The Lady and the Big Dog

[Deleted]

Zura was in an abandon building torturing a Germanshepherd. Angry thoughts boiled in her mind when she thought of her ex, whom she had started liking since she was a young girl. She had to leave Westborough when she was fifteen years of age, running away to New York till she was nineteen when she had made her return. There was only one girl in her mind right now... she was the reason why the love of her life was her ex now. Zura burned the Germanshepherd with her fire element before allowing him to fall on the ground. The Germanshepherd was laying on his side, weeping from pain. She places her hand on his chest and grabs his heart, crushing it between her fingers she pulls her hand back out to see the heart bloody and mushy. She laughs as she stares at the ruined heart, dropping it on the ground she deposes the Germanshepherd and slowly walks down the block towards the diner where she knew her next victim would be. As she became close in range she goes towards the window to look in side, seeing two woman talking to one another, one was a witch... good none the less, and the other was human... the human was who she was glaring at in the window. There was a noise and Zura turns away from the window and flees before anybody notices her. One day Vashti.... I will make you pay for what you made me suffer with... a promise I plan on keeping. She thought in her mind as she was gone again.

[Libby Sun St. Rose]

Vashti handed the lotion back to Libby, "Thanks, I made it myself."    

Libby heard the soft closing of the car door, instantly knowing Jones was out to scan the area and do his search. She turned her full attention to Vashti. In the short time she was with her, Libby was enjoying herself. It was almost as if they were past friends before. "Oh sorry about the mix up with your siblings, you'll have to excuse me, I get very ditsy sometimes.  They must be very fortunate to have you.  It is always the hardest being the oldest between me and her, trust me I know."

Libby smiled as she talked about Dara to Vashti, knowing for well certain that they would get along quite nicely if they ever met.  "Dara is the wild child in the bunch, she'll intentionally do a lot of unexpected things. Me, I'm the calm one who has a lot of unexpected things happen to me.   Good thing I have Jericho, my boyfriend, and his brother Jones.  We sort of adopted them from friends of the family.  They've been with us since me and Dara were small.  Can't say they're like brothers because that would be weird with me dating one of them. But they've definitely helped with the older sibling role." Libby blushed and instantaneously the light flickered, she was rambling. 

Vashti asked how the town was, Libby told her she was very please.  It was very picturesque and quiet, and also something more which Libby did not say out loud.  "Thanks for offering a place to stay, we actually have a place that my mom got for us.  But again, thanks for letting us know." Libby hesitated before she decided to ask Vashti and she pulled out a photo of a woman in her late 50's.  "We got here this morning but couldn't find her, her names Stella St. Rose.  You wouldn't happened to have seen her?  We're positive nothing is wrong, she's not the type to have her cellphone. She's real old school and she doesn't settle down."  But in reality they were nervous.  It wasn't like her mother to send for them, have a house completely furnished for all four of them, and then not mention being anywhere else.  As Dara pointed out earlier that morning, the house was furnished for them and not her.  Dara out of all of them was the least worried.  She thought they all were being overly worried and rebelled in eveyway possible to everything they were saying.  But Libby waited to see if Vashti happened to see her mom in town anytime soon.

[Deleted]

Vashti nods her head in understanding, "It's alright." She didn't mind as long as she had somebody to talk to, even if it was just sort of. "I would like to think so... but I'm fortunate to have them. I wouldn't change my life if it meant possibly having a second chance alone." She shivers at the thought of not having anybody with her. "I'm not the oldest..." She corrects Libby before adding, "I have an older brother who left too." She sighs, hoping she will one day see her brother again. She smiles at Libby as she talks about her sister, then her company who turned out to be dating Libby and being brothers. She nods her head in understanding, seeing as it would be weird to call your date a brother figure too. Vashti notices Libby blush and the lights flickered, annoying Vashti slightly. Are none of the lights good in this town anymore? She changed her frown into a smile again as she tried to calm herself. "It's strange... the lights used to be so good but now they always seem to flicker for some reason... It's as if the bulb went bad." She spoke out loud, mostly to herself. Libby then spoke of the place, thanking Vashti for offering than explaining that they already have a place to stay, then she pulls out a photo of a woman in her late 50's. Vashti stares at the photo, thinking hard as of where she had seen this woman before. Then Libby asked the question and Vashti placed her right hand under her chin as she thought long and hard. "I have seen her." She starts before pausing, "But I don't remember how long ago it has been." She hadn't seen that woman in ages. Libby gives the woman a name and then she remembers.

"The last time I've seen Stella St. Rose was five years ago." She answers, hoping she got the years correct in her mind. It wasn't like the woman was hiding or anything, Vashti just hadn't gone out to see her on purpose and the woman hadn't come by to talk with her so she hadn't thought anything of it. "I sure hope you find her Libby." She pauses before adding, "Sorry I couldn't have been more helpful." She felt bad... a few years in this small town and she hadn't seen this woman. Something was off and for some reason Vashti wasn't about to feel guiltless till she found out the reason why. Then a sudden chill went down her spin, an old dead thought... one she hadn't thought of in years... as if eyes were watching her Vashti felt somewhat fearful as she looks around the diner and then out the window to see nobody was there. It's all in the past, calm yourself down... else you will make Libby wonder what is going on... and it's in the past.... not a big deal anymore. She thinks to herself before her side salad arrives. Vashti finishes it somewhat fast, before drinking down some of her rootbeer to calm herself down. Their order arrives and Vashti takes a bite in her hamburger.... then slowly starts eating some fries. She was feeling somewhat sick now... from eating to fast and her nerves refusing to calm themselves down.

[Jones Jacob Hunter]

Jones looked around, trying to find the source of what he was feeling, of the darkness he sensed. He had traveled to what looked like to be the only bad part of town. Not that there was trash evident everywhere, but grass was overgrown on neglected lawns and buildings had windows that were boarded up, broken, or completely missing. He felt, more than he heard, a whimper of fear and took off toward one abandoned building where the source was coming from. Before all four paws touched on the lawn to the lot sat the building a dog, he smelled of German Shepherd, made a death cry. Blood hit Jonsey hard and he almost recoiled. It had been a long time since he smelled blood, images flooded of his father and his friend, Charles St. Rose, and he whimpered only to himself. That was over five years ago and it enraged him. He wanted to go in and tear about whatever had done it but he stopped in almost surprise for a young female walked out, she was a witch, a very dark witch. Hiding in the shadows, Jones fled back to the diner. 

He reached the diner, heart beating not from the adrenaline to get back fast but by his emotions.  He had half the mind to run after that dreaded girl and lay some payback down for that poor dog.  The taste of her blood would have been enough retribution.  But he calmed his mind, he didn't know what power that dark witch had.  The thought of changing back into human form ran across his mind.  Better to communicate with Libby as a human to get the hell out of there then in dog form (he didn't much think people eating wanted to see a wolf large dog walking in that diner).  Plus what was he going to do, lick her face to warn her?

His anger continued to rise, confusing him in this thought process until he realized it was his senses, the witch was coming this way.  He went to the side of the diner, into bushes and peered to the front of the diner.  There she was and she stopped and stared through the window, his hair on his back rising, his eyes growing intensively, mouth silently snarling, back and hind legs ready to jet off to clamp onto her neck.  She was looking into the direction of Libby and that girl Vashti.  Unless she could sense another witch, her detested eyes were set on Vashti.  Even though he had just met the girl he already liked her and it looked like she had the potential into becoming Libby's friend, something she was lacking unfortunately and it pained him.  Maybe she would become his friend as well.  The anger rose, he let out a high growl, sounding nothing like growl but the noise of absolute hatred,he girl scattered and Jones  backed down.  He would need to stay in the bushes awhile for if Libby and Vashti came out, or if strangers walked by, he would defiantly look more like a wolf than a dog.  

[Libby Sun St. Rose]

There has been a lot of things that shocked Libby St. Rose and she wouldn't have bet that tonight, sitting with Vashti, she would hear that Vashti had seen her mother, here in this very town, five years ago.  That's why she showed the picture after all wasn't it, to see if Vashti saw her recently...but five whole years? Libby thought this couldn't be right, she had never heard that her mother had been here ever before.  Her mother had always been open to her, Dara, even the boys.  She would've known that she would have been here...right?  But something deep inside her told her that what Vashti was saying was true.  She sensed how sorry Vashti was that she couldn't have been more help.  So why was her mom here? If her mother had been here, why wouldn't she have just said so in one of the many stories she shared with them all.  But then again she never expected her mom to leave them and go off, without warning but, as it seemed to be almost normal, by a simple note.  Libby began to loathe those notes, in times of deep concern they housed hope and revelations that she was alright.  But they were so cryptic, laughing at them about answers beyond the written words that only gave half meaning. 

It had been over a year since she last saw her in person and Libby desperately tried hard to think if she ever left before then where she would have been here.  Five years ago would have been the time when....Don't go there Libby, the LIGHTS.  She brushed it away quickly in order to make sure she didn't cause a complete black out in the diner, the food after all was smelled extremely good and she wouldn't want to leave any person, well herself and Vashti,  to bear not getting any food they ordered because of her.  She was about to ask Vashti more questions about her run in with her mother but that's when she noticed Vashti.  This bubbly nice girl who had already smiled many times since their short introductions had suddenly gone paler as she stared out the window.  Libby wanted to grab her hand to see if she was frozen over but thought it would be extremely rude.  Then Libby had a horrified thought and quickly searched out the window to make sure that there was  mid-transformation wolf into human going on (really it wasn't a pretty sight).  But she didn't see anything at all. 

"Hey are you alright?" Before there could be an answer Vashti's side salad came and she quickly ate it.  Vashti drank her rootbeer too fast and then both their food came.  It smelled delicious and she didn't want to push Vashti to speak. Before she knew it her hamburger was halfway gone, partly because of awkward silence, then again by the fact she was starving.  Libby carefully put the hamburger down and softy chuckled "You'd think I'd never ate before, sorry about that." Trying to lighten the mood, "So, before I finish this hamburger I need to know if I need to save room for dessert? Anything good here? If it's absolutely horrendous, we did have food in the jeep to bring in.  We have double middle Oreo cookie.s"

[Deleted]

Vashti heard Libby ask her if things were alright but she simply ignored. Eating her food down made her feel somewhat better. Vashti picked up her rootbeer, finishing it. Sighing she waited for Libby to ask her a question while putting her hamburger down. "It's okay." She understood, her eating fast was because she wanted to forget something in her past. "I like the dessert here, just depends on what you wish to order." Vashti explained before seeing the waitress come over. She asked for a refill and spoke as the waitress walked off. "I like eating ice cream Sunday... but by no means do we need to eat dessert here." She finishes, liking cookies... and liked trying different kinds. "In answer to before. I'm fine." She was lying, she had been thinking over her past, something terrible making her freak out. "Lets go out and find your dog." So that if somebody is out there it's not just the two of us. She always thought of the worse when it came down to it. Vashti saw the waitress come back with her drink and she smiled, taking the drink and slowly started to drink it down, planning to finish it again before she went to pay her half of the bill. "Ready to go?" She asked, hoping Libby didn't wish to stay any longer at the diner than they had already had. She stood from her chair, thinking of finding a waitress so that she could pay her bill.

[Libby Sun St. Rose]

Libby agreed and got up with Vashti, but she still sensed she was not alright or maybe she was ill from the food and needed to get out of there fast.  So they both walked up to the cashier and paid her half of the bill.  Libby walked out the door first, the wind had gotten cooler and she waited for Vashti to come down to the steps.  "If you feel up to it, those cookies are still at my house calling your name.  But it's ok if you don't want to come, we did after all just meet." Libby wanted to find out several things.  The first obviously to cheer her up.  Libby had some left over mixed lemongrass oil she made that she could light.  Lemongrass was used to relax and reduce nervousness,which Libby was starting to see was evident in Vashti.  A few drops of that in glass  bowl  with water with a tea lit candle burning below it could help Vashti.  Libby created it for her own nerves since buying light bulbs was so expensive when they broke or the flickering of lights caused headaches to the household. 

"Like I said, we just got into town this morning but the house is pretty much set up and everyone else is out.  They're pretty much spontaneously be walking in and you can meet them. You have at least met J...." She stopped, her car was parked near the door.  Jonsey wasn't in the car!  Why was she going to invite Vashti over with a missing dog. Just then Libby saw Jonsey come out of the bushes behind Vashti.  "Oh you know what, I think I left my lotion in the seat, could you go back and see while i look around here."  If everything turned out right, Vashti would go inside and she could get Jonsey back inside the car without her seeing him and asking how he got out. 

[Deleted]

Vashti walked with Libby to the cashier and paid her half of the bill. Vashti hesitated and Libby walked out the door first, Vashti followed shortly to feel the nice cool air against her skin. "I'd love to come." Vashti spoke suddenly, not ready to go back home just yet. Maybe she sounded overly excited, but that was okay as long as she could do something besides staying at home. Vashti nods her head as Libby continues to talk about everybody else. Libby had stopped talking and Vashti couldn't help but wonder as of why, then Libby explained and Vashti nods her head in agreement. "Yeah I'll go find it." She answers fast as she turns back into the diner. Now to find that lotion. She thinks to herself as she returns back to the table to see it was already cleaned off. Oh no... the lotion might not be out here anymore... She thinks in her mind as she walks to the table to see that her fear was real, the lotion wasn't there. Oh dear, what am I going to tell Libby? She sees a waitress walk by, "Excuse me... I just sat at this table... did you find lotion anywhere?" She asks and the waitress denies ever seeing any lotion. Vashti sighs, not believing her even though she continued to claim she didn't find it. "Okay well if you see it, please give me a call." She gives her cell number out and walks slowly out the front door. "Sorry Libby, the lotion wasn't there." She felt bad as she slowly walked passed Libby to her car.

[Libby Sun St. Rose]

Libby was enthused, Vashti is going back in!  Though she did feel a little guilty for sending her back in full knowing that it was in her purse.  But she had to get Jonsey back in the Jeep.  When she turned to the bush to urge him on he wasn't there and she panicked, where was he?  She heard a sigh and ran to the passenger side door, he was already there...of course he was, it was Jonsey, Mr. Stealth champion in the werewolf world.  She quickly opened the door, let him in and ran back tot he steps to the diner to wait for Vashti.  The woman came out, apologized about not finding it.

"Thank you so much for looking for me, it must have fallen out of my purse coming out I found it.  It's not like I don't have more of this, I've got several bottles of it at home that I made from my last batch...Great! I'm glad you decided to come with me," Libby said too excitedly.  She truly was having fun with Vashti, plus maybe she could ask more questions about what happened in the diner and about her mother.  "Remind me to give you one.  Follow me, but don't laugh if we get lost, I did just arrive this morning. Here's my cell phone number in case I loose you."  Libby took it easy back to the house, not because she was fearful she was going to loose Vashti but because she did in fact loose her way, or took the long way around.  Jonsey was the one who had driven before changing to wolf form and his obnoxious sounds made for a stress related ride, which blew a breaker in her jeep consul.  Guess she couldn't drown out his wolf blues with some music.

Finally she arrived, the two story house was sitting on a fairly large lot near but not exactly up against the lake.  It was two stories, enough to house them all.   When Libby first saw it she instantly fell in love with the place.  The front yard had an large old tree that in itself had enough character to hold the house over.  There was a front porch with a porch swing, two matching chairs and a table, all in white, to match the white porch fence.  Wild flowers lined up the path from the front and to the driveway Libby just pulled in.  When they would walk inside, Vashti would be overcome with the amount of suitcases that lined the wall from the front door (the majority belonging to Dara).  But there was plenty of walk space for the front door was set right at the very large open living room to the right that had a large comfy and puffy white sofa, two comfy and puffy white chairs, dark would furniture that brought out the dark wood frames in the ceiling. 

"Go ahead and have a seat in the living room, I'll grab those cookies...do you want anything to drink, I'm afraid we don't have rootbeer but we do have water, orange juice, and, well water." As soon as Jonsey walked in he began his sniffing, making sure there was no smell that shouldn't belong there. 

[Deleted]

Vashti nods her head still feeling bad for not finding the lotion. Then she noticed how excited Libby was for her deciding to come over still, she didn't mind seeing as she was excited too. "A lotion?" She asked when Libby said to remind her to give her one. "You know want, how about the one that was lost at the diner can become mine once they find it." She didn't get the hint that Libby didn't care or hadn't really lost the lotion, meaning she wouldn't be getting a call for the lotion being found... ever. "I won't laugh." She promised, knowing how hard it was remembering a new home you just moved to, she used to get lost when driving to her apartment after she had moved out of the house... her siblings got lost at their new place when they left her apartment. She got in her car and put her car in drive, following Libby back to the house. She didn't notice that she had taken a long way to get to the house, seeing as she had never been here before. They slowly drove up to the house and she parked her car and got out. She was staring at the house in amazement, hoping that someday she would be able to get a big enough house and if possible seeing her family all the time. Vashti walks inside and sits on the couch, on the right side. "I'd love some water." When she didn't have rootbear, water was the drink to go. She watched JJ sniffing around the house and she smiled at him. "Hi JJ..." She called out to him, hoping he'd come over, not knowing that he was a human and could talk back after he shifts. "Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered, noticing Libby was in another room. Maybe telling him about my worries will kill my nerves... She thought to herself as she leaned back on the couch, wishing that she could talk to somebody that would understand her.

[Jones Jacob Hunter]

Jones heard Vashti call him and he stopped what he was doing. It wasn't like he had to physically scrounge the house for intruders, present or past. His senses already devoured the house in its entirety, and the entire lot the house sat on, and the five lots closest to them. He was only acting like a dog to be perceived to be a dog. But he didn't sense any fear from her with him, something that he wasn't used to from others except for his brother and the St. Rose girls. He walked over, remembering to wag his tail. The living room was spacious enough that he had no problem walking in and there would be plenty of room for him to sit near her without suffocating her. But he choose to sit next to her on the couch, he did have human tendencies that he preferred like not laying on floors if need be. He would if there wasn't anything else and he had given plenty of hours in of being in discomfort that made for this spoiled notion.

As he sat down in the cushion he sank lower in the couch because of his weight and size, but he ended being eye level. He put in paw on her arm as if to indicate for her to speak. He really shouldn't do this, he thought, it wasn't right. She was about to tell her secret to what she thought was a dog. But he couldn't deny himself that he was curious.

[Deleted]

Vashti watched JJ walk over wagging his tail. She promised him a secret and so she was going to give him one.... seeing as he couldn't talk back there would be no harm in telling him what had happened in the diner a little while ago. JJ jumped on the couch next to her and now they were eye level, she felt the need to speak what happened to be on her mind. Libby wasn't in the room and so it was easier for Vashti to speak out what was on her mind. "In the diner... something happened... and Libby asked if everything was alright." She paused, glancing away for a moment, "I ignored her because it wasn't and when I choice to answer I lied about it. I'm not alright." She confessed, taking a breath she continued talking. "There is something I haven't thought of in a while... a she... in fact. She used to date one of my brothers and I broke them up." She felt like she was freaking out over nothing now, "I felt like eyes were watching me but when I looked around there wasn't...." She looks back at JJ. "I don't know what came over me... but I just feel like she is back... and my brother might be in danger." She didn't want to lose any of her brothers to that woman... who once was a girl. She thought the only way she could be hurt is if somebody she loved was harmed. She looked to see if Libby was still out of the room and when she was, she looked back at the wolf. "I never did find out her last name... or if she is back in town... but she was gone for some time." She hadn't seen Zura in years, but something about today made her feel like that evil girl was watching her again. She didn't know the girl was a witch, just that she seemed insane. Vashti allows a small sigh to escape between her lips as she looked back at JJ. "I know you won't tell though." She was wrong, he wasn't a wolf... but much much more. "Thanks for listening JJ." She rubs his head with the top of her hand, done talking for now.

[Libby Sun St. Rose]

Libby found the double middle oreo cookies and frowned, there were a considerably large amount missing since she last saw them in the vehicle while driving in. Out of the Hunter boys it was probably her's, Jericho did have too much of a sweet tooth. She grabbed them and went to her bag on the counter next to the cooler. She rummaged through and found her oil, match, lighter, and diffuser. Then with her other free hand she grabbed two water bottles form the cooler that were still considerably cold and carried them in the living room like one would do with a glass bottle of beer. She had to smile when she walked in, Jonsey was sitting on the couch with Vashti and she was rubbing his head. At least she knew that it wasn't the wolf that was making Vashti nervous.

Libby handed Vashti the water bottle and knelled down by the coffee table, sort of haphazardly. She set up the diffuser, lit the small tea candle and poured some of her water in the glass part of the diffuser. With only two drops, the lemongrass oil already filtering the room was a nice scent. She took a sip of her water "This should help your nerves, it does for me all the time.  It's lemongrass oil and it does the trick.  Listen, you don't have to tell me anything of what's wrong but if you should ever feel the need to, well, you already have my cellnumber....Oreo?" Libby did not know that Jonsey was already full aware what was going on.  She ate one and sat down on the floor.  "So, tell me more about yourself, what do you do?" 

[Deleted]

Vashti looked at the wolf again and smiled at him, Libby came in and she glanced over at Libby. She had come in with a diffuser and she sighed... maybe Libby still believed something was wrong... she had heard about diffusers and hoped she'd be able to hold in her secret. With a fake smile she took the bottle water and opened it to drink out of it as Libby lit the diffuser. Libby proved her worry when she explained what the diffuser was for... I though so... She thought worriedly as she put on a fake smile to Libby. "I'll tell you if anything is on my mind." It was a lie but she didn't want to tell her just yet... and if JJ wasn't a wolf she wouldn't have told him either. "I think..." She stratched the back of her head and pulled out her phone, either she had been given it and forgot to add it or she hadn't gotten it yet... she had a lot on her mind, so forgetting to add it was possible. "Can I have it again?" She asked as she pulled out her phone, hoping that Libby would give it to her... She took an Oreo and sighed. "I do have a lot on my mind... but I'll tell you when I feel up to it... sorry." At least now she was being truthful instead of just lying about something important. "I'm a Veterinary. I work with animals all day." She looks at JJ and smiles. "So I know he is a wolf even though others thought he was a huge dog."

[Jones Jacob Hunter]

If Jonsey could say a bad word out loud right now, he would. He did not expect this at all. Jonsey hated being surprised, and this was shocking. He didn't know what Vashti would do with him as a wolf. As a vet would she report him, confiscate him, make him have to dodge and continuously look over his shoulder. She didn't seem scared all this time knowing that he was a wolf so maybe she was OK with him. He had the fleeting feeling he needed to change and fast. The lights were flickering and if he didn't distract Libby fast lights might blow and she might gain attention to herself from Vashti and things could get weirder.

So he looked up at the ceiling, barked while wagging his tail, got off the couch and ran past Libby and right up the stairs. He could play off a dumb wolf in from of Vashti, so dumb that he didn't know there was someone upstairs, someone in human form who could come down the stairs (even if he was just down there as a wolf) and talk to Vashti. It would be enough to distract Libby from going full crazy and him easier explain a situation viable as to why they owned a wolf, a supposedly dumb, non aggressive wolf.