The Weeping Willow

The Secret.

"Then I ran and stayed in town for a couple of months. One night while hunting I ran into your car. I thought you were one of them looking for me. I would have never EVER hurt you. When I actually got your scent, I stayed there. Hoping you would go down that road again. Then a couple days later, you did. I wanted to tell you so bad especially when you talked about me." He went to reach for my hands again. I wanked them away. "What did we find in the woods the same night everything happened? When I lost my parents. When Jamie died. When i saw my best friend being dragged away. What did WE FIND?" He looked at me confused. "I need you to prove to me that you're actually him and this isn't another lie. I can't have you live as Brandon when you could be someone else. How can I know that you're not those guys looking for the real Brandon using me to find him. I won't say anything else until you tell me!" He didn't say anything. I knew it. This mother fucker is playing with fire saying he's Brandon. I started to turn away when he speaks up, "The bear traps. We didn't know what they were then so we thought the ground had a mouth. Before them we found rabbits by the dried up creek." I stopped. My body was shaking from all this. My heart is pounding so hard I wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it. Can it really be him? "Its me Harper." I face him, I want to hate him for lying, but right now I can't hold it back. He is here! He's infront of me alive! I started to cry and ran into his arms. It explains everything though. He was my first childhood love. Why I was able to let him in easy and why I fell in love with him so fast. He gently grabs my face and he kisses me. I go in for a more passionate kiss. We stand there holding each other so tight like we were about to wake up and find out that this is all a dream. He picks me up bride style and takes me to the bedroom and lays me down on one side of the bed and he laid down on the other side. He pulls me in and we just hold each other. I can hear his heart beating. It is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I feel myself sink into his arms. I look up at him and he looks at me and we look into each others eyes. I can't believe he's here. He moves my hair to behind my ear, "Do you still want me? Even though what I put you through?" I shake my head yes. "No more secrets. For now, we will enjoy this. After, you need to tell me everything. I mean everything." I give him the stern look to make myself more clear. He smirks at me and agrees. I slide up more to get face to face. I take my hand and just embrace everything. From his scars, his soft lips, his hair, his soft cheeks while he plays with my hair. I can feel my eye lids getting heavy. I can see that his are also. I give him another kiss and sink my head under his chin. Then after a few minutes, I was asleep. It's been 3 months since he came clean. He told me a lot about his abduction too. For the first few years, they ran tests on him like what makes his wolf come out, what can start a shift to and from wolf, what they can and can't consume during shifting and such. He goes to tell me that when he first got there, there were about 100 others there. Human, regular wolves, and our kind, but by the time he guesses a year, almost all have been killed from either the tests, trying to escape, or starvation. Once there was only about 20 left, they fill the cages back up. It's like they were disposable to them. A dime a dozen. Brandon nearly lost his life many times but managed to pull through with the help of Kayloa. She is apparently one of us who was also taken. She is a medicine woman who lived with nature, a hermit you could say. She found stuff around to help his wounds or sickness. I asked why did she just help him and not the others also, not that I'm not grateful but it seemed weird to me. She apparently had a son and brandon reminded her of him. He was killed during their kidnapping. He gave them way to much of a hard time and decided that he wasn't worth the struggle. I could tell that talking about it was bothering him so I told him he can tell me a more later on. So after he tells me everything we go online and look up the missing persons website just for our kind. I was shocked when I seen how many of us are missing, five thousand! That's for all over the world. I need to narrow it down to the US for now. As I am clicking and typing, Brandon, whose sitting next to me, rests his head on my shoulder. I think he's scared having to point out who was there with him. I was able to get him back, but so many families need closure. I was one of them, searching, wondering, crying, barely surviving not knowing what has happened and if they're still alive. After a few minutes, the site finished the search of the missing persons in the US. One thousand are missing. My phone dings. It's a notification from Becky. It's another picture she posted on her profile. Something isn't right. There is a tattoo on her shoulder. Becky was petrified of needles. You should see her when she has to get shots from the doctors. She flips out so bad that they actually told her to take a muscle relaxer an hour before her appointment. "Hey Brandon, it's another picture of Becky. That dude is still with her. Are you sure its the same guy that you know?" He moves closer to look at the picture. He inspects it and he shakes his head yes and points out "I've seen that sign before." It was a beach themed hotel sign that said "The lonely mermaid hotel". I get back on my laptop and started searching for it. "The Lonely Mermaid hotel, Opened in 1967, Owner David Green aka Big DG....... HA! Ocean city Maryland! I got a feeling that we got a little bit closer to figuring this all out. Let me call someone real fast, maybe they can help. Can you start going through the lists of the missing persons and write them down?" He shakes his head yes, I give him a peck on the cheek and head to my room to call Henry.

Brandon's POV

I can't tell her..... I know I should but I don't know how she will handle knowing that the girl posing as Becky is actually a worker for them. I don't know why they took Becky and what they did to her but I have a bad feeling that she isn't enjoying a s*x on the beach drink like the poser is. Amanda that's her name! Anyways i need to get back to looking at these photos..... Nope.....Nope.... oh man, Clair Conner of Hudson Texas, okay....... Nope...... Nope.....

Harper's POV

"Hey Henry I got a question or two... or more.... yeah.... I'm good im good I have a question about a guy and a girl.... yes I'll send you the picture." I send the picture of "Becky" and her man. "It should be sent now. No idea either huh... it's nothing i don't think.... yeah... I gotta go I have so much work to do.... i love you both too. Bye Bye". Well shocker, another dead end. "HARPER!" Brandon yells for me so I run to him. I see him pointing at the screen. There was an email from a random person. "Where is he?" was the title. We both just stare at each other with eyes wide opened. I sat back down infront of the computer and I took in a deep breath. I clicked on it. We both move very close to the screen to get every word in. "Where is he? We know you have him. You have 24 hours to contact the number below and give us his location. Don't be stupid little girl, you have no idea what we are capable, and what he is too. Oh by the way, Becky your little friend, she will be home shortly lol." The number was a weird one. I took my phone and looked up the number. Burner phone, why am I not surprised. Brandon looks at me with guilt all over his face. "What does that mean, what you're capable of doing also?" I asked Brandon as he looked at me still. "I honestly have no clue what they meant by that Harper. All I do know now is that you are in danger now. I should leave. I cannot have you at risk on my behalf." Brandon got up to start getting his stuff rounded up. I quickly went to him to calm him down. "Brandon, there is nothing that will make me lose you again, okay? So just settle down and sit with me and help me think of the next step we need to do."