“Are you okay?” I ask.
He nods, not answering out loud.
“Who are these friends we’re going to see?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he slows the car and turns on his blinker.
We turn onto a gravel driveway that is on a hill. We drive down for a little ways before I see a large cabin. I can see the lake on the other side of the cabin, and I see a large boat house with a huge deck leading to it from the other side of the house.
“Sebastian, where are we?” I ask.
“Lake Burton,” he answers, unbuckling his seatbelt.
Lake Burton?
I know we’re somewhere in the mountains in Georgia. But I don’t know why we’re at some random cabin here.
I see a little girl come out the front door of the house and run towards our car. Sebastian gets out and I follow his head. I watch as the little girl runs over to Sebastian and gives him a hug.
“Sebastian!” she yells.
“Hey, Sof,” he says. “You got big. What happened?”
She backs away, putting her hands on her hips. “That’s what happens when you don’t see me in three years. I’m almost a teenager now.”
The door opens again and I see a woman walk out. I immediately know who she is.
Sebastian looks a lot like his mom.
“Mom,” he says.
The woman comes over and gives him a hug, and I just stand there, watching. I’m not sure if I should say or do anything, so I just don’t.
“Mom, you remember Serenity?” Bass asks.
That’s when she looks at me.
“Wow,” she says. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby. You look so much like your mom. So beautiful.”
I just smile, because I don’t know what else to do.
She comes over and gives me a hug, which I wasn’t expecting. But it’s a welcome surprise. It’s not awkward, not at all. She feels familiar, like somebody I’ve known my whole life. And maybe it’s because I knew her when I was little or because she’s Sebastian’s mom, but I like it.
“How is your mom doing?” she asks, pulling back.
“Mom, no,” Sebastian says, shaking his head at her.
“It’s okay,” I say. “She died when I was four.”
“No,” she says, gasping. “I wonder why Michael didn’t tell me. He also didn’t tell me you guys were coming.”
“He doesn’t know,” Bass says.
“You left school to come here?” she asks.
“We haven’t been at school in quite a few months,” he says.
The two of them look at each other, not saying anything. But I see him glance over at his sister, so I know he doesn’t want to say anything in front of her.
“Hi, I’m Sofia,” the little girl says, coming over to me.
“Hi, I’m Serenity,” I say, smiling at her.
“Are you Sebastian’s girlfriend?”
I’m about to tell her no, but Sebastian beats me to it.
“Hey, don’t embarrass Serenity,” he says. “We’re just friends, okay? We’re on a mission together.”
“A mission? Cool,” she says then looks at me. “So, you’re a spy, too?”
I nod. “Kind of, I guess.”
Though I’m not a good one. I mean, I mostly just spend my time running away.
“She’s still in training,” Bass says.
“Hey, I took you down yesterday,” I say.
He grins at me. “I told you, I let you win.”
I roll my eyes at him playfully.
“You two come inside,” his mom says. “How long are you staying?”
“I don’t know,” Sebastian answers, as we walk towards the front door of the house. “It probably wouldn’t be good for us to stay long, I just didn’t know where else to go. We kind of have a problem.”
“Well, you know you’re welcome to stay,” she says. “Both of you.”
“I know,” he says. “But it’s probably safer if we don’t stay for more than a few days.”
His mom looks at him, frowning.
Maybe I should let the two of them talk, because she looks like she’s about to cry.
“Hey, Sofia, you want to show me around?” I ask her.
“Yeah,” she says, grinning big.
I follow her into a hallway and look back at Sebastian for a second. He’s watching me, smiling. I know he appreciates this time alone with his mom. I know he has a lot to catch her up on, and I’m sure his sister will keep me busy for a while.
Trouble.
After Sofia gives me the tour, Sebastian’s mom, Jennifer, takes me to the room I’ll be staying in. Coincidentally, it’s on the opposite side of the house from Sebastian. Something tells me she might have done that on purpose, from the way Sebastian glares at her.
Ha.
I love seeing him with his family.
“Do you need some help?” I ask Jennifer, who is cooking something. It smells amazing.
“You cook?” she asks.
I nod. “I’ve cooked for my family since I was ten years old. My mom… or… you know, the woman who kidnapped me… didn’t know how to cook. I had to learn to survive. When she found out I was actually good at it, it became my job.”
“Sebastian told me about that,” she says. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “Not your fault. Besides, my dad found me. And now I’m here and I’m happy.”
Sebastian walks up behind me. “My mom’s not telling you stories about me, right? Because none of it’s true.”
I turn to see him looking at me with such a genuine smile on his face.
He’s happy.
I love seeing him like this.
“No, but now I’m intrigued,” I say. “I want to know what you were like as a kid.”
“I was a cute kid,” he says. “Right, Mom?”
Jennifer laughs. “Cute, yes. But also mischievous.”
“He’s still mischievous,” I say.
“You wound me,” he says, clutching his chest dramatically.
I just smile at him, wishing he could be like this all the time.
“You two get out of here,” Jennifer says. “Dinner won’t be ready for about thirty minutes.”
“Okay. I want to take Serenity outside anyway,” he says. “She hasn’t seen the lake yet.”
“Be good,” she says. I think she’s joking, until I see the look Sebastian gives her.
I follow Sebastian out of the kitchen.
“What did she mean by that?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says.
Okay…
We walk out onto the large back deck. There is a staircase and pathway that leads to a boathouse. I would love to see what it looks like here in the summer, but even in the winter it’s gorgeous.
“This is amazing,” I say.
“It is,” he says.
“Did you ever live here?”
“No,” he answers. “They moved here after I left for Spy School. This is the first time I’ve been.”
“How did you know where they were?” I ask. “I thought you didn’t know.”
“When we were in New York, your dad told me,” he says. “He said that I might find the information useful. I didn’t realize at the time what he meant. He must’ve known we’d need to come here.”
“I’m glad you got to see them,” I say.
“Me, too,” he says. “I’ve missed them so much.”
“I bet.”
“Matthew will be here soon, too,” he says. “My stepdad. I’m excited for you to meet him, too. He’s actually a good guy—a good dad.”
“Does your mom like me?” I ask.
He turns towards me, leaning against the railing of the deck. “Of course. What’s not to like?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I’ve never met anybody’s parents before.”
“It’s not like we’re dating.”
“No, I know. I mean, I’ve never had friends before I was rescued in Florida,” I say. “
So, I have never even met a friend’s parents or anything.”
“Oh,” he says. “My mom loves you, trust me.”
“Good,” I say. “I like her.”
“She thinks we’re dating,” Sebastian says. “It’s kind of annoying, actually. That’s why she put our rooms so far away.”
“She does know that even putting our rooms so far away wouldn’t defer you if you wanted to come to my room, right?” I ask. “I mean, you could probably sneak into my room without anybody knowing.”
“You want me to sneak into your room?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I don’t answer.
I mean… maybe I do. It’ll be weird not sleeping in the same room with him. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to sleep alone.
“I think she’s just worried she’s going to be a grandma before she turns forty,” he says.
I nearly choke on my own saliva. “Oh, God. That’s… not… I didn’t mean like that. I mean… you’ve never even kissed me. So, that’s crazy. You did tell her that you’re not attracted to me like that, right?”
“Yeah, but my mom knows when I’m lying,” he says.
“Wait,” I say. “Does that mean you are attracted to me?”
“I mean, you’re beautiful. I don’t think there is a guy alive who wouldn’t be attracted to you,” he says.
“That is not true,” I say, shaking my head. He’s crazy if he thinks that.
“I’m just saying… my mom didn’t believe me. Hence, the fact that our rooms are as far as possible,” he says, then smiles. “But you’re right. Not even my mom can keep me away from you.”
“Are we safe here?” I ask.
“We’re never safe,” he says. “And that is why nobody can keep me away from you. Not even my mother.”
“Maybe I could talk to her,” I say. “I mean, if I just reassure her that you don’t like me like that, she’ll put you in the room next to mine.”
He laughs. “Trust me, that won’t work.”
“Fine,” I say. “I guess you’ll just have to be sneaky.”
Because I don’t want him so far away from me, either.
“You’re going to get me in so much trouble,” he says.
“When has the threat of getting in trouble ever stopped you?” I ask.
“Exactly,” he says.
And maybe I should tell him not to sneak into my room. I mean, I do want his mom to like me. But I will sleep better knowing that he’s in there with me.
“But if you get caught, can you pretend I told you not to come?” I ask. “Because I really want your mom to continue liking me.”
“Oh, no. If I’m going down, you’re going down with me,” he says. “Honestly, she probably already knows what I plan on doing. She always was one step ahead of me.”
My chest hurts a little when I realize exactly what I missed out on by not being raised by my real mom and dad. I am so, so thankful to not be in that house anymore, but I hate the experience that was robbed from me.
And for a brief moment, I hope that Nolan did kill the woman who raised me. But I hate myself for it.
I push the feelings aside. She’s not even worth the effort it would take to hate her. I am happy now. That is all that matters.
Family.
Sebastian’s stepdad is different than what I expected. I mean, maybe because I’ve seen Sebastian’s biological dad. Even though he’s legit crazy, he’s not bad looking for a middle-aged man. But his stepdad… well, he’s short, bald, and a little chubby. But he’s also really nice, funny, and seems to be a really good dad to Sebastian and Sofia.
I’ll be honest; I can’t blame Jennifer for going for a completely different “type” with her second marriage. I mean, her first husband went crazy and has literally made it his life mission to track her down.
Well, at least until recently. His new mission is now to find me and… torture me? Murder me? Who knows?
We all sit down at the dining room table. I sit down beside Sebastian. Sofia looks disappointed. I think she wanted to sit by Sebastian. I feel kind of bad, like I’m intruding on their family time.
“I can go to my room if you guys want to have some family time,” I say.
“No,” Sebastian says, grabbing my hand so I don’t go.
“Absolutely not,” Jennifer says. “You’re family. Trust me; I changed plenty of your diapers when you were a baby.”
Yeah, that’s not weird at all.
“Mom,” Sebastian says. “Can you just not?”
She just laughs.
“So, Serenity, you go to Spy School, too?” Matthew asks me.
“Sort of,” I say. “I went to one day of school. Somebody tried to kill me. A few times. And since then Sebastian and I have been on the run. But he’s been teaching me things on the road. And I did kind of win a fight the other day.”
“Stop telling people that,” Sebastian says.
I grin. “What? It’s true.”
He shakes his head at me before turning to look at his family. “She basically tackled me in the ocean. We were just messing around. I didn’t realize she would take it so seriously.”
“I just did what you trained me to do,” I say, giving him my best innocent look.
“Serenity, you’re Sebastian’s girlfriend, right?” Matthew asks.
“No,” Sofia answers for us. “Mom said they have a crush on each other, though. And if they get married, Serenity will be my sister.”
“Oh, my gosh. Mom,” Sebastian says. “Why do you tell stuff like this to her? You know she can’t keep her mouth shut.”
“Sorry, sweetie. Did that embarrass you?” Jennifer asks.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I know exactly how he feels about me.”
Kind of.
I mean, he says one thing and acts a different way.
Sometimes, I think he likes me.
Other times, I think he loathes me.
It’s complicated.
Sebastian looks at me with an eyebrow raised. I just smile at him, taking a huge bite of the food on my plate.
Jennifer made a roast. A really delicious roast. She’s a great cook. I haven’t had a home cooked meal since Sebastian and I left New Zealand a couple of months ago.
“This is amazing,” I tell her.
“It was your mom’s recipe,” she says. “I have a ton of her recipes, actually. I have a book around here somewhere. Remind me to get it for you.”
“Maybe it’d be best to wait,” I say. “We’ve kind of abandoned our things a few times. We don’t exactly get a lot of notice before we’ve got to go, you know?”
“When you’re older then,” she says. “Hopefully you can come back under better circumstances and stay longer.”
“I would love that.”
A lot.
I’m so jealous of the relationship that Sebastian has with his family. Not that my dad and I have a bad relationship or anything. But I’m just getting to know him. And I don’t have a sibling. I would love to have a sibling.
Sebastian is so lucky.
Who is Lionel?
Sofia is made to go to bed at nine o’clock. From the way she’s complaining, I definitely don’t think it’s normal. I think Jennifer just really wants to talk to Sebastian and me without her around.
“Tell me everything,” Jennifer says to Sebastian. “And don’t leave anything out this time.”
“Steven put out a five million dollar reward for us to be successfully captured,” he says. “That explains a lot, actually. No matter where we went, he would find us within a couple of weeks. We couldn’t stay anywhere.”
His mom frowns.
Wait. Steven? Is that his dad’s name? It’s weird not hearing him called Lex Luthor.
“It was a really close call in Korea,” Sebastian says. “If Serenity hadn’t thought so quickly, we wouldn’t have made it out alive.”
“That was you,” I say.
“She’s awesome,” he says, ignoring me. “In a few years, I don’t
think I’ll even be able to keep up with her.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes.
He’s exaggerating.
There is no way that I could ever be as strong as Sebastian. For one, he’s a male, which does give him a boost on physical strength. But he’s also about seven inches taller than I am, and at least forty pounds heavier. He’s pure muscle. Of course, I only weigh ninety something pounds. I’m working on gaining weight the healthy way; it’s just a slow process.
“I’m just glad you are both safe,” Jennifer says.
“Me, too,” Matthew says. “You should’ve come here sooner.”
“No,” Sebastian says. “Absolutely not. We can’t stay long. I just didn’t know what else to do, or know where else to go, so I came here. I need help.”
“Anything,” Jennifer says.
“I need to find Lionel.”
After he says the words, there is a complete silence over the room.
“Who is Lionel?” I ask.
“My grandfather,” Sebastian answers, turning to look at me. “My paternal grandfather.”
“Oh.”
He wants to go see his dad’s father?
“I don’t know where he is,” Jennifer says. “But I can contact him.”
“Okay,” Bass says. “Thank you.”
“But don’t leave yet,” she says. “Please. At least one more day. I have missed you a lot. And Sofia misses you.”
He turns to me. “Are you okay with staying here another day?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
I like it here.
“Okay,” he says, then turns to his mom. “But we will leave on Friday morning. I refuse to put you guys in danger.”
“This is my fault, not yours,” Jennifer says.
“What? You knew Steven was going to be a psycho when you married him?” Sebastian asks.
“No,” she says. “He wasn’t always a psycho.”
“I know, Mom,” he says.
Jennifer smiles sadly at her son before looking at me. “I am so sorry that you have to go through this now.”
I shrug, because what can she do? What can anybody do?
“Someday, we’re going to put a stop to what he’s doing,” I say. “Of that I have no doubt. I’m just glad you allowed us to stay here for a few nights. I appreciate your hospitality.”
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