confide in me?
"Maybe she doesn't know what she's feeling," Jez supplied quietly, leaning back against the wall and folding her arms. She looked to me for a response. Her eyes were wide and
open, not at all like the feisty vampire I'd seen when I'd first gotten here, locked up in her room, but like an innocent girl who was just a little bit lost.
"Maybe," I sighed, rubbing my hands down my face. "But she should at least feel something. Anger, fear, confusion. But as far as I can tell, she isn't feeling anything."
"She could still be in shock," Jez said, her tone suddenly light like she was giving a suggestion for what she wanted for tea. "I know I was. It took me a while to process everything,
and in that time I felt kind of numb, like everything was just so surreal. Perhaps she hasn't gotten out of that stage yet."
Jez's words were probably meant to comfort me by shedding some light on the situation, but they only made me worry further. "It's been three days," I said, controlling the slight
quiver that was threatening my voice. How long could MaryLynnette possibly keep this up? What if she didn't process it until it was too late? The sooner she came to terms with
things, the better. The longer she put things off, the harder the truth would hit her, and judging by how she was behaving at the moment, it would hit her like a tonne of bricks.
"Yeah, well," Jez began, "It's different for everyone. She'll snap out of it eventually."
"Eventually," I scoffed, looking at my cousin in disbelief. She tossed a lock of red hair over her shoulder, looking at me squarely. "Look, Ash. This can't be easy for her. I don't
blame her for wanting it not to be real, for pretending like it isn't. Hell, I wish I could. Once you come to terms with the seriousness of the situation, there's no going back. Just give
her some time to adjust."
Jez's voice had regained some of its fire, increasing in volume as she spoke. I moved in front of her slightly in an attempt to make our conversation more private after a few nosy
parkers had turned to face us at Jez's statement. I didn't want to risk MaryLynnette overhearing our conversation.
"I am giving her time," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "It's just I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do whilst I'm waiting, Jez. I want to be there for her, but how can
I when she refuses to acknowledge anything is wrong?"
"Take a step back," Jez said, holding up her hands, her palms facing me. "Give her some space to work things out. I don't think there's anything you can do." Her words made
sense, and maybe I should have listened, but instead I shook my head, knowing I could never do what she'd just told me to. "I can't leave her to handle this alone, Jez."
"It's for the best."
"I don't know it is," I said, running a hand through my already rumpled hair. I'd barely slept a wink these past few days, fearing that something would happen to Mare while I slept.
"Maybe for other people, giving each other space works, but I know MaryLynnette. I know that she needs me, even if she won't show it. I can't just abandon her to figure all this
out on her own," I said, my voice passionate. I felt my hands clench into fists for reasons unknown to me.
"You wouldn't be abandoning her," Jez tried to reason, shaking her head in exasperation. "You could still stand beside her, protect her. You'd just have to leave her with her own
thoughts, and not try and force her to come to grips with things. I know what she's going through. She just needs time to think."
"Is that what Morgead did?" I asked, feeling more and more uncertain about what to. What Jez was telling me to do seemed impossible. How could I be there for Mare, and not be
there at the same time? "Did Morgead take a step back?" If Morgead had somehow pulled off this fantastic fiat, then he and I needed to have words.
"He didn't have to," Jez said, shaking her head. I frowned in confusion and annoyance. Jez was giving me advice that hadn't even been tried and tested, and yet she expected me to
follow it blindly. It hardly seemed like a good idea.
I opened my mouth to voice my suspicions, but before I could get out a single word, Jez held up her hand, cutting me off. "My case isn't like MaryLynnette's," she began, guessing
where my protest was heading. "Sure I was the one who was kidnapped and that did have an impact on me, but it soon became clear that I wasn't the real target. I know that my
part in whatever this is is over. MaryLynnette doesn't have that luxury. For whatever reason, someone is out to get her, and no one knows why, or what they plan on doing to her.
Whoever this witch is, she's a nasty piece of work let me tell you. So just let MaryLynnette take this all in in her own time. Okay?"
I nodded my head in reply, looking away from her and down at my feet because I knew she was right. Somehow I would have to figure out how to walk the line of giving Mare
space and being there for her. It wouldn't be easy, but I'd have to find a way. And for her I'd do it.
"Thanks for the advice," I mumbled to Jez, a small smile playing on my lips now that I had a plan for the future, a way to help Mare. No matter how vague that plan was.
I saw Jez's mouth twist into a smile of her own, her gaze meeting mine. "What's family for, eh?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. I was glad to see that glint, especially
after everything that had happened, because I knew it meant that Jez was bouncing back. And if Jez could do it, so could MaryLynnette.
"When'd you get so wise?" I asked, bumping Jez's shoulder with my own. Although my tone was joking, there was still truth to my question. The girl before me had changed vastly
from the girl I'd known from not too long ago, the girl who'd hunted humans for fun, who'd enjoyed the pain of others. I liked this Jez far better than the other one, just like I liked
this Ash far better than I liked the old Ash. It was a funny world.
"I've always been incredibly wise," Jez laughed, waving me off. "It's just that people tend to overlook it in the face of my beauty. Having looks this good comes at a price." I
laughed too, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, right," I scoffed, shielding myself from a round of blows to my side that came as a result of my comment. "Hey," Jez whined, continuing to hit my arm.
After a couple of minutes of just laughing, where I could forget everything that was happening, my eyes drifted back to MaryLynnette. She was still talking to Jade, smiling as my
sister whispered something in her ear. Looking at the pair of them, I could almost imagine that they were just two normal teenage girls, dealing out the latest gossip. I could almost
fool myself into believing that we lead normal lives, and that there wasn't someone out to harm my girlfriend, and that there wasn't the weight of an apocalypse resting on all of our
shoulders. It would be a nice life if it were true. And no one deserved that life more than MaryLynnette.
As if she could feel my thoughts drifting to her, MaryLynnette turned to face me, her bottomless blue eyes meeting mine. She smiled giving me a small wave, a lock of brown hair
falling into her face. A gave a small wave back, offering the fullest smile I could, but like her own, it didn't quite reach my eyes.
"She'll be okay, you know?" Jez said, moving from her position against the wall so that she could stand next to me, closer enough that her shoulder brushed my own. "I know," I
replied, my voice sounding too sober considering that I was laughing just moments before.
And what I told Jez wasn't a lie. I didn't know how, but we would get through this. Mare and I would pull through whatever this was, just like we always did. If we could survive a
psycho werewolf, we could survive a pissed off witch. I was certain of it.
The rest of the day dragged on slowly, or perhaps it just seemed slow because I was constantly worried about Mare. I'd taken Jez's advice and not intruded on her thoughts, not
pushing her to speak about the note or the picture. Instead I kept by her, offering my support in hugs and kisses. Lots of hugs and kisses.
At around noon I left MaryLynnette in the care of Rowan and Gillian, in order to go and find Rashel. In the three days that I'd gotten back from retrieving Jez, something about
Rashel seemed off. I wouldn't say she was avoiding me exactly; it's just that our relationship wasn't as easy and effortless as it had been a week earlier. I was worried that it had
something to do with the arrival of MaryLynnette. From what I'd observed they'd been getting along just fine, they hadn't argued or acted cold towards each other. Neither had they
involved themselves in one on one conversation though, like I'd hoped they would have. I wanted so badly for them to be friends that it was almost painful. Saying that, I had
caught them whispering a few times, and not like the gossiping whispering I'd seen between Jade and Mare earlier, but heated secret chats. Needless to say that they'd both gone
silent as soon as I'd approached, leaving me none the wiser to what their talks had been about.
I found Rashel in the garden, which was odd because she very rarely ever came out here. The air was hot and dry, the type of climate you'd find in a desert. The flowers that Illiana
had so painstakingly grew, were wilting under the heat. Rashel could have been one of those flowers herself. Leaning against the porch railing her shoulders were drooped as if
standing up straight used too much energy. In this weather it probably did.
"What do you want, Redfern?" She asked lightheartedly, tilting her face up to the relentless beams of the sun. A slight sheen of sweat covered her skin, giving her a sparkly effect
as the light bounced off of her face.
"You'll get burnt if you keep out here for much longer," I said instead of answering her question. I didn't really have a reason for being out here other than wanting the company.
Rashel laughed at my words, opening her eyes to glance at me. "Hey, you're the vampire," she said, pushing herself away from the railing to stand in the slightly more shaded area
against the house. "You should be the one worrying about sizzling."
I raised my hands in defeat, sauntering over to where she stood so that I could sit on the flimsy wooden bench at her feet. "Fair enough," I said, patting the seat beside me,
indicating that she should sit. She rolled her eyes but plonked herself gracefully down beside me, crossing one long leg over the other. From this distance, I noticed individual
strands of hair clinging to her skin, plastering themselves to her forehead.
Feeling my gaze she ran the back of her hand across her skin, wiping the hairs loose and causing them to stick up at odd angles. I snickered at the craziness of it all, and she shot me a glare that turned into a reluctant smile. "Shut up," she said, pushing me in the shoulder. "We can't all look as good as you in this heat."
I raised my eyebrows, nodding my head in agreement. "It's a gift," I said as seriously as I could manage without smirking. "Modest much?" She returned, nudging me in the
shoulder once more. I laughed easily, leaning back against the bench so that I was almost lying down. This is what I had missed over the past few days, the easy joking and
teasing. I was glad that mine and Rashel's relationship was going back to normal.
A few seconds of comfortable silence passed, both of us just looking out upon the garden that was bathed in a golden light. The green leaves seemed more vibrant than usual, and
the surface of the pond shimmered magnificently.
"Thierry's calling a meeting later," Rashel said matteroffactly, breaking the silence. I nodded my head, already knowing this piece of information. Thierry had told me himself
after I'd enquired about what action we'd be taking.
Thierry had barely been seen out of his office since we'd returned with Jez, always on the phone sorting out who knows what. The kidnapping had thrown everyone, making us all
edgy, but it had hit Thierry harder than anyone, apart from maybe Morgead who refused to let Jez out of his sight. I knew that Thierry felt responsible for us raggletaggle bunch of misfits and the fact that one of us had been in serious danger made him uneasy. I guessed that we'd find out what it was he'd been doing over these past three days at the meeting.
"Yeah," I said, unable to further elaborate. It had been necessary to inform Thierry of the note and picture meant for MaryLynnette as it related to Jez's kidnapping, which meant
that by now the knowledge of the threat had spread around the entire mansion. I was just glad that people had the sense not to approach MaryLynnette with it. She didn't need a
bunch of Daybreakers snooping around as well as everything else.
However, despite Mare being in obvious danger, I couldn't help but notice that Thierry had other more pressing concerns. He only seemed to care for the safety of the other wild
powers at the moment, which was understandable due to their importance with the apocalypse, but I couldn't help feeling a little annoyed that Mare's well being had been slightly
overlooked.
"What do you think he wants to tell us?" Rashel asked, turning to face me. Her eyes were wide and questioning, and I knew that she was just as frustrated with the whole situation
as I was. Her and Mare may not have been best friends, but I knew that Rashel would protect MaryLynnette if it came down to it.
I shrugged my shoulders because I honestly didn't know. Whatever it was, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. I could almost see the turmoil brewing on the horizon. "I wish I
knew," I murmured, but then paused, thinking again. Did I really want to know just yet? No, not when I could have a few more hours of blissful ignorance.
"Yeah, well," Rashel sighed, "Whatever it is, it won't be good."
"What makes you say that?" I asked frowning. I'd thought I was the only one having pessimistic thoughts about the upcoming meeting, but apparently I wasn't.
"Everyone is freaked, Ash. Thierry included. Jez being kidnapped has changed everything. Thierry will do whatever it takes to prevent anything like this happening again."
I'd already guessed that Thierry would start taking drastic measures but I hadn't really taking into consideration what those measures would be. But then again, my concerns had
been more about the safety of MaryLynnette than the wild powers, so why would I have.
I heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Quinn. "Thierry wants us inside," he said, his voice lacking the usual cheeriness. His serious expression made me uneasy right down
to the depths of my stomach
"Already?" Rashel asked, a similar expression of dread on her face too. What was it about this meeting looming over us that was making everyone so damn nervous? I mean, how
bad could it be?
Quinn nodded as Rashel and I both got to our feet, slowly as if frightened if we moved too fast we would upset the oncoming storm. "He said it was urgent." Well that didn't sound
too good. If the meeting couldn't wait until tonight, whatever Thierry had to say must be important. Even more so than I'd originally anticipated.
I felt myself gulp loudly as we made our way back into the mansion. The three of us moved as one, being pulled by some invisible cord towards the living room where all of our meetings took place. The house was completely silent, quiet enough that even human ears would be able to hear a pin drop. Never before had I seen the Daybreak mansion so still.
The whole place seemed to be holding its breath.
Entering the living room, my eyes immediately sought out MaryLynnette who was seated next to Mark and Jade. Her blue eyes lit up as she saw me, making my heart do a little
flip in my chest.
My legs guided me to the sofa she was sitting on, and I carefully sat down beside her, feeling her body warmth from the close proximity. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her
into my side so
that she fit comfortably against me. She offered no resistance, nestling herself happily into the space under my arm and resting her head on my chest.
Quinn and Rashel sat on a chair near us, or well Quinn did. Rashel balanced herself on the arm rest, a position that couldn't have been easy to keep up. Her arm was draped over
Quinn's shoulder, and their hands were interlocked, Quinn's thumb absently tracing patterns over the back of her hand.
With MaryLynnette so close, and my friends and family surrounding me, I felt completely at peace.
That peace was shattered when Thierry entered the room, bleary eyed, and with his hair sticking out on end from the amount of times he'd run his fingers through it in the past
couple of days. It was the most unhinged I'd ever seen him. Still, as he strode to the front of the room, Hannah loyally at his side, he demanded every single person's attention.
Still the same solid leader as ever.
His piercing eyes seemed to stare into each one of us, causing chills to run up my spine. Thierry was a nice enough bloke, but the stories of his days as a ruthless Night World
leader still ran strong. Although my fear of him had long turned into unwavering respect, my heart still bumped as his gaze met mine.
I felt Mare tense against me as Thierry's gaze brushed over her, causing me to hold her tighter. It wasn't because I felt she needed protecting against Thierry or any of the other
Daybreakers. It was because I had an almost suffocating feeling that I could lose her, and if I let go, she could disappear into smoke.
Thierry cleared his throat, causing my attention to snap back up to the front. I noticed Hannah rubbing soothing circles on the vampire's upper arm, making me dread this meeting
even more. What was so terrible that even Thierry was shaken up?
I sensed more than heard her follow me. Her presence out of the corner of my eye, her gaze on the back of my neck, had become somewhat familiar over the past few days, so I
was unsurprised to see that Rashel had followed me up to the room that Ash and I shared. "You know, if this carries on, I might be tempted to file a restraining order," I said,
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