Author's note:
Hello! Sorry for the wait! I feel like I'm saying that a lot. Anyway... I made a website for all of my stories. The link is in my profile. If for any reason it doesn't work, feel free to PM me and I'll send it to you. I'm posting outfits, pics, news updates, information etc on it. Feel free to check it out. I posted all of the pics under Chapter 7 because this chapter and the one before were supposed to be one so this is Chapter 7 part two.
Enjoy!
Chapter 7 cont.
Alek felt like his entire body had turned to lead in that very instant. His legs gave out from underneath him and he sank heavily into his recently vacated chair. The feel of the smooth, solid wood didn't register as he stared blankly at his ex-adoptive mother.
Chloe had her hand wrapped around the back railing of her chair in a grip almost hard enough to snap the wood. Her expression mirrored Alek's perfectly. Mrs. Greybeck had tears pouring down her cheeks and was sniffling loudly, earning them several odd glances from nearby patrons.
"Excuse me?" Alek finally managed to choke out.
"I'm so sorry you had to find out like this," Mrs. Greybeck said, picking up a café napkin to dab daintily at her eyes. "We didn't tell you to leave because we were scared or because we didn't love you. We didn't know who your parents were or the fact that you were Mai when we adopted you. As soon as the Order knew who you were they would have killed you immediately. The only thing for us to do was to send you away so that you could find your birth parent's family. We knew they could help you and keep you safe." She flashed a weak, watery smile at the two teens.
Chloe still couldn't bring herself to move or speak. She remained frozen in her spot, just as much as an observer as the nosy couple that sat at the table beside them.
"And it never crossed your mind to help me tell me who I was and where I might be able to find some help. I was underage with no money, no job and no where to go. I slept in abandoned buildings and parks until I accidentally transformed when some creep was trying to attack me. I'm just lucky the London pride leader happened to be around and helped me find Valentina!" Alek said venomously. Most of his shock had faded away and was quickly replaced by anger and betrayal.
"We were protecting you!" Lindy insisted, once again trying to reach out to Alek.
Alek popped out of his chair for the second time. "Bullshit!" he shouted at the elderly woman, forgetting about manners and their public setting. "You weren't trying to protect me. You only cared about yourself and your precious murderer of a husband!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire coffee shop fell into silence. People stared at them in horror, some getting up and grabbing their stuff to leave.
"Sir…" the barista said, coming around the counter but Alek was already grabbing his bag and stomping out of the café.
As Chloe saw Alek's back retreating angrily, she instantly snapped out of her daze and grabbed her bag. As she started rushing for the door, Lindy got to her feet as fast as she could.
"Chloe!" she called, saying the blonde girl's name for the first time since they had been properly introduced.
"I'm sorry but we really have to go." Chloe said over her shoulder. Mrs. Greybeck made like she was going to follow. "Please don't follow us."
With that, Chloe pushed through the door with a loud jingle and Mrs. Greybeck returned to the table in tears that she tried to hide by ducking her head.
Alek didn't stop when he exited the café. He was walking in heavy, determined steps but was not going very fast so it was easy for Chloe to catch up with him.
She grabbed his arm and he spun around to face her. He was red in the face and had tears dotting his cheekbones and eyes.
"Alek…" Chloe began but she trailed off when she got a good look at the look on his face.
"Can I…can I please just be alone for a little while," Alek said shakily, "I need some time to process this but I promise I'll call you."
"Okay," Chloe agreed reluctantly. She didn't want to leave Alek after he heard that kind of new but she was the one that hated being alone when she was upset, not Alek. Alek smiled at Chloe and reached out to wrap her in a tight hug.
"I love you," Alek whispered, planting a firm kiss on Chloe's forehead. She leaned up to kiss him on the lips.
"I love you too."
With a final tight squeeze and parting kiss, Alek turned and sprinted down the street. Chloe walked back to the café and peaked through the window. Lindy was gone and a couple that Chloe recognized as seniors from her school were seated at the vacated table. The coffee shop had gone back to normal after their departure although one of the baristas glared sharply at her.
"Chloe!"
The blonde spun around to see Jasmine pulling up in a sleek black BMW.
"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked.
Jasmine leaned over and unlocked the passenger door, waving Chloe inside. Somewhat reluctantly, Chloe opened the door and slid into the soft leather seat. At least it might be easier to find Alek in a car. She looked over at Jasmine. Something was off. Upon further scrutiny, Chloe realized what was different about Jasmine was her clothes. She was wearing a fitted dark gray blazer over a white lace-trimmed shirt, a black pencil skirt, black boots and red and diamond accessories. Jasmine noticed Chloe looking at her uncharacteristic outfit.
"Mom had me go with her to a meeting about the new protectors." Chloe nodded and tapped her nails against her knee impatiently, craning her neck to see if Alek was any place in the distance. "I came looking for you as soon as I heard about Alek's mother."
That was enough to make Chloe look up in surprise. "How'd you know about that? She suddenly showed up at school and we came straight to the coffee shop."
"There are Mai at every airport and bus station. She's on the watch list so as soon as she showed her passport they called Valentina."
Before anything else could be said, a cheerful ring tone filled the car. Jasmine rifled around in her red leather purse until she found her iPhone. Valentina's face filled the screen.
"Speaking of Mom…" Jasmine trailed off as she answered the call and put the phone to her ear. She listened for a moment before passing the phone to Chloe.
"Chloe?" Valentina's voice came over the line.
"Yeah, I'm here. Hello, Valentina."
"Hello, Chloe," the older woman said. "Your mother just called me. It seems her business trip was cut short and she will be at home in an hour or so."
"Mom?" Chloe questioned, surprised. "Why didn't she call me?"
"Her cell phone died while we were talking but she did ask me to drop you and your stuff off at your house soon. I've already begun your packing but you need to come immediately and finish." Chloe started to protest but Valentina cut her off with a curt "See you soon, Chloe." and the line went dead.
Chloe groaned and dropped the phone to her lap.
"Everything alright?" Jasmine asked her friend as she carefully retrieved her phone before any damage could come to it.
"Apparently Mom's back and I'm going home today. Valentina wants me back at the condo to pack right now but I need to find Alek." Chloe explained.
"Where is he?"
"I don't know. He ran out of the coffee shop and said he needed to think. I need to go find him, just to make sure that he's alright."
Jasmine sighed. She knew that trying to change Chloe's mind about something when Alek was involved was impossible and having Valentina angry about one of her orders being disobeyed, well, that was just hell.
Jasmine pulled herself from her thoughts when she heard a car door opening. Chloe was grabbing her bag and preparing to step out of the car.
"Where are you going?" Jasmine asked even though she pretty much already knew the answer
"To find Alek."
Jasmine grabbed Chloe's arm causing her to stop moving and turn around.
"Okay, you go to the condo and I'll find Alek. I'm pretty sure I know where he's heading."
"Where?"
"Mount Hamilton. He always goes there to think when something's stressing him. I'll find him and give him the car. He'll be okay; you just need to go pack so that you can welcome your mother home.
Chloe was visibly hesitant but at least she agreed. "Fine, I'll go to the condo. Tell Alek I love him and to call me immediately." Jasmine nodded her head and waved as Chloe exited the car, slamming the door behind her. The BMW pulled away from the curb as a male figure popped in front of Chloe. She opened her mouth to scream but a hand quickly muffled the sound. Chloe's eyes widened when she saw the person in front of her and she pushed the hand away.
"Cameron? You scared the crap out of me."
The Mai boy ran a hand sheepishly through his ginger red hair. "Sorry. I'm just here to take you safely to Valentina."
"And is that because Valentina wants you to…or Jasmine?" Chloe asked with a smirk. Cameron blushed pink and quickly looked away, running his hands through his hair again.
Yep, this kid is definitely crushing on Jasmine, she thought. Her smirk became a wide smile. Cameron huffed in embarrassment and shoved the helmet in his hand at Chloe. Wordlessly and still blushing, he led the confused girl to where a shiny black Harley was parked along the street.
"Is this yours?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah," Cameron said. He grabbed his helmet from the compartment in the ack and moved to straddle the leather seat.
"I'm allowed to ride this?" Chloe asked cautiously. She had always wanted to ride a motorcycle but up close the bike was pretty intimidating and Alek, Jasmine and Valentina would be pissed that she engaged in such a lives-risking activity.
Cameron shrugged. "They didn't say you couldn't." Chloe didn't seem anymore reassured. He sighed and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to the seat. 'I promise you won't get hurt. I'm a great driver plus I know that if you lost any of your lives, Alek would beat the shit out of me, Jasmine would kill me, Alek would bring me back to life so he could kill me a few more times and Valentina would feed me to the Jackals."
"True enough," Chloe said and hopped on the bike. After their helmets and Chloe's arms were securely in place, Cameron raised the kick stand and pulled away from the curb.
-insert line here-
Jasmine pulled up next to an opening in the gate surrounding the huge grove of trees. They always ran through the forest to get to the mountain so humans couldn't see them. She grabbed the sneakers and track clothes that were always in the trunk and slipped back into the car to quickly change out of her impractical skirt and heels.
She took off immediately into the woods. It was about 15 minutes before she heard Alek's familiar heartbeat some ways ahead. It was pumping quickly and loudly from exhilaration and stress. It was about another 5 minutes of hard sprinting before she could actually see him.
Even from behind, it was obvious that Alek was a wreck. His blonde hair was disheveled with clumps sticking out from him running his fingers through it. His shoulders were sagging as he ran significantly slower than his usual pace. Jasmine called out to him but he made no sign of having heard her. She tried again at the same increasing her speed. He kept running, not hearing her until she finally reached him. She ended up tackling him and both of their bodies fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Sorry," Jasmine said as they got up and brushed dirt from their clothes. She bent over and picked up Alek iPod and headphones from where they'd tumbled out of his pocket and to the dirt.
"I would ask what you're doing here but I already know. Did Chloe come with you?" Alek asked, looking around for the familiar head of beautiful blonde curls.
"Mom made Chloe come home. Her mom came back early," Jasmine explained.
Alek nodded but he was too busy looking around like he was trying to plan an escape.
"You're going to Mount Hamilton aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Take the car. It's faster and safer."
Alek didn't bother protesting and the two walked back up their makeshift path, the way Jasmine had come until they reached the street. The sleek black BMW was sitting exactly where she had left it, unharmed although a group of suspicious looking teenage boys were staring at it with contemplating expressions. The obvious leader of the group, a heavily tanned boy wearing baggy jeans and a t-shirt with the picture of a marijuana plant on it, nodded towards the two. The group of boys hollered several loud cat calls as Jasmine and Alek stumbled from between the trees, out of breath and messy-haired.
Jasmine glared at the young men as she passed which only made them laugh harder. Alek shot the guys a look that was so dangerous and hostile that they turned away even though they each had a visible lump under their clothes from hiding guns and other weapons.
Neither said anything else as they walked away and got in the car. Alek glared at the guys as they passed. Oh, how he wanted to jump out of the car and beat his anger and sadness out onto them but deep down he knew it would only make things worse.
A few minutes later, Jasmine pulled up by a cab stand. She handed Alek the car keys.
"Please call Chloe. She's really worried."
Alek reached into his pocket for his phone but came out with nothing. Jasmine sighed and handed him her phone.
She made her way to leave the car but stopped at the last minute and turned back to her cousin.
"You know, Bastet's really looking out for you and Chloe. I told you guys you're special."
"What?" Alek asked surprised and very confused.
"You'll figure it out." With that she shut the door and walked away.
Cameron pulled the motorcycle into the underground parking garage for the condominium building. He was a daring driver, weaving in and out of traffic and going way past the speed limit but inarguably careful. Chloe managed to arrive unscathed. She pulled the helmet from her head and shook out her blonde curls. The redhead boy locked his bike and led Chloe into the building, texting while he walked. Se stopped at the huge, gold framed mirror next to the concierge's desk and fixed her wind-tossed hair. Something about being around Valentina made Chloe feel uncomfortable and scruffy The older woman always looked perfectly put together even if she was, say, soaking wet and stabbing a man through the back with a curved sword to save two teenage girl's lives.
That afternoon it was no different. When Cameron and Chloe got up to the condo, they found Valentina lifting two full suitcases into the living room. She was still dressed in the unbelievably unwrinkled gray dress from her meeting and fully accessorized in expensive jewelry in the Mai colors, gold and emerald, and emerald heels. Somehow, Valentina's bun had managed too stay perfect and she hadn't broken a sweat, even though the suitcases were probably more than 20 lbs each.
Wait, those are mine, Chloe realized, recognizing the checkered black, white nad Sharpie that covered them both. Through the entryway that Valentina had just vacated, the door to her room was visible. It was wide open. The part of the room that she could see was very empty, striped of Chloe's things that were on top of the dresser or on the wall. The only thing that showed she'd been there at all was her opened duffle ag, a few black garments spilling out.
Chloe was surprised. Obviously Valentina was in a rush to get Chloe out of the condo and had packed for her.
"Oh, hello Chloe," Valentina said, finally noticing her, "Cameron." She nodded towards the redhead boy that was now standing dutifully beside the door, his phone no longer visible.
"Valentina, is everything alright?" Chloe asked, glancing around at all of her packed stuff.
Valentina hurried back into the guest room and beckoned Chloe to follow.
She talked as she walked. "Everything's fine. Your mother should be home soon so I thought I'd pack for you so that you could be there to meet her.
Once in the room, Valentina pointed at various places abndn explained to Chloe where she had put the things that had been there. Finally, she gestured to the bottom drawer of the dresser.
A few nights ago, Chloe and Jasmine had taped a note to it saying "KEEP OUT ALEK OR LOSE A HAND" after they caught Alek snooping. Most likely, he was looking for the teen magazine with Chloe's love quiz which Chloe had gotten back and hidden.
"I didn't think you'd want me to open that drawer either si I left it alone. Just put that stuff in the bag and you'll be good to go."
With that, Valentina left the room, leaving Chloe on her own. She dragged over her duffle bag, knelt down and opened the drawer. Her thoughts were racing as she pulled underwear from the drawer.
Is Alek okay? Oh, please let him be okay!
Did Jasmine find him?
And what's going on here because something feels off?
By the time the drawer was empty, Chloe had managed to give herself a headache from worry. She grabbed her bag and headed into the living room. Valentina was not there.
"Where's Valentina?"
"Emergency. She got a call and rushed out. She told me to take one of the cars and take you home," Cameron said. He took the duffle from Chloe and grabbed the larger of the suitcases, leaving Chloe with the other.
Chloe and Cameron arrived at Chloe's house an hour later after stopping to eat quickly. They had barely spoken to each other, both of them absorbed in their cell phones. Alek had yet to contact her although she did get a quick text from Jasmine saying she'd found him and he was okay.
Cameron pulled the Jaguar he'd borrowed from Valentina into Chloe's driveway.
Chloe's empty driveway.
Chloe's mother car wasn't in the driveway. In fact there was no sign that Meredith was there at all.
Chloe got out of the car and hurried up the walkway, Cameron close behind. Before she could take her key and open the door, Cameron stopped her. He insisted on going first.
The door opened with a creak from lack of use.
Inside, the house was dark, the blinds drawn and all lights off. It was quiet too.
"Mom?" Chloe called.
"In here," a voice called from the direction of the porch.
But it wasn't Meredith's voice. It sounded like…Jasmine?
The brown haired girl appeared at the door, dressed in gym clothes with a book in hand.
"You're not my mom," Chloe said. Cameron looked at her like she was crazy but Chloe ignored him. "Valentina said my mom's back."
Jasmine gestured towards the sofa and sat. Chloe joined her.
"Your mom's not back," Jasmine said.
"I'm starting to see that."
Cameron settled into one of the dining room chairs, ignoring the girls.
"I'm sorry nobody could tell you. Valentina needed to get you out of the house and this was the easiest way." A look of hurt flashed in Chloe's eyes. "Not like that, Chloe. Right now it's safest for you to be at home and stay home so that no one else can see you."
"You mean I have to stay in. What about Alek?" Chloe aksed.
"Sorry, Chlo. He'll call or stop by, but please just stay in for now. I have to go but Cameron will stay with you."
The brunette watched her friend for a reaction. Chloe nodded, looking confused and king of surprised.
She and Jasmine hugged and Jasmine gathered her things to leave.
When she reached the door, Chloe called out to her.
"Wait!" Jasmine turned. "Why isn't it safe for me to be at your place?"
"Alek's mother is staying with us, " Jasmine announced before disappearing outside.
Answering machine. Again.
Chloe threw her phone in frustration but quickly raced after it when she realized she'd overshot the sofa. She sighed when the very expensive piece of metal and wiring hit her palm with a thump and set to calling the last number she'd dialed. Which happened to be Alek's since she'd called him at least a dozen times since Jasmine had left an hour ago. The ring back tone that she and Jasmine had picked out a while ago –a Beatles song in tribute to his British ness – played in Chloe's ear. The sound of Cameron slipping on the roof and a loud curse distracted her for a moment. The sound of Alke's voice brought her back, hopeful that Alek had finally picked up. She was quickly disappointed when she realized it was recorded.
"Hey, it's Alek. Obviously, I can't pick up right now but leave a message and I'll call you back. Maybe." The machine beeped. Chloe opened her mouth to leave a message but a second later the phone beeped again.
"This voicemail box is full," the mechanical female voice said.
Chloe dropped to the sofa and put her head in her hands again. She tried dialing again and got the same message. Chloe screamed in frustration and threw her phone again, this time not caring where it landed. It didn't seem to be of much use anyway.
She waited to hear her phone smash into something and break but the sound never came. She looked up and saw that Cameron was standing by the steps leading upstairs.
"Chloe, you need to calm down," he told her.
"I'm calm. Of course I'm calm! Why wouldn't I be calm!" Chloe cried sounding like she was on the verge of hysteria.
Cameron came and sat beside her on the sofa. He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder.
"No word from him yet, huh?" he asked, holding something out to her. Chloe looked down and realized that he had caught her phone after she'd thrown it and was offering it to her.
"Nope."
"You need a distraction. TV?"
"I tried that," Chloe said, picking up her phone to check her messages yet again then connected to the internet to check her e-mails. One from Amy, another from her mother and a few from some out of town family.
"Okay then, let's talk," Cameron suggested, turning towards Chloe. He eased the phone from her hand and put it on the coffee table. "What do you want to talk about?"
Chloe looked at Cameron and saw an opportunity.
"Okay," she said, "let's talk about Jasmine."
Cameron did as he always did when someone brought up Jasmine and turned bright red. He started stuttering and Chloe smiled, raising her eyebrows.
"You know, I could totally set you two up!" Chloe said excitedly.
Cameron stuttered some more and jumped up. "See you later, Chloe!" he cried before jumping up and running back towards the stairs.
" Wait, Cameron, I thought you were keeping me company!"
"Call Alek again!" Cameron shouted and ran up the steps.
Chloe sighed and leaned back into the sofa. Still nothing to do and she was back to thinking about Alek and Lindy Greybeck.
Sitting still wasn't working. She jumped up and started pacing, walking behind the sofa to one wall and then back to the other, stopping ever so often to check her phone.
After 15 minutes of straight pacing and almost spraining her ankle by tripping over her bag, Chloe decided she had enough.
"Forget it!" she screamed and grabbed her bag and jacket and headed for the door. Cameron can follow if he wants but I am finding Alek.
Chloe shoved her phone and turned to head to the door only to have it creek open. An obviously male figure, cloaked by the shadows stood on her porch.
"Alek?"
"Hello Chloe," the man replied.
Okay, not Alek. Permission for panic to set in.
Well, well, well, who might that be? I don't think that I have anything else to say becuase I'm sure you all don't want a rant about my life and I want to go so I can get started on the next chapter. Oh, well ido have a few new story ideas so stay tuned for those. OH! AND I'LL BE GETTING A LAPTOP SOON SO POSTS WILL BE WAAAAYYYY MORE FREQUENT! YAY! LOL guess I did have someting to say!
I'm gonna reply to reviews by PM for Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 part two because I don't have time, I want to update and there are a lot of review (thx for that!) I will reply to everyone eventually! Promise!
Kisses and until next time!
REVIEW!