Forsaken An American Sasquatch Tale - By Christine Conder Page 0,24

she’d given him the silent treatment was probably before they had left Proem, when she’d caught him in Patience’s chamber. But he deserved this as much, if not more than, the last time.

Katie and Gabriel’s cot was still set up so she turned the lantern up a bit and settled in with the quilt she’d taken from their bed. With little trouble, she pulled the cork from the wine bottle. The last one. She didn’t even feel guilty. She lay there, wrapped up, drinking right from the bottle.

The edge of the photo book caught her eye, sticking out from beneath the pillow on the other cot. She wasn’t surprised. Of course Adrian hadn’t returned it; simple courtesy would be completely foreign to him.

She snagged it, closed her eyes and ran her hand over the cover. The raised, purple letters spelled out her daughter’s name.

She and Ellie spent hours snipping and pasting fancy borders around each photo inside. Placing colorful stickers and captions throughout. Chock full of memories and laminated to protect it from the unkind elements of their underworld.

She opened her eyes, turned the page, and a three-year-old Sage greeted her from the lower level of the Kennel, back when Ellie had first opened for business. Sage sat inside a cage, on all fours, meowing and barking her little head off. The picture was snapped mid-woof it seemed, her mouth looked like she blew a kiss to the camera.

Each picture was sweeter than the one before it. Even though auras weren’t captured with cameras, Liberty didn’t need them to see the happiness and love on each face. She continued to look, enjoying the snippets of memories as they popped up from the pages.

Reaching the end, she paused. Scribbled on a piece of paper taken from her desk, was a message from Adrian. It looked dashed off, but it was definitely legible.

Did not make it up. I saw her. She saw me, too. We’re leaving now, no time. More to tell you. Will go to R in 3 days. I’m sorry.

Damn Katie for being so irrational. She needed Adrian here to explain himself. She reread the note, though it didn’t help clarify things. He wanted to meet at the Rendezvous, though. That much was clear. She counted in her head. They’d left yesterday, Sunday, so he wanted to meet her on Wednesday.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind she would go, come flood or fire. She needed to know the “more”.

She folded up the message, tucked it back inside the album, leaned over, and shut off the lantern. Before finding his note, the wine had begun to work its magic. And just like that, she had sobered up.

How in the world would she be able to wait? She whispered into the dark chamber, “I never gave up.”

Lying there, she willed the words to Sage, wherever she was, with every fiber of her being.

* * *

“You passed out? Really?” Becky headed to the little table in the kitchenette of the kennel, nudging the chair out for Liberty to sit in. “Are you good?”

She nodded and took a seat. Pulling her hair back into a pony, she fastened it with a band from her dress pocket before looking up again.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Liberty sighed. “Now. But last night was so horrible, I can’t even begin to tell you.”

“Well, you try and I’ll listen.” Becky walked to the steaming coffee pot on the counter, and poured them each a cup. “Is it okay to talk? I understand if it’s not.”

Liberty chewed her lip as Becky set the coffee down, tried not to let her emotions get the better of her. “The reason I fainted wasn’t because of the argument.”

“No?”

“No.” Liberty released a sigh. “Adrian admitted it was him in the picture and the reason he’d gotten caught…” She paused again, taking a deep breath before letting it all tumble out at once, “was because he’d seen Sage. Sage in her human form. Crazy isn’t it?”

“Well, no wonder you fainted,” Becky sat slowly, considering the new information. “Wow. That’s huge. Serious?”

Liberty nodded and picked up her coffee, held it to her lips without taking a drink, set it back down and said, “I am. And you know what else?”

“There’s more?”

“I believe him.”

“Oh, Liberty.” Becky reached across the table to take her hand.

Liberty nearly pulled back awkwardly. Becky wasn’t often the touchy-feely type.

“Do you really?” Becky continued.

“You wouldn’t believe him?”

“Well…” Becky shook her head slowly like she really didn’t. “I don’t know. It’s been what? A