Chapter 402
Chapter 402 – The Camps
E
Someone must have called ahead because when we pull up to the refugee camp I see Isabel standing
outside the gates, her arms crossed over her chest and a big smile on her face. I give a little squeal of
excitement when I see her, my hand immediately going to the lever on the car door. “Seriously, E,”
Cora murmurs, grabbing my other wrist. “Let’s not leap out of the moving vehicle just because we see
our friends.” “Ohhh,” I say, tossing her a little re over my shoulder.
“I’m not that dumb, Cora -” “You’ve done it before,” she sighs. “Once!” I snap, giving her a real re
and then quickly moving to unbuckle myself and then Rafe, getting him strapped to my chest as fast as
I can when the car stops. The result of the dy is that Isabel pulls open my door the moment I turn
around, ready to grab the handle again. “E!” she shouts,ughing already, and I burst out of the car,
wrapping my friend in a one-armed hug, kind of regretting that I already strapped Rafe to me so that I
can’t hold her properly.
“Isabel!” I gasp, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. “It issogood to see you!”
“And you, friend,” she says, sighing a little in relief that looks like it was a long timeing. “We were
all going crazy when we didn’t hear from you for so long and we got some of the details, but no one
really knows what happened? Some kind of…attack?” ” It’s an insane story,” I say, rolling my eyes as
Cora and Connere around the car. “I’ll tell you all about it, but it needs a long telling, so maybe…
not now,” I say, ncing over at the refugee camp. “All right,” she nods, still looking at me.
“But you’re okay? Things are…steady?” “We’re fine, everyone’s fine,” I say, running a hand over my
baby’s hair. “Things are steady for now.” I give a little shrug, letting her know that that’s all we’ve got.
She smiles at me and nods, understanding, and then takes a moment to fuss over Rafe, telling him
how big he got, and then giving Cora a kiss on the cheek as well. As Isabel hugs Cora, she pauses and
steps back, looking down at her- belly. “Are you…”
“Yes, yes,” Cora says,ughing,” though I’m not sure I’m used to people being able tosmellit on me.”
“But,” Isabel’s eyes go wide as she looks sup into Cora’s face. “This baby…is a pup?” Coraughs and
shrugs a little. “Listen, it’splicated. But yeah…. I’m a human with a wolf soul and I’m pregnant with
a hybrid mostly-wolf baby.” Isabel blinks in surprise and thenughs, narrowing her eyes at her. “It’s
Roger’s isn’t it?” she asks, grinning.
Coraughs again, harder now and blushing to be called out. “God,” she says, running a hand through
her hair, “were wethatobvious in Vanara?”
“To everyone but yourselves, apparently,” Isabel says, smirking at her. And then she turns her attention
to Conner. “And who are you?” “A bit of a new addition,” he says, rubbing his hair awkwardly but giving
her a smile anyway. “My name is Conner, I’m a sergeant in the pack,” he says, nodding to us to let her
know which one. “And are you single?”
Isabel asks, looking him up and down as she folds her arms over her chest. Conner, bless him, blushes
bright red as I burst intougher and shove my friend on her shoulder. “Isabel!” Iugh, shaking my
head at her. “You’d have bitten my head off if I asked that of you the moment I met you.” “Well, I’m
different now,” she says, grinning at me. “More romantic, now that I see how much it turned my life
around. after tragedy. I’m a meddler by nature,” she says, giving me a wink before turning back to him.
“So?”
Content ? N?velDrama.Org.
she prods. “Yes, ma’am,” he murmurs down towards his feet, smiling a little.” I am single.” “Good,” she
says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder and then turning with all of us towards the gates. “We’ll
see what we can do about that.” And then, together, Isabel walks us towards the gates. As we pass
through them, I see her mood change just a little bit as she looks at my sister and I warily.
“I know you’ve seen some tough things, E, Cora,” she says, but I do want you to be prepared for
what you’re walking into.” I frown at her. “Please,” I say, shaking my head. ” Don’t hold back. We want
to help -we have resources now -” “I know,” she says, cing a hand on my arm. “I just these people
have been through a lot. This is not going to be a walk in the park.” “That’s all right,” Cora says with a
sigh, starting to look around, her hands on her hips.
“We’ve never been park people, really. We like the beach.” “All right, then,” Isabel says, nodding and
starting forward. “Let’s get started.” She fills us in on her family as we begin to walk, letting us know
that James is well and – interestingly – at the pce today, enough – reconnecting with Sinir and
seeing if there’s a ce for him in the administration.
A beautiful smile takes over Isabel’s face when she tells us about Sadie, even though I don’t think she
knows it. The little girl is apparently growing like a weed and a fast learner, eager for every picture book
she can get her hands on. While all of this news about my friend’s family warms my heart to its core,
that heat fades from me the deeper we get into the camp. Isabel gives us a thorough tour, taking us
down row after row of tents where families live together, scrapping together their world as best they
can. “How did these people get here,” Cora murmurs, confused. “Well, this is the Wolf Camp,” Isabel
says quietly, “the Human Camp is across the river -” ” What?” I ask, a little appalled. “You’re keeping
them separate?”
“I’mnot keeping them separate,’ Isabel says, turning to me with narrowed eyes. ”
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“Oh,” I sigh, realizing that that makes sense but disappointed nheless.” But anyway, these wolves
are all people who had their home destroyed during the war and don’t have family to take them in, or
have no way to get to that family, or who otherwise don’t have ess to the resources they need to get
their lives back together.” “Why the fences?” Cora asks, looking around at the tall chain-link fences all
around the perimeter with barbed wire on top.
“They’re not to keep the people in,” Isabel sighs, “people cane and go as they please. The fences
are here to keep other peopleout.”
“Who?” I ask, a little appalled, my hand instantly going to Rafe in my sudden fear. “Stragglers, mostly,”
she says, shrugging to me. “There’s probably a better word for it – but there are plenty of people – both
human and wolf – who do not like the way that services are being distributed to refugees, and who
believe that they can do it better on their own. Still, they need supplies as well, and many don’t hesitate
to prey on those within this camp if they can get in.”
“Oh my god,” I sigh, looking around at all of the poor people around us, dozens and hundreds of them
living in tents, doing their best just to survive after the war took everything from them. “Will you…will
you take me to the human camps too?” “I will,” she says, biting her lip and looking up at me. “Though…
they may not be as happy to see you as you think.” “Because I’m a wolf?” I ask quietly. Slowly, she
nods.
“The humans have felt deeply betrayed by all of this, and I can’t say I me them,” Isabel sighs. “It’s
wonderful that human and wolf governments are able toe to a cease -fire, but the realization that
this entirecityis under wolf jurisdiction and that wolves have for a long time considered humans second-
ss citizens, if not…worse,” she shrugs, clearly frustrated with it and without solutions regarding how
to make it better. “It’s not good.”
“Still,” I say quietly, looking at Cora, who nods to me. “I want to go.”
“Okay,” Isabel says quietly, and then she turns to look me in the eye, ncing down at Rafe. “But
there’s something I want you to see first. Actually,” she turns to Cora now, meeting her eyes, “I’m more
eager foryouto see it, considering your medical experience.”
Cora smiles and nces at me, making Isabel frown a little bit, but Cora just waves a hand. “We’ll fill
you in,” she says briefly, nodding to Isabel, “but you may want E now even more than you want me, if
it’s something medical.
But please, lead the way.” Isabel does, silent and stern as she takes us towards arge brown tent
towards the front of the camps. She takes a deep breath as she pulls back the p, and then we all
step inside. And my heart sinks down to the very pit of my stomach. Because the tent is absolutely
filled with children.