Chapter 16:

Cara:

The trip was the same. Back up the stairs, past the staring werewolves who wanted to kill me. The smell of something really delicious made my mouth water, my stomach growled because I hadn't eaten anything beside that ham sandwich in days.

David dragged me through the same hallways, to the same door, and sat me down on the same bed. He saw the open window, sighed with a shake of his curly head, and slammed it shut, like my dreams of going home. In less than ten minutes flat, I was stuck back in my cell, right where I'd started with a huge bruise on my foot to show for my almost successful escape plot. I crossed my arms over my chest and silently fumed at everything all at once.

"You're lucky it was me that caught you, that's all I'm going to say about that" David leaned against the window sill, directly in my line of vision. Like purposefully making me grind my teeth even more.

"Why does it not feel that way?" I shot back through a clenched jaw. There was a mind-numbing headache working its way up to my brain, I could already feel the dull ache at my temples.

"Considering the alternative of it not being me that found you, I'd be grateful. Imagine life or death, then make it reality"

Life or death? I forced myself to swallow, my throat almost too dry from running and the steady panic and nervousness. Was it possible that for the second time David had actually helped me rather than make my life any worse? Why was my mind having a hard time accepting that? I threw a hesitant glance at David, who stared back at me, then I let my gaze drop back to the floor.

"So they would have…." I let the question ask itself, let the words hung in the air between us. The bed suddenly seemed really comfortable and all I wanted just then was to stretch out and just sleep forever. But having David stand there watching me made that kind of an impossibility.

"They want to" He answered and it sent shivers through my entire body, up and down my spine.

I hugged myself, for the first time looking up at David with his curly hair and green eyes. He seemed so much older to me but he couldn't be more than twenty. Yet somehow there was something about him that told me his age didn't matter, he was way older than twenty, life experience wise. I realized that he'd have done a lot of things in his life to get that hard, cold stare and I wondered what that would entail.

"Do you want to kill me?" I asked. The words felt weird in my mouth, saying them out loud seemed to make them realer, the threat an actual possibility. I instantly regretted asking in the first place, because the answer could be really bad.

A pause. A long pause that hung in the air between us.

The crickets sang outside.

"I… don't know. Sometimes… you just… you drive me insane, mad. I can't remember who I am around-"He caught himself, his jaw snapped shut with an audible snap. David's green eyes flashed open for the briefest second, meeting my widening ones. "I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. I could kill if you asked me to, do anything you asked me to, but I could never… I want to kill you sometimes, but I know I never could"

"What if she made you?" My voice was barely a whisper, his last answer thoroughly taking my breath away. "What if you didn't have a choice?"

"Nobody can make me do anything" hissed David, like I'd asked him to sell his kidney. His voice was so angry and tense I had to look up, see the real venom in his face. But I couldn't see it, he was bathed in shadow, hidden from where I could see.

"So it's okay to make me do things I don't want to, but not you?"
"That's not the same thing"
"It's not? Really?"

"No! I earned this, I worked for that right! You… you were just born into it" I flinched at his shout, his tone. My face flushed with heat, my hands were almost shaking. This was the David I was afraid of even though I hadn't seen him before that moment. Suddenly I didn't want to look at him, so I stared at the floor, the shadows. "I worked so hard and she's still making me…"

In a sudden rush, he pushed off the wall and was at the door in seconds, before I could even take my next breath and before his last words had even been said. I blinked and he was gone, the door closed with a quiet snick. For a while I stared at the place he'd just been- confused and tired and wondering where the old David had gone and almost wanting him back.

After one flustered look at the stars out my window, I threw myself down onto my back, dragged the pillow over my face and tried to forget the past fifteen minutes had ever happened.

Jake:

I sat up watching the fire crackle and sputter steadily out. It was a huge red dash of light in the darkness, the heat was scorching my face and arms where I leaned against a tree way too close for comfort.

We'd traveled straight the entire day, only stopping once and surprisingly not at Leah's demand. Now the Pack lay asleep, wrapped in blankets we'd carried along with the one minimal outfit we'd each brought. I was too pumped to sleep, to even stop moving really. My foot kept tapping, I kept switching where I sat because we were so close now I could feel it. The air wasn't as deserted, wasn't as alone. There were people nearby somewhere and Cara was one of them. It sent my heart spiraling.

"Couldn't sleep either?" I blinked against the firelight and saw Meghan standing next to me with her blanket wrapped around her. I didn't really see why she needed it but didn't say anything, I owed her too much to nag.

"Not now" She nodded with her gaze fixed on the flames. "We're close aren't we?" I couldn't help but ask, even though I knew this was going to be hard on the girl who was so young to be going through this. The anticipation bubbled over in my voice.

"Very. We'll be there way before lunch tomorrow. Morning shifts wouldn't even have been changed yet" Meghan sighed, her shoulders slumping as she did.

I sat there next to her, not really knowing what to do, thinking I should probably pat her on the back or something but that seemed to be the opposite of what she needed. Cara would have known what to do in this situation, even Leah would have had some clue. But put a guy in that scenario, he's hopeless. So I settled with just sitting there next to her, not saying a word but that seemed to oddly work.

"How old is your brother?" I finally asked after clearing my throat about five times. But I saw a small smile in the dim light. I thought about my own sisters and wondered if they'd go to all this trouble for me… probably yes until they found out I'd used one of their shirts as an oil rag.

"He's twelve" Meghan laughed but there was no humor in it, just bitter resentment I didn't understand. "He doesn't even remember what life was like before we got dragged into Diana's world. Imagine all the good in Princess Diana and turn it all into bad. That's Queen Diana"

"That's Cara's mom" I said, finding it really hard to believe yet again. In my mind the two images stood next to each other, as opposite as the poles. Light vs. dark.

"Yeah, well… "

It was silent again, the only sound the crackle and pops from the fire. There was a root sticking into my leg which had fallen asleep a while ago but I didn't want to move in case she got the wrong idea. I knew what she hadn't said, it was as obvious as the root jabbing me. At least Cara has a mom. Whatever good that does her.

After taking a deep breath I said, "We'll get your brother. I promise"

Something moved in the darkness behind us, making me jump slightly but Meghan barely even blinked. A shadow had clouded her face and she looked like a completely different person because of it. I propped my elbows on my knees and watched her in the dim light as she thought about that.

"We'll see" was all she said. Then she stood, brushed herself off and turned away, leaving me alone to sit and think and wait again. "Goodnight, Jake"