Chapter 12: Running with the Memories
6/19/21
Rhydian kicked a nubbly pebble down the walk, watching it dance about the pavement. A child's laughter to his right garnered his attention. He smiled at the small boy laughing at his father's antics, his mother pushing him on a swing. Children dotted the large grassy area, picnic blankets laid about like quilted lily pads. Parents hovered over their little ones, playing catch, calling to them so they could capture their first steps. Rhydian rubbed at his chest, trying to massage the ache ruminating within.
Approaching the stone bridge that spanned over a small but powerful river, he swallowed the anxiety down that was creeping up his throat.
Rhydian paced up and down the length of the stout bridge. He scratched the back of his head, and sighed as he realized it was now twenty minutes passed their agreed meeting time and Maddy was nowhere to be found.
Maybe her father discovered it was a setup and stopped her, mate, Tom speculated.
Maybe Dacia was right, and this was a setup, Jana mused.
"I regret agreeing to this," Rhydian murmured, searching for her even though he knew that he would pick up her scent before he ever saw her.
Don't give up just yet, Rhydian. Maybe she got caught in traffic? came Shannon's voice.
Rhydian sheltered his hands in his pockets before unsheathing them again. "I regret allowing you all to come along. I hate having you all in my head - talking to me." He jostled the earpiece, trying in vain to make it feel more natural, all the while hoping the little device was as invisible as they claimed.
Sorry, but it was the earpiece or I tail you, Jana reminded.
Rhydian grumbled, but decided not to continue to fight with her. As much as he had wanted this "date" to be just he and Maddy, Jana - and to a greater extent Segolia - thought it might be some type of trap. Concerned for his safety and possibly others, they deemed approval contingent on his agreed to be escorted. Of course, weary that seeing anyone else other than himself, they negotiated that only his friends would come along and they would need to distance themselves to prevent scaring her away.
Just relax, Rhydian, Shannon urged.
Rhydian opened his mouth to debate this point when he picked up on a much desired scent. "Maddy," he breathed, and a chorused "aw" reverberated in his ear. Growling, "If you're going to commentate on everything I say, I'm tossin' the earpiece in the river."
Don't you dare! rebuked Jana.
Maddy jogged up to him, looking a frazzled. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't think you'd wait. Glad you did, though. "You look . . ." as she thoughtfully took in his dress, a twitch of smile fell as if she was thinking on something else. "Uh, you look really nice."
Rhydian laughed nervously, uncomfortable with the compliment but over-the-moon that she noticed. Sure, the attire had been borrowed from Tom's wardrobe, but she needn't be privy to that detail.
"You heading somewhere after?"
"Uh, no . . ." he answered, shifting back and forth. "You - you look amazing, great, uh, beautiful -"
A little much, mate, advised Tom, to which everyone - other than Rhydian - giggled.
Rhydian played with is collar needing something to do with his hand other than to play at the device tickling his ear.
Maddy looked herself over, and Rhydian would never admit it, but yes, he might have overdone it. His mate was dressed in worn running trainers, bright pink shorts, and a grey, loose fitting tank top. She wrapped her headphones around her iPhone and tucked a small lock of hair behind her ear. "Thanks," she mumbled, her cheeks coloring to the shade of a rose.
A beat of silence filled the space, and Rhydian worried this would easily be more a disaster than their last two encounters, where she attacked him and then he was attacked by two hybrid-Wolfbloods.
Unless you learned how to communicate telepathically, you need to say something. This is getting painfully awkward, Jana pushed.
Just act natural, mate. It's just you and Mads, Tom attempted to calm. Though, Rhydian couldn't disagree more with the man.
Ask her about what happened? How did she end up with the Hearts? We're relying on you, Rhydian, to fill in the blanks,Shannon rambled, her voice panicked.
"Running!" Rhydian blurted out, mentally kicking himself. "You plan to go on a run?" he tried to recover, only to be received by a collective groan.
Startled by his outburst, she blinked at him. Realizing he had asked her something, she trampled over her words until finally she explained, "I - I told me sister that I was goin' for a run. Told her I needed a think . . . some fresh air. It's what took me so long. She wanted to run it by father, but I guilted her into letting me go - said it was starting to get to me . . . being caged up in me own house." She looked down at her smudged trainers. Pushing around some of the stone bedding with the toe of her sneaker, she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I hate lying, you know? But . . . I heard what you said . . . I heard. So," she raised her head and let her hands fall to her sides in an exasperated way, "if I actually go for a run, I don't feel as if I'm be completely being dishonest."
Rhydian nodded. "Well, it's not like they gave you much choice."
Maddy gave him a reproving look. "Doesn't make my lying any better. Two wrongs don't make a right." Rhydian rolled his eyes, a feeling of deja vu washing over him. "I - ugh, I told my sister I'd be be home in two hours, so . . ."
Rhydian looked at his watch and realized they had used nearly an hour from the time they were supposed have met. "All right," he said, forcing a smile. "How about a walk. I've never been -"
"I'll lead the way, it's my favorite place to run, so I know the trails really well." She turned and descended down the small slopping path that that split east and west of the river.
Rhydian looked about, quickly sniffing the air. Following her as she went west of the river path, he felt some relief at not finding anything like the beasts' scent lingering in the air.
They leisurely walked the path, taking in the warmth of the sun and the few people traversing the river in kayaks. Before the voices that rattled about in his brain could start chattering again, Rhydian cleared his throat. "Said you had questions?"
Maddy stopped walking and jerked her head in the direction of the bench that was shaded by two large, old hornbeam trees. Looking about, she guided them to the bench and sat. Shifting to face him, she chewed her lip, scrunching her face as the sun glinted in her eyes. "That night . . . I saw you change . . . your eyes . . . . said you were a - a Wolf . . . blood, I think. What did you mean?"
You told her what?! Yelled Jana into his ear. You daft idiot! You . . . At this her ability to articulate herself was lost and she just made grunting noises.
Rhydian paled, his heart thumping so hard in his chest he felt like he had run several marathons. He had forgotten about what he had said that night.
It's Wolfblood, not Werewolf.
The words rang in his ear louder than his friends' pleas of different advice to backpedal his way out of the hole he dug for himself. Feeling and sensing the wolf pacing under his skin in elation and irritation, he wiped his hands nervously on his charcoal-colored slacks.
"You said," she pushed.
"You told the police that? Your fath-"
"I haven't said anything to anyone. They already think I'm mental when I said two harry beasts tried to attack me in me own flat. Like I'd make it worse to say 'oh, and the man that saved me was also one - but not exactly,'" she mocked. "But, I'm not mental, you said that . . . right?"
You need to make up something, Shannon said in one breath.
"Yes, it's true," Rhydian confirmed and rather his heart exploding, he felt his shoulders relax and his heart beat quiet.
Oh, for the love of God, muttered Shannon. He could almost see Shannon palm heel her forehead in frustration.
Rhydian continued to look Maddy in the eyes, what he was searching for he wasn't entirely certain. "A Wolfblood, is a term - not a medical one, for when your eyes change color during times of stress. It's named that because you look like a wolf," he informed her, his stomach clenching. "It's a rare - very rare condition. Some form of hypoglycemia. Most doctors don't even know about it."
"Oh," Maddy said dejectedly. "I feel like an idiot. Believing in monsters . . ." She squeezed his hand, and even as she pulled away, he swore he could still feel the warmth of her fingers around his. She rose and sauntered to the tree that was struggling to hold onto the eroding earth. She touched the bark, her fingers tracing the lines of the wood.
Nice one, congratulated Shannon, and Rhydian could hear the collective sigh of relief from Jana and Tom. He wanted to tell Maddy the truth, but he was also responsible for keeping their secret. 'The pack must come first' is the law all Wolfbloods, wild or tame, must follow to avoid genocide and extinction by humans.
Rhydian slowly got to his feet and meandered down to the river bank. He picked up a stone and skipped it along the water.
"Maddy, I -"
"What did they want with me, I wonder. Why dress up in werewolf costumes?"
"Werewolf costumes?"
"Yeah, it's what the police said," she said, as if he should have been privy to that tidbit of information.
"It was some type of fear tactic, but . . . never mind . . ."
I smell a cover up, Shannon said with disgust.
Yeah, but was it really the police? Tom posed.
Rhydian picked up another rock, and offered it to her. Maddy seemed to debate accepting the rock, but curiosity peaked, she accepted the flat stone. She rubbed her thumb over it for a few seconds before extended her hand back then twisting her hips and snapping her wrist as she let it go. The rock torpedoed across, skipping four times before plopping into the water with a thunk.
"Wow, nice one," Rhydian said, truly impressed.
"Thanks, we have a small creek that runs through our property. Captivity will teach you to find the most mundane worth mastering." She started to walk back to the path, "we have some more time . . . and I have some more questions."
Ask her about what she remembers ten years ago, Jana instructed.
Rhydian and Maddy continued to walked the path, a few people passing them on their own excursion, enjoying the spring weather.
"So, uh, you have . . ." Amnesia, he told himself, amnesia, he repeated; yet, the word sat congealing in his throat like a clogged pipe. "Do you remember anything from before ten years ago?"
They were rounding a small hill where on their right, parallel to the river were the remnants of an old canal lock. The lock, used once to lower and raise boats, drooped on one side, missing wood pieces on the other. A sign requesting visitors to not climb on the old structure was posted neatly in front.
"No, so why don't you tell me?" she said, whirling around with a dangerous look in her eyes.
Thrown for a loop by the quick change in mood, Rhydian tripped over his feet, haphazardly reaching out and catching himself on the split rail fence that guarded the canal from the public. "What?"
"You heard me; just as I heard you last Sunday."
Rhydian felt like he had walked into a trap; more so, as he realized (whether she did or not) that she had taken the high ground - the alpha position. Literally standing on a large wood beam that doubled as a step for visitors to better see the abandoned canal.
Maybe her wolf isn't as hidden as we thought, mused Jana.
"Said we were friends - family. What did you mean?"
Rhydian shifted, his skin covered in gooseflesh in spite of the warm weather and the fitted, heavy Armani blazer he was adorning. Rhydian waited, but the peanut gallery that had been buzzing about in his head the whole time was eerily silent and he wished he could ask them their thoughts without looking completely off his nut.
Rhydian looked from her to the glorified fossils of a time long gone, and exhaled loudly through his nose.
"You hunted me down at my studio . . . came to mine and fought those intruders, and then -"
Careful, Rhydian, warned Shannon. You don't know where her allegiance is.
Shan! This is Maddy, Tom reminded.
Yes, but is she ourMaddy? Shannon countered.
Instinct, Rhydian. What does it tell you? Jana advised.
Rhydian growled and pulled the ear piece out and chucked it as far as he could into the river.
"What was that?" Maddy asked, looking from him to the river.
"Bugs . . . very annoying," he answered, pretending to swat at an imaginary bug.
"Don't change the subject!" Her voice wavering, her eyes watering. "You said -"
"Tom, Shan, Jana, and I were all friends of yours at Bradlington High," he cut off. "You had moved away in Year 10 to Canada. . ."
If he didn't hear her heart beating, he would think she stopped breathing.
"So, that explains the license," she mumbled, looking passed him. She stepped off the small plateau and brushed passed him, in a near trance-like state. She walked along the split rail fence, her fingers faintly tracing the grain of the wood.
"Ma - Addie?" He called after her in a gentle voice, as if talking to a child.
She slowly turned to him, her eyes watering. "So, what happened?"
He felt juvenile as he shrugged his shoulders. "We're not sure. You just went missing."
Her mobile hit the dry dirt, kicking up a small cloud of dust. She reached down to reclaim it, but Rhydian beat her to it, placing it carefully in her hand. "Why? How?" she asked in a rushed breath.
"We don't know . . ." Rhydian answered, feeling as if his voice was filling with water, his chest growing heavy.
"So," she swallowed, her voice growing thick with emotion. "You've just been searching for me this whole time?"
"We were a pack. Said we . . ." he began, the ache in his chest solidifying into a hard lump. He let go of her hand and stepped away to collect himself.
Glancing down at her hand for a moment, she asked, "Me parents?"
"Missing too," Rhydian lamented, taking great care to swirl around the pebbles on the dirt path. He could hear Maddy sniffle. From the corner of sight, he could see her wiping away some escaping tears. Maybe telling her the truth was a bad idea, he wondered to himself.
A surge of confidence filling him from his toes to the tips of his ears, he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to him. "We found you. We will find your parents too, Mads."
"Mads?"
"Nickname," he smiled warmly. He sighed, resigning himself to having to use her other name. "Addie."
She returned a half-hearted smile. Looking at her phone, and tsked, seeing the time. Rhydian knew she needed to start her run if she wanted to keep up the ruse. "I wish we could . . ."
"I could go on the run with you?"
Maddy stared at him like he had two heads. "You're not dressed to run . . ."
Rhydian looked at his pressed slacks and crisp clean, snow-white shirt, and polished, leather dress shoes. "I'll be all right."
"You're not serious," her somber mood lifted into one of amusement.
"You can ask more questions," he tempted. Maddy looked at him, weighing his offer.
"You'll ruin your fancy clothes," she sing-songed, starting to transition from a brisk walk to a light jog.
This was the opposite of what he was supposed to do. Outside of disobeying Jana about the earpiece, he had agreed to stay nearby. Maddy was becoming a dot in the distance. Rhydian looked back to the bridge, his eyes following the walkway that led to the parking area where his friends sat gathered in a van, likely wondering why they couldn't hear him or Maddy anymore. Before he could give room for his better judgement to plant doubts in his brain, Rhydian was sprinting to catch up to Maddy. In seconds they were running side by side. They passed a deteriorating bridge, with yellow police tap webbed on either entrance. Rhydian pumped his arms, easily racing passed Maddy. An uproarious laugh tumbled from him, catching the shocked expression as he not only surpassed her, but in his inappropriate attire, to boot.
Rhydian winced as he felt a her roughly shove him as she caught up. A wolfish grin appeared on his face as he bumped her back, pulling ahead of her again. He started to slow his pace after a few seconds, wanting not to gain too much separation. As he peered over his shoulder, his eyes grew wide as a small blur flashed by, a light tittering laugh kissing his cheek. They continued this dance until they reached another fork in the road. To the left, the main drag continued where it would eventually lead to the west-end bridge allowing visitors to be steered back to the parking lot. To the right, a utility path that was off limits to the public. Rhydian started up the embankment and turned back, a playful glint in his eye. Maddy stuttered to a stop and titled her head to one side.
"What are you doing?".
"It will be more fun . . ." Rhydian taunted.
"I'm supposed to be keeping a low profile," she said, placing her hands on her hips and quirking an eyebrow.
"We're not going to get in trouble," he assured, quickly sniffing the air to confirm.
She climbed the small hill and stopped next to him.
He looked back longingly, thinking of all the times they would cut through the woods on their way to school.
"Listen," he began,
"You're it!" She tagged him, taking off down the path that was riddled with dead leaves and gnarly tree roots.
Rhydian pumped his fists in celebration, and chased after her. Continuing down the trail, she suddenly cut left, deviating from the trampled dirt road. Rhydian hesitated, until he realized she wasn't planning to return. Rhydian high-tailed it after her as she hustled up a hill and skittered down the other side. They volleyed over fallen trees, hopscotched across a shallow stream, each step moving them farther and farther away from the park. Before long, he noticed he was tiring, as if he was running at his max. Confused by the sensation of using his abilities - his Wolfblood abilities, he slowed down. "Hey, Maddy!" She was still running, pulling away from him. "Mads!" he bellowed, as she started down another slope. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted. "Addie! Wait!"
His mate disappeared from sight, only to reappear seconds later, looking winded but happy all the same.
"That was fun," she said immediately. "I don't know anyone who can keep up."
"Listen, ugh, we should head back," he suggested. "Uh, I think if we . . ."
He was trying to think of a way to discreetly use Eolas when she exclaimed, "This way!" She trucked back down the hillside she had just returned from. "Come on!"
Rhydian kept his head on a swivel as he watched for incoming danger, regretting his choice to listen to his inner wolf, who was prancing about in a victory strut. "Ma - Addie, where are . . ." His words evaporated in his mouth as they emerged from the woods to an expansive clearing, in which a stone castle was the centerpiece. Maddy sped down the grassy knoll, jumping onto the retaining wall and disappearing behind it.
Rhydian pulled out his phone and took a picture, texting it to Jana.
Message failed, his phone alerted him. Great, Rhydian through begrudgingly.
"Hey, you coming?" she beckoned in a stage whisper.
Rhydian looked back, the place appeared to be deserted. The hairs on his neck standing up, the his wolf pacing inside, he wanted to leave yet couldn't abandon her. Growling in frustration, he leapt over the retaining wall to find her waiting for him.
"What took ya?"
"Where are we?" The lawn was manicured, the the rose bushes lush and blooming, the shrubs that cushioned the stone wall even and symmetrical. Someone was clearly living here.
"Relax," she soothed. "This is my grandfather's place. No one is here, though."
Rhydian followed Maddy passed the conservatory, around the ballroom with its lavish floor-to-ceiling windows that gave show to a grand piano, marble fire place, and crystal chandelier.
"Your grandfather?"
"Well . . . my adopted grandfather . . . he passed away fifteen years ago, so I never met him. My father keeps it to rent out to friends, rich foreigners, who want to get away. Mostly Americans . . . Sometimes, my family will visit for a weekend," she explained. "It's been in the family for generations."
Maddy led him away through two small stone archways that connected the north and south ends of the castle. The grass was overgrown, and Rhydian looked to see the land dipped; reasoning this was used to collect water during a heavy rainfall. They disappeared behind a rock wall, descending down the hand-cut stone steps that curved around the steep ledge to which the castle was perched.
Reddish-orange rock huddled together until giving way to softer, tan colored sands. A large lake ebbed back and forth as if casually trying to reach them. They balanced from the unstable, shifting rock bed to the soft sand, walking in silence until they reach an enormous overhang. Hundreds of years of the water slowly chiseling way at the earth, left behind a grand canopy. Water crept in and slushed back out into the center of cave entrance. Switching his focus from not filling his scuffed shoes with sand, but to their safety, he finally broke the silence. "I know you come here and feel safe, but no one knows we're here, eh? So, perhaps we should -"
"If you're worried about those weird men . . . don't be."
"Why?"
Maddy carefully scaled a boulder, sliding down the other side. "The police found them. It's one of the reasons Sarah was kind of okay with my going for a run." She looked back, watching Rhydian deftly jump down from the top of the boulder, his shirt wrinkled, his pants speckled with dirt, his blazer contained several small tears. She chortled at his appearance, an 'I told you so' alight in her eyes. "I thought they would have told you . . . or Agent Valkis. Aren't you working with them?"
Rhydian looked away, his mind stop on one small detail. "Wait, the police said both 'werwolves' had been arrested?"
"I guess . . . father just said it had been taken care of," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"They find who sent them?"
Maddy shook her head, "Don't know. Dad is the one they communicate. He doesn't like to worry me and my sister, thinks we're too delicate and young to be involved." She rolled her eyes, kicking at the water. "Treats me like a kid, you know? Hate it."
Both of them? Rhydian wondered. "Ad-oompf," Rhydian knocked into Maddy, "sorry."
They were standing in the deepest part of the canopy, away from prying eyes, and completely shadow. Maddy rubbed her arms, and Rhydian handed her his jacket. "Thank you," she accepting, immediately sliding her arms inside the sleeves.
She stood there, rooted in the spot.
"Mads?"
"You asked if I remembered anything," she gestured with her arms out wide, "This is it. This is my first memory," she breathed. "Everything else . . . is gone."
Rhydian looked about, "What?" he said just above a whisper as the weight of her words fell on him like a ton of bricks.
A large rock, suitable for sitting, rested behind them. She perched herself on it, looking at him to join her. Rhydian exhaled, raking his fingers through is hair. He eased himself next to her, wedging his hands between his legs, as she hugged herself.
"So, you were. . ." He couldn't form the words - didn't want to say it aloud.
"Found here . . . " she finished with an edge to her voice.
Rhydian looked at her, searching her face for a clue as to her change in tone.
"It's where my sister and mum found me. They were walking the shoreline like they always did while visiting . . . looking for unique finds that may have washed ashore. . ." she nervously laughed, looking at the gentle waters, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I remember hearing Mum's voice . . . trying to wake me, gently brushing my hair out of me face with her soft hand . . ." she paused, taking a quivering breath, "she always smelled of roses mixed with lavender." She looked at her hands, her polished, violet nails. "What couldn't be more unique than to find a person, right? I mean, I'm thankful someone found me," she snorted.
"Maddy, we -"
"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair for me to say. You can't be much older than me."
"We're the same age," he confirmed, matter-of-factly.
"I guess . . . now that I know me parents - my biological parents are missing too . . . I can't really be mad at them. I wondered for years why they never came looking." She have a big dramatic sigh, "Who knows if they're even alive."
Rhydian heard her swallow, blinking back tears that wanted free. "They're alive."
"How do you know?!" she demanded, jumping to her feet, glaring at him. "You don't!"
"Because."
"That's - that's not an answer. You don't know anymore then I do about what happened to me or my parents. Don't promise something you can't keep!"
"I'm not!" he asserted, also standing. Towering over her, his height advantaged didn't impress her in the least as she stood with her shoulders back, challengingly. He could feel the tingling sensation coursing through his veins. "If I - if we gave up . . . then we never would have found you! I have to believe it's true!"
"What?"
Rhydian licked his lips nervously. "I . . . I . . . I'm not giving up finding my pac - your parents. They're out there!" he asserted, pointing out into the distant land across the lake. "I know they are. I can feel it," he said quietly, taking a calming breath and feeling his wolf snort at the indignation.
Rhydian looked about, trying to busy himself.
"You won't find anything," she said knowingly. "The night before I was found, it rained horribly . . . flooding and all. I was covered in mud and sand . . . stones in me pockets and hair." She made a face at the recollection to the state in which she had been discovered in. "They think I had been running for a while based on . . ." she scrunched her face up as she recalled the day in better detail, "the healing of some wounds - scratches and stuff." She exhaled, flipping up some loose strands of hair. "That's assumin' I got it wherever I had been . . . taken. The point is, they never found anything to lead to a person of interest . . . or to even identify who I was."
Rhydian pushed up his sleeves, uncaring that a button had popped off and his shirt was half-untucked. Healing? Like that does any good. Wolfbloods heal much faster than humans, he thought with disgust. So, the flimsy conclusions that investigators pieced together were based off faulty information. He made a noise of discontent in the back of his throat and dropped down, grabbing the first rock he could reach and threw it as hard as he could into the lake. "Damn it."
"Ha, you're mad? Can't imagine how it feels to be the person who can't remember a thing of her past," she grumbled.
Rhydian's shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, it's just . . ."
"Thought you would find something," she smirked, "I've searched. Once things calmed down, I would sneak down here, looking for something. Thinkin' they had to have missed something." She spun in circles, gesturing to the general vicinity they stood. "Never found a thing."
"Sneak down?"
"Well, yeah. Dad thought it might be too dangerous in case whoever was chasing me came here, so he or one of the servants would escort us around the property. Mum used to pretend to be some type of celebrity from the States. . . then after the accident . . ."
"Accident?"
"My mum and sister got in a nasty car accident not long after I was found. The accident killed me mum, and Sarah wound up paralyzed - well, you've seen her. She's confined to that wheelchair. It wasn't always like that. Anyway," she rambled, "after the accident, Sarah didn't like to walk the shoreline . . . I guess, cause she couldn't . . . But even if she could, I don't think she would have . . . So, I'd sneak down at night sometimes. Take one of the torches from the garden shed and come looking down here searching for clues, hoping I'd find something."
"Never found anything?"
Maddy shook her head.
"Huh," he responded, folding his arms over his chest.
"What?"
"It's just odd . . . I mean for all the money and resources . . . and power, the Heart family seems to have taken more care to keep you hidden than help you be found," Rhydian said loftily.
Maddy whirled around, her eyes trained on the blonde. In hindsight, Rhydian wasn't sure why he had said it, or even what he had been expecting to happen by saying it. One thing was for sure, he hadn't been expecting what came next. With the same unexpected speed she had displayed earlier during their run, Rhydian felt her hand connect with his cheek. Touching his face, he saw a small sliver of blood on his hand. Checking her hands and eyes, he found no signs of her wolf; yet, he could feel the sting and trickle of blood dripping down his face.
"You arsehole!" she hissed. "Mum and Dad - and I do mean Richard and Anna Heart - worked tirelessly to find me real birth parents and get me home safe. And just cause Dad was cautious - well, at least I was never abducted under his watch!" She shoved him, causing him to loose balance as he stumbled back on a few wobbly stones and fell into the water. His watch, his phone - borrowed suit - all of it were ruined! He sat there, waves lapping at this waist and legs, completely dumbstruck. "You deserve it," she muttered, taking the blazer off and tossing it over his head. She began walking back toward the castle, when she whirled around and Rhydian quickly rose to his feet, bracing himself for another attack. "You think you know everything, but you know nothing. At all. You're an immature, reckless, prat." She took a few steps closer, and Rhydian curled his arms in, just in case she went to do more than shove him. "I got a question. Where were you? And - and everyone else? And Segolia? London's Special Task Force Division," she rattled off, adding air quotes to last.
While Rhydian would never admit any sympathy to the organization, but Jana made every effort to keep her word to Rhydian and find the Smith family. "Hey! We did all we could. You vanished into thin air!" he snarled, snapping his fingers in her face for emphasis. "Jana went to Canada, searched the entire country for clues of your whereabouts! Tom, Shan, and I scoured every port looking for you!"
"Yeah, well it wasn't enough, was it?" she shot back, kicking some pebbles into the air so that they rained down into the gentle waves that rolled up the shore.
"Hurry, I think I heard Ms. Madeline shouting," came a nasally voice. Rhydian's head shot up, his eyes focused on the other end of the beach. Maddy mimicked him, having also heard the man.
"I thought you said no one was here."
"It's Mohammed, our head servant. He's the only one trusted with caring for Heart Castle while it's in-between vacationers."Another man could be heard ambling behind the middle-aged butler. "That must be the caretaker with him." Maddy awkwardly trudged through the wet sand, sticking to the water so that her steps washed away with each passing wave. "Come on," she whispered. "If I'm caught with you, me father will have your hide and I'll never be trusted out again."
Rhydian followed Maddy, their splashing echoing off the concave wall. They raced along the beachside in the opposite direction and around a bend until they came upon a small opening that looked to have been some type of impromptu walk, drift wood pushed into the earth as makeshift steps. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up the steps that sunk slightly with each hasty step. They continued single file through the narrow, hand cut path until finally reappearing on the public trail.
Rhydian slung his blazer over his shoulder, the jacket two distinct colors. Tom's going to kill me, he thought, sighing in defeat. Looking over at Maddy, who keep her focus ahead of her, he joked, "Done that before, have you?" When she didn't respond and continued pushing on, Rhydian yanked on her arm, stopping their march, and turning her to face him. "I'm sorry, all right?"
"No," she said firmly, pulling away from him.
"'No' as you don't forgive me or 'no' as you've never done that disappearing act before," he smirked.
Maddy huffed and continued back to the east end bridge, back to the lot.
So much for this not being a disaster, he mused to himself.
They were nearing the old stone bridge, the remaining part of their journey deathly silent.
Rhydian didn't think it was possible to feel any lower than he was currently until he spotted a fiery redhead stomping up to him.
"Agent Vilkas?" Maddy said, looking confused. Turning on her heel to face Rhydian, she gritted her teeth. "You're unbelievable. I thought I asked not to involve any authorities."
"Yes, but -"
"You're unbelievable," Jana started. "How simple is it to follow the directions I gave you? Huh? If you don't care about your own safety, what about hers?" she asked, sounding more hurt than annoyed.
"Wait, if you'll all just let me explain -" Rhydian started to respond.
"Sarah and father were right about you," Maddy said dejectedly. "This was a dumb idea."
"Wait, Ma - Addie?" He tried to reach out for her, but she turned away and started trudging up the steep climb to the lot.
Arms crossed over her chest, "What happened out there? This is why I didn't want you going off on your own. I vouched for you to my superiors." Jana tapped her foot, her irises speckled with flecks of yellow.
"Yell at me later, huh?" He watched Maddy gaining distancing, soon she would be getting in her car.
Jana looked from him to Maddy, "Let's go."
They easily caught up with her. "Go away," she commanded.
"Maddy, please let me explain," Rhydian tried.
"I forced Rhydian to tell me. I was there when you called. We just wanted ensure both your safety," Jana explained in a rush.
"You're all just liars. All of you." On cue, Tom jogged up to them, stopping short as he eyes landed on Rhydian's disheveled look. Looking at Tom, she reiterated, "All of ya." Maddy pulled a key fob from her pocket and unlocked her pearl white Aston Martin. "Do me a favor, and just leave me alone. I'm very happy with my life as it is."
"If you were, you wouldn't have asked to meet Rhydian," Jana countered, her voice rising in panic.
His eyes fixed on the mud stain splotches, water marks, and tears spotting the clothes he lent Rhydian, Tom tried to contribute, "Just hear us out, yeah?"
"Maddy?" It was a soft, choked-up whisper that cut through the cacophony of explanations swirling about. The grouped turned to see Shannon slowly approach, her hands trembling. "I can't believe it," she breathed. Shannon approached the Wolfblood, holding her arms out for a hug. Maddy seemed apprehensive, shuffling back. However, that didn't discourage the scientist, in the least. Bringing her into a tight embrace, Shannon sobbed, "You're real."
Rhydian watched Maddy awkwardly pat Shannon's back. Separating, Shannon took a quivering breath. "I'm sorry - hormones, the pregnancy," she rambled. "It's just . . . we had been searching for you for so long and somedays I wasn't sure if I'd ever find my best friend again."
Maddy fidgeted, unsure what to do with her hands. She inhaled deeply, her eyes taking count of everyone's footwear. Looking up, she asked, "Um . . . you're Tom's wife, right? He mentioned you when he worked at the house. Congratulations . . ."
"Thank you," Shannon beamed, resting her hands on her baby bump.
"R-Rhydian said we were friends -"
"Oh yeah, way before he had ever come into the picture," Shannon said airily. "We were as thick as thieves. You, me, and Tom," Shannon smiled broadly.
"And Jana?"
"Came along the last year we were all in school together."
Maddy nodded her head, "And Rhydian?" she asked as if he wasn't standing next to her.
"Well, you always had a thing for strays," she smirked to which Rhydian rolled his eyes.
Maddy laughed. "Right," she murmured.
"Listen, I . . . don't know what all happened," Shannon started, her eyes trailing from the soles of Rhydian's cracked and caked leather shoes to the ring of dried sea water around his torso, "but, I would love if you would join me and Tom for dinner."
"I, uh . . ."
"Or just me. Everyone's had time to see you . . . catch up . . . you don't know how I've worried . . . finding you and your family again."
"I really need to be getting back home. Me father is going to be furious - "
"Please . . ." Shannon begged in a whisper."Come on, humor Maddy and I," she pressed, patting her belly.
"Maddy?" Maddy asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"We found out the baby is a girl and decided to name her Madeline after you. Call her 'Maddy' for short," Shannon supplied.
"If we're lucky, she'll be just as caring, confident, and determined as you are," Tom added in a soft voice.
Maddy chewed her bottom lip, the news tearing down any composure she had built for herself. "You . . . named her after me?" she said, more than asked. Shannon nodded, eagerness alight in her eyes that Maddy would agree to have dinner with her. Dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, she sniffed, "Okay, where did you want to meet for dinner?"
- End Chapter
A/N: Thank you for reading. And thank you to the guests readers that have reviewed. Hopefully you picked up on some of the clues as the mystery of what happened to Maddy and her family and who was responsible begins to unfold. Thank you again. Feedback is appreciated