Sandy removed the bandage from her hand. She stood in awe for a moment. Her mother was right; they healed faster than humans did.
Susan was busy at the reception, when she looked up as her daughter entered with a smile. "You're in a better mood."
"Yes! My hand has healed." She showed her hand to her mother.
"I told you it was going to heal faster."
"And I'm going to see Darlene today."
"I didn't know you two had plans for the day?"
"We don't. I'm surprising her."
"What about, Glenda?"
"What about her?" Sandy frowned as she looked at her mother.
"Sandy, do not play with a person's heart. That girl likes you and I thought, from what I saw the other night, the feeling was mutual."
"Come on, Mom! There's nothing between us. She was just looking for some fun."
Susan watched her daughter as she walked out and headed towards the front door. Sandy wasn't the shy, quiet little girl anymore. She stood up for herself now. Had a mind of her own and grew up to be – if she could use the word – a handsome young woman.
Susan recalled the incident on Sunday night. Something or someone upset her daughter. Was Glenda really looking for fun like she said?
***
Sandy pushed the bushes and shrubs aside. Stared at Darlene through the opening of the fence, before she climbed through it and crossed the lawn over to her. Life's petty problems were not going to stand in her way, again.
"May I join you," she asked in her deep voice.
Darlene's threw her book up in the air. "Oh my goodness, Sandy!" Her hand clung to the left side of her chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Sandy chuckled and sat down on the lavish green grass next to her.
"I thought you said you were going to phone me?'
"Well, I'm here instead. Aren't you glad?"
Darlene smiled and picked up her book from the grass. "Of course I am." She glanced at Sandy. "I think you need an explanation about Linda?"
Sandy shook her head. "Not now. Let's go and cool off in the river."
"There are crocodiles in that river!"
She stood up and held her hand out to Darlene. "I'll protect you. In fact, there were no sightings of a crocodile in years. Come on, race you!"
"No! I have to put on my bathing suit first."
Sandy, already a few meters ahead of her, stopped and turned around. "No need! We can skinny dip!" She continued running again.
Darlene shook her head. "What about towels and suntan lotion?" Her skin would be red like a ripe tomato by tonight.
She darted into the house, grabbed two towels and the lotion then bolted out the back door. Ran as quickly as she could through the plowed land down to the river. When she arrived there, Sandy was already swimming.
"You could've at least waited for me, before getting into the water!"
She swam toward the edge where Darlene was standing. "Are you getting undressed, or do I have to help you?"
"No, wait! I first have to get some lotion onto my skin. Otherwise I will look like a ripe tomato afterwards."
Sandy swam on her back, away from her. Watching her every move, as she covered herself with the lotion and moved closer to the shore to dive in.
"Take off your top and shorts! You do have a bra and panties on underneath, don't you?"
"No! I'm keeping it on!" Darlene dove into the cool brown waters of the Crocodile River. She wiped the water from her face as she came up. "Are you sure there are no crocs?"
"Of course I am." Sandy smiled and swam towards her. "I'm sorry I left you alone the other day. I was just thrown by the fact that you had a girlfriend. I thought you were single, because you were flirting with me."
Darlene splashed water in Sandy's face. "I was not! You were flirting with me!"
"Only because you couldn't keep your eyes off me."
The two women burst out into laughter.
"I had to stare. This is a small town. People like you –"
"What do you mean, people like me!" This time, Sandy splashed water into Darlene's face.
She laughed and wiped her face. "You know what I mean! Your type –"
"Oh keep quiet, you're making it worse!"
Sandy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer. "Am I your type?"
Darlene was grateful she kept all of her clothes on. Sandy pushed up against her, with her naked body. Her eyes followed the contours of her small breasts. The nipples erected, not sure if it was from the cold water, or was it because of…
She looked away.
Sandy put her hand on Darlene's cheek and pushed her head back to face her again.
Their eyes met.
She put her hands on Sandy's chest and pushed her gently away. Touching her breasts accidentally. Realizing it, she moved her hands instantly away. "Sorry I didn't mean to touch…" Her breathing quickened and her heart pounded rapidly, when she felt the grip around her tightened. "Sandy, I can't. Linda is…"
A feeling of disappointment came over her, when she felt the grip loosened around her waist. She sighed loudly when Sandy dove down into the stream and when she came up for air, she was a couple of meters away from her.
She swung around when she heard someone calling her name.
Sakhile came running towards the river. "Miss Darlene! Miss Darlene!"
She quickly swam to the shore. "Is there something wrong?"
"Mister Pete asked me to call you. Miss Linda will phone you back in ten minutes."
"Hand me a towel, Sakhile and turn around."
She grabbed the towel from him, got out and wrapped it round her. Darlene gazed over the waters, looking for Sandy. After a while, she noticed her swimming towards the shore on the far side of the river.
"Stay here and tell Miss Sandy I'll be back," she demanded and rushed off to the farmhouse.
She barge through the back door and rushed towards the phone.
"You still in time, she didn't phone back, yet."
Darlene started pacing the corridor after thirty minutes of standing next to the telephone. What could possibly be wrong? Linda never phoned her.
She peeped around the living room doorway. "Gramps, are you sure she said ten minutes?"
The phone rang only once. Darlene grabbed it from the receiver and answered it. "Linda? Is there something wrong, you scared me?"
They talked a few minutes. Her face dropped and her green eyes were dull before she put the phone down. Darlene stood awhile and shut her eyes.
Pete jumped out of the lazy-boy, when he heard no more talking and his granddaughter were not moving away from the phone.
"Darlene?"
Her eyes fluttered when her head jerked up. "I'm going back to the river, Gramps!"
"Hey! You can't just leave, looking like that. Tell me, what's going on?"
She tried smiling, but the muscles in her face followed the feeling of her heart; her face stayed dull. "Linda is not coming. She will only be here on Christmas Eve. Still has too much work to do."
Pete gazed at her. Pulled her closer and hugged her. His poor grandchild, she was so excited this morning when Linda said everything was still on for this weekend. Now she was devastated again. He sighed when he let go of her.
Darlene marched out the back door and stormed down the stairs. She started jogging. Tears welled up in her eyes and soon it ran down her face. How could Linda do this to her? She broke her promise to be here for the second time.
She arrived at the river, dove into the brown waters and swam to the shore where Sandy was sitting.
"You were gone a long time?"
"I know. The call only came through after thirty minutes and not ten as stated."
"Linda isn't coming, eh?"
"How did you know?"
"Your eyes. They're red, from crying."
Darlene immersed into the water, but before she could swim away, she felt Sandy strong hands around her arms pulling her up.
"Will you kiss me now?"
She gasped. Her lips parted to speak, but she couldn't. Sandy's mouth covered hers. This time she didn't push her away. Her arms were around the woman's broad shoulders, pulling her closer.
Sandy picked Darlene up and carried her to shore. She placed her on the grass in the shade of a nearby tree and lay down next to her. After unbuttoning her blouse, she gazed at her beautiful breasts.
"That's why you didn't want to take off your top. You didn't have a bra on."
Darlene smiled and pulled her closer.
Their wet bare skin touched.
Sandy moved on top of her.
A gasp escaped Darlene's mouth.
"Am I too heavy?"
"No!" Darlene grabbed onto her shoulders, preventing her from getting off. "I love to feel you –"
Sandy's tongue, lips and hands, caressed and explored Darlene's body. Brought her to pleasure – more than once.
And more than once, she desired to sink her teeth into the soft white flesh on the side of Darlene's neck. For the first time Sandy withheld the urge to morph into a Lycan when she became sexually aroused.
The first time, she was still in college, was disastrous. She killed the first woman she made out with, by accident. The corpse couldn't be left there. She had to eat her. The first time ever, she tasted human flesh. Thereafter, it was quite difficult for her to keep from hunting down humans. The woman wasn't from the same college. So, nobody came looking for her.
Sandy decided it was better for her – and humans – to stay without a girlfriend.
The second time turned out better, because her mother was there in time to stop her. Although Glenda was a born Lycan, she could bite her and it wouldn't make a difference. But she could've ripped her throat apart as she did with the girl from college.
Sandy smiled as she gazed at the sleeping woman next to her. One day soon, she would take her and made her part of the pack. "Darlene, honey. Wake up."
"Oh no! I fell asleep. And I didn't even touch you!"
"You will. Later." Sandy kissed her on the forehead. "We have to get going. Get dressed, my love. We still have to swim across."
Slowly, they swam across the river to the side where they got in before. Every now and again, they glanced at each other and smiled.
They reached the other side of the shore.
"I haven't felt this happy in a long, long time."
Sandy got out and held her hand to Darlene. "I can make you even happier," she said while pulling her out of the water.
"Oh! And what would make me happier than today?"
Sandy got dressed and took Darlene in her arms again. "By marrying me?"
Darlene stopped breathing and just stared at the tall handsome woman in front of her. She looked the other way when she felt a warm glow covering her cheeks.
"The lady is blushing!" Sandy smiled, her eyes tender. She was in love with the woman in front of her. And she was going to take her away from Linda.
"I can't give you an answer to that question. I'm still with Linda."
"But you'll think about it?" Sandy kissed her softly on the lips, before she let go of her. "Come, it's getting late."
Together they ran across the plowland. Darlene stumbled a few times on the rough soil, but Sandy prevented her each time from falling down.
They reached the farmhouse and embraced each other before parting.
"Will you come and see me? I'm back at work tomorrow?"
Darlene smiled. "How can I say no, after what happened at the river?"
"I will prepare you something special." Sandy kissed her on the cheek and jogged away.
***
That night Darlene couldn't sleep again. She jumped out of bed and threw the window wide open. A welcoming breeze cooled her off and she closed her eyes for a while. Her eyes opened when she heard rustling.
A movement in the bushes caught her eye. She smiled. Lupa sat no more than a hundred meters away from her. Her eyes grew wide as the big black wolf stood up and swayed across the lawn.
She gasped when the wolf stopped and glanced at her, before she carried on walking until she disappeared.
Darlene shut the window and curtains and jumped back in bed. Her eyes, even larger than before. Her heart raced like mad. Lupa saw her. Why didn't she jump on her like the last time? What was different this time?