At this Jessa frowned, as she admitted, “No, she transferred to our school over the summer and she tends to stay to herself not causing any trouble. I did learn from the office she lost both her parents three years ago when she was 15 and she was in the hospital for three months after the attack. From what Ms. Helms said, she lived with relatives of her fathers until not too long after her 17th birthday when she petitioned the courts to dissolve their guardianship over her.”
At this startling information, Caden and Timothy were silent reeling from the news she had given them.
“Did Ms. Helms know why she petitioned the courts?” Caden finally asked as he headed out of the parking lot.
“No, Ms. Helms didn’t have any more information to give me except her grades her damn good and according to her school record, she had seen a psychiatrist.”
Caden frowned as Timothy turned to Jessa with a questioning glare.
“According to what Ms. Helms could find out, the psychiatrist had been called in when she was in the hospital for those three months by the doctor in charge of her,” Jessa explained. “It seems Abella remembers nothing of the night her parents died not even the attack which she survived.”
Caden sensed his wolf’s anguish at what Jessa was telling them and for the first time in three years something tugged at his softer nature, which he ignored as he focused back on Timothy and Jessa.
A few seconds later, Jessa’s phone went off and she checked the incoming message before informing them, “Abella sent the directions to her house.”
Caden sighed and said over his shoulder as he switched lanes, “Give me the directions and let her know we are dropping you off. Timothy will pick you up no later then nine,” Caden warned.
“Fine,” she said as she texted a reply to Abella before reading off the directions to her brother.
When they pulled in front of the house fifteen minutes later, Jessa gazed at the small house in front of her in wonder viewing through the open window how a beautiful curtain with sunflowers and daisies fluttered out of the window on the top floor.
“If nothing else about her, Abella knows what she wants,” she said before she climbed out and leaned on the passenger door to give Timothy, who had put down his window a kiss.
“Who does she live with?” Caden asked as they broke off the kiss.
“She lives alone from what Ms. Helms said,” Jessa remarked. She stared at Caden with questioning eyes reminding him “Remember Caden, she dissolved her relatives’ guardianship.”
Caden frowned at her and then growled, “How old is she?”
“18,” Jessa said, and headed for the front door. Caden and Timothy kept her in their sights as she knocked on the door before opening it and walking inside after waving to them.
They waited a few more minutes in case something happened and Jessa needed them, but no cry or noise came from the house so Caden with concerned black eyes drove away as Timothy scowled in the passenger seat.
Caden glanced over at Timothy understanding the scowl lingering on his face as he stared out the window.
“Can you read any of Jessa’s emotions?” He asked making a turn heading back to the pack house.
“She seems to be impressed while at the same time wary although from what I am sensing, she likes this young woman,” Timothy said, and Caden realized Timothy was thinking about the last time they accepted a human female in their lives. Humans were accepted everyday into the lives of werewolves when they were their mates as his was, but his mate didn’t want to stick around. He had met Leana when she moved to town when he was 23, and as did most werewolves, he recognized her as his mate the moment he met her although she had only been 18 years old. He took his time so they could learn about each other at the same time introducing her to his world and then he proposed to her when she graduated high school. She had said yes and for almost a year as per her request, they planned the perfect wedding until the day of the wedding when she left him at the altar. He had found the letter after he got home saying she loved him, but she wasn’t quite ready to settle down even though she had accepted his proposal. She hadn’t mentioned ever returning and he took her leaving as a rejection although for the first year, he had hoped she would return until it sunk in she didn’t plan to come back. It had destroyed him until the only thing he had to keep him going was the pack, which he would protect with his life and his sister who he would give his life for. Timothy knew all this and if a human was already a mate to someone in the pack then they were accepted, but other than them, humans were treated with distrust and wariness.
Caden sighed as they drove up to the pack house and they got out both worrying about Jessa. They unloaded the truck hoping Jessa’s faith in her new friend wasn’t misplaced.
Abella heard the knock on the door and she yelled, “Come in” not worried about unwanted visitors. One of the first things she did when she moved in was place enchantments around her house to alert her if the person coming had bad attentions. Even though she trusted her own observations and her spells, she still poked her head around the corner to see who had walked in to her house and she smiled when she viewed Jessa stepping in her living room.
“Hi Jessa, come into the kitchen,” she called going back to the stove. “Could you grab my backpack off the couch, please?”
Jessa grabbed the backpack from the couch scanning the room when she spotted the box. Her eyes widened as she walked over to the stand where the box sat viewing the odd markings encircling the lid until she heard the noises coming from the kitchen. She glanced at the box one more time before she turned around walking toward the kitchen her eyes roving over the rest of the house.
“Hi Abella,” she greeted as she entered the room in time to see Abella sliding a pan in to the oven before Abella threw her a smile.
“Well, dinner is halfway complete,” Abella remarked as she washed her hands. She was cleaning up her mess and washing a few dishes as she stated over her shoulder, “The blue binder has our notes from the other night.”
Jessa nodded her head opening the backpack and taking out the blue binder noting how organized Abella had everything.
They got to work and they worked for close to an hour as the chicken Abella put in the oven cooked.
“Umm the chicken smells delicious,” Jessa moaned as Abella laughed and got up to check on it.
“Almost done,” she said before she pulled out a bag of rice to boil and steamed a bag of broccoli.
Jessa watched her in amazement as she asked, “Who taught you to cook?”
Abella froze for a second before she relaxed and replied, “My dad although this is a recipe I found in a cookbook.” She changed the subject quickly as she stated, “We have to decide on how we are going to present our project. You have any ideas?”
Jessa observed her with narrowed eyes noticing Abella’s grey eyes were shadowed so she went along with the change of topic. “I am good with a computer; maybe we can do a slide show.”
Abella nodded her head as she said, “Sounds like a good idea. Maybe we can enliven it a little so the other students don’t get too bored.”
She took out the chicken before she drained the rice and made their plates. Jessa making her self useful poured their drinks after asking Abella in which cabinet the glasses were stored.
As they sat down at the table, Abella said with a smile, “Let’s see if this is a good as it smells.”
Jessa laughed as they began eating and she had to admit dinner was even better than it smelled.
She examined Abella as she ate and she couldn’t help but notice that although they were talking, Abella hadn’t talked about herself or said anything personal except for when she asked her earlier about cooking.
“Abella,” she said hesitatingly as they finished and leaned back in their chairs.
Abella glanced at her with wary grey eyes and Jessa could see the sign in them warning her not to ask anything personal.
“Never mind,” she said shaking head slowly and sh
e swore Abella smiled with relief.
Abella began clearing the table when she asked, “What time are they picking you up?”
Jessa sighed, “Nine” as she helped with the dishes.
They finished cleaning up and wiping their hands on the dishtowel Jessa sighed leaning against the counter. Folding the dishtowel and placing it next to the sink, Abella discerned Jessa’s sign as she asked, “So you have an hour and half before they pick you up? We can either work some more on the project” and she laughed as Jessa winced before she continued. “Or we can watch a movie?”
“Movie,” Jessa said without hesitation.
“Movie it is then,” Abella concluded strolling to the living room with Jessa behind her.
Going through her collection, they settled on an action flick “Death Race” and they lost track of time as they watched it.
The movie still had about twenty minutes left as every time one of them left the room, the other would pause it although they both had seen the movie plenty of times, when someone knocked on the door. Abella lifted the remote pausing the movie again when Jessa glanced at her wristwatch before groaning.
“No,” Jessa uttered under her breath as she stalked to the door pulling it open. She grabbed Timothy’s arm and dragged him inside shutting the door behind him with a snap. Abella was laughing quietly on the chair as Jessa dragged him over and pushed him down on to the couch.
She glared down in his surprised face as she stated, “We are almost done watching this movie and you will just have to wait until it is over before we leave.”
Without waiting for his reply, she turned to Abella and nodded her head as she sat down next to him. Abella shook her own head as she hit the play button and they finished watching the rest of the movie.
The movie’s credits were running when Timothy’s cell rung and he pulled the phone from his pocket his face stricken although neither of the young women noticed his reaction.
“That movie is so awesome,” Jessa said not realizing she had cut Caden off when he was about to speak.
Abella added as she got up to take out the DVD and placing it back in its case, “Death Race does have everything in it to make one awesome movie from the car crashes to explosions. It also helps the main character is absolutely hot in a rugged way, and for the men, it has either the skimpy clad women or outfits so tight they don’t have to use their imagination,” and Jessa laughed at her wince.
“Caden, my brother, and the rest of his friends watch the movie for the chicks,” Jessa said mockingly.
“I would thing the race itself would catch their attention with all that mayhem going on,” Abella said as she put the DVD back and turned to them.
“Probably,” Jessa said with a glance at Timothy who said with a smile, “Occasionally.”
Abella laughed as Jessa hit him in the arm and they all laughed before a voice said in a hard voice “When are you two leaving, Timothy?”
“We are leaving now,” Timothy said fast his laughter dying down.
“Good” the voice said before he hung up.
Jessa and Abella glanced at each other with wide-eyes as they realized the person heard everything for Timothy had the speakerphone on. They started laughing as Timothy shook his head and grabbed Jessa by the arm giving Abella a narrowed look although she noted his eyes weren’t as harsh as they were the other day. Jessa was still laughing as she waved “goodbye” walking out with him, and Abella strolled with them to their car.
Jessa, after getting in the car, rolled down her window asked, “How about we get together tomorrow night to work on the project, Abella?”
Abella shook her head, “Tomorrow is Friday, Jessa, and I don’t know about you but I rather not work on a school project on the weekend. We can work on Monday night. If you would like, we can come here right after school so that way your brother and boyfriend don’t get upset for you being here so late.”
Jessa frowned and she would have suggested they hang out this weekend, but something told her Abella wouldn’t agree. She said “okay” in a quiet voice and her eyes focused on Abella who waved as they drove off.
“You like her don’t you, sweetheart?” Timothy asked her.
Jessa nodded her head, “I do but she is wary of getting close to anyone. She is more distrustful than we are.”
They were quiet all the way back to the pack house and when they walked in, Caden called them from the kitchen.
They walked in the kitchen recognizing a few pack members and Jessa glanced around questionably as Jenna said from the stove, “Everyone went out tonight.”
Jessa knew exactly why everyone went out as Jenna was a terrible cook although in her mind, she was very good at it. She was obliviously to the fact that when it was her turn to cook, pack members made other plans.
“Fix you a plate,” Caden said gazing down at the food on his plate with a scowl.
Jessa grinned as she told him, “I already ate.”
She frowned in thought before she whipped out her phone and hitting the speaker phone button, she speed dialed Abella.
“Hello,” she heard as Abella picked up.
“Do you think you can teach me to cook?” she asked bluntly.
Abella laughed, “Are you sure about that? I am still an amateur myself.”
“What you made tonight was better than anything I have eaten since our father and stepmother left,” Jessa said honestly. Then she frowned as she admitted, “Actually, even before that because our stepmother is a lousy cook.”
There was silence for a few seconds before Abella sighed and said quietly, “Jessa, I think you and I could become good friends, but I will warn you though becoming friends with me might be dangerous.”
The kitchen went silent at her words until Jessa laughed, “Abella, to be honest, I could say the same thing to you about being friends with me.”
Again silence filled the line until Abella said, “What the hell if you are game then so I am. Sure I can teach you a few things about cooking like my dad taught me.”
“Thanks,” Jessa said and with a “goodbye” she hung up.
“Jessa,” Caden said his eyes narrowed.
“It’s the first time in my life,” Jessa said putting her hands on her hips, “I can have a friend who is not trying to get close to you, Caden. It wasn’t my idea to go to Abella’s house for our project, it was hers.”
With those words said, she turned and headed up to her room. Human or not, she thought to herself as she got ready for a shower, she liked Abella.
Chapter 3
“We have to go to my house, Abella,” Jessa said with a narrowed look.
“Why?” Abella groaned as she sat down on her couch.
“I have a computer,” Jessa began, and Abella looked up hopefully as she said, “We can go to the library…” but she stopped when Jessa shook her head.
“We have worked hard on this project and it is due tomorrow,” Jessa said looking at her friend and Abella frowned.
Ever since that first day she came here, Jessa and Abella had become friends although Abella would not step a foot into the pack house. When they hung out, it was either at her house or at stores, restaurants even the library to work on their project but never at her house.
Jessa understood why Abella wouldn’t go there because when Abella first called the main phone number a week ago, Caden had answered and then hung up on her so Abella hadn’t called the pack house again. If Abella couldn’t get hold of her on her cell, she waited for the next day to talk with Jessa.
“Please, Abella, my brother won’t be there,” Jessa said, and she prayed that he was not. Abella looked at her with narrowed grey eyes and Jessa kept her face blank, as she had learned in these two weeks Abella was very good at telling if someone was lying to her.
“You are not too sure, are you?” she asked now and Jessa shook her head slowly.
“Damn,” Abella mumbled, but what she said next made Jessa smile. “You are going to owe me.”
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��We will take my car,” Jessa said and Abella flinched, but Jessa was stubborn about this.
“I will bring you back,” she promised as they drove away and Abella sighed as she looked out the window.
They made it to the house in record time and Jessa smiled as she stepped into the house because she knew only a few people where there, and none of them were Caden.
“He is not here,” she proclaimed and she watched as Abella relaxed. They went up to her room to work on their slide show.
It had been hour and a half when Jessa frowned, leaning away from the computer.
“What is wrong, Jessa?” Abella said looking towards the door and then she froze.
“You smell that?” Jessa asked as she got up followed by Abella.
“Yeah, it smells as if something is burning,” she remarked.
They went downstairs looking around as other pack members started getting up too.
“Whose night is it to cook?” Jessa asked and from their looks, she knew.
She rushed into the kitchen and Abella followed with a slight frown. When they got there, Jenna was standing in front of the sink as smoke poured out of the stove.
“Jenna,” Jessa yelled as Abella went around her snatching open the oven door and pulling out the pan.
“Damn,” Abella cried as her hand encountered the hot pan burning her palm as she literally threw the pan into the sink. Stupid, she thought to herself, turning on the cold water.
“You ruined it,” Jenna shouted at her. Abella ignored her as she ran cold water over her burn and Jessa said from where she was standing, “Are you okay, Abella?”
Abella looked at the reddening on her palm and she winced as it began to burn again but she had something at home to take care of it.
“I will be fine,” Abella stated, “but do you have some gauze so that I can wrap it up until I get home.”
Jessa nodded her head as she rushed out of the room. Unfortunately, for Abella, Caden and the rest of the pack returned at that moment. Jenna, smelling him, sent Abella a smirk before she screamed, “CADEN”.
The Witch Prophecy Page 2