Page 23 of Bearly Familiar


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“I have no idea where to start,” he commenced his story slowly, as if every word was draining strength from his body, “I guess what happened tonight would be a good start. The guy you saw, the guy Jesse fought, was sent here for a reason. A very specific reason. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, I hoped that we managed to hide well, but I was wrong.”

He paused, as if this story was causing him physical pain. Rene allowed him to continue at his own pace, curious to what she would eventually find out about these two mysterious men.

“Remember, I told you once that I was born far away from here,” he looked at Jesse and smiled at him, “we both were. We belonged, and I guess we still belong, no matter how much we’d like to escape that truth, to a clan of special people.”

“Are you talking about a cult or something?” Rene asked.

She immediately thought of Charles Manson and all those people who willingly lived there with him, and believed every single thing he told them, even up to the point where they drank poison and committed suicide, simply because he promised them a glorious afterlife. She wondered if that was the kind of clan Hyde was talking about.

“In a way, it can be seen as a cult,” Hyde nodded in agreement. “No one is ever allowed to leave. It’s considered the ultimate betrayal.”

“How come you left then?” she wondered.

“We escaped,” Jesse explained.

“Exactly,” Hyde confirmed. “It was a lifestyle we didn’t want any longer. It was all we knew at that point, and yet, we also knew that there was so much more waiting for us beyond the confines of our imposed family. So, we did the only thing we could do. We took off. Unfortunately, this is not where the story ends.”

There was a sadness in his voice as he spoke, and for a brief second, she regretted making him tell this painful story.

“But, before I continue, you need to know one thing. Our clan is…” he sighed, “is a clan of bear shifters.”

He waited for this realization to settle in. He knew that the world of people found these things ridiculous, out of the simple reason that they refused to believe it as true. He had always wondered if Rene was like everyone else. His own wife was no different. She laughed in his face when he told her this, and even up to this day, he was sure that she didn’t believe a word he told her about his origin. That one hurt more than her betrayal, more than her sleeping with another man behind his back. He could only hope that Rene would be unlike most other humans.

“Bear shifters?” Rene repeated.

There was no ridicule in her voice, only amazement.

“Yes,” Hyde nodded.

“You mean, you can turn into bears?” she asked again.

“Yes,” Hyde repeated. “Everyone in our clan has that ability. But, it’s a very painful process, one we don’t undergo just for sh

ow, but when we actually need to.”

Rene listened to him talk. He truly believed everything he was saying. She looked at Jesse.

“And, you confirm this?” she inquired.

“Absolutely,” Jesse nodded zealously. “I know it sounds crazy. If I were you, I’d think we’re crazy, too. But, he’s really telling you the truth.”

“OK,” Rene concluded, “let’s assume I believe this crazy idea that humans can somehow transform into bears, then what happened?”

She eyed them both carefully. Maybe they both escaped the lunatic asylum and the guy who was here was trying to get them back? In that case, wouldn’t they come with a white van, and a whole load of doctors and male nurses, instead of sending one guy in the middle of the night?

No matter how hard she tried, no reasonable explanation seemed to make any sense. Then, she remembered what Sherlock Holmes always used to say.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

“You believe us?” Hyde asked.

“I agree to a willing suspension of disbelief,” she confirmed, “for the time being, at least.”

She still couldn’t wrap her head around it, but she was willing to believe him. After all, doesn’t everyone wish that magic was still alive in the modern world?

“Thank you for that,” Hyde smiled weakly, and Jesse did the same.

Out of nothing, a bond was suddenly forged between these three people. Small, but unbreakable and permanent, one person’s compassion and understanding built a bridge of togetherness that was about to make her embark on a journey of a lifetime. She had no idea where she would end up, but Rene Olsen always yearned for an adventure of a lifetime, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to let go and try it out. Sometimes, taking a risk paid off.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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