Read The Guardian for Free Online

Do you
have a change of clothes?” she asked as she led her down a hall.
    “No,” Cassie stammered. “I left them with everything
else.”
    “Oh well good thing we keep a collection of clothes
here. You just never know when someone will come in needing some. I am sure I
can get something close to your size.”
    “Thank you, ma’am,” Cassie said in halting speech.
    “Oh, you don’t have to be so formal. Call me Myra.”
    “Thank you, Myra,” Cassie repeated. She stood feeling
dizzy as Myra swiped a card for a door just a couple doors down from the main
desk.
    “Most of the motel has outside rooms, but I think it
would be best to keep you close. You get the special room.”
    Cassie was pulled in, feeling surprised the room was
so nice. There was a huge bed, a large television hanging on the wall, a dining
area, and a large bathroom. Myra started the water in the garden tub while she
kept talking. Cassie was too lost in her own storm of emotions to pay much
attention.
    “Okay, let me get you something to wear to bed, and I
will find you something better for tomorrow,” Myra said and walked out of the
room.
    Cassie stood in the center of the room listening to
the bath running. She wanted to hide, afraid that at any moment a wolf would
jump out snarling at her. She told herself to walk towards the bathroom and get
the bath nice and hot, instead of under the bed. She could wash off the filth
at least. Too bad the memories would not be so easy to get rid of.
    “Here we go.” Myra held up a white oversized T shirt
and some cotton elastic band grey shorts for her. “You can at least be
comfortable.”
    With shaking hands, Cassie took the clothes with a
grateful smile. “Thank you.”
    “Let’s get you into a nice hot bath.” Myra started to
pull up her ruined shirt when her phone went off. She hit the speaker button. “Yes, Warren?”
    “Myra, where the hell are you? I need to speak to you, now.”
      “Sorry, I was
getting a young woman settled. She had a bad night and needed a bit of help.”
    “Get up here, woman,” Warren growled.
    “I am coming, you old bear.” Myra shook her head, “He
is a grumpy bear.”
    Cassie looked at her worriedly. “I didn’t get you into
trouble, did I?”
    Myra smiled at her and touched her cheek tenderly. “Oh
no, do not mind Warren. He is just growling.”
    Cassie was kind of relieved that Myra was getting
called away. She knew she had been bitten, and she didn’t want another lecture
about going to the hospital in town.
    “I’m sorry, but I need to leave.” Myra wrung her hands
together, and Cassie knew she was worried about leaving her.
    “I will be okay, thank you,” Cassie assured her.
    Cassie waited until Myra had left before sitting on
the bed and picking up the motel phone. It was late, but fortunately her office
had voice mail.   She could leave a
message, and they would get it in the morning. The phone went straight to
voicemail. “Kyle, this is Cassie. There has been an accident here. I will need
more time off. I will call you when I can.” She hoped that would not make him
think she was just trying to get more time off. When she got home and saw her
doctor she would need to get some documentation of her injuries. She hung up
the phone and unbuttoned the waist of her shorts before peeling them off.
      The bites on
her arm and side did not look that bad, but the way they hurt, she expected to
see her skin torn to pieces. Instead there were just some puncture marks that
had not even bled much. She gently touched the one on her side and hissed at
how much it hurt to just feel it, and she also noticed that it was really weirdly
hot to the touch, hotter than if she had a fever. She lightly pressed the area
around the bites and winced at the pain. They were just as painful if not more.
Her body ached all over now, and on top of everything else, she was beginning
to feel unwell, too.
    She got into the almost too hot water and felt a stab
of