Chapter Five - The Good and the Bad

Jack

I awoke with the morning sun shining on my face. Clark had already left for the morning; he hadn’t spoken to me at all. Our interaction had been solely awkward eye contact where he spent most of his time glaring at me. I suspected that it had something to do with LeAnne, but I wasn’t exactly sure what. Well, actually, I did have a few guesses.

I was attempting to tread very carefully around everyone here. I didn’t know what bizarre rituals or customs they might have that likely presented an unlimited number of ways in which I might offend them. I was aware that my fears might have been irrational. Still, I didn’t want to end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

I made my way down to the living room, where everyone was gathered. LeAnne had saved a seat for me at the table. Maggie acted normally, but everyone else stopped talking as soon as I entered the room. If someone had asked me to define uncomfortable, this would have been the definition I would have given them. Lana smiled at me, and Mitchell gave me a curt nod. Clark glared at me, which I was beginning to become accustomed to, while Ryan ignored me altogether.

The breakfast wasn’t too bizarre—a combination of oats, blueberries, and bacon. It could have been worse. I attempted to act normally as LeAnne piled my plate high with food while humming happily to herself. I was glad she was happy. Her smile brightened my mood.

We ate quietly for a few minutes while Maggie and LeAnne made small talk. Mitchell quietly whispered to Lana in a tone that was too low and hushed for me to hear. I only hoped it wasn’t about me.

A knock sounded on the door. Everyone fell silent, although it would have been impossible for the level of awkwardness to be raised any higher. Mitchell rose and walked to the door. I gathered that interruptions during family meals weren’t particularly common when your father was the leader of the local cult. People probably tended to respect your privacy.

I heard a female voice speak hurriedly to Mitchell, who replied in agreement. They went outside and closed the door behind them in search of privacy.

Conversation resumed as the door was firmly shut behind them. LeAnne smiled at me as she began outlining our plans for the day.

“So first, I thought we’d pick blueberries up on the ridge.” She smiled. “Then maybe we could go swimming down by the river. Does that sound all right?”

“That sounds great,” I said.

It was less than thirty minutes later when Mitchell returned. He whispered hurriedly in Lana’s ear, who nodded and left the table with a hurried intent. LeAnne and Maggie looked at each other in what seemed like some secret code. Clark and Ryan had followed Lana out of the room, and so it was only the three of us left. Maggie brought her finger to her lips and motioned for us to follow her out the back door. I was entirely positive this was going to lead to nothing good. Yet, like a total idiot, I followed her.

We hurried out the back and up into the woods behind their house. It kind of felt like one of those weird spy movies I had watched when I was a kid. But this wasn’t half as fun. When we had walked far enough away to not be overheard, Maggie and LeAnne burst into chatter.

“It must be an emergency meeting,” Maggie whispered.

“I know,” LeAnne replied.

Needless to say, I was completely lost. It was starting to feel more like a murder mystery. I had wanted to be a detective—when I was five, that is.

“Do you want to try to sneak in?” Maggie asked.

That was definitely a bad idea. I was not going to claim that I was the smartest person in the world, but sneaking into a secret meeting in a murderous cult didn’t seem like a very good way to avoid trouble. I kind of liked the fact that no one was currently trying to kill me, and I wanted to keep it like that.

LeAnne rolled her eyes. “Duh.”

Oh great. So I was the only one with an ounce of common sense. I was clearly either living in an alternate reality, or these people had no understanding of the concept of cause and effect.

I listened silently as the two of them plotted precisely how we would sneak into the meeting. I didn’t even know what the mystery meeting was for. But naturally, I was just a little bit curious about it. For all I knew, it could have been about me. That would have been just my luck.

“Who do you think the girl was?” LeAnne asked. “I didn’t recognize her voice.”

“I didn’t either,” Maggie replied. “She must be an outsider.”

Okay, that was a new development. There must have been someone new who had been added to the equation. By the tone of their voices, they weren’t pleased about the idea.

LeAnne made worried eye contact with me for only a moment before she replied, “Do you think it’s a report?”

“I don’t know what else it might be,” Maggie agreed.

At this point, they lost me. It was impossible to follow a conversation spoken in a different language.

“When do you think they’ll leave?” LeAnne asked.

People were leaving? I couldn’t imagine where they might go. What if there were more communities like this that were all connected? That was a terrifying thought.

“I’d say tonight,” Maggie answered.

I could not take it anymore. “Okay, who’s leaving and why?”

Maggie looked at me like I was a moron. “The boys are leaving to go on a hunt. The girl at the door…well, she was reporting an offense.”

LeAnne took my hand in hers and squeezed it. I took it as a cue to remain silent. Maggie resumed plotting our entrance into the exclusive meeting that apparently only adult males were invited to. I continued holding LeAnne’s hand, but it wasn’t for my own comfort; her hands were shaking.

No more than an hour later, all of the men had assembled themselves in Mitchell’s living room. Maggie, LeAnne, and I were squished together at the top of the steps. Since I was the tallest, I had been put on the end to see if I could observe any of what was going on. Of course, this hadn’t been my idea. LeAnne was beside me, her hand still firmly grasped in mine.

“Where’s the witness?” a rough male voice asked.

“Here,” a familiar female voice chimed.

I knew that voice. I could never forget that voice. That was the voice that had taken me away from Lily. The voice that meant I could never see her again. I had hoped I would never hear the sickeningly sweet voice again. She was a siren and an evil one at that. Every bone in her body was full of hate and jealousy. I’d never met a more toxic person.

I leaned over to look around the corner and down the stairs. I saw a glimpse of raven black hair and flawless white skin. It was Delilah. I froze. The same girl that had virtually destroyed my life was less than twenty-five feet away from me. I was angry, not only at her but also at myself. I had let her manipulate and use me the same way I had let my parents control every aspect of my mind. Never again would I let someone prevent me from being a free-thinker who decided for himself what was moral and just. I would not allow myself to be a mindless creature following the self-righteous and prejudiced flock.

I had not realized my body had become so still until LeAnne elbowed me in my side. I grunted in shock. I needed to concentrate; I could not allow myself to become distracted. I had to be focused and disciplined. There was no other way to effectively handle this situation. And boy, was it a situation.

“What do you see?” LeAnne whispered.

How could I possibly explain to her what I saw? There was no way to describe the intensity of my feelings.

Maggie was leaning toward me. Her eyes were wide and curious. “Jack, what did you hear?”

I had to give an answer; I had to act unfazed. Maggie, who was obviously a sincere believer of her family’s principles, could never be allowed to know my connection to this situation. My only option was to be basic and concise.

“There’s a girl,” I breathed.

My eyes clearly gave away more than I had intended, but only LeAnne noticed them. For a frozen moment in time, our minds merged. She saw the emotions that were gushing through me. She understood through what I could define as nothing other than an innate connection.

“And?” Maggie pressed.

I held up my hand before turning back around to continue listening.

“Yes, they were married at the end of last summer,” Delilah elaborated.

Lily was married? It was so soon; I hadn’t been there for her. She probably wouldn’t have wanted me there anyway.

“And, the demi-fae girl, she’s pregnant?” a male voice asked.

She was married and pregnant? I had missed a whole portion of her life. I had thought it had only been a year; it was obvious I had been away for much longer.

My hands clenched into fists. LeAnne sensed the clear tension in my body and responded by placing her tiny hand on my knee. My muscles relaxed as the physical tension subsided. My mind spun; I was suddenly very aware of every sound coming from the floor below. My senses were heightened in a new and somewhat terrifying way.

“Twins.” Delilah nodded.

She might as well have slapped me. I realized just how far from Lily I had come; all the milestones and events I had missed were running through my mind. She was married and having babies. It had only been a year since I had seen her! The difference was that her life had continued while mine had come to an abrupt halt. Once, we had been inseparable. We had grown so far apart.

“Jack!” Maggie urged.

I had to snap back into reality and remember where I was. I had to play my cards very carefully. Finding a way to help Lily had to be my top priority.

“We leave tonight,” Mitchell affirmed. “Pack your things. We will fulfill our duty and protect our people. We have no other choice if we are to remain true to our beliefs.”

“Tell us!” Maggie practically screamed.

I responded mechanically, “They leave tonight on a hunt. A demi-fae girl is pregnant.”

There was no need for further explanation. We all knew what they were hunting.

Maggie rose quietly and dashed to catch up to Ryan; he had already left to pack his bag. LeAnne looked at me and motioned toward her bedroom. I nodded as I followed her in and locked the door.

“Tell me,” she said.

“The girl, her name is Lily. I…I know her.” For a moment, I almost ended my sentence with something different.

LeAnne didn’t appear to notice. “We have to warn her then.”

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Are you all right?” Her voice was calm and gentle.

Her gorgeous eyes that I loved so much, looked up at me with a tenderness that I could not describe. She placed her hands on either side of my face. Her warmth hit me like a hurricane. It was impossible to imagine that I could deserve her. Truthfully, I couldn’t think of anyone that deserved her.

“Jack...,” she mumbled.

Her hair smelled like strawberries and brown sugar. I ran my hands through her hair and watched as the curls separated between my fingers. Her skin was hot and soft. Some small part of my mind wished that I would never have to let go of her. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and feel her pressed against me. Her warmth was almost intoxicating.

She leaned up and pressed her lips to mine in what was the most sensitive kiss I could possibly imagine. She pulled away quickly and began to move away, but I brought her back.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered only inches from my lips.

Please don’t be sorry, I wanted to say. She was so purely good that she could probably never do anything to hurt anyone. There was no way she would ever need to feel guilty for her words.

“What are you apologizing for?” I asked.

From that moment on, I was entirely aware that I was no longer in love with Lily. No, my heart had been alone for all these months when I had thought it was back in Oak Valley with her. I had been craving human interaction and friendship. I just hadn’t realized I had also been craving affection. I needed a connection with others. For the first time in a year, I was finally getting that.

I didn’t even falter for a second. Not for one instant did I forget who I was kissing; I was holding the girl with chocolate orbs for eyes.

“We’ll protect her,” LeAnne mumbled.

“Yes, we will,” I replied.