Menagerie

Chapter 18 - Jasper

It took us a good half hour to load up the van. The trunk had been tightly packed when there were just four of us on the trip, and now that we had picked up Owen and his friends – and lost Char – we had a total of six. No one had much legroom since extra bags and our snacks were taking most of the floorspace. It was times like these I was glad to be the driver.

Also, I loved my sister dearly, but she was nauseatingly touchy with her new mate. It was a relief not to have to watch.

"What did Char say when you told her we were coming?" Penny asked from the back seat.

I snorted. "She said she wished we called a couple hours sooner. She invited her parents and brother to come up and help her adjust, and now we're going to be absolutely swarming her with people."

"Oh, no! Should we leave her alone? It's not too late to pick another direction," Penny said fretfully.

"No, don't worry about that. We'll stay out of her way if she needs it. Maybe we can take a little time for sightseeing, eh?"

Serena pulled out her phone and started scrolling through information on Edmonton and I tuned out most of their planning, only answering when I was spoken to. I had the Beatles playing quietly and was perfectly content to go along with their plans later if only I could have some time somewhat to myself now. I wasn't used to being around people so much and I didn't like it. Especially not with Penny's mate's friends in the back seat. Owen was one thing. He might be a stranger, but he was family now and I knew it was important that I start getting to know him. Penny had explained that he didn't have any family of his own, so when she moved out of our parents' house, she wouldn't be going far. Owen would be a regular part of my life now.

His friends, though... they were nice enough, but they were rowdy.

Even now, I could hear them guffawing in the backseat. I was far enough away that I had no idea what they were laughing about, but I couldn't escape their laughter.

"Jasper? What do you think?" Serena asked, snapping her fingers near my face to catch my attention.

"About what?"

"I swear, you never pay attention. We were talking about doing an escape room," she said. When I glanced over, she was lifting an imperious brow in my direction and I winced. Maybe Serena and I wouldn't be such a great match after all. She was kind of demanding.

"An escape room would be fine," I said. Over two decades of having Penny as my sister had taught me when to just go along with things. This was one of those times.

"Now we just have to pick one," Penny said excitedly.

"How about that one? It's got good ratings," Owen said.

I tuned out of their conversation again and focused on the road. The miles – or kilometers, since we were in Canada – couldn't pass quickly enough. Eventually, people started clamoring for something to eat, so I pulled off at a rest stop. It was loud and crowded inside, and there was someone here who was a very faint match for me. The pull was easy enough to resist and I could only hope she did the same, whoever she was. Most people wouldn't bother chasing such a weak mating pull, but I had learned a long time ago not to assume I knew how people were going to react to things.

We got into line at a burger place. There was an awkward moment when I went to pay for Penny and found Owen already holding out his credit card. I stepped back and Serena patted my shoulder.

Serena leaned in closer to me and quietly said, "It'll just take a little getting used to."

I nodded and pulled out my phone, navigating automatically to the Menagerie site. I might be done interacting with people in person today, but there was something truly refreshing about the online community of shifters. I went to the werecoyote forum first out of habit and quickly backed out of it when I saw the post Sam had made about her mating. That wound still too fresh.