Chapter 4: I don’t like where this is going.

(Jaime)

“Now, there’s a surprise. A happy one at that!” he exclaims as he motions for me to take a seat across from the big oak desk.

I smile nervously. This is more nerve-wracking than walking in nothing but lacy underwear on a stage while literally millions of people watch you do it.

“Oh, my manners! I’m Dr Brock Fairfield, the Medical Director here. And you must be Dr Jaime Greywood. It’s a pleasure, my dear.” The old man rambles in an endearing way, soothing my nerves a bit.

“It’s lovely to meet you too, Dr Fairfield. Thank you for inviting me to interview for the internship position.”

He waves with his hand in front of this face as if to indicate ‘it’s nothing’ and takes a seat on the giant leather chair behind the desk.

“Now that I’ve met you, I hardly think we’ll need an interview. We both know you’re a shoo-in!”

I blink at him in surprise. “Uhm. Really? Why’s that?”

I certainly don’t hope it’s my looks that is coming into play here.

“Well of course. You are one of us. They’re not. But it may be good to know what pack you’re from? I don’t believe we’ve heard from any of the packs informing us about your visit.”

“Pack?”

I was starting to become very confused. I’m one of them? Pack? What the heck?

Dr Fairfield looks at me in silence for a while as if making up his mind about something.

“Hmm. Tell me about yourself,” he asks and I cringe inwardly. Ugh, it’s the one question I hate to answer. I swallow. What to tell?

“Okay. I’m recently graduated from NYU. I wasn't quite top of my class but up there. I got the 3rd best scores in my year group. I’m a hard worker, and loyal… “ He interrupts me with a shake of the head.

“No, no. Tell me about your family. Where did you grow up? What made you study medicine? That kind of thing.”

I don’t like where this is going. I never liked talking about my family. But it was a direct question, and he clearly expects me to answer him.

“There’s not much to tell about my family, sir. I don’t have any. I grew up in a combination of orphanages and foster homes until I turned 16 and emancipated myself in the eyes of the law. I’ve been working and living independently since then and started studying medicine at 17 thanks to an academic scholarship. I chose medicine because I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, and I’ve always been interested in helping others.”

He stares at me with a steely grey gaze, nodding slowly.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“So, you don’t know your heritage, do you?”

I shake my head slowly with a frown. Why would my heritage be important anyway?

“Tell me, how old were you when you shifted for the first time?”

What? I’m dumbstruck again.

“Shifted? Do you mean moved out of the orphanage? I think I was about five…”

He shakes his head vehemently as if I’m not telling him what he wants to hear.

“No, no, no. Shifted. Moved from your human form into your wolf form?”

I’m pretty sure my jaw just hit the floor. I don’t think he’s all sane up there. What the hell is going on? Is he talking about werewolves, like in the movies?

“I… I’m sorry sir. Did you just ask me if I’m a w… werewolf?”

“No, I know you are one. I want to know when you’ve shifted for the first time.” He is getting a bit agitated now. But so am I.

I frown as I stare at him for a few seconds, wondering if I should call one of the nurses to take him back to whatever loony bin he must have come from.

I take a deep breath.

“Ehh. I am not a werewolf. I think I would have known if I was. I have never done the ‘shifting’ thing either.” I answer instead, slowly, to make sure he heard me correctly.

He smiles an almost sympathetic smile at me.

“You’ve never shifted? Fascinating... How old are you?”

I decide to humor him. What harm can it do? There are two more interviews after this one, and they can’t be half as bad. Just get through this one, I tell myself.

“I’m 23 sir. And no, no shifting.”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Well now. That’s interesting. So, you don’t know what you are… Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a wolf who didn’t know they were one.” He is rambling again. I just stare at him warily while he does it.

“Ever heard voices in your head that you could have sworn was real?” he asks me earnestly. Oh boy, can I ask him the same thing without it sounding rude?

I shake my head slowly, not even bothering to answer him on that one and barely holding back a laugh. This was getting absurd.

He makes a huffing noise again and looks at me like he’s found a rare specimen that is both confounding and delighting him at the same time.

“Technically, I think that you’re likely a rogue… And a very late bloomer too. Although you don’t really smell like one… Maybe it’s because you’ve lived among the humans all your life and never had any pack influence… Hmmm.”

I honestly don’t know what to say.

“Not to worry,” he continues. “Living here will bring out your wolf quickly, I’m sure of it. And we can fix the rogue problem easily. Any of the packs would love to take you in, but I think I’ll have a word with my Alpha first.”

He stands up and motions me towards the door. I jump at the chance to leave this crazy old man’s office.

“We’ll get you settled in soon enough and I’ll introduce you to my pack’s Alpha. You’re going to love it here, my dear.” He pats me on the shoulder as he opens the door. I’m still too flabbergasted to answer him.

Outside in the corridor, David and Mike sits waiting for me. They seem to be done with their interviews.

“That’s it? We just had the one interview each with different people?” I ask half bewildered.

They seem to be just as confused as me. Mike hikes up one shoulder as if to say, ‘I don’t know’.

“Looks like it,” says David, and we turn towards Dr Fairfield who has now joined us in the corridor.

“Thank you for coming here and interviewing for the internship. We appreciate your time and efforts. I will see you this evening at seven for some Claw Ridge hospitality at the Claw and Mill pub on the main street. Becky will return you to the hotel and you should enjoy the afternoon exploring or just relaxing, please.”

Nurse Becky dutifully shows up to take us back to the hotel.

The ride back is silent, as each of us ponder our respective interviews. I’m still dumbfounded about mine and not sure what to think. When we’re dropped off, David is the one to turn to us other two.

“Hey, are you guys up for a beer at the pub?”

I’ve never felt more like having a drink than right now. I nod.

“Let me just change into something less formal, and I’ll join you.” I say.

“Yeah, me too,” Mike confirms, and we agree to meet in 15 minutes in the foyer. I wonder if they had equally interesting yet disturbing interviews.