Hour of the Wolf - Chapter 6
At first Helena had carried one of the pictures on her at all times, afraid that they would be gone once she returned to her room. After about two weeks she realized that they were hers to keep and she no longer carried the frame with her. Vanessa had smiled and nodded at her when she showed up without the picture of Myka. She had handed Helena a small leather pouch, similar to a business card holder. Inside were two pictures of Myka and one of Pete and Claudia.
“I thought this might be easier to carry,” she said and returned to her desk.
Helena sighed and put it in her pocket. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” She tilted her head and looked at Helena for a long moment. “You know, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have done a study on photographs and their impact on people. Research has proved that looking at a photograph of a loved one can relieve the sensation of physical pain, and that the picture actually helped the person more than holding a stranger’s hand. The mind truly is an amazing thing.”
Helena nodded. She believed her. She cherished her pictures more than anything else, even more than Myka’s shirt.
“How’s your writing coming along?”
“It’s slow, but at least I like what I write,” Helena said and sighed. She looked at Vanessa, contemplating what to tell her. “I never used to write like this. I think that is part of the problem.”
“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked curious.
“I used to find an inspiring view and then write. Sometimes I wrote outdoors, most of the time inside. I could go days without writing a word, meanwhile the story was taking shape in my head. Sometimes I would be in the middle of an experiment when I would see a scene so clearly in my head I had to stop and write it down. The images were clear, and they came to me in complete scenarios. I never forced anything to happen. Not until now.”
Vanessa silently pondered her words. She had not realized until this very moment that she was actually dealing with an artist’s soul. She had thought of Helena as a scientist, a brilliant mind. It shocked her that she had forgotten about her more gentle side, the inner child. She made a decision and got up.
“Come,” she said and held out her hand to Helena.
“Where are we going?” Helena asked confused. She started to close the laptop.
“Leave it. It will be safe here.”
Helena followed her, curious to see what the doctor was up to. They walked in a direction Helena had never been before. Hallways led to double doors, and yet another hallway. Finally Vanessa stopped by a different set of doors. She turned to Helena and smiled.
“This is my current residence. Please come inside.” She smiled at Helena and held the door for her.
Helena stepped through and the first thing she noticed was the large window to her left. She quickly crossed the room and looked outside. The sliding doors opened up to a small patio and garden, surrounded by a brick wall. Climbing roses covered most of it. The whole garden arrangement reminded Helena of England.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Please,” Helena whispered. She could hear Vanessa rummaging around behind her as she was making the tea. Helena knew she should offer to help or at least keep her company, but she couldn’t tear herself away from the window. She had not seen daylight since the day she was brought to this place.
“I have missed this,” she whispered.
“I know,” Vanessa said and smiled at her. “Would you like to sit outside?”
Helena smiled at her. “Can we?”
Vanessa smiled, delighted at the eagerness in Helena’s voice. “Of course.”
“May I?” Helena asked indicating the door. Vanessa nodded.
Helena opened the door and stepped outside. She inhaled deeply and sighed. It was quiet which surprised her. She didn’t hear any traffic or noise, only birds singing. She realized that they must be somewhere in the countryside.
*** *** ***
Myka jumped as her Farnsworth buzzed in her pocket. She was alone in the back seat of the black limousine. She had tried to talk to the driver but only got one word answers followed by a ma’am so she quickly gave up on the idea. She pulled out the buzzing communicator and flipped it open. Dr. Calder’s face smiled at her.
“Agent Bering.”
“Dr. Calder.”
“I hope you had a pleasant trip here. The driver should have you here within the next half hour or so. If you’re not too tired I’d like to invite you to have lunch with me. We have much to discuss.”
Myka nodded. “I’ll be happy to.”
“Excellent. See you soon Agent Bering.”
The screen turned black again and Myka closed it. She leaned back against the cool leather seat and sighed. She wondered if Helena was actually at the same location as the doctor. She chewed on her lip and her hand absentmindedly reached for the gold locket around her neck.
*** *** ***
“Agent Bering, welcome.” Dr. Calder smiled at the young agent and offered her hand.
“Thanks.“ Myka shook her hand and smiled at her.
“Your things will be brought to your room. You can leave everything here.”
Myka fingered the shoulder strap on her briefcase. She had personal things in it that she did not want anyone to go through.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll just bring it,” she said and smiled at Vanessa.
“Fine. Come, lunch is waiting.”
*** *** ***
Myka played with her spoon watching her coffee being poured. Lunch had been wonderful, but she had found it difficult to truly enjoy the food. There were too many unanswered questions bouncing around in her head.
“Is she here?” she whispered.
Vanessa smiled and pulled her coffee cup closer. She added some cream and stirred it before answering Myka’s question.
“Yes she is.”
“Can I see her?”
“Soon.”
Myka nodded. She had not expected that Dr. Calder would just let her see Helena right away.
“I think that you should know that there is nothing really wrong with her.”
Myka frowned. “What do you mean?”
Vanessa smiled. “Let me rephrase that. She is depressed, less so now than in the beginning. Bronzing her was the worst thing anyone could’ve done to her. She was clinically depressed to the point of suicidal.”
“Oh my God,” Myka gasped and covered her mouth. She stared at Vanessa in horror. “Did she…?”
“Yes, she did.”
Myka swallowed, suddenly feeling nauseous. “That’s why that Warehouse 12 agent died,” she whispered when realization hit.
Vanessa nodded. “Add that to the picture, and you have a very troubled woman on your hands. And all they did for her was put her in the darkest place possible, where she was completely alone with her own troubled thoughts.”
“Oh God,” Myka said and whimpered softly. “She must have been in so much pain.”
Vanessa nodded. “They didn’t know about these things back then. A lot has happened in the last hundred years or so.”
Myka nodded. “And of course she was not much better when McPherson debronzed her,” she mumbled.
“No, and he knew that. He knew everything about her.”
“He used her,” Myka said and shot Vanessa a dark look. “How could he?”
“He was haunted by his demons too Myka.”
Myka sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“She has come a remarkable way in the short amount of time I’ve had with her, and I think your presence will impact her situation in a very positive way.”
Myka smiled. “I hope so.”
“Myka,” Vanessa said seriously. “I need to ask you to be completely honest and open with her. You cannot hold anything back. I know that it’s a lot to ask of you. You are a very private person, and a cautious one at that, but I ask you, for Helena’s sake, that you try to open your heart to her. You do still love her, correct?”
Myka nodded. “I do,” she whispered.
“I’m very glad to hear that, for the both of you.” She looked at Myka for a long moment. “She’s not going to make it easy for you. You will need to be strong for her too.”
Myka nodded. “I can do that.”
“I know you can, or you wouldn’t be here.”
*** *** ***
Helena smiled in her sleep. Since she had received Myka’s bear she had, to her surprise, slept better. The bed was absolutely divine and Myka’s scent that still lingered on the bear calmed her mind. At first it had upset her. It felt like her mind was betraying her, feeling this much pleasure from something so simple. But once her body started to heal and restore back to normal she started to accept it. Vanessa’s constant reminder that it was okay to feel pleasure slowly started to sink in.
Helena stirred and stretched. She didn’t want to wake up. She knew Myka was with her in the dream. She couldn’t see her, but her scent was all around. Helena stretched again as the haze started to clear and her mind slowly brought her out of her dream. Her hand moved across the cool sheet until it came to rest on something new. A hand. Helena stilled. This was real. She knew she should feel fear, but she didn’t. She knew who it belonged to. Her fingers curled around the slender ones resting so calmly on the sheet next to her, and opened her eyes.
“Hi honey.”
Helena sat up and just stared at the woman sitting on her bed. Myka smiled at her and tugged at her hand. Helena threw herself at her. She clung to Myka as if she feared that she would disappear any moment.
“I am so so sorry,” she whispered. “Please believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know honey,” Myka said and kissed her dark head. She gently pushed Helena down and stretched out next to her, still holding her tight against her.
“What are you doing here?” Helena whispered, curious but at the same time dreading the answer.
“I’ve been reassigned.”
Helena looked up at her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m here to stay, as long as you need me to. Helena, I’m not leaving you again,” Myka said seriously.
Helena caressed her cheek. “You didn’t have much choice last time. They took me away.”
“I know baby,” Myka whispered. “It was wrong, for you and for me and for everyone.”
Helena smiled sadly. “I’m not so sure. Perhaps all of you would have been better off never knowing me.”
Myka gaped. “How can you say that?” she exclaimed upset. “I tried to make it work without you. I couldn’t. Don’t you know how empty my life was before I met you?” Myka was crying now.
Helena gently wiped the tears away. “I’m sorry darling. All I meant was that had I still been in the bronze sector none of you would have known the things of the last few months. You and Pete would still be laughing and bickering about things, while working wonders that few other people can do.”
“But I would still be alone Helena,” Myka whispered. “I would still have this empty void in my soul waiting for someone, waiting for you to fill it.” She curled up next to Helena and burrowed her face against her neck. “I know I’m weird baby. No one ever really understands me. Not until I met you did I feel normal.” Myka pulled back and looked into Helena’s dark eyes. “You saw me, the real me. And you accepted me just the way I am. You made me feel special, and loved.”
Now Helena had tears in her eyes. She pulled Myka to her and kissed her.
.