NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

57. Excerpt from PACK MENTALITY 4

I wasn't planning a fourth part for PACK MENTALITY but I had a little idea so I ran with it. No life-or-death drama this time, I promise!

I always love it when people say 'baby steps!' to imply they're being tentative, when actually baby steps are a great unbalanced, wholehearted, enthusiastic lurch into the unknown. Normally Becky kept a picture of her family or friends as her phone's lock screen, but ever since she had started rehab at Zenna's hospital, she had switched to a screenshot of a tweet. She wasn't sure who the originator was, but as advice went, it had just the sort of tone she needed: funny, chaotic, hopeful. She had received countless calls and texts wishing her well, hoping she had a speedy recovery and offering any help she needed, and she appreciated them all. A dose of reality, with the good and the bad mixed together, was more of what she needed, though.

She also knew she needed more ring time. Seth and Marek were being very gracious, letting her use Black & Brave whenever classes weren't in session, day or night. They even let her join in some of the practice sessions, though only the ones with students they absolutely trusted. She was coming up on the four-month anniversary of the attack and she was finally free of all her walking aids, but Becky still felt unstable in other ways. "Want to run some drills?" Marek offered, coming up to the ring and leaning an elbow on the apron. Becky had been sitting there for a few minutes, lost in thought, feet kicking back and forth. "I'd say you look like a lost little puppy dog," he added with a smile, "but I know werewolves can be touchy about dog jokes. Or at least Seth could be." When Becky's eyes went wide and she glanced around so quickly she nearly toppled off the apron, he laughed. "Don't worry. All the students are gone."

Sighing with relief, Becky leaned back against the ropes. She had spent so much time with Seth and Marek in the ring in the past few months that it was easy to forget that they we were the only ones at Black & Brave who knew she and Seth were werewolves. There had been a few times where she had almost slipped and said something in front of a group of students, but luckily she had always caught herself in time. Definitely need to get a handle on that before I go back to work, she thought, hopping down to the floor. "Seth's been gone a while too," she remarked, glancing towards the front entrance again. Marek's quip about looking like a lost little puppy might have been in fun, but she knew she was acting like a dog anxiously waiting for its people to get back home and knowing their schedule down almost down to the minute. "I thought he was just going over to the cafe. It's closed now, so it shouldn't take him that long, should it?"

Marek shrugged. "I wouldn't think so, but maybe there's some paperwork the managers want him to look at. You know what he's like with the detail side of his businesses." He reached up and pulled on the lowest rope. "So... want to run some drills?"

Becky glanced at the door again. "That's nice of you to offer, but it's getting late and you must want to get home to your kids. I don't want to keep you." Late in Davenport was a very different concept than it was in Los Angeles, but she had found that the slower pace of life was helping her adjust to her new nature. She still flew back to Los Angeles regularly to talk with Vida, one of the leaders of a pack Seth was affiliated with, and to be assessed by Zenna, Vida's sister who worked at a state-of-the-art hospital for supernaturals. It still felt like home, but in a different way. More and more, home was wherever Seth was, and when he was gone she felt his absence like a gaping wound. "I can just get my stuff together and meet him over at the cafe. I know the secret knock for the back entrance."

"I'm sure he won't be long," Marek insisted, climbing into the ring. "Come on. Humour an old man, would you? You're not the only one gearing up for a big return."

"Old man," Becky scoffed. "I'll have to use that one on Seth." Casting one last longing look at the front door, she hopped back up on the apron and slid underneath the bottom rope. Marek had been sidelined by a severe injury years ago and had been steadily trying to work his way back up to in-ring competition, even though he knew he would likely never be able to wrestle full-time. His advice and support had been invaluable because she knew he had been on a similar path. Seth could give her all the advice and encouragement in the world, but it meant something different from someone who had been forced to give up what they loved and knew they might never get it back. "What kind of drills do you want to work on?" When she glanced at the front of the wrestling school this time, she was hoping to get a glimpse of the moon. She already had specialized apps on her phone from when she was helping Seth track full moons, so she knew the next one was still a week away, but she liked seeing the moon with her own eyes no matter what phase it was in. It seemed to steady her somehow.

"Hm. You're probably sick of rope work, but I was thinking clotheslines. Some of the kids get a bit overeager and it feels like they're trying to take my head off, you know?" Marek rubbed his neck ruefully. "I know they mean well, but...."

"Sure." Becky was getting tired and wished Seth would get back so they could go home and she could get some sleep, but her focus was good enough for some basic moves. The mere fact that Marek trusted her in the ring alone, without Seth there to intervene if she lost control, meant the world to her. "You're not just asking to make me feel better, are you?"

Marek shook his head. "You must have seen me working with Justin this afternoon. The kid's a beast, but he had me flipping in circles like Mustafa Ali and not always by choice. This way I'll get some practice I can handle, and you can stop gazing out the window. A watched door never opens, right?"