Chapter 5: Kali

5

KALI

W ith her apron still on under her raincoat, Maisy stands out a mile in Evan's dimly lit bar. It could well be the first time she's set foot in here.

"Why is this place still open? There's a storm on its way." As if to emphasise her point, the windows rattle, and there's a crash as a trash can tips over outside. Great. I can guess who's going to be left to clean up that mess.

"Evan's up at John's place helping Holly with something. As soon as he's back, I'm off duty and headed straight home. I promise."

Maisy presses her lips into a thin line, displeased, but not wanting to interrupt Evan either. She doesn't like me still being here with the weather turning bad, but much like the rest of us, she's enjoying watching my bad-tempered cousin fall head over heels for Sutton's newest resident.

If Evan has found a woman strong enough to put up with his crap, then none of us wants to get in their way.

"Fine. But if you're not going to hunker down at Evan's, you might want to go to the hardware store tomorrow and get stocked up on torches and the like. I doubt anything left behind still works." Maisy warns, her motherly instincts showing.

That's a good point. I haven't checked to see what supplies are in the cabin. It could be a long, dark night if I don't have any lamps or batteries, and the power goes out.

"Or come and stay with me. I have lots of beds."

It's a sweet offer, but I love living on my own, and I don't want to create extra work for Maisy. I already feel bad accepting the steady stream of muffins and bread she sends my way.

"If my power goes, I'll make my way to you." I promise, and that seems to satisfy Maisy enough to move away from the bar.

With a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, she's gone, telling everyone that she passes to be on their way. I follow her out and wave goodbye from the top step until her car disappears around the corner. There are still some residents darting back and forth across the main street, loading stuff into their cars, despite the weather's best attempts to stop them.

With a satisfied smile, I close the door, leaning my shoulder against the wood and giving it a hard shove when the breeze catches it.

This is supposed to be the relative calm before the storm , and it's already getting wild.

I better pick up everything I need to batten down the hatches. This is part of being independent, and I don't want to need to run back to Evan's, or my parents' house, if I can help it.

I'm relieved when Ben blows through the door a couple of hours later, shaking the water from his coat like a dog, and tells me to clear off. Looks like Evan's still helping Holly out. Stunned that any woman is voluntarily spending this much time with his big brother, Ben shakes his head and pours himself a stiff drink.

"I have a feeling it's going to be a quiet one. No need for us both to be bored out of our minds." Ben shoos me toward the exit before going back to the bar and settling in on the wrong side. He shoves me outside and slams the door behind me.

Yanking the collar of my jacket up over my ears, I duck my head and make a run for the main street.

The hardware store is busy when I get there. Well, busy for a small town like Sutton, that is. It's not normally open on a Sunday, but with the storm coming in, they've opened for a few hours to let people grab last minute supplies. Because people here care about each other, unlike Zora Hills, where everyone is just trying to keep their heads down and get by. That's something I'm still struggling to get used to.

Normally, I'd go out of my way to avoid other beasts, especially ones that I don't know, but this is a trip I have to make. The bar is fine, because even if Evan's not physically there with me, his reputation is. Everyone knows that I'm under his protection, and that gives me confidence that nobody will cause me too much hassle.

Steeling myself for some uncomfortable stares as I duck inside, the bell jingles on the door, but I barely get a second glance when I wipe my wet boots on the mat. The residents of Sutton are far more interested in the bad weather that's rolling in than in my uncommon hair colour. I love it.

"You need me to take any of those up to the till?" The smiling assistant tips her head politely to the stacks of candles and batteries in my arms, holding out a shopping basket.

"That would have been a good idea." I laugh, tipping my supplies into the basket before taking it from her with a shake of my head.

"Is there anything else you're looking for?" Her eyes crinkle, amused at my confused expression.

I must look as out of place as I feel.

Staring up and down the aisles, I frown. I haven't a clue. "I'm not used to living alone. What else do I need if the power goes out?"

Elle, according to her name badge, gives me a not-so-subtle once over. "You and I aren't exactly helpless. If a road gets blocked, we can still get out. The cold won't bother us so much, but it would still be better to have some heat. Just get some food and water, and enough wood for the stove, so you can hunker down for a couple of days if you need to."

That I can do.

Throwing in a deep purple and pink blanket I see near the till, I pretend it's a practical purchase and not just something I want because it's pretty. Finally finding the batteries, I stack my items beside the register.

Elle rings it all up, and then places each item carefully inside a cardboard box. As she scans them, she glances up once, then twice, before averting her eyes and continuing her task.

Feeling self-conscious, I know what's caught her attention, and I brace myself for what's coming, except her comment isn't what I expect.

"I love your hair," she finally says, shyly. "I wanted to dye mine lighter, but my Mum wouldn't let me." She tugs on a curly brown strand hanging down from under the hardware store cap she wears, and sighs, twisting the offending hair up so she can see it. "It's just so plain."

I've seen Elle around town. Her family lives down the road from me. Now I regret not having made more of an effort to meet my neighbours. I assumed they wouldn't be happy to see me.

"Don't dye it. It suits your skin tone, and your brown eyes. And being blonde around here is not something you want."

Puzzled, she waits for me to elaborate.

"You know… the curse?" I whisper, looking around to make sure nobody else is listening. I don't need to get run out of the store before I've paid for my supplies. "That the pale beast will bring about the end?"

Elle laughs, but then quickly schools her expression into one of disbelief when she realises that I'm deadly serious.

"People don't really believe all that shit, do they? That you're going to bring about the end of life as we know it?" Rolling her eyes, Elle's disdain for the prophecy is clear, but she's young, probably barely out of her teens.

The older generations and more traditional communities hold those legends dear, and pass them on, unfortunately for me. As the years have gone by, and I've gotten closer to my first heat, their fears and opinions have become more radical.

"Shh!" I hiss, waving my hands at her to keep her voice down. "And yes, believe me. In some places, they do. So, leave your hair alone."

"Why don't you dye yours, then?" Elle hands me back my card and shrugs before shoving a box of matches in for free after she's already charged me. "Then nobody would even know."

"That's not going to help when I shift."

I've tried. Not only did the colour wash out pretty much straight away, but as soon as I shifted, it made no real difference. Only the tips of my coat looked darker. It just made me look like I'd brushed up against some fresh paint.

"Everyone knows who I am, anyway."

Elle shrugs. "Fuck them. I think it's gorgeous, and I bet most people here don't really care, anyway. If they give you shit, it says more about them." Coming around from behind the counter to place the box into my arms, she smiles kindly. "We live just down the road from your house, next house down the lane. So, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. Even if it's just some company you want."

Stepping outside, with the box in my arms and my hood pulled up to shield me from the worst of the rain, I crash straight into a wall of man.

Bouncing back, I'm about to land on my ass, when a plaid arm shoots out and catches me before I go down. Instinctively, I flinch, and he frowns at my reaction as he waits a moment to make sure I'm steady before letting go.

"Shit. Sorry. Sorry!"

Two packets of batteries bounce out of the box and hit the pavement at my feet.

Righting me with ease, the beard with eyes stoops down to pick up my runaway purchases, and then sets them carefully on top of my other items before taking the box from me.

"You okay? Where are you parked?"

For a moment, I'm frozen. My instinct is to automatically treat any gesture of kindness with suspicion, but as I meet the gentle brown eyes of the giant in front of me, I force myself to relax. Tipping my head to the other side of the street, I follow along behind him as he crosses to my battered old car, and then opens the passenger door before sliding the box in carefully and then slamming it shut.

"Jack." He holds out his hand and waits patiently for me to reach out and slip my tiny-looking hand into his. After a quick, firm shake, he releases me immediately, not doing either the sleazy holding on too long thing, or the intimidating death grip. He smiles, looking amused about something as I continue to stare up at him, shocked by his sheer size. Then I realise why he's laughing.

"Kali. Sorry! My head is somewhere else today." I fiddle with my gold necklace, unsure why I'm so jumpy.

With a warm laugh, he steps back, giving me lots of space. "You're Evan's cousin. He told me you moved to town." Backing away slowly, he raises his two hands, palm up, then points to his chest with his thumbs. "You need anything, you let me know."

And that's it. With a friendly wave, he disappears back across the road and into a hiking goods store, flipping the sign to open before he closes the door behind him against the stiff breeze.

The knot inside me that I've carried around my entire life loosens a little. There was no ulterior motive, no mean trick. Just a nice man with good manners helping a clumsy lady get to her car in one piece.

And a polite shop assistant paying me a compliment and welcoming me to town with no snide follow-up comments. Like people in small town's normally do.

Genuine kindness shouldn't be weird, but it is to me.

Looking up and down Main Street, I smile, deciding the longer I spend in Sutton, the more it's feeling like home.