Wild Child

Wild Child Teaser Excerpt

Yesterday was a basic, crisp and cool, late winter day in Salem, Oregon. The county fair comes around this time of year, and in Oregon, you’ll find more hippies and gypsies than foreign tourists in Disney World in Florida. I remember every bit of it, mostly because it involved my mother yelling at me. Samantha Wylder is the most frightening force on this planet. Her voice alone would make even Greek gods fall before her.

“Nax Achilles Wylder! Stop staring at that woman with the beard!”

“Mom, I think I found Bigfoot’s cousin.”

“Nax!”

“Alright, sorry.” I sighed and smiled, that lady’s beard put Santa, Zeus, and Gandalf the White to shame. She would make a killing selling female’s facial hair mousse.

As the day went on, nothing in the fair exactly caught my interest, and my money was burning a hole in my pocket. It was so much easier to have fun at the fair when I was younger. I was a lot more naive and fooled easily. I always thought I was just bad at the rigged games. The booth owner would just smile and tell me to try again. Taking advantage of a developing mind is a horrible thing to waste. I wandered around the large carnival and looked around sadly at the games that used to leave me at wonder. The only thing that made me happy was the kids running around with their painted faces and tie-dyed shirts. Reminds me of when my dad used to always come with me.

I knew that my mom would end up grabbing me and repressing the little freedom I have some time soon, so I made up my mind and went to the fortune teller. I usually saw those things as fake, but I’ve never had my own fortune done. As I walked into the violet tent, I saw dreamcatchers hanging from a sign that read “Madam Astralia, Your Life Unraveled” I smirked and rolled my eyes. I had to give this woman kudos for her effort in her sign, but it will take more than that to make people believe. I trotted down a thin, silky corridor into a room where a girl that looked no older than I was sat on a small blue rug. Her skin was dark and creamy, her black hair as smooth as a river of fine ink. She wore a dark blue silk headband, a radiant tie-dye shirt, and dark brown pants. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and when she heard my footsteps she opened her eyes. They were unnaturally green, and her smile made my entire body feel warm.

“Hello sir, would you like your palms read?” Her voice was dulcet, the words flowed beautifully like a song. I choked up for a moment.

“Um, a-are you Madam Astralia?” She chuckled softly and smiled.

“No, that’s my grandmother. I’m taking her place today. My name is Amaryllis, and you are?”

“Nax.”

“Max?”

“Nax.”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I bet a lot of people mess that up . . .”

“Heh, you have no idea. So, you’re a fortune teller too?” She looked up into my eyes.

“I prefer the term clairvoyant, but yes, I suppose I am”

“I would like a reading please.” I reached for my wallet in my back pocket, but she put her hand up and gestured me to stop.

“There’s no need. Reading from your aura, your fortune is going to be an entertaining one”

“Entertaining like a clown or like a gladiator fight?”

“Yes.” I had no idea gypsies were sarcastic. “Please sit.” She gestured towards the empty rug in front of her and smiled. I moved onto it slowly and sat down, trying my best to cross my legs the ways her’s were. “Is this your first time having a reading, Nax?

“Yeah. I’m curious how it works” She smiled warmly as if what I said was amusing.

“Well, I can’t go in depth on it, but maybe one day when we cross paths, I’ll teach you. Please give me your right hand.” I raised my hand and she took it into her’s. I felt my face warm up from her touch. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. I tried to stay as still as I possibly could. I felt weird honestly. I wasn’t used to physical interaction from females in general. She was silent for a few minutes, then something happened that I couldn’t understand. She was a bit shocked at my presence. “Your fortune is interesting. Interesting indeed.”

“Wait wait, can you go over it one more time? I’m still trying to process this.” I spoke a bit shakily from her claim. Amaryllis cleared her throat and let go of my hand.

“Alright, listen one more time. You have what we call a Gemini Fate. You have one fortune with one good effect and one bad effect. Let’s start with the good one. You will take possession of strength like you’ve never imagined you could have. No one will best your power once you take hold of it. However this power will make you a threat to all that you love and protect if you are not wary of it.”

“Why would I possess something like that? I don’t want it if I end up threatening loved ones.”

“You don’t have a choice. Nax, you are a Child of Lupus.”

“Lupus. . . the wolf? Do I look like a dog? I swear that smell is coming from that mystery meat tent nearby!” I was ridiculously puzzled about this. I didn’t know if she was being serious or was bombarding me with metaphors. “I’m sure there’s a mistake. I know who my mom is.” Amaryllis looked at me again as if I was dense.

“Thats not how it works Nax. Lupus sends a pack after her kin in order to ensure their safety and progress. Haven’t you heard about the wolf population growing lately?” I did notice that, but I figured that the hunting rate in the state would die it back down, but it hasn’t been.

“So, what does that have to do with me?”

“Nax, they want their brother back.” My eyes widened at the thought of a pack of wolves breaking through my home. What if they hurt my mother? I tried to think of some sort of rationality in all of this, but I couldn’t.

“So, a child of Lupus? So, a werewolf?” Amaryllis smiled at me warmly again.

“We prefer the term Lychan, but yes.”

“Um, we?” Amaryllis locked eyes with me. The usual deep green slowly faded into a dim grey, then a more defined silver.

“Welcome to the Orion Pack, Brother Nax.”