Wolf Creek Resurrection
#75 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Alexei
was in pain. In his feverish state he was dreaming he was being torn apart by volotomon, the fabled giants of old. His
legs and his arms were on fire, and the distress of his old framework being
reworked was beyond compare. In his more lucid moments, he wondered why he had
ever wasted his time looking for a ring. This was the most traumatic thing to
have ever happened to him. Despite
his youthful appearance, his body had settled into being what it was long ago.
It would have been easier to remold set concrete that it was his body. And this
wasn't even a full transformation. This was just getting his body into an adult
human form. The rest would come later. Verona
was skeptical at first as to the identity of these people. She knew the Kind
could live a long time, but these people were supposed to be long dead. And
then there was Leonardo. That was beyond belief. But little Maggie had a video
of him on her cell phone, and if it weren't the old master, she had no idea who
he might really be. Besides which, there
was no reason for them to lie about anything that had occurred. She returned her
gaze to the motionless form on the bed. This
young man was very sick. To think that he was over a hundred years old was hard
to accept, even after all she had seen in her life. Even her parents were a
little skeptical until the matter had been explained concerning Maggie's
grandmother. If this were all true, it was more extraordinary than she, Verona,
could ever have considered possible, even after dealing with the problems in
New York City. She
watched Edward and Maggie interact, but it didn't hurt her emotions nearly as
much as it should. She knew right off the bat that those two had a thing. To
the average person, it would have seemed disgusting, but she knew love when she
saw it. It was a good thing she had found herself feeling less attached to him
as the days had passed. There was no point in him being weighed down with two
females, even if one of them; her to be exact, was carrying his child. She
returned her attention to the youth, wiping his forehead with a cool wet rag. She
felt her maternal instincts kicking in as she looked over his fever-torn body.
He looked like a sick young man, not a hundred year old geezer. His sister
looked remarkable too, for her age and her living conditions. Of course, Verona
herself looked good, but she wasn't nearly as old as they were. It was
a wild and wonderful life being a were. She was now seeing that there was even
more to it then she had first thought possible. She was wondering what stories this lad might
tell of his life in Russia during the worst of living conditions. And Maria;
what of her? They had only just touched on both of their stories. There had to
be so much more for them to tell. She had
a feeling too that Edward was withholding information. For some reason that
both bothered her and gratified her. She had a feeling that there were things
that had happened that he didn't wish to talk about. If that were the case, she
was going to leave him alone. There were a few things in her own life people didn't
know about and she preferred it to remain that way. Alexei
groaned a little in his fitful sleep. Verona turned to Edward. "Can't
you spare him a ring? I thought you said it helped." "Yes I
think it did. But if we hurry him along too much, I have this feeling he'll pay
for it. His body can only handle so much change right now. Rushing the process
too much very well could kill him." "Kill him?
But he's one of the Kind!" "And we
eventually die. I've killed, so I know it for a fact. There will be no benefit
from giving him a boost right now. Maybe the next time around, but not now." "I
think you're just being cruel!" He sat
down on the bed next to her. "Do you really think I am being mean spirited?" Her
face fell. "No, I guess not. It just pains me to see him like this." He brushed
back her hair, which had fallen in a tangle around her face. "You're a good
woman Verona, but never assume that you're always correct. Any of us who are
what we are today had something like this to go through. His will probably be
the toughest, and in the end, that might make him appreciate what he has become
even more. He will live through the process, rest assured of that." "You
sound awfully sure of yourself." "Yes, I
suppose I do. But you'll see. In the meantime, you are doing a wonderful job of
tending to him. I don't see how he could be in better hands than yours." "Edward?" "Yes?" "What
are we going to do? About our child I mean." "We
will look after it of course, as a family." She
blushed. "But you don't want to marry me, do you?" "No, I
don't. And I think that you don't want to marry me. But a child must have a
father." "Yes, I
said that once before. But what good will come of this? You'll be miserable, I'll
be miserable, and Maggie will be miserable." "Yes,
when you put it that way, we'll all be miserable. Just like poor Alexei here.
We'll feel like we're being torn apart at the seams. But life doesn't always
have an easy answer, now does it?" There
were tears in her eyes. "No." "So no
ring for now. It can help, but sometimes it's the wrong kind of help. I'll slip
mine on him when I think he needs it. In the meantime, his body has to rework
itself after nearly a century of static rigidity. He hasn't even gotten to the
point of changing over to being a werewolf." She
wiped away a tear. "Edward, I overheard that you know things now, things people
shouldn't know. I won't ask how that happened, but if it's true, then promise
me you aren't lying to me about him. I feel torn up inside, and I don't think I
could take you lying to save me from myself." "I
would never lie to you. I might not tell you everything there is to know, but
if I tell you something it's the truth." "I
thought as much, but I feel like he's one of my own. My heart goes out to him." He
kissed her forehead. She felt a brief rush of blood to her cheeks. "You will
make a wonderful mother when the time comes. Don't ever think any different of
that fact. I think our child will be in good hands." He got
up and left the room. Maggie was tagging along behind him. "Father?" "Yes Maggie?" "Will
uncle be alright?" "He'll
be fine. I'm counting on it." "Would
the rings really hurt him right now?" "They
might. A metal spring can stretch very far, and if you do it very slowly, you
can get it to extend a great distance." "You
mean like a Slinky?" "Sure,
just like that. But it you twist it, or stretch it too hard and too fast, it'll
warp and you'll never get it to go back to the way it was. Alexei has to rework
his body. As it was, in his child-like form, he might have lived for a very
long time, perhaps forever in a way. His biology thought he was still a child
and he was living like one. Only his mind aged. Right now he must deal with the
effects or resuming where nature left off. Maybe, if you need something to help
you accept this, think of it as punishment for his sins." He said this with
mock solemnity. "Father!" "I'm
just kidding. The fact remains, he will come out of this fine. " "You've
looked into his future then?" "Shhhhh!
Yes. He'll be fine. I wouldn't lie to you Mags. Besides, I need him." She was
suddenly suspicious. "For what?" He
pulled her outside. "I can't discuss it. It's the danger of knowing the
possibilities of the future." "Bullshit.
Why can't you tell me? I won't tell anyone else." "I know
you won't. But somewhere in telling you everything will change. The way I see
it unfolding requires me to be silent about it." "You
know, this fucking sucks" "Watch
your mouth. Do you have any idea what having this sort of knowledge is like? Technically,
I'm manipulating people and they don't even know it." "Are
you manipulating me?" He was
silent for a moment. "Of course I am. I'm even finding that I have to
manipulate myself along the way. I can't say some of the things I'd like to
say, and do some of the things I'd like to do. It's one thing to act and react
without knowing the consequences, but it's a whole other thing when you do." She
looked at him a little while before turning away. "I'm lost. I don't know what
to do anymore. I used to feel pretty self assured, but now..." "Now
you aren't so sure of yourself and it's scary." "Yeah." He
smiled. "Then you still have a sense of what life is supposed to be about. Not
knowing what each day will bring. Trust me; it's a whole lot more interesting
that way. Trying to control and mold it is a hell of a job. I'll be glad when I'm
rid of it." "I
guess so. Can I ask a question; just one?" "What
is it?" "Will
we ever be able to be together?" "But we
are together!" "You
know what I mean!" He
sighed. He got down on one knee in front of her. "Yes, we will. But you must be
patient. There is much that must occur before we ever get to that point. In the
meantime, we are what we are. No one will get between us." "Are
you sure?" "If you
trust me, nothing bad will happen. That's not to say things won't pop up that
will be disconcerting. There will be many such things in the near future. But
you can't allude to anything of the sort. People will only act the way they
normally would if they don't know that their actions may have lasting
repercussions." "I
guess so. Can I ask another question?" "Is asking
to ask your next question?" he asked with a smile. "Shut
up father. It isn't about me or us. It's about Billy." "Oh,
well that's alright I guess. Ask away." "He seems
kind of lonely. He's not a full werewolf and he doesn't feel like he fits in, especially
now with the influx of new blood. Is there anything you can do for him?" "Not a
thing. He's got it covered though, even if he doesn't know it yet." "What?
You've been peeking in on everyone?" "Of
course. I can't do something without seeing how it affects everyone else. He'll
get what's coming to him soon enough." "I don't
like the sound of that." She said deadpan. "Oh,
quit worrying you little scamp. Trust me. Unless something falls from the sky
to mess up the works, I've got everything covered." "That's
not funny. The Moonstone fell from the sky." He
thought it over for a moment. "You're right. But you get the idea. If you just
go along with my plans, I think you'll find that there will be more happiness
than any other emotion when this works itself out." She
eyed him with mild curiosity. "I've seen some of what you've seen and it was
unsettling. That brain of yours must be working overtime if you're laying out
the future of so many people." "Oh, it's
not that many and they are all intertwined already, so it's easier to build
upon that than to tear it apart. I would never want the job of a benevolent
god, because the job would really suck. I see what the pope meant when he said
he had the toughest job on Earth. It's one thing to try and do good, and it's
another to actually accomplish it." "OK, whatever.
Just as long as you know what you're doing." He
chuckled. "Oh hey now! I never said that!" She
smiled. "So you're not Mr. Omnipotent?" "I
never said I was. But I guess while I can get some use out of this power, I'll
do my best to have some good come out of it. I think after all these people
have gone through, it's the least I can do." "You're
a good man Charlie Brown." "I've
gone from being considered omnipotent to being a silly cartoon character?' "Oh,
shut up father. You know what I mean." "All
too well Mags, all too well." She considered
things for a moment more. "Is there anything you can tell me about your plans that
won't screw things up?" "Maybe
one thing. I plan on us buying up most of the land around here. Part of it was
my grandparent's home, and I think it would be fitting to rebuild this place as
a haven for the Kind. It's a bit out of the way, and if the rings cure them of
the affliction for needing to feast of human flash, then there will be no
reason for anyone to ever bother us again." She
looked down the road at the overhanging trees and rough pavement. Then she was
struck with a thought. "Hey, wait a minute. Did you get your memories back
about this place?" He grabbed
her shoulder. "You're too smart for your own good kiddo. Keep that question
wrapped up in every layer of secrecy you can muster." "That
bad is it?" "It's
bad enough. I told you, things will work out, but it might not look like it
from time to time." "Well
shit. Now you've really got me thinking." He
hauled her off her feet and gave her a hug. "Then forget you ever thought of
it." Her
eyes went dim for a moment before returning to normal. "I
sorry father, what were we saying?" "Nothing
important my little darling, not a damn thing."