TITLE
(Unknown)
*Help me think of a title please! All helpful criticism is welcome. It's my first book so go easy on me*
Preface
Growing up I did not know much about my parents. By the time I was able to produce memories I was with my adopted family, Kris and Adam. I've always known them as mom and dad, but let's be real, once you find out you were adopted it kind of changes your perspective on life. I mean I should have known something was up when I noticed I had fire red hair and everyone, including my brother, was brunet. Or that I was so pale that being in the sun for five minutes would burn me to a crisp while everyone else could be outside for hours and just tan beautifully.
I mean honestly, I should have caught on. I think I was more in denial.
I think I still am.
I love Kris and Adam. They're the best parents anyone could have ever asked for, but what happened to mine? Why didn't mine want me anymore? Were they even alive? The question haunted me anytime I found myself lost in thought. I could tell they felt bad. There was something about their faces whenever I asked about my real parents that was genuine when they would say 'I don't know.'
I don't know what made me ask, I mean I do know. We learned about inherited traits in biology and things didn't add up to me. Of course, when I got home, I casually slid it in and my jack ass brother just blurted out 'well duh, it's because you're adopted.' My parents' reaction was all I needed to confirm.
Sorry, Kris and Adam.
It's been about a month now since the cat got out of the bag. My parents just accepted being called Kris and Adam now, and my brother is still scolded at for letting said cat out of the bag. In a way it brought my brother and I closer together. He may be blunt, but he won't lie to me, so I can always depend on him for honesty.
Today is my birthday, the big one-six. The age I can finally start asking questions and hopefully getting some answers from the adoption agency that Kris and Adam got me from. I just hope my real parents were drug lords, serial killers, or anything like that.
Chapter 1
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock blaring in my ear. I rolled over and swiped to turn it off and let out a slight groan. Do I have to get up now? I looked back at the time, 6:30. Yup, I most definitely have to get up now. I sat up and brushed the hair out of my face and the drool off the corner of my mouth. Yuck.
I had already laid out my clothes the night before. A simple pair of black leggings and a burgundy shirt. It was Friday, a half day, and the middle of May in Florida, I was dressing more for comfort than for anything else. I slipped my crazy curls into a messy bun and just called it a day. Brushing this mess would take me all day, and I simply don't have that kind of time.
Before I opened my bedroom door to leave, the smell of bacon and pancakes hit me instantly making my stomach grumble. I looked back at my phone, 6:45. I have time for a quick bite. I shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen, but there was no sign of anyone. The kitchen was spotless just like it was last night before anyone went to bed. I could have sworn I smelt bacon and pancakes. I thought to myself. I shrugged, grabbed my normal apple for breakfast and slipped my shoes on. I looked and saw Kris's purse and shoes were also missing, which made since, since she would be at work right now anyway, and Adam's keys and shoes were also missing meaning he also left for work. So where did I smell bacon and pancakes? Then the smell hit me again. Okay, I know I'm not crazy! I stood up and followed my nose to the back yard. And there on the patio table was my dork of a brother holding a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of a fan, with this stupid grin on his face.
"Happy birthday, Jammie!" He said.
"Thank Brian," I said matching his big stupid grin.
"Okay, can we eat now? I'm starving," he said as he started making his plate.
I chuckled and made my plate next to him and we sat in silence eating our breakfast. It was almost disgusting hearing all the chewing and slurping, but this was our norm. We talked when we wanted, but when we ate, we were silent. Kris and Adam were usually the ones who initiated conversation during meals.
We finished, put our dishes in the sink and walked together to school. I was a year older than Brian, but he was ahead of his class so we were in same grade. It was weird at first, especially since we didn't have one class together, but I got use to it after a while. The walk to school was silent as usual. Until he broke the silence with, "so are you going to talk to the adoption agency today?"
I was kind of taken aback. "I've thought about it. I have so many questions. I just want to know what happened. Why they gave me up, you know?"
"Did you ever think about how mom and dad would feel?" He asked almost in disappointment.
"What do you mean? I have a right to know about my parents," I said defensively.
"They are your parents, James. You're just butt hurt because they aren't your biological parents," He stopped and looked at me very seriously. "Does it really matter that much that mom and dad aren't your real parents? That mom isn't the one who birthed you?"
"Why does that matter to you?" I said feeling my cheeks flush with aggravation. Curse this ginger completion for giving away my emotions. "How would you feel if you found out that the people who raised you aren't who you thought? That they lied! That they hid the fact that there was someone else out there who just decided 'nah I don't want this thing' and tossed you to the side like you were trash?" I asked almost yelling at this point. My hands started feeling like they were covered in pins and needles, almost as if they were asleep. I grabbed one hand with the other and tried massaging the pain away. I looked back up at my brother's face and saw his face soften.
"So, your beef isn't with mom and dad, it's with the people who dumped you off at the fire station all those years ago."
The tingling in my hands started to turn into a throb.
"I just want to know what happened! Is that too much to ask?" I said dismissive.
"Apparently it is for mom and dad."
"What do you mean?" I said still holding my hands.
"They left early this morning to go to the adoption agency," he informed me.
"What?" I shouted. "Why wouldn't they bring me? Why wouldn't they tell me? How come they tell you this stuff and not me?" I could feel each question growing louder and louder, and my hands hurting more and more. Why are my hands hurting so much? This makes no since. And they're only hurting when I'm angry? I looked down at my hands and saw that my hands were glowing red. I gasped and quickly looked up at my brother and saw his eyed were open wide.
"Bro! What did you do to your hands?" He asked concerned.
"I don't know! I can't make them stop," I said panicking.
"Okay well let's try to calm down,"
"Calm down?! I don't see your hands glowing!" I interrupted.
He grabbed my hands and let out a slight wince but didn't let go. "You need to relax," he said looking me in the eyes and taking deep breaths, trying to get me to breath with him. I looked at his eyes and started to breath with him. Slowly in. Slowly out. In that second, I could have sworn his eyes changed color. Almost like a honey color. That was odd. He has brown eyes.
"Your eyes. . . "I trailed off.
"What?" He asked puzzled. Almost as if to go 'really you're worried about my eyes after your hands just started randomly glowing'.
"Your eyes just changed colors." I pressed. "You have brown eyes, but they just turned like a honey color."
"Your hands glowed. It was probably the sun shining on them," he said brushing the question off. I looked down at his hands, remembering when he touched me, he was in pain, but there were no marks. I grabbed them and twisted them around. Nothing. Not a scratch.
"What are you doing?"
"Why did you wince when you grabbed my hands?" I asked.
"Because your weird glowy hands hurt," he said in a sarcastic tone.
"Then why don't you have any marks on your hands?" I pointed out. He pulled his hands away from the question. "You're hiding something," I said suddenly realizing. Apparently much louder than I though cause he shoved his hands against my mouth.
"Hush!" He said in almost a growl.
"No! I'm tired of all the mystery! Just tell me what the hell is going on!" I could feel my hands get the pins and needles sensation and when I looked, they were glowing. I looked back at my brother and could see he instantly regretted even starting a conversation today. "Why are my hands glowing?" I demanded.
"Jammie, for real," he said in a calm voice. "We can't talk about this here." Forgetting we were still in the middle of the sidewalk. Although this part of the neighborhood was pretty much empty, so I didn't see the issue.
"Now, Brian," I demanded, and I could feel my hands glowing hotter and hotter.
"Can we at least go back home?" He said calmly, now holding his hands up. In that moment I caught his eyes glitter to honey again. That wasn't from the sun. What is he hiding?!
"No, I want answers now," I said through my teeth.
I could see him fighting with himself. He started combing his fingers through his hair and then down his face, which he only did when he was anxious. "Jammie, please," He said begging. "It's not safe to talk about it out here." His tone was almost in a whisper. "Please, lets just go home and I promise I'll tell you everything I know. Just, please, you need to calm down." I've never seen this side of him before. He looked genuinely scared. But of what?
I took a deep breath and turned back to the house. The entire way I'm trying to focus on my breathing, so my hands stop glowing. We get to the door and as soon as it closes behind us I turned to my brother, "Talk. Now."
He did that thing with his hair again and sighed. "Mom and dad are going to kill me, you realize this right?"
"Now, Brian."
"Mom and dad didn't get you from an orphanage. They left this morning to bride this couple to keep the secret." He blurted out.
My eyes blinked and widened. "What?"
"Look this is as much as I know from what I found snooping, okay? Mom and dad don't know how much I actually know. So, I may not have all the facts one hundred percent," he warned.
I migrated to the couch. "Okay. Tell me." I said with a big breath.
"My eyes changed color, they did. I tried to play it off as the sun because there were just some secrets you don't know yet." He looked down, then back up at me. "I'm a werewolf Jammie. Mom and dad are, or were, werewolves as well. We belong to the Rose Luna Clan. It's something that has been part of our bloodline for decades." He paused to look at me to see what I would say, but I just sat there wide eyed in shock. Werewolves?! No way! There's no way that I'm buying this.
"Anyway," he began again, "There was something that we were talking about in class that kind of stuck in my head and it kind of resulted in my doing my typical detective work."
"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted. "You told me you were going to tell me the trust, this is the craziest- ".
"Will you just listen for once!" He growled. "I AM telling you the truth Jammie!" This time his eyes didn't flash honey, they stayed. "I started digging around mom and dads stuff, looking for any paperwork on your family." He paused almost waiting for me to let him continue.
"What was it you were talking about in class that made you look into my family?" I asked.
"You family name is Lancaster, and we happened to be learning about this coven, the Lancaster coven, that almost wiped out our clan way back when. But knowing your family name was Lancaster I got worried, so I was digging to see if there was a relation."
"Coven? Like-witches?" I'm asked confused. First werewolves, now witches? I'm not buying any of this. "Look Brian this isn't funny-"I started.
"I'm not being funny, Jammie. I'm being dead ass serious." The look on his face showed how serious he was being.
"I'm not a witch, Brian. I don't know what's going on, but- "
"When I looked in mom and dad's office I broke into their locked drawer," he interrupted. He walked into the office and back with a binder. I reached out for it, but he pulled it close to his chest. "Your coven branched away from the Lancaster coven. They wanted a different life. Something better. They wanted to help and be part of our clan instead of fight it." He paused. "There was eight of you. Your parents, you, a sister, and friends of your parents. Everyone lived in the clan peacefully, but of course given the history the clan was hesitant. So, your coven lived here," he pointed down," on this street. Closest to the boarder of the clan, so should something happen getting them to leave wouldn't be a big ordeal. That's why no one else lives here. Why we have to walk so far to school every day."
He took a deep breath before handing me the binder. "Mom and dad were friends with your parents. When they found out mom was pregnant with me your mom was my mom's midwife. She was a healer, "He broke off for a second. "I don't know how it happened, but the clan was attacked, and they assumed members of the coven were doing an inside job to try to kill the clan from the inside." He paused and looked at the book. I opened it with a shakey hand. The first page was a paper headline: Coven Back at It Again! And under that was a picture of who I'm assuming were my parents tied up to a pole.
Petrified, I looked away and closed the book. I could feel tears swelling up in my eyes. I looked back up at Brian. "Did your parents- "I started getting choked up.
"No," he shook his head. "They heard what was going to happen through the clan link and went to warn your parents. I guess they asked to hide you and they agreed. They told the clan that you were a human friend's kid who died in a wreck. The clan agreed to let you stay."
"They saved me?" My voice trailed off.
"They saved you." My brother assured me.
It was silent for a while. Brian just stood there watching me. I could feel my cheeks were wet from the tears that escaped my eyes, but I was frozen. "How long have – " I started but my voice gave out.
"Have I known?" He asked and I nodded. "A while. I tried bringing it up with mom and dad once I found out what I knew, so I could fill the missing pieces, but they dismissed me. All they said was not all of the Lancaster's were bad and they told me to stop being a pain," he rolled his eyes.
"How long is a while?"
"Three years," he said softly.
"Three years," I gasped, and in that moment, I broke down.
"James I'm really sorry," he said making his way towards me. He uncovered my face from my hands and hugged me forcing me to sob into his chest. I could hear him wincing softly, I wanted to look up to check on him, but I was crying so hard I couldn't get myself to let go of him. But he never let go. He was there for me.
And in that moment, the door opened.
"Brian, what did you do?" I heard Adam say from the threshold.