Alpha's Solace (Black Moon Saga Book 1)

Kylie glances at the clock on the wall in the kitchen for the thousandth time that day. This is the third day that she’s been alone with her baby brother, Jonah, in the small but cozy cabin she shares with her family. Noticing that the small hand on the clock is almost to the next red mark that her mother made to show when Jonah needs another bottle, she can’t help her worried thoughts. I hope Mama comes back soon because the baby’s milk is almost empty. Mama didn’t say what to do if the milk is gone! Things have been weird lately. One morning, about a week ago, her father was missing at the kitchen table for breakfast. When she asked where Papa was, Mama said he had to leave to go to work during the night and would be back once he was finished. Papa is a doctor and people call him even when he isn’t at work if they need his help. His leaving isn’t particularly out of the ordinary, but the fact that he hasn’t called or come back all week is odd, to say the least. Three days ago, before Mama left, Kylie could tell she was really starting to worry about his absence. Kylie was concerned too, but always trying to be a big girl and stay brave, she didn’t want to bother Mama about it too much. The tears were only allowed to come when she was alone, and she kept trying to convince herself there were good reasons why he was still gone. Maybe somebody is really sick and he’s just busy, she would think to herself as she went about her chores and helped her mother take care of Jonah. It was usually Papa who went into town to get groceries and supplies, but with him gone it was up to Mama when their supplies began to run low, and he still wasn't back. That was strange too. Usually, Papa would find time to get what they needed even if he had to work all day, and he never would have left them there without enough supplies to get them through while he was gone. Kylie watched Mama pace around the family room all that morning, biting her nails and mumbling to herself. She seemed anxious about having to leave, and especially nervous about taking the children with her. Kylie, always the brave helper, tried to think of how she could make her mother feel better. “It’s okay, Mama. I know how to take care of Jonah for just a little while,” she reminded her mother. “You can go, and I’ll stay here with him. We’ll be safe.” She reached out and tried to rub gentle, soothing circles on her mother’s back the same way that Mama always did for her when she was upset. Her mother reached out and softly rubbed her thumb across Kylie’s cheek. “You’re always such a big girl. I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Mama thought for a moment, then sighed and got up from the ottoman next to the fireplace where she’d been seated and went to the kitchen. “I suppose you could handle things for just a couple hours if I go out and come right back,” she admitted as she took down the clock from the wall in the kitchen. After removing the face from the clock, she used a red marker to add dots next to every third number. Replacing the face of the clock and then returning it to the wall, she turned to Kylie and explained, “When the little hand reaches one of these numbers with the red dots and the big hand is at twelve, it’s time for Jonah to have a bottle.” Then she reminded Kylie of how to make the bottle and test that it wasn’t too warm and went over all the other instructions that Kylie already had memorized about how to care for her baby brother. Satisfied that her daughter knew what she was doing, Mama then retrieved her heavy green corduroy coat from the hooks next to the door and put on her shiny black boots. She picked Jonah up from his bassinet, cuddled him to her chest for a moment, and kissed his soft, chubby baby cheeks, relishing in the feel of his delicate skin and his comforting baby smell. Returning him to his cradle, she then reached out to embrace Kylie and kiss her forehead. “You be good, and keep you both safe,” she told her. “No going outside until your father or I get back, and don’t answer the door or let anyone in while we’re gone. And remember to keep an eye on the clock, sweetheart. It’s okay to play and do normal inside things, just don’t forget to feed and change your brother.” After gently placing an additional kiss on each of her daughter’s cheeks, Mama stood and started walking to the door. With her hand on the knob, she turned and addressed Kylie one last time. “I’ll be back soon. Love you, my babies!” Kylie giggled to herself as she watched her mother leave the house. I’m not a baby anymore, silly Mama, she thought to herself. As if to prove it, she went to her brother and picked him up to hold him, like the big girl she was. At six years old, she could already read, write, and do a lot of basic mathematics computations quickly in her head. She helped with cooking, cleaning, and of course caring for the baby, and when Papa was around, he let her help with things like chopping wood and making repairs around the home. She was also tall and strong for her age, and anyone who didn’t know her would have assumed she was at least a couple years older. With Jonah in her arms, she watched her mother trek down the driveway and then along the road that leads into town from where they live near the edge of the woods. Since Papa had taken their only vehicle with him when he left, Mama had to walk her way into town. It was starting to get cold outside as the season shifted into the beginning of winter, and Kylie said a silent prayer to herself, hoping that her mother would stay safe and warm and come back to them quickly. Now three days later, Kylie is the one who has been pacing through the house worrying about what to do. She tried using the phone in her parents’ bedroom, but when she picked it up it didn’t make any sound. She knows it’s supposed to make a sound if it’s working, but it's no matter. It’s not like she knows anyone to call besides Papa anyway. Mama already tried calling Papa at least a half dozen times before she left, but there was no answer and he never responded to any of the messages she left for him. Mama doesn't have her own phone because she never leaves the house without Papa, so there’s no way to call her either. Kylie doesn’t know anyone else, not really, though she does remember the time not long ago when Papa took her into town to meet his friend. With her surprisingly good memory, she is pretty sure that she could remember the way to get there if she really tries. There are a few obvious problems with this plan, though. First, Mama told her not to go outside. But she did also say she wouldn’t be gone long, so it could be that because Mama has been gone a long time and the baby is almost out of milk, the part about not leaving gets canceled out. Second, if Kylie leaves then there will be no one to take care of Jonah, which means she will have to take him with her. She knows she can carry him around the house just fine, but whether she can handle carrying him all the way into town is the real question. Papa has always said she is the strongest kid he knows, though, and she hopes that means she is strong enough to handle it, since it’s important. The last problem she worries about is the cold, and now the snow that has been softly falling all day. She could bundle them both up as much as possible, but it still might not be enough to keep them warm all the way into town. It didn’t take Papa long to drive them there by car, but people walk much more slowly than cars drive. It might be far and take a long time on foot. Besides, so many layers of clothes might make it harder to carry Jonah. Kylie paces back and forth, gently bouncing him in her arms as she walks, rubbing his back as she thinks it over. Eventually she decides she just needs to do it. She needs to go get help or they will both starve, and maybe a grown-up from the town will know where their parents have gone or at least how to find them. With her new plan in place, Kylie tends to her brother one last time, and then packs a small bag with the rest of his formula, some diapers, and spare clothes for him. She bundles him up as well as she can with multiple layers of warm clothes and his snowsuit, and then dresses herself similarly in warm layers topped by her coat, boots, two pairs of gloves, and a heavy over-sized winter hat. Strapping the bag to her back, she attempts to lift her brother and get a feel for how challenging it will be to carry him like this. So far, so good, she thinks to herself as she carries him to the door, shifting his weight a bit so that she can open it, and then steps outside with him in her arms. He gurgles softly against her chest, and she smiles at his baby mannerisms. Thankfully, it is the middle of the day, and the wind isn’t whipping around the way it was the day before. Kylie starts to walk toward the road, looking around and trying to remember the way. Once she gets to the end of the driveway, a familiar landmark helps her feel a bit more confident. There’s a tree just a little way down from the driveway that she remembers pointing out to Papa when he drove her to town. Assuring herself that this must be the way, she takes comfort in knowing that it won’t be long now before she and her brother are safe, warm, and have lots and lots to eat.