Lincoln realized he couldn't win an argument with Haiku. He gave up and nodded with a firm look. "Okay. White-Flame, take them to mom and dad's house. And don't stop until you get there."
"Cover yourselves in this." Lincoln gave them his raincoat to use as an umbrella. Immediately after that, the wolf started running.
"Now, where can we protect ourselves from the rain?"
"Follow me." Haiku grabbed Lincoln's arm and pulled him away.
They both ran until they reached a hidden part of the cemetery covered in plants and trees. Behind all that, there was a wall. The girl removed some plants and revealed a stone staircase.
They both went up and then down the other side.
In front of them stood a large weeping willow tree, its branches touching the ground and merging with it. These were so dense that they gave the appearance of a dome.
The boy was amazed at the greatness of the tree. "Amazing."
"Enter." Haiku entered a space between branches that was not connected to the ground, like a door.
On the inside, it was even more amazing. At first, there was not a single puddle, and the ground was dry, but there was still grass in it. A closer examination of his surroundings revealed more. Improvised furniture made from logs, such as a chair, table, and armchair, was the strangest thing in the center, next to the trunk. A stone fireplace? Everything seemed to be taken from a fairy tale.
The strange place puzzled Lincoln, who at that time had thousands of questions.
"Haiku, what is this place?"
"It's my secret haven. I come here when I need to disconnect from the world and take a break from the darkness."
"I thought Lucy was the only one who did that. And what's with all this furniture?"
"I made them."
This surprised Lincoln even more. "What? Really?"
"I have a lot more talents than you think."
"And the fireplace?"
"No, that was already here. I think there used to be a house here, and the tree grew inside it until it covered it."
"Brilliant. But wait. If you knew about this place, why didn't we all come here instead of sending the others out riding in the rain?"
"My shelter is a secret. Not even your sister knows about it. I had to show you because I had no choice."
"No offense, but don't you think that's mean?"
"You should understand more than anyone else what it feels like to want your space to be yourself, without fear of being ridiculed or judged for who you are."
"If you put it that way, I understand. My apologies."
"No problem." Haiku approaches the fireplace and lights it with some matches. "Take off your clothes."
"What?" Lincoln asked, blushing.
"To dry them by the fire. Don't get any strange ideas."
"Of course," Lincoln said, taking off his shirt and placing it on the rock in front of the fireplace. "Oh, and you..."
Haiku walked behind the willow trunk, and after a while, she came out wrapped in a blanket, holding her dress in one hand.
"Do you have blankets too? Do you sleep here?"
"Sometimes," Haiku said, spreading her dress on the ground so the heat of the fire could dry it.
The girl turned her back to Lincoln. They were both silent. Sometimes she looked in his direction. At that moment, Haiku noticed something she had never seen before: the tattoo on Lincoln's back.
"I see you like wolves."
"Do you mean because of my tattoo? Yes, they are my totem. According to Edenshaw,"
"And who is Edenshaw?"
"He was one of my teachers when I lived in Canada."
"One of them?"
"I had four. I don't think you'd be interested in hearing about them."
"Actually, since we're going to be here for a while, I think I have time to hear the story."
"Okay, if you want to."
"I had four teachers. They all taught me something different."
"Janpaul Gontier, Alexa Sokoloff, Edenshao, and Wang Xu."
"They all taught me things that helped me in my life."
"Janpaul was a European League boxing champion. Known as the Giant of the Ring, he taught me boxing. They said he was so good that he could teach a blind man to box, and it turned out to be true."
"Alexa taught me judo. Despite being blind in one eye, she could subdue the strongest opponents, like that time she handled a bear as if it were nothing."
"Edenshao was a shaman, also blind like me, but he could perceive the world through his other senses. His teachings were valuable, especially training alongside Junpaul and Alexa."
"And finally, Wang Xu. He taught me how to channel and control my emotions through training and meditation, among other things."
Haiku took a keen interest in Lincoln's story. "Okay, I see you had great teachers."
"Yes, they were the best."
"They were?"
"They died, at least three of them. I'm not sure what happened to Mr. Wang."
"Oh, I'm sorry if I brought up painful memories."
"Don't worry. Actually, talking about this makes me feel better."
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Yes."
"Why did you decide to accept the invitation to join the club? At other times, you didn't seem very interested. What changed for you to decide to be one of us?"
"It was for Lucy. This is important to her, and you know I can't say no to my sisters."
"I see. So if you sleep with them—"
"How!?" Lincoln froze. "Lucy told you I sleep with her and my older sisters?"
"No, I figured it out. The way you all are so close, it's more than typical sibling closeness. And you just confirmed it for me."
"Damn. I have to learn to be less talkative."
"Don't worry. I won't say anything."
"Let me guess. You don't find it strange because Lucy shared something with you. But you won't share it with me because it's something only she can tell me."
"You're perceptive," Haiku said with a stoic expression, giving no hint of surprise.
"Of course. What surprises me is how well you're taking it. It's different with Luna and Lynn because we're close in age. But with Lucy."
"You're not the only one with a secretive side."
"What do you mean?"