Unedited Chapter 4

4 Becky Liberman sat alone on the front porch swing amongst her snow covered surroundings wrapped in a thick, fleece comforter. Sipping on a steaming cup of straight, black coffee, she inhaled deeply the stinging cold air that was attempting to invade every hidden flaw of the warm blanket. As the sun barely peeked above the leafless trees that displayed the boundaries of their property, birds began to sing a signal that the daily hunt for food had begun. It was the definition of peaceful. In the many years she’d lived in Twin Oaks, Texas…this was a first. Sure, it had lightly snowed from time to time every now and then, but this was altogether unusual. She loved it. An easy two feet of fresh powder now glistened blindingly in the rising sunlight causing her to squint tightly towards the coming day. She imagined momentarily that heaven was supposed to resemble the sight laid out before her. Then again, when you’ve stared at hell first hand, heaven was easy to spot. When she had returned to town on the news of the Sheriff’s corruption and Toby’s hospitalization, she had no idea whatsoever of the circumstances that had really transpired or the revelations to follow. For what seemed like an eternity, she had sat in constant vigil with the unconscious body of her current husband not knowing the unusualness that lay just beneath the illusion of normalcy. All these years later, she still wasn’t entirely sure that she understood everything. Finding out that Katie had been infected with the silent curse had been the worst news of all. Luckily, they mostly kept it to themselves but she couldn’t help but feel safer than most people that don’t have the luxury of a werewolf for a spouse and adopted daughter. It was a sense of immortality only dreamt about in fairy tales. She had become the den mother. Toby had chosen to flaunt his secret as an aid to bring the town back under control after the tyranny of Jessie McGee. Those that accepted it voted him in as the Myrtle County Sheriff while those that opposed, mostly criminals and the leftovers gang from the before mentioned mad man, moved away never to return. Even though his gift was rarely exhibited in public, the citizens of the town adored and celebrated him every chance they got. It resembled a pride and appreciation only witnessed in old western movies…and life was good because of it. Katie, on the other hand, had been forced to hide her gift from everyone other than the residents of her own household. In regards to her safety for fear of retaliation regarding the death of the lunatic former Sheriff, she was never allowed to so much as even speak of the similarities between her and her father in public…and rarely in private as well. Granted, throughout her last few years as a high school student, she excelled far beyond the abilities of her classmates when it came to sports and physical activities but never, either in fear or excitement, did she ever exhibit the animal behind the innocence. This silently frightened Becky often. Most teenagers, especially girls, experience an increase of feelings upon getting older due to repressed emotions while growing up. Society’s eyes and the expectations of the community around them are usually enough to keep such things in check but, the second that no one is looking, they emerge to the surface in a confused rush of feelings that are often self destructive in nature. She was sure that the primitive instincts of the werewolf were no different. Allowing her to change from time to time in the privacy of the forest with her father always within arms length was not always going to be the case. She had grown up and moved away from that reach. Any day now, the concerned mother was nearly certain that the inevitable phone call would come. So far…she’d been lucky. Living with the Liberman’s had been far from normal life and it resembled nothing of what she had imagined before the tragedies of five years ago. It seemed like only yesterday that she was heavily involved with Toby’s best friend and brother in law Johnny Haynes. Even though she loved him deeply, it was a constant fight day in and out regarding his attitude and dedication to their being. She remembered fondly the last days in which she had seen him alive. Marching off into uncertainty upon the discovery of Jessica Liberman’s infidelity, he paused briefly on the stairway to joke with a thirteen year old Katie to ease her mood. He had loved Katie so much. They resembled each other quite a bit when it came to their wit and way of thinking. Although the young lady inadvertently used it from time to time as an unstoppable weapon…it was nice for their conversations to contain a familiar tone that often resulted in uproarious laughter. Johnny had been killed at the hands of the Sheriff for trying to do what was right in the eyes of his niece, his brother in law, and his sister. His sister…what a twisted mess she was… Toby’s late wife, Jessica, had been Becky’s best female friend for what had seemed like an eternity. Granted, the dominoes had already been set in motion long before their initial introduction, but no one could foresee the destruction brought on upon their destinies at the hands of Katie’s mother. Becky often wondered if this entire scenario was the sole responsibility of her once fun and carefree friend. Living a secret life behind the back of her husband and daughter, she had basically let Jessie McGee into their lives in order to feed her private drug addiction and ever growing need to be the center of attention. She had been beautiful once…and witnessed it like an old home movie stuck on repeat when she looked into the eyes of Katie. Just as she was doing her best to redeem herself and set things right, she was killed by order of the Sheriff at the hands of one of his Deputies. It had all taken place only a few feet away from the young Katie Liberman. She was sure revenge lay dormant in the young girl just behind her innocent eyes and could swell to the surface easily anytime, anywhere. She hoped it was only a mother’s paranoia. Falling deeply in love with Toby Liberman had been something else that was unforeseen to everyone in the town also. To be honest, the love for the Liberman family had existed long before then due to the relationship between Becky and Katie…but the feelings for the young girl’s father didn’t develop until after the family had nearly fallen apart. It just happened. There was no other way to explain it. He was a great man regardless of the confessions from her former best friend that used to take place like school girls sitting Indian style on the bed in the back bedroom. Jessica had just been attempting to rationalize and validate her behavior that was taking place behind Toby’s back. He had been the ideal husband, the greatest father, and the ultimate protector of their family and everyone else’s family in Twin Oaks. The only thing that could make things a little nicer in the tiny slice of heaven they’d made for themselves would be if the other creatures of the night would quit coming to town one by one to take him on. This was the part of the relationship she couldn’t stand. Kicking down the door of a drug dealer from time to time was something that every wife of a law enforcement officer could come to terms with after time and prayer…but other werewolves coming to town in an attempt to end his life was almost too much to handle. Every few months, a stranger would roll into town unannounced in an attempt to defeat the man that supposedly fought and defeated the most powerful man in the region. After that, if only for a mere second or two, Toby had been responsible for revealing their once private world to the public. Granted, most people outside of Twin Oaks refused to believe it or ignored the news altogether…but the town itself celebrated and flaunted it locally. Few outsiders stayed for extended periods of time due to this. In reality, it was an easy subject to blow off as odd fiction. Time after time, the chosen warriors would either be killed easily or sent back to their leader, whoever he was, with their proverbial tail tucked between their legs. With any hope at all, they would one day get the message that Toby was trying to portray regarding the place where he lived and the people he loved. With any hope at all…they would just give up. “Have you heard anything out of my rascal of a daughter lately?” Toby asked breaking the silent reminiscence going on inside of her head “She hasn’t called in at least two weeks now” “Dammit, Toby” she gasped “You startled the shit out of me! I’ve asked you to stop doing that!” “I know, sweetie, I know” he half apologized “but I have to stay on my toes. Don’t want the big, bad wolves to sneak into town and blow our house down. We’re not even done paying for it yet!” With the Liberman house burning to ashes and the horrible memories associated with it, the three of them had stayed in Johnny’s old house. When Becky’s memories could take no more of that, a two story farm house on the outskirts of town had been constructed. Backed up to some of the same bits of forest that had protected Toby so many years before, it now served as a nice and convenient hunting ground for when the unspeakable pains of the werewolf emerged. It definitely beat ripping off the head of a random and unfortunate Jehovah’s Witness any day. Sort of. There were several signs posted up and down their long and winding driveway to make sure any solicitor thought twice before knocking. “No. I haven’t” Becky finally got around to answering his question “I’m not really worried all that much though. This is her freshman year in college and it’s a little hectic. She’s probably just bogged down in her studies or hanging out with some friends. She’ll call when she needs something.” “Katie Liberman?” Toby asked cynically “My Katie Liberman? I can’t imagine her being bogged down in studies and I sure can’t believe that she is hanging out with friends. Granted, I never went to school with her while she was here but, if you recall, she didn’t make friends easily.” Toby wiped off a bit of snow that still remained on the porch swing and sat down next to Becky. Turning to face him, the time had come for the two of them to have a serious conversation. Sometimes, she thought that Toby had forgotten that his unusual daughter was still a beautiful young woman on the outside. “Sweetie, quiet your brain for a second and let an expert take over in the conversation” Becky lectured “When you remove the image of what you believe to be a stone cold killer super hero…your daughter is a drop dead gorgeous young woman. She is away from home for the first time in her life and in a very big place where they don’t view her as the strange, smart mouthed girl that had her family slaughtered before her eyes…not to mention the daughter of the town Sheriff…not to mention that he is also a paranormal freak of nature. She was probably dying to introduce herself to the first normal girl she ran into there. It’s a chance for her to start over and be someone else for a change.” She could almost see a word slip from Toby’s mouth with a hint of warm breath on the cold morning air…but he restrained himself from doing so. Mentally, she could see the wheels begin to turn in his over analytical mind and a sudden realization in his eyes as her words began to sink in. Who said that you can’t possibly teach an old dog new tricks? “You know…I haven’t really thought much about it in that manner” he finally continued “When I think about her being alone in Dallas going to school, I imagine her sitting atop the downtown high rises wearing a hoodie to hide her face looking down upon the masses like Bruce Wayne. I imagine that she’s doing things behind our backs that we will never realize until she gets sloppy enough to make the evening news. I imagine her getting into a pillow fight with some other girls, getting hit, and tearing them to shreds…” “Baby, stop right there…” Becky interrupted “You just want to think about barely legal girls giggling in their panties while feathers fly everywhere. You and Johnny were best friends for a reason, remember?” “Well, I’m not going to argue with you there” Toby laughed under his breath. “You’d lose if you did” she concluded. Another long silence sprang up between the two of them as they stared off into the snow covered woods beyond their country home. The rising sun had begun to melt the snow on the highest branches and the occasional crack of a tree branch echoed all around them as the weight became too much to handle. From Toby’s standpoint in the conversation, it was almost as though he could relate. His shoulders resembled the branches…he just wished that the weight could slide off just as easily. He couldn’t help but be a little worried. Becky could see this also. “Toby” she spoke softly “I know you’ve had it rough. I know these past few years have been a reoccurring nightmare that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Sure, I had a small part of this…but the two of you saw all of this unfold with your own eyes. I didn’t.” Slowly, the scarred man looked up into her eyes and almost began to speak in his defense. He was shushed softly as Becky continued. “You can’t go through life thinking that everyone you meet is going to try to sneak up and stab you in your back. You can’t go through life thinking that your daughter is going to take on the worst part of Jessica’s personality and give in to every dark temptation that comes her way. Most importantly, you can’t go through life trying to protect the past image of a little girl that needed you for every little thing she encountered. At some point, you’re going to have to move on and let her begin a life of her own away from your sight and every bad thought that crosses your mind.” Glancing down to the ground as tears began to form in the wells of his eyes; her soft and caring hand gently gripped the base of his chin bringing them back to meet with hers. She continued again. “At some point, you’re going to have to start living for yourself again. At some point, you’re going to have to start living for the two of us. I know that our relationship developed out of near necessity and heartbreak…but it’s traveled far beyond that now and I don’t want it to stop traveling. Let her go, Toby. Give her a chance to live outside of your shadow and see what she becomes. Whatever that may be…I think you’ll be proud of it.” She was right. She always was. Toby’s parents had barely been there for him, not to mention the fact that his parents had rarely been there for each other. Their house had been split in two pieces long ago due to the difference of religion and it had never been bridged. His father constantly battled with his Jewish heritage at the hands of his Grandfather and the fact that he’d married outside of the religion had ripped the family in half. When Toby’s father had fallen in love with and married his Protestant mother, the rest of his family instantly turned their back on them. The guilt had caused an unspoken uneasiness between the family members that you could almost feel as though it were something tangible. When Toby’s grandfather had passed away along with his beliefs, it had nearly felt like a cause for celebration in their home rather than a time of sorrow. Years later, at the time of his own death, Toby’s father had been plagued by a guilt that could only be traced to his own wife. It was the simplest of explanations. When his mother passed also, Toby agreed at that point not to introduce religion into his own household. He viewed it as something personal and not something to be shared and forced on other people under the same roof. His last name, and memories of horrible jokes at the hands of Johnny Haynes, was all that remained of his Jewish heritage. When he married Jessica, it was a subject that was rarely discussed. Upon Katie’s birth, the subject had become a complete taboo. Never converting to another religion, he often wondered what God thought of his current state of affairs. All the killing by his own hands, regardless of the situations that caused them, couldn’t be something that he was proud of. At age thirteen, Katie had been forced to kill also. What did God, Jewish or otherwise, think of that? How did he feel about involving his daughter in a situation that had made her commit one of the worst sins imaginable? What if she did it again? “It’s different between a Father and Daughter, Becky” Toby finally explained “I know that she has you…and everyone knows how wonderful of a job you’ve done with her over the past five years and for a little bit before that when the two of you were together at Johnny’s place…but I can’t help but feel partially responsible for anything and everything that happens to her from this point on. The life that she lived at the hands of her mother wasn’t something she deserved…and the life she’s lived since due to my issues hasn’t been much of an improvement. I know at some point, and regrettably soon, that I’m going to have to let go of her. I just wished that I could’ve provided her with more of an understanding of the ‘right’ way of doing things rather than the darkness she’s known for most of her life.” Toby had never really had a serious conversation with Becky regarding his own personal childhood but she had gotten the general idea by just merely watching his actions and how he insisted on running his household. As far as she was concerned, he would bring up that subject just as soon as he felt comfortable enough doing so…if that moment ever came. For all she knew, he had never broken the real story to Jessica either. Regardless of the reasoning, it was she thought it was nice to sleep late on a Sunday rather than getting visually picked apart by the townsfolk that attended the local churches. It’s not like they were rushing to the Liberman mailbox to extend the invitation. “Toby…” Becky finished “Katie is just fine. I don’t think you have anything to worry about and, if you do, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. If I’m wrong, you can slap me with a big ‘I told you so’ and we can all move forward.” Smiling ear to ear, Toby hugged her tightly bringing a rush of warmth to her now frigid body. It was a deceptive gesture taking into consideration the sorrow that inhabited his soul… “I hope you’re right, Becky” Toby spoke with his voice muffled against her blanket “but if I know Katie Liberman…she has her hands full…” 1400 miles away, Katie Liberman had her hands full…at least one of them… She had been lying awake with eyes wide open in terror for nearly an hour…although it felt like it had been much longer. Waking in a drunken haze from the night before, it didn’t take long to realize that those were her clothes crumpled up on the chair across the room and that someone was breathing on the back of her neck while obviously sleeping peacefully. Carefully she had reached out behind her to get the general idea of what she was dealing with and, even though she had never felt the sexual organ of a man before…she knew that what was now cupped in her once innocent grasp was not at all what she had imagined. Instead, the baby smooth skin in the lower region of that person lying next to her was slightly creased, shaven, and all too familiar. Now, she was scared to remove her grip in fear of waking that person up… Attempting desperately to recall the events of the previous evening, very little came to mind. The two of them had entered a tiny Irish pub around the corner from the Jimmerson & Wolf law firm where Katie had been introduced to a motley bunch of young to middle aged men and women that Willow had called friends. Katie didn’t even recall a single one of their names but each and every one of them spoke with a strong Irish accent as though they hadn’t been in this country for too terribly long. Perhaps they all just stayed within their own ethnicity’s particular neighborhood? Anything was beginning to seem possible in this crazy city she’d landed in. This was nothing at all like Twin Oaks. To broaden the thinking…this was nothing at all like Texas! As time went by, Katie also had noticed Willow’s own accent become stronger and stronger with each conversation and each passing drink. Occasionally, she would glance around the room and catch one of the people staring at her as though they were trying to size her up. Deep down…she knew that she had nothing to worry about for any of them and could easily take them down if the situation arose. No one had any idea who she truly was…therefore the drinking continued. In a way, it had been nice to let her guard down for a change. She had been so on edge since she arrived in Manhattan that it was beginning to stress her out. Around every corner, she half expected to be mugged, raped, or a combination of both thanks to all the movies regarding The Big Apple that she’d viewed while growing up. Within a week, it had been easy to tell that she wasn’t going to run into Bill Murray chasing a ghost or mutant turtles fighting in an alley. For the most part, people were quiet and kept to themselves as though they all had life altering secrets to hide that resembled her. It was nice to let her hair down for a change. Unfortunately…she never realized at the time that her pants were soon to follow. Although she wasn’t completely sure what had taken place after blacking out from the over abundance of alcohol, this wasn’t at all how she imagined her first time would be. Even stranger than that…she had never imagined that the first time in question would involve another girl. There was a large chunk of her that wanted to immediately get sick with the very thought of what had taken place…but why? Back home, those types of relationships and activities would get you ran out of town! A tiny piece of her, however, was whispering the undeniable logic that she was no longer home. This was the hub of the entire world. It was the city to which all other cities look to for guidance. If she was going to succeed in her mission, it was something that she was going to have to move past. After all…the killing hadn’t even started yet. She was almost certain that when the blood started flying…a night in bed with another woman would pale in comparison. On the brighter side of things, at least Willow was attractive. Waking up next to an ugly girl would’ve been unforgivable. As her mental flight of fancy returned to logic and brain function began to knock on her forehead like a fed up neighbor at a loud tenant’s door, she could feel the confusion, disappointment, and anger begin to overpower her body. No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be! She had only known this girl for a day and she had been taken full advantage of! Granted, she was cute, but dammit…Katie Liberman didn’t swing that way! She liked guys in hockey jerseys and calendars with wet firemen! Sure…she had been known to give credit where credit was due every now and then and tell another girl if she was beautiful or not…but never had she looked upon one with lust or desire! Honestly, she’d never really had the chance. Katie had grown up without many friends in school because she was different. She, being the product of her father and uncle, had been a much darker child than those around her. Early on in her school years, she had shown them all that her sharpened, witty tongue wouldn’t put up with much when she was being attacked and it had driving most of the other children away from her. With a few simple words, she had made kids cry to the point that their parents had to be called and taken home for the day. Even the children that she’d never go after had been warned of her abilities by those that had. It had made for a very solitary and lonely existence from her point of view but there was no changing who she truly was. It wasn’t long after she had come to accept her gift and began to find humor in her classmates' fears that the incident with her family happened. Suddenly, she was the school celebrity…and it had all been due to absolutely nothing that she was responsible for. When her father had revealed his ‘talent’, the locals had celebrated him to extremes. Unfortunately for Katie, she possessed the same gift but was never allowed to display it for fear of those that could be possibly watching their every move. No one outside of their own family actually knew that she had been the hero of that night at the fairgrounds and Toby insisted that she keep it that way. Just in case there were ever to be retaliation on their family, he didn’t want her to be a specific target. Also, if she had been taken hostage again in order to draw her father into a confrontation…the would-be kidnappers were in for a big surprise. When the retaliation scouts finally began showing up in Twin Oaks, she realized that her father had been right all along. She was glad that she never told anyone. High school had been hard enough to get through socially without having to fight for her own life every night of the week side by side with regular homework! Taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, she finally exhaled all of her current frustrations. If she had stayed along the same line of thinking, a transformation would’ve shortly followed that was an explanation she didn’t want to deliver to her new found friend. Hell, for all she knew, the hardened New Yorker slept with a gun underneath her pillow and would’ve shot her out of fear before an explanation could even arrive! Regardless of affiliations and situations, she was in a strange apartment with a semi strange girl and didn’t know exactly what could be hiding around the corner. Tact was going to be a definite friend in the near future because the girl sleeping soundly behind her wasn’t going to be doing so forever. Some type of confrontation was going to happen very soon but Katie wasn’t too sure about revisiting all of the details. Walking away right now without so much as looking at Willow would be just fine with her. Then again, was it? Her mind kept repeatedly asking her conscience what the big deal about the whole situation was. This was a new world taking place in a new time where nothing at all to be experienced resembled anything from her childhood values instilled by her family. Her father introducing his lesbian daughter was one thing. Introducing his lesbian werewolf would be another. Was she even considered a lesbian? Why doesn’t the homosexual community offer some type of pamphlet or conversion chart that explains exactly where you stand between definite and experimental? She took another deep breath. The red tint of her surroundings was slowly beginning to fade with her continued breathing from the near transformation. In the end, she thought to herself, who really gives a damn what I do here? It was inevitable that one of two things is going to happen to her when the time came. Number one…she was going to kill the man responsible for cursing her family, fly home to Twin Oaks, Texas, and have to explain to her father why he couldn’t be Sheriff Werewolf anymore…and why all of her tuition money was gone with nothing to show for it. Number two…she was going to die trying in the process and it wouldn’t matter one way or the other if she’d woke up next to a pretty, young girl after a night of drinking once. As a slight smile crossed her once confused and disgusted face, she held back a slight giggle not wanting to wake the girl who was obviously her new best friend. With any luck, she imagined, the potential to have crazier nights would be in her near future and this would just be a mere ‘incident’ compared to the catastrophes to come in Katie Liberman’s party future. Why not get is started? It was time to move the hand. “Easy, Tiger” Willow groaned “I don’t think I can handle round two until you learn to do something with those fingernails. I’m going to have to invent ways to put bandages in places that they were never originally intended to go.” Katie almost shuddered at the thought. With all the raw emotion that probably took place the night before…did the unsuspecting girl discover something that she shouldn’t have? Surely not…or she wouldn’t still be lying in the same bed willingly. “Willow, what happened last night?” Katie asked in an attempt to sound innocent “I mean, I guess I’m pretty sure I know what happened because we’re both spooned up in the same bed with no clothes on…but what actually happened?” Willow chuckled aloud at the young girl’s charade. “Look…you can try to sound like little miss innocent all you want. You displayed some experience last night that taught me a thing or two! I’ve been with a few girls before…tons of guys…but a few girls, but we had each other making noises last night that aren’t necessarily possible by humans!” Katie’s mind raced for flashes, even traces of memory that would reveal the events of the previous evening. Nothing but blackness would come to mind. “No, Willow…I mean what actually took place that would lead to what we did last night.” “Oh…well that is the easy part to explain, Kitten” the tone in her voice changed to a cheerier level “We were taking shot after shot of Bushmills until one of the guys at the table dared us to kiss each other. Before I could even protest, you did! Remind me to thank him when we see him again!” Katie had never been much for alcohol. Sure she had snuck a drink of her father’s stash every now and then but, without an abundance of friends, she had never came across the opportunity to sneak behind her parent’s back and get completely inebriated. There were no hot nights with another boy at a popular parking spot taking advantage of her after a bottle of Boone’s Farm or a couple of girlfriends giggling in the bushes swapping sips of a wine cooler. These were things that the cheerleaders at her school whispered about in the bathroom between classes and in silly little folded notes. This, in itself, was unbelievable. “So…we did…IT” Katie tiptoed “We actually went and did one of the craziest, or most natural depending on who you are and what you’re into, things that two girls can do…and I don’t even remember doing it. I feel cheated. Maybe even raped.” “No. No. No!” Willow interrupted “Don’t start throwing the ‘R’ word around little missy…you initiated this…not me. Don’t think for a second that I didn’t think about screaming it a few times. You were absolutely out of your mind last night…and you can’t rape someone who is willing to be raped…so I kind of just laid back and enjoyed it!” Gently, Katie slipped out from underneath the covers and stood before the near stranger completely naked. Reaching down to grab her pants, she couldn’t help but notice that Willow was a little to excited to be viewing what stood before her. One leg at a time, she eventually ruined her peep show. “Look, you can believe what you want to believe…but I was a virgin until last night, Willow” Katie informed her “I have barely seen what a guy looks like with his clothes off with the exception of a few movies and magazines and I always though that I would’ve had one of those sweating all over me long before I tired of them and switched to chicks like you.” Getting angrier by the second, Katie slipped the hooded sweatshirt over her messed hair and noticed a slight and sudden growth in her fingernails as she did so. Closing her eyes tight and slowing her breathing in search of a happier place, the sudden redness of her surroundings started to fade back to normal again. Either she was truly mad or in dire need of a feeding. Either way, neither of those problems would be solved if they strolled down the street to the closest donut shop together. She had to wrap up this conversation soon regardless of her lack of information and get somewhere safe. “Speaking of guys, who were all of those Boondock Saints wannabees that were at the bar last night. I was digging on their accent but there were a little too rude with the staring and all.” Willow followed suit by rolling out of the bed but didn’t give Katie the luxury of putting on clothing. She just began to walk around the apartment as nude as she could be but, then again, it was her apartment after all. She entered the bathroom, barely leaving a crack in the door for the two of them to continue speaking through. “Those are some people that work for Jimmerson here and there. They’re pretty cool.” “They didn’t look a lot like lawyers to me” Katie picked “I thought Jimmerson was all into the high life and stuff like that?” “Ouch” Willow barked interrupting the young girl’s inquiry “Fingernails, Katie! How are we gonna keep seeing each other if you don’t do something about those claws?” Katie slightly blushed at both the realization of the situation and the fact that she had caused it. In all fairness…it was kind of funny…she just wished that she remembered more of the act. Attempting to get the conversation back on track, she asked her question again. “So why don’t lawyers in New York dress like actual lawyers?” “Oh, they’re not lawyers” Willow explained “They’re a little more hard core than that. They’re security guards, construction guys, dock workers…stuff like that. Mr. Jimmerson has a soft spot for Irish immigrants because he lived there on and off as a child. I think he kind of misses it. On top of that…there is nothing like a bunch of drunken Irish to liven up a party!” “Well that’s interesting. I don’t remember coming across any of that stuff in my internet research before applying.” She attempted to sound impressed instead of curious “I didn’t know that Jimmerson and Wolf was into so many things…” Willow had tired of the change of subject a few minutes before it had even occurred. Flushing the toiled and revealing her soft, pale skin once again to the streaks of light coming through the bedroom window, she stood before Katie in a manner of anxiety. “Yeah” she stopped the interrogation “It’s all completely fascinating. Lots of money flying everywhere. I just work in the mail room, sweetheart, just like you. It would probably be in both of our best interest to keep it that way. If we don’t ask the answer to questions, then we don’t have to lie about it when we are asked by people wanting to get in their business. It’s better for us not to know. I take the elevator downstairs when I feel like working. As long as the work doesn’t pile up down there…no one ever even bothers me. I show up when I want…I leave when I want…and I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember because I don’t get in anyone else’s business there. I get a check every Friday, they get mail, and everyone is happy.” Katie felt a little on the bad side for asking so many questions and obviously upsetting the already frustrated girl. She was beginning to believe that Willow had been looking for a little bit more in their relationship than Katie was willing to offer. From the looks of things…it almost seemed as though she had been standing in this same place before going through similar situations with others before. She almost felt sorry for her. Had Katie really been the aggressor the night before? If so, this entire situation was completely her fault. “Willow, I’m sorry” Katie apologized sincerely “I don’t know what came over me last night for me to do those things…but I’m not quite sure that this is what I was looking for in my first relationship.” Tilting her head to the ground to keep the tears from being seen, the hurting young woman spoke behind the hair draped in front of her face like a scolded child. “Its okay, Katie…” she sniffed as she spoke “You’re not the first person to do this to me, guy or girl, and I’m almost certain that you won’t be the last. I’ll get over it. I always do…” Slowly taking steps toward her, Katie could see her sparkling eyes and twisted smile behind the vale of stringy blackness. It was almost creepy. Reaching around her waist with both arms, Willow pulled her tight into her breasts and hugged her both sincere and deep. “I didn’t mean to ruin you” the naked girl apologized “I should’ve had a little more restraint than that too. I can’t honestly put all the blame on you. I just thought that there was something special inside of us that connected when we met yesterday. For a few hours last night…I thought that I was right for a change. Do you hate me?” Katie wasn’t sure if it was a display of sympathy or affection, but she put her arms around the girl also and held her tightly. What would seem almost repulsing to some other girls almost felt natural and erotic. She was so confused. She had to get back on track. Willow was definitely beautiful. There was a slight scent of lavender being emitted from her soft, almost flawless skin that almost reminded her of home somehow. It was soothing to her soul. Was it wrong? “Willow, I don’t hate you” Katie spoke softly in an attempt to calm the troubled girl “You’re the nicest and coolest person I’ve met since I got into the city. I just think we had a little bit of an understanding last night that led to some things that are probably illegal in most states…” Willow laughed aloud in Katie’s ear almost splitting her brain in half. Regardless of what had taken place between the two of them, she was an amazing girl. Right now, she needed to be around amazing people. “I don’t know, Kitty Kat” she spit out another pet name “I could always run back the camera and find out…” “Are you freaking serious” Katie jumped back away from her “Did we freaking film it! Oh my God, that totally had to be you because I know absolutely nothing about…” “Sweetie, I’m kidding” Willow calmed her “That is taking things a little too far…even for me.” “You’re crazy!” Katie exclaimed “You’re freaking crazy!” Honestly, Katie had always wanted a friend just like Willow. Granted, sex on the first night after they met was a perk she wished she’d missed out on. Nothing about this trip was supposed to be in the range or normalcy anyway. “Kat” Willow calmed the hysterics sincerely “Virginity is a frame of mind, sweetie. Try not to kick yourself over what happened. Take the day off to do whatever it is you need to do because I’m going to do the same...which is sleep. Someone kept me up all damned night…” The shy, young girl blushed in near embarrassment at both the situation and the comment. Truly, there were things that needed to be done when the sun decided to go down for the night and sleep was the perfect idea to begin it all. A few gallons of water to wash all the alcohol out of her system probably wouldn’t be such a bad idea either. If she didn’t spend some quality time in Central Park tonight doing some reconnaissance and finding something to eat, the wolf’s hunger would take over in a way that would most certainly get someone hurt…or even killed. She had enough on her conscience right now without adding that to it. Hugging Willow one more time, she kissed her softly on her cheek in parting. Strolling, almost gliding across the hard wood floor of her apartment, she looked back over her should one more time at the odd girl that was just standing there revealing everything. She was unlike anyone she’d ever met before. She was special. Maybe Willow wasn’t quite as special as what she found Katie to be…but she was special nonetheless. With a gentle wave of her hand, the new friend bid her farewell to tend to her private affairs. Katie paused. “Willow…” she asked shyly “Did I like it?” The question must’ve caught her off guard because she hesitated slightly before answering. “Kat…” Willow spoke surely “If you weren’t enjoying yourself…there would’ve been no way for me to enjoy myself. If there is such a place as heaven…you were there.” Unsure of what had just occurred, Katie exited the apartment leaving behind what remained of her coveted innocence. There would be no way to ever gain it back. It now belonged to a twenty five year old, gothic, yet beautiful stranger who hadn’t the slightest idea of Katie’s true identity and agenda. There was a never before felt emptiness inside of her now that couldn’t be compared to anything else as horrible in recent memory. Katie Liberman had experienced a lot of horrible memories to use as a basis of comparison. This feeling was new.