by Riley Ross, Sally Slayer, Kaydence Rayne, & Dovey Mayali Cralk
Chapter One
I couldn't believe the things my mind was telling me as truth. My father wasn't really dead? How was that even possible? I turned to my three rocks, or as they were more commonly referred to as Adam, Gabe and Jack, searching for answers. "Guys? What the hell?" I barely got the words out before my legs gave out on me and I collapsed in a heap on the floor. Must've been the shock of learning that all the things I thought were real were actually incredibly false.
The next thing I knew, I was laying on a comfy couch in the same office as before and the only thing I could see was five concerned faces peering at me. The man from before, Tristan Black, - or as I had always known him, Evan Perry or Dad - was one of the faces I saw upon waking. "Cleo, dear, are you still not feeling well? Should I send for anything?" His large hands fluttered around me, not touching anything as though I would break under the slightest pressure, before he turned to Bobbi with a smile. "Bob, please fetch us a glass of water," he glanced at me over his shoulder, "and a bucket...just in case."
With a smile Bobbi - or "Bob" as I was totally gonna start calling her - skipped away, and I was surprised yet again at how graceful she was. Simply another reason for me to hate her, but she was so damned likable I just couldn't help but like her! I also noticed Gabe couldn't tear his eyes away from her retreating form. He was probably still miffed that she wasn't fawning all over him. Or could it be that he had finally met his match? A devilish grin lit up my face, and Jack - ever the observant one - nudged my shoulder from his crouched position near my head. "What was that smile for? Maybe I want in on the joke, too." A wink from those gorgeous blue eyes made my brain melt to sludge and it was a moment before I could collect my thoughts enough to respond.
"Uh..." A grimace showed my inner struggle, which caused him to flash a huge smile, again distracting me with his superior sexiness. "I was just thinking about something." I stuttered in a muted voice, trying not to ruin the moment and lose that awesome smile by mentioning his brother – yeah, don't think I didn't notice some sibling rivalry going on over there - and his apparent infatuation with Bob. All too soon, she was back with a purple cup - she must've known it was my favorite color - and a small garbage can. "Very funny, smartass!" I exclaimed as she smirked at her own joke. "If I was gonna barf, I would've done it earlier when you were reminding me of all the mud pies you used to feed me as kids! Speaking of which...did I ever barf on you after eating those?" With a tinkling laugh, she nodded furiously, unable to speak through the giggle we shared. This made me wonder how often I actually did throw up on her, since she was laughing so hard. I figured if she could forgive that, then we must be destined to be best friends! Apparently even if you forget everything else, you will always know your friends.
They had obviously already talked about the important stuff, because we were dismissed. I was supposed to be roomies with Bobbi, since they were not prepared for our arrival and didn't already have one ready. I assumed it would only take a few days anyway, so this news didn't bother me much. Adam and Jack were to share an empty room nearby - and they received many apologies for the lack of amenities - and Adam would be in his own room that was quite a ways further away.
Tristan/Dad pulled me to the side, and asked to meet again in private later on. I guess he wanted to know all about the little experiments and my time in captivity. Unfortunately for him, not only was I not in a sharing mood, but what little I did remember I had absolutely no intention of sharing aloud. Ever. Besides all that, I was still a little pissed off that he had been alive for all these years without even letting us know at all. That little event in our lives had utterly destroyed Mama and me, and he didn't even have the decency to do something about it! Instead of blowing up like I wanted and giving him a piece of my mind - an ugly piece of my mind that involved lots and lots of screaming - I sucked it up and plastered on a fake smile. Yeah yeah, keep thinking I'm gonna tell you all about it, sucker. As I rounded the corner to enter the hall that led out of this creepy building, I came upon the tail end of a heated argument.
“What the hell’s your problem man? I know she’s your best friend, but she’s made it totally obvious she doesn’t like you that way, hell she doesn’t even remember you!” It kind of sounded like Jack, but I’d never heard his voice so loud and threatening before.
“Argh! That’s not the point! She was my friend long before she was yours. Why are you being all buddy buddy with her?” This one was definitely Gabe, but I had no idea what the heck he was talking about.
I heard a heavy sigh. “Look, I think some really bad stuff happened, and I was just trying to help her. It’s not like you stepped in to try to make her less freaked out! Y’know what...just get lost.” Jack’s voice was more muted, but still more pissed than his usual sound.
I then heard what sounded like scuffling, cursing and then finally the shuffling of retreating feet. Anxiously, I waited a few seconds before rounding the corner. There was no way in hell that whoever was just arguing out there was going to drag me into their crap! I peered around the edge of the building, and a hand snaked out and gripped my shoulder.
"Hey, Cleo! What's got your panties in a twist?" Jack grinned playfully.
I yelped and jumped, and cursed the blush that crept up my neck at his use of the word "panties". "Not a thing, all right? Not a damn thing." I grumbled uncomfortably.
"Y'know...it's not good to keep your feelings all bottled up. You might just explode!" He smiled again.
"Yeah, yeah, and Mama always said 'it's better to be pissed off than pissed on', too but that doesn't make me feel any better either!" I shrugged him away as I stalked down the hall with no real purpose in mind. I couldn't remember exactly where Bobbi's room was located, and wasn't in the mood to ask for directions either. It did not escape my notice that my handsome shadow was...well, shadowing me, as I meandered through the streets. We came upon a small stall that sold coffee - bless this place - among other random convenience store-like items, but I did not have money, so I was about to veer away when Jack gripped my elbow and steered me back toward it.
"We need a venti caramel macchiato and a venti vanilla latte with a shot of espresso." He winked at me as he ordered. How the heck did he know that was my favorite beverage?
The man behind the counter got to work, and before we knew it had placed both coffees on it. "That comes out to $8.00 even." He said with a crooked grin that revealed several missing teeth.
Jack dug around in his pocket and passed the bills toward him. "Thanks man." He handed me my drink gingerly as though I would bite his hand off, leaving nothing more than a bloody stump in its wake, as I scarfed my coffee. This brought a true smile to my face for the first time since we had departed the haunted office building that apparently housed my long deceased father.
"I could get used to this, you know." I nudged his side playfully. "Now every time we go somewhere together, I might just expect you to get me coffee." I winked playfully. Jack's only response was to roll his eyes and snort.
Without conscious thought, we had drifted closer to the housing district and were now extremely close to our current rooms. I didn't really want Jack to leave me alone again, I mean I liked Bobbi and all and didn’t really think she would murder me in my sleep, but I hadn't been separated from my friends since our escape. While I liked to think I was independent and could take care of myself, I had begun to rely on them. I found the first available balcony-like area, and plopped down with my feet between the bars, dragging Jack down beside me. He looked a little nervous, and this just made me laugh inwardly. What could he possibly have to be afraid of from me?
We sat there in silence, swinging our legs in tandem and enjoying the coolness of nightfall. Without thinking about it, I leaned my head on his shoulder and drank in the comfort his warmth and clean smell provided. I didn't want to leave and be trapped in a room with a virtual stranger. I truly liked Bobbi, but didn't feel altogether comfortable with her, because while she knew everything about me, I ha
d no recollection of her. "Why can't I stay with you tonight? I'm...afraid to be alone again." I whispered so quietly I wasn't sure he heard me at first. I knew he did hear it, however, when his shoulders tensed up.
"I guess they don't allow fraternization between genders around here." He said with a serious expression - too serious - before he broke into a fit of laughter. "Don't worry about it, little Miss Anxiouspants! I'll see you bright and early in the morning." He nudged my side again, and I could've sworn he placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head before he stood and offered his hand to help me up. We trudged toward our respective rooms as though it were "the green mile" although I did feel a tiny bit better that I wasn't completely alone and that I would see them again in the morning. I did feel a bit guilty for leaving out the part where I had to meet with a psychiatrist bright and early in the morning.
