17 Chapter 17

Hazel had been in Parksfield for barely two days but it already felt like a lifetime. She hardly ran into Lord Gareth, when she did, he dismissed her with a kind nod or friendly wave. She had never seen the butler with the scarred face again. With Jamie however, she had become inseparable.

"So, back in the country side, you had no horses? However did you travel?" Jamie asked from beside her, watching her with the same earnest curiosity he did anytime he asked her questions about her life or about the country.

"I did not know that we needed any traveling."

Jamie was not convinced. "But what if you were to visit an aunt who lives far away?"

They were taking another walk around the estate, but this time, without Amara. The fountain had become a thing of significance for them, and they stopped by it now. Sitting down on the nearby pavement, they idly picked rocks and tossed them into the water that pooled at the base of the magnificent horse.

"And this is the first time you are seeing a fountain?" Jamie prodded, tossing a few more rocks into the water.

Hazel's eyes followed the rocks as they hit the water, than sank to the bottom. "But how is this even possible?" She asked, not still over her wonderment at such a marvelous sight.

Jamie shrugged. "Normally, there are times when water sprouts from the ground because – because of science."

"Science." Hazel repeated lamely. She was aware that the word had great value, but she was so tired of sounding ignorant that she did not bother to ask what it meant. It did not occur to her that her younger friend also knew very little about the matter.

"Yes." Jamie continued patiently. "So when science does this – causes water to spring from the ground, people build statues around it, and then Viola! You have yourself a fountain."

Hazel studied the fountain again in a new light. Science, she decided, did not like the country. "Why doesn't science cause water to spring fort in the country?"

"Because – because … honestly, I do not know!" Jamie finished helplessly. "Although, I do not think it was science that planted this fountain in Parksfield. Some fountains were constructed by the Merika clan, and so, anyone with money can buy himself some science."

"Or herself." Hazel added.

"Or herself." Jamie conceded.

"Jamie, what is the Merika clan? You can't mean Werewolves, can you?"

"Why yes, they are werewolves of course. Very intelligent creatures, these werewolves and their services don't come cheap. I'm of a mind to study engineering under them." He added softly.

Hazel's green eyes were huge with wonder. "But surely, your father would not let you study with the werewolves." She added silently to herself, I would not let you. Aloud, she continued. "What if they grew hungry and decided to eat you?"

"What if they grew hungry and decided to eat you!" Jamie repeated, laughing softly. "Oh Hazel, what strange things you say. And right now, your eyes are so huge, they could be saucers. While that makes you look even more pretty, it also makes you look very ridiculous."

Hazel was annoyed. "Go ahead and laugh at me while I worry about your safety." Then Jamie threw a hand around her shoulder in a loose embrace, and placed a kiss on her cheek.

The force of her surprise made her keep shut. Hazel had never been embraced before, not even by her mother, and she did not know what to make of the odd feeling of contentment she felt, resting in her friends arms.

Jamie who had embraced her without thinking, slowly took his arms off her, a little more awkwardly than he would have liked. He was puzzled by her reaction.

"You are a sweetheart all right for worrying about me, but the werewolves you see, do not eat people – what would even give you such a silly idea?"

Hazel was still ruffled. Still worried, and feeling slightly annoyed, she fired back. "Well it's a puzzle isn't it? What should give me such an idea that a human -wolf should –" She was interrupted by Jamie's roar of laughter, and she sat still, starring up at him in bewilderment.

"Human – wolfs is it!" Jamie exclaimed. After his laughter had died down, amusement still danced in his eyes. "Hazel, do you know a werewolf could put you to death for daring to call them human? And then my new friend, they are not at all like wolves."

"Have you seen many werewolves then?" Hazel asked in a tiny voice, her curiosity overcoming her anger.

"Not as many as I would like to see." Jamie replied wistfully. "Werewolves are like normal people, just like you and I. They have one head, and two hands, and two legs, and ten fingers, and ten –"

"I get the point." Hazel said, interrupting him. She was afraid he was going to keep on naming body parts until he ran out of visible parts, and then started on more intimate ones. "Why then are they called werewolves? What's the difference between a human being and a werewolf?"

"Werewolves are supernatural creatures." Jamie struggled to explain. "Their brain capacity is twice that of ours, they heal faster than the speed of lightening, and their physical strength is ten times our own. And then, the Alpha and the Beta clan all control wolf spirits."