“Relax,” I said to Samantha as I parked the truck in front of the packhouse. We’d be having dinner in our private dining room with just the family, meaning, Archer, Kat, Mac, Connor, Sandra and Jett. “I’m suddenly very nervous, what if they don’t like me?” she asked and I laughed. “They’ll love you,” I said as I climbed out and then opened the door for her. She took my hand and I led her up the patio steps and into the packhouse. Damon had asked the clowder not to crowd the house that night since I’d be bringing a human to dinner. The house was quiet and empty and I smiled as Samantha looked around. “Wow,” she said as I led her up the stairs. “Everyone’s waiting in the dining room,” I said to her as I started off down the hall to our private quarters on the top floor. “I’m ready,” she said as she took a deep breath and I opened the dining room doors. “Hey everyone, this is Samantha,” I said as everyone’s heads turned to us and we were met with instant silence. “Hi,” Sam said fr
I didn’t hear from Sam for the rest of that weekend but I also didn’t reach out to her. She had heard everything, it was her move now. Even though it was unfair to even think about it she had a choice to make and I’d never given her any reason to doubt me.“There’s a party tonight,” Jett said as he sauntered into my bedroom after dinner.“Since when do we go to parties?” I asked him.“Since Beth told me all about how Travis’s parties work,” he said and grinned at me.“Beth talks to you?” I asked him.“Is it that hard to believe?” he asked me.“What does Beth say?” I asked.“Beth has a lot to say. The party starts out normally, then a girl gets chosen at the party, her drink is spiked and she’s taken downstairs by a group, always the same group, Travis being their leader, the girl’s undressed and raped, they all take turns and they videotape it all,” Jett said.“Doesn’t explain why they all keep quiet,” I said to him.“They take pictures which they show her afterward, it looks bad, lik
Nobody talked about the fire on Monday at school, but the whole atmosphere had shifted. Nobody looked at us in fear anymore and it seemed that for the time being that the preps had entered exile. Nobody greeted them and nobody paid them any attention. It was as if everyone knew what had happened at that party.“What did I miss?” Samantha asked me as she joined me at my locker.“The Travis Morris reign of terror is over,” Jett said and grinned.“How?” she asked with wide eyes.“We burned his barn down,” he said and laughed at the shock on Sam’s face.“Accidentally,” I said and Mac gave me a look.“Yeah, accidentally,” he said.The rest of the day and even the week was the same. Travis and Rosco had no more power at school, even the teachers treated them differently and for once high school became a safe haven once more. We tried harder too, went to class and stayed out of trouble.During the week I only saw Sam at school, for some reason her father didn’t approve of our relationship an
Eight years later ...I kept my eyes closed for a few more seconds as my mind cleared from the fog of sleep and turned on my side as I finally opened them. It was still early, almost five am. I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and sat on the edge of the bed as I rubbed my hand over my face.I got up and pulled a pair of sweatpants on and pulled the hoodie over my head. Downstairs I made coffee for myself as the dull thud of my headache started throbbing in my temples. I drank to forget, I drank to sleep and not to dream, it worked mostly, but during the day, nothing could stop the memories.The kettle boiled and I was snapped back to reality. I hated how certain memories just popped up and took me back to a time when life was simpler, easier and a time when I used to be a good person.“I’m going out,” I said loudly, not expecting him to answer me, he never did.Every morning at five am I went out into the surrounding wilderness that was my backyard. I lived in a house on th
I showered and dressed in black. I liked wearing black while hunting, it gave the whole purpose of imminent death an eerie feeling. I stepped outside into the dark of the night and looked up at the sliver of the moon hanging in the sky.“Potestatiuo solis et luna,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and envisioned the heat of the sun and the rays of the moon.“Tellus,” I said as I knelt down and grabbed a handful of earth.“Venti,” I said as I scattered the earth around me and watched as the wind picked up.“Aque,” I said as I opened the water bottle and drippled the water of the earth.“Ignis,” I said as I lit the match and watched the flame flicker before dying out.“Aperta portal,” I said as I closed my eyes and felt the pull of the realms and the portal opened before me. I stepped through it onto the darkened streets of London’s warehouse district.It was three am and I adjusted my watch accordingly as I turned around and started walking to Ashfield Road. It was dark and quiet and my
“Why are you here Jett?” I asked him as he pulled a pair of shorts on.“I was in the neighbourhood,” he shrugged.“Sure you were, you staying for dinner?” I asked him.“Obviously, and Griff, don’t call me fat again,” he said as he sucked in his stomach and I laughed.“Come on,” I said as I led him back towards the house.Kane lifted his head as I opened the front door and glanced at Jett, not showing the slightest hint if he was happy to see him or not. Jett followed me inside and looked around and I wondered how he had found me in the first place.“There’s beer in the fridge,” I said to him as he turned back towards me.“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he said as he walked through to the kitchen and I heard the fridge open. “You want one too?”“Sure,” I said and I heard him uncap the two bottles.“How’s he doing?” Jett asked me as his eyes flitted to where Kane was in the living room.“Still not talking to me,” I said to him.“He’ll come around, so what’s new, brother?” he a
I carried the woman back to my house as Kane followed me. I laid her down on the bed that Jett had occupied the previous night and Kane sniffed her gingerly as I pushed her wet hair out of her face. Her lips had a blueish tinge to them and I hated invading her personal space like this but I had to.I stripped off her wet clothes as Kane watched and pulled a pair of my sweatpants and a t-shirt on over her naked body. She had plenty of cuts and bruises all over but nothing that looked life threatening. I turned the heating up in her room and covered her with a fur blanket and tucked it down around her.“Will she live?” Kane asked me as I stood up.“I think so,” I said to him.“Stop staring pervert, it’s just a girl,” Kane said as he walked out of the room and I followed him down the stairs as he headed for the living room.“She smells odd,” I said to him.“What’s for dinner?” he asked me as he made himself comfortable on the couch facing the television.“Are you talking to me now?” I as
Sierra was asleep on the couch with her head resting on Kane, he gave me a begrudging look when I walked in through the front door and I couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t impressed with me at all. I carried all the bags inside and she woke up after a while from the noise.“You’re back,” she said as she joined me in the kitchen.“You were asleep when I left, didn’t want to wake you,” I said.“The cat kept me company,” she said and Kane growled low enough so only I could hear him.“He has a name, Kane. I got you these,” I said and handed her the bag from the pharmacy.“Thank you,” she said.“No problem, the sooner you’re better the sooner you can leave,” I said and Kane laughed at me.“Wow, you weren’t joking when you said you don’t like people,” she said.“I have work to do, your presence interferes with that,” I said as I started packing things away.“I’ll be the perfect house guest, I promise,” she said and poured herself a glass of water to drink her pills.“Dinner’s around six or