Waken (The Woods of Everod Book 1) (25 page)

“No, and he probably will never be able to,” agreed Tim, his eyes tired as they followed my movements as I stopped in the middle of the rug.

“He’s not my father,” I said in little more than a whisper. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, layering a protective shield over me.

“Oh, Janie,” he sighed, rising to come to me and add his own layer to cover me.

“He’s not. Fathers should love you, treasure you, take care of you, and protect you. He left me.” The last words came on a sob and I shuddered in Tim’s embrace. “He’s not my father.”

“I’m sorry you don’t have a dad, Janie.” Tim’s gentle words brushed my hair.

I unfurled my arms from around myself and curled them around Tim, squeezing with every ounce of strength I had. “I do. I have you.”

We stood there, father and daughter for a long time. Just holding on to each other. All those things daughters should feel were there in his hug. The smell of beer and popcorn, the rough texture of his hockey jersey, all made me finally see how real Tim’s presence in my life was.

“I’m glad you told me,” he said as I finally pulled away.

“Me, too.”

“Was that it? Or do you have another life altering revelation to make?” he joked.

I laughed. He was so close to the truth but had no clue. I couldn’t tell him about Tristan, or Elin or the infection. The impossibility of everything would make him suspect I was going crazy and then he would just worry. I wanted Tim to be his regular cheerful self, and selfishly I needed him to be for the sheer sake of my sanity.

“No, nothing else,” I answered, a tight smile spreading my lips thin.

Justin’s footsteps thumped loudly behind us as he made his way back to the couch, a half empty bowl of popcorn in his hands. He didn’t say anything, but I knew he’d heard the exchange between Tim and me and was respecting my decision not to share anything else.

I sat and watched a few minutes of the sports commentary, before boredom drove me to the kitchen. I pulled the milk from the fridge and poured a cup, sticking it into the microwave to warm. When it dinged, I carefully set the cup on the table and stirred in a package of instant hot chocolate mix. Fake marshmallows swirled along the top of my drink.

Justin came in with his bowl, empty again. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye as he rinsed the dish in the sink. The sound of the water reminded me of the waterfall and how easy it had been to finally accept what Tristan was. How the rushing droplets had washed away the problems.

“You didn’t tell him?” Justin’s hushed words were nearly drowned out by the muted sounds of the television.

“I need time,” I said simply.

“Time to do what?”

“I don’t know. Get used to the idea, I suppose.” I picked up my mug and joined him at the sink, washing away the remains of the chocolate.

“What if Elin tries to hurt you, Janie?” he asked anxiously. “What if your blood really does hold the cure and one of them doesn’t want to wait for their science to catch up?”

What if? A year ago, I had refused to even think those words, believing that any ‘what ifs’ would just bring pain and suffering to my life.

“I don’t know.” I slowly dried off my mug. “I guess we’ll have to see what happens.”

He looked at me like I was crazy, his eyes wide in disbelief. “
See what happens
?” he repeated. “And you’re not freaking?”

I laughed and gave him a playful bump with my hip, then placed my cup back in the cupboard. “See? Didn’t I tell you I was going to change?”

“Yeah, but I never figured you’d be so calm about something like this.”

“Honestly,” I sighed, knowing that I might be calm on the outside, I was in complete panic mode inside, “it’s just too much to start freaking out about.”

At this point Elin was the biggest concern, and based on experience, I knew there was little I could do to prepare myself for her wrath.

Chapter 22

The next morning I slept in and had a lazy morning, relaxing with a book before realizing I only had an hour before I was supposed to meet Tristan.

Justin had left earlier for the gym, so once I was ready, I walked to the cafe. It was a hazy day, the sky not quite cloudy but not blue either. I walked through the front entrance and made my way to our regular booth. The sight that greeted me was not one I’d been hoping for.

Bryce and Rachel, their heads bent close to one another were talking quietly. Bryce spotted me first, straightening up and alerting Rachel to my presence.

“Morning,” I said, nodding a greeting as I sat down in the opposite booth. Just because they were rude didn’t mean I was going to stoop to their level.

“Well?” Bryce asked.

I pretended ignorance. “Well what?”

“Did he tell you?”

I looked at him then and saw the anger that gleamed in Bryce’s eyes. He was not going to let this go, even if it wasn’t any of his business. “Yes, he told me.”

“And?”

“And what, Bryce?” I demanded. “Do you want to know what he said? What I said? Well, tough. It’s personal and frankly none of your business.”

“We just want you safe.” Rachel looked like my friend again, concern furrowing her flawless skin. “You need to know everything. You have a right to know everything.”

I stared at her hard. “I know everything now, Rach.” I glanced at Bryce, not wanting to say anything else in front of him. He was giving Rachel a confused look and I realized that he probably had no idea I was supposed to fulfill the promise. At least Rachel hadn’t revealed that.

“Kas can change you, Janie. Just think about it, you’ll never have to worry about getting sick or suffering through old age. As a Lycan you’ll have so much power.” Rachel twisted in the booth so she faced me. The friend was gone again; her eyes filled with excitement.

“I know all of that.”

“So you’re with us?” Bryce’s mouth turned up. His triumphant attitude was goading.

“No,” I said, watching his eyes widen in surprise.

“So you’re siding with your boyfriend? You really think he’s gonna find some cure for this and you’ll just ride off into the sunset? Have a normal life?” Bryce sneered.

“I know he will,” I said. Rachel and I stared at each other a moment, daring the other to say something. There was a touch of fear in her eyes, but also anger and resentment.

“Let’s go,” she said to Bryce and pulled him out of the booth before he could question my confidence.

My eyes stayed locked on the door long after they left, until it jerked open followed by a tingle announcing Justin’s arrival. He sat down across from me and ordered a drink. He must have raced to the diner from the gym. His blond hair was still damp and his face flushed.

Tristan, along with Kyle, finally made an appearance just as the waitress brought our drinks. He smiled up at the girl. “I’ll have the special.”

“Hey, beautiful,” he said sliding in next to me and leaned in for a quick kiss. “How was your morning?”

I grunted in response, not wanting to dredge up the incident with Rachel and Bryce.

“What happened?” His eyebrow arched in suspicion.

“Rachel and Bryce were here earlier.”

“Ah.”

“Exactly.” I threw my paper straw wrapper onto the table.

“Don’t worry about them,” Kyle said across the table. “They won’t try anything. As long as you’re with us they’ll leave you alone.”

A grateful smile shaped my lips and I sipped my diet coke.
Ignore them
, I told myself, repeating Kyle’s advice, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded when I could still feel the icy daggers of their eyes piercing me.

“So have you picked yet?” Justin asked me.

“Picked what?” Had I missed an entire conversation?

“Your favorite brother. Now that you have two of us, you have to pick which of us is your favorite.”

“Why would I have to pick?”

“Well, I need to know where I stand so when Christmas comes I know how much to spend. If I’m not your favorite I may just hit up the nearest dollar store,” he said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t worry, Janie, I only give the best quality gifts.” Kyle gave a sweet smile and ignored the elbow Justin threw into his ribs.

The two of them and Tristan managed to distract my thoughts for the rest of our lunch. Watching Justin and Kyle interact was interesting. I loved that they got along and how they both had a sense of humor. Justin was definitely more outspoken and in your face, while Kyle just snuck in from the sidelines. Tristan egged them on and I spent most of the lunch laughing at their exchanges.

“I’ll meet you outside,” Tristan said after paying the bill. I made a quick stop in the restroom and then went outside to find him.

Tristan stood beside Rachel as she leaned on his car. I didn’t like seeing them together, and felt a flash of jealousy when I realized what could have been if Tristan hadn’t seen my birthmark. He smiled at me and the jealousy faded. If he had wanted to be with Rachel, he’d be with her.

“I’ll let you girls talk,” he said and headed across the street to sit on the bench in the park. I loved that he realized my need to get this confrontation over with. What Rachel and I had to say couldn’t be said in front of others.

We both watched him leave. I nervously twisted a strand of hair while she picked at her nail polish. When he’d settled on the bench, I glanced at her, unsure what I wanted to say. I knew Lukas was my biological father, I knew he was Rachel’s father. Logically that simple twist of facts made us half-sisters. I suppose it explained the weird connection I’d felt the first day we’d met.

Rachel started. “I...I guess you need to know-”

“We went over this already, Rachel. I know everything.”

“But you don’t know why I couldn’t...be friends with you anymore.” She stepped away from the car, folding her arms across her chest. “Please, let me finish,” she asked, stopping me as I opened my mouth to speak.

“I wanted to move to LA after graduation. I wanted to act, be a Hollywood star. When I told my mom, she said it couldn’t happen. I’d never questioned why mom always said we couldn’t leave Everod.”

“So, shouldn’t you want the cure? If I’m the cure then you’re set, right? Maybe you could be some reality star.” Okay, so it was catty of me, but I didn’t want to hear some sob story.

“It’s not that simple, Janie. The Lycan aren’t just going to go away. Kas has shown me the power we have. A cure would take that away from us.”

I didn’t know how to argue with her on that. If she chose this life, then that was on her.

“What do you want from me, Rachel?”

“Just hear me out. When we first met, I had no idea who you were. You were a new blood that had managed to go completely unnoticed,” she said.

“You knew. I told you about my father.” Heavy silence hung between us, loaded with my unasked question: did she know she was my sister?

“I knew.”

“When? When did you figure it out?”

“As soon as you mentioned the tattoo and I wanted you to unsay it, to take everything back. I wanted to have never met you. I tried to get you to leave. I’d hoped that once you knew everything you’d want to leave.”

“How could you not tell me? How could you just walk away from me? If you’re my sister, you should have stood beside me.” The lump in my throat blocked my words.

“I wish I could have, but your very existence means the end of everything I want. But it’s not too late, Janie. You could still join us before Kas...”

“Before Kas figures out a way to get rid of me and stop them from creating a cure?”

Her face paled. I must have been pretty close to the truth. “I don’t want you dead or hurt, Janie. And that’s what being their cure means. Up until now, the town has viewed you as temporary. Once they know who you are… Tristan and his parents think Kas is dangerous, that he’s out to kill you. But did they tell you about the others? The ones who are so desperate to get out of Everod, to be normal that they will kill you for the cure?”

“Well, that’ll solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?”

“You just don’t get it. If you stay here, you’re gonna die, whether it’s Kas or someone trying to be cured.” She left abruptly, leaving me hanging again. I wanted to scream and rage at her, but the words refused to come out. Instead, I turned away from her departing form.

Tristan came from around the corner. He didn’t ask what we said, just took my hand and walked with me to the library. His touch soothed my nerves and after a minute, Rachel was the furthest thing from my mind.

His arm brushed mine and heat flooded me. I loved his warmth even more now, knowing that he was getting hot just for me. I smiled secretively as we entered through the double doors.

“What’s so funny?” Tristan asked, seeing that smile.

“I was just thinking about you,” I said. “And how when you touch me, you’re always so hot.” I giggled at the pinkish flush that filled his cheeks.

“Ms. Moore,” a young girl called from behind the counter as we passed by. “You’re needed in Ms. Markov’s office.”