“I am feeling a lot better; I think I needed just to take a time out,” He gave her an “I told you so look” and then said exactly that. “Alright, I have learned my lesson. I’m not superwoman, and I’ll obviously have to cut back on some things,” she admitted, and he gave her an approving nod. “So what’s the news?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed some juice from the fridge.
“Nothing, we can’t find Greg anywhere or the mysterious stranger that was in your house,” Andrew replied as he rubbed his chin that was showing signs of days without shaving. “Why do you think he was at your home?”
She cringed a little knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer. “Well…. uh… Saturday the guy behind all this… sort of called me,” Lily started hesitantly. She watched as surprise then anger flashed through his face. “And… again on Sunday…. he knew I had pills at home and wanted to know what I learned from them. He seemed to get an ego rush by it and to be testing me for something,” she finished and saw his jaw visibly clenched with anger.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Andrew demanded through clenched teeth, and she threw her hand up in frustration.
“Because of my stupid pride!” She admitted angrily as she sat down in front of him. “I didn’t want to admit that maybe I needed help after I insisted so badly that I didn’t need it. I never imagined he would actually send someone over to my house, and now thanks to my stupidity one man is missing and the other unconscious with hideous marks all over him,” she finished letting her head drop against the table hiding her face in her arms, her good mood was now long gone. She heard him get up and move his chair next to her with a sigh.
“It’s not your fault, Lily. The only one to blame is the lunatic that is doing all of this,” he told her, the anger gone from his voice. He laid a comforting hand on her back. “As much as I hate to admit it, I would have done the same if our places were reversed. You remind me so much of myself at your age. I can’t believe we aren’t blood-related,” he told her and she looked up at him with surprise, he’d never told her that before.
“Really?” She asked with awe. He gave her a loving smile and nodded. She hugged him tightly and thanked him, feeling her good mood return.
“Oh look, it’s a Kodak moment,” Chris teased, and Lacy giggled like a small child. Lily rolled her eyes at both of them.
“Feeling better lily pad,” Lacy asked skipping to sit beside her. She nodded then turned serious again as she faced her father.
“There are two of them at least,” she told Andrew, and he nodded. “Yes James said this morning,” he stated.
“He’s awake already, how is he?” she asked.
“He’s good as new,” Chris told her, and she nodded relieved she didn’t have to add another casualty to her conscious.
“He was more concerned with how you were, we all are,” Andrew added getting up from his chair. James Lacrosse worried about her? She very well doubted it.
“Nothing to be concerned about, just a silly autumn cold,” she said with a wave of her hand, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“We were worried the man had done something to you,” he told her.
“No, he didn’t do anything. Thankfully he didn’t have a chance too,” she told him quickly. Did he do something; was that the reason for his visit? She shook her head; he didn’t do anything. No pills, not shots, the werewolf didn’t bite her… he didn’t do anything at all. Maybe he was just as a warning that the “maker” guy could get to her if he wanted, like some kind of mind game. Besides she was human, and he turned werewolves into monsters. Only God knows what would happen if he had tried to give her the same pills he gave those teens.
The young boy pushed his soggy hair out of his eyes. The wind lashed at him, and the rain beat him to the point the drops almost hurt when they crashed into him. The thunder roared in fury, a fury James felt inside him, but he didn’t know why or what against. The lightning tore across the dark sky allowing him brief seconds to glimpse the forest around him. He heard a hint of something on the wind that chilled him, was the man coming after him? Terror struck the boy like he had never felt before.
He couldn’t let that man take him back to the dark room. He ran as fast as he could through the forest. James wasn’t sure where he was going, and he didn’t care as long as it was away from the man, the dark room, and the needles. Bright lightning ripped through the sky and blinded James, causing him to trip on a tree root. He could hear them coming after him now, they most likely being the man’s humans, he always used them to hurt James, and now they were coming for him again.
James had to get away; he told himself as he quickly pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his knee from falling on the cold ground. He pushed his long dark hair out of his eyes again and continued to run. James swore they were nearly on top of him now, and he forced himself to move faster. The wild dark forest passed him in a blur as he ran and he was nearly blinded by the storm. The stray branches reached from him snagging his dirty clothing and scratching his face.
James’s determination grew, and he kept up his quick pace, even as he heard the voices growing quieter. He had to keep creating distance between them. James knew when he thought he was safe was when he was in the greatest danger; he learned that from the man.
Just when he felt like he couldn’t run anymore, the forest suddenly ended and he stood in the backyard of a large house. The house seemed familiar yet unknown at the same time. He stood there for a moment pondering what it all meant when he heard the humans that were searching for him. Panic struck him and he decided that who ever lived in this house couldn’t be as bad as the man. Maybe they could protect him even; at least he had the feeling that they could keep him safe.
He rushed up the porch steps and knocked urgently on the plain back door of the house. Please let them be at home, he begged as the sound of the humans got closer. He couldn’t go another step; he just couldn’t. A light shone through the small window of the back door as a tall blonde man opened the door looking at him with confusion. “James, James Lacrosse is that you?”
James suddenly awoke and the dream ended. It was the night he had escaped from the mad man who had kidnapped him. But it was always the same, just the bits and pieces he could remember of it. He didn’t know how he had done it, but he had managed to find his way back to the alpha’s home. He felt almost exhausted as he did that night. He groaned loudly as he slowly sat up and noticed the light brown marks all over his arms. The coward knew he couldn’t beat James’s beast, so he’d trapped him in a silvered net.
“Damn coward,” he cursed quietly as he looked around the familiar room; it was the same room the Roberts had let him stay in while he lived with them. Once his parents realized the monster he had become they wanted nothing to do with him. They kicked him out of the house and refused to allow him to see his sister, the only one who didn’t see him as a monster. His father had bluntly told Andrew that James was no longer his son and that his son was dead.
James pushed away the bitter emotions and got up from the bed. He found some clothing sitting on the old dresser by his bed and quickly dressed. He needed to know how long had he been out and what had happened during that time. James could hear everyone in the kitchen, and he soon could smell why, Sandy’s marvelous cooking!
He walked into the kitchen, and every single person greeted him happily. Lacy jumped from her chair and gave him a hug while several others patted him on the back. “Good to see you back in the land of the living,” Tony said happily.
“I am glad to still be here,” James replied.