Mark of the Bear

Chapter Three

Kellsie studied the map. She wasn’t lost, not exactly. She just wasn’t quite certain where she was. She’d taken the I-5 before turning off onto a secondary highway in Skagit County. The scenery was breathtaking with the majestic North Cascade Mountain Range rising in the distance. She needed to hit Rockport and then the town of Marblemount before she found the movie set. Although, given the size and population of both, they could barely be called towns, according to Maury. Kellsie thought they’d be beautiful and quaint, much like the other places she’d passed on her drive.

She’d driven most of yesterday before finding another motel to crash for the night. She hadn’t rushed the trip, taking the time to stop and eat so she wouldn’t be exhausted when she arrived. According to Maury, as long as she hit the movie set sometime today she was fine.

Thankfully, she’d slept long and hard last night, rising refreshed to hit the road in Betsy once again. With the window rolled down and The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” blaring through the speakers, she’d put Jonathan and Los Angeles out of her head and focused on the job ahead. She’d left all the turmoil behind her and was currently in the great state of Washington.

Several hours ago, she’d stopped at a drive-through for a chicken burger and parked in the lot to eat it. Usually she was very careful with her food, but today she’d needed the junk-food kick.

While she was stopped to eat, she’d read some of the stories in the tabloids she’d picked up at the convenience store back in L.A. She hated that they’d brought up her childhood history, the death of her parents when she was little more than a toddler and her years as a ward of the state.

They had several quotes from former foster parents. Kellsie curled her upper lip into a sneer, wondering how much they’d been paid. She was realistic and cynical enough to know money was involved, especially when dealing with these particular folks, none of whom had been particularly good or caring foster parents.

That in and of itself was enough to make her sound pitiful. Then they piled on the fact that Jonathan had dumped her and his career had flourished while hers had trundled on much the same as it had for years.

Over coffee, she’d studied the old pictures of herself, most of which were totally unflattering shots from film roles. Thankfully most of them were on the inner pages of the tabloid with only one plastered on the front cover.

She’d consoled herself with the fact they were small pictures. The larger ones were of the movie exec’s daughter who’d come after her, Jon’s current wife and the actress he was reportedly currently sleeping with. The cheating bastard.

She shoved all those negative thoughts aside. The day was too beautiful to let thoughts of her ex ruin it. She was on her way to a movie set and she had the leading role. The paparazzi hadn’t found her either. Life was good.

Now she was closing in on her destination. She ran her finger over the map Maury had highlighted for her. He’d given her written directions as well as the movie script. She couldn’t wait to read it. Maury had assured her it was a great role and that was good enough for her. She couldn’t afford to be picky and turn down work.

The only thing she wouldn’t do for a role was get naked. She’d worn her share of skimpy clothing, bathing suits and even strategically placed bedclothes, but she’d never been naked. Not even in a shower scene. She’d worn bikini bottoms and skin-tone patches to cover her nipples. For some reason it was a line she couldn’t cross.

It had limited the amount of work she’d gotten. With her figure, she would have gotten a lot more roles if she’d been willing to lose all her clothing.

She shrugged and concentrated on her map. She was happy with what she’d done and that was all that mattered. “That’s all fine and good.” She glanced out the window and back to the map. “But if you don’t find where the movie set is located you won’t be working at all.”

Someone involved with this movie had some pull. They had the permits to shoot on the edge of a national park. The backdrop for the film was going to be spectacular. Tossing the map onto the passenger seat, she checked for traffic before pulling back onto the road. A sign on the roadside informed her there was a small diner two miles down the road. Kellsie immediately decided to stop and go to the restroom before getting something else to eat and asking for directions.

The building came into view a few minutes later. It was small, but well kept. Made of logs, it blended with the surrounding forest. Perfect for a movie. As she pulled into the parking lot, she could picture the exterior scene. The rugged west at its best with a touch of Native American thrown in.

Kellsie got out of the car and grabbed her purse. She locked her doors and pocketed her keys. This might be an isolated spot, and hers might be the only car in the lot, but she’d lived in the city too long not to take precautions and lock up behind her.

Dreamcatchers fluttered in the breeze as they hung on a display just outside the main door. They were lovely and immediately caught her eye. She took a closer look and realized they were made from bent branches and rawhide, not metal hoops and synthetic string. These were the real deal. She fingered one long feather that hung from the bottom of one of the larger hoops.

“An eagle feather,” someone said from behind her.

She immediately pulled her hand back, feeling like a kid who’d touched something she shouldn’t have. Too many times in her life she’d felt that way—as if she was always on the outside looking in. Immediately, the thought made her angry as the old insecurities surged forward. She’d worked long and hard to rid herself of those feelings, but they still popped up on occasion. She reminded herself that she had money she’d earned all on her own. She could touch and buy whatever she wanted.

Kellsie turned to face the owner of the low, male voice and was immediately struck by his face. He had a strong jaw and straight nose with heavy lines on the forehead and crow’s feet around the eyes. He could be anywhere from sixty to ninety. It was difficult to tell. There was an ageless quality about him.

His skin was bronze, proclaiming his Native American heritage. His hair was long, flowing almost to his waist. Most of it was still black, but it was streaked with gray. It was held away from his face by a leather headband trimmed with intricate beadwork. He wore jeans and an embroidered shirt. Her first thought was that he could make a fortune as an actor. Her second one was that she was staring rudely at him and had been for some time.

“I’m sorry.” She motioned to the dreamcatcher. Although why she was apologizing was beyond her. The stuff was here to be bought. She couldn’t be the only person who’d touched it. “It’s very beautiful.”

The elderly man shook his head. “The eagle is a strong messenger, but not for you.”

Now she was getting annoyed. All she wanted was to use the bathroom, get directions and a few road snacks. “Fine. Good to know.” She spun on her heel and headed to the door, letting it slam shut behind her as she entered the cooler confines of the diner. It probably wasn’t even a real eagle’s feather anyway. There were most likely restrictions about such things.

She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. It wasn’t strictly a diner, she quickly realized, but two separate rooms. There was a shop on one side and a small café on the other. A young dark-haired woman sat behind the counter perusing a magazine. “Hot one today.”

Kellsie smiled and nodded her head. “Sure is. Do you have a restroom I can use?”

The woman nodded and pointed. “Through the café, right down at the end on your left.”

“Thanks.” Leaving all thoughts of the old man behind, she hurried to the restroom. It was small but thankfully clean.

Kellsie yanked off her hat and removed her sunglasses. She looked tired. The dark circles under her eyes weren’t helping matters. Even though she’d managed a good night’s sleep last night, the lack of sleep this past week was beginning to catch up with her. There was no way she could show up on a movie set looking this bad. She wasn’t vain, but she wasn’t stupid either. No director wanted to see his lead looking like something the cat had dragged in.

Dropping her bag onto the tiled countertop, she dug out her brush and fixed her hair as best she could. Then she pulled out her makeup bag and found her mascara, concealer, eye shadow, powder and an assortment of brushes. Over the years, she’d learned a lot of tricks from the makeup artists she’d worked with on movie sets. In five minutes flat, her eyes looked brighter and the dark circles were gone, hidden under the female version of war paint.

Satisfied, she popped her hat back on her head, pulling her ponytail through the back opening and slipped her sunglasses back on. She threw all her stuff back into her bag and headed for the toilet. Once she was done, she washed her hands and reached for the door handle. Five minutes to pick up some food and get directions and she’d be on her way again.

She hesitated just outside the door of the restroom. The old man was sitting at a table for two about halfway down the café. All the other tables were empty. There wasn’t even a waitress around. Muted sounds came from the kitchen area, but they were the only two people in the room.

She wanted to turn away from his penetrating gaze but couldn’t. Had she ever seen eyes that golden brown before? She didn’t think so. They reminded her of an eagle’s, alert yet with the wisdom of the ages mirrored in them. It felt as though he was seeing all the way into her soul, into the deepest parts of herself she hid from the rest of the world. She didn’t like feeling quite so vulnerable.

Kellsie took a deep breath and starting walking. The old man was nothing to her. What did she care if he looked at her? Maybe he recognized her from the movies. She knew she was grasping at straws. He didn’t look like the horror-movie type. But what did she know? Stranger things had happened.

“Wait, please.” He stretched his arm out, blocking her progress toward the front of the room.

Kellsie stopped, wondering if she was making a mistake trying to leave or if she should just hear the old guy out. She really should just hurry by and make a run for her car. This was starting to get creepy. But something in the man’s gaze stopped her. Sincerity. Concern. As if he had something very important he wanted to impart to her.

“You are headed toward great evil.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. So much for her intuition. She really didn’t have time for this. Some days she wondered if she had some kind of invisible sign tattooed on her forehead. For some unknown reason, all the crazies seemed attracted to her—the homeless people, the drug addicts, those who lived in their own reality. Didn’t matter where she went, they seemed to find her. You’d think she’d be used to it by now.

She tried to be kind and respectful to all of them. If she hadn’t gotten lucky in her early days, she could have easily been among their ranks. She never forgot that. But some days it was simply a pain in the ass.

Kellsie glanced at her watch and winced. It was later than she’d hoped. At this rate it was going to be dark by the time she got to the movie set. “Excuse me, but I really need to get going.” She started to push by him.

“The bear is strong with you. You wear his mark.”

His words stopped her cold and a shiver raced down her spine. Slowly, she turned to stare down at him. “What did you say?”

His face was set in stern lines and his eyes were deadly serious. “You have powerful bear magic. Strong. You will need it.”

Kellsie shook her head, not understanding what he meant. How could this guy know about her connection to the bear? And what did he mean about bearing his mark? He couldn’t know about her tattoo. That was impossible.

As soon as she thought it, commonsense kicked in and told her it was impossible. There was no way he could know. It was nothing more than a lucky guess. He probably had something he wanted to sell her.

“Look. I really need to go and I don’t have the money to buy anything, okay.” That was technically a lie. She had money. She just didn’t want to spend it on useless trinkets.

Kellsie wrapped her fingers around her purse strap until her knuckles turned white. She wanted to leave but couldn’t get her feet to get with the program. Nothing, not the thought of being late nor being totally creeped out could propel her forward.

She held her breath, waiting to hear what he had to say next. Almost not wanting to hear it.

He narrowed his eyes and his frown deepened. “I am not selling anything.”

Great, now she’d offended the guy. She huffed out a breath. Why did she even care? She hadn’t started this exchange.

He held out his hand. A leather thong hung from his fingers and on the end was a large claw of some sort.

Kellsie stared at it, mesmerized as it swung back and forth.

“It is from the bear. A strong, powerful creature, one who lived a long life before going back to Mother Earth and Father Sky.”

“It’s beautiful.” No, that wasn’t quite right. It was powerful. Compelling. She’d never worn fur in her life. She was guilty of wearing leather, but who wasn’t? Certainly she’d never imagined wearing any other part of an animal, let alone a claw, but suddenly she wanted this necklace. She wondered if it was even legal to possess something like that.

“Sit.” The man motioned to the chair across from him.

She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t have much time.” Truthfully, she didn’t have any to spare, but for some reason she felt compelled to slide onto the seat across from him.

He smiled. “This will not take long.” He reached across the table and took her hand. His skin was dark, his fingers gnarled. They looked so strange and foreign wrapped around her smooth white flesh. The necklace still dangled in his other hand.

“You have been tested by life and it has made you strong. You are a loner.”

His words brought a gripping tightness to her chest and a lump to her throat. Somehow this stranger had summed up her entire life in two sentences. She wanted to look away from him but couldn’t break free from his penetrating gaze. There was a power of some sort emanating from him, something that drew her even as she wanted to run away from it.

“That time is coming to an end. A new chapter of your life is beginning. You will be tested by the greatest darkness.”

That was so not what she wanted to hear. And why was she even listening to this guy? She didn’t even know his name.

He continued, his voice low and melodic, lulling her. “But you will not be alone. A warrior will come to you, one strong and pure of heart. You will heal one another or you will both perish.”

That certainly didn’t sound promising. She wasn’t about to trust any man, especially not one she hadn’t even met yet. She gently disengaged her hand from the stranger. Even though she didn’t believe anything he was saying, she didn’t want to offend the old guy. “Thanks for the warning, but I have to go.”

She pushed back the chair, her appetite gone. The road and her movie role beckoned.

“Take this.” He thrust the necklace toward her. “The bear magic is strong and will help protect you.”

She held out her hands. “I’m sorry. I really don’t have money to spare to buy it.” Better he think she was poor than for him to be offended or hurt by her refusal.

Damn, you’d think all those years of living on her own, of working in a cutthroat industry would have made her hard. But underneath the tough exterior she was a marshmallow, wanting to believe the best in people even when they continually disappointed her. She’d worked hard to erect the shell of protection around her heart and had no intention of letting it drop for any reason.

He shook his head, making his long hair sway. “A present.” His voice rang with a quiet dignity. He stood and pressed it into her hand. He turned and walked away, his shoulders unbent by age.

He left the café behind, the door closing quietly behind him. Through the window, she watched him walk toward the woods.

Stunned, Kellsie stared down at the necklace she held tight in her hand. “What the hell just happened?” She shook herself, feeling as though she’d momentarily drifted off into a dream. She had no idea what the heck the old guy meant and had no time to figure it out. She stuffed the necklace in her pocket and hurried back to the gift-shop area.

The clerk was still there reading her magazine. Kellsie knew she should let it go, but couldn’t. “Excuse me, could you tell me who that old man was?”

The woman shot her a quizzical look. “What man?”

“The old guy who just left.”

She put aside her magazine and leaned forward to look out the window. Kellsie glanced outside, but there was no trace of the man. He was gone, swallowed up by the surrounding forest. The clerk shrugged. “I didn’t see anyone come in but you.”

A shiver raced down Kellsie’s spine and goose bumps rose on her forearms. Weird. The woman was probably just too caught up in her reading to notice him. That’s all it was.

Settling the matter in her head, Kellsie put all thoughts of the man aside. It was nothing more than two strangers crossing paths in life. The woman was staring at her expectantly. Kellsie offered her a smile. “I need directions.”

An hour later, she pulled off the side of the road to check her directions once again. She should be at the movie set in the next ten minutes. She shut off her car, killing the music that blared from her speakers. Silence surrounded her. The view was breathtaking with the sun setting behind majestic mountains surrounded by thick woods. She could see a lake off in the distance. It was the perfect setting for a horror movie.

Kellsie unlocked her door and climbed out of Betsy. Wind whispered through the leaves of the trees. The air was much cooler here than it was back home. It was early April and would get much chillier as evening came on. For now it was pleasantly warm. The perfect spring day.

Birds chirped and sang, calling to one another in the distance. Trees rustled off to her right. Was it a fox or rabbit or something much bigger? She froze, not moving away from the open door of her vehicle.

Had she ever been this alone in her life?

She frowned when she realized the answer was yes. She usually felt alone, just not this isolated. A car could come around the corner at any moment or there could be no one around for miles. It was slightly unnerving for a city gal.

But there was also something that drew her and called to her soul. A sense of peace, of contentment, that was lacking in the city. “Thank you, Maury,” she whispered, suddenly fiercely glad he’d gotten her this role. She had a feeling it was going to change her life.

The next few weeks would be filled with hard work, but she didn’t mind that. She was looking forward to it, in fact. But now she was anticipating her downtime as well. She really hoped to have some time to wander around the woods a bit. Not too far from the movie set, of course. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost.

She slid back into her seat and shut the door. Something dug into her thigh and she reached into her jeans pocket and drew out the necklace. The claw was about three inches long. Deadly. She could well imagine a massive bear with huge paws tipped in these lethal weapons.

She shivered and started to put it back in her pocket. Something stopped her, some impulse and she shrugged. Why not? It was a present. It represented the start of this journey and she knew she’d always associate it with this movie. Plus, it was truly a thing of beauty.

Kellsie slipped the leather thong over her neck and straightened the cord until the claw sat between her breasts. She tucked it under her shirt and smiled as she started the car and began the last leg of her trip.

The drive went faster than she anticipated. Some thoughtful soul had put up a temporary sign on the highway with an arrow, indicating the movie set was off on a dirt road to the left. She was glad for the unexpected directions as darkness had fully fallen and she might have otherwise missed the turnoff. Kellsie maneuvered Betsy down the less-than-perfect road, wincing and apologizing whenever the bottom of the car hit the uneven dirt.

She made a final turn and the lights of the movie set came into view. She stopped and stared out the windshield. It really was like an old-time carnival. The set designer and all his crew had done a remarkable job. It reminded her of something out of the fifties, except maybe a bit seedier. It was perfect.

A knock on her window startled her. She swung around and found a young woman grinning at her and motioning her to lower her window. Kellsie did so and the woman’s smile widened. “Kellsie Morris.” She thrust out her hand. “I’m Brittany and I’m a huge fan. If you park your car over in the employee lot, I’ll show you to your trailer.” The young woman indicated a makeshift parking lot off to the right.

“Thanks, Brittany. I appreciate it.” She shook the other woman’s hand. Time to get to work. By the time Kellsie had parked Betsy and killed the headlights, Brittany was waiting beside the car. Kellsie climbed out and grabbed her purse and map from the front seat before getting her luggage out of the trunk.

“I can carry that for you.” Brittany reached for Kellsie’s bag, but she declined help.

“I got it, but thanks,” she said to soften her refusal. Brittany was extraordinarily pretty with long, blonde hair and golden-brown eyes. Kellsie wondered if she also had a small acting role in the movie. Sometimes actors worked both sides of the camera when they were starting out. Anything to be involved in a movie.

Brittany pouted, but only for a moment and her smile was back. “You’re over this way.” She led Kellsie off to the left.

“That’s quite the set up.” Kellsie inclined her head toward the carnival set.

“It really is, isn’t it? It’s wonderful.” Brittany waved at the man running the Ferris wheel, which was going round and round. “You can try out the rides later if you want. We don’t start actual shooting with the actors for another two days. The director wasn’t quite sure when you’d get here so he took a crew into the woods to get some panoramic nature shots.”

The girl barely took a breath, but she was certainly a fount of information. “That will give me time to read through the script. I just came off my last job.”

Brittany nodded and waved to another man who was staring at them. “Hey, Rob.” To Kellsie she added, “That’s Rob. He’s a cameraman, but he has fast hands, if you know what I mean.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.” A small trailer village came into view. People were rushing around, but Kellsie could sense their eyes on her. Hopefully, she’d meet them all tomorrow morning at breakfast. A movie always worked better when folks got along. She searched for a familiar face but saw only strangers. Weird. She’d been working in this business a long time and usually knew a few others on set.

Brittany led her to a small, silver trailer just beyond all the others. “This is yours.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “It’s small, but you don’t have to share.” The younger woman chewed on her bottom lip, looking worried.

Kellsie was no diva. She’d shared accommodations many times before. She smiled at Brittany, who was waiting expectantly. “It’s perfect.” It was tight, but it had a bathroom, kitchenette and bed. Everything Kellsie needed.

Brittany opened the small refrigerator. “There’s bottled water and a few snacks in here.” She shut the door again. “The dining tent is back by the carnival rides. You can get something to eat there any time of the day. They shut down at around seven at night. Since we’re in a park, they don’t want to take the chance of attracting animals to the food during the night. That’s why there are snacks in all the trailers.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kellsie dumped her duffle on the bed.

“I’ll let you get settled. You must be exhausted after your long drive.”

She yawned, suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue. “I am tired.”

Brittany patted her arm. “Why don’t you take a nap or even call it a night. The director won’t be back until late, if at all. They took tents in case they wanted to get some early sunrise shots in the mountains. You can meet him tomorrow. There’s crackers and cheese and apples and stuff, or I can bring you something if you want.”

“Thanks, Brittany. I really appreciate it. I think I’ll just get settled in. There’s more than enough to eat if I get hungry.” Kellsie just wanted to get horizontal.

“Okay then. If I don’t see you later, I’ll come get you in the morning.”

“Great. And thanks again.”

“No problem. We’re all just happy you’re finally here.” With those parting words, Brittany was gone and Kellsie was alone in her trailer.

She locked the door behind the other woman and surveyed her new home for the foreseeable future. It was compact but clean, and Kellsie appreciated having a place to herself.

Calling Maury was the first item on her list of things to do. She dug her cellphone out of her purse and hit the first button on her speed dial. She didn’t have any family or close friends. Maury was it. The only other numbers on her speed dial were the Gino’s Italian Pizzeria two blocks from her house and Mr. Chang’s House of Food, which made the best sweet and sour spareribs she’d ever had.

She put the phone to her ear and heard nothing. Pulling the phone away, she read no signal. “No surprise there, not with all the mountains surrounding us.” She flipped the phone shut and tossed it back into her bag. She’d have to ask Brittany about that. There had to be some way to communicate with the outside world.

Exhaustion was creeping up faster by the minute. Kellsie bit back another yawn as she went to work unpacking her clothing. It didn’t take long to store her belongings in the miniscule closet beside the head of the bed. It had two built-in drawers and a twelve-inch rod for hanging stuff. Even with the little she’d brought, the closet was soon filled.

She grabbed her toiletries bag and checked out the bathroom. Tiny, but that was to be expected. Thankfully, she had her shampoo and toiletries and stuff in a bag that hung easily from a hook on the back of the door.

The tabloids, she shoved in one of the kitchen drawers and her new book went on the shelf by her bed, along with her netbook. She’d planned to do some online research but that wouldn’t be happening unless she could get a connection.

Within five minutes she was unpacked and settled in. She really needed a shower. She felt grungy after being in the car all day. Tomorrow morning, she promised herself. She’d get up early.

It only took her two minutes to drag off her clothes and pull on her sleep shirt. She took another minute to remove her watch and set the alarm. She didn’t want to oversleep. Tomorrow would be filled with meeting new people, including her fellow actors. She could read the script and maybe they could run some lines. She started to remove her necklace but stopped, deciding to keep it on.

Kellsie yanked back the covers, crawled in and pulled the sheet and blankets over her. God, she was tired. Not even a strange bed with a hard mattress was going to keep her awake tonight.

She reached over her head and turned off the lamp. The only light in the trailer was coming from the bathroom. She’d left it on in case she woke in the middle of the night and had no idea where she was. She’d slept in so many different places this past week she expected to be disoriented if she woke.

Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. Sleep was more important.

Snuggling down, she sighed. Her left hand found the claw dangling between her breasts. She wrapped her fingers around it, holding it tight. She closed her eyes and slept.