The Forgotten Wolf

Chapter 2

“My parents?” I am left speechless. I had given up hope of ever finding them. Countess physics and taro readers had been unable to provide me with any clues. They all told me the same story. My past was like a black hole, the deeper they looked the more lost and confused they became. I had been asking the social workers with child services for answers but all they had was the note that was pinned to me. There were only more questions in their message – no hints to who they were and who I am.

“It is not much, but there is some information. Do you want to see it?” I nodded quickly and watching as Margaret pulled a folder out of her knitting bag next to her chair, “First off” she continued. “Your name is Aubrie and your parents were Stephen and Alyssa Jones.” I couldn’t breathe, I had a name. I had parents. “They were originally from a little town a couple hours east of here called Haven. I don’t know what brought them to Denver but it seems as if, I’m sorry to say, shortly after they dropped you off at the fire station they were killed in an hit and run accident. The police assumed you were in the car with them.”

I had parents and they were gone. I took a deep breath. How to you even grieve for someone you don’t remember? My eyes were down cast but I could hear Margaret take a deep breath to continue. Apparently their story was not over yet.

“Stephen and Alyssa owned and ran a bed and breakfast in Haven called Haven’s Inn. I found a picture of the three of you from an old news article. It was most likely taken the summer before you came to Denver.” Margaret handed me the photo she removed from the folder. You could tell that the photo was a copy from a newspaper. The picture was grainy and distorted but for the first time I can remember I was looking at my parents. We were all staring at the camera, or the photographer, smiles plastered on our faces. My parents did not look like people who would abandon their child in another town on the opposite side of the state.

The resemblance between my mother and I was striking. We both had the moss like brown hair and chocolate eyes. However where I looked forgettable, my mom was the exact opposite. I had never developed a figure like my classmates, in most of my foster families I didn’t have much to eat. I knew I was malnourished growing up. Since moving in with Margaret I have been able to put on a few pounds, but none of it seems to go to filling out my figure. Alyssa wasn’t super model thin but she had curves in all the right places. She looked healthy with a glow that made her seem almost angelic.

Stephen seemed very geeky. He wore a t-shirt with some saying on it, his short black hair was spiked at the top and he wore navy plastic framed glasses. It seemed as if he was auditioning for a role as Clark Kent. I wondered if he had a secret identity. Maybe that is what caused their unnatural death and the reason they left me at the fire station that fateful day.

“I hope to be able to make a trip down to Haven with you. Maybe someone in town would have more information on your parents. You might even have family there.” Margaret continued. I could tell her voice was becoming more strained the more she spoke. Before I could ask her if she wanted a cup of tea, the cough returned with a vengeance. I swear I could see her lungs shudder with every contraction of her chest.

“Would you like a cup of tea, Mrs. M” I ask, finally finding my voice again.

“Yes, please, Ja…. I mean Aubrie. If getting the tea is not too much trouble.” Margaret’s voice had become drastically weaker. I knew story time this evening was over.

“Of course Mrs. M. Why don’t you go rest in bed and I will be right in with your tea.” Margaret gave me a solemn nod as she turned and started walking toward her bedroom. As I went through the motions of making the tea that Margaret drank to help ease her cough, I couldn’t help but think about our conversation this evening. I had a name, that wasn’t Jane Doe. I filled the kettle with water and placed it on the lite burner. Aubrie Jones – it felt foreign on my tongue. A stranger’s name, yet I was the stranger. I placed the tea leaves into the metal ball and hung it over the handle of the mug. I added a couple teaspoons of local honey to help sooth her throat. Aubrie – my name was Aubrie Jones and I was from a town called Haven. I had lived in and around Denver my whole life but I have never heard of this town. The kettle whistled to me that the water was ready and I poured some into the mug for Margaret.

I slowly walked to her room, and lightly knocked on the door. There was no answer so I opened it slightly and looked in. Margaret was snoring slightly; I guess the coughing must of taken the little energy she had left. I place the mug on her night stand and covered her with one of her light knitted blankets that she kept over the foot of her bed. Tomorrow we would continue our conversation.

I continued down the hall, past the bathroom, to my room. It wasn’t very big but it was mine. I didn’t have much in personal belongings anyway. Basically everything that I owned fit into my beat up book bag. When you are in the system, especially when you move around a lot, it is easier not to keep things. That way you are less likely to forget something along the way. The only other piece of furniture in the room besides a twin bed and the night stand, was a bookcase. I did not have it filled with books but I had a good number of paperback romance novels stacked on it. They were a guilty pleasure of mine. I usually just got them from the local library where I was staying but Margaret had started letting me pick out a couple books whenever she went to the local bookstore.

I curled up in bed, decompressing and going over everything that happened today. It is unreal how much has changed in the last twelve hours. I get my first birthday cake, Margaret gives me a beautiful necklace, and I learn some information about my parents. I have so many questions. Why did they leave me at the fire station? Did they know that something bad was going to happen to them? Do I have any family left in Haven? The questions kept circling around my brain. I didn’t know if I would actually be able to fall asleep or not.

Shortly after one am, something happens. I start to get this pain in my stomach. Almost like cramps but my period should not be starting for another two weeks. Quickly the pain spreads like a Californian forest fire. I feel like every nerve ending in my body is firing. I weakly call out for Margaret but she can’t hear me. What feels like hours pass before sleep over takes me.