Beta VS Gamma

XVII

~Samiah~

It’s been days of driving, sleeping in the car, and surviving on snacks bought at gas stations. It isn’t the best situation, but I’m alive, and I’ve probably made it pretty far away from where I started. That’s about all I can ask for at this point.

The music has helped keep my mind off of the things that have happened recently. It was working, and then the music stopped. I knew that was the first sign of trouble, but without the dedicated tools or time, there was no reason to stop and try to fix it.

Now there’s some smoke coming from the engine. I know enough about cars to know that this is a very bad sign. I definitely need to find somewhere to stop and try to salvage the car. I had hoped that the work I did would be enough to keep it going, but I guess I can’t complain too much.

A sign alerts me to a mechanic shop a few miles away. I send a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, asking that she lets me make it there. I keep the speed steady, and my sights focused on my target location.

It took a while, and the smoke started to increase, but I made it with the car still running. I turn the car off and hop out, letting my body stretch. I pop the hood and prepare myself to face the consequences of picking up a car that wasn’t the best, but good enough. At the time, it made sense, but that was before my former fated mate threatened me.

I wave the smoke out of the way, trying to see what the issue is. “That car is a goner.” I jump out of my skin at the sound of the raspy voice. I turn my head and find an older man standing behind me. He’s wearing jean overalls with a black shirt. He looks to be in his 50s or 60s. Her fingers are curled, making me wonder if he has an ailment he’s dealing with. “Hi, I’m Pete. This is my mechanic shop: Fixed-it.” I chuckle at the name, feeling at ease. Pete is a human, and I don’t really fear them, though I probably should.

“Fixed-it? Isn’t that a little on the nose?” Pete chuckles.

“Maybe, but I liked it, and my wife did too.” His voice drops at the mention of his wife. It tells me that there’s pain there, but I won’t say anything. I’m sure it isn’t something he wants to talk about, and if he does, he won’t need me to bring it up. Pete leans over the car, inspecting it with his eyes. “Who did the work on this car?” I feel heat flood my cheeks.

“I did. I tried to do what I could to make it usable.” Pete slowly looks up, catching my eye.

“Young lady, you are talented.” The only person who ever saw my worth besides my parents was Ross. This is a stranger, telling me that I’m good at this. That isn’t something I thought I’d hear. “The only reason that this car is smoking is because it was on its last leg to begin with. No matter what, this was going to happen, but I think you kept it together for a while.”

“Fixing cars has been my interest for a long time. I was an apprentice back home.” Pete looks like he wants to ask me about that, but I guess there’s something on my face that is telling him not to go there.

“I’ve always had that love as well. I’ve had this shop for… man… more than 20 years now. It’s getting tough to manage these days.” I look around the area, trying to see what I can. It looks like a decent place to fix cars and definitely has the needed machinery.

“Where are we?” Pete looks at me with surprise.

“You don’t know where we are?” I shake my head.

“I just needed to get away. I jumped into the car and drove.” He nods.

“We are in Everton. It’s a decent sized city and I’ve been here all my life.” Pete leans in closer as if he’s about to tell me a secret. “There’s one of those wolf packs not too far from here. I’ve seen them around. They are nice as far as I can tell.” I stifle the giggle threatening to escape my mouth. If only he knew that I was a wolf as well. I guess that’s something I will have to keep under my hat for now.

Pete kneels again, inspecting the engine. I stand off to the side, knowing that he’s going to say something I don’t want to hear. “Is it salvageable?” Pete stands straight, pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his hands.

“I’m not going to lie to you.” When Pete looks at me, I get exactly where this is going. I let out a breath, knowing that this fight is useless. “Were you planning to go somewhere specific?” I turn my head slightly to the side and look at him.

“I was really just driving, trying to get as far away from where I started as possible.”

“Well, this is a nice little town. People here are friendly. I could use help with this shop seeing as how I’m an old man now. Looking at this car, you’re good. I wouldn’t mind hiring you to help me out.” I look around the shop again, taking in the area. It’s true that I didn’t have a destination in mind when I left the pack.

I’ve been driving for days with no destination in mind. I’ve made many turns to ensure that there’s no direct line leading back to the pack. My car is shot, and I need a place to stay. I’ve been working toward being a mechanic, so this is actually a perfect setup. What do you think, Rae? Should we stay here?

I think that the likelihood of Kemarion finding us is slim. We could make a life here. We already rejected him, so there’s nothing left. I agree with her assessment. I look at Pete, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out.

“I will need a place to stay, but…” I look around again before letting my gaze settle back on him. “I think I will like it here.” Pete smiles at me, and I can’t help but smile back. Maybe my new life was meant to start here. I guess time will tell that story.