The ride home was uneventful, just the usual two hour drive between the large city and the quaint town of Colville. I tried my best not to draw into myself, like I did when I had something warring on my mind. I forced myself to make eye contact, so smile and converse with Chloe, Tori, and Lauren. I learned that Chloe was into directing. That she had been going to an arts school before her first ghostly encounter. I learned that Tori had been hoping to be a fashion designer, than she'd had a few sketchbooks hidden under her bead back at the Lyle House, though they were probably gone by now. I also learned that neither of them had too terribly great control over their powers.
They explained that Chloe raised the dead in her sleep sometimes, though now it was less frequent. I had reassured them that I had a few necromancers I could call, and they would all gladly extend a helping hand. They owed my in-laws quite a few favors.
And though I was an active participant of the conversation, my mind was trying not to wrap itself too securely around the idea that it kept forming. I was too terrified for this to happen again. I had been too young the last time, neither Trace or I had been ready. And we especially hadn't been ready to loose her. But now I was older, and he seemed to be prepared for the idea. But I was getting ahead of myself. Though it was a possibility, it was still completely true I got nauseous if I was in my wolf form too long.
I decided to make sure before I told anyone my suspicions.
I did a little tour as we passed the familiar buildings in the city, showing everyone where things were. From the way they spoke, I took it that they planned on staying a while. It was still summer break, but I showed them the high school, if they wanted some form of normalcy in their life again. Tori started talking animatedly about going back to school, and Chloe listened obediently. I could hear the boys laughing in the back about something. It would take a while to get used to having them around again. And considering we had all changed so much, it was like I was facing the prospect of getting to know six strangers instead of just three.
Then I pulled down my long driveway, taking it slow so I didn't throw one of the guy's from the bed of the truck. I grinned as they all let out a low whistle.
"Dear god. Is this a house or mansion?" Tori asked as I threw the truck into park.
"A little bit in-between." I smirked, then helped carry in the arsenal of shopping bags we had acquired.
"Is Trace here?" Kit asked as I unlocked the door. Just as I was reaching to twist the handle open, the door swung away from me. I smiled when I saw Trace standing there, looking at dashing as ever in his hospital scrubs.
"Hey Dani." he reached for me, and kissed my cheek. "The hospital paged. I had Claire hold on to my pager while I was on the run. I'm sorry honey."
"I can…" I paused when Trace all but snarled at me.
"Daniella Shomecossee. Do I have to shackle you here?" he cocked an eyebrow. I pursed my lips, and shook my head.
"No." I answered meekly.
"Good." he nodded. "Quick meet and greet, then I gotta go." he turned to the group on the porch.
"Chloe, Tori, and Lauren. The boys you already know." I smiled as Trace nodded.
"Nice to meet you ladies. I must seem very rude, but my job is never done. I'll see you when I get home hon." he jumped into his car, and all but tore down the road.
"My lovely husband, ladies and gentlemen." I laughed, then set the bags near the foot of the stairs. "Alright, room assignments." I announced, trotting up the stairs, everyone following obediently. I purposely put Kit and Lauren in the rooms farthest from Trace's and mine.
"How many extra rooms do you have?" Tori asked incredulously, as she stepped into the guest room I'd assigned to her.
"Five." I answered simply. That caught Kit's attention.
"Who is going to share? Do one of the rooms have two beds? The boy's could share." he smiled, but it was strained like he knew exactly what I was thinking. I shook my head.
"Derek and Chloe are sharing, but they're in the room closest to mine, so nothing will be happening." I turned to look at them pointedly. "Nothing, understood?" Chloe flushed and stepped into the room, while Derek rolled his eyes and followed her. Tori snickered, stepping into her own room. I leaned against the doorframe of Derek and Chloe's room.
"Hey Chloe. You want me to dye your hair now, or later?" I asked, the Target bag swinging from my finger. She grinned, and looked up at Derek.
"Go." he chuckled, and set their suitcases on the desk near the window. Chloe followed me down the hallway into the bathroom. I pulled a chair up to the sink, and set the dye boxes on the counter.
"Have you ever colored someone's hair before?" Chloe asked, flopping down onto the chair. I grabbed a hairbrush from the counter, and brushed her hair back away from her face.
"Many times. You would not believe how infantile the pack girls can be. Trust me. Their sleepover's aren't exactly the innocent, pillow fight slash truth or dare games. They usually involve one or all of us waking up looking like we went to a bar and got hammered, without the hangover part."
"That's not so bad." Chloe smiled innocently.
"It is when you wake up with blue hair," I grimaced, "I swear to God, I looked like Ceasar from the Hunger Games."
"'May the odds be ever in your favor!'" Chloe cried suddenly, and unexpectedly, I had to pause in opening the box to laugh.
"That's Effie silly girl." I finally managed to choke out, then proceeded in mixing together the dye. Chloe watched my movements carefully as I parted and lifted her hair, applying the dye liberally. Her hair was so fine, I had a hard time believing there was much of anything we could do with it. The style was well executed, but it was too wispy for the thickness of her hair. Honestly, looking at her as the dye set, she looked like she could pass for ten or eleven.
"So, how did you and Trace meet?" Chloe asked conversationally, her fingers picking at the edge of the towel I'd wrapped around her shoulders to keep the dye off her shirt.
"Well, like I said earlier, we met through his mother." I shook my head fondly. "Samantha can be somewhat of a matchmaker."
"A good matchmaker." Chloe pointed out, and I conceded to the truth of the statement.
"Well, I was only seventeen at the time, still in high school. I was just doodling floor plans on napkins, and the margins of my homework, nothing too serious. Then, while I was waiting for my friend Alyssa at a coffee shop, Samantha saw one of my doodles and asked if I designed professionally." I rolled my eyes at myself. "Growing up the way I did, we hardly gave out our real names to strangers. I gave her an alias, of course, not knowing she already knew who I was. Samantha was a good sport about it though, and allowed me the little bit of security I had. I met Trace at their open house, when they were showing off my work."
When the half hour limit was up I had her lean over the tub, using a small pitcher to wash the dye from her hair. It had the desired effect, leaving the dank gray locks a shining, almost auburn, brown. I led her back to the chair I'd brought in, and ran a brush through the now, admittedly beautiful locks. Chloe twitched and squirmed nervously as I used the hairdryer to see if we needed a different color.
But as her hair dried, I could see it would be just fine. I amended my earlier thought, because she no longer looked like someone that could potentially pass for a ten year old. Now she looked like a fifteen year old girl, not quite confident in her subtle beauty, but getting there. I smiled at my handiwork and fluffed out the many layers. I looked up when Derek appeared in the doorway, laughing as he stared shamelessly.
"Oh my God." Derek's eyes all but bulged out of their sockets. Chloe flushed and ducked her head. I smiled and fluffed her hair with my hands.
"What do you think?" I asked, rifling around in the shopping bag for the curling iron I'd bought today.
"I'm never touching dye boxes again." he managed, still gaping.
"I told you it wouldn't work." Chloe groaned as she ran her hand through her hair, pulling it away from her face.
"Are you kidding me?" I scoffed, fluffing her hair out around her shoulders. "I think this just added two years to your appearance. Trust me kiddo. I was sixteen before I hit my growth spurt." I told her and grinned when I found the curling iron.
"Yeah, but Daniella. You're not exactly normal, so it's not like you can compare the two situations." Derek chuckled, and stepped into the bathroom. "It looks great Chloe." he nodded, kissing the crown of her head.
"The hair dye smell will fade in a couple days." I assured her, ripping open the plastic.
"What are you doing?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. I turned to him and gave him a pitiful look.
"I can't color someone's hair and then not style it!" I sighed, exasperated. "Actually, this isn't for now. But I hate these boxes. They're always a pain to open." I sneered, then shoved the ripped up plastic into the trash bin. I saw Chloe visibly relax out of the corner of my eye and honestly considered attempting to curl her hair. But I was horrible at it, and I burned myself more than curled hair, so I played nice and set it on a shelf.
"So, what are we going to do for family night?" Derek asked as I ushered Chloe out of the bathroom. She headed down the stairs to show her new hair off to everyone else.
"We have popcorn. We can make some huge bowls and pick two or three movies to watch." I smiled, ruffling his hair.
"Oh, okay." he smiled, and we headed down the stairs. I could hear the rumble of several male voices and I rolled my eyes.
"Cody, Connor. What are you doing here?" I barked, putting my hands on my hips when they came into view.
"We got some sleep and thought we'd come meet the fam!" Connor grinned cheekily. My eyes flickered to Cody, who was standing dumbstruck by the couch.
"You're gonna catch flies if you keep your mouth like that Cody." I snickered, tapping the bottom of his chin. He snapped his mouth shut, mumbled an apology, and ducked out the front door. "What's up with him?" I asked Connor in a whisper.
"Not sure. We walked in and he just sort of freaked out." Connor thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Then again, he was making googley eyes at Tori since we stepped through the front door." he chuckled, then followed after his twin.
"What was that all about?" Derek asked as I glanced over at Tori.
"How should I know. I hang around men nearly all day and yet they're still a mystery to me." I laughed and gestured to the shelf of DVDs. "Go pick out a couple movies while I make some popcorn." I stepped into the kitchen and grabbed several packages from the cupboard.
"Need any help?" Chloe asked. I glanced back at her and smiled as I put the first bag into the microwave.
"Sure, if you want to grab the pop from the fridge." She nodded and pulled a few of the liter bottles from the bottom shelf. She shuffled near the fridge for a minute before I turned and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" I laughed.
"Thank you Daniella." she looked up at me. "For looking out for him." I shook my head.
"I'm looking out for all of you Chloe. You're family now, and I look out for my family." I promised and ruffled her hair when a smile spread across her face. "Now what did that idiot of ours pick out to watch?"
"I heard that!" Derek snarled from the living room and we both laughed as I pulled the popcorn from the microwave.
We ended up discussing trivial things throughout the first movie. Mainly what Kit was up to while we didn't know where he was. What Chloe's arts school was like. What Tori did before she was sent to the Lyle house. Simon's new book. I flipped through his illustrations, wincing at some of the story they told. I felt truly sick that I had left them to deal with that on their own. But they deserved a break from the torrent of running and fear, so I left the hard questions until later.
A third of the way through the second movie the teens started to drop off, even with three liters of pop in them . Simon was first, then Tori who slowly leaned her head against his shoulder. Chloe drifted off with her head resting on Derek's knee, and he slowly allowed himself to relax. Only when I threaded my fingers through his hair and brushed it back softly did he finally start snoring. I pulled my hand back and scooted closer to Kit and Lauren, keeping my voice low.
"How bad is it?" I whispered, looking between them.
"They've been tracking us since Dallas nearly seven weeks ago. I've checked for tracking devices and spells several times. But I haven't found anything." Kit rubbed a hand over his face. I took a deep breath and glanced over at the others. They weren't kids anymore, that was for sure. But I still felt like I had to protect them from the big bad world. I just wanted to tell them everything was alright. That they could have a regular life now. That they could go to school, make friends, that Tori and Simon could have a relationship if they wanted.
But I knew doing that would only hinder their chances for survival. I shook my head slowly. What a world they were born into…
"They probably have their best trackers on it. I remember when they were on Brandon's tail. It was hard to shake them." I took a deep breath.
"How hard?" Kit asked worriedly.
"Six feet deep hard." I winced, and sat back. Kit looked just as unhappy as I felt, and Lauren looked positively sick. "Who exactly is it? Which Cabal?"
"The Gonzalas Cabal." I felt a pain twist in my gut and I felt my whole body stiffen.
"You're positive?" I hissed.
"It's hard to miss their signature." Kit chuckled dryly.
"That was the Cabal that was after Brandon. We had to send proof of their men's deaths. Their leader is a pretentious bastard that thinks he's a god." I snarled. "We had his guys tied up, but pictures weren't enough." I felt tears surge forward. "He told me they'd send more guys if I didn't send him their heads. He told me it was their punishment for failing him. I had no choice. I did it to keep my pack safe." I was aware they were staring at me.
"Daniella…" Kit breathed in disbelief.
"He'll send plenty of men once he finds out it's my pack. And not just men. Werewolves too." I covered my face and spoke into my hands. "Gonzolas hates us. Me in particular. I outsmarted him. He's not used to being bested... oh God." I moaned and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Daniella, this just means you know how to fight them." Kit tried to reassure me, but he fell silent when I shook my head. I sat up and looked at Kit, letting the horror that was washing over me show in my eyes.
"I think I may have just sentenced you all to death."