Falling Feathers Book I - Rogue Without Fear

Chapter X

>>> Autumn Rose <<<
As much as every part of me wanted to tell him, to admit what they'd done, I knew I couldn't. I had to keep it to myself. I shook my head, and placed my head in my hands.
"I don't remember," I lied. "I went to the bridge, and after that I forget. Someone must have hit me."
"How dreadful. I can't imagine why anyone would lay hands on you!" Soren paused. "Or what they would want," he added thoughtfully.
    I took a moment to observe my room. It was exactly as I'd left it. The bed under me was neatly made, the curtains were drawn, the candle on the night stand was burning faintly.  I turned to Soren. He looked concerned. His clothes were dirty, and his hair was ruffled and matted. It looked to me as if Soren himself had a busy night. I noticed that his hand was, once again, in his pocket. Then I remembered. I needed my necklace back.
    "Soren, I really hate to ask," I paused to think about my words. "Would you return my necklace?" He seemed slightly taken back, and a little upset. I knew he probably didn't want to give it up. It was precious to him, and to me too. It would be very risky for me to have the necklace with me, around them. But at the same time, I had no choice. If I brought it, they could kill me and just take what they needed. If I didn't bring it, they could kill me for being mistrusting, and possibly for knowing too much. I remembered the words of the one man.
    He had introduced himself as Danny. His breath reeked of alcohol of various sorts. His teeth were yellow, his hair was uncombed. I could tell he'd shaved recently, because I could see the start of a beard growing. His eyes were brown, and his hair was black. He was about average height, only slightly taller than me. He was the same height as the other fellow, the one I knew was familiar.  I still didn't know who he was.  Then Danny spoke again, drawing my attention away from the other stranger and back to him.  He warned me of the pain, and told me that it would hurt for a day or two.  I thought that compared to my bleeding hand, not much else could hurt.  How wrong I was...
    I rubbed my left arm nervously, hoping Soren would understand.  He shrugged and took his hand out his pocket.  In it, was the necklace.  He reached out to give it to me.  I reached out to receive it.  Then, Soren drew away.
"I thought you said it wasn't safe for you to have it with you."  He commented.   "After you being attacked and losing your memory, I think now is the most unsafe time of all."  I realized all of what he was saying was what I'd said before.  He was using my own words against me.  He suspects something.  I had to find a way to convince him to hand it over, but I didn't want to deceive him.  I've got to.  I've got no choice.  I can't tell him the truth and I need the necklace.  I looked at him, and thought.
    "It's not a safe time, but I don't want to burden you.  It's dangerous for you to have it.  Something could happen.  I don't want you to get hurt."  Soren shook his head, and smiled.
    "Rather me than you.  Come on, it's late.  You should get some sleep, before the sun comes up."  He encouraged.  I knew I'd lost the fight.  I nodded, and decided I'd have to come up with something else.  I walked Soren to the door, and suddenly felt dizzy.  I half stumbled, half walked to my bed and quickly lied down in it.  My head was throbbing with a terrible headache.  I rolled over in my bed.  I heard the blankets as they creased, the bed as it creaked, and the floorboards below it.  I could hear the people below talking and laughing.  I could hear the shoes of people walking outside kicking up dirt.  I felt like I could hear everything.  I could smell the musty wood, the smell of the soap someone had used to wash their clothes.  It must've been the person in the next room.  It smelled of lavender.  Then, I smelled me.  Oddly enough, the smell wasn't from my room.  It was coming from somewhere else.  It smelled of someone else, too. Someone comforting.  My mother.  That's not possible, I told myself.  She's dead.  She can't be here.  If it wasn't my mother directly, where was the smell coming from?
I lied in bed for what must've been a half an hour, contemplating how this was happening.  How could I be smelling a dead person, and myself?  Suddenly I remembered the obvious answer.  I was a werewolf!  I was a werewolf cub.  I was changing and nothing was normal.  My stronger senses were trying to adjust.  And, instead of leveling out, they were doing what they do in the beginning.  They were fluctuating, being too strong then normal.  After spending however long it was sitting in bed, doing nothing but thinking and smelling and hearing, I got out of bed.  I would see for myself what it was.  I followed the smell to the door of Soren's room.  Then I realized I knew what I was smelling.  It was my necklace!
    I couldn't go into Soren's room, he would hear me.  But from outside the door, I could hear Soren's low, steady breathing.  He was fast asleep.  I opened the door as silently as I could.  It clicked.  I froze.  Soren didn't move.  He was still asleep.  Triumphantly I pushed open the door, and quietly walked into it.  I followed the smell and realized the necklace wasn't on Soren himself.  It was in ... I looked around the room trying to figure out where I was smelling it from.  It was in his nightstand.  The drawer perhaps.  Only one way to find out, I encouraged myself.  Slowly creeping towards the bedside table, I took a shallow breath.  I was so close to Soren.  If he heard me, he would undoubtably wonder what I was doing, and probably be suspicious.  He might even consult the town and get me thrown out or killed.  Or, if I stayed quiet and didn't get myself caught, nothing at all would happen.  I would retrieve the necklace, hide it, and make like he misplaced it.  I would be deceiving him, something I didn't want to do to a friend, but it might be the only thing I had left to do.
    I slid the drawer open as silently as I could.  I moved slowly, barely inching it along.  The slower I moved the more quiet it was.  Once the drawer was half open, I  could see the chain to my necklace.  I threw a quick glance to Soren.  He was still asleep.  Ignoring my past caution, I hastily seized the necklace, shut the drawer as fast as I could, and ran out the room.  Soren didn't wake up.  Relieved, I closed the door, and snuck back to my room.  Once in the safety of my own room, I put my necklace on, and went to sleep.