THE ONLY WAY IS TO COME HOME

Grace

“You have to go back Grace… it is the only way, you know it is”

I looked at Rakkel like I wanted to argue, the goddess knows I did… to much time had passed, too many things had happened. A lot had happened to me in the course of running away, form the pack.

Did I make all of that sacrifice just so I could go back five years later?

 “M-mummy my head hurts”

I looked down at my beautiful daughter with tears in my eyes as I forced myself to smile “it is ok baby, you are going to be fine, and you just have to close your eyes and sleep”

“I need to talk to you for a second” Rakkel said.

I turned to Otto “Stay with your sister ok, mummy just wants to talk to aunty Rakkie real quick”

Otto nodded his head and tried to puff out his chest like he was not only a few minutes older than his sister “you don’t have to worry mummy I will protect her”

I smiled and kissed the top of his head “I love you baby”

He frowned and cleaned the top of his head “I am not a baby”

“No matter what you will always be my baby” I said.

I looked at them for one long second before following after Rakkel. Sometimes, I was jealous of my children, the way they loved each other so fiercely, the way they protected each other.

I never had that for myself.

“What?”

I asked the moment Rakkel and I were out of earshot. I don’t know why but I pretended to play dumb, even though somewhere deep in my heart I knew what she was trying to say.

“You have to tell your children the truth Grace”

I folded my arms “you think I don’t know that?  I just…” I trailed off. Frustrated tears stung at my eyelids, and I began picking at my nails trying to get myself to calm down.

Rakkel looked down and took both my hands in hers, “I know this is hard but you have no other choice.., your kids cannot keep on thinking that they are sick”

“But this is not normal Rakkie, the signs are meant to show when they are around seven or something, five… it is too early” I said.

Then that fear took over me, the same one that always appeared whenever I thought about him….

I refused to let him take control of my life. He was dead I had made sure of it. No harm was ever going to come to my babies again.

They had been through far too much.

“Talk to me, Grace”

“Do you think that this has something to do with me? What he… what he did to me?”

I wanted her to tell me that it was not true, that it was all in my head, but there was this look of worry in her eyes that chilled me, deep in my bones… there might be a possibility that I was right. And that terrified me.

A sob broke out of my throat “Oh God…what have I done?”

Rakkel tightened her grip on me, grounding me “you have to get a hold of yourself, Grace…. It doesn’t matter he is dead now!”

“But my kids-”

“Will be fine Grace, but you know that this is not the right place to raise them”

I nodded my head “yeah, you are right. I have put this off for way too long”

“You are the strongest woman I know Grace, nothing will happen to your children”

I pulled her into a hug “thank you”

I met Rakkie during one of the worst moments of my life, after I had escaped from that monster with two little children on my back.

When she found out I was a werewolf she did not run away from me, she did not hurt me or call me an abomination constantly like he did… she took me in, and my children too and we have been best friends ever since.

“We should-”

“Ahhhhhhh!!!!”

I panicked the moment that I heard my daughter scream in agony, and in that moment, my blood ran cold.  I turned and rushed over to the living room.

“It hurts mummy!” he little voice sounded so broken. Otto was by her side with her hand in his, he looked devastated. “Mummy she is hurt”

I rushed over to the two of them “Faith darling, its ok I’ve got you” I was trying to keep myself from crying but she... she was in so much pain,  twisting and turning as  tears rushing down her eyes. She was sweating.

I quickly pulled off all of her clothes and carried her to the tub filled with cold water and a little wolvesbane.

I knew it was wrong, the wolvesbane was only temporary and would stop working the minute she turned…. But it was all I could do right now.

She settled down the moment she was inside the water.

I ran my hands through her hair softly “are you ok baby?” I asked and she nodded with her eyes closed…. She looked a bit pale.

“I fine mummy you don’t have to worry”

“How can I not worry hmm?” I asked.

“If mummy worries I’ll worry too” she said and I kissed the top of her forehead “I am not worried anymore angel, I know that you are a fighter”

Soon she was asleep and I tucked her into bed, she needed the rest.

Otto place his hand in mine “Why does she always hurt more than me?” Otto asked and I knelt down tube on eyelevel with him “I don’t know, but she will be ok” I said.

“I wish none of us would hurt anymore” he said and I nodded “me too”

I took a deep breath “Otto, remember when I told you and your sister that this is not our home?” I asked and he nodded “yes, you said that where we came from was magical”

I nodded and I forced a smile “it seems that we have to go back home… it is the only way to get help” I said,

He nodded “its ok mummy” he said and I hugged him.

“I love you so much” I said.

“Mummy, since we are going home, do we get to see dad?”

I took a deep breath.

I knew this moment would come, and I had spent years trying to avoid it, but as it seems the past always has a way of catching up to you.

I nodded my head “yes, we will see your father.”