Chapter 16: Death in a Pot

"Nyles, come on. These pancakes won't eat themselves." Matt prompted, sliding into a chair at the dining table.

Nyla stood backing her entire family. While the plant scrambled her senses, while she felt herself slipping off the edge of control, the volume of the TV mysteriously cranked up, distracting everyone. While Matt rushed for the remote control, the smoke alarm went off.

"Oh, crap, my pie." Her mom dashed for the oven wondering how the timer already went off in less than a minute. While everyone was distracted, Irina caught herself in a haze, staring at the plant nestled close to the door. A wild thought snuck into her mind. If she inhaled it any longer, would it trigger Nyla's memory again or would she just be exposed as a werewolf before her human family? Curiosity battled with fear and fear lost.

With convulsion teetering on the horizon the longer she inhaled the plant, Irina risked everything by snapping off a few branches off the flower before staggering to her room. By the time she chucked it in her bathroom and slammed the door, her palm stung.

It took her a few seconds to heal and when she did, she felt refreshed. Then she processed a few things. The sudden spike of the TV volume. The smoking oven. That was very weird, especially the timing. Was that a mere coincidence or something to do with her?

Since she couldn't make sense of it, she redirected her energy and spent the next five minutes going over the crazy idea in her head regarding the flower. She needed to ascertain whether it was more stupid than reasonable and vice versa.

Eventually, she decided to wait till nightfall to test out her theory since everyone would be asleep by then. The chances of someone interrupting her experiment would be slimmer.

Her father was called into work early and dashed off with the flower without finishing his breakfast. The house fell eerily quiet after her mom also left for the shop. Before that, she stopped by Irina's room to inform her that her breakfast was in the oven.

By noon, Irina cautiously peeked out of her door, and came out when she failed to perceive the poisonous flower.

She heard a soft chuckle on her way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Sure enough, a pretty lady had her back turned at the kitchen table, laughing at Matt's dry jokes. She appeared to be only a few years older than Nyla was.

"Hey Nyles, this is…"

"Petra?" Irina gaped in shock when the lady turned. Her heart thudded in her chest as she stared at her brother Shawn's girlfriend from her first life. Was she dreaming? How could Petra Wernick be here? Petra had died shortly after Shawn.

Matt looked confused, as did his girlfriend. "Uh, no, her name's Maggie Jones." He beamed at Maggie. "Forgive my sister, Nyla. She had an accident a year ago that left her comatose for months. Her memory isn't the best lately."

Maggie nodded in understanding before extending a hand out to shake Nyla. "Hey, I'm Maggie. Pleasure to meet you."

Irina cleared her throat and feigned a smile to hide the palpable shock she was feeling. She took Maggie's hand and returned her smile.

"Nice to meet you, Maggie. Cool necklace." Shawn gave that to Petra on their first anniversary. Even if this was her first or second rebirth, how did Petra still have that?

"Oh, thanks." Maggie touched it with a sentimental look in her eyes. "It was a gift."

"From who?"

"Nyles!" Matt cautioned her.

"Sorry. I just came to grab something to eat. I didn't mean to disrupt your conversation. Carry on." She needed to get out of there in case her mind was playing tricks on her. Maybe it was the aftermath of the purple flower. Maybe someone else had been reborn in Maggie's body but the necklace? Was that a mere coincidence?

Her mind spun. Could this mean Shawn was close too? Was it possible that he had been reborn in this city too or was the universe just messing with her? She didn't know what to think or believe.

"Hey" Matt called, then passed her some food from the microwave and a bottle of juice from the fridge. She thanked him, gave Maggie another glance before returning to her room. Her appetite gone. She recalled her strained relationship with Petra.

"Have you no pity for him?" Petra snarled at her when the garage was raided by a local gang to get back at Irina for her guts in stealing back her brother's bike. "He's lost everything because of you. You're a grown woman, Irina. When are you going to stop acting like an angsty teenager? You're not the only one who lost your parents, you know. Shawn also did but you don't see him using that as an excuse to cruise through life as a glorified fuck up of an adult."

"Petra, that's enough." Shawn tried to intervene but she stopped him.

"No, Shawn, someone has to tell her the truth. You can't babysit her for the rest of your life. Irina, life isn't fair to anyone. Everyone goes through shit. Being a fucking adult requires that you find a way through the muck without being a menace to others. You don't get to waltz around, wrecking your brother's life with your thoughtless decisions. You are welcome to self-destruct if you want to but I won't let you take him down with you. I won't!"

Irina ran a hand over her face to flush the nasty edge of Petra's voice out of her head. Petra never liked her because of the stress she constantly put Shawn under. Their relationship was rocky at best but Shawn somehow managed to be the glue between them.

To distract herself, she went and lounged at the backyard, reading up on lycanthropy off her iPad till Maggie left. Matt joined her.

"Have you met Maggie before? Why'd you call her Petra?"

She shrugged. "I guess she reminds me of someone I met some time ago." She met his eyes. "How much do you know about her?"

"Woah, slow down. We've only been talking online for like a month. We met at wine tasting event. She seemed very interested in my new book and we bounced off ideas…"

"What book?" It amazed her how often she forgot he was a non-fiction author.

"It's still in the ideation phase but it explores the dangers of supernatural beings in human cities. Obviously, Sandgate is the case study." He cocked his head. "It's going to be a very handy survival kit for humans thinking of moving and living here full time. Having lived here all my life and knowing what I know, I pride myself as inept on the topic. I can spot those monsters faster than anyone can say jackpot."

"Jackpot." Irina humored him, earning a grin. She turned away so he missed seeing the twinge of disappointment in her eyes. If only you knew, she thought.

She had dinner with her family to compensate for her absence at breakfast.

By midnight, Matt had dozed off on the movie he suggested they watch together. Their parents had long gone to bed. Irina headed for her bedroom and cautiously unlocked her bathroom door. The flower filled her nostrils. It was now or never. She lay flat on the floor and kept breathing in the poison. Her vision blurred till her themed room faded into the lush greens of a wild forest.

While her breath clogged in her throat, she felt herself floating across the forest. Then she was running too fast for human legs, leaping too high over rocks. It was dark and windy.

Distant voices echoed in her head. She saw a bunch of werewolves howling into the night, including the wolf from her dreams. Finally, she was standing on an elevated rock. When she looked down, her body was covered with thick black fur. Nyla's wolf!

"Come on, that's enough for tonight. Let's head back home."

"I'm hardly tired. Can we do one more lap?" The wolf pleaded.

"Tomorrow night, I promise. Zain's calling for me." Nyla's heart galloped again.

"Fine." Her wolf reluctantly caved. When it lifted its eyes, Irina could see a huge pack house a stone throw from them. It was a gentle radiance flanked by the wildness of the forest. She felt Nyla's fondness for her pack and discerned the name from her thoughts.

Irina woke up in her room, gasping for air. Only one thought filled her head; Fall Ridge Pack.