Oregon in the Fall - 4. Chapter Four: Coalesce

Present Day. A small city in Central Oregon. The Lunar Haven.

“He smells seasons, too,” Dave said.

“You’re weird,” Clara said and chuckled. Her face remained utterly blank. That comment hung in the air, light-hearted but possibly laced with a knowing confusion on Clara’s part that I couldn’t quite place. She looked puzzled. “I’m surprised you even went into this shitty bar with your super nose, Grey.”

They weren’t going to drop that, were they? Kill me now.

“Like, can you smell it’s going to rain or something?” Dave said.

Now we’re getting somewhere!

There was an innocence in Dave’s question, a straightforward curiosity that was so refreshing after so much deceit in my life. Let’s play along, at least for a bit, shall we? I trusted these two people, for reasons unknown to me. I felt safer than I had in a long time, and all they had done was scrape me off the floor. And give me a room. And a job. And a kind ear. A home?

“You know, like when you smell rain, and it’s blue?” I said.

That made sense, right?

“Rain is blue?” Clara said.

She wasn’t getting it.

“I guess the ocean can be blue,” Dave said.

He wasn’t getting it.

The confusion on his face was apparent. But he was smiling. I hated that. Made my limbs go weak.

“I mean, the colors. I can see them earlier than you, I guess,” I said.

“You are totally not making any sense right now, but you are so cute fidgeting on your feet that I would like you to continue talking, please,” Clara said.

Dave just slowly nodded his head.

I was getting nervous. I took a clumsy step backwards to try to lean against something. Lucky for them, it was the wall with pans and pots hanging on it. Three of those decided to separate from said wall. Two crashed onto the floor, and the third, of course, crashed on my head.

“And you didn’t see that one coming?” Clara said and giggled.

“Ow,” I said, more for their sake than for mine. “Regarding heads, what actually happened when I passed out after those guys punched me yesterday?”

I started picking up the evidence of me trashing their place, and hung the cookware back on the wall.

“Let’s finish up here in the kitchen, and we can sit down to talk,” Dave said.

So we did. The three of us moved with a rhythm that felt surprisingly familiar, almost as if we had done this dance many times before. Dave and Clara bantered back and forth, their laughter and easy jokes filling the space with warmth. It was nice. Even nicer, they tried to include me.

Their natural and unforced camaraderie brought a twinge of nostalgia and a pang of longing to my heart. It reminded me of my brother, of the bond we could have shared, the memories we might have made. His jealousy killed all of that. Or maybe it was my fault, maybe I could’ve done more.

It hit me. They were true siblings, but not by blood. Not like the brotherhood between me and my brother. The scent was a hint, the skin color too, but the shared experiences and unspoken understandings were stronger than blood. Love was stronger than that. At that moment, I would have given anything to replace blood with what they had. Fate is shit. Blood bonds are shit.

Our paths had diverged, shaped by the heavy mantle of expectations and the complex layers of our pack life. And… the curse. Though it was far too easy to blame it on that alone. I often wondered if, beneath the weight of our roles, there could have been a chance for something as simple and pure as the friendship I saw unfolding before me.

Lost in these thoughts, I barely noticed when Dave handed me a dish to dry. “You okay, Grey?” he asked, his voice tinged with genuine concern.

I snapped out of my reverie, offering him a small, reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.”

Clara, wiping her hands on a towel, glanced over with a knowing look. “Sometimes, the kitchen’s the best place for thinking,” she said, her tone gentle. “Or for forgetting, whichever you need.”

I belonged.

We moved to the back porch, which was facing a small forest behind the building. There was a cozy seating area and a few potted plants. I felt a faint breeze, and the scent of rain carried through the air, as I inhaled deeply, letting the familiar aroma envelop me.

Dave and Clara took seats on the bench, and I sat on a chair opposite them. The conversation turned to the topic of the night before, and Dave recounted the events that had transpired after I had unceremoniously gone down.

“You have a hard head. You were out cold. I was rushing to you, and…” he said, but stopped, looking lost in thought.

“And?” I asked.

“And they left.” He was looking at the floor.

“That’s it?” Clara asked.

“Yeah,” Dave said, dejected.

“Dave,” Clara said and let out a sigh. “Last night, you said you trusted Grey. But you had only met him just then. And you know how much I hate lies.”

“I’m not lying,” he said with a confused look on his face.

“But you’re not exactly telling us everything right now. Look at me.”

Dave slowly raised his head. He was trying to look Clara in the face, but his gaze was shifting. His hands were trembling. Clara was calm, but firm.

“There was more. Right? What is it, Dave?” she said.

Why was I here? It seemed awfully out of place for me to be sitting here. I felt a sort of revelation about to happen, but this was not my place to be. I was just a stranger to them, wasn’t I?

“Clara. Please,” Dave whispered.

“Look. At. Me,” Clara said. “It’s alright. I’m here.”

His hands were shaking. He closed his eyes and started breathing heavily.

“I… I think I made them leave.”

“How?” I asked.

“I felt anger. And rage. And…”

“Just continue,” Clara said. She put her hand on his knee and squeezed slightly.

“It was just like in the school bathroom, Clara,” he said.

Clara just nodded slowly. She remained calm. And I noticed a change in the surrounding trees. They had been in a playful dance with the sun until now, but seemed to yield to the life giving rays. Knowingly. It became brighter, warmer.

Spring. It wasn’t spring. But it reminded me of it, just for this moment.

Dave continued, “I needed them to stop. I wanted them to stop. They hurt him. And I hurt them back.”

“What?” I said. That was my only response much of the time these days. Dave jerked his head toward me. His eyes.

“What did you do?” Clara said, not in an accusatory tone.

“They screamed,” Dave said, “and bolted. They ran out. Oh god, their screams…”

Aha.

“That’s not the answer to my question, Dave,” she said. She was right, and was holding his knee firmly.

“I don’t know, Clara. I wanted them to hurt, and they did. It happened again. I hope I didn’t hurt them too bad.”

“Oh who the fuck cares how they feel,” she said. Dave looked at her with a shocked expression. Sun.

It definitely was warmer now.

“This… solved our problem, I think?” she said, a little unsure.

Again, why was I here?

The air.

Clara placed both of her palms firmly on her legs and straightened her back. She closed her eyes and took a deep and deliberate breath. When she opened them back up, she looked directly at me and said, “I think it is time for us to address the elephant in the room.”

Me?

“Or maybe elephant is the wrong word here,” she said.

Dave looked at me, his head slightly tilted. He was confused. It was still getting warmer.

“I don’t know what you mean?” I said. Not sure if that worked.

She looked at Dave and smiled. Then she looked over at me, her face gentle. “It all makes sense now,” she said. “Dave. Do you remember the necklace that mom gave me? Do you remember what it said?”

“No? It said something?” Dave said.

“Yes, you idiot.” And she pulled a tiny golden necklace out of her blouse. She looked at it with a gentle smile, reached back behind her neck, and lifted her wavy black hair to open the necklace. She put the necklace in her hand, looked at it once more, and threw it at me. “Open it. Read it.”

The pendant was the same golden color as the cord itself. It was shaped like a half moon. Took me a second to figure out how it opened.

Fuck.

They were both looking at me. Clara never lost her smile, serene and content. She was strong, and magnificent. Dave was confused. He just looked… confused. But he was so handsome doing that.

There was a small inscription carved into the golden interior.

“Protect the wolf,” I read out loud.

Protect. The wolf.

Clara seemed to be the only one who had figured it all out. I clearly hadn’t. She giggled.

“You both are so clueless. Wow,” she said.

“Why do you have a necklace that says to protect a wolf?” I asked.

“Why did mom give you this? I’m not a wolf,” Dave said.

“Really, guys?” Clara’s smile was very wide now, her teeth sparkling in the sun. “Dave. When we found you in that basket at our doorstep, this necklace came with it. Mom gave it to me. I think she thought it meant you. Wolf. I don’t know, but she wanted me to have it, so I would protect my brother. I fell in love with you that very first day you entered our lives. Oh, if mom could be here. It all makes sense now,” she said. Her lower lip was trembling.

“But why wolf? No one ever used that nickname for me,” Dave said.

“She got it wrong. Wow, you’re slow to catch on. Grey is the wolf! Guys, come on,” Clara said.

“Why was Dave in a basket?” I asked. My ability to focus on the oddest thing in the moment shone brightly.

They both looked at me. Their eyebrows perfectly in sync when they arched one each. Their lips equally so when they pursed them. As if to wordlessly ask, ‘Really now?’

“I believe this narrative requires a clarifying Clara to move things along. Dave, Grey is a wolf. Werewolf? I don’t know how that works. Grey, Dave is a… something. He makes things happen. It happened before. And it happened last night. I think this is all tied to this place. You were meant to come here, both of you. And today is a good day,” she said.

“What about this place?” I asked.

“Oh for crying out loud, you are in The Lunar Haven, Grey. Please catch on,” she said.

“That’s just a name,” I said.

“Really? And when you arrived in the city, you came here. Why did you come here?” she asked.

“I…” I didn’t have a good answer. “I liked the name?” I said, but not exactly sure if that was the whole truth.

“What are you?” Dave said.

“What are you?” I responded.

“I’m just gonna watch you guys figure that out. It is entertaining,” Clara said.

By now, I felt hot. This wasn’t the fall anymore. It felt like spring, or even summer. Could the seasons change on a whim? What was happening? The warmth enveloped me fully, and suddenly, I was acutely aware of the contrast between the crisp, cool air of the fall, and the warmth of the sun that was now brighter and stronger than just ten minutes ago. It was like stepping from one season into another in the span of a heartbeat. But not fully so, it was a mix of them all. Would it start snowing soon?

Puzzled and a little disoriented, or mesmerized, I turned around, instinctively sniffing the air. The scent was unmistakable, but it was also intoxicating. Alluring. I was lost in it.

“See? He’s smelling something again,” Clara said.

I turned abruptly, facing them again, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Are you changing the weather?” I asked.

Both Dave and Clara suddenly looked around. Did they not feel this? A look of bewilderment on their faces.

“What is going on?” Clara said.

“It’s you, Dave,” I said. “It’s you doing this.”

Air—sun—spring—where did I? What?

“Oh god,” I said.

Beatrice. He smelled like Beatrice. He smelled like her magic, without the rot.

“I think I know your mother. Dave! Your eyes…” I said. They were shining, pulsating.

The weight of this revelation hung heavily in the air. An unbidden, raw energy began to emanate from Dave. So familiar. It was as if the very fabric of his being was reacting to this newfound knowledge, struggling to break free. Facing him, I couldn’t help but raise my arm towards him, like an instinctual pull. A gentle, radiant light began to emanate from my hand, its glow intensifying as it reached out towards his eyes.

Our lights met. The air around us seemed to pause, time slowing down. The world itself was holding its breath. The point in space where our lights coalesced transformed spectacularly—the golden hues were no longer constrained. The colors, all the colors.

I found you.

“I found you,” I said, a single tear sliding quietly down my cheek.

We were ripped out of our moment by a sharp clapping sound.

“Hello!? Earth to males!” Clara said, a little too loudly. She was clapping her hands, three times.

In an instant, my light retracted, and so did Dave’s. If it made a sound, and I’m not sure it did, it was without fanfare. I blinked, and looked at Clara.

“If you two are ever having sex, I don’t want this cosmic light show illuminating the street. Am I making myself clear?” she said.

What a fucking day.