The Enigma (The Loup-Garou Series Book 1) Read online

  He looked between her, the flat tire and her jeep, obviously debating on whether to take her help or not. Finally, he sighed and gave in. Katey felt a sliver of joy at the idea that she was proving herself useful for something.

  “Remind me to give you extra credit later,” he said as they took the spare tire out of the back of her jeep.

  Katey shook her head. “You don’t need to. I’ve got a passing grade in your class.”

  They rolled it across the parking lot as other students watched and whispered. Rumors might spread, but Katey could have cared less.

  “Yeah, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t give you something in return or pay for the spare,” he said as he jacked up the car and Katey made preparations to change out the tires. For once, she was glad for the driver’s education training she took a few summers ago, otherwise, she might not have had a clue how to do this.

  “Don’t worry about it. When you get a new one, just give me this tire back or something. How’d your tire go flat anyway?” she asked as he fixed the new tire into place.

  He seemed hesitant to tell her. “I must have ran over a screw on a dirt road. I didn’t realize it was flat until yesterday, but it seemed stable. I’m not a big fan of motorcars.”

  Katey’s attention snagged on the way that he referred to cars as a motorcar, rather than a vehicle. It was such an outdated term. Mr. Myers only appeared to be in his thirties, if that at all. He was much too young to use words like that.

  Mr. Myers finished up tightening the bolts one by one. Katey didn’t think he was that strong, and it took forever for him to tighten each bolt to the point he couldn’t tighten it anymore.

  He finished changing out the tire, slipped the flat one into his trunk and thanked her graciously as he climbed behind the drivers seat.

  Katey didn’t walk away just yet. She was focused on his eyes, watching for that shift in color like she had seen earlier. However, they remained the same hazel hue they always had been.

  Her staring did not go unnoticed. “Yes, Katey?” Mr. Myers asked as he revved up the engine.

  Katey shook her head and walked off, hoping that he didn’t think her a weirdo like everyone else. She barely cared about what her contemporaries thought of her, but she couldn’t stand the idea of one of her favorite teachers having a ill conceived idea that she was strange or odd.

  “Nothing. Have a nice weekend,” she called back as she ran to her own car. Katey started up the engine as soon as he pulled off school grounds.

  ***

  Katey pulled up in her jeep and parked just in front of the bookstore where she worked part-time. Beth was standing out front smoking a cigarette. When Katey angled out of her car, her friend threw the cigarette down and ground it into the red brick sidewalk with her heel.

  “You’re a little late,” Beth remarked as they walked into the store.

  “Yeah, sorry. I got held up at school. Just curious, are you going to that party tonight for the comet?” Katey asked as they entered into the back storeroom to don her apron and name tag.

  “Not really planning on it. Are you?” Beth asked as she pulled out her phone to check if her boyfriend had texted her. They’d only been dating for a few months now, but they talked constantly over text or chat. Katey had the misfortune of accompanying them on a date and they were sickeningly cute together. She envied their happiness.

  “Some people invited me and I figured I’d go, even if it’s just for a little while.”

  “What does your mom think about it?” Beth asked, shooting her a wary look.

  “Why should I care what she thinks?” Katey muttered, careful to keep the venom out of her tone at the thought of Mary.

  “Well, wouldn’t she be worried about you staying out so late?”

  “You know Mary doesn’t give a rip about what I do or don’t do anymore.” Katey sighed as she led the way out of the backroom into the store.

  The store was relatively empty most of the day. Occasionally their usual customers would come in, browse the same section of books and leave. The store was painted in earth tones with dark brown carpet. Books and magazines were shelved along the walls with half a dozen rows of bookcases in the center. The owner of the store sat up in the front and manned the cashier’s desk.

  Beth peered in disbelief at Katey. “I don’t know if I believe that sometimes.”

  Katey shrugged and began shelving books from a donation bin. “She’s just a foster mother. She gets those tax breaks just to feed me and keep a roof over my head, not to care if I’m out carousing at some lame party.”

  “I know, but it’s still kind of sad. Do you think you’ll move out after graduation?” Beth joined her in shelving the books.

  Katey’s lips tightened into a thin line. “I don’t know. I don’t have anywhere to go yet. I don’t make enough to afford my own apartment or anything. I already looked.”

  “Well, you know if I didn’t have my two siblings I’d let you stay with me.”

  “I know and thanks for the offer,” Katey replied, giving her an assuring smile.

  Even if it were possible, Katey wasn’t sure she’d want to move in with Beth. It’d be such a crowded house with a big family like that and it would take her a long time to get used to it. Not only that, but Katey didn’t want to risk the friendship that she and Beth had.

  In the back of her mind was the nagging warning to not let anyone close, to keep her distance and not screw things up with her sour mood swings. No, for now, it was better to keep her distance or live alone; at least until this discontented phase passed.

  ***

  Katey followed the paper signs that were posted up on the side of the road as she drove out of town. For the first time in a long time, she felt something. Butterflies. She’d never been to a party like this before and hardly knew what to expect.

  She nearly missed the turn down the dirt road and came upon what would have been a beautiful open field. Cars and trucks were parked along the outside of the field near the tree line while in the center was a huge bonfire and what looked like half of the student body dancing around it.

  She could already hear the loud music that was blaring from someone’s stereo system, the obnoxious laughter and hysterical chatter. The butterflies metamorphosed into vicious beetles that clawed at her nerves.

  She didn’t want to be here at all. Already she was growing agitated at the thought of being around so many people. But, she knew she had to try.

  Katey slung her hands deep into her hoodie pouch and stepped out into the cold night air. She meandered around, searching for a friendly familiar face. She knew Beth wouldn’t be here, but there were still other girls she hung out with on a regular basis at school that might be there.

  It was a total scene of debauchery with students smoking and getting drunk off the cheap beer someone brought in kegs and administered from the back of their pickup truck. Some couples were dancing, but the rest were mingling. No one noticed her, the outcast lurking in the shadows just beyond the rim of firelight.

  The party was supposedly for the comet, but it was turning out to be just another excuse to pass the time in a boring town on Friday night. The moon was already making its appearance above the jagged tree tops and they would all miss the big event that only came every eighteen years.

  Katey couldn’t find a single person she knew well enough to talk with. With a huff of frustration, she went back to her jeep and sped away from the party. She knew this was going to be a waste of time.

  She didn’t want to go home, but she had nowhere else to go. Mary, her foster mother, would be home by now and the last thing Katey wanted was another altercation with her.

  There were not that many places to go in Crestucky. There was a movie theater that played only outdated movies, a skating rink and a bowling alley, but all of those things seemed about as interesting as the party did. Nothing interested her anymore. Katey had heard about how debilitating depression could be, but this was ridiculous. There had to be a wa
y to shake this despondency.

  Then a thought entered her mind and she smiled.

  Katey made her way back into town and turned off onto a sparsely populated road. It winded for miles until the road became dirt instead of pavement and trees closed in on either side.

  A few miles more and she found herself at a dead end and a graveyard. It was a cemetery she had been to a few times before, but not for the reason most would assume.

  Katey always thought graveyards to be peaceful places. They provided a quiet, secluded place for meditation and deep thinking. If anyone were to walk past her, they’d think she were mourning over a loved one and leave her alone.

  And tonight, she needed solitude to think.

  The sky was clear and the moon gave enough light that allowed Katey to read the writing on the stones. Katey parked the car and wandered amongst the graves. Her steps were slow, her shoes treading across the well-worn path between the rows of stones and statues. This graveyard wasn’t monitored or gated, allowing anyone to visit at any time of the day or night. She could take her time and breathe in the earthy smell of the woods that surrounded her. Maybe later she would take a trip amid the trees too.

  One plot of land was for a couple who had died early in their marriage, another for an infant who was born and died in the same day. Another was for a child who apparently had died of cancer at the youthful age of five.

  Such tragedy, such loss. Sometimes Katey wondered if she’d become insensible to it all. There might have been a time when she’d feel her heart ache for the deaths of these people. But, just like the past year, she felt nothing.

  Katey found a comfortable corner of the cemetery next to a grave of a boy who died during his eighteenth year.

  She stared at the quote engraved in the cold, unforgiving stone. “Good night, I love you. See you in the morning.”

  Katey never understood what the quote meant.

  She closed her eyes and let herself relax. She found herself smiling and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was the cool gentle breeze that played in her hair, or the chorus of nocturnal insects that surrounded her so completely.

  It was that inexplicable serenity that she hungered for. The effects went deep, seeping into her. She wanted to laugh with relief. Maybe this was her breakthrough. That’s all she needed. A breakthrough. Something to stimulate the dead soul inside of her.

  A twinge of bewilderment touched her mind as she began to wonder what exactly changed to make her feel this way. It couldn’t have been her surroundings alone. She’d taken a trip to this same cemetery a month ago and she felt nothing then. Maybe the moon? Maybe the comet that was to come soon? Or maybe…

  “Someone you knew?”

  Katey’s heart jolted. She gasped and looked behind her, staring up at the figure of a stranger.

  She couldn’t see him well because the moon’s rays shone from behind him, shadowing many of his features. He was no more than a silhouette in her sight and he was far too close for comfort.

  She didn’t hear him walk up. It took her a few minutes to recuperate from her minor heart attack before she could talk or breath.

  “What?” Katey asked, forgetting what the stranger had just said. He chuckled a little; his laugh was so deep she could feel the sound waves vibrate in the earth. Katey shuddered.

  “Was he someone you knew?” he asked again, motioning his head to the grave plot.

  Katey looked at the tombstone and shook her head, sitting up straight again and avoiding the urge to look up. She knew she shouldn’t be talking to strangers, especially in a dark place, out in the middle of nowhere. She then remembered that her cell phone was in her car, so far away that if she needed help she couldn’t even call for it.

  Fear flooded through her, but would not latch its claws around her heart just yet. She was afraid, but not that afraid. It was as if two conflicting emotions were battling with each other inside her. She trembled for a second or two, but then she inhaled and the peace came with the air in her lungs. It was a tug of war that she couldn’t comprehend or accurately explain.

  “Then why are you just sitting here?” he asked.

  Katey looked up at him, perplexed and suddenly brave. “Why are you here asking me why I’m staring at his grave? Was he someone you knew?”

  The stranger shrugged and shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. I was just curious if you did.”

  “How long have you been standing there?” she asked accusingly. “I didn’t even hear you walk up.” Her eyes flitted over him, but she still couldn’t make out too many details. If she could, perhaps she could tip the balance over these conflicting emotions.

  The stranger chuckled again, sending oddly pleasant chill bumps down Katey’s spine. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  He then stepped forward and sat down next to Katey.

  Katey bolted from the bench and backed away under the shade of a nearby elm. She could see him clearly now.

  His hair was black as the night sky above with very thin blonde highlights that looked natural in the way they weaved through his hair. Yet, the color combination was so peculiar.

  In the moonlight, his almond shaped eyes appeared light blue, almost grey, a striking contrast to his dark hair and tanned skin. A slender tapering strip of dark stubble traced along his bold jaw. His features were strikingly handsome; so much that Katey had a hard time holding in a grin. To have him looking straight at her like that gave her thrills unimaginable.

  The scale was tipped in favor of trusting him, but her mind would not trust her heart in this matter. Even the most beautiful roses had thorns.

  Katey looked him up and down warily, remembering every detail of his appearance and outfit in case she had to repeat it again for a police report. What stood out most about his fashion was the black and blue paisley bandana tied loosely around his neck. The colors nearly matched his hair and eyes. No one wore things like that anymore, but he pulled it off well.

  He looked up to her and smiled, his eyes smiling with him. “Wow, I’m sorry. I’m being a bit forward, aren’t I?”

  Katey scoffed. “Try creepy and forward.”

  The stranger then stood up and offered his hand out to her to shake. She eyed it suspiciously and scrutinized him in the dim light.

  “My name’s Logan. And yours?”

  “Why should I tell you?” she asked, still skeptical.

  “Because I was kind enough to tell you and it’d be rude to not give me your name as well.”

  There was an old world characteristic of him that she couldn’t quite place and it didn’t make sense with his so modern style. It was in the way he smiled, the way he looked at her, his mannerisms, and the aura he emanated.

  Katey stared into his eyes. They seemed to have a certain luster to them that she couldn’t describe. It almost looked like he really cared what her name was and wasn’t just trying to be polite. It made her feel valued somehow. That was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

  She took a deep breath and replied, “My name’s Katey.”

  Logan retracted his hand that she had refused to shake. “I’m assuming that’s short for Katherine?”

  “What would it matter?”

  Logan grinned. “Boy, are you the edgy one.”

  “I kind of have a right to be,” she retorted. “You just showed up out of nowhere and I’m all alone out here. For all I know, you could be a murdering rapist or something.”

  Logan’s smile faded. “But, I’m not.”

  “How can I know that?”

  “If I was, I would have done it already.”

  Katey had to admit that he had a point. She glanced towards the parking lot and her jeep. She wondered if she could make a run for it. She looked back to Logan and he was still gazing down at her with a look of contentment. It was eerie, but oddly comforting at the same time. Even if she wanted to run, her feet wouldn’t respond. They were listening to her heart, not her head.

  Katey stepped forward and extended h
er hand to him. He gave her a friendly grin and shook it firmly and briefly. His hands were warm, she recalled.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Katey,” he said.

  “Yeah, you too, I guess,” she replied, trying to hold in the smile that was threatening to show on her lips. “So, what are you doing out here? Visiting someone?

  Logan shook his head. “No, not really. I just come here sometimes to relax and get away from things. A graveyard is the perfect place to be alone, don’t you think?”

  Katey was stunned. That’s exactly how she felt, but she wasn’t about to admit it. She wasn’t ready to let her guard down just yet. “Except right now. Neither of us is alone.”

  Logan sniggered. “I suppose so. Why are you out here then?”

  Katey pause, wondering what she should reveal and what she shouldn’t. “I just came from a party and I came here instead of going home,” she replied, looking away to the flourishing grass on top of the grave.

  She couldn’t help herself but glance at his ragged jeans. They didn’t look like the kind of jeans that could be bought with holes already in them. These looked like they were torn up naturally.

  “Why didn’t you stay at the party?” he asked. His voice was mature, deep and oddly soothing, like a balm to her rattled nerves.

  “It was boring and I didn’t know anyone there. They were all just dancing and drinking. Not my kind of scene.”

  Logan laughed. “But graveyards are?”

  Katey felt flustered. “Well, no… Not really… I don’t know.”

  “Sorry, it was just a question. Didn’t mean to rile you.” He waved his hands up in a gesture of apology.

  Katey shrugged and looked away. “I guess I came here for the same reasons you did… I spend all day being around people and sometimes I just need to get away and be with myself for a change.”

  Logan nodded and smiled. “Well, then let’s be alone together. Follow me.”

  Logan then turned and walked off towards the center of the cemetery. He had a peculiar walk; smooth and graceful, yet masculine and commanding. He stopped and looked back at Katey with an encouraging smile.