"What's going on?" I asked him "Tell me. Just tell me."
"How did you know that those women were dead?" I asked again.
"I can't tell you, Ziig." He says finally.
"What? Why not?" I ask him.
"I just can't."
"Look. Is really weird that you came back and suddenly you think you're my bodyguard." I paused, shifting my weight to my left leg. "I don't need that kind of treatment. We're friends. We will always be friends. I care about you and you care about me. I got it, but why are you acting like you need to protect me from your own father? Are you keeping up?" I'm starting to fume.
"No. You should go downstairs now."
"You're obviously kidding me... " I storm out.
Downstairs, I asked the trio. "what is going on?"
"The sheriff is a friend and called me to make sure you and Ogimaa were okay.
Are you okay?" Mr Binesi asked.
"Yes. Ogimaa helped me and all our friends at the Diner. We're just shocked. Nothing really happens around here."
"I know. Don't worry. If you need time off school, just tell your mom. The Dean already knows what happened and said that you can have the rest of the week off if you need to. Okay, Little Flower?" He smiled fatherly.
"Thank you for that, Mr. Binesi."
"Baamaapii miinwaa kaawaabmin, Ziigwan." He says.
"Baamaapii miinwaa kaawaabmin." I bow a little. I don't know why. I always bow my head down a little to the Elders.
"I'll send the little wolf home. Don't worry Aniibish. He's just in high alert. You know how it goes. " My mom says to Ogi's mom.
"Thank you for everything. See you later. " She smiles.
When my mother closes the front door I say to her,
"Mom, why is Ogi in high alert? Mom why was he protecting me from his own father?"
"Daughter, sit down."
I sat in the kitchen table.
"You know that your blood and your father's blood is different from mine. You're a girl, it does not affect you the same way that affect the male gender. You're Ogi's most treasured friend. No matter how long he was away, the bond that you created growing up is unbreakable. As a male he will have the instinct to protect you. Especially from other males."
"Oh... that is just... okay." I reply "That's why when I saw him yesterday it seemed like he was not gone five years. Like nothing really changed?"
"Exactly. I know it's weird, but you are First Nation People. Somethings are just different for you. Besides you are only teenagers. Hormones are sky high."
I was feeling better about this.
"Okay, mom. I will see if he's doing okay."
"Don't take long. Dinner is almost ready. Pasta a Carbonara." My mom tells me setting the table.
"Alright."
I open my bedroom door and stood there for a minute. Just watching him. He was asleep in my bed.
I approach him silently.
Sat in the bed and started to shake him a little.
"Ogi... Ogi." I say poking his back.
"O-G-I" I yelled.
I don't know how he has done it. In half a second he was up and in position to attack. "What? Where?"
I laughed so much in my bed that my belly hurts.
"Stop flashing me. Red panties, ah?" He laughs.
I got up and fix my clothes "Pervert!" I gasp as if I was deeply offended.
"Dinner is ready!" my mom yelled from downstairs
He grabs me by the waist and carries me downstairs across his shoulder as I am a big bag of sand or concrete from a construction site.
"Put me down or I will kill you. Do you hear me?"
"Akawe, you have to eat, you ate almost nothing the entire day, missy."
I admit it was fun to be carried like that. He is really strong. Jeez. I'm like a feather to him.
"Okay Little Wolf you had your fun. Put Little Flower down. " my mom laughs. Traitor!
"Sorry, Mrs Woods. And thanks for dinner. I appreciate. What is that?" He asks
"Pasta a Carbonara. I'm learning Italian Cusine."
"She means that she is trying to get me to wear a size 4, you know... " I warn him.
"You should get some meat around those bones." He mocks me.
My mom laughs.
"Seriously guys you are just plain mean right now. I was always skinny. Come on... Jeez."
"You're right. Except that one summer. You were 8. Remember?"
"Yeah." My mom agreed.
"You suck so much I don't even... " I told them.
Dinner was great comparing to the awful afternoon.
My mom served us icecream and everything.
Gelato, apparently is what it is called in Italy.
I went with King outside. To his car. To say goodnight.
"Drive safely. And calm the funk down. Ok?"
"Alright I will. Can I come get you tomorrow. 7 am?" He snaps.
"You can, but you don't need to. You know that, right? I got the bus."
"I'm here seven and five minutes sharp. Don't be late, with those female... stuff. Ok?" He says stubbornly.
"Fine." I kiss his cheek "I'm really glad you're back." I confess.
"Me too, Namid. Me too." And he drove away.
I stood there salivating. What tha funk is wrong with me?
I'm gonna sleep it off...
Buzz buzz buzz6:15Alarm.Seriously, I was out last night. As my head hit the pillow I probably started to snore.I was so tired. It was such a long day.Buzz buzz buzz6:20Alarm.Let's get dressed. Jump out off bed.Breakfast's in thirty minutes. I got a lot of make-up to put on my face today to try to conceal those bags and darkness under my eyes.I'm dressing simple today. Skinny black jeans, ripped over my knees and under my butt. Red tank top. Black wedge boots. Black satin duster jacket.A black choker and my hair down straight.Smokey eyes and red lipstick.Grab my black tote bag. I didn't even took anything out yesterday. Well, I got no time.Run downstairs and literally swallow the breakfast.7:00"Sorry mom. It was the make-up." I say while eating."Slow down. You have to eat properly. He'll wait 5 minutes. He won't die." My mom laughs."You're ri
"Ogi, what tha funk are you talking about? That's a Hollywood movie, not real life. Wake up.""Just calm down or else you will act suspicious in front of all these people.""Let just get to next class. I'll be fine by then." I rush past him.The rest of the afternoon went smoothly.It's Wednesday and usually the practice is thougher on hump day. Today was not, well it was business as usual, but strangely it was easier for me.I think I'm faster and don't get that tired. Maybe it's just the adrenaline from recently been a victim of Ogi and life."I'm so hungry. my stomach is eating itself. Urgh." I cry out in the locker room."I would tell you to go to that Diner, but you know..." McKenzie said.McKenzie is that typical bitchy girl, that is always rolling her eyes, saying 'Whatever' and 'Loser', undermining everyone that is, in her mind, a threat."Jeez, McKenzie, you're going to hell for sure..." I snap back."Oh,
"You're on edge..." Ogi tells me when we get to the car."McKenzie... is just... Urgh!""You're afraid that people notice your pull towards me. They all already have. Just stop fighting it.""I have no idea of what you are talking about... I mean. We're friends." I say stoically."Well, we don't need to be more than friends... just you keep lying to yourself and that's when your pain grows. Meaning. I got used to it and manage to function without much-needed closeness, but you... you'll find it an impossible task if you deny it even exists." He tells me calmly."When did you become a philosophy master?" I ask."I had to deal with a lot in the past six years. That's it." He shared."I see. So, how weird it would be if I place my hand in your neck?" I ask afraid of sounding desperate."That's an interesting choice, but okay. I wouldn't be offended. Neither would I look too much into it." He says.I immediately place my lef
Buzz buzz buzz6:15Alarm.Get immediately out of bed. I'm fresh as a leaf today. Guess that nap wrapped in Ogi had some positive effects.Great.What am I wearing today? Oversized white shirt, white skinny jeans. Camel cardigan and ankle boots. Wavy beach hair, light make-up but purple lipstick. Purple tote bag.I think I've overdone it today, but I don't care. I love it.Me: Can you come inside? I'm a tiny, little late. Sorry!Ogi: O.k.. C'ya soon.And I'm freaking late. Urgh!7:00"Mom, I'm late." I yell, descending the stairs."I know. Sit down.""Ogi is already here." I smile."And got some awful news." My mom adds."Indeed. I was just telling Mrs. Woods that Sheriff called my father last night to inform that a person that was found dead in Covill motel. it's a man, late 50's. Animal attack." He says."Oh my. That's terrible. Horrible news. What is going on? Rabies?"
"Ogimaa, you had six years to get used to it. I'm seventeen and thought I knew all it was there to know about myself. I'm sorry if this is not easy for me to swallow." I pause " I don't even know if you're not having a psychotic episode and I'm getting convinced of something that is not real."He starts to come back to the car and strip his clothes."Shit." I let out "what if someone sees?""If you don't believe it yourself, even with your family background... Do you think a tourist will believe his or her eyes?""No." I simply reply.He was only with boxers shorts.I don't think anybody is around here anyways. This is a pretty remote access to the woods and the car is really close to the trees."Okay. Here goes nothing." He declares "Take the car keys, my flower."I run to his side and store the keys inside one of my many pockets, zipping it."Okay, just let me kiss you first."I look up to him and
"Your mate was born on a snow moon and Great Spirits Moon. First full moon of the year. He's not white, is he?" My father asked as it was nothing."He's dark brown, almost black. And you?" I ask with shaking hands and voice."I'm plain grey. Like the wonderful Canis Lupus. Just bigger. We thought you wouldn't be like me, since your mom is not Anishinaabe. Looks like she is. Not pure of course, but not as far as it looks." He pause " Pure was an awful word to use. I'm sorry my love." And kisses my mom's hand."That's why we're only having this conversation now?""Yes. Until now, you didn't need to know." He answers "Your mom told me 5 or 6 years ago that little wolf was acting strange. I told her who he was. She also expressed concern about you and him. I wrongly dismissed any imprinting on you. I thought you didn't have enough Anishinaabe blood to be his mate.""Both Grandma and Grandpa are Chippewa descendants, I didn't know that." My mom adds.
"Look. We have super abilities. I'm not joking. We literally can smell every component of that amazing shampoo that you usually use. Sometimes you switch to another, more like a pine tree meets an orange scent. I can see your blood passing through your veins, in your neck, in your wrists. I can hear your lungs and the air entering and exiting. Your heart beating. I can see a gap in your third and fourth right upper teeth and other things that I don't have to tell you."I ruminate on that. "So you have to focus on what you want and ignore the rest. If you are not trained...""She lost it. Probably don't even know what to do. Acting only by instinct. Instinct of a wolf that was born a month ago. This is a mess." He concludes."I don't want to be a mess..." I say sad."You won't be a mess. Not even a hot mess. You were born wolf. You just didn't know. Besides you got me to help you."*-*-*-*-*-*-*Covill is a small t
"I heard that the men that was killed in Covill was a regular client. Is this true? " Hunter asked Tiffany."Yes, known player. He was married and lived in Croftville." Tiffany said.Croftville is another small and unorganized community that is located 3 miles northeast of the city of Grand Marais."Was the wife with him?" I ask."The mistress was with him." She implies.Any connection with the women working at the Diner? I wonder."Animal attack?" Ogi asks."Mrs. Clarkson said that the blood was everywhere." Tiffany says with a sad look on her face."Okay guys. Let's talk about Homecoming Dance and Spirit Week. It is in two weeks. I'm head of the committee. Again and I need help. Any ideas? Theme? Pranks? " I ask."Actually. Spirit Week will mark the beginning of Basketball games, with our game." Cole Cook says " We, man are going to take care of Spirit Week, including the traditional picnic, pep rally and the bonefire.