17 Bullets: becoming the Werewolf Queen

Epilogue

Nineteen year old Katelyn Carter spent a year on a distant planet, but as suddenly as she was taken, she was returned. It was true.

Katelyn's parents escorted her from the facility. She kept her head down and shoulders hunched at the chaos that surrounded her. Hundreds of people shouted her name, everyone from admiring fans to news crews and paparazzi pushed at police barriers to get to her.

She had been in the mental hospital for two weeks after her reappearance of over a year and spouting crazy tales of werewolves, flying beasts, moon goddesses, and new planets. But when similar stories started surfacing from all over the globe, she was finally released.

"Katelyn! Katelyn!" A news reporter shoved a microphone in her face. "What was it like on the werewolf planet?"

She slowed and tentatively answered back, glancing down to her two missing fingers, care of some water demon. "Uh... it was uh... scary."

A dark-haired reporter shoved in. "Miss Carter, is it true that the women that remained are being kept by werewolves as pets?"

Katelyn's hunched shoulders straightened, and she stopped letting her parents guide her though the crowd. "Of course not. They were very happy as couples."

The dark haired reporter continued. "And you didn't choose to get married to one of the monsters?"

Katelyn scowled. "They weren't monsters. They were very kind. And protected us from bad stuff."

Another microphone was shoved in her face. "What kind of bad stuff?"

A heavily accented feminine voice turned her from the pushy reporters. "Miss Carter?"

When Katelyn looked, it was a petite woman, older than her by ten years and unmistakably oriental.

"Hello," Katelyn answered hesitantly.

The woman was not holding a microphone, but instead a picture. "Was my sister one of the transported?"

Katelyn took the picture. An Asian woman with dark brown hair in waves down her back, wispy bangs, tight sweet eyes, and thin frame, filled the photo. She was wearing light blue doctor scrubs.

Katelyn had no memory of the girl and sighed, ready to give the bad news, when the woman spoke again. "Her name is Jia. Jia Pak."

"Jia," Katelyn whispered to herself. She had seen the name on the monument the King and Queen built for all the fallen. Jia had been transported, but she was now gone. How was she supposed to tell this woman that her sister had died a horrible death on the alien planet?

She couldn't.

A forced smile spread Katelyn's lips. "Yes, Jia," she sounded sincere and handed the photo back to the expectant woman. "Jia is there. She stayed behind."

The woman's eyes glistened. Her accent was even stronger with the held back emotion. "She is there? She is happy?"

Katelyn nodded and the woman bowed deeply. "Thank you. Thank you, Miss Carter."

Katelyn unsure of how to respond to the new custom, gave a halfhearted bow back.

When the encounter was closed, Katelyn's parents tried again to shoo her away from the crowd. They pressed her through the hundreds of photo flashes and chanting people to get to their awaiting car.

As her father opened the car door for her, a couple in their late forties pushed between the reporters and stopped as far as the guard rails would let them. "Eleanor Stevens!"

Katelyn stopped her father from pressing her inside and turned to the couple. "What?"

The blonde woman had tears streaming down her face, the man had a soft beard that held emotions against his face. He spoke for the two. "Our daughter's name is Eleanora Stevens. Was she..." He left the thought open.

Katelyn knew that name. Everyone on the planet knew and worshipped that name. Queen El. She was just. She was loyal. She was a wonderful woman on the side of both humans and werewolves. A friend to all. A magnificent ruler.

Katelyn smiled at the many memories of working alongside her in gardens, tending to children, and even helping Queen El prepare food for the hurt and afflicted.

Mrs. Stevens' face held hope at the smile on Katelyn's lips, and Katelyn nodded turning fully to the couple. "Yes. Eleanor is there. She..." but Katelyn didn't know how to describe how truly amazing Queen El was, "she is the most joy filled heroic woman there." She paused for a moment before adding. "She does like to get her way though."

Mr. Stevens gave a slight chuckle. "That sounds like her."

Katelyn looked to the couple and wondered how much to tell them. Even the crowd around her that once chanted her name stood silent, microphones all turned her way.

"Eleanor is known on the werewolf planet as...." she took a breath and continued, "Queen El. The Alpha female of the whole planet. Her and Alpha King Thann have four children, all beautiful, and she's carrying two more. And they are the most amazing people anyone could ever meet. Their hearts are filled with so much love for all." She looked to the parents. "You would be proud of her."

Mrs. Stevens' tears trickled down her face whispering about children, and Mr. Stevens' face held a noble smile. "She's happy?"

Katelyn nodded. "She's very happy." She gave a gentle chuckle, her own eyes glistening with the longing spilling from El's mother. "She does miss you two very much though. And her farm. She talked about it often. Are her chickens okay?"

El's mother gave a hard laugh of mixed emotions and wiped the fresh tears away. "Yes, yes. The farm is being taken care of. Her brother took over responsibility and we all pitched in after she went missing. Everything is fine. All her animals are fine."

Katelyn nodded. "That's good to know."

Katelyn's father interrupted, gesturing to the open car door. "Kat. It's time to go."

"Right," she answered, ready to live her life again, see her friends and go to college, achieve all her dreams, and ducked into the vehicle.

But at the last second, she instead turned back to El's parents and held out a golden banded aquamarine ring. "El was so kind to us all, I want you to have this. It was how we could all speak with one another on the planet. It translated every language. Only, since I got back to Earth it doesn't work anymore. I want you to have it. A thank you for El taking care of us all."

El's mother lovingly took the gift and smiled at her. "Thank you, you precious girl." She then pulled Katelyn into a hug and whispered to her. "Thank you for this last link to my daughter."

Katelyn embraced her back. "You're welcome, Mrs. Stevens."

El's mother then stood back and let Katelyn into the car. Her and her husband waved as the car drove away.

The mass of reporters then converged on them, shouting questions about the alleged werewolf queen, when she placed the ring on her finger, and gave her inner thought to the stone. I miss you, honey.

Then she heard a voice in her mind like an echo in an empty room.

Mom? Is that you?