The Wolf's Daughter (The Tala Chronicles 1) by Patricia La Barbera

though faded.
She turned the book over, but the back had nothing written on it. Tala took a
deep breath and opened it. Her grandmother’s name titled the first page. What
she read next made her drop the book.

Chapter Six
     
    “What happened
with Tala?”
    Matt leaned back
on Jack’s stained microfiber recliner. Some inane situation comedy filled the
television screen. He rubbed the chair arm and wondered what the color had been
when it was new. He shook his head. “Look, I know you’re my best buddy, but I
really don’t want to talk about it.”
    “Do you really
think it’s a good idea to bottle all that up?” 
    Matt let his hand
drop to the side, and Rocky, Jack’s Labrador lying next to him, raised his head
and licked it. He absently patted his head. “No, but I don’t know what else to
do with it.”
    “Why don’t you
contact her?”
    “I already sent
her a note saying I didn’t want to see her again.” He’d leave out the part
about asking her to leave town as soon as possible.
    “That doesn’t
sound like you, giving up so easily.”
    He sat up
straight. “Oh yeah, Jack. Well, maybe you don’t know me as well as you think
you do.”
    Jack put up his
hands. “Okay, simmer down.”
    Matt pounded a
fist on the armrest. “It’s just that when I was with her in the restaurant, I
got the same feelings as that night in the graveyard after the prom. I felt
this energy surge through my body, and I-I had to get away from her before…something
happened.”
    “You were
probably just nervous. You know, you finally saw the woman again whom you’ve
dreamed about all these years.”
    “That would all
be plausible if you were talking about a normal person.” Or persons. But in
spite of everything, he wanted to blame the whole thing on himself. “No, it was
more than that with me.”
    “So, what did
you do?”
    “I left.”
    “And then what?”
    “I drove home
and went to sleep.” The truth, at least part of it. He had awakened in the
morning and couldn’t remember how he had gotten home or what had occurred
during the night.
    “Well, all I
know is you sure dumped Megan fast when Vanessa told you Tala was coming back
to town.”
    “You’re right,
and at least I found out Megan’s not the one. But that doesn’t mean Tala is,
not after what happened again.”
    Jack shook his
head. “I don’t care what you say. Seems to me this is unfinished business.”
    “It’s unfinished
business that’s none of your business.” Matt stormed out, realizing he
was acting like a jerk, but kept walking anyway without looking back.
    ***
    Tala picked up
the diary and again read the sentence that had shocked her: “This is my journey
to learn about the violence and tragedy haunting our family.”  
    She stared at
the page for a long time. At last, here it was in black and white. An
admission. This was the key to knowing that everything hadn’t been her
imagination. The secrets would be over. The whispers would turn into clear
explanations. Her mother’s vague drunken mumblings would transform into coherent
answers. But was she strong enough to learn the truth? Tala didn’t know, but
the possibility of answers compelled her to continue reading.
     
    I held my
grandchild in my arms today. What a perfect baby! I owe it to this angel to
find out the truth of our family so she has a chance for a normal life. My
daughter chose to drown her fear and confusion in alcohol, and her husband wasn’t
strong enough to face the truth about his collusion. So now, I will try to make
up for both their failures. And not only that, I will attempt to find out if
the afflicted family members can do anything to release them from what seems
like a curse. My cousin had hinted he had things he wanted to tell me, but I
was too afraid of what he would say. I regret that now that he’s dead. But there
is one other person who may tell me, although the danger of seeing him sends a
chill through me.
    I have lived
like a hermit for a very