Fates Must Be Kidding

Unwanted memories

The next two days are a pure torture, though not the literal one we went through back at the Facility, and I am not the only one suffering. The atmosphere in the car is tense, so tense it is sometimes hard to breathe. None of us is saying it, but we are certainly thinking it, what if we are too late? I have to remind myself that Teddy tracked them down in real time, so at least we know that they managed to evade those men. Of course it doesn't mean that they gave up or were called back. But our girls are not some damsels in distress, they can put up a hell of a fight!

"They are fine, and we'll get to them soon," I finally break the deafening silence in the car, to reassure Teddy and Ricky. And maybe myself more.

Fortunately, the Beta senses our impatience and uneasy, so we spend only one night in a motel on the way. Ricky did offer to drive for a bit, to let him rest some more, but the stubborn wolf refused. It doesn't take a genius to drive a car!

We still have a couple of hours left till we reach our destination, and to say that I'm exhausted is a major understatement. I slip in and out of consciousness, but I can't get any real rest, my brain just wouldn't stop spinning. Whenever I close my eyes, I either see the girls being beaten and dragged back to the Facility, or all of us back at that wretched place, going through the same motions over and over again - training, testing, fighting, beating someone up or getting beaten up. But the worst thing about these nightmares, just like about the real time we spent there, lack of hope. No hope, no happiness, no colors, everything is so gray that it just drains life from you. So yeah, these dreams feel very real, so real that every time I wake up I am drenched in sweat. It was pretty naive of me to think that I left all of this behind me. I did feel safe enough in the pack to shut my past off, but now it is all resurfacing on top of my worry about Rose and Knox. Of course I keep it all to myself, the guys are already stresses, they don't need me to unload on them... I sigh and let my eyes close again, preparing myself to what I am about to see, again.

This time I wake up because my phone vibrated. I am still not used to having it, it is one of the many presents Luna gave me. "You can't be a normal teenager without a phone!" she said. And who was I to argue, I had and still have no idea what it means to be normal. I am certainly not, whenever I behave like one I feel like I'm faking it. Fake it till you make it, right? But enough of this self-analysis bullshit, I wonder who has just texted me. I unlock my phone, read the message and then reread it a couple of times to make sure I didn't imagine it or something.

"I hope your trip is going well and you'll be back soon. We miss you! R" That's really sweet and thoughtful of him! And I have no idea how to respond to that, I wish Rose were with me right now, she is so much better with words, emotions and empathy. I guess I'll just wait until I can actually ask her for advice, I don't want to embarrass myself by sending an awkward message back. I keep staring at the text, I can't help it, it gives me this warm and fuzzy feeling inside. It's both very foreign and pleasant.

Because of my daydreaming I don't even notice that we have already arrived! I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts that will do me no good right now. It's game time! I look around the area, it looks like a warehouse district, an abandoned one. A bit creepy, but a good place for hiding. There are no street cameras nearby, so there is no way for us to know which building they chose. We split up and case the area, making sure that this is not a trap. So far so good. Since I can't sense any immediate danger I concentrate on tracking their auras. It's a rather big area to cover, but all I need is a trail to one of the warehouses, from there on we can search for them without any special abilities. It's taking me too long though, I am about to give up when I spot what I was looking for, tiny shiny speckles leading to a half ruined building with dirt covered windows. I let everyone now where to go and wait at the entrance. We need to be extra careful, knowing Knox there could be explosives all over the place!

We go through the squeaky door one by one, it's cold, dark and dusty inside. I really don't feel comfortable going any further, so I gather as much air in my lungs as I can and yell "Rose, Knox! It's Em! Where are you guys?" Both Teddy and Ricky look at me like I'm crazy. "What? You want to get blown up today?" I shrug my shoulders. That is all the convincing they need, "Rose, Knox! Are you here?" We keep yelling for a couple more minutes, but hear nothing in response. Sure, the warehouse is huge, and they might not hear us. However, if it were me, I would be keeping an eye on the main entrance, and if I hear my name, which not many people know, I would investigate. A couple more minutes pass, and I hear movement from above, so do the others. While they are looking up, I look around which allows me to spot her right on time. In a matter of seconds I'm engulfed in a hug, "Is it really you?" I hear Rose say in my ear. "Yep, I'm happy to see you too!" I'm startled when I hear a groan from my right, Knox being Knox jumped through a hole in the ceiling and landed right on Ricky. She totally did it on purpose! 

"Did you really have to do it??" Ricky whines. 

"Of course, I needed to check your reaction. Slow, like always. You'd be dead if it weren't me!" she smirks. 

"You're crazy! Get off me!" Knox jumps off him gracefully and immediately tackles Teddy. "What are you losers doing here?"

"We heard that you guys were in trouble, so we decided to come save you," I tease. Just as I expected, Knox glares at me finding my insinuation insulting.

"Oh please, we're absolutely fine!" she huffs. I smile, happy to see that she hasn't changed.

"Let's get out of here, this building doesn't look very secure," the Beta suggests. I nod to assure the girls that he can be trusted. We get in the car and go to a diner nearby, so that we can talk comfortably without having to look over our shoulders every couple of minutes. Soon they know everything that has been going on in our lives, and now it's their turn.

"The first week after you guys left us was fine. We used the money we had previously.....you know, collected (meaning stolen) to rent a room from this nice lady. But then one day we heard rumors about some dangerous looking strangers who came into town looking for someone. It was a pretty safe bet that we were the target. Knox wanted to engage, but I insisted that we get out of there quickly and quietly," Rose explains.

"I still think we should have broken a couple of their bones," Knox mumbles. Rose rolls her eyes and continues. "They almost caught up with us a couple of times. The closest call was in Nevada, we were actually considering going to Las Vegas to find you," she looks at Ricky sheepishly. "But we spotted them at a gas station, so we abandoned the truck we hitched a ride in, and hid in the desert for a couple of days. We weren't completely sure that we lost them, and we couldn't lead them to any of you, so...we ended up here," she finishes her story.

"When was the last time you saw them?" I ask, because I have a feeling that there is more to it.

"Last week, we were at a shabby motel in the outskirts of the city. I was checking the perimeter when I spotted one of them talking to the reception guy. He even showed him our pictures," Knox admits after a moment of hesitation.

"I see, that's why you were hiding in the warehouse," I confirm my suspicions. I look at the Beta, "We need to find them, capture them and deliver them to the Council". I expect him to argue with me, but surprisingly he doesn't. "I would much rather you guys didn't get involved, but I admit, it is a really good opportunity to give the Council's investigation a much needed push," he responds. Looks like the snail pace of the investigation frustrates him too.

"So are we going hunting?" Ricky's eyes light up.

"Not exactly, the girls will be the ones hunted. Teddy, try locating those assholes, and we'll take it from there," he gets to work even before I finish my sentence. We let him do his thing without interrupting.

"They are still here. Looks like they are checking district by district," he finally breaks the silence without taking his eyes off the laptop screen. "I think this one is next," he points on the map.

"Great, let's pick a motel, and check the girls in. I will sneak in with them, and you guys will shut the trap," I gesture to Ricky and the Beta. "Teddy, you will be our eyes".

In two hours everyone is in position. Rose, Knox and I in a slightly filthy motel room, and the guys outside. It is slowly getting dark, they will most likely make their move at night. Knox even steps outside for a swim and to get some food, just to make sure that they spot her frolicking around. If I were them, I would be highly suspicious of this whole situation, since the girls had been hiding quite successfully for a while. However, I hope they aren't that smart.

"They are here," Teddy warns at 11 pm. I tell the girls to turn the lights on and pretend to go to sleep. Our targets stay quiet until about 3 am. "They are on the move," Teddy puts us on high alert. We are ready, we arranged pillows on twin beds to create an illusion of someone laying there, and now we are hiding in the bathroom. In a couple of minutes the room door is unlocked, and I hear three people enter. Well, hello there dickheads! We dispatch the first two quickly and quietly, I throw one into the wall head first and then follow it up with a punch to his nose. Knox knocks her guy out with a flying kick to his jaw. The third guy manages to shoot his tranquilizer gun at us a couple of times, but his chances of actually hitting us are very slim, the room is dark and the two of us are very quickly moving targets. He is so focused on us, that he doesn't notice Rose sneaking up behind him. She has him in a headlock, and in no time he joins his friends out cold on the floor. We finish tying them up when Beta enters the room.

"Are you all good?" he asks.

"Yeah, you?" I respond. He nods and throws two of our captives over his shoulders and carries them to the car like they weigh nothing. Ricky shows up a minute later to do the same with the third guy. We pile them in the trunk, clean up the room a bit, and head to the warehouse where the girls were hiding earlier. It is perfect for a surprise I have for our captives. I need to know everything they do. Unfortunately, the interrogation is short, they don't know much more then we do. They are simple guards given the task of retrieving fugitives. The ones who didn't have protection of the Council, a pack or a coven. Fortunately, there aren't many of those left. But they confirm that their leadership is still out there somewhere, plotting and scheming. For now.

The next morning we leave them tied up securely in the warehouse. We have a long drive home, and they are awaiting for people the Council sent after them. Thank you, Alpha, for arranging everything! My crew is buzzing with excitement, they are looking forward to meeting everyone and starting a new life. As for me, I feel relieved, once again shadows of my past take a step back, but now I know that they are still here, with me. However, I will deal with this later, right now I have a text message to write.