillie noticed things and had written down what was on her mind. In the first one, she’d noted animals acting up in the bush and may not have seen the connection to when people had disappeared, but it was there. During the hard seasons of rain and snow, no one had gone missing—because Tomas’ people couldn’t navigate the mountain in that weather.
Pouring the coffee into a mug, he added a small shot of water to dilute it. He wasn’t sure what type of beans these were but even the smell of them was a lot stronger than he was used to. Blowing on it, he took a sip and was happy with the result. Picking up the candle, he went over to the chair and set it down. Reading by candlelight was different, but he was determined to get through this journal tonight.
The next entry to read was not dated.
It’s been five years now since the remaining clan left to find our missing members, we’ve given up hope of them coming back now. That was a hard thing to do. I couldn’t write in here this past two years, I think my heart was broken. I doubt it will ever heal, but someone needs to record our lives just in case some of them someday find their way back.
We started tearing down the outer homes here, Virgil wants us all to live closer, to keep us safer I imagine. Belinda and I were in charge of going into them and setting aside anything important to store. I had to stop often because I was overwhelmed with the feelings of loss and melancholy for these people I grew up with, their children I watched grow. How did this happen? How did our clan shrink to near invisibility?
I have to stop now. I can’t face months of carrying sadness in my heart again.
Blowing out a breath, he paused to take another sip. He couldn’t even imagine the homes sitting there empty all that time, a constant reminder of the people that were gone.
Flipping the page, he scowled at it. Again, no date. The writing had changed a lot since the first journal. It wasn’t perfect now, like the hand doing it was shaking with age.
Belinda passed on yesterday. I can’t believe there are only four of us left now. Pearl suggested we move elsewhere, find more of our own kind, but most of us have lived here our whole lives and the idea of leaving our mountain doesn’t sit well. I didn’t say it, but all I could think was what if someone finds their way back to us and we’re not here? I just couldn’t live with my body in one place and my heart still here. Virgil will never leave where his ancestors and wife are now buried, and I don’t blame him. My own passed on or vanished long ago, but the very earth here is part of me and I just can’t go somewhere other than here.
With no date, he had no idea how much time had passed. He turned the page and hoped for more information.
I can’t believe I’m writing this, I dreamed of it for years and now twelve years later I can put pen to paper and write it for real. Leah came home last night. There was no mistaking it was her, she is the spitting image of her mama, Lyvia. We don’t have much information yet, she was dirty, tired and half starved so she’s resting. She also brought home a friend with four paws. A real honest to goodness leopard. My heart almost dropped out of my body and onto the ground when this skittish creature followed along behind her. Low and Virgil are making her a temporary pen, until they expand the main compound area, but she won’t leave Leah’s side so we can put her into it.
Jesus, she had been gone twelve years? She would have been sixteen when she came back. He shook his head and looked back down at it.
Leah brought a letter with her, from her mother, I can’t bring myself to talk about it, but I am going to tuck it into the leaf of this here book. Maybe someday I can write my thoughts on it, but for now I cry too hard to see the page when I read it.
Our precious Leah is home. I have hope now.
The next page was dated, he made note of it, so he could try to track the events now.
Leah has been resting a lot, so I only found out some bits and pieces.
She prefers her cat form more than two legs. I think maybe its so she doesn’t have to deal with what she saw or maybe it’s so she can’t talk to us. We’ve been pretty bad with the questions, especially Virgil. I suspect he’s trying to figure out where Lyvia is by her letter and what she told Leah, he studies the map a lot lately.
Leah’s mama told her to run Northeast when she got out and to keep going until her cat could find home. From the date on the letter from Lyvia it took that child over a month to get back to us. I don’t know if anyone will ever read this, but if someone does and they know where we are and can figure where she ran from, please go find who had our precious Leah and our families and bring them some long over due justice. If any of our folk still live, all their special possessions are in the back room of my house. I sealed them up good, so they wouldn’t get damaged much over the years.
Jesse got up so fast, he almost fell over his own feet. Grabbing his pack, he opened it and took out the map. Picking up the candle, he went over to the table and set it down. Opening the map, he located where he was right now and then dragged his finger Southwest down the page. He swore under his breath, right in line with it was Aiden Tomas’ city. “Son of a bitch.” Picking up the journal, he leaned over the table and read further.
Leah is a wonderment like I could never imagine. She’s just barely sixteen and can shift faster than Virgil and that’s saying something. I’ve never heard of one so young shifting this early, but with that haunted look in her eyes, I suppose if that’s what she had to do to survive, we should be thankful her cat came out and got her back to us.