3
593 Words
Janruary 1st, 2001,
I saw one of his guards today.
For a long time, life had been quiet enough that I almost believed the past had settled somewhere far behind me. Wolves and humans live together now without fear. People go about their days. Children play outside. Markets are loud and ordinary. It all looks like a world that has moved on.
I was at the market when I felt it before I saw it. That awareness I have learned never to ignore. I looked up and across the street stood a man I recognized from years ago. Older, but not different enough. One of Fabrizio’s.
He recognized me too.
I left before he could be sure. I walked away calmly, turned a corner, and did not stop running until I reached home.
By the time I stepped inside, I understood what this meant.
Fabrizio knows I’m alive. And now, he knows where I am.
I told Arturo as soon as I could speak without my voice shaking. I expected fear. I expected confusion. Instead, he listened carefully, asked the right questions, and then sat very still for a long time.
We both knew what had to be done without saying it out loud at first.
If Fabrizio searches for me, he will eventually learn about Connie and Izabella. And if he learns what they carry in them, he will see them as something to use. I know him well enough to be certain of that.
There is only one way to make sure that never happens.
I can hide what they are.
I can weave Arturo’s human essence over theirs so completely that no wolf will ever sense anything unusual about them. They will appear entirely human to the world, in every way that matters. Safe. Hidden. Untouchable.
But it will not be easy on him.
For it to work, his essence must stay wrapped around theirs constantly. It will take from him slowly. The longer he does it, the more it will shorten his life.
I told him this clearly. I did not soften it.
He did not hesitate.
He only asked how long it would take and what he needed to do.
We sat together tonight after the girls had fallen asleep, holding hands at the kitchen table like we were deciding something small, when in truth we were deciding everything.
There was no panic. No raised voices. Just a quiet understanding that this is what is best for our children.
I watched him look toward the hallway where Connie’s room is, then toward the crib where Izabella sleeps. He nodded to himself before he nodded to me.
We both know what this means.
I will do it tonight while they sleep. I will bind his essence to theirs carefully, slowly, the way I practiced for years without knowing this day would come. By morning, they will be hidden in a way no one can undo.
And then I will leave.
Not because I want to. Not because I am running from my family. But because if Fabrizio is searching, I need him to find me first. I need to be the only trail he follows.
Arturo understands that. He agreed before I could even ask.
The house is quiet now. I can hear Connie breathing softly through the monitor. Izabella shifts in her sleep from time to time. Arturo is sitting beside me, steady as he has always been.
I don’t feel alone in this.
I feel heartbroken, but certain.
This is the only way to keep them safe.
- Writer
