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Kennedy…

Kennedy announced to the table, “I want to go into town today.” She and Terry sat with the rest of the farm family at their big breakfast table.

“What for?” Mrs. Johnson asked as she reached for another pancake. “Do you need to borrow my car, or is Terry taking you?”

“A lady doc appointment.” Kennedy slanted a glance in Terry’s direction, unsure how to answer the woman.

Terry turned toward her, surprised. The plate before him was already empty.

Tempted to blame her mistake on the pregnancy, she picked at her napkin. “I forgot the appointment. She sent me a reminder.” Kennedy pulled out her phone to reread the text. Lately, she’d felt foggy and forgetful. “It’s for sure this morning.”

Mr. Johnson said, “The goats can wait until tomorrow. They’ll be fine.” He tossed Kennedy an apple. “The state of her ripeness is more important than theirs.”

Kennedy stuck her tongue out. “Don’t talk about me like I’m a breed animal.”

Terry pointed at the old-fashioned clock on the wall and tapped his wrist. He playfully pushed the apple toward her mouth.

“Rush. Rush.” Kennedy sniffed. “I thought bears were supposed to take their time. Didn’t you get the memo?” She took a bite from the shiny red apple and pushed back from the table. “Thank you for breakfast.” On second thought, she grabbed her half-full cup of coffee. Mr. Johnson gestured her over and poured her cup full again.

Mrs Johnson clicked her tongue at her husband’s behavior. “Caffeine isn’t good for the baby.”

He gave a soft snort and patted Kennedy on her back.

Would her parents have grown older together like this if the accident hadn’t happened? She tried to imagine them working together, laughing, making jokes. Her mother had lost her entire world when her husband died. Life wasn’t fair.

*

Mary Lynn…

“This is crazy.” Mary spread out her haul of casino coins on the lounge chair in front of their guardian. “Have you ever heard of something like this? Some dealers stare at me.”

“Did you play all night?” He looked like he hadn’t slept very well.

She stiffened. “And if I did, is it any business of yours?”

“You came over to me, woman. I was just sitting here in my lounge chair, trying to read a little before breakfast.” He tapped his novel where it rested on the table next to him.

Mary scooped the coins back into her cups. “Well, never mind. I tried to share my good fortune with you. That was clearly a mistake.”

He slid his sunglasses down his nose and looked at her. “Did you make some kind of arrangement with a dark spirit? Did you sell a chunk of your soul?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The coins clattered against each other.

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“My mistake. I assumed you had a soul to sell. Unlike my ex wife.”

“What on earth did that woman do to you?”

“The normal things.”

Hands full with the two heavy cups, Mary made to stand and wavered. He was up in an instant, steadying her. Mary jerked her elbow away. “I don’t need help. Not from you.”

“Oh, give me the damn cups. We can drop them off in your room before we go to breakfast.” He tucked his novel under his arm.

“What makes you think I am going to have breakfast with you?” When he reached for her coins, she let him take them without resistance.

The infuriating man shrugged. “I have all of your money and I can still run.”

Simmering with indignation, she gripped her cane. Mary snapped, “I’m beginning to think that you deserved every awful thing your wife did to you.”

“That’s the first true thing that has been said this morning.”

When he offered her the crook of his arm, she refused it, and stomped past him with less grace than she’d planned.

*

Jeremiah…

Nursing a cafe ole, Jeremiah relaxed in the internet cafe, watching people come and go. He had a laptop open in front of him that wasn’t his. The only scent of Kind he’d experienced so far was his own and the lingering scent of Wolf that clung to the laptop.

The technology crew had tracked down this location as being a spot where the missing boyfriend’s friend came to communicate with others. They’d been tracking the conversations that had been happening around the original video. The person who came here to share conspiracy theories with Remmy was obsessed with transformation. The Wolves believed this person was dangerous. Jeremiah thought they sounded stupid.

There wasn’t much pleasure in being chosen because you were the least likely to stand out. Boring wasn’t an attractive trait. He blew across the surface of his cup and took another sip. Unlike Red, he’d had more of a knack for fitting in. He could blend, be quiet, and observe others.

It really wasn’t very different from hunting. You watched, you waited, you took your time. The flow of people moved like animals approaching a river, some greedy and bold, some tentative. He’d watched a guy dressed like a banker consume a muffin with as much abandon as a possum. His ears even twitched a little.

Jeremiah wanted to go home. No one he knew was going to be in the city. Any of them could scent a Shepherd amongst the Sheep. He took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair and watched a cute plump girl flirt with the barista, fluttery as a pheasant, and just as pretty. Red had dallied with a human or two, but Jeremiah didn’t have a taste for it. The woman he wanted was waiting for him on the mountain.

“Excuse me.” A tall, thin man dabbed his arm with a fingertip. “Are you using that chair?” Jeremiah shook his head no and the fellow dragged it over to a nearby table. He doubted they would have approached a Wolf. He’d noticed humans were a little twitchy around them. They kept their distance. If Jeremiah had been smarter, he would have done the same.

Out the bank of windows, he watched a couple struggle with their young dog. The animal was pulling the girl along, indifferent to anything the guy commanded. The dog was all wag and happy tail, ignoring his own people completely. They needed to get their whole family to an obedience class.

A thin, weak thread of Wolf scent tickled past him. No living being had so little perceivable scent. Jeremiah shifted in his seat, trying to seem casual as he scanned the room. Maybe a human that worked with one of the Lost had lifted the scent onto their clothes.

When he saw it, he couldn’t suppress the shudder that moved through him. An angular tech bro had a braided leather bracelet encircling his wrist. Close to the clasp was a tiny frill of gray pelt. It looked like the kind of thing a human might bring home from a music festival, or buy in a head shop.

But this one wasn’t a regular scrap of fur. Jeremiah forced his body to relax, resisting the urge to stand. Was this the type of thing the Wolves hoped he would see? Jeremiah lifted his phone and pretended to text as he took pictures of the man. He waited until the guy turned, carrying his flat white and a danish, and snapped a few of his face.

As a Bear, he did not know what level of technology the Wolves had at their fingertips. They had been secretive about it when he had tried to get more info.

The man settled himself in the place's quietest corner, opened his laptop, and took a sip of his coffee. Jeremiah kept his line of sight to the side of him, so that he was watching him in his peripheral vision. He was grateful for that when the guy’s head snapped up and he looked around. Jeremiah faked a yawn with some believability. He wanted to be home in his own bed. Or better yet, in Kennedy’s. Hell, he’d settle for the hay strewn on the Mother’s Room floor.

He made himself take a few sips of his coffee before he sent the message.

One after another, he sent pictures to the team.