A Month with Werewolves (3 page)

One of the larger buildings in the
reservation, the cafeteria was filled with rows of wooden picnic
tables, large enough to accommodate at least seventy-five people,
though I knew the reservation only had fifty-three residents, not
including myself. About half of the tables were occupied with
werewolves, taking a break from their breakfast to stare at us
while Emmett continued the tour as if they weren't even there. It
was a bit nerve-wracking to feel so many eyes upon me, and I
imagined that it probably made Chris just as uncomfortable, even
though these would be his people soon enough.

“This is the cafeteria. It's open seven days
a week. Breakfast is served from eight to nine in the morning. The
cafeteria closes at ten to prepare for lunch service. Then it's
open from noon to two and again from five to seven. If you miss a
meal time, you'll be forced to wait for the next.” Emmett walked us
to the food line, where a woman behind the counter came to greet
us. After a quick introduction, Emmett continued his speech. “All
the food served here is grown inside of the reservation. I'll take
you to the garden and the animal barn after this.

“If you'll notice, there's a case behind the
counter with various imported products. Candy bars, sodas, chips,
and a few other things that come from the outside world. You can
purchase them with job points, which you earn by working various
jobs around the reservation. Each item in the case is worth one
point. Chris, you won't be able to earn job points until you've
been here for a week. Taya, you've already been assigned thirty job
points to accommodate for your stay with us, since we won't be
expecting you to take on any jobs. You earn one job point for every
hour that you work, no matter which job you're working on. A list
of all available jobs has been provided in each of your rooms. Some
jobs are obviously more sought after than others. For those jobs,
people are rotated in and out based on their place in the pack
hierarchy. For less favorable jobs, the ones that no one wants,
pack members are sometimes force assigned jobs. Usually, forced
assignment only happens to those who don't typically take on jobs,
so it pays to be an active worker in our community if you don't
want to spend your days mucking stables.” Emmett grinned, obviously
thinking of some familiar incident that was lost on us.

“So, not everyone has to work?” I
questioned.

He thought for a moment. “Well, not exactly.
At some point or another, everyone works. If you want privileges
and a better life, you work for it, the same as you would on the
outside world. But if you're fine with the basics, you can get away
with not working until you get a forced assignment. You'll still
have a roof over your head and three square meals a day.”

“And how are job points kept? I mean, how do
they monitor that you've actually done the work?"

“In case you haven't noticed, there are
security cameras everywhere,” Emmett replied in a tone that was
borderline mocking. I was liking his arrogance less and less. “We
log our job points in at the various computer stations around the
reservation. Then, someone in the compound reviews the video tapes
to make sure that the job time logged is accurate. Like on the
outside world, job points are held back a week so that they can be
verified before they are paid out.”

Chris's scowl deepened in realization that it
would be at least two more weeks before he was allowed any of the
comforts he had been afforded in his life before being captured.
Then again, he had been without most of them for a month already.
What was another two weeks?

Emmett led us out of the cafeteria and down a
dirt path towards a large barn. Behind it was a fenced in pasture
where cows roamed, eating grass and mooing happily. I could hear
chickens clucking as well, though I couldn't see them.

After a brief tour of the barn, Emmett took
us to the garden, which spanned at least an acre on its own. It
seemed that every vegetable under the sun was being grown there.
Plenty for everyone.

When our tour was finally over, Emmett led us
to the residential area. It looked like a small apartment complex,
with units stacked on top of one another. We went to Chris's room
first, a second-floor efficiency that wasn't impressive in the
least. Fully furnished, it was only slightly bigger than the cell
he had been staying in during his detainment inside of the
compound, with a full-size bed in the living room, a loveseat with
a coffee table, a thirty-two-inch plasma TV mounted into the wall,
and a small bathroom. There wasn't even a kitchen.

I glanced at Chris to see his reaction, but
he didn't look surprised, holding onto the same scowl he had worn
all day. His blue eyes flitted to a small stack of papers on the
coffee table, and he sat down on the loveseat to take them in
hand.

“This is the basic efficiency unit,” Emmett
explained. “As you can see, it has everything that you'd need to
survive, though it is a bit cramped. There isn't a kitchen because
the compound prefers all meals to be eaten in the cafeteria. There
are two larger rooms that you can purchase with job points. There's
a one-bedroom suite, which Ms. Raveen will be staying in. That one
costs sixty-six job points per month. Then there's also a
two-bedroom suite that costs eighty-one job points a month.
Needless to say, they're both very affordable for those willing to
put in the work time.”

It was a good incentive to get people to
work. I certainly couldn't see living out the rest of my life in a
room so small.

We moved on to my suite with Chris
reluctantly dragged behind. If not for his curiosity, I think he
would have preferred to stay in his own room and settle in, but I
was sure he was wondering what a larger suite would offer, just as
much as I was.

In terms of size, my suite was about twice
that of his room. In fact, his entire room could fit in my living
room alone. My suite was lavishly furnished with a fifty-inch
plasma television, a DVD player, a mini fridge, a sturdy looking
oak coffee table, a black leather loveseat and a matching rocking
chair with ottoman. The bedroom was the same size as the living
room, with a queen-size bed instead of a full-size, two bedside
tables, a dresser for storing clothes, and a desk and chair in one
corner of the room. Even the bathroom was twice the size as the one
in the efficiency. Where Chris's bathroom was cramped and only had
a shower, mine had a big bathtub and plenty of room to move
around.

“Now you can see how working pays off, huh?”
Emmett jabbed Chris in the ribs with his elbow, trying to get a
reaction. When his efforts fell flat, he continued, “Now, not all
of these things come with the larger room. A lot of them are
upgrades, like the big-screen TV, the leather sofa, and the
paintings on the walls. Each luxury item costs additional job
points per month. All in all, this room's set up is worth
seventy-eight points a month. Still very affordable, if you ask
me.”

Chris nodded, and I could see the wheels
turning in his head. He wanted a room like this one.

To be honest, it did seem affordable enough.
For less than two weeks of full-time labor, the larger suites were
pretty cheap by all accounts. On the outside, people had to worry
about paying for food and other various bills. That wasn't the case
in the reservation. All the job points were completely
expendable.

“Well, that's about it for the tour. Tonight
we're going to let you guys settle in and wander around on your
own. Tomorrow night there's a feast being held to welcome Chris
into the pack. Then, in a week, we'll have hierarchy trials to see
where he fits in. It's an exciting event for most, and one of the
few chances you'll get to dethrone the alphas and betas.”

“Are there any benefits to being an alpha?” I
questioned.

“Some,” Emmett replied thoughtfully. “I think
the biggest perk is the house. Alphas get their own free standing
home filled with all the luxury items, and they get a monthly
ration of job points so that they don't have to work the regular
jobs. An alpha's job is to keep the peace, to report any strange
findings or disobedience to the compound personnel, to respond to
emergencies, and enforce the rules.”

“So, basically, you're like the reservation
police.”

“Pretty much. And you can think of betas as
the deputies. They do the same thing, but report to the alphas. The
two resident betas live in a duplex. It's a two bedroom with its
own backyard and all the luxury items. Betas are given half of the
allowance of job points that alphas are given. Betas are also
responsible for helping with monthly livestock pickup.”

“Monthly live stock pickup?” I cocked an
eyebrow.

“Yes.” There was a twinge of discomfort in
his explanation. “Before the full moon, all the livestock has to be
removed from the reservation.”

“Oh.” I completely understood without having
to question it further. During the shift, the werewolves lost
control of themselves. Keeping to their wolf-like instincts, it
only made sense that they would harm the livestock. “And what about
omegas? John told me that I would have an omega as my guide for the
rest of the month.”

“Ahh yes.” Emmett's lips creased in
amusement. “You do not want to be an omega,” he told Chris. “Omegas
stay in the basic efficiency unit with no chance of upgrading
because they don't earn job points. Therefore, they're also not
entitled to luxury items or items from the case in the cafeteria.
Plus, they're force assigned a forty hour a week workweek, and
they're given the most unfavorable jobs.”

“That sounds horrible.” I screwed my face in
disbelief.

Emmett shrugged. “That's just how we do
things here, and why it's best not to be an omega. Luckily, the
omegas get a chance to redeem themselves each time a new member is
brought on. Through hard work and discipline, most omegas work
harder than anyone else to come up in the ranks. It's very rare
that the same person stays an omega for more than one term.”

“And how does one become an omega?” Chris
asked, obviously wanting to avoid such a fate.

“It's determined during the hierarchy trials.
The hierarchy trials are a test of strength, skill, and
intelligence. A pack member can earn up to ten points in each
category. The man and woman with the most points are given position
of alpha. The man and women with the second most points are given
the position of beta. And the man and woman with the least amount
of points are given the position of omega. In case of a tie, the
winner is determined through a memory challenge.” Emmett looked at
me with a smile. “For the fun of it, we're allowing you to
participate in the hierarchy trials.”

“Sounds exciting,” I replied. To be honest, I
would much rather be documenting the trials than participating in
them, though when in Rome. . .

Emmett and Chris said their brief farewells
and left me to my thoughts. I decided to document as much of the
tour as I could remember before going to lunch. Afterward, I'd go
back and take pictures of all the various facilities I had been
shown. While I could have done it during the tour, I didn't want to
interrupt Emmett or put him behind schedule.

When I walked into the cafeteria, I found
Emmett and Chris sitting together with a small group of werewolves.
Chris looked as miserable as ever, keeping his face down in his
plate and focusing only on eating while the other werewolves talked
around him. As soon as I had collected my own tray, Emmett motioned
at me to come sit with them.

All eyes were on me as I strode through the
rows of picnic tables, and I felt incredibly awkward knowing that
they all viewed me as an outsider, someone who didn't belong. I
took the seat opposite of Chris, sliding in next to a leggy blonde
with her hair tied into a pony tail. She smiled warmly at me as I
sat.

“Ms. Raveen, this is Terry, female alpha.”
Emmett motioned to the woman sitting next to him. “And this is
Margaret and Rick, the betas.”

Rick reached behind Margaret to shake my
hand, displaying surprising enthusiasm at the introduction. “Nice
to meet you, ma'am.” His gray eyes flashed sincerity.

“Likewise,” I nodded, trying to remain ever
poised.

“I hear you're some big-city reporter,” Terry
said, her voice as sweet as honey.

“I suppose you could say that.”

“It's nice for someone to come tell our story
for once. Maybe it will get them to work on a cure faster.”

My heart sank at her words, knowing that the
government wasn't working near hard enough on it. “I certainly hope
so.”

“So, what all are you going to be doing while
on the reservation?” Rick asked, leaning forward so that he could
see me over Margaret.

“Mainly taking photographs and documenting my
findings. I'd like to interview you guys one on one later, if you
don't mind. I'm interested in gathering your opinions on how the
reservation is operated and your levels of contentment.”

“She sounds so professional,” Terry guffawed,
making me feel embarrassed. I was completely out of my element and
didn't know how else to act. “You can loosen up around us,” she
told me. “We're normal everyday people. We just have a little
something extra special, that's all.”

I admired her lightheartedness and decided
that I liked her. Hopefully, most of the other werewolves would
share her optimism and friendliness.

Throughout lunch, Emmett and his group did
their best to make me feel at home, avoiding talk about what was
going on outside of the reservation. I was certain it wouldn't last
for long though. Curiosity had a habit of getting the best of
people.

After lunch, I did a walk around the
reservation, snapping photographs of all the places that Emmett had
shown us. The pack members who were working towards earning job
points were at their posts, tending to the garden, milking the
cows, and doing whatever other assignments were available. There
had been a decent list of them provided in the pamphlet left in my
room, enough to keep most of the pack members occupied while they
tried to better their lives inside of the reservation.