Chapter 6

"You had no right to get mad at me like that!" Adele said as soon as she saw Tommy leave down the driveway "I was perfectly safe the entire time!"

"Safe with him?" Sookie said astounded as Adele marched down the stairs "Adele if you only knew half of what that boy is you wouldn't even dream-"

"He's kind" Adele said slamming her hands around "He's good, how could he be anything else when I was the one who saved him!"

"Adele you were only ten" Sookie said shaking her head "You only saw a piece of the puzzle and not the whole thing."

"What could he do Mom?" Adele said shaking her head "What could he possibly do to me? Especially now when he knows who I am!"

"A lot of things Adele!" Sookie said getting frustrated.

"I didn't want him to know!" Adele said starting to cry "I just wanted one person on this earth to treat me like a normal person for once. Instead now I'm even more of a caged bird then I already was!"

"When have I ever caged you?" Sookie said shocked "I have always let you go-"

"But now that I'm older it's different" Adele said still crying "I don't want a bike or a new doll, I want a life outside of what I am."

"Adele" Sookie said with a sigh "You were not born like other people, you have responsibilities, and I have failed one too many times at keeping you safe."

"And I changed so you wouldn't have to worry" Adele said wanting to run out the door.

"Adele he's dangerous" Sookie said finally "He's got his own kind of power that will do nothing but get you in trouble and hurt you."

"I want to be hurt" Adele said looking out the window, her voice growing eerily calm "I want to at least feel something. You've had Bill and Eric and even Alcide, am I just supposed to go through life without ever knowing what it's like to love someone?"

"You do not love this boy" Sam said finally from the kitchen "It's just a crush, it will go away."

"You'll have plenty of time for boys" Sookie said shaking her head "Just not this one."

Adele couldn't believe the words coming out of her parents, the ones who had raised her on what was right and wrong, and now they were telling her that the one thing she had ever wanted could not be attained because of their say so.

"I'm going to Alcide's" Adele said all of a sudden as she walked towards the door. Sookie began to protest but Sam stopped her with a shake of his head. Sam followed after Adele, having her hop in his truck as he drove her off to be with the Were who would no doubt put some sense into her head.

Sookie sighed and sat down in the kitchen, her mind reeling from the first argument with her daughter. Tommy was a good kid, but he was not good for Adele. The minute he found out just what he could do as a skin walker, the darkness inside of him would swallow him up, and Sookie would be damned if she let her daughter get caught up in it.

Sam drove silently with Adele in the car, knowing that she wanted to be left alone right now. The trip was short, and Sookie must have informed Alcide they were coming since he was waiting outside with a baseball mit in hand.

Adele muttered her goodbye to Sam and slammed the door, ready to be away from both of them for a little while. Sam waved to Alcide and took off, wanting to give his daughter some cool down time before approaching her again. If there was one thing Sam had learned throughout the years, it was just to stay out of a mother daughter fight.

"I've got the perfect solution to letting out anger" Alcide said as Adele approached "Throwing the spit."

Adele looked at him weird for a second before smiling and taking the other mit he had in his hand. They walked through the house to the backyard and began their game, Alcide throwing the first pitch as Adele clumsily caught it.

"So what's going on?" Alcide said after a few throws.

"My mother wants me to stay indoors for the rest of my life" Adele said throwing the ball "and for some reason they want me to stay away from a certain boy."

"This boy ever cause trouble?" Alcide said catching a fast pitch.

"Never" Adele said shaking her head "In fact he helped saved me."

"Well there must be a good reason" Alcide said "Maybe your momma just don't want you knowing to keep you from hurting."

"That's the point Alcide" she said catching the ball "They don't want me to hurt, but isn't that what life's about? Getting hurt every once in a while?"

"True" Alcide said seeing how grown up his girl had become "But every parent wants to keep their kids from getting hurt, probably because they know how badly it messes you up."

"I don't think it's good for me" Adele said catching the ball again "I think I should be treated normal."

"And I agree" Alcide said "But that won't stop your momma, you are just going to have to learn how to adapt to her feelings as well."

"I guess you are right" Adele said "Can we work on my swing?"

Alcide got out a bat and they practiced hitting and bunting for a while. Adele enjoyed the competition, like the way her power could be used in a non violent sense. But after a while the sun started to set and Alcide asked if she would like to come to the pack meeting tonight. Adele agreed and decided to call her mother, apologizing for the fight and asking permission to go with Alcide. Sookie agreed, but wanted her home at a decent hour.

Adele was excited to go to the meeting, she nearly bounce to the truck as Alcide simply shook his head and laughed at her. The way there was even worse, as Adele chattered on about how she only remembered a bit of the last meeting she attended and really didn't know anyone's names and how she just was so happy to be out of the house.

If Alcide's patience was tested, he never showed for it as he remained cool and collected the whole way to the meeting. This time instead of outside the meeting was held in a household, an old farm house with a huge veranda porch that Adele guessed could fit at least twenty people in just one spot.

The pack stood waiting as Alcide got out of the truck with Adele, but when the pack noticed her, they fell to their knees as her presence was known to all.

"Oh please" Adele said waving them off "Don't kneel around me, makes me blush."

The pack slowly stood, but all faces were bright and shining with the presence of her around them. She was like a beacon of light in a foggy lake, leading them to their eventual peace that was sure to come. Adele shook hands and nodded and smiled, happy to meet new people but still wary of all the touching she was having to do. Minds were buzzing all around her and she felt like she was having double the conversations she usually had.

But then, out of the crowd, Adele spotted Lupin, staring at her with his eyes fixed solely on her movements. Adele felt herself blush, but didn't feel the rush like she had with Tommy.

"Tommy" she thought to herself "I wonder what he's doing tonight..."

But before her train of thought could continue the meeting started and Adele tried to stay focused on the issues at hand. Lupin stayed toward the back, looking around from time to time only to focus back on her. It was starting to concern Adele before the meeting split and people began roaming around and mingling. She lost sight of Lupin, and hopefully she could feel at ease for once tonight.

But as fate would have it, his voice was in her ear all of a sudden, while his hand clasped softly on her arm.

"You want to go to a real party?" he said quietly in her ear "Follow me."

And before Adele knew it, she found her feet following Lupin's steadily throughout the house, going quietly past people without being noticed as Lupin maneuvered her outside and into his car.

"So you ready?" he said turning on the ignition.

Adele felt her heart beating wildly in her chest, but she quietly nodded and watched Lupin swipe the gear into drive and speed off through the night.

Adele didn't know what she was doing, but the drive for something new, something wild was more intense than anything she had every felt...well...besides what she felt when she thought about Tommy in a certain way.

"So where are we going?" Adele finally said.

"Somewhere you've probably never been" Lupin said with a smirk "Or even dreamed about."

Adele looked at him with hesitant eyes but Lupin simply gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry" he said patting her "Your safe with me. And I don't bite" he said with a grin.

"Much?" Adele said with a shy smile.

The Were grinned widely before kicking the gas and sailing off farther than Adele had ever gone before.

One thing was for certain, if she had gotten in trouble this morning, she was damned after what she was going to do tonight.