“But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            We sat in our vehicle and looked at the kids who appeared to be my age or older, all stream through the front doors of the large school building.

            The students were a mix of Caucasians, Asian-descent or Native Alaskans. I spotted a couple of African-American kids, but their hair was treated so it looked smooth and straight, not like my frizzy hair.  All of their clothes looked like the latest fashion and they all carried the latest models of laptops or tablets or mobile phones.  I saw how they pretended to look busy by messaging each other using their technology, as they checked their class schedules on their tablets. Some of them even wore large earphones to listen to loud music and block the world out.

            I knew I was going to stick out with my old clothes. My laptop was second-hand and used to be Mama’s and my mobile phone was old so it didn’t have all of the extra features of the newer models.  In Nara none of this mattered, but here I was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted because of it.

            “Can I move back to Mali and live with Uncle Bouren and Aunt Menaka?”  I passed her a pleading look.

            “No," she was quick to glare. “Your father left me for another woman and now you want to leave me too?”

            “But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

            “Then make them fit in with YOU!” she flared and next, she hit the control for my door to make it open. “Now go to school!”

            With a huff to show my unhappiness, I climbed out of the vehicle.  Then as I slowly walked up the concrete path towards the large building, I looked back.  Mama powered up the hover-car and I watched the vehicle rise into the air.  Lastly, she threw me a wave before she flew off down the road.

            Merde! I’m all alone and I’m going to have to ask one of these fashionable kids where the school office is to pick up my class timetable.  I walked through the doors to find a crowded school corridor with lockers lining the walls.  The students stood with their friends in front of them, either putting things in or taking them out, as they all talked loudly.

            There weren’t any signs that I could see for the school's office, so I was going to have to ask for directions.  I started to walk over to two girls who appeared to be my age, who were touching up their made-up faces using small mirrors.   Mama would never let me wear make-up to school.  Now there’s another reason why I’ll stick out like an elephant next to a giraffe.

            “Pardon," I smiled as warmly as I could. “Could you please tell me where the school office is?”

            “Down the corridor and turn left," one of the girls answered without looking away from her mirror.

            “Merci - er - I mean thank you," I replied awkwardly.

            Merde!  They were like the neighbour Mama and I encountered.  Only worse, the teenagers here won't even look at you.

            I walked down the corridor and I turned left just as the girl directed only to find another long corridor.  Mon Dieu, please don’t make me have to ask for directions again!  Feeling lost, I started to walk down this hallway past more lockers and kids chattering loudly.  I still couldn’t see any signs of any school offices so I stopped and looked about, confused.

            Just then a pretty girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes noticed me standing in the middle of the corridor.  She was standing with a similarly looking friend and I think they were Native Alaskan. The first girl walked up and smiled which immediately made me like her.

            “Hi, you look lost," she laughed, but not meanly.

            “I’m trying to find the school office.” I told her.

            “It’s just down the end of this corridor," she pointed.  "The door is hidden, so I’ll show you.”

            “Thank you!” I gushed in relief.

            Next, both girls walked me down the corridor and as they did, they openly examined my appearance.

            “Where’s your accent from?” the second girl asked out of interest.

            “I just moved here from Mali.”  I answered.

            “Mali?” the second girl echoed in surprise. “That’s a big change coming to Alaska.”

            “Where’s Mali?” the first girl enquired.

            “In Africa," the second girl answered for me.

            “Wow," the first girl sounded impressed before she stopped and pointed out a door.  “There it is.”

            “Thank you very much,” I said gratefully to the two.

            “Good luck on your first day," the first girl smiled then she and her friend walked on.

            I gave them a wave as they departed and I wished I could be in their classes but unfortunately they were younger than me. 

 

*****

"Hmm," he frowned thoughtfully. "That would make sense if he was our Mr X with the increased physical strength and antibodies."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Half an hour later, Griggori was sitting hunched over his computer pulling up various records however, Julia wasn't as successful.   When he heard her cursing, he looked over to where she was working.  Bad-temperedly, she hit her touch-screen computer which blinked again in protest.

            "Babushka?" he sat up straighter.  "What is it?"

            "Declan Sabre has never been to a hospital or to a doctor's surgery for any injuries or illnesses," she declared.

            "Hmm," he frowned thoughtfully.  "That would make sense if he was our Mr X with the increased physical strength and antibodies."

            "Bianca Sabre was treated seven years ago at the Hodge Endeavor Hospital in Anchorage," she continued.  "But I can't get access to her medical records.  Every time I try to bring up her blood work or even see why she was admitted, the hospital's privacy settings lock me out."

            "Are you putting in your Interpol ID and Badge number?" he checked.

            "Of course I am!" she snapped.  "But it won't give me the information unless I have a subpoena and even then, it directs me to the Hodge Endeavor Legal Department."

            "Hmm," he repeated.  "I think I know why Hodge Endeavor is protecting her."

            "You do?" she stood up and went over to his computer.  "What have you found, Griggori?"

            "First of all, when I run a check on everyone who has ever lived at 5 Hill Road, Lokoti Tribal Lands, Lokoti National Park, the same name comes up."

            She watched as he typed in a new command into the computer and on the screen appeared several different driver's licenses, all with the same name.

            "Declan Sabre," she read out.  "So up until 2101 there has always been a Declan Sabre living at this address?"

            "Da and look at the photos of him over the many years," he prompted.

            "The first license in 2101 has him looking like he's in his thirties, then the other licenses over the years he looks like he's in his forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties." 

            "Da, this is in the space of 280 years," he nodded along.  "But look again at his current driver's license."

            “He looks like he’s twenty years old again," she sucked in her breath.  "But how is this possible?  Why hasn't the US Government picked up this anomaly?"

            "Look at the dates of birth, they change with each new driver's license," he pointed out.  "Guess which hospital issues the birth certificates for him, the Hodge Endeavor Hospital in Anchorage."

            "So Hodge Endeavor is protecting him as well as her," she noted.  "What have you found out about the wife?"

            The pictures of Declan Sabre's driver's licenses disappeared to show a screen full of driver's licenses for Bianca Sabre.

            "Like him, her date of birth changes with each new license that's issued," he began.  "But unlike him, her name changes even if her photos don't."

            "Dr. Bianca Wisetail, Dr. Bianca Riverclaw, Dr. Bianca Carmichael, Dr. Bianca Worthall, Dr. Bianca Baker."  Julia read aloud each identity.  "Her hairstyles alter slightly, but it's obvious it's the same woman."

            "Now, she's Dr. Bianca Sabre," he pointed out the last and most recently issued driver's license.

            "What's she a Doctor of?" she wondered.

            "She has a PhD in Archaeology and Ancient History," he announced.  "She works part time, doing guest lectures at universities around the world."

            Suddenly, the Forensic Scientist straightened like a bucket of icy water had been tipped over her.

            "What if she has a doctorate in Ancient History because she has first-hand experience of it?" her voice dropped.  "What if she and Declan Sabre are our OO Positives and they're much older than we think?"

            Griggori sighed, "It's a pity we can't go any further back than the year 2101."

A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

“Tell me in linear order.” Griggori requested. 

            “In China in 2226 AD, a large group of grey wolves were found dead in a remote area of the country.  Some of them had been killed by a silver sword, evident by the traces of metal in the singed flesh around the cuts. However, most of them had been mauled by a larger animal.  The DNA in the animals' wounds belonged to Mr. X but the animals also had OO Positive blood type.”

            “Wolves with OO Positive blood?" Griggori pondered.  "Why would Mr. X eat the wolves, especially if part of his DNA is canidae?"

            “As I said before, Mr. X is not a particular eater.” Julia said coolly. “May I also remind you that motive is your department!”

            “Yes, of course Babushka," he rubbed her back affectionately.  "Please continue.”

            “In Scotland in 2236, there was a report of a break-in," she began. "When the Police came to investigate, they found large amounts of OO Negative blood splatter as well as two different types of OO Positive blood.”

            “Wait, I remember this case, I read about it tonight.”  He moved over to his own computer.  “Nothing was stolen but the house was trashed.  It appeared to be the scene of a fight from the large amount of blood on the walls and floors.”

            Julia remained at her computer as she read out the results which had been uploaded to the InterPol Forensics Database.

            “Several samples of OO Positive saliva were found mixed in with the OO Negative blood.  From analyzing the DNA in the saliva, it appeared that there were two different kinds of OO Positives involved.  Mr. X appeared to work in conjunction with another type of OO Positive.  You see the differing third and fourth sequences here in the DNA?  Whoever fought with Mr. X was also OO Positive but they were a different type of species of OO Positive.  But the OO Negative victims must have fought back, because upstairs in one of the bedrooms there was a large blood stain which belonged to the different type of OO Positive.”

            "So our wolves in China had OO Positive blood and there's another kind of OO Positive in Scotland, which brings us to three different types of OO Positives."

            “In New Orleans in 2240 a ‘wild animal attack’ was blamed for three human deaths," she went on.  "Mr. X’s blood and saliva were taken from the crime scene.”

            “I looked at this case as well," he pressed his touch-screen computer to bring up the Police Report.  “A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.  Several security cameras caught footage of the anomaly.  US Police couldn’t fathom how this mystery animal vanished in the middle of a city, while leaping across rooftops running at 300 kilometres per hour.”

            Julia left her computer for Griggori's to see what he had, which he put on ‘replay’ to show her.  Her eyes widened as she watched a blurry image run on all-fours across the New Orleans city skyline.  The 'animal' deftly leapt from rooftop to rooftop as it bolted in an impossible speed, which accounted for the blurriness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The tissue samples taken from their skin showed extreme photosensitivity and several of their major organs weren't functioning. Their bodies appeared to be in a form of biological stasis.”

  (Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Next, he asked, "If the OO Positive victims were strong with amazing immune systems, what were the OO Negative victims like?"

            "Quite the opposite," she announced.  "The tissue samples taken from their skin showed extreme photosensitivity and several of their major organs weren't functioning.  Their bodies appeared to be in a form of biological stasis.”

            “What?” he blinked in disbelief.

            "What Forensics discovered in their autopsy 236 years ago match what I've discovered today," she began. “The tissue samples that were taken from the organs such as the liver, those cells were necrotized.”

            Griggori frowned, “You mean my victim had liver disease?”

            “Nyet," her voice dropped and she looked uncomfortable saying this. “Her liver was dead and from the preserved state it was in, I'd say it as well as several other organs hadn’t worked in some time, perhaps even years.”

            “But that's impossible!” he stood up from the stool in shock.  “When I ran a background check on her, I didn't find any medical records showing visits to hospitals for organ failure.  If this woman was dying, she would have been in a hospital, not in a nightclub!  A nightclub, that's in the middle of the city yet eyewitnesses claim they saw a large animal mauling her.  A large animal which suddenly appeared in the middle of Moscow and nobody knows how it got there.  Yet when we checked the security cameras to see the attack, there was unusual electrical interference which created static..."  

            As he vented his frustration at this nonsensical case, his voice trailed off as if he heard how ridiculous all of this sounded.  She watched him rub his forehead with his hand, giving away his stress.  Sympathetically, she put her hand on his arm and gave it a supportive squeeze.

            “You can see why the first case 236 years ago was simply dismissed as a wild animal attack, da?” she said ruefully.  “Who can seriously investigate a case such as this when abnormal seems to apply.”

            “Or paranormal," he muttered, while looking away.

            “Hmm?”

            “Julia," he turned back to his amore.  “Can you do something for me?”

            “Of course, Griggori.”

            “Are the Forensics records from 236 years ago accurate enough that you can use the original blood sample taken from our OO Positive friend and compare it to the OO Positive sample you found on our latest OO Negative victim?”

            “I believe so," she frowned thoughtfully.  “Why? What are you thinking?”

            “I’m betting that aside from our latest victim from two days ago, we’ll find many more cases that have been 'swept under the rug'.”

            "You want me to comb through Forensics reports for the last 236 years?” she blanched at the idea.

            “Please Julia, I’ll help!" he pleaded.  "I will look through the InterPol Database for wild animal attacks, or murders where the instrument of death was a sword.  Can you go through the Forensic Reports, looking for OO Positive and OO Negative samples?  You said so yourself, that with the OO Positive blood samples, their DNA had canine aspects.  What if we're looking for humans can turn into canine-like creatures?”

            She faltered at the idea, it was nearing her shift and she was looking forward to getting out of the lab and besides, his idea did seem farfetched.

            “I’ll have dinner delivered and consider this a date," he took out his mobile phone.  "Does Chinese sound appealing?"

            He knew it would as it was her favourite food.

            “Grigorri…” she smilingly shook her head, “…you'll owe me for this later on in the bedroom.”

            “Fair is fair," he gave her a grin.

            “We're talking candles, Griggori!" she waved her finger in his face.  "Scented candles and massages!"

            “Of course, Babushka.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff. "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

9th June 2381

 

            It was raining heavily from a rumbling sky when he made a run for it from his hover-car to the entrance of the Moscow Police Station.  He grimaced when he felt the icy water seep inside his suit collar which only made him run faster.  The angry sky flashed once more before a deafening clap of thunder chased him inside of the building.

            He shook himself off once he was inside the front door.  The water droplets easily fell off his new suit with the water fortunately not soaking into the fibres.  The artificial clothing was light weight and water resistant however, his dark hair was a different story, it was soaked. 

            “A lovely summers’ day outside?” a co-worker joked upon passing.

            “Da,” he said sarcastically, “with tropical sun showers.”

            The female officer laughed before putting up a clear plastic umbrella then venturing outside.

            Once he'd shaken off most of the water he walked down the busy hallway.  The Police Station was always abuzz with activity and this wet day was no different.  In fact, he noted that the uniformed and non-uniformed officers moved around with a louder hum of work today.

            Recently with the spree of murders including the one which had brought him here, there was public pressure on the Police to catch the killer or killers.  The public couldn’t understand how the use of 24th Century scanning equipment hadn't identified the murderer/s yet.  But as he told several different World Wide Media reporters, “Identifying the DNA left at the scene of the crimes is easy.  Finding the culprit who the DNA comes from is the hard part.”

            After turning down several corridors he entered the Forensics Lab via a set of frosted over, automatic glass doors.

            Then he saw her as she was leaning over her touch-screen computer going over the latest scans from the recent crime scene.  Her blonde hair complimented her white lab clothes.  Although the lab smelled sterile, the fruity fragrance of her shampoo tickled his nose.  The very sight and smell of her gave him pause.

            “Griggori," she acknowledged his arrival while not looking up.

            “Babushka," he returned teasingly.

            “Julia," she gave him a quick glare.  “In the office, you call me by my proper name.”

            “As you wish.”

            When he came over to sit on the available stool beside hers, he noted that they were alone in the lab since the other technicians had left for the day.   Julia returned to her work and he sat quietly to allow her to concentrate.  Besides, this way he could admire her beautiful profile that was lit up by the light coming off the computer screen.

            “Look, there it is again!”  

            Her shrill voice was accentuated by her Russian accent.  The Forensic Scientist hit the computer touch-screen bad temperedly.  The screen blinked in protest before re-displaying the same information as before.

            “Woah there, Babushka," the Detective gently restrained her.

            Whilst holding his lover in his arms, his face was considerably closer to the screen than before and that was when he saw it.

            “OO Negative?” he uttered in disbelief.

            “It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff.  "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

            “But this classification that was created 300 years ago has the same blood type as my corpse which is two days old," he argued.

            “It was 236 years ago that Forensics then invented this classification," she corrected.

            Griggori used this chance to move closer to her computer and press the touch-screen to bring up records of this phenomenon.  As he went over the data, she thought she should narrate what he was seeing, since he wasn’t educated in Biology.  His knowledge with Forensics extended to using a scanning device to check a suspects' DNA but that was it.

            “The OO Negative sample is neither human nor animal, but it has characteristics of both.  It is parasitic in nature and completely void of red and white cells.  It appears to feed off other sources of blood from either human or animal, to replenish its missing cells, proteins and sugar levels.” 

            “Then what’s this?” he noticed a link to another file in the bottom corner of the screen. “OO Positive?”

            Julia leaned forward to use her index finger to press the link for him as she continued:

            “OO Positive is the exact opposite of OO Negative, it’s rich in red and white cells, antibodies, blood sugars and proteins.  But there's something else."

            "Da?" he waited for it.

            “Both OO Negative and OO Positive are communicable by infection of the blood.  If either OO Negative or OO Positive blood infected the blood of a human, they would become either OO Negative or OO Positive.  But the patient infected with OO Negative blood would soon need to consume more blood to replenish itself."

            "Why?" he asked, confused.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I smell better?”

(Excerpt from Claimed)

I woke up properly at 6.33 PM or so my watch said, as I straightened and looked out the window. I still saw mountains, forest and highway in the bright ‘twilight’ of the Alaskan summer. The sun didn’t set until late here, and when we were camping, the sunlight up until 11 PM; threw my sleeping pattern out of whack.

“We’ll be in Anchorage in just under an hour,” Flint greeted.

“I slept for that long?” I sounded surprised.

“You’re very tired and your blood sugar is still a little low.” He sounded understanding.

But I wondered how he would know about blood sugar levels, or even mine?

“Do you have a relative who’s a diabetic?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then how do you know so much about it?”

Flint smilingly shrugged, “I smell it.”

“You smell it?” I gave a peculiar look.

Then he changed the subject, “do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

“Um yeah, I have a reservation at the Sheraton.” I told him, but then I paused. “Oh oh.”

“Hmm?”

“I did have a reservation at the Sheraton, but it was for a room booked under Steve’s name.” I frowned. “I wonder…?”

“Hmm?” He watched me take my mobile phone out of my bag.

“Yes, finally! I have reception again!” I cheered then I talked on the phone. “Yeah hi, can you please put me through to the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage? Thanks.” Pause. “Hi, is this the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage? Great! Um, I had a reservation tonight under the name of Steve Gingall, but I won’t be checking in with him. Is it possible to have a room of my own, charged to my credit card? You’re completely booked up?”

Flint watched my face fall, as he listened in.

“Right. Right. Right.” My expression turned grim, before brightening. “Oh really? Could you please double check? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh you do? That’s great! I don’t care, just book it in the name of Jessica Tandy. Yep. Uh huh. Well, check-in will probably be in an hour. Yep, OK bye.”

Then I found my driver was half watching the road, and the other half was on me.

“You have a room?” He guessed.

“Phew! They were all booked up, but then they had a last minute cancellation. Yay! Oh Flint, this is good news! Tonight I’ll be sleeping in a comfortable bed, after a long hot shower, and ordering up a banquet from room service!”

“That is good news, as it’s just what you were hoping for.” He smiled.

“So what are you doing tonight?” I queried. “Are you staying with friends in Anchorage?”

“No, I’ll be driving home tonight.” He answered.

His reply hit me hard in the face, like a plank of wood. Immediately, I felt like an idiot! That’s me taken care of, but what about him?

“Oh no Flint!” I cried out. “You can’t do that! Look, I’ll call the hotel back and see if they’ve had another cancellation -”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Let me pay for your accommodation!” I raised the phone to my ear. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Jessica, please.” He kept one hand on the wheel, as he used his other to gently take the phone away. “I want to drive back home tonight.”

“But why?”

“I don’t like to be away from tribal lands for too long,” he shrugged.

“Why?”

“Because they’re my home.”

“But you’ve already driven four and a half hours, out of your way for me.” I said guiltily.

“It wasn’t out of my way.”

“Yes it was! I’m just some strange girl that stumbled into your bar, who nearly went into shock because of low blood sugar and a shitty camping trip…” I felt ridiculous as my eyes watered, “…and I must have looked like some social reject, with the crappy boyfriend. You took pity on me and drove me all the way to Anchorage!”

“I was concerned about your health,” he admitted, “but you smell much better, after the food and the nap.”

“I smell better?” My eyebrows rose. “Look Flint, let me repay you by shouting you a room in a nice hotel -”

“Jessica,” he growled out, as he gently cupped my face with one hand. It was so large and warm, somehow it warmed me all over. He looked away from the road, just long enough to pierce my light blue eyes with his dark brown ones. “I liked driving you to Anchorage. I’m happy that I got to spend four hours with the beautiful girl who stumbled into the bar, where I play pool. I watched your face while you slept, and I put my jacket over you to keep you warm. If you lived all the way in Barrow, I still would have seen you home.”

Then I don’t know what made me act this way, but I held his huge hand in my smaller two, as I kissed his palm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I’m attracted to the guy, so what?

(Excerpt from Claimed)

Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting on the front seat, of a blue pick-up truck and riding shot gun down the highway.

The vehicle was old, so the suspension wasn’t the best but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. Every time there was a bump in the road, I practically went ‘boing boing boing’ on the seat. The leather seat was so springy, it almost served as the truck’s suspension in itself.

Our seatbelts were fastened and the tiny township of Alma, was a couple of miles behind. A comfortable silence filled the cab, as I didn’t feel obliged to talk and neither did he. Besides, I was enjoying the scenery of the dark green pines, contrasted against the majestic, snowy peaks.

“Oh,” he spoke after a while, “I got some snacks and drinks, in case you get hungry.”

His hand moved over my lap to the glove compartment, to show the goods.

I saw two cans of cola and a packet of plain potato chips; “er, thanks.”

My heart pounded, as his hand closed the compartment again and moved back over my lap, to return to the wheel.

“How about some music?” He turned on the radio. Country music filled the cabin and I held my tongue. However, Flint Riverclaw was a remarkably perceptive person, as I was starting to see. “You don’t like country?”

“Um, if you want to listen, I don’t mind.” I tried to be polite.

Instead, he moved the dial around to find something else but we didn’t have a huge range of stations, to choose from. There was more country music, old rock songs from the 1950’s, or classical.

“It’s a four hour drive to Anchorage,” I said guiltily, “if you want to listen to country music then go ahead.”

“You don’t like silence?” He flashed a grin, my way.

“OK…” I managed back nervously, “…I can be quiet.”

“I don’t mind conversation, either.” He chuckled. “I like silence, I like talking and I like country music.”

Just then I laughed at how he put that, as he made me realize that I was the one who was making me nervous, not him.

So I’m attracted to the guy, so what? I may as well as enjoy his company for the four hours I have it. After tonight, I may never see him again.

“Flint, I feel like I’m always saying the wrong thing around you!” I cried out, with a pink face.

“That’s a pity, because I like your voice.” He smilingly looked out at the road ahead.

“I like your voice too, it’s very deep.” I decided to give honesty a shot. “Why are you unmarried, Flint?”

“Why are you?” He returned. “I’ve never met the woman I wanted to marry.”

“And I’ve never met the right man.”

“Tell me Jessica Tandy, who is this ‘right man’?” He smirked.

“You mean what do I look for?” I guessed and when he gave a nod, I continued, “well somebody tall, somebody polite, somebody whose company is easy going. I’d like someone smart or intelligent, so I can talk about world news, instead of just sport… what kind of woman are you looking for?”

“I’m not,” he said simply.

“Huh?”

“If I fall in love with a woman, I simply will. I can’t tell myself who I must fall in love with, as it doesn’t work like that. The person I end up with, will simply be the person I fell in love with.”

I frowned, “then why are you unmarried? If you haven’t found the woman yet, whose qualities you weren’t looking for anyway, you could have fallen for any old person.”

“I haven’t fallen in love.” He shrugged. “I haven’t met the woman whom I wanted to be with, for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, so you’re looking for the thunderbolt?”

Now he passed me the peculiar look. “Huh?”

“You’re waiting for love at first sight?”

“No, I don’t believe in love at first sight.” He shook his head. “I believe in attraction at first sight, but I don’t believe in love at first sight.”

“OK Flint, you’ve confused me.” I sounded cross, but I was smiling which he saw. “Tell me how you see it then.”

“This ‘woman’ we keep talking about, I assumed I’d be attracted to her in the beginning. After I spend some time with her then I might fall in love. I’ve been attracted to a couple of women, over the years. I’ve spent time with them. But I didn’t fall in love, so I did not marry.”

“Just like that,” I tittered at his easy-going view. “Hey, why did you call Steve my mate, before? In your culture do you -”

“In my tribe, if a man and woman live together, they’re mates.” He shrugged. “Since you went camping with him, I thought you may have lived together.”

“So the woman you live with, will become your mate?” I asked in amusement.

“Yes, she will bear my young and we will be mates.”

“Sounds like the animal kingdom,” I said to myself, as I looked away.

“Which animal though?” He overheard. “Some animals mate to reproduce, then they separate. Other animals, like the wolf or the fox, take a mate and they stay with that mate, for life.”

“Really, do foxes do that? I didn’t know…” my eyebrows rose, “…I didn’t know wolves were old romantics either.”

“In a pack, the male wolves fight each other to become first, as do the females. Then the first male and the first female mate, and the other wolves help them raise the young.” Flint explained.

“Sounds like a lot of work, just to get laid,” I joked.

“Has a man proposed to you, Jessica Tandy?” He asked, out of the blue.

“Um…once.”

“Why didn’t you marry this person?”

“Because something just wasn’t right about him,” I sighed. “I mean, he was a nice guy but there was something missing.”

“Were you in love with him?”

“I thought I was, but now I don’t know.”

“Was it Steve?”

“Hell no!” I cracked up laughing, as did he. “It was two guys before him. I actually did live with this guy I nearly married, for about two years.”

“Do you have children?”

“No,” I shook my head, “good ole pregnancy prevention methods, protected me from that catastrophe. But funnily enough, it was the idea that I didn’t want to have children with this guy, which made me not accept his proposal.”

“He did not make you feel safe?” Flint guessed.

“Actually, I think it was something like that.” I looked his way, impressed again at his perceptiveness.

“Then Jessica, instead of looking for a man to talk about world news with, why don’t you look for one whom you feel safe with.” He said gently.

I stared out at the long road ahead, tiredly resting my head on my hand, which was propped up against the door.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said wearily, “or maybe I’ll just give up and grow into an old spinster, surrounded by cats?”

Flint laughed aloud, “with your pretty blue eyes, it would be a shame.”

“It’s not a bad life.” I shrugged it off. “I won’t be lonely, my best friend would never let that happen.”

“My friends don’t let me get lonely, either.” He smiled softly. “They have mates and young, but if they think I’ve been alone for too long, they come to visit.”

“So do you have an apartment somewhere?”

“I built a log cabin, which is as big as a house. It has three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living area and front veranda.”

“You built a log cabin, by yourself?” I stared and he nodded. “It sounds like you don’t like to get bored.”

“Occasionally I had help, such as with the plumbing or electricity.” He explained. “But I built it myself, over two years. The land it’s on, has always been in my family. It’s away from the community centre of our tribal lands, so it’s quiet and secluded, amongst the trees.”

“It sounds peaceful,” I smiled sleepily, as my eyes started to close by themselves. “Tell me more about your house and your tribal lands, Flint.”

He paused, and I sensed he looked over and saw how tired I was. So he started to talk softly, as if he was telling a child a story. It suited his deep voice, which lulled me into a relaxed state.

“The Lokoti have always lived in the same place, in the Alaska Range. The majority of it is a large National Park, where my people hunt. We have always lived off the land and will continue to do so. We get our meat, pelts, timber and vegetables from the land. Our tribal lands are older than the township of Alma, and older than the state of Alaska. We follow our own ways, which were born from loyalty and love long ago. We live by the old traditions, because it protects our families and it protects the land. What your people call, ‘land conservation’ or ‘environmentally friendly’, is what we’ve been doing for thousands of years. By respecting nature and her gifts, we also learn respect for each other. The man who takes a woman as his mate, protects and provides for her, just as the male Lokoti Wolf fights for his mate, in the wild…”

Flint kept talking in a soft manner, it soon put me to sleep.

A couple of times I opened my eyes, to make sure we were still on the highway and I wasn’t being kidnapped. However the long stretch of asphalt ahead, always greeted me. I wasn’t sure what it was about this giant called Flint Riverclaw; but in his company I felt warm, comfortable and most of all safe. The last time I opened my eyes, I found a man’s jacket resting over my bare legs, which must have been his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re just going to hop in your vehicle and drive me, a complete stranger, all the way to Anchorage?”

(Excerpt from Claimed)

Just then we were interrupted, when Steve carried over the empty beer jug to order another.

“Can I get another jug of Bud?” He asked the bartender. Simultaneously as I blanched at the idea they were drinking more; he looked over and noticed I wasn’t sitting alone. He fired up, “there you are! We were wondering where you got to.”

“I had to get an orange juice.” I spoke crisply. “My blood sugar was low.”

Flint’s eyes narrowed, “Jessica has been sitting here for the past ten minutes, she wouldn’t have been hard to spot from where you’re sitting.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed back, as he came over to put a possessive hand on my back.

“So you’re drinking orange juice with her?” He asked snidely. “Or is there vodka in yours and hers drinks?”

“I don’t drink alcohol,” Flint said warily, “and with Jessica being a diabetic, it wouldn’t be wise for her to drink either, until her blood sugar level has returned to normal.”

“Well thank you for baby-sitting her,” Steve said sarcastically, “but she’ll be coming back to sit with her friends again.”

“No,” I shrugged off his hand, “not unless.”

“Huh?” He uttered, as his breath reeked of beer.

“Not unless you stop drinking right now, and we all hop into the rental and drive to Anchorage!” I snapped.

“Jess, we have the tents! We can camp on the side of the road and get up at dawn, to finish the drive. Brian and I talked about it. You’re not gonna miss your flight.” Steve rolled his eyes, like I was the one being difficult.

My heart pounded as my eyes widened with fear that I could be stranded...

“I’ll drive you to Anchorage.” Flint said simply.

“What?” Both our heads snapped around in surprise.

“I’ll drive you to Anchorage, when you’ve eaten your burger.” He said calmly, as he held my gaze.

“What burger?” Steve tipsily looked around.

Perfectly timed, a hamburger with the lot and a side of fries, was carried out by a younger Native Alaskan man, wearing an apron.

He placed it on the counter before Flint, who slid the plate before me.

“Thanks Harry,” he patted the younger man, on the arm.

“No problem, Flint.” The youth smiled back, before he returned to the kitchen.

“Mmm yum!” Steve picked up a couple of fries, to jam into his mouth. “Good idea, Jess. I’m hungry!”

Flint didn’t like this and he stood up to tower over his opposition. With his height and width, he easily dwarfed Steve. He looked dangerously upon the male who was interfering.

“I bought the burger for Jessica, I didn’t buy it for you.” He almost growled out.

“Fine,” Steve drunkenly laughed, “if that’s the way it is, Jess is getting strange men to buy her burgers in bars? Then it’s fine with me! You can make your own way to Anchorage.”

“Wait!” I stood up frightened, as this situation went from bad to worse. “Steve, please just take me to Anchorage? Tonight? I’ll even get a separate hotel room, if you like. You can break up with me in Anchorage and we’ll never have to see each other again. Just take me to Anchorage?”

“Oh, now you want to be with me, huh? Burger boy doesn’t cut it?” He raised his voice. “Sure this guy is as big as a lumberjack, but I bet he’s not a Partner in one of Seattle’s top law firms! What’s his salary per year? One dollar per tree he cuts down?”

I thought I heard another growl come from Flint, as I tried to calm the situation down.

“C’mon Steve, it’s not like that! Flint was just being nice.” I said desperately. “He saw me shaking because of my low sugar level, and he bought me some food and drink. Please just take me to Anchorage tonight? Please?”

“Jess, I told you what our plans are tonight! Stop your nagging! Man, we’ve only dated for two months, and you’re already trying to tell me what to do?” He turned away, to pay for his jug of beer.

“The lady is frightened, especially when she’s unwell and she’s far from home. A real man would see to the woman’s safety first, especially the woman he supposedly has feelings for.” Flint spoke coldly.

“Oh is THAT what a real man would do?” Steve taunted. “I bet that you know a lot of ‘real’ men, all the way up north, cold and alone, huh burger boy?”

“Steve!” My face burned bright red. “Don’t be such an asshole!”

Now the bartender got involved, when he put down the new jug. However he moved it away again, after he heard the arguing. Indeed, the whole bar was watching.

“I think you’ve drunk enough, friend.” The bartender looked on warily.

“Excuse me?” Steve turned on him. “What kind of customer service do you call this?”

The older man looked from Flint to back to him, before he said calmly; “maybe you and your friends should leave.”

“I could sue you for this!” Steve said sulkily. “But you wouldn’t be worth the paper work.”

As he returned to the table to talk to Brian and Abi, I grabbed my handbag and prepared to go with him, in case they were driving to Anchorage now.

Flint calmly looked down into my face with his great height; “I’ll drive you to Anchorage Jessica, after you’ve eaten.”

That gave me pause, as I looked on his face which seemed open and kind.

“Why?” I wondered. “Are you going to Anchorage yourself?”

“I’ll drive you there and make sure you don’t miss your plane,” he said seriously.

“You’re just going to hop in your vehicle and drive me, a complete stranger, all the way to Anchorage?” I asked in disbelief.

“I think it’d be safer than if you remained with your friends, who’ve been drinking.” He said then he leaned in closer and when he did, I got a whiff of whatever aftershave he was wearing. Man, did this guy smell good! He spoke softly, “you have nothing to fear from me, Jessica Tandy. I will make sure you don’t come to harm.”

I don’t know if it was from how deep and gravely his voice sounded then, or his addictive aftershave, or even if it was just his handsome face? Maybe it was all of the above, but my strong attraction made me believe him.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed Abi and Brian get up from the booth, and she looked uncertain. Whereas Brian and Steven went over to the door, she walked over to where I was standing at the bar, to speak to me direct.

“Um, Jess? We’re leaving for Anchorage now. Are you coming?”

“Jessica has a ride to Anchorage,” Flint answered for me.

She looked over the tall stranger warily, before she leaned in to speak quietly; “look, I know Steve can be a bit loud when he’s drinking. But we are driving back to Anchorage tonight, for our flights tomorrow. I don’t think it’s a bright idea, to get a ride with a stranger you only just met in a bar, Jess.”

“You’re only driving to Anchorage now, because you’ve been kicked out of the bar, Abi.” I replied curtly, offended at how she just made me sound!

“Jessica can call her parents in Seattle, and give them my name, address and my number plate. If anything happens to her in Anchorage then they’ll know how to contact me.” Flint organized.

Abi looked on in distrust, “we’re out of range for our mobile phones.”

Instantly, he called on the bartender; “Charlie, can we use your phone?”

“Here we go Flint,” the bartender who I now knew as Charlie, immediately lifted it up from behind the bar.

Flint told him, “Jessica needs to call her parents in Seattle, to tell them I’ll be driving her to Anchorage.”

“It’s the safe thing to do, Miss.” Charlie gave me a nod. “I mean, I can speak for Flint, since he’s a good man? But if anything happens to you in Anchorage, at least your parents will know where you are.”

“Er, my parents are actually in Michigan, I live in Washington State.” My face flushed at their attention. “But I have a best friend I can call, in Seattle.”

“Go right ahead,” Charlie pushed the phone closer.

“Jess!” Abi looked guilty. “Just come with us, we’re leaving now.”

“I’ll get Jessica’s things from your RV, while she makes the calls.” Flint told her. “Then she’s going to eat her burger and afterwards, I’ll drive her to Anchorage.”

“I’ll speak to the guys and see if they can wait, while you eat.” She said annoyed.

Now SHE was getting annoyed at ME? That’s it, I’ve had it up to here!

“Oh, I’m so sorry for having low blood sugar that I need to eat instead of just drink beer. I’m sorry I couldn’t cook over an open fire, so I’ve practically been starving all week! Especially since everybody who’s been camping before, didn’t offer to help! I’m sorry my college education didn’t include putting up tents! I’m sorry I made such a fuss about using a tree for a f***ing bathroom, or I can’t bathe in a freezing cold river! I’m sorry I’ve been looking forward to a hotel room in Anchorage all week, where I can shower, sleep in a proper bed and order room service!” I vented.

“Fine!” She said indignantly. “But I’ve never met anyone that has complained as much as you do, Jess!”

“Of course I’ve complained!” I shouted back. “Diabetics get shitty when we’re cold, hungry and tired!”

Suddenly the whole Bar erupted into laughter, which included Flint and Charlie.

Abi’s face turned bright red, whereas Steve and Brian turned and left angry.

“I’d get shitty if I was cold, hungry and tired all week too,” one of the men at the counter, chuckled.

“And the showers! Don’t forget the showers,” one of the Native Alaskan men Flint had been playing pool with, laughed along.

“When our pulsating, massage, shower head broke, my wife was shitty for two weeks!” The Native Alaskan man with the short hair, guffawed.

Flint put his hand over mine, which felt warm and strong and even soothed somehow.

“You sit and eat whilst I get your things,” he ordered gently.

Unconsciously, I found myself doing what he said, as I returned to the stool. I watched him leave the bar with her, when I saw one of his friends, walk out after him. It was as if they were worried that MY friends were the dangerous ones!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~