Chapter 3 – Comment
Uncle Dan looked as if David Bowie had actually fallen back to Earth. Not any less handsome than the original, just a little more grizzled and unshaven, but retained that radiant otherworldly charisma. Apollena remembered only seeing their uncle outside of his pressed tan suit, indigo tie, and polished hiking boots once when they last visited Spirit Lake ten years ago. His style hadn’t changed. Their uncle sat across from the twins, wearing the exact same outfit. Their usual table was pressed against the bay window of Portland’s Royal House of Noodles. Prime people watching spot. They’d ordered only moments ago when three bowls of piping hot pork ramen, steak, and tofu were delivered by one of the undergrad wait staff.
“Where’s the beef?” Luna asked Uncle Dan with mock concern.
“Trying to save a few extra years. Ain’t got your Aunt Sally ’round to look after me any longer. It’s on me to stay ahead of the reaper. Eat healthy, exercise, all that rot. It’s exhausting,” Uncle Dan chuckled as he picked up a square of tofu with his chopsticks and tossed it up into his mouth. He caught it, chewed, and with a disappointed frown, swallowed.
“Admirable,” said Lane dryly, flipping through his notebook. The Notebook.
In the years that followed their first shared paranormal encounter, Lane’s college-ruled palm pad had evolved into a hardback, nearly four-hundred-page brick of a book. Lane continued to thumb through some of the sections, subsections, footnotes; nothing about disappearing animals that matched what they’d seen last night.
“Thanks for lunch, by the way,” Luna said at their uncle while jabbing a finger into her brother’s ribs under the table.
“Yeah, thank you. I’ve missed RHN,” Lane glanced up at Dan, smiled, and dove back into his research. Somewhere, at some point in all their adventures, they’d had to have encountered something similar. Something about ghosts? Ghost animals? Anything?!
“So,” Luna began, swallowing a bite of steak, “What brings you down from the ‘Ole Shack down to Portland? Needed a break from the tourist trap business?”
Uncle Dan smiled and sipped his tea. His attention was on something that’d caught his eye out the window. “Oh, it’s probably nothing. Got a call from an old colleague at the city precinct; wanted me to look into a robbery yesterday.”
Lane’s ears perked up, “What kind of robbery?”
Uncle Dan kept his eyes out the window, “Something about a handful of books being stolen from Powells‘. Expensive. Old. Occult. Apparently, the manager was in hysterics—”
The boy’s full attention came about like an excited child as Lane blurted out, “Occult? What branch? Witchcraft? Do you think the Azure Coven has come back to Portland—?”
Apollena poked Lane again, hard.
“Ouch!” Lane yelped, “A fork, Luna, really?”
“I know what you’re thinking. Please, don’t,” Apollena asked, her voice low and earnest.
“You’re not at all curious if one of the most dangerous covens is back and—” Lane was brought to silence by Luna’s hand pressed against his mouth. Her brilliant green eyes shone brighter, begging Lane to slow his mind down.
Holding up his hands in surrender, Lane wrestled his curiosity into submission; a lone cowboy trying to restrain a bucking bronco. There were literally millions of questions he wanted to ask, arguably the foremost expert in the occult sitting directly across from them. Uncle Dan had spent his whole life studying, exploring, and fighting the supernatural. Even more than the questions, was the slim chance the robbery was linked to the shadow leopard the twins had encountered last night.
“I know you’re curious, brother,” Luna said gently, with her hand slipping from his mouth down to his thigh. “Please, promise me we’re going on a vacation. Six weeks. Wilderness and relaxation, that’s all.”
There was a sadness in Luna’s bright eyes that immediately took priority over the mystery at hand. That curiosity-horse was instantly tranquilised. Sure, before they left, Luna had heavily implied the vacation was for him. Believing that would have been selfish on Lane’s part. Luna worked just as many cases, experienced the same horrors and tragedy he had, if not more so. It wasn’t just Lane. They both needed a break. Together.
With a solemn nod, Lane wrapped a hand around his sister’s shoulders. “I promise. We’re going on a vacation. Together. No mysteries.”
“It’s just as well,” Uncle Dan finally added, “Probably nothing. That’s what us oldies are reduced to in our twilight years. We either transition on from the badge to a librarian, or entertain tourists with stories of old.” His attention remained fixated on whatever was out the window.
As the bell above the entryway to the Royal House of Noodles chimed, the Twins’ attention shifted from their conversation to the young woman who stepped into the foyer. Leaning against the wall while the rest of her group entered, her hair was a mess of long neon blue ringlets flowing down over her pert chest. She’d pulled out her phone and started texting. Lane took notice of her long, elegant fingers as they danced across the screen; not painted, no acrylics, just neatly clipped. Additionally his predilection for nose piercings was drawn to the small jeweled stud and a silver horseshoe hanging from her left nostril. Rustic black sandals, black jean skirt, and a loose white cotton tank top revealing a third jeweled piercing in her belly button.
Each twin turned and meet the other’s gaze with an identical, stupefied grin. Both twins noticed the bohemian girl had foregone a bra. This wasn’t the first time they’d been in this particular situation. Lane had kept track of who had previously attempted to flirt and make a pass at a stranger that had caught both their attention.
With a polite and subtle gesture toward the young woman with the neon blue hair, Lane conceded to his sister, “I believe it’s your turn.”
Apollena was practically salivating. She nodded but stopped herself short of sprinting toward the door. “I appreciate it. However, if someone could help take your mind off another weird mystery, present a happy distraction…?” Luna gestured with her head in the girl’s direction.
Lane chuckled softly, “You’re too kind, but really, go ahead.”
Luna gave her brother a pat on the back and ejected herself from the seat. Lane watched. His sister certainly knew how to turn it on; charm, seduction, every trick of the trade to capture someone’s attention. Everything from the sway of her hips to the well-timed push of her long fingers through her undercut. Luna had it all down to a science. It was odd to see his sister in a baggy pair of dark blue jeans instead of her typical style: everything barely there. Although, the jeans hung lower on her waist, exposing the warm brown skin of her midriff. That’s when it struck Lane with a spurt of laughter that Luna was actually wearing his jeans.
“So, what’ve the remaining Woods Clan been doing lately?” Uncle Dan asked casually after another long sip of tea. “Besides chasing after the same girls, apparently.”
Lane considered, keeping his eyes on Luna flirting with the girl in the foyer. With a shrug, he admitted, “School, work, grinding to get that degree. It’s been busy, but not our typical brand of busy.”
“Keeping out of trouble?” Lane’s Uncle asked with a slight edge to his voice.
“Yeah?” replied Lane, distracted. There was a touch of melancholy truth to his words. University work and pushing coffee wasn’t any trouble at all really. Lane almost missed the kind of trouble he and his siblings regularly found themselves in. But, Lane promised that he wouldn’t dwell on it. He’d keep his word. They were on vacation.
“Are you certain, Lane? Nothing of note in say, the last twenty-four hours you’d consider out of the ordinary?” Uncle Dan said. His hand shook slightly, rattling the teacup as he set the porcelain saucer face down.
Lane remained distracted, watching his sister and the neon blue bohemian girl. With a soft melodic laugh and the subtle brush her fingers made against the girl’s forearm, Luna moved in for the kill. All it took was a whisper, lips centimeters away from the stranger’s ear. The bohemian girl melted into Luna’s arms. It wasn’t until the clatter of the porcelain cup on the table that Lane was brought back to his senses. He glanced over at his Uncle. Perplexingly mesmerized, the man’s eyes narrowed, still locked onto whatever was across the street.
“I suppose there was something last night, but why do you—?” Lane stopped himself, finally following his Uncle’s gaze.
Sitting across the street on its haunches, a lone timber wolf stared back at them. The same black mottled skin rotted away from this animal just as it had the leopard. The same golden glowing eyes. Bared black teeth dripped inky foam and deadly paws were only meters away from them, ready to strike. That same sickly black cloud of soot also pooled at this creature’s feet.
Lane moved for his phone, but his uncle’s hand caught him.
“No,” Uncle Dan hushed, “No sudden movements. Just watch.”
Lane waited.
The creature continued to stare back. Silent. Watching.
As people passed beside and around the creature, no one else seemed to mind or care for the massive wolf with inky liquid flowing out its mouth and onto the sidewalk. Just another stray dog, apparently. The animal didn’t mind either. It only seemed to be interested in Lane.
“Last night,” Lane whispered, “There was a leopard. Same dark aura, pitch black skin, gold eyes. It was there for maybe a second or two. Then it vanished.”
Uncle Dan turned away from the window for the first time and addressed Lane, “It’s an omen.” His facial expression wasn’t any more grim than usual, but the way his voice wavered at the end shook Lane.
He’d only glanced over at his uncle for less than a moment before looking back at the creature, but in that split second of dropping his guard, the creature was gone. Balling his fist, Lane struck the table. “I could have gotten a shot of it, done a spectral analysis: I could have found out if—” Lane turned back to the spot where the wolf had been, but still, nothing. Gone.
“But you made a promise, didn’t you, boy?” Uncle Dan asked as he steepled his fingers.
Lane sighed. Yeah. He did.
Frustrated, Lane’s eyes drifted back to his sister. Apollena just happened to walk by their table, arm in arm with the neon-blue-haired girl. Luna’s seductive smile broke just once as she glanced over her shoulder at Lane to wink with a goofy grin. Lane watched his sister mouth, ‘Her ass is perfection,’ and rolled her eyes back in euphoria. He smirked and watched the two girls continue to stride lockstep toward the bathrooms in the back.
“Lane,” Uncle Dan spoke low, hushed, “Omens are signs of things to come. Usually, not great things. I know your mind fairly well, so don’t dwell on the possible terrible future heading around the bend.” The younger man was about to interrupt, but Dan held his spoon in the air, “Instead, trust in yourselves. You’ve come across many strange tidings before and have survived so far. The future will take care of itself. You are more prepared than most in many ways to meet that future. Let that be enough. Enjoy the time you have. Understood?”
“You make it sound like we’re about to die,” Lane said, a little shaken.
Uncle Dan scoffed and reached over for Luna’s unattended bowl of steak ramen. He fished out a piece of steak with his chopsticks. Placing the steak in his mouth, Uncle Dan’s face lit up with joy. Flavor. Honest to God, actual savory, seasoned to perfection, wagyu steak. As he swallowed, Uncle Dan smiled widely. “My boy, that’s the trick of it; we’re not promised a second more of life on this earth. It’s on you to live in the moment to the best of your ability. Fair?“
The man had a point. Even as well trained as they were, neither Lane nor Luna were consistently perfect. They’d made plenty of mistakes in the midst of battles, saved only by dumb luck at times. Many of Lane’s carefully crafted plans were unravelled by the smallest, unforeseen detail. Sometimes all they could do was fight moment to moment. On the other hand, Lane’s father had taught him, “A man plans for his future without guarantee or promise that any future shall come to pass.” If these omens of unforeseen terror turned out to be true, Lane wanted to have at least some semblance of a plan ready.
That, of course, would mean he’d have to break his promise.
Luna fell into the seat beside her brother with a frustrated huff.
“You’re back early,” Lane scoffed. He was about to throw in a dig about, ‘Under performing’, but Luna’s mortified and frustrated face tempered his jest. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, “Not the one for you?”
Luna groaned, dropping her forehead on the table. “No. Mother Nature came early this month. The Bitch.”
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