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I walk past the silent and empty shacks, on the way to mine. Isabel is still staying there. She’s expressed a desire to keep it as her temporary home, as she’s already gotten used to it. Of course, I agreed. Her well-being is all that matters right now. Our business can slow down, then pick up again, it’s a wavy line. Never steady, always changing. But her health is crucial for us all, in more ways than she herself understands.
I don’t know if this is a good idea. Actually, I think it probably isn’t, but I can’t stop myself. I reach my shack and I try the door. It gives in to my pressure and opens up easily. The place is dark. Even the small lamp has decided to take a nap, along with Isabel. I can see just vague shadows of objects I usually recognize. Slowly, I walk over to the bed, with a slumbering body in it. She is lying on her side, facing me. I can’t see her sleeping. I’m simply assuming she is, from the way her body rises then lowers down again. A few crickets are heard from the outside, followed by some other soothing sounds of the night in the woods. I always thought, there’s nothing more restful than a night somewhere in the woods. The city can never come close to it. So, why am I going to wake her up now?
I reach out to her and press my hand gently on her shoulder. She doesn’t move. She’s sleeping too deeply. I try to shake her a little and she releases that sweet sound, some mumbling, some moaning, but she doesn’t seem to wake up quite yet.
“Isabel,” I whisper her name and she stirs a little.
Her head suddenly jerks up and even though I can’t see her face clearly in the dark, I’m sure that her eyes are wide open. I immediately reach out and turn the little lamp on.
“Theron!” she sounds surprised to see me. “Is anything wrong?”
She looks like she’s about to jump out of bed and spring into action.
“No, no,” I speak calmly, assuring her that everything is fine.
“What is it then?” she wonders, her eyes glazed and dreamy. If I let her close them for longer than a single second, I’m sure she’d immediately drift off back to sleep.
“There should be a meteor shower in about an hour or two,” I tell her, hoping that this doesn’t sound like a stupid thing to wake someone up for. “With everything that’s been going on, I thought maybe you’d like to see something like that.”
She looks confused for a moment, her eyelashes batting in the darkness that’s now partly illuminated, as if the moon is in the room with us. She props herself up on her elbows, then glances over at the chair. Only then do I realize that her clothes are lying on it.
“Could you get me my clothes, please?” she asks, a little smile dancing in the corner of her mouth.
“Oh, yes, of course, of course,” I rush over and bring them back to her.
Politely, I take a few steps to the door.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” I tell her.
“You can just turn around,” she tells me, sending ripples of excitement through the relatively calm pond of my heart. I do as she tells me.
In the darkness, I hear her moving, as her shadow spreads across the floor, dancing, her arms stretching out and long legs pointing to some invisible spot on the wall. I wait for her further instructions. Some more commotion and a moment later, I find her standing next to me. She smells of comfortable beds, of warm glasses of milk just before bedtime. I just want to take her in my arms and go back inside with her, but I resist the temptation.
“I’m ready,” she grins, beaming brighter than that lamp in the corner.
“Let’s go,” I smile back, leading the way out.
As we walk silently, I wonder if she’ll ask about Dex or Zarael. Will she insist on inviting them to come along? If she does, I can’t say I’ve got a good enough reason to say no. All I can do is hope. She treads carefully by my side and by the time we’ve left the shacks behind, I’m relieved. It’ll be just the two of us. I’ll be able to sip her words slowly and all her smiles will be just for me.
I lead her to a small clearing in the middle of the woods, not far away from the shacks. I’d like to go in deeper, much deeper. But, it’s not a good idea to go too far away. Even though Leo hasn’t done anything yet, this doesn’t mean he’s not planning to. The forest is dark, darker than any hidden corner of a room could ever be. And, scarier, too. But she doesn’t seem afraid. She walks straight to the middle of the clearing and looks high up. The sky is dark blue, without a single cloud visible. The moon is hidden, so we should have a good view of the meteor shower.
“This place is something else,” she tells me, still gazing up, so that her swan-like neck stretches long. “Is the lake near here?”
“No, not really,” I shake my head, minding my step. “We’re on the other side.”
“Oh,” she sounds a little disappointed.
The lake is Zarael’s spot. From the first time we were here, we all chose a special place that we now call our own. There was a silent agreement about it and for me, this is it. There is nothing special about this clearing. Zarael’s lake is beautiful, especially when the morning sun bathes in it. No doubt about it. Dex has his gym shack, or whatever he calls that place. It’s not my thing, but I must admit, I did use it once or twice. It’s great, if you enjoy that sort of thing, of course. Dean likes to wander the woods with his bird watching notebook and just bird watch. Even now, that sounds a little ridiculous. A bear shifter who likes bird watching. But, I guess, that’s what makes him more human and less like a shifter. Less like an animal. For me, this clearing represents simplicity in its truest form. Nature takes care of it. Nature makes sure that the weeds and wildflowers that grow here are maintained. I don’t have to do anything. I just come here and let the fragrances wash over me. It’s all about being here, not about doing anything.
As I look at Isabel, I realize that she understands it. She can feel the simplicity in the same way I can. I walk over to her and stand by her side. We both gaze at the empty sky, listening to the sound of each other’s breathing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done this,” she giggles a little as she says that, the sound of a little girl’s awe at trying that long-awaited candy for the first time.
“Woke up in the middle of the night?” I ask her.
“Woke up in the middle of the night and went out star gazing,” she corrects me.
“How is it?”
