Dreams

I was sitting in the garden again; I knew it was dreaming, but I did not want to leave. The goddess’s name was Celine, and she said, “She was the moon goddess who created all supernatural. The black wolf had reappeared again; he stayed away but came closer. He would growl every time I mentioned Jared.

Celine had told me that he was never meant for me. She also said that Jennifer and him were not mates. She told me to watch Jennifer and that I would see for myself. I had cried on her shoulder about what Jared had done to me. She comforted me and told me it would all be okay. I felt so much relief in her arms. Like the weight of the world was not on my shoulders. The black wolf lay by, but not close enough to touch me. I do not know what made me reach out and pet him, but I did. I pulled back immediately and felt embarrassed. Screams awakened me from my dreams before the wolf could move any closer.

I quickly flew out of my sleeping bag. I did not know who was screaming, but screaming never meant anything good. Everyone from both camps was up and standing in the middle. Eric and Tyler were barking orders. I ran up to Katelynn and asked what was going on.

Katelynn informed me that the river had grabbed a girl from the other group. Her sister was the one screaming and freaking out. They could not find her. The men from Jennifer’s group had gone to see if they could find her. Tyler told us all to start packing up. We were leaving immediately; he was unwilling to risk anybody in our group. Danny and Eric had gone with the men to see if they could find the group. So Katelynn and I help Beth pack up their camp.

We had just finished cleaning everyone’s camp when Eric and Danny returned. They said that some hunters had grabbed her as she was getting water. They managed to get pretty far back down the mountain. Jason was able to track her scent. They killed the hunters, but the girl, Emma, did not make it. They had killed her to shut her up. The men from Jason’s group were digging a grave for her. Her sister was a sobbing mess.

I walked over to her sister and sat down next to her. I could not imagine losing Katelynn. My heart was breaking for her; I introduced myself and told her how sorry I was for her. She told me her name was Erica, and Emma was her younger sister. They had been separated from their dad and hoped he would be at the king’s land. She was 21, and her sister Emma was only 18. I sat beside her and held her as she cried.

Tyler approached us and said that they had finished burying her sister. They had decided that Erica shouldn’t go to her sister’s body. The amount of damage would scare Erica for life. Jason approached us as we stood up. It was the first time I actually met him. He was as tall as my brothers and had broad shoulders. He was a beautiful man; he seemed to care about Erica. He hugged her and said he was sorry he could not save her sister. She cried into his chest as he rubbed her back. Eric approached us and said we needed to leave. He told Erica he was sorry and knew it was horrible timing, but we had to go. She nodded her head and said I understand.

Jason walked to the head of the group. Based on his information and estimation, we could reach the king’s land in two days, maybe three. He wanted to get as far away from this area as possible. He said we would continue heading west and try to find a safe place by dark.

Katelynn double-checked that everyone had filled their water tanks before heading out. She was always the mothering type; she worried about everyone.

Aliza came up next to me and linked our arms; she told me to stay with her so I did not have to deal with Jared and Jennifer. That made my stomach turn and my heart clench. I made the mistake of looking over to see him sticking his tongue down her throat. It brought back what Celine had said about them not being mates.

Aliza gave me a curious look, “Penny, for your thoughts.”

I explained the dream and the garden; then I told her what she had said about Jared and Jennifer not being mates. She looked at me like I had grown two heads. I laughed and said, “I told you it was a dream.” She shook her head and said,” No, what did you say the garden name was?”

I repeated what Celine had said, “It’s the Garden of Eve.” She smiled and said, “I read about that in my grandma’s book.” I stopped for a second and said, “What?” She just nodded her head. She then explained that it was for witches, but only powerful witches could go there. But I was confused. I was not a witch; I was a werewolf. Even she was confused.

Was this what Celine meant by the truth? I had so many questions: Would I go to the garden again? Could I just go there on demand? Was it only if I dreamed? Who is the black wolf? Is he not a witch? I was worried I would not dream about it again. Maybe it was just a dream; Aliza had mentioned the garden before.

Azria snapped me out of my thoughts by suggesting that maybe our mother was a witch. But then, why did Katelynn and I have our powers? I had learned from Azria that it was rare for a male to be a witch. Danny was part of a rare group and a half-werewolf. His powers were not as strong as Beth’s or Azria’s. But I could not be a witch, could I?

We stopped long enough for a few breaks and lunch; Jason and Tyler wanted to cover as much ground as we could. I also wanted to get as far away from the last camp as possible, so I checked in on Erica throughout the day. A couple of times, she walked with me and Azria. She informed us that no one in the group liked Jennifer. She was Jason’s sister; she explained that Jason was charming. He only had Jennifer with him because she promised her dad he would get her to the king’s land. She said Jennifer acted entitled, and Jared was not the first guy she slept with. They had three people leave their group because of her.

We walked until the sunset. It was dark, and we had to start a fire to set up camp. We had filled up our water at the last stop. This area had no water, but Tyler was optimistic. We could trap some rabbits or foxes. I sat down and ate the rest of the rabbit I had saved from the night before. I was ready for bed, a mix of being tired and nervous about if I could dream of the garden again. I set up my camp between Katelynn’s and Tyler’s camps. They refused to let me camp after what happened this morning. I used to hate when they were this overprotected, but I was okay with it tonight. I was safe and would be able to relax and sleep. I drifted off to the sound of the fire crackling and Ryker and Chris talking. They were on the first watch of the night; they would wake us if something happened.