Chapter 206 Chapter 206
She was shifting at sixteen. He’d never heard of that happening, ever. He frowned, he needed to tell Shaelan that.
I watched her climb a tree today, it was like there was an invisible ladder she climbed up. She did this without shifting I should have wrote that first, so that’s just incredible. I never was much for climbing trees with or without paws, so the fact she can do it is wonderful. She also made Low look a little silly and anyone that can put that man’s pride on hold, has my admiration.
Dated three weeks later.
Pearl and I are taking turns working with Leah on some schooling. She came back to us knowing a few basic things, but that won’t do at all. A body needs to know how to read and take in things around them or otherwise they’ll just stagnate and go nowhere. Low is going to work on math with her, as both of us women hate working with numbers. There’s never been much need for adding and multiplying up here, so he can do that part.
Two months later.
We lost the power today. Lowell went down the mountain to investigate and says logging is responsible for it. Some other industrial thing is the reason why our phone lines are gone. Not that we had anyone to call in the last fifteen years, but it’s still a loss. I don’t understand why those folks on two legs can’t just pause and look around and see the beauty and wonderment that is this earth we share. Why do they have to tear down nature and build over it? I will never understand the inclination for any of that. Between Lowell and Virgil they are working on rigging something for us. It’s ‘borrowed’ power, but Virgil says no one will notice what we use, I hope he’s right because I need my sappy romance movies.
A month after the last entry.
Something is very different about Leah. It’s like there is another side of her, a harder side. She’s still loveable of course, but Pearl and I have been noticing that whenever Leah seems frightened or overwhelmed this other self comes out. I’m not complaining, this other part of her is badass (got that from a movie). I miss movies, been trying to coerce Low and Virgil to make the trek down the mountain and get us a few newer generators so the VHS movie player works again, but they’re afraid to leave us women folk unprotected. I don’t know how Pearl feels, but with Leah’s other side and her real cat, I feel pretty darn safe myself.
He reread that paragraph twice, then gently folded the corner over so he could read it to Shaelan. It lined up with what he’d noticed.
I’m not doing well lately. I couldn’t go on the fall trip to the market. Low and Virgil went, I stayed behind to watch over Pearl, she’s been quite sickly these past few months.
I’ve decided I like Leah’s leopard, Thera, I feel a closeness to her when things are quiet and we’re just sitting.
Leah is spending less time in her cat form, so we’re hoping she’s doing better. I met her other self the other day, officially, she even has a name of her own, Evanna, I guess it’s spelled. It’s strange that Leah and Evanna are separate but in the same body, but she sure does look after Leah, so I have to love her for that.
He closed his eyes and blew out a breath slowly. It was what he’d seen. She had two personalities. He’d heard about things like that but never thought much about it before.
The next page was dated a month later.
I miss Pearl something awful, I know Leah does too. But Pearl was hurting a long time missing her girl, and I know there’s nothing in this world or any other that can fix the ache of a mother’s heart over a lost child. May god hold her tight and keep her in the comfort of his realm forever more. She deserved that.
He turned the page and then froze. There were three small entries, in different handwriting. There was no date.
Aunt Tillie passed. She was a wonderful lady and I am so happy I got back to know her.
Papa Virgil fell today. I wasn’t able to help him. Papa Low said he was with his beloved Belinda. I hope they can stay together forever now.
Papa Low died last night. I put him beside Nana Pearl, he would have liked that.
It’s just me, Evanna, Minn and Thera now.
Jesse flipped the page and his heart sunk to see it was blank. Straightening, he rubbed his hand across his eyes and then stood there looking at the blank page. Jesus, his heart was aching for Leah now. She’d managed to get back here only to find four elders here. How long had she been alone now? He went to close the book and remember the letter Tillie said she’d tuck into the leaf. Opening the front of the book again, he looked under the edge of the worn flap on the back of the cover. Pulling out the creased paper, he opened it carefully, afraid if he made any wrong moves it might tear.
Mom and Dad
I hope Leah finds her way home to you. It’s a big risk, but we had to get her out of here. When we were taken she withdrew inside herself and while Ashtyn and I tried to shelter her as much as we could, we failed. She is shattered inside and I know she would not survive if she stayed here. I would rather live the rest of my days believing she is at home with the rest of the clan. I have to believe she made it or I don’t know what I’ll do.
A part of me knows that Eduard came looking for us and I pray at night when I’m alone that he made it back whole. Leah is going to need him and everyone else to get through this.
Her first shift is very close, and that’s why I’m sending her out there on her own. That’s what they want, the people that took us, shifters. I can’t go into all the details because I only have a short time to write this, as the others work on a plan to get her out. One of the shifter guards is going to help us. I hope nothing happens to him for doing this because inside he is good.
We’ve been in the same house since being taken. Because of my age I work with the younger ones, to keep them calm and behaved. There are so many from different clans here, it breaks my heart. Over the years I have been permitted some liberties, which has allowed me to hear or see things. On the back I am writing down three addresses.
Jesse flipped the page over and looked, and there were addresses on it. Holy shit. He looked back at the letter.
The first I saw on an invoice when something was delivered here, so that is where Ashtyn and I are, along with a few of our own. I don’t know where the boys ended up, but I hope its one of the other addresses.
I have to hope you will find someone that can get to us. Be careful, there are two armed men here, they are shifters themselves. They have collars on and I think that is how they are being controlled.
I have to go. We only have an hour to get her out of here and heading in the right direction.
Please, god willing, let her find her way back to you and if there’s any good will left, that I will see home once again in my life.
I love you all.
Lyvia
Jesse frowned at it, then cleared his throat. “It’s Tomas, or was his father then...” He turned the page over and looked at the addresses. If he had enough signal here, he was willing to bet he could search those addresses and they’d come up in Chicago, where Aiden Tomas was. Moving over, he picked up his phone and came back. He took two pictures of the addresses and then flipped the letter over and zoomed out to get a picture of that too. Devin needed to see these, hell, Rayne would probably recognize the addresses. Going over to the window, he checked his signal, shaking his head, he went out the door quickly and headed to where he knew there was a signal. He was taking no chances that this message wouldn’t send.
When he had three bars, he opened a message to Devin and then attached the letter, then address pictures, and hit send. No explanation was needed. Looking up from the phone, he saw that Thera was coming toward him. She didn’t appear to be stalking him, so that was a relief.
“Hey, girl.” He smiled, even though he doubted that mattered to the animal.
She came over and bumped his leg with her shoulder, then lay down.
“I guess you can keep me company while I wait for a reply.” He sat down beside her on the ground and rubbed his hand along the back of her neck. It was weird and cool to be sitting here petting a real leopard. The fur was a bit coarser than with shifters, but then again, this fur had probably never been bathed and was worn all the time.
His phone buzzing had him stop and look down. You need to get her off that mountain and bring her back. Jess nodded; he’d already decided that on his own. I plan on it. He looked at Thera for a second. Not sure how her leopard is going to like the van ride though. I’ll let you know when we’re heading back. He hit send and then stood up. A reply right back. Call when you’re on the road. Jesse glanced down at the cat, “ever been in a car?” He was regretting not bringing a tranquilizer gun. Hopefully, Leah had a way to keep her calm during the drive. It was going to be a long drive.