All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: I apologize for taking so long to update! I am working two jobs plus running my own writing business, and as you can imagine, it's been crazy! I probably won't update again this year but I promise, I will try to update more often. Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's got a surprise ending as well as the introduction of a new character that will come into play way in the future!
Chapter Eighty-Four (16 yrs old)
April 24th, Friday
Megan had never laughed so hard during a family dinner, but then again, she'd never had a family dinner quite like this one. Everything about Gabe's family intrigued her. She had met some of his siblings before –Emmie was a junior at Forks High and one of her classmates in Senior Level Calculus. She'd gone to one of Zak's baseball games with Gabe a couple of weeks back, and, of course, the twins always made a habit of stopping by the garage whenever she went by to visit Gabe while he worked. The younger three she was just meeting and it awed her how well they all got along. With eight distinct personalities, she had expected a little more fighting and not as much camaraderie as she was witnessing.
"So there we were," Alyx and Andrey were taking turns telling her of one of their many escapades, their voices so identical it was like one person talking, "All geared up in our home-made rappelling harnesses when Ma runs up and tells us she'd skin us alive if we dared to jump off. Now, she's threatened to beat us to a pulp and even to tan our hide, but this was the first time she'd ever threatened to skin us alive."
"It sounded downright painful, not to mention messy," Andrey picked up his glass of lemonade, Alyx continuing the story, "So we headed to the door leading up to the roof, but it was locked."
"Building?" Megan's voice was slightly squeaky, watching in amusement as Alyx took a bite of his fried chicken, Andrey continuing the story without missing a beat, "Yeah, the Community Center building. It's only like five floors high –"
"Only five floors," Leah mimicked her son's tone of voice, causing Megan to giggle in amusement as the twins looked over at their mother with dimpled smiles, Alyx swallowing his food before responding with a cajoling voice, "Five floors is no big deal, Ma. Hell, the cliff is about fifteen feet higher than the Community Center and you have no problem with us jumping off of that."
"Correction," Leah gave them both a pointed look as she helped Erick with his fried chicken, "I did have a problem with that…you two just didn't listen."
Everyone around the table laughed, Megan realizing this was a whole different story but wanting to know the outcome of the one they had been telling, "So how did you two get down from the roof?"
Alyx and Andrey's smiles widened into grins as their mother's gaze narrowed in obvious displeasure, "Well, considering the door to the roof locked from the inside, and all the staff was gone, there was only one way down."
"Ma was flipping out the whole time," Alyx gave his mother another dimpled smile before turning his attention to Megan, Andrey taking a swig of his lemonade before chiming in, "It really wasn't that big of a deal. We did the math on what kind of weight the ropes can handle –we even double checked and had Emmie check it over too."
Megan chuckled as she took her glass, finishing the lemonade in it and smiling as Gabe filled it up again without asking her, "So you two made it down okay?"
The twins looked at each other in a move so perfectly synchronized, Megan had to blink to make sure she wasn't seeing double.
"Well," Alyx gave their mother a sideways look before turning his attention back to Megan, "That depends on what you mean by okay."
"Well, obviously, you made it down alive," Megan prompted, taking a scoop of her mashed potatoes as Leah let out a decidedly unladylike snort, "Barely."
Rolling their eyes, the twins playfully wrinkled their noses at her before turning to look at Megan as they continued the story, "See, in calculating the math in the making of the harnesses, we didn't factor in one crucial component."
"Which was?"
"Sharp edge ledges cut through a rope given enough friction."
Megan gasped, staring at the dark haired blue eyed pre-teens, Andrey finally speaking up to answer her unasked question, "I fell ten feet and broke a leg."
"Ma totally freaked out," Alyx tried not to laugh, knowing his mother would not appreciate it; "She was certain he'd broken his neck and killed himself."
Leah glared at both of them, seeing their struggles not to laugh at the memory of her total meltdown, "Go ahead and laugh. One of these days, you'll be giving me a heart attack –how funny is that going to be, you little terrors?"
"Like you'll ever have a heart attack," the boys quipped back, Alyx giving her a big grin as he teased her, "Come on, admit it. You have got nerves of steel, Ma."
"Thanks to you two."
Everyone laughed, Alyx looking across the table at Megan, "Are you afraid of heights?"
She gave him a big smile, taking a sip of her lemonade before answering, "I'm one of the squad's flyers, and the only one willing to be the top of the pyramid."
"Sweet," their response was simultaneous, both of them looking over at Gabe, "You should take her cliff diving –or she can come with us next time we go."
"He took Vivi cliff diving once," Tyra piped up, munching on a cheesy biscuit as she looked over at Gabe in time to see the twinkle in his eyes slowly freeze, just the way it always did whenever Vivi's name was mentioned.
Alyx, however, was not paying attention to his brother's response as he supplied more information, disgust obvious in his voice, "Yeah, but she didn't jump. She's afraid of heights –almost cried when we got to the edge. And it was the small cliff we went to."
"Enough."
There was a thread of authority in the softly spoken word, Megan glancing around in confusion at the way everyone fell quiet, even four year old Erick who seemed to enjoy humming while eating. The silence lasted long enough to become awkward before Emmie spoke up in an attempt to bring back the levity they had all been enjoying.
"There's only one biscuit left."
Emmie pulled out a biscuit from the covered basket set in the center of the table, laughing when all the boys –including Erick, who clambered onto the table despite Leah's attempts to keep him in his seat –wrestled for the basket, Alyx crowing in victory when he wrenched it away from the rest, only to find the basket empty, "What the hell, Emmie?"
"You guys fall for it every time," Emmie chuckled as she grabbed the butter, licking her biscuit as a preventive tactic from it being stolen, "One would think you would learn by now."
Alyx, who was sitting at Emmie's left, snatched the biscuit from her hand, "And you'd think anything short of sneezing on it would matter to me."
Megan's stomach hurt from laughing so hard as Alyx shoved the entire biscuit into his mouth to keep Emmie from taking it back, Gabe's mom still trying to convince Erick to get off the table as she called out, "You little heathens need to remember we have company. Please behave before she starts wondering if you've all been raised by wolves."
Rick chuckled, giving his wife a knowing look as she knew what would happen by stating what, in their situation, was basically true. Sure enough, the older six looked at each other with grins, Leah's eyes widening as she realized they weren't going to let a silly little thing like having company keep them from teasing her the best way they knew how.
"Don't you dare –"
Tossing his head back, Gabe let out a low pitch howl, Megan's eyes growing wider as the rest of the siblings, one by one, followed suit until the small kitchen echoed with perfectly harmonized howls from all eight. Megan couldn't stop laughing; she gasped in an attempt to breathe, tears running down her face. Rick laughed along with her, but mostly at the look of mortification on Leah's face, finally gaining enough control to tease her, "You set yourself up for that one, agape mou."
"I'm well aware of that," Leah grimaced, trying to glare at her children but unable to as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "You insolent pups."
The laughter and teasing continued long past the dinner hour, everyone sharing stories of one escapade or another, keeping Megan laughing. What she wasn't aware was how the entire Laskaris family enjoyed watching the look of pleasure on Gabe's face as he watched her laugh with his family. It felt good to all of them to see Gabe smiling without having to try.
It was well into the evening when Gabe and Megan walked down the walkway to where she had parked her car beside the curb, their fingers loosely twined as Megan smiled up at him, "I really enjoy your family –they're awesome."
"An awesome pain in the ass," Gabe gave her a teasing smile as he lifted a shoulder up in a shrug, "But they're my family. They drive me crazy –even Ma at times –but I wouldn't trade them for anything."
"Well, there goes my idea of asking if I could have a couple of your siblings."
Chuckling as they stopped beside her car, he pulled her around until she was leaning against it, his feet bracketing hers as he looked down into her twinkling eyes, "Which ones were you thinking of?"
"Let's see," Megan pursed her lips, not noticing the look of astonishment on Gabe's face as he wondered what her shiny lips would taste like, "How about Tyra?"
Gabe shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts before answering, "No can do. She's my favorite little sister."
"What about Emmie?"
"Well," Megan giggled at the way he tilted his head as if thinking about it, a quizzical look on his handsome face, "She annoys the crap out of me, not to mention constantly correcting my grammar and shit…nah. She's a keeper too."
"Okay," Megan laid her hand on his chest, her heart flip-flopping when coming into contact with the hard wall of muscle, the heat radiating off of him seeping into her cold hand, "How about the twins?"
"Are you kidding," Gabe scoffed as he pulled out one of his hands from the pocket of his jeans to run it through his hair, "I'd gift wrap them for you but I'm sure they wouldn't go willingly. Not only that, but they're the ones keeping Ma young and spritely."
Megan almost choked with laughter, "Spritely?"
"Sorry," Gabe grimaced before letting a smile spread across his face, "Emmie corrupts my vocabulary."
They laughed, Gabe settling his free hand in the curve of her waist as he moved in a bit closer, something about the way her blue-green eyes sparkled up at him causing his heart to act strangely as he gave her a slow smile, "They like you –all of them."
Plucking at the soft cotton of his t-shirt, she allowed the insecurity she usually hid from the world to come out a bit, knowing she could trust him not to use it against her, "Really? Why?"
It intrigued him to see this side of her, to know she wasn't as shallow or confident as she portrayed herself to be, "Because you make me laugh. Every time I'm with you, I can't help smiling and they see that. They know you're the reason I've started to let go."
A soft blush stained her cheeks, hesitation clearly showing in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip before softly speaking, keeping her eyes on his face, "Then…can I give you a helpful tip?"
He knew he wasn't going to like what she was going to say but he didn't stop her. The sincerity in her eyes shining brightly as she gave him a soft smile, "If you really want to let go…talk about her. With me, your mother…anyone. Don't make her a taboo subject. If you keep everyone around you from even saying her name, you'll keep her locked up inside you…and if you do that…you'll never be free."
The silence between them was heavy yet devoid of any tension as Megan studied his face, able to see he was thinking over her words, his own eyes moving over the soft curves of her face. She held her breath as he touched her face, fingertips moving over her cheek and down her jaw before settling beneath her chin, the gentleness in his touch one she'd never experienced from anyone before. Looking into his light blue eyes, she realized he was going to kiss her, her heartbeat to speeding up and eyes fluttering close without her realizing it.
Megan had been kissed by many boys but none of them had ever treated her as Gabe did, as if she were a delicate treasure deserving of special handling. Her heart skipped a beat as he softly settled his lips over hers, doing nothing more than simply seeking an intimate connection as their breath mingled in the sweetest dance of budding desire.
Pulling back slowly, he kept his eyes on her face, the back of his fingers stroking her throat as he wondered at the way it had felt to have her so close. He knew Megan had dated several guys in the past, knew she had more experience than he did, but it didn't matter to him because he could see she'd been treated as nothing more than a body to pass the time with. He himself had only kissed one other girl and as he watched her open those big blue-green eyes of hers, he realized there was a remarkable difference between this kiss and his first one with Vivi.
This one tasted…sweeter. There was no edge to it, not like every kiss he'd shared with Vivi. Being he had never been with any other girl the way he'd been with Vivi, now that he had a small point of reference to compare, he realized that edge had always been there –a razor sharp divide between love and hate. But with Megan…there was nothing but a sweet taste of anticipation and a soft unfurling of desire and caring.
"Wow."
Her breath was moist against his lips and smelling of the vanilla cheesecake Ma had made for dessert, "Yeah."
The intensity between them increased as they stared at each other, Megan finally letting out a soft laugh as she gave Gabe's bicep a squeeze, her fingers not even dimpling the hard muscle, "I gotta go. I have a curfew."
"Right," Gabe dropped his hand from her throat, where his fingers had been exploring the soft skin, his other hand giving her waist a squeeze, "See you tomorrow?"
"You're working," she asked, smiling as he nodded, "I'll bring you lunch."
Grinning at her, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead before taking a step back, standing by the curb as she got into her car, a few minutes passing before she put it in drive and made a U-turn to head towards Forks, headlights diminishing into the darkness before completely disappearing.
Tilting his head back to look up at the dark moonless sky littered with stars, he thought over the events of the evening. His family had enjoyed spending time with Megan, especially Ma, their shared laughter while they cleaned up the kitchen after dinner enough indication. He tried to recall if there had ever been that kind of easy interaction between his family and Vivi, but all he could recall was many family dinners, which always included Uncle Seth, Aunt Rose, Marc, and the boys.
The realization Vivi had never joined them for dinner as his girlfriend came as a shock. He had never thought to ask and his mother had never invited her.
Turning towards the forest line, he relaxed his shoulders, his muscles having tensed the way they always did whenever he thought of her. As he moved between the trees, he realized Megan was right –he couldn't hold on tight to her if he wanted to be free.
And he did.
He had no desire to deal with the warring emotions attached to thoughts of Vivi, and although it wasn't going to be easy, he was going to have to find a way to do it. She was never coming back, and, that fact aside, he realized to be with her would mean to be in constant conflict with himself.
He was enjoying this sense of balance and peace too much to ever want to go back to the way it had been before she'd left. She may not know it but her leaving had given him the chance to see who he really was –and who he was had no need of being weighed down by memories of her.
It was definitely time to let her go.
San Francisco, CA
The night sky seemed miles away as she walked the well-lit downtown streets, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket as she skirted around the crowds without any effort on her part. It would be frightening, the way she could move between people without being noticed, a mere shadow without any substance –if she were able to feel fear over becoming almost invisible. But fear was something she didn't feel –especially not when, at the moment, all she carried with her was irritation.
Irritation at not being able to break him, more so now when she could see the interwoven silver and gold threads of the only ribbon she cared about pulling and slowly coming undone, one link at a time. She knew if she were capable of feeling any emotion, sadness wouldn't be the primary response to what she was seeing. No, she would be feeling anger…anger at his daring to let go of what they had shared, to actually attempt to break free of their connection.
How dare he try to forget her? She'd known from the moment she'd seen him he was going to be her sun…just like Tio Seth had so obviously been Tia Rosa's sun. Despite the struggles, the fights, the growing pains, she had never once faltered in believing who he was meant to be…and now he doubted what she knew to be true.
He hadn't imprinted on her, she knew that, but she'd come to the conclusion in the last few months it didn't matter. She had control of their connection to each other and she had no qualms in doing everything possible to keep it that way. He was hers and she wasn't letting go, so it really didn't matter what he was hoping to accomplish…she wasn't going to let it happen.
Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, she looked around, realizing she had been making her way to the zoo. He had told her not to return until she'd fed, and she'd instinctively headed towards the one safe place in the city to have what she needed, but now, as she stood still with the different blood scents wafting in the air, she realized animal blood had no appeal for her.
It wasn't right, what she was thinking but…it wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? If she was careful… she wasn't dangerous, not like he was…
The memory of blood coating her tongue flooded her thoughts, her throat tight and dry as she once again sniffed the air, gold-brown eyes jumping from person to person before settling on the sign above her.
She was standing outside the Starlight Lounge, music filtering through the closed door along with the heavy scent of perfume, cologne, body odor, and –she sniffed the air as soon as she opened the door, the bouncer just inside giving her a nod as he pointed towards the coat check. The heavy scents of hot blood had her mouth filling with saliva, eyes moving from person to person as she picked up floral, sweet, savory…the many scents of blood were making her head spin in a most unsettling way.
Ignoring the coat check sign, she headed straight to the bar, finding an empty stool in a dark corner where she could observe without being noticed. Easily sliding onto it despite its height, she kept her back to the wall as she watched the people interacting with each other, music pulsing in the air as couples danced on the small floor in the middle of the club, dimmed lights around the tables and booths creating some sense of privacy.
She simply watched, nose twitching occasionally as one scent or another drifted by her little corner. The whole experience was almost like standing in the kitchen, ingredients spread all across the counters as she experimented with them.
"What are you having?"
Looking up at the bartender, nose wrinkling slightly at the somewhat metallic scent to his blood, wondering if it had anything to do with the tattoos covering his arms, "Rum and coke, please."
He had her drink in front of her within a minute, taking the bill she slid across the slick top of the bar, his fingers brushing hers slightly. She watched as he moved to another customer, dark red eyebrows dipping in the middle as she wondered if she'd imagined the brief flash of annoyance and exhaustion she'd felt when their fingertips touched.
Exploiting Marc's feelings of loneliness and guilt had become a game to her but she hadn't thought beyond –could it be she was actually capable of manipulating others' feelings and not just his?
Taking a sip of her drink, she licked her lip, the rum leaving a lingering taste of coconut on her tongue. She studied the bartender, his current emotions thrumming softly through her consciousness, along with a small thrill as she tried to focus on them long enough to see if she could manipulate them.
"You're looking decidedly lonely sitting by yourself in this corner."
She looked to the no longer open seat on her right, slightly irritated at having her concentration broken, "Kind of hard to look lonely in a room full of people."
He gave her a sideways look, eyes a light shade of blue, dark hair falling over his forehead as he took a sip of his beer, "I find being surrounded by strangers makes a person look lonely."
She licked her bottom lip, the scent of toasted almonds drenched in honey drifting into her consciousness, turning her concentration to the guy beside her, a slight shift of her body having their arms touch, his interest and curiosity flooding through her.
Taking a sip of her drink, she looked over at him, noticing his eyes were just a shade darker than the blue she preferred, her mouth watering slightly at the enticing smell coming from him, "Intriguing thought."
He smiled at her, signaling to the bartender for another beer, his broad shoulders blocking her from the rest of the bar as he turned to face her, "Being surrounded by strangers is a great hiding place…unless I'm trying to hide from myself. It doesn't work when that's the case."
Staring at him, she thought over his words, her full lips stretching into a smile with an obvious edge of cynicism to it after a few seconds, "I can see that."
"Let me ask you a personal question," he leaned his elbow against the polished surface of the wall, effectively moving a bit into her personal space, "Who are you hiding from tonight?"
Laughter escaped her, sounding dark and somewhat mocking as she took a sip of her drink, her head somewhat fuzzy with the alcohol and the scent of him, "There's no simple answer to that question."
Chuckling, he finished his beer, leaning in to whisper into her ear, "I know a better hiding place. What do you say to going there?"
Nursing her drink, she studied him carefully, indifferent to the handsome features of his face. Could she do it? There was no harm, as long as she was careful, taking just enough…
"Come on," he gave her a teasing smile as he took her nearly empty glass and set it next to his empty bottles, taking her cool hand in his and tugging her off the stool, "Promise I don't bite."
She let him tow her through the people crowding the bar area, her words getting lost in the music and cacophony of voices, "Too bad I can't say the same."
Several minutes into their walk, she recognized where they were headed. She looked up at him, his face only a couple of inches above the five feet seven inches comprising of her slim frame, "The zoo?"
Chuckling, he pulled her along as they crossed the street, pointing out to a well-lit path, "There's a park next to the zoo. We'll find a bench and enjoy the night."
She was fighting a losing battle –reminding herself she was a good person and she couldn't do it, but there was no conviction behind the words.
She didn't see it coming so she was not at all prepared. As his mouth settled over hers, the burning sensation in her throat intensified as the scent of his blood grew stronger. Without thought, she opened her mouth, teeth sinking into flesh, tongue flicking over the drops of blood forming on his bottom lip.
"Ouch!"
"I'm sorry," she stared at him wide-eyed, heart beating fast as the taste of blood on her tongue slowly dissipated, leaving behind a craving for more.
He stared at her, misunderstanding the hunger in her eyes. She should pull away, run as fast as she could from the hunger clawing at her throat, but instead, she leaned in, resting a hand against the side of his neck, the thrumming of rushing blood under the sensitive tips of her fingers causing her heart to beat faster with anticipation.
A sudden sense of danger swamped him before dissipating as he got lost in the odd colored flecks of her eyes, enthralled with how the gold streaks seemed to enhance tiny flecks of amber and red. Keeping her eyes on his, she stroked the side of his throat as she tried to control the feelings of arousal, pleasure, and desire swirling in him, recognizing the difficulty of manipulating the way he felt when she didn't feel the same. As she stared into his blue eyes, she focused on the pleasure she'd felt at the taste of his blood, swallowing back the sudden mouthful of saliva before leaning in to whisper into his ear, lips brushing against warm flesh, "I promise it'll feel good."
The pain he felt as razor sharp teeth sunk into his throat got lost in the fulfillment of her promise.
He never bothered checking up on her, no longer caring if she fed or not whenever he sent her out of the apartment to do so. He knew she never did despite the scent of warm animal on her, telling him she made it as far as the zoo but never bothered to actually make a kill. In a sense, it was good she didn't because zoo animals drained of blood would definitely call attention to something not quite normal roaming the streets of San Francisco.
At this point, after months of emotional torture escalating, he'd stopped caring what she did with her own life, stubbornness the only thing keeping him from giving her what he knew she wanted most. He would have given in to her, eventually, but the unexpected way she retaliated to his intrusion on her free will made him…leery at the idea of letting her loose on those unaware of what she was capable of doing.
All these years, he had lived in angst over the belief he had no soul, with a monster lurking below his carefully controlled baser nature…and all along, it had been her.
Slipping fisted hands into the pockets of his worn bomber jacket, he moved with stealth through the crowded sidewalks, nose picking up a smorgasbord of scents but mind focused on one alone.
He'd never checked up on her before but a sudden spike of pleasure and anticipation drove him from the apartment where he had been working on illustrations for his next book…and with guilt and loneliness his only companions for months, it had really gotten his attention.
Stopping outside the Starlight Lounge, he sniffed the air, catching a faint scent of her along with something else…moving faster through the crowd, he made his way to the zoo, that odd scent of toasted almonds and honey mingling with her own unique scent, letting him know he was too late.
Flat out running towards the park across the street from the zoo, he easily made his way through the maze of pathways, the fresh smell of spilt blood growing heavy in the air as he came around the corner, eyes widening at the sight before him.
Moving behind her without sound or hesitation, he clamped an arm around hers, his other hand gripping her jaw and forcing it open before he yanked her away, throwing her away from him, eyes locked on her as she sprawled across the manicured lawn, eyes glowing and teeth bared.
He kept his eyes on her, muscles tensed and ready as she rose with fluid grace, eyes flicking from him to the bench behind him then back. Seconds ticked by before she relaxed, closing her eyes as she slowly moved farther away, "Is he alive?"
"Now you care?" He turned to the guy slumped over on the bench, holding his breath as he moved his fingers across his throat, exhaling when he found a pulse –weak, but it was there, "He's alive but still bleeding."
"I know," her eyes were locked on the drops of blood slowly forming a puddle under the slatted bench, "Can you heal him?"
"No, Viviana, I can't," pulling out his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, he dialed 9-1-1, tone mocking as he looked over at her, "Unlike you, I'm venomous and a danger to humans."
"Nine –one –one, what's your emergency?"
"There's a guy on a bench at the park across the street from the zoo. He's bleeding but still alive."
"Where exactly in the park is he located?"
"In the middle of the park," looking around, he quickly picked up on distinct landmarks, "He's about three yards west of the swan fountain on the east side of the zoo."
"Can I have your name, sir?"
Ending the call without saying anything more, he moved across the pathway, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along with him, her hair falling around flushed cheeks, eyes bright as she looked over her shoulder at the guy, "Shouldn't we stay with him?"
"Would you like to explain to the police how his blood got on your shirt," looking at her with building rage, he pushed her around the corner, going down a dark alley opposite from where they had been, "You're not a very neat eater, Viviana."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not? It's your name," looking sideways at her, he noted her normally pale face flushed rose, sparkling eyes, and red-gold hair like living flames flowing down her shoulders and back, "Sure as hell fits you now, doesn't it?"
She didn't say anything, easily keeping step with him as they took back roads to their apartment complex. As soon as he unlocked the door, she pulled her arm from his grip, walking in on her own, eyes narrowing as he walked past her and down the hall to his room, giving her orders the whole way there, "Pack your things –we're leaving tonight."
"Why?"
"Why do you think," Marc glared at her as he shoved his bedroom door open, "That guy dies and they'll come after you. You may not be on any database but I'm sure someone saw you with him."
"No one noticed me."
"Oh, believe me, someone noticed. You're hardly a wallflower."
She watched him pack his paints and brushes, before looking at the seven foot by five foot canvas he had propped on two easels, jaw tightening at the familiar scene of trees, mountains, and crashing waves on a pebble strewn beach.
Without another word, she turned away from his door and headed to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She was feeling angry and that was an improvement to feeling nothing. As she emptied her small closet, she fanned the flames of her anger, face flushed as her movements became frenetic as clothes fell from the small twin size bed to the carpeted floor.
Packing her duffel bag, she shoved her hair out of her face as she stepped out into the hallway and turned into the corner, eyes narrowing as he came in through the door, having taken a load of his things –out of the two, he'd acquired more on top of what he'd brought with him –to the car.
She was done letting him be the one in control –if she could finally feel something, then it had to mean she could break free, "I'm not going with you."
He stopped several feet away from where she stood, dark eyes focused on hers as an eyebrow rose mockingly, "And where exactly do you think you'll be going?"
"I'm going home."
"You don't have a home, Viviana," he reminded her as he shifted his feet, able to feel the growing anger inside her, "We're not welcomed in La Push anymore."
"You're not welcomed there," growling, she dropped her bag at her feet, hands balled into fists as she focused her anger on him, "I, on the other hand, should have no problem getting them to see the truth."
"You mean your truth," Marc held himself rigid, his chest tightening painfully as anger he knew wasn't his began to burn through his veins, "I'm not letting you go back. You'll do no one any good by returning."
"You can't make me go with you –not anymore."
Letting out a dark chuckle, he focused his mind on her, able to pick up the threads of her thoughts despite her attempt to pull away, "You think you can beat me? I've been doing this much longer than you and there's no way in hell I'm letting you lose."
Tense minutes ticked by, Vivi's forehead beading with sweat as she tried to keep control over her own mind without success. As her anger drained, and the cold indifference she'd been living with for months returned, she snarled out a promise right before caving under his control, "I will break free even if I have to tear you to pieces."
He watched as she leaned against the wall, her gold-brown eyes losing the sparkle they'd had as they went blank along with her face, the anger still inside him along with a swelling wave of guilt and despair, "I'm sure you will but not today."
Last Day in April
She pulled her jacket tighter around her, eyes moving constantly as she huddled into the plastic chair near the corner of the bus station. She didn't think he would come after her but she wasn't sure so she'd found the one corner close to a door, giving herself a chance to run.
Shivering, she pulled her long legs up to her chest, keeping her backpack between herself and the wall. Looking over at the huge clock on the green tiled wall, she counted the time before her scheduled departure, her stomach cramping with hunger as she realized she only had ten more minutes of waiting time.
Pushing her bedraggled hair behind her ears, she wondered what she would find at the end of her destination. Would they welcome her as family or would they send her packing? Perhaps they wouldn't believe her story and insist on calling her mother, which would defeat the whole purpose of running away.
She needed to get them to understand, to see running away had been her only chance to live a normal life. Bottom lip tucked between straight teeth, she worked on ignoring her hunger, knowing she only had enough money to get a taxi or something to get to La Push once she reached Seattle.
She'd never been there but Daddy had told her if she ever needed help, she had family there. He'd been so sick with the cancer but he'd made sure to remind her of the stories he'd told her of what it was like growing up in the small reservation, with the forest and mountains and beach.
She dreamed of seeing James Island as a little girl because of those stories.
Now, it wasn't just getting to see with her own eyes the place she'd pictured in her mind due to Daddy's stories, but actually finding the help he'd promised she would find there. As the overhead system announced the boarding of the bus bound for Seattle, Washington, she prayed to Taha Aki, the chief of the spirit gods, Daddy would be right.
After all, despite all the wonderful stories he'd told her, he'd also shared the one thing that just might snatch her chance at freedom away.
Joshua Uley had left behind not one, but two families, and now here she was, the one child he'd stuck around to raise asking help from the ones he'd abandoned.
