Chapter 15 The Symbol

*Grandma Elizabeth*

The boys were pretty tired. After having lunch, they said they needed to get some sleep. Since Luke's house didn't have furniture yet, Jack told him to sleep here for now. Michael slept in his room which he always used when he came to  visit while Lucas took the guest bedroom. I promised them I would watch over Diana. It's been a long time since I took care of a pup and I actually missed it.

"Grandma, we owe you one. I just can't keep my eyes open anymore. I need to get some sleep." Michael makes his way up the stairs, dragging his feet with each step.

"You boys don't owe me a thing. It'll be my pleasure. So scoot. Up both of you... go and get some rest.

The boys mentioned during lunch, Diana needed a bath. With the boys upstairs in their beds and Jack in his favorite chair watching television, I decided I should go ahead and give Diana a quick bath. I found a couple of basins hanging on the wall of the garage, big enough to bathe Diana. I filled both with warm water, one with water warmer while the other I put a little bath soap so I could lather her with soap easily.

She enjoyed the water, smiling at me, her dark green eyes going wide with every little splash she made. After gently lathering her up with soap, it was time to rinse the soap off of her with the water in the other basin. After checking if the water had cooled down a bit, I washed her head first and toweled her head off so she wouldn't feel cold. Then I proceeded to wash the rest of her.

When I dipped her right arm into the warm water, I noticed a symbol appear. It was the symbol of a lotus flower. When I was a little girl, my Nana used to tell me a story of a wolf. Marked by the lotus flower, a symbol of rebirth and purity of the Moon Goddess,  the one with the symbol will shift into a black wolf, darker than the night, so dark, not even a moonlight's kiss could expose it. The wolf will pounce unexpectedly, serving what you rightfully deserve in this existence, a lifetime of suffering or ultimately, death.

When I raised her arm out from the water, the symbol slowly disappeared from her skin. I placed her arm back in the water, the symbol reappeared. At that very moment, Diana opened her eyes, staring into mine, and an image of a huge black wolf snarling flashed in my mind. I gasp and shake my head to free my mind of the frightening image. I look down at Diana, who had fallen asleep in the nook of my arm, her body still half immersed in the now cool water.

"Silly me. My mind wandered off. Let's get you all dried up in new diapers and clothes, so you're all clean and comfy. While you sleep, Grandma Elizabeth is going to wash all your dirty clothes. They'll be ready for you when you wake up." I towel her dry and put on diapers and clothes on her. I swaddled her in a blanket and placed her in her baby carrier for the mean time. I had already called a neighbor who owns a baby store in the area and ordered a crib for Diana. She needs a safe place to sleep.

"Jack, honey, I need to get the wash done for her, so can you just keep an eye on her? She's asleep so she won't be a bother." My mate doesn't like children very much. I had hoped after having Michael's father, he would change, but he didn't.

"That's ok, Elizabeth. Just place her beside me, there on the couch and I'll keep an eye on her." I nodded, grateful he would. I hurried to the laundry room, emptying the bags of dirty laundry and placing them in the washer and dryer. Diana didn't have many clothes with her. I made a mental note that I had to shop for Diana.

I tossed in a scoop of detergent and closed the door of the washer and watched as the washer filled up with water... my mind wandered off again to the symbol of the lotus flower on Diana's arm.

According to my Nana, our wolf pack, The Lotus Pack, was so named because the very first wolf, who emerged with the symbol of the lotus flower many centuries ago, originated from our pack. During that specific time, many wolves had started to lead a life without morals...participating in criminal activity, practicing dark arts, killing for sport as well as indulging oneself in the act of hedonism. The Moon Goddess looked down on her creation and was immensely saddened. One night, when the full moon was high in the sky, the Moon Goddess poured a part of her pure soul in an unsuspecting wolf pup which was later marked with the symbol of the lotus flower.

"The day the black wolf comes of age, the sky will darken and the blood moon will shine, signaling a period of the Moon Goddess's retribution, where the black wolf will be judge, jury and executioner. Before you sleep, ask the Moon Goddess for forgiveness, so the black wolf will not mark you to suffer on this earth." My Nana would always say this before we went to bed so I made sure I did my bedtime prayer before falling asleep.

However, time has a way of making wolves forget. When my Nana passed on to be with the Moon Goddess, so did the story of the Black Wolf of the Lotus Flower. I doubt if Michael or Lucas ever remember me telling them about the black wolf of retribution nor do they remember the origin of the name Lotus Pack.

A loud sound broke me out of my reverie. I rush out of the laundry room, thinking it was Diana. To my surprise, it was Jack. He was on the floor, trying to get up.

"I saw it, Elizabeth. The Black Wolf of the Lotus Flower. I saw it!" Jack said, frightened. He peeked at the baby and whispered, "I saw it in my dreams the black wolf." He sat back down on his favorite chair, buried his face in his hands and started crying.

"The wolf said it will make me pay for not saving our son. I'm so sorry. I didn't know they would be killed," he sobbed, his shoulders shaking as he silently wept.

"Jack, honey, you were just dreaming. It isn't your fault he died. It was an accident." I rub his back, trying to ease the burden that weighed heavily on his conscience. "Jack, no one knows if the black wolf is real. It was an old story our Nana used to tell us to get us to say our prayers." He looked at me and shook his head.

"It felt so real, Elizabeth. The wolf jumped out of the water and took my head between his teeth and ripped it off. It just felt so real." He sighed and wiped his tears on his sleeves. "I have never asked for forgiveness. I need to start asking for Paul to forgive me." He stared into space, a forlorn expression is his eyes.

Nana was right. We need to ask for forgiveness before it's too late.

___________________________

*Lucas*

2008

"Daddy, daddy. I had a bad dream again. Can I sleep with you?" Diana's little hand was on my arm trying to shake me awake. I look at the clock beside my bed. It was 2AM.

"Sure, sweetheart. Climb up and under the covers." Diana's dreams were becoming more frequent. She sometimes wouldn't sleep, scared of what she would see when she closed her eyes to sleep.

"What did you dream of this time, pumpkin?" I looked at her, as she fidgeted, trying to find a comfortable position with Max, her teddy bear, beside her.

"There was a woman dying on the road. She cried for help, but no one came to help her. She was scared, Daddy." This was different. She usually dreamt of a black wolf chasing her.

"She called out my name, Diana, but I couldn't help her. She was just too far away." I noticed there was a sadness in her voice. "I really wanted to help her Daddy. She had the same color hair as me." The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Did she dream of Amy?

"Then what happened?"

"A bad man killed her. A man with the same colored eyes as me." Now, this didn't sound very good. Ever since she started school, her dreams became more erratic. For art class, she drew what she dreamt of, a big black wolf chasing her which earned me a call to see the school guidance counselor. The counselor said she probably was just having a hard time adjusting. Diana was the smallest in her class and since she was the smallest, she was prone to bullying.

"How did he kill her? Did you see?" She nodded her head, her green eyes staring up at the ceiling. She was clutching Max like her life depended on it.

"He ripped her heart out from her chest. There was blood everywhere. She died alone and heartbroken." Children and their imaginations.

"I shouldn't allow you to watch those slasher movies. They're getting into your head. Now, close your eyes and get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll visit Grandpa and Grandma."

"Really, Daddy. We're going to visit Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow?" She faces me and yawns. I could see the dark circles under her eyes through the moonlight coming inside my bedroom window. My poor little girl.

"Yes, really. So, you need to get some sleep so you'll have energy to help Grandpa build your treehouse." I kiss her forehead.

"Okay, daddy. " Her voice was a whisper. She was drifting back to sleep.

When Grandma first told us about her mark, Michael and I looked at each other and laughed. The story of the origin of the name of the Lotus Pack, we believed, was a legend, a myth, so pack members would grow a conscience. However, when Grandma showed us her mark by dipping her arm in water, for the first time in my life, I felt fear. The black wolf was like that Marvel comics superhero, the Ghost Rider, it would make you see all your past sins so you can acknowledge them, even the ones you have truly forgotten.

Grandma Elizabeth said she saw an image of a black wolf when she stared in Diana's eyes while Grandpa Jack had a nightmare, the black wolf seeking retribution for their dead son. It was a premonition of what was yet to come.

Diana's eyes suddenly opened. "Sweetheart, I told you, get some sleep."

"Lucas Lockwood, you will pay for what you did to my mother." Then her eyes closed and she went back to snoring.

I turned to lay on my back. Fear had my heart racing in my chest. She didn't even know the Lockwood name! I look up at the ceiling of my room and the image of the black wolf appears, its mouth in a sinister grin. I close my eyes, praying the image would disappear.

It was just a matter of time until my own daughter will come and collect her vengeance. I don't know if I'll ever be prepared for when that day comes.

I need to be. I definitely needed to be.