New Alpha

The Visit

I called my grandma and asked if I could stay the night with her. Of course, she said yes. My grandma loves me so much. I overheard her tell grandpa that I reminded her of my uncle one time. That was the first and only time I ever heard anyone mention him that I knew of. I tried snooping one time and only found an old picture of him. I don't know why I have been thinking of him, or why it would be important, but it feels like something is wrong with this, being that my family is always so supportive of others.

other. It's always been that way for as long as I can remember, anyway. As I walk into my grandma's house I can smell her baking cookies and other stuff. She always bakes when she has something on her mind, and she is trying to work through things. We said our hello's and hugged, and I headed to my Grandpa's study. I sit in his chair, and I can still smell him faintly in there. The impact of his death on me has been so hard. I feel a tear trying to escape, but I blink it away as I hear my Grandma approach the door with fresh cookies in hand. With a sad expression in her eyes, she asked if there was anything I wanted to talk about. Of course, mentally I was screaming yes, but I could only keep most of my thoughts to myself and just tell her I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life anymore.

She gave me a look as if she wanted to say something, but she looked away in understanding. She walked around my grandpa's desk and sat the cookies in front of me. She spotted a picture on his desk, and she was a bit surprised to see it there. She told me she hadn't seen this picture in 30 years. It was the week before everything changed for this family. Your Uncle Will had just got accepted into college and your Aunt Tammi had been accepted into the United States Army. Everyone was so happy and your Grandpa was so proud of everyone, no matter what they wanted to do with their lives. This was the last time our family was whole before they changed and then the fight that drove your Uncle away after he graduated. We never saw him again and then your Aunt, my sweet baby girl, died overseas not three years later. She was on her way home to see us, and her fiancé, when her plane was shot down.

Your grandpa was devastated, and during the funeral I could have sworn that Will was hiding in the treeline watching the funeral. I couldn't get in touch with him and didn't know how, so I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. He was her twin though. You never know what kind of twin powers they had and that kind of connection is strong no matter how separated they were. I was still in shock that my grandma was talking to me so openly about them, like it was any ordinary Tuesday night. She told me that grandpa wasn't the same person he used to be until I was born. He lost himself for a while, losing two children the way they did was a terrible thing. We loved each other through everything though, and he was a good father to your dad.

I asked my grandma the secret to a happy marriage, and she told me that love helps and trust is very important. Most importantly though, absolutely no secrets. Having secrets and withholding them from the ones you love the most causes horrible trust issues. Sometimes people even harbor anger or resentment, feeling like others were treated better because they knew all along. My grandma always had a way of inconspicuously, letting me know that something was up and that I was keeping things from her. I thought deeply for a moment, and reluctantly, I asked her "If I were a werewolf would you still love me?". A bright and amorous smile broke out on her face and she started laughing. I hadn't seen her laugh or smile so brightly in a long while. I asked her what was so funny, and she retorted that she recalled her husband asking that very same question a long time ago.

Her eyes just sparkled at the memory and then all at once the light dimmed, and she turned to me and said that she would love me no matter what kind of creature I turned into. She laid the photo down on the desk and walked around the office and stopped at the window looking out at the property. She started to speak softly at first, but firmly she spoke of a legend that her father told her about. She said that people used to spot giant wolves in these woods and the further you went in you would find dark shadowy creatures hiding in the night. She spoke of a waterfall lost to the world hidden deep in the woods. That is where all the other creatures of night meet, and her father used to tell her of the time he found the falls once and ever since then she always wondered if he was telling the truth. Eventually, she did find out the truth.

Grandma looked me in the eyes, and she said that one day, I might find myself in a near impossible situation and I would need help and I should seek help from the falls. If you are pure of heart, the falls will grant you access, and if anyone asks how you came upon this sacred place. Tell them, Linda Banks is my grandmother, and if I ever need help I should come here. Do not be too proud, for their kingdom is not your kingdom, and your kingdom is not their kingdom. With a pure heart and a clear mind, you will obtain what you seek. With a strained look on her face, I heard the thunder c***k and lightning streak across the sky, And just like that, the heavy down-pour hit the office window. With a strained voice she said," I hope that you remember everything that I told you." All of a sudden the lights went out in the house.