Chapter Text
I. --- April 29, 2000 [Approx. six months after first incident]
¿Estás bien?
- J
II. --- November 17, 2003 [Three years after first incident]
My dear Lissa,
Words cannot express how much I miss you. It has been three years and I do not know if you survived that night. But I still think of you. Every day.
My travels have taken me to America. It is an interesting place, and my English has gotten stronger much more quickly, as I hope you can see. I have changed my name, both for your safety and so I can blend in. If anyone that knows what I am should find out my true name, I would hate for them to learn of our connection and bring harm to you. I’m Jack Russell now, and still a creature of the night. Not that anyone but family knows that, and I’ve no idea if I’ve any family left anyway.
I hope I still have you, dear sister.
Hasta el próximo mes,
- J
III. --- October 23, 2011 [Eleven years after first incident]
My dear Lissa,
I wonder if I am sometimes talking to no one, if these letters never reach your eyes. Maybe someone steals them. Maybe you have moved. Or maybe you are dead. It’s been so long, one begins to lose hope. But my hope is that this letter finds you well.
Halloween is coming up. As is Día de los Muertos. I used to love this time of year, do you remember? You did, too. But now, it just reminds me of what I’ve lost. I don’t even remember most of their names anymore. I don’t remember much of anything on those nights- the wolf fights harder to get out. I can hold it back, but it’s like it knows. I still am not used to dreading those days. It feels wrong.
The full moon closest to it last year, do you remember the letter I sent you after it? I woke up in someone’s enorme corn maze. The wolf had torn a path right into the core of it, you see, but I still played the game on the way out. It’s the little things like that that keep me from going mad. Do you have those moments?
It’s strange to think that you’re all grown up now. That you have a life of your own. I wonder about it sometimes, what you may be like after all this time, how different you are than what I remember. Los recuerdos nos mantienen vivos. I hope that you are more successful than I am.
I suppose that’s all I can ask for, now. That you are happy and well.
Con cariño,
- J.R.
IV. --- July 22, 2016 [Sixteen years after first incident]
Lissa,
There are hunters, now. No es seguro. I cannot stay anywhere for long. I am lucky if I get six days in one place before they find me. The wolf will kill them, of course, but more will come. If only I had the courage to give you an address before, somewhere I knew I could go back to…
I’m sorry. I can only imagine how eager you are to get word of your own to me. My memories are fading, and I’m sure yours are, too. It has been such a long time.
You are forever in my dreams, mi hermanita,
Jack
V. --- April 20, 2019 [Nineteen years after first incident]
My dearest Lissa,
Things are looking well, again. As well as can be for someone like me.
On the last full moon, the wolf stumbled upon a swamp and made a friend in a man named Ted Sallis. He’s different, like me. Only he cannot transform and is stuck in the form of what he became. Es horrible. El pobre hombre.
He saved me from the hunters and watched over me throughout the night. It’s not been more than a few days, but I have been sticking by his side. He hasn’t chased me away yet, and I think he enjoys my company as much as I enjoy his. Time will tell, though, as I’ve yet to master his tongue. Whatever happened to him, I cannot imagine.
But we will be safe, at least until this Blip finally ends, if it does. I still worry whether you were caught in it or not, but I am pleased with how many hunters it took. I have not been this safe in a long time. It is a strange feeling for someone like me.
I think Ted would agree if I asked him. No one’s ever quite understood me in the same way that he does. I hope you have a friend like Ted.
Hasta el próximo mes, como siempre,
Jack