the next generation

Facing Mary

I wake up with a huge headache, as if I had drank a whole bottle of wiskey. The night wasn't any better eighter, I could fall asleep and when I finally did, I could only dream about a forest in which I was running. I kept running and running and when I came to a small stream of water I looked at myself and saw a wolf looking back at me. I turned into one of those creatures Oliver was telling me about last night. My mind was playing tricks on me again. 

*RING RING*

It was Mary. I told her we would meet up today. Maybe it could work as a good distraction. I pick up the phone and yell at her. 

"Mary, it is early! Are u crazy?". I was annoyed already and my headache did not make me nicer eigher. 

"b***h, shut up. I am still mad at you for not telling me everything and I want to see you within an hour.". She was right. I was in no position to be mad at her since I was the bad friend here.

"Alright, can you come to Nates house? I am not even dressed yet". 

"Sure. See you within the hour. Bye.". 

She hung up way to fast, she must be mad at me, and when Mary is mad she will not go easy on me. I guess I deserve it. I know I have been a bad friend, but with all that is happening to me, being a good friend was the last thing I was thinking about. I just lost my home with all my emotional beloningings in it. Now I have to live in the Bellators house where a madman is trying to tell me bedtime stories, selling them as if they are real. Everything around me is insane and I just want some peace and quiet. I don't want to see Nate or his brothers and especially not his father. I get out of bed with great reluctance and trow on a baggy shirt and the only pair of jeans I have left. I'm afraid I have to go shopping soon. This won't due. I brush my teeth and combe my hair, put on some of my daycream which apparently made it out alive and leave the room. I did not want to put on any make up or even try at all. As I go down stairs I pray I won't see any of the Bellators and somehow God heard me. The kitchen was empty. I made myself some breakfast and ate as fast as I could. I did not want to push my luck and run into one of them. Do they believe their father? Is he just trying to make me upset or something? As if I did not have enough to worry about. 

Suddenly I hear someone walking of the stairs. The large body is getting closer, Nate. 

"Hi Princess, how did you sleep?", he smiles at me as if he is used to seeing me here already. 

"Morning, fine.". Please leave me alone, I can't see you right now. It seems he is noticing what I am trying to do. My answer is not pleasing him and his eyes are hardening as his jaw is clensing. 

"In this house, we are nice to each other. Try it". His tone was getting more serious and his voice was deeper as it usually is. I felt my heartrate increasing. Why isn't he just leaving me alone. 

"Sorry. I just have.. a lot on my plate. I feel like I want to be alone. How did you sleep?", I ask him with my sincerest fake smile, trying to show him enough effort so he would leave me alone. 

"Great, thank you Elisabeth. Now, me and my brothers are going to your house to look at the damage and see if we can do anything about it. So, only Oliver and gertrude wil be here today. You should get some alone time out of it.". Even though he is saying nice things,  I can hear his dissatisfaction in his tone. I nodd at him and give him another smile, which was enough for him to walk away. I know I have no right to be mad at him, but my mind can't handle being around him for now. Nate is to much. He makes me feel to much and I can't have it, not right now. As I am pleased to see him leave, I also feel a know growing in my stomach. Suddenly, I don't really want him to go. As fast as the feeling appears, it leaves my body, surpressed by my mind. 

"Hellooooooo?!". Mary shouts from out the garden in front of the house. I open the door and see her face. As she tries to be mad at me I can see she is relieved to see my body in one piece. I walk towards her and hug her tight. 

"I am sorry Mary, I should have called you. Everything is just to much. Way to much". I wisper while holding her in my arms. She always smells great and her scent is making me forget a bit of my sorrow. Finally, someone I really know, close to me. She hugs me back and gives me a kiss on my cheek. 

"I am not mad silly, I have just been fussing about you. I love you.". Her words cut like knives through the armor I build with my mind. I can't hold back the tears any longer and start to softly cry upon her shoulder. 

"Thank god that I still have you", I mumble through the tears. 

"Come on Liz, lets make some tea and sit out in the garden. You can tell me everything". She unwraps herself out of my arms and takes my hand to lead my through the door. Mary has always been good at these things. Even though sometimes it can look like she does not care or just likes to gossip about boys, she is a very caring and gentle human being. It was not always easy for her to have me as her best friend.  I can shut everybody out at times and in high school, people always gossiped about me. Being an orphan made me strange so whatever I did, was weird or wrong. I never really been bullied, since they would not get the chance, but I always have been different. I did not really fit in, not like Mary. Everybody loved her. She must have had many occasions were it would be easier to leave my out of it, just to please the popular kids, be she never did. She always stood besides me and acted as if she did not even cared about their opinions. She has always been strong for me, something I needed, especially then. Her strength made me feel powerfull as well and that gave me the opportunity to make my life worth while. 

We sat ourselves down in the grass, at the further end of the garden to be as far from the house as possible. We made ourselves big cups of tea and gertrude offered us some cupcakes to take with, which afcourse we took. Gertrude looked happy and walked away, started doing her chores. Does the sweet lady know she is living with madmen? I decided not to bring it up yet to Mary. I just wanted to talk about my house and what to do with my life first. I told her Oliver asked me to take some time off from my job and Mary agreed with him. 

"You have lost a lot lizzy. You should take your time to think about everything. Let everything sink in a bit. Maybe, think about other opportunities?". 

"What do you mean with other opportunities?", I asked her. 

"Well, you like Nate right? Maybe you don't even need a new home? Maybe you guys are a good match? Or maybe you just need a small appartment? Or do you even want to stay in this town? Now that your house is gone, nothing of your parents is left there. You could sell the ground and leave to study in a fancy city? I would miss you though... but it has been your dream?".

I never really thought of it that way. I have only seen what I had lost. How could I look at it as some kind of opportunity? Mary was right, maybe some doors have opened for me, know I am not emotionally stuck here. 

"I haven't thought of it in that way..". I mumbled while thinking even more.

"Afcourse you haven't. Everything is just dropping on you like some kind of bomb. Give yourself some time. Think about all the chances. The Bellators will have you as long as you want. Figure out if you want to leave or stay. Don't act to fast.".

"You are right, I can't even thing straight right now. Nate was already leaving to look into rebuilding the house, but maybe I shouldn't let him do that. Maybe I should sell.. ".

"Just wait.. Liz, will you promise me something?". 

"What?".

"Wait a month. Let everything sink in for a whole month. See how you feel about the ground, about Nate, about the city, everything. After a month I will ask you want you want to do and then we will act on it.". 

"Hmm..", she was right, like always. I should wait before I regret something. But staying a month with the Bellator family? Yesterday evening was really upsetting for me. I don't know if I can do that. 

"I agree.. but there is this tiny other problem..", I bow my head closer to Mary as I start to wisper. "I think, Oliver, the father, is a bit crazy.. Maybe he is just ill.. but.. Yesterday, he told me a story. He said it was the history of this town.. But it was about, like, werewolfs and stuff. I could see it in his eyes, he really believes it. He wants me to believe it to. He might be mad Mary?!". I took a sip of my tea and started to look for a reaction. 

"Well, Liz. I may have read some stories about this town and creatures as well. In the library down the hill. I always dreamed about such things being real so I kinda loved to read those when I was younger.".

"You are not really believing this bullshit now, right?". Is she going mad as well? Am I the only saint person around here? 

"No, maybe. I don't know. But maybe he is not mad. Maybe he has read the stories as well and sees them as town history? You should check them out before judging him so harshly. He really looked smart and healthy when I met him." Her tone was insecure but I could see this was her true opinion. A lot nicer than mine. Oliver has only been good to me and somehow I don't even trust him to be a normal human. I should give him the benefit of the doubt. 

"Alright, I'll check the library for these stories. Maybe they match". 

Mary smiles at me and we chat on for a bit longer. She tells me about her boyfriend being an asshole about grocery money and now she is doubting if she even likes to stay with him. I never really been a fan of him but as long as she is happy, I am. After a while it is getting colder and darker outside. 

"Liz, I have to go else I won't make it before dinner. I'll see you later honey".

"Bye sweety, I love you and thank you". I give her a last hug before she leaves. I walk inside the house and can see Gertrude setting up dinner.

"Here, I will help you.".