The Wolves and the Vipers

Chapter 9 - In The Woods

Jace walked faster than I did, but he seemed to be aware of it. Every time I disappeared from his peripheral vision, he stopped and waited, ever the gentleman, and he would make an effort for a minute afterwards to slow himself to my pace ... only to unconsciously speed up again when his mind inevitably turned to other things.

"I'm going to introduce you to the pack properly," he was saying now, "but traditionally, that should only be done after I mark you. So for now, we'll just do small gatherings and try to avoid the dining hall."

"But isn't that where we're going now?" I asked him in exasperation.

Jace shook his head. "Sort of, but no. It's another two hours until dinner, so no one will be there except the cooks, and they are very much the backbone of this pack. I want them to be the first to meet you properly. But the important thing is to say hello without getting in their way."

I wasn't sure what that meant. We were nearing the canteen now - I could smell onions frying and hear the clatter of pans. The whole journey through the pack house, I'd done my best to keep my head down. The residents of the building would slow down and stare and whisper with each other as soon as we had passed them. I knew they were just curious, but it didn't stop me feeling self-conscious.

I was also very aware that it was Friday, and that it would be dark in a few hours, but I'd already decided against mentioning it to Jace. We'd never been strict about Shabbat at home. It had been nice to have some designated family time away from our screens, but equally our parents had never refused a request for a birthday party or sports game or study group. And these last two months, I had hardly known what day of the week it was, let alone been able to observe it.

Jace stopped at a narrow door and opened it for me. I stepped from a quiet corridor into total pandemonium. That's what it seemed like, anyway. The pack kitchens were massive, with more counters and ovens than I'd ever seen in my life. All that space was occupied by more than a score of women, all of whom seemed to be busy. They seemed to have mastered the art of moving past each other seamlessly and with a strange kind of grace, but I had no such talent, and two people had stopped up short in their tracks, frowning at me, before ten seconds had passed.

I understood what he'd meant now by 'getting in the way.'

Jace put a gentle hand on my back and guided me across the invisible paths and into an inlet which seemed fairly sheltered from the chaos outside. Inside it, a tall woman was bent over a recipe book, muttering to herself, but she turned around quickly enough upon glimpsing us and gave Jace a warm smile.

"Emma, this is Jeanne," Jace said. "She's head chef between 2 pm and 10 pm. Jeanne, this is Emma."

"Ah, ah. Say no more," she said, smiling from ear to ear. "We've all heard about Emma. Will we be seeing her at dinner tonight?"

A French accent. That certainly explained why she was in charge of the kitchen.

"No," Jace told her firmly. "Not tonight. You know why."

She harrumphed. "Well, soon, I hope. Either way, I am glad you came by, Emma. It's nice to meet you."

"And you," I replied. I was feeling a slight prickling sensation at the back of my neck, and when I glanced around myself, I found that it wasn't unwarranted. Most of the women in the kitchen seemed to be looking at us, and some of the nearer ones had even stopped what they were doing to hover and take a closer look. But when I noticed that, so did Jeanne.

"Girls!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Ahem. We are working, not staring. Allez."

They dispersed like a puff of smoke. One minute there, the next going about their business as if we didn't exist. And Jeanne had accomplished it without a drop of anger in her tone. When she turned back to us, it didn't take long for her smile to return.