Lou

I woke up flat on the ground and blinked at the tree branches above me. Slowly, Billie's face came into view.

"Feeling better?" She said.

"I am," I muttered. Other than being thirstier than I could ever remember being, I did feel a lot better.

"Good. I think they are almost ready," Billie said.

"They? Who are they? And what are they doing?" I asked.

"I was sworn to secrecy. But, come see," she said and pulled me to my feet.

She pulled me deeper into the forest and I stumbled after her. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"Few hours," Billie said.

That almost made me stop completely. I'd never been out longer than a few minutes.

"Artie says it's that it might have something to do with Darla being here. A new magic user in a place that's already so powerful. I'm sure he'll explain it better when we get to him," Billie said.

I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

We followed an invisible path, deeper into the woods. It was getting darker and the trees around us were getting thicker.

For a second, fear overwhelmed me. How was I so sure that this was Billie? How was I so trusting to believe that she would actually take me to Artie?

I was on the verge of pulling away from her when we finally came into another clearing. This one was almost perfectly circular and Darla was in the middle of it. It was darker here than anywhere else we had been. There was a rock in the middle of the clearing and it was flat on top. It was about four feet wide and three feet long. On top of it, there were books that were laid open and a few notebooks as well. I noticed that they had my notebook with the puppy on the front.

"What are we doing here?" I asked and looked around.

"I figured that the best way to help you study would be through an interactive simulation. Darla suggested that if we use more and more of your magic, then you might become more comfortable with it. And, the more you use, the less likely you are to explode," Artie said. He was sitting at the edge of the circle and he looked like he had been working hard for quite some time.

"It used to be that we, as Sentinels, would welcome in other Sentinels into our pack. But you know that we haven't been allowed to welcome in pack members in quite some time. Most of us are thrown together by chance or we are born into the same family. But I remembered from a history lesson that before I Sentinel was inducted into a pack, he or she or they would study with the ones that were already in the pack,” Artie said.

“It was our way of creating a bond before the magic was introduced to it. I don't know the exact process, but what we could get from it, is that before your Walk, they helped the newest member study in the best ways they could devise. So that's what we're doing here," Darla said and gestured to the circle.

"Great. But how am I supposed to use my magic and study at the same time?" I asked.

"Artie just told you. An interactive simulation," Billie said and sat down in the middle of the circle, by the rock. She flipped open a notebook to a blank page and sat with her pencil ready to take notes.

I shook my head. "I don't understand."

"What better way to learn than to do?" Artie said.

I stepped into the circle, closer to Billie and as I did, the trees lit up around me. I was in the middle of the circle and I spun around. None of this was making any sense. I was about to open my mouth to ask Artie once more what he was doing. Then, a woman stepped out from between the trees and approached me. She had long dark hair and a jade skirt. Her top was also made of jade and crisscrossed over her chest and torso in a dizzying pattern. Her spear looked fierce and too sharp for my tastes. She glared at me and slammed the butt of her spear into the ground. It shook the ground below us and she said, "who am I?"

I recoiled at the sound of her voice, and she stepped closer to me. She puts the end of her spear to my throat and made me look her in the eye.

"Who am I?" She demanded once again.

I looked her over and forced myself to remember. "The Aztec deity of water and baptism."

She lowered her spear but did not move away from my neck. "Who am I responsible for?"

My mind raced. "Baptisms, women, and children."

This time she did pull the spear away entirely and nodded.

"And what is my name?"

I winced.

She laughed and tossed her head. Then she said her name slowly for me three times until I was finally able to pronounce it.

Then, she was gone.

Behind me, Artie, Darla, and Billie clapped. I whirled around to face them but instead I was confronted with another woman.

Her skin was as dark as the night sky. One of her eyes was green and the other one was blue. Her lips spread into a fierce smile. Around her neck there was a snake. It draped itself down across her torso and wrapped itself around her waist. In one hand she had a crossbow made up of a serpent. I took a step back. She laughed at me and looked around. Unlike the goddess before her, she seemed to be joyous, happy to find herself where she was. Then she raised her snake crossbow in my direction and pointed the arrow at me.

"Who am I?" She asked.

I had to think fast. I looked around her and noticed that tucked behind her ear was a quill. I counted nine stones that were draped across her neck, seemingly held in place by nothing at all.

"Oya."

She laughed. "Tell me about myself."

"You are a fierce warrior and you are unbeatable. You are the mother of nine, the one who tore."

"And what do I control?"

"The mysteries of the dead."

Another laugh and then she was gone.

I turned once again but this time I was a little more prepared.

In front of me was a woman. Her skin was so golden brown that it appeared to glow. At her side was a lion, patiently watching me. Sewn into her dress was an eight-pointed star and she appeared to be no more than twenty years old.

She was heartbreakingly beautiful.

She approached me and put one hand on my chest. "Someone such as yourself would have been welcomed in my temples. Who am I?"

My eyes darted back and forth from the lion to the star on her chest.

Someone such as myself.

I swallowed hard and shook my head.

She circled me, keeping one hand on my body at all times. "Someone such as yourself would have been worshiped above others at my temple. We would have thrown parties in your favor and the men would have begged for your favor."

"Aphrodite?" I whispered, even though I knew it was wrong.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Aphrodite could not invoke justice and give political power," the goddess said.

It struck me.

"Inanna," I whispered.

She smiled. "You will live to see another day."

And on and on it went.

***

I WAS SO EXHAUSTED after that day was over that I kept stumbling over my feet. I could barely keep my eyes open and wanted to cry with relief when I saw my house come into view. As we approached, I felt something different in the air. It was like coming home and your entire house smelling different. Artie and Darla exchanged a look but Billie skipped ahead, carrying a few books and my notebook. She opened the door and paused in the doorway.

"Who's there?" I asked Darla and Artie who were a few steps ahead of me.

"I imagine that the other packs have shown up. I just don't know why they would be at your house," Darla said.

"Staying at the High Priestess' house is probably the only alternative that they could figure out that wouldn't be an insult. There is no way we had enough room back at our house for two additional packs along with yours and Savannah and Stephen and Billie," Artie said.

I sighed. I just wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep until my initiation began.

I guess that plan was out the window.

When we all got to the door, Billie was waiting for us. When I stepped through the door, I saw that our normally roomy kitchen was packed with people. Six people were milling around the kitchen, serving themselves, and talking. Even this much noise was overwhelming to me and I felt Darla grip my upper arm. It was only with her help that I was able to stay upright.

"Be polite, but if you have to go, go. They'll understand," she whispered in my ear.

Then I realized that her mouth hadn't moved.

"We all have our gifts," she whispered again.

Another time, I would have to go figure out how she did that. Right now, I was so tired that I would gladly sleep on the couch, as long as it meant that I got to sleep.

"There he is," a man said. He appeared to be in his late twenties. He reminded me of Clint in a lot of ways. He had a swagger and cockiness in his walk that I felt was a little overdone but did not appear to be threatening in any way. Like the friendly frat boys from the college, I thought. The kind that wasn't afraid to swing at a guy's face if he didn't keep his hands to himself.

I smiled weakly and raised my hand. "Hi. I'm Lou. Sorry I wasn't there to meet you guys when you got in."

A young woman, probably only a couple years older than Artie and definitely younger than me, waved my apology off. She stood close to Christian and the way he angled his body around her made it seem like she was his younger sister, or at least that he was her caretaker.

"We could feel that you were working. Don't worry about it. You need to get some rest because me and Alan will be joining you guys tomorrow."

I laughed softly. "Why does that sound like a threat?"

A man, about my own age, stepped forward. "I'm Alan. That's Ida," he said and glanced back at the young woman that had just spoken. "We're the sentinels for our own packs. And everything that Ida says almost always sounds like a threat. Don't worry, we're here to help."

"If everyone keeps telling me not to worry, it's going to start to worry more," I said.

Everyone laughed.

"So, I got your room, from what I'm told. But if you would prefer to have it back, I don't mind. I can bunk with Sam," Christian said and sighed when he looked over at a very tall man with rich black skin and bright green eyes. Sam gave me a wide smile and I couldn't help but return the gesture.

I waved it off. "I'm sure that Celia has done what she did for a reason. I'll sleep on the couch."

Christian and another man, clearly an alpha, exchanged looks.

"Actually, Celia has asked that you come to stay at her house until your Walk. She wants to keep you and Dante close. Tommy will be taking Dante's room and Rebecca and Alan, the rest of his pack will be staying with him here as well." Christian explained.

If I had any energy in my body, I would've felt annoyed at how I was being arranged at Celia's will. Instead, I just nodded warily. "That's fine. I guess I should go pack some stuff."

Like he was summoned, Eli stepped into the room and held up a duffel bag. "Done."

I was still mad at him but I couldn't help but feel a little grateful that he had taken care of this chore for me.

"Okay. I guess that's it. Let me go say goodbye to my mom and then we can go," I said and glanced at Eli. He nodded and stepped out of the hallway so that I could make my way down to my mother's room.

I made my way down the hall to my mother's bedroom. I knocked on the door and she called for me to come in. She was in the corner, in a robe, leafing through a book that I had never seen before. She looked up at me and smiled. "Are you going?" She asked.

I assumed that Eli or Celia had explained to her what happened and where I would be staying for the next few days. I nodded. "Are you okay? With everyone staying here?" I asked and leaned against the door to close it. I didn't have any illusions about the others being able to hear us, but I would like to pretend that we had at least a little bit of privacy.

My mom closed the book. "It's part of the duties that we have here. If Celia cannot house all of our visitors, then it falls to me. If Artie ever moves out, then he will also have to house some of our more important visitors as well," she said. She patted the window bench next to her as an invitation to come to sit.

I dragged myself over to the seat and slumped over. I leaned against the wall and looked over at her.

"Did they explain why they were pushing you so hard?" She asked and ran her hands through my hair, pushing it out of my eyes. I closed my eyes and reveled in the gesture. I didn't know if it was her own magic or if it was because this was my mom soothing me, but I felt more settled in my skin.

"They didn't say but I assumed it was because they are trying to give me as much information as possible before I take my Walk," I murmured.

"It might be that as well. But, you are becoming more powerful. The more magic that gathers around you, the more that seems to flow through you. I can see it. It lights you up from the inside out, like the sun behind a cloud. They want to keep you from harming yourself or anyone else, so there making you use as much magic as possible in as little time as possible," she said.

That made sense. "Is that why am so tired?" I asked.

"Yes. You are almost completely empty of magic."

My eyes flew open at that.

She laughed and cupped my cheek. "Don't worry. It comes back, faster and more powerful than you think. The next few days will be hard on you."

"If it's anything like it was today, then I'm not sure I will survive to see my Walk," I said.

"You will. And you will do so well. You just have to remember to be careful and to be respectful. Whoever you come across, whatever they may do whoever they may be, remember to be respectful in whatever manner they require," she said.

"I feel like everything that everyone is warning me," I said and raised my hand to my mouth to cover a yawn.

"We can't tell you anything else otherwise the process and the magic could rebel and it could ruin your chances to at home. With us," she whispered.

I studied my mom and nodded. "Got it. Be respectful and be careful, no matter what."

She studied me and gave me one more smile. I was surprised to see that there were tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong? What is it?" I asked. I may have been rare when it came to magic, but I was still the same as any other kid when it came to seeing my mom cry.

She shook her head and laughed and wiped her face. "Nothing. It's nothing. I'm just so proud of you and I know that your father would've been proud as well."

My father, who had been killed in the line of duty. He was the sheriff for years and I had looked up to him more than I ever looked up to anyone else. It had been years since he died, but I still felt the loss. Even after my mom married Dante's dad, I could still feel that missing hole in my life, despite how good Dante's father had been to us. There had been no one to replace my father, no one ever could. Dante's father had been smart enough to accept that, and he carved his own place in my life. His death devastated us as well.

There were no words to describe what it felt like losing two fathers. And I knew that my pain was only a shadow of what my mother felt.

I realized that there were tears in my own eyes. "Really? Do you think he would have?"

My mom nodded. "He would have. Magic or not, you're a good man with a good heart. There is nothing more in this world that your father would've wanted for you."

There wasn't much else to say after that. I kissed my mother goodbye and told her that I would see her in a few days. She went back to her books.

Eli, Artie, and Billie were waiting for me in the living room. As I approached them, Christian stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at him. "Hey," I said and my voice cracked a little.

Christian look serious. "If you're worried about leaving your mom here with us –"

"Let me stop you there. If Celia trusts you, I trust you. And I trust that nothing will happen to my mom, not while you guys are here," I said pointedly. The others were still gathered around the kitchen and I was surprised to see Alan and Rebecca doing dishes while Tommy cleaned out the rest of the mess in the kitchen.

Christian nodded. "I don't know what your situation is here, but we always have to keep a lookout for the Ascendancy up north. She'll be as safe as if she were my own mother."

That warmed me. Maybe I had gotten Christian wrong at first. Maybe he really was more than just a frat boy.

"Go on. I'm sure you want some alone time with her boyfriend," he said and pushed me towards the front door where everyone was waiting. He gave me a suggestive grin and wink.

Maybe I was wrong about the frat boy persona.

The four of us were silent as we headed out towards the car. Billie and Artie sat in the backseat and I quietly took the seat in the front. The tension wasn't as thick as it had been earlier. Or maybe I was just too exhausted to notice. I fell asleep on the way over to the Ortega house and only woke up when Eli reached out and rubbed my arm. I open my eyes and blinked.

"We're here," Eli said needlessly.

I nodded and got out of the car and followed Billie and Artie up the steps. If I thought I was exhausted earlier, I was fooling myself. Eli had to put an arm around my waist to keep me from falling. If I had the energy, I would've argued about him helping me. But I was beyond tired down. I felt drunk, the world was spinning, and I didn't know how I was going to make it up to the stairs and to a bed before I fell asleep.

Inside, there was a new pack. Clint was standing between a woman with long blonde hair and bright green eyes and Celia. Celia and the blonde woman were talking and smiling and laughing. It was the first time that I had seen Celia so easy-going. She looked her age, young and sweet. She didn't look like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. When Eli threw my bag into the front hall and put my arm around his shoulders and pulled me closer, she looked over.

The young look on her face fled. She looked over at Artie and glared. Darla was already hiding behind Clint.

"What did you do to him?" She demanded.

I felt like I was drugged. I could hear everyone talking around me, but I couldn't reply in their defense. I couldn't explain to them what my mother had told me and that by morning, after a good nights sleep, I would be fine. Celia, Clint, and the blonde woman all rushed over to my side. Eli gave up trying to get me to walk and scooped me up in his arms, bridal style.

"I'm fine. Tired," I mumbled.

"They pushed you too hard, didn't they?" The blonde woman asked and smoothed my hair back.

"No. They had to. I have to waste my magic otherwise I'll explode all of you," I mumbled. I didn't know if it made any sense, but even if it didn't, I would explain in the morning. My eyes were closing.

It was okay. I was home and I was safe.

I couldn't find it anymore and one my eyes closed, I gave into the sleep.