A/N: A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the wonderful review. Onto number eight, let me know what you think.
Chapter 8:
In The Stars
On the road again. It felt like an endless process. What I wouldn't do to have a settling point on this journey to freedom. Although, it wasn't so bad having Adam along for the ride. He was sitting in the passenger seat this time. His eyes were focused on the outside world. The sight of the summer breeze filtering through his locks of hair made me smile.
Moving my hand to the stereo, I pushed a button that would connect my phone to the auxiliary cord attached to it. Music was needed if there was going to be silence between us. A classic song from the 80's started to blare out from the speakers. 'Hysteria' by Def Leppard.
"So what are we going to do today?" Adam asked, slightly turning the volume down.
"We are going to try to make it over the South Carolina border. There is a place we can stay hidden for a little bit."
"Hopefully. All this traveling is making me a little claustrophobic."
He turned away from the window and looked directly at me. There was a sadness behind those eyes and it broke my heart to witness. I shouldn't have asked if I could take his memories away. I should have just done it. All of this was tearing away his vibrance. "I am sorry. As I said before, the offer still stands to have you go back to your normal life."
"Screw that. I have enough of my life taken away."
"Alright. Is there anything I can do to make this easier?"
"No. I'm okay, just lost in your world."
"You know you can ask me whatever you want."
He nodded his head then gave my hand, which was resting on the center console, a gentle squeeze. If I was honest with myself, I wished he'd ask the questions he wanted to. It made me wonder if he was afraid of the answers I'd give.
Switching lanes on the highway, I looked up at my rearview mirror only to see a darken sedan following me closely. Narrowing my eyes, I switched lanes again. That same sedan followed suit. "What's up?" Adam asked.
"We are being followed." I answered.
He quickly turned his head to see what I was talking about. Thankfully some jackass driver cut the driver off that sedan, cutting distance between us a little. Adam turned back around to face the windshield. Pushing my foot down on the gas, I weaved through the lanes a few times to try and put even more distance between us and that vehicle.
"I don't see them anymore." He commented.
"Doesn't mean they aren't still there. There is someone nearby that could potentially help us figure out what to do next."
"Who would that be?"
"A former employee of my father's."
I could tell that Adam was not impressed with my answer. His skepticism was justified considering everything I've told him about my adoptive family. After the next two exits passed by, I turned off onto the third one. Keeping my eyes frequently on my rearview mirror, I turned left.
After about twenty-five minutes of driving, we came to our destination. There was a black iron gate blocking our passage to the long driveway. I leaned out to press the button. "Yes." A voice answered.
"Alayna Riveria, I need to see Gregory."
There was no response, only a click of the gate opening for us. Placing my hands back on the wheel, I continued forward. It took us another minute or two to drive up the lengthy driveway. "Boy this guy must be loaded to live in this gated mansion." Adam commented as we came to a stop in front of the three stall garage.
"Well he did work for my father for many years until he no longer believed in the things they were doing. He's the only former employee he let live."
"That's so fucking messed up."
Opening the car door, I stepped out. I could see Gregory open the side door and stand on the small porch. His lean form was matched with salt and pepper hair. His age was catching up with him and it's been far too long since I've laid eyes on him. "Oh Alayna, it's so good to see you again."
"I wish this was a social visit; but we need your help."
"We?"
Adam stepped up to stand beside me. Gregory's brows furrowed; but he eventually stepped aside and allowed us inside. Closing the door behind, we moved into the kitchen and sat down at the rectangular island in the middle of the floor. "What can I help you with, child?" he asked, lifting his mug full of coffee to his lips.
"What is it about me that makes my father think he can use me to further his agenda?" I asked, mentally preparing myself for the answer I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to hear.
"What do you know of your heritage?"
"I know my birth mother was a mermaid. Elijah hinted that my father couldn't decipher what the other part of me was."
Adam stood close to me, knowing that it wasn't easy for me to talk about my past. We had spent almost a week together and I was grateful to him in so many ways. If I was honest with myself, I didn't want to do this alone.
Gregory sat his mug down on the counter, then turned back towards us. "That is true. No one could figure out what your biological father's bloodline was. However, he had some theories."
"I think everyone had theories, including myself; but none of it really mattered to me. The only question that mattered to me was whether or not I was giving up or taken from my biological parents."
"That question I can answer. You were taken."
A wave of relief washed over me. The underlying notion that I had been abandoned had been eradicated. Philip and Claire had taken me away from parents who never got a chance to take care of me. The feeling of burning tears stung the corners of my eyes and I found myself gripping the edge of the countertop on the island until it started to crack under the pressure. "Everything is written in this journal. If you want the answers, they are in there. There are also sketches of what your birth parents looked like."
Gregory pulled open a drawer and pulled out a thick brown leather book. He slid the book in my direction and I hesitantly placed my hands upon the item. Adam hovered close. His comforting scent waved under my nose and it made the tears fall away, with only a single one able to run down the length of my cheek. "Where do I go from here?" I asked, hoping that he would have an answer for me.
He, once again, turned back towards that same drawer he had pulled the journal from. This time he pulled out a set of keys. "There is a safe house on the other end of this property, you'll have to walk there on foot and we can hide your car in the garage; but it will keep you hidden for a little while."
"Thank you." I answered, taking the set of keys.
Gregory walked us back to the door. He pushed a button and one of the garage doors opened. Adam walked down the steps to drive the car into the stall. "Be careful. Your friend isn't as human as you think he is."
"What are you talking about?"
"There is a reason May 1st, 2nd and 3rd was erased from your memory...from both of your memories."
Without hesitation, I dropped the keys and journal from my hands to the ground and wrapped my hand around his neck. Adam ran the distance from the garage to where I was losing control of myself. "Alayna!" He shouted.
"Explain to me what the hell happened and why those days were erased from our memory!" I snarled.
"Test subject…"
I released the hold I had on his neck. He coughed, gasped for a decent breath of air. Heat circulated in my palm, forming a ball of orangish yellow energy. Gregory chuckled, "I see you've learned some new things since the last time I saw you."
"Don't change the subject. Tell me what happened, now!"
"You were with your parents on one of their many outings on the yacht. A fishing boat caught fire, capsizing where it stood. Your friend there was the only survivor thanks to you. You rescued him and your parents decided to take him as a test subject."
My heart dropped to my stomach. I couldn't even look Adam in the eye in that moment. The energy in my palm dissipated and I collapsed to my knees. Gregory knelt down in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "They never got a chance to do any testing on him. He radiated with a brilliant light while unconscious and you refused to see him become a victim. Once again, you rescued him from the lab and set him free on the beach near where his ship capsized and I took both of your memories away, so you wouldn't have to remember the events."
Adam crouched down to my left and held out a hand for me to take. I looked up and saw the smile on his face. How could he smile at a time like this? Instinctively, I accepted his hand and he pulled me to my feet. His eyes locked with mine as he reached up to touch the side of my face, wiping away another tear that had rolled down my cheek. "Now we know why we seemed familiar to each other. You saved me, not once but twice."
Was he dismissing the fact that Gregory pretty much said that he wasn't exactly human either. So now there was another question that needed to be answered. What was Adam if not human?
Adam picked up the journal and keys from the ground. He handed them back to me and we started our walk behind the property towards the safe house Gregory offered us to stay in. The trees were absolutely beautiful, green and shimmering under the sunlight. "Alayna." Adam called.
"Yeah…"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Saving my life and not allowing me to become a test subject."
I stopped walking and turned around to face him. There was a smile on his face and his comforting blue eyes were reflective against the sunlight. Where we stood was in a clearing filled with wildflowers of just about every color. "There is no need to thank me, Adam. Whether I can remember it or not is irrelevant. I'd never let anyone become a victim to their tierany nor would I let anyone drown if I could help it."
He closed the distance between us, standing ever so close that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. Tucking hair behind my ear, his thumb brushed against my ear. "We will figure all of this out...together."
"But…" My words were cut off by his mouth on mine. Sinking into the feeling, I lost myself in the waves of emotion. His lips were soft and matched perfectly against mine. Knowing him just under a week, I knew that there was something special about him that drew me in.
There was heat between us and when we seperated, he was radiating in a bright light that resembled the sun. I didn't have time to think about the kiss we had shared, because this very not-human energy was surrounding him. "Adam…" I called.
The light started to fade away just as quickly as it had appeared. He looked at me with a confused expression, which was completely understandable. I didn't know what to make of it either. We silently started to walk down the rest of the path towards the safe house, where we could take a breath and sort through everything that's happened so far. Perhaps reading the journal would give us some clues as well.