Beasthood (The Hidden Blood Series) (22 page)

Sunday June 5
th
,
Construction Site

             
It was exactly a week later when things took a turn. For the worst.

             
She had been helping out with the build everyday from the early morning until around one o'clock. When she got the chance she'd spend it laying in bed; her legs, back and arms aching.

             
She'd had two fevers but they had been manageable. Edda knew about them but didn't show any signs of concern. They'd appeared around dinner time and continued all the way through the night. Jaz had stayed in bed without eating, sleeping it off.

             
After an hour or so from returning to the cabin, she'd always get a visitor. Either Alf, Skye, Ronnie or Kelda and Kenna. They would drag Jaz out the house, taking her on long scenic walks. Jaz hated to admit it, but she did feel better afterwards and she really enjoyed their company.

             
The sisters came to see her twice, one time together another time with Skye. Ronnie came three times, always with Skye, and Alf came every time Ronnie did. The two boys were very close.

             
Skye visited everyday that week, talking to her about the routines, the council, what everyone did. How the whole community saw each other as equals and took equal share in the chores. How they were self-sufficient but still did trading with the outside, and between Packs who they had good alliances with. She skipped over the ones they weren't on such good terms with, and Jaz didn't ignore it.

             
She took Jaz  around the plantations, the stables and pens. The crops and greenhouses. She showed Jaz how people planted and sowed and explained to her the process. She introduced her to members of the community. Jaz always kept everyone at arms length but was grateful for the effort Skye put in to getting Jaz to feel at home. She didn't feel like she was a prisoner anymore, as such, but she certainly didn't feel at home.

             
She still wasn't allowed to contact her family or friends. She'd asked Edda about it that Friday.

             
Edda had shook her head and said, “It's not possible now. I promise soon, but it isn't down to me.”

             
Jaz had scowled at her and had retorted, “Then don't promise something you can't keep.” She'd gone into her room and hadn't come out until the next morning.

             
Edda wasn't there and by the time she got back from work and her walk, Jaz didn't mention their quarrel. So Edda didn't mention it. Jaz didn't hold grudges, even if she tried she couldn't. She was terrible at it. But she didn't forget when someone burned her. Even if it seemed she had forgiven them.

             
She didn't know it yet, but her ability to hold grudges was about to be tested,  more than once.

              It was coming up to eleven o'clock that Sunday, when Jaz was having a ten minute break that she observed two things.

             
The first thing she had overheard half an hour before.

             
A man called Garth who looked only a few years older than Jaz, with stone-grey eyes, light auburn hair that flicked out past his ears, a cautious mouth, pointed nose and a slim physique, was talking to Carr -the group leader who had worked Jaz hard. Carr was looking down at Garth, listening to him. Garth was asking him about the building plan. He was holding what looked like drawings of the project.

             
She was walking past when she heard Garth say, “We won't be able to finish it in two days, he must be joking!”

             
Carr replied coolly, “The Pack Leader never jokes about work. He knows you can do it.”

“
I don't see him coming down here and-”

             
The threatening look that Carr shot at him stopped him mid-sentence. “Nik,” Jaz's shoulders went stiff as she walked past with her back to them, “trusts you to do it for him. He's very busy and appreciates all our efforts.” He continued to assure Garth, always with a warning tone in his voice. Garth swiftly backed down.

             
Jaz didn't hear anymore of it, her mind reeling.

             
Now she sat on a log, staring at nothing as she absorbed this new information.

Nik. Nik who was Lora's husband, is the Pack Leader? My brother-in-law? So where the hell is he then? Why hasn't he even spoken to me!?

             
Something was trying to poke it's way out of her subconscious but she couldn't pull it out.

             
The next thing she discovered soon after.

             
She was watching the others. The walls of the building were fully up. They had been built with brick and then cladded with oak planks. There was an engraving on a recently nailed plank on the side. She hadn't noticed it before but the moment she laid eyes on it, she recognized it immediately and her heart skipped a beat.

             
It was an oval insignia with a vine of roses and thorns interwoven with the foreign letters. The joined 'X', the one lined 'I' and the sharp 'R'. She didn't know what they meant but she'd definitely seen them more than once before.

             
On Lora's Diary.

             
And, she remembered thinking before when she'd found the diary, she'd seen the letters somewhere else. But for the life of her she hadn't been able to remember where. It was really frustrating.

             
Ronnie sidled over to where she was and sat by her. She looked at him several times. He saw her and frowned self-consciously. “What?” he asked uncertainly.

             
She paused. “Who's Nik?” she inquired steadily. He stared at her as if he'd been winded. This made alarm bells ring in her brain. “Is he the Pack Leader?”

             
Ronnie was stunned by her question. His eyelids softened as if defeated. “Yes,” he answered quietly.

             
Jaz nodded. She had to be sure. Rather than delve in further, -though she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to ask, but knew there was something- she changed topic. “What does that mean?” She pointed to the insignia and Ronnie looked that way, relief trickling into his face at the change of subject.

             
He gazed back at her, thinking about it for a moment. “It's sort of our crest.”

“
Of your community?”

             
He shook his head. “Of our species.”

             
Jaz tried not to look as uncomfortable as she felt when he said that. Especially with the way he'd emphasized '
our
'. “What does it mean?” He furrowed his brow. Jaz thought the grown-up expression looked so cute on his chubby childish face. “The letters?” she encouraged.

“
Oh, it's Norse. Like you know, from Viking times or something? It's the word 'Dyr' in the Runic alphabet. It means Beast.”

“
Oh.” She eyed it and then said casually. “I think I've seen it before.”

             
Ronnie nodded smiling. “Yeah probably, we have it everywhere. Inside the main building, outside on a few of the walls, the Pack Leader even has it on a-” he stopped dead. The words caught in his throat. He'd said more than he should have and made a face.

             
Jaz stared at him with wide, hungry eyes. “What were you gonna say?” she demanded.

             
Ronnie shook his head furiously. “Nothing, it's nothing.”

“
Tell
me, Ronnie.” He shook his head, even quicker. “He has it on a...? On a what?” And then the answer came to her. Her face drooped. She stared not seeing the building in front. She'd seen it before but had never processed it in her brain. It had always been in the background. Now she knew. “A ring...” Her voice was strained. It barely came out in a whisper.

             
Ronnie eyed her worriedly. “Jaz?”

             
Now it all made sense. The weight of the knowledge crushed her. Her lungs gasped for air. “Jaz? Are you okay?”

             
She blinked and looked up at the startled boy's face. It wasn't his fault. She forced a smile. It wasn't very convincing but his face softened a little. “He has it on a ring,” she repeated, her voice hollow.

             
It didn't sound like a question but Ronnie bobbed his head in reply anyway. “All the Pack Leader's do,” he added uneasily, still watching her with questioning eyes.

             
She closed hers slowly and opened them again. She didn't need to ask because she knew what the answer would be. Still the words escaped her mouth as if they had a mind of their own.“Nik Driver...the Pack Leader?”

             
The look on Ronnie's face was enough. She felt like she'd been stabbed in the back, literally and metaphorically.

“
Please don't tell anyone I told you.” She snapped her head up at his words. “We weren't supposed to tell you.”

“
Who? Skye, Edda, you?”

“
Well... everyone.”

             
Jaz felt another stab in her back. The knife kept on coming, gouging holes in her flesh, digging in deeper. “Did he tell you all not to?” Her voice was a ghost of its former self.

             
Ronnie gazed at her carefully for a moment and then replied, “Yes.”

                                                                      *

12:34p.m.

              She worked hard for the rest of the day, trying to keep her mind off of anything but the planks of wood, the digging, the carrying, whatever she was asked to do.

             
She didn't think this day could get any worse. But she was wrong.

“
Watch it, Weakling!” Came a sharp, high voice from behind her.

             
She had been carrying a heavy plank when she'd nearly walked back into a pretty, dark-haired girl with a cruel face.

Fraya.

             
Everyday that week she had been forced to work beside her. The only day she hadn't been on the same shift was the very first day. After that Fraya had been exactly what Skye had said. “A nasty piece of work”.

             
She continued to tease Jaz, mock her lack of strength, her clumsiness, her slowness, how easily she got tired. 'Weakling', was her favourite nickname for her. Though there were much worse names she could have chosen, the way she said it was so patronizing and felt like sharp nails down Jaz's spine.

             
Jaz had endured it. Ignoring her and smiling it off, being polite and at times sarcastic because that was what she was good at. All those techniques were her shield. Bullies wanted a reaction from you, so your best protection was to do the exact opposite. It would seriously drive them up the wall but eventually they'd get bored and give up.

             
The worse thing you could do was show how much it got to you.

             
Ever since that bitch Bethany from school had caused her so much grief that Jaz had once cried in front of her, the complete humiliation of that day had taught her a valuable lesson. Appear like stone and no one can touch you. They can chuck you around but you'll never break, at least not when you're in front of them. Plenty of time to cry it out later when you're alone. “Sorry, I didn't see you,” she replied calmly.

             
Alf who was holding the other end glanced from one girl to the other, not liking where this was going. He knew how Fraya could be.

“
Clearly! What is it with you!? Did you forget your brain this morning or don't you even have one!”

             
Jaz clenched her jaw.

Keep calm, ignore it.
But instead, she ignored her own brain. She bent her knees and dropped her side of the plank. “Wow, I'm surprised that you were even able to form such a long sentence. Did it hurt your head?” she remarked sardonically.

             
Fraya glowered at her and Alf turned white. Jaz was too angry to feel scared though Fraya was a very frightening woman.

“
Keep it up, and it's
your
head that'll be hurting!” Fraya barked.

             
Jaz smiled triumphantly. “So you admit it?” Fraya frowned, confused. Jaz helped her out, “Your head hurts, huh?”

             
Fraya made a face that was so menacing, Jaz's smile dissolved. She watched Fraya with cautious but defiant eyes.