The 'Uncle'
1364 Words
It had been a couple of weeks since Marianne had told Helena about her past, and Helena’s future.
Helena sighed, it still didn’t quite make sense, and she was still having dreams, but she felt more prepared. It was her 18th birthday in a couple of days, and her mum was preparing her for meeting her wolf.
She couldn’t help but feel excited, part of her had always felt a little lonely, and she wondered if this was why, if there was a missing piece of her she had been waiting for.
A tap on her bedroom door made her jump. Her dad checking she was awake before he headed back out.
“I’m up! Don’t worry.”
“Ok Love.” And he headed off down the stairs.
It had been hard, the first couple of days. She had come down the next morning and found her dad drinking his coffee, dark circles under his eyes and a red tinge that must have come from crying too.
She had thrown her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, taking in his smell, of his jacket, hay, and coffee.
He had held her tightly until she was ready to let go. Holding her arms he had told her that no matter where she was from, and where she was going, he was always her dad, and he would always love her.
Looking out the window, tears threatened to overflow her eyes again at the memory, it just goes to show, blood doesn’t make a family.
She picked up her hairbrush, school again. It felt almost pointless now. She knew she didn’t really belong in the human world. Marianne had told her that maybe the Moon Goddess was looking over her, and that’s why she hadn’t heard back from any universities, because she wouldn’t be going to any.
There were werewolf run schools she could attend, if she wanted to. They still had professionals, lawyers, Doctors, Veterinarians etc, but it would be in a community that would understand her. Help her.
She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, she felt older, like she was no longer a child, I guess when you know more about yourself, your naivety fades, and you grow a bit wiser.
Helena chuckled to herself, maybe anyway. It would be nice if she was wiser. Though she would have to see over time. She pulled her lilac top straight and fastened a gold necklace with a tiny pearl on it around her neck.
She had always worn gold, she had asked her mother about the Silver superstition, if it was true she couldn’t touch it or that it could kill her. It turns out it could kill her, but wearing it was an old wives tale, werewolves could touch it, but it felt uncomfortable, and stopped them changing or communicating with their wolves. Some werewolves wore it on purpose, if they were in the human world. Her mother had never used it, she wanted to keep her wolf close with her.
Grabbing her bag she headed down the stairs, her mother stood in the kitchen as always, the comfort of the routine made Helena happy, and she grabbed some toast on the way out the door.
“See you later Mum, Love you.”
Hearing the bus in the distance, she ran up the track.
********************************************************
It had been a long day at school, everyone feeling excited for the upcoming holidays, the sun shining, good moods all around. Lucy had been chatting about their summer plans and if Helena might finally date Adam. Giggling she nudged Helena when he walked by.
It had made Helena feel sad all of a sudden, a chosen mate sounded glamorous, but really, it was taking her experiences away, how could she ever go on a date with Adam, and enjoy it, or have Adam fall in love with her. That just wouldn’t be fair. So she had excused herself away from Lucy and gone to her next class quickly before it could get awkward.
Pushing open the farmhouse door she jumped. There was a tall man sat at the kitchen table with her mother.
“Sorry, I didn’t know we had a guest.”
Marianne turned and smiled, “Helena this is Dean, your Uncle.”
Helena gasped. “Uncle?!”
Marianne and Dean looked at each other.
“Well” Dean cleared his throat. “Not exactly ‘Uncle’, not biologically. But I was fostered by your Fathers family a long time ago."
“My father Michael?” Helena pulled out a chair and sat down.
“That’s right.”
Marianne stood up and went to the fridge, “Do you want a drink Dean? I didn’t ask earlier.”
“Yes please, anything is fine.” He turned back to Helena. “I’m sorry Helena, this must all be a shock for you, your mother was just telling me you only found out recently about your werewolf side. It’s a lot to take in.”
Helena nodded, he wasn’t wrong.
“So why are you here? Sorry, it’s just I’ve never heard of you before, you’ve never visited, and now you’re here?”
Marianne put a glass of cold apple juice down on the table in front of Dean and sat back down.
“So when I got here years ago, there was only one person I knew I could trust, so I wrote Dean a letter, telling him where we were. Over the years he has sent news, letting me know what’s been going on. Keeping the truth of us being alive a secret.”
Helena looked at Dean, he didn’t look that old, maybe mid thirties, with shaggy brown hair and deep brown eyes, but her mother didn’t look her age either, so maybe that was a werewolf thing.
He was strong and tall, obviously physically fit. Was this all werewolves?
“Dean is here with news Helena, you need to hear what he has to say.”
Dean took a long sip of his drink and looked over at Helena, beautiful like her mother, but the colouring of her grandmother, blonde with those blue eyes, he could see that her father’s genes hadn’t touched her at all. She was all Gwyn Rose.
“I had to come in person, with it being so close to your 18th birthday, I knew if you needed to travel, I could go with you, keep you safe.”
He glanced over at Marianne, she looked so pale and anxious. She had been hiding all these years, pretending to be human.
“Helena, your mother tells me that she has told you about the High Council? Well they have been having meetings. They are looking for the White wolf.”
Helena sat up, “But that’s me?”
“That’s right.” He paused, and rubbed his head with his hand. “Well, they’ve seen the signs, the ones from the Prophecy, and they know it’s time now. That you’ll be found soon. Everyone is desperate.”
Marianne reached across the table and took Helena’s hand in hers.
“Remember darling. This is all your choice. Dean is only here to help you, if you make the decision to go.”
Helena frowned.
“Go where?”
She looked at the both of them, as they looked at each other.
“Go to the High Council.” Dean replied. “If you present yourself at the High Council, they will follow you, to wherever you need them to. At the moment all the clans are bickering and fighting amongst themselves, no one making any good plans, and the rogues are picking off patrols and search parties, some clans are even being led by rogues!”
Helena leant back in her chair, she didn’t even have her wolf yet and suddenly her random ‘Uncle’ was here to help her fulfil the prophecy she’s only just learnt about? This was a lot to deal with all at once. She didn’t even know if she trusted him, but she knew her mother did. She looked back at him.
“I’ll go.”
- Writer
