“You’ve always said you wanted to contribute to the pack,” she said. “Well, this would be an excellent way to do so.”
“And it doesn’t bother you that you’ve known Sam since he was a little kid?” I asked.
Mom shrugged. “Means I know him better, given he was running around my house like a hellion when he was younger.”
I bit my tongue and turned to walk out of the room. My mother’s opinion was set in stone. I wouldn’t be able to ever get her on my side.
Part of me wondered if she might be right, to a certain extent. I did want to contribute to the pack. I wasn’t able to fight against the wraith or anything like that. I worked in a shop where my boss hated me. Hell, most people in town saw me as a disappointment and an outsider. Despite that, I did want to help the pack. This was my home, and I loved it, even if the people here didn’t necessarily feel the same way about me. If matingSam meant that I could do some good for the pack, was it really the worst thing?
“It’s my life,” I said. “I’m not going to just go along with it because the Oracle says I have to. I want to have a say in what happens to me.”
Mom tutted, her eyes narrowing with disdain. “And you’ve done such a great job of running your life so far,” she said. “No mate, dead-end job, no prospects. Here, the Oracle is handing you an opportunity on a silver platter, and you’re throwing it in her face like a petulant child.”
I threw the rag onto the counter. “I’m going out,” I said.
***
The oasis was the heart of the town. A waterfall cascaded down from a rock formation, one of the few with lush greenery covering it, and landed in a beautiful pool of pristine, inviting water. At some point decades ago, the pack had decided to turn it into a swimming hole. People came here at all times of the year to gossip, swim, and simply enjoy the beautiful greenery that was so unusual in the Arizona desert.
As the sun dipped low in the sky, casting the water in a golden light, the crowd around the oasis was thinner than usual, though kids still played in the water as parents watched, and a few others swam laps near the falls.
I kicked off my shoes and shimmied out of my loose shirt and jeans to show my bathing suit. A moment later, I jumped into the water, dunking beneath the surface. I let the water wrap around me, my hair floating around me, suspended. The cool water soothed me. Below the surface, I could pretend that none of my problems were actually my problems. I could just let themdrift away from me on the water and never think about them again.
Eventually, I kicked off the ground and reemerged into the air. I sucked in a breath. The air was cool, with winter creeping around the corner, but the water still felt pleasant. I swam in large laps, darting around the kids and people floating on the surface as I let my mind wander, trying to let it straighten itself out after several days of being a tangle of thoughts.
After one lap, I slowed, bobbing as I stared up at the sun dipping behind the large rock that the waterfall cascaded down. I should probably get home soon before Mom calls Elias and demands he send out a search party.
“Hey, sis.”
I craned my neck around to see Elias towering over me.
“Hey, yourself.” I treaded water as I regarded him. “Did Mom send you here, or the Oracle?”
“Neither. I just finished up work for the day. I was taking the long way home and saw you. Figured I’d come and say hey.” When I gave him a skeptical look, he held up his hands. “Honestly. But at the same time, we do need to talk.”
“Right.”
I swam over to the side, propping my forearms against the side, the warm stone feeling nice against my skin as the water bobbed up and down around my chest. He sat down next to me with a tired huff, letting his feet dangle in the water.
“Long day?” I asked.
“Long month.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he stared out at the water pouring down the side of the cliff. “We haven’t seen the wraith, but we keep hearing tales of weird things going on around the outskirts.”
I frowned, brow creasing. “Really? I haven’t heard of anything weird.”
He nodded, letting out an exhausted puff of air. “That’s because we’re trying to keep a lid on it. We don’t want to create more panic than necessary. People are already stressed out enough. Until we know more about what’s going on, we don’t want to make an announcement and cause more panic. Not without something else we can give them.”
I swallowed, glancing away as water lapped around my neck, trying to come up with the right words as a swirl of emotions washed over me.
“I didn’t realize things were that bad,” I muttered.
“They aren’t great,” he admitted. He let out a deep breath. “Which is why it’s important for you and me to talk about what the Oracle said, even if neither of us wants to.”
Groaning, I rubbed my face. “And here it is.”
His hand went to my shoulder, and I looked up at him again. “I’m not going to try and push you,” he said. “At least not the way I know Mom is hounding you. But I think you need to go through with it.”
I didn’t answer, but I found myself nodding speculatively as I glanced up at the sky.
