4 Determination

Julien was a very innovative and imaginative chef, which was lucky since his cooking appliances only consisted of a small gas burner and a single portable gas cartridge stove. I'd once seen him make a pizza oven out of tin foil, and placed a very thinly based pizza inside it then left the whole thing under the sun to cook. It took roughly two hours but by the end of it, we had freshly cooked pizza with steams coming off the top of it. It was one of the most delicious pizzas I'd ever had.

He usually cooked out in the open air since we lived in tents and didn't have a kitchen. This was fine and well in the summer months but when it rained, Colin and my father would have to hold a large umbrella over his stove, to avoid the rain putting out the flame.

I had a sneaky suspicion that every Christmas, Julien secretly wished for an oven - which was something he'd always strongly denied. He said as long as he had his trusted gas burner, he could still make creme brûlée then he was perfectly happy.

Creme brûlée was one of my favourite desserts. I loved everything about it, from its golden yellow colour to the smell of burnt sugar, to the way it makes this perfect cracking sound when you break into the hardened surface and its amazing texture, so light and yet creamy. If heaven was a dessert then I bet that's what it would've tasted like.

Ever since we came to this particular campsite, he has taken a shine to cook by the river. It was very scenic, sitting there, being surrounded by trees and hearing the birds sing. It also offered some shade from the mid-noon blazing sun and the running water made it easier to wash the pots and pans. He probably could be the head chef at any Michelin starred restaurant if he wanted to, but he chooses to be with us.

"Hi Julien," I called out as we approached.

He looked up from his task of tidying up and grinned, "Hello ladies, you are just in time." He passed us two bowls of Beef bourguignon and then a spoon each.

We took the bowl and thanked him, then sat on a large rock nearby to eat our food.

"This is absolutely delicious, thank you for cooking this food." Selena took a bite and gushed with enthusiasm.

Our diet largely consisted of a lot of meat. Cooked, of course. We weren't animals. I never knew if this was the result of being a werewolf or if it was just something we would've enjoyed anyway.

"Thank you." Julien's face lit up instantly. He was very tall and had curly dark hair and smouldering good looks. When he smiled his eyes had a twinkle in them, he looked more like an actor than a chef.

"It's wonderful, thank you, Julien." I agreed in unison.

I couldn't help but being a little distracted, in the back of my head, I was busy pondering on how I could sneak some of this food out. I kept wondering if my rescue has woken up yet? Or if he was ok? If he was cold or hungry? I'd left behind some water and energy snacks for him. But what if that wasn't enough? Was there a way I could keep him hidden safely?

I chewed mindlessly and stared at the sky deep in thought. The moon was a wash of silvery-white, it hanged low against the darkened sky. Three more days and it was the Full Moon again.

Then a lightbulb moment suddenly appeared in my head and I felt the corners of my mouth rising. What if I could...

I stood up and pretended to wriggle my shoulder joints. "My arms are a bit sore today, and my legs too," I said as I felt both Selena and Julien watching me out of the corner of my eye. I pretended not to notice and moved my neck side to side too.

"How are your arms and legs Selena?" I asked.

"Mine are fine.". Selena said, looking at me closely as if to ask: what are you playing at?

"Oh really?" I did another big stretch. "I'm exhausted. I might go for an early lie-down and finish my meal in my tent."

Julien nodded in agreement. But Selena didn't look convinced.

"Good night," I said cheerfully and started walking away. I could still feel Selena's eyes boring into my back but I was feeling super chirpy as if nothing was able to deter me.

I went back to camp and found a little Tupperware dish to carry my beef bourguignon, then packed some more water, extra blankets and more bandages just in case. I set out of the tents and almost crashed into the person opposite.

"Where do you think you're going?" Selena barked, hand on her hips.

"Don't do that Selena! You almost gave me a heart attack!" I patted my chest as if trying to calm my poor heart down in order to avoid looking guilty because I'd been caught.

She eyed the backpack on my shoulder and frowned, "you're going to see that werewolf again, aren't you?"

I sighed loudly, "I was just going to check to make sure he's ok."

"It's only been half an hour since we left."

"It's been an hour." My voice was calm but it had an element of determination. "I was going to bring him some food."

She was still looking very sceptical.

"You promised me Aria." She finally said.

There was a look of hurt in her eyes that made me feel a stab of pain in my chest.

I felt my shoulders slump. She was right, in our world, a promise was a promise, there was no need to draw up a contract but somehow you still honoured it with your life.

"OK." I finally said and proceeded with removing my backpack.

Selena patted my shoulder gently, "that's my girl, we'll go see if he is ok tomorrow."

I nodded in silence and went back inside my tent. I laid on top of my sleeping bag and counted down until the night begun to set in. The dots of light outside started to go off one by one and the muffled sounds of people walking around were gradually getting lighter and lighter.

I waited until everyone was asleep then gently stepped outside, careful not to wake anyone.

The temperature had dropped a few degrees and the air had an icy chill. I shivered involuntarily in the darkness and quickened my footsteps as I used my torch to direct me back into the woodland.

There he was, exactly where I'd left him, underneath a purging buckthorn shrub, its grey-brown bark and spiny branches managed to keep him well camouflaged and out of sight. His eyes were still tightly closed and unconscious, the dressings on his wounds appeared to have stopped bleeding.

I turned off my torch and kneeled by his side. His body gently rose and fell as he breathed. I stroked his head gently, his fur coat felt soft and silky against my finger tips.

Then I set off to find what I came out here for...

Ragweed.

And as much of the stuff as I could find.

With its allergenic properties, it would be able to act as a natural deterrent against humans as well as other animals, at least it meant I could keep him here without being found.

The pointed tree branches snagged my clothes and I sneezed hard again for God knows how many times as I grabbed more ragweed to add to my pile on the floor. I'd deliberately tried to avoid touching any areas of my face with my hands but it was no use because I was practically covered with it, I might as well turn into a gigantic ragweed plant.

My eyes and nose were that itchy all I wanted to do were to scratch them, and tears streamed down my face as if I'd been chopping onions all day blurring my vision, making it even more difficult to see clearly in the dark.

I squeezed my eyelids tightly shut a few time to force out the tears before carrying on collecting more ragweed.

With my fierce determination, my pile on the ground grew and grew.

Then I placed the ragweed strategically around his hideaway spot with the idea of three portcullises from the castle in mind. He would be surrounded by three circles of ragweed.

If anyone tried to come anywhere near him, hopefully, they already would have sneezed to death as soon as they entered the first two circles.

Once I was satisfied with my work, I took out the water, poured it into the Tupperware dish that contained food and left everything by his side so that if indeed he does wake up during the middle of the night, it would be a simple case of him turning over his head and he would be able to eat and drink as he pleases.

I imagined that he would more likely be thirsty than hungry. It was always the case after my father had been in a hierarchy determining fight. It was as if he had lost too much fluid through sweat and blood.

Then a sudden niggling feeling popped inside my mind.

Something wasn't quite right...

I just couldn't put my finger on it...