The Wilde Expedition

44. until next time

Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.

〮CHAPTER FORTY FOUR  〮

Gavin was set to leave in two days, and I had failed to confirm Alister's suspicions. It seemed unlikely, because Gavin appeared so impartial to everyone, and enjoyed their presence equally. It didn't matter whether or not I was in the room, because Gavin was bound to have a swell time joking around with Mom and Aunt Amaya, and talking about trucks and cars with Uncle Bennet. But that didn't matter, because it'd be selfish of me to admit that I only wanted him to be happy when I was around. That'd just be wrong.

Those last two nights I spent on runs that lasted from dusk to dawn without the break I came to anticipate. Without Alister around to follow me around lurking in the underbrush, a peculiar sense of loneliness drifted over me, and I resorted to hunting and killing the prey I could find around this season. I wasn't quite sure if I was imagining it, but I bumped into a few other pack members around the woods, which rarely ever happened. Fully transformed werewolves tended to keep to themselves unless provoked. They mostly found me over by the river, probably staring at the spot where Gavin's van was once an island.

I came back the morning of Gavin's designated leaving day later than usual. Uncle Bennet and Dad had already returned according to Mom, who was in the kitchen helping make breakfast for the one and only Gavin Wilde. He was at the stove, and had just flipped a pancake in the air when I stomped in through the patio door.

Mom gave a start and started laughing. "I thought you got back early. That's odd of you—it's almost... eight o' clock."

I scraped off my shoes with my heels and realized I probably smelled like utter shit compared to the maple syrup wafting in the air. "I got a little carried away, I guess," I confessed. "I'll take a shower and come back down. I'm starving."

"I'll save a few pancakes for you," Gavin promised, winking at me over his shoulder. It took a moment for me to gather my bearings off the floor when I dropped them over that charming smile. Gawd, I'm turning into Dad or Uncle Bennet, I moaned in my head. I knew this because there had been plenty of times when I'd be goofing around with one of them, and all Mom or Aunt Amaya had to do was smile and laugh at us in order for their brains to melt like butter. Usually then I'd succeed in tackling them to the ground. It was one of their weak points.

I shuffled up the stairs, careful to avoid getting dirt all over the ground. My feet still felt sticky—from wading around in the river I supposed. Once I was in my room, I shed my clothes and fetched some fresh ones before padding barefoot to the bathroom where I was finally able to clean the dirt and grime off my skin. There was an excessive amount of it clogging up my nails, and it took about five minutes to scrub it all off my legs and arms. By then it was almost half past eight, and I still hadn't washed my hair.

We had plans of leaving for the airport at noon, which meant Dad had to get up earlier than usual to accompany us. So when I exited the bathroom with my hair damp and twisted up into a towel, I passed Dad in the hallway. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, and since he probably slept on wet hair, it was up in spikes on top of his head. I couldn't help giggling as I stopped him in the hall and flattened his hair back for him.

"Thanks Em," he said, smiling down at me. "What do you need? Did you eat?"

"I'm about to. But I have a question," I confessed. It was just a random thought that popped into my head, and I was surprised Gavin hadn't asked him about it already. "Gavin and I were curious as to what you know about that Declan Walker fella. Just... anything you might've picked up on him after he left Six Rivers."

He leant back a bit and gave me a peculiar expression, like he wasn't exactly sure where this was coming from, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. Eventually he scratched his jawline and took a deep intake of breath before letting it out in an uncertain hiss. "I'll have to see... Your mom had me pull up a bunch of files on him the other week when you first mentioned him."