After some work on my part, I felt that I looked more presentable. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
I splashed some water on my face, and using my magic, I transformed the clothes I was wearing into a different outfit: denim shorts and a loose, billowy top with short sleeves.
Lastly, before I exited the bathroom, I combed my hair out with my fingers, plucking out a strand that I used to tie my hair once I finished French braiding it. Too bad I lost my small elastic in my travels last night.
On the other side of the door, Sara waited for me in the hallway. "Hey, I'm all done." I told her. She looked up from her cell phone.
"Woah. What the…?" She opened her mouth, and then closed it again, then asked: "Where did you get those clothes?"
As we walked back to the kitchen, I replied "These are the same ones. I just used my magic to change them. I hope David won't mind."
I thought for a moment then added: "I could try a reversal spell if he really wanted."
"Like David's going to mind." Sara muttered to herself.
"What was that?" I asked Sara.
"Oh, nothing." Sara said brushing the whole thing off. "I am pretty sure he said those were old clothes, so it'll be fine."
"Right." I said.
When we walked into the kitchen, my eyes fell on the two newcomers; one of whom I recognized by sight and the other a stranger to me.
The man I saw at the Red Goblet, that night when I first saw David. I wondered if he, David and the third man who was with them that night were all werewolves.
The woman, I was sure I had never seen before.
There was this awkward moment while David, the man and the woman looked at Sara and I, and we looked back.
Then Sara spoke, all the while glaring at her brother. "Hey Elizabeth, thanks again for driving me around."
"Oh, it was no trouble at all!" Elizabeth said sweetly.
Elizabeth had a very calm, pleasant-sounding voice, I noted.
David shook his head, like he had come back to reality from a daydream. "Uh, Sinead, this is Luke and Elizabeth."
"It is nice to meet you, Luke and Elizabeth." I said nodding to each one in turn as I said their name.
"The pleasure is all ours." Elizabeth spoke with a smile in her voice. "We didn't know we would get to speak with you today. I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?" I asked puzzled.
"Please forgive my mate," Luke said. "She sometimes talks in circles around things before she gets to the point." He looked at Elizabeth and chuckled.
I looked at David. I felt like I missed something important.
'Um, David, did I miss something? What did he mean when he said his mate?' I stared intently into David's eyes, as I thought my questions to him.
'Well,' David thought to me with a smile, 'We have barely scratched the surface of my telling you all about werewolves. Usually, werewolves have mates. Luke and Elizabeth are a couple.'
"Oh." I said, accidentally aloud, instead of in my thoughts.
It was clear to me that everyone else was observing David and I.
Suddenly a light seemed to dawn in Luke's mind. He turned to David and said "Did you just…" his voice trailing off as he looked between us.
David laughed a booming laugh. "Yes. Sinead can speak to my mind just as easily as you can. She has a healthy sense of curiosity, and what you said confused her. There is much she doesn't know about us werewolves."
I looked at the floor for a moment when he said that, biting my lip. I could feel the light blush of embarrassment cross my cheeks.
Then I lifted my head to look at everyone in the room. It would do me no good to hide.
My scan of the room showed no one was laughing at me. Actually, Luke and Elizabeth both still looked impressed.
Elizabeth smiled at me and said "Thanks again for letting the pack take part in the ritual under the full moon last night. Your dancing is beautiful. Where did you learn to dance?"
"Well," I said, "all the ritual and traditional dances I learned from family members or elders and teachers. But all the other dances from around the globe, I mostly picked up from traditional dancers and teachers in my three years I travelled. I covered a lot of ground in those three years!" I said with a laugh.
"Wow, that is amazing!" gushed Elizabeth. "I wish I got more opportunities to travel!"
I smiled at her. "Thanks. I really love to dance; it is one of my passions. It's funny, I first bumped into David and Luke at the Red Goblet when I was trying to get a job there as a dancer."
"Oh, really?" Elizabeth asked. "How did it go?"
I winced. "Really bad! I still don't have a job. But I haven't given up. I still have two months before I honestly get myself in trouble." I gave a wry smile.
"I hope it goes well." Luke said. "I wonder why you don't try at the local werewolf bar. It's within pack grounds and Elizabeth works there. She could tell you what it is like."
"You work there, Elizabeth?" I asked. She nodded. "I've never heard of this place before."
"Well, it's more of a higher-end exclusive place." Elizabeth informed me. "Sort of like a members only deal- you have to be part of one of the alliance of local packs, or affiliated with them." She glanced at David. "But don't worry. I am sure our pack could vouch for you."
I felt disappointed, it sounded like it had some potential. But I barely knew the people in front of me; I couldn't ask them to do something like that.
"Oh. That's ok. I wouldn't ask you all to do something like that. I am sure I can find another way to get a job."
"Sinead." David spoke my name softly. I turned to face him.
"The pack is grateful for the blessing you gave them and the fact that you included them in the ritual last night. They feel that you are lucky, and we all get the feeling that everything you said will happen."
He paused and then continued. "If they knew of the situation, I know every one of them would gladly back you. And so, would I. It would be a way for them to repay your kindness."
I thought about his words. 'Did my actions really mean so much?' I wondered.
"Sinead." Luke said. "If David vouches for you, we all do. His decision is the pack's decision."
I looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean, Luke?" I asked.
"You don't know." He stated flatly. He looked at David with an eyebrow raised. David looked back in a very grumpy manner.
I figured they were having a mind-to-mind discussion.
Then David stated in a matter-of-fact way, "I am our packs' alpha. But I do not like to force my will on the masses. I'd rather run things in a more democratic manner. We usually put things to a vote."
"And I am his second-in-command." Said Luke. "I help David if he needs a second opinion on things, if he needs a sounding board for ideas, or to take charge in his absence, among other things."
I felt a bit light-headed. Thinking over all this information, it seemed like it was hard for my brain. My lungs also felt constricted, and my chest tight.
I pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and took a seat. I knew I only had a few moments before the anxiety became a panic attack.
"Are you ok, Sinead?" David asked worriedly, while taking a few steps towards me.
"No." I said holding up an arm to motion to him to stop. "But I will be in a bit. I just need to go outside, to feel the comfort of nature."
I took a deep, but ragged breath and pulled at the energy of the ground beneath the house.
Once I had what I needed, I did a quick summoning spell. It took an extra few minutes because it is difficult to concentrate when anxious, but shortly after the spell was complete, my corset sailed through the air and into the room.
I turned in time to lunge off my chair and grab it mid-air before it continued on its trajectory to hit Sara in the head.
"Sorry, Sara." I apologize as I placed my corset over my billowy top.
"I have a harder time with the accuracy of my spells if I am anxious or overly emotional. I am still working on that."
By now I had almost finished with the front lacing, fingers moving deftly from years of practice.
Corset laced, I walked past everyone to the back door. I opened it, looked out for a moment, then ran to the nearest tree.
I knelt in front of the tree and placed my forehead on the cool bark. I breathed in the smell of the birch, and I could hear birdsong.
I ran my fingers through the long grass at the base of the birch tree and began to relax. With my eyes closed, I pictured my anxiety.
With each breath in I pulled it from me and bundled it into a ball. For several minutes I breathed, each breath becoming deeper than the next; every breath in scooping up my anxiety and shoving it into a tight bundle.
Once I felt I had it all contained, I spent another several minutes deep breathing. This time on every breath out I took that bundle of anxiety and breathed it out of my body.
I pictured my exhale as being as powerful as a dragon, pulling at that bundle of anxiety and throwing it far from me. Once I felt all the anxiety was gone, I opened my eyes and got to my feet.
When I turned around, there was everyone. They looked concerned. I explained about my occasional anxiety and one of my ways to defeat its debilitating power. Sara and Elizabeth looked interested.
I looked at David and said, "It's not just out of habit that I meditate every morning."