The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven

by Jessica Miller

  Zane joined us for the trip into town. Aidan invited Mackenzie to come along, but she said she rather shave with a dull razor than spend the afternoon with us. I was willing to supply her with the razor.

  Dean decided to spend his time at the local tavern instead of enduring what he called a ‘tedious’ day of shopping. Instead of torturing Gabe with another one off our shopping exploits, Zane volunteered to stay with us while Gabe went and kept an eye on Dean at the tavern. Gabe knew all too well the McCallisters had a history of getting into trouble at bars.

  Cameron was in her glory once we hit the shops. She didn’t hesitate to charge everything and anything she could. I didn’t know where she was going to put everything. I think she just bought stuff because she could and to piss off her dad. The one thing he actually did pay attention to and cared about was money. Cameron told me once her dad’s idea of a social call was to yell at her for how much money she was spending. “It’s not like we don’t have it,” Cameron said.

  I watched Cameron smile as the card slid through the machine over and over again. I only bought a few items, but for the first time in a long time I bought some nicer shirts besides my normal t-shirt and jeans. I also got a few new lip-glosses and a new pair of sunglasses. When I thought we were finally done, we passed a dress shop, and Cameron pulled me inside. She said she wanted to look for a dress for the Fall Ball while she had the chance.

  She tried to get me to try some dresses on with her but I was too tired. I told her I would just help her pick out some nice ones for her and wait while she tried them on. Zane and I found seats just outside the dressing room. I practically fell down on the chair. I didn’t think it would be possible to be shopped out, but for the first time I think I was.

  I looked over at Zane who sat quietly in the chair. He was silent the entire trip and didn’t once complain about being stuck with two girls who dragged him from store to store. He even offered to help carry some of our bags. I assumed combat moves weren’t the only thing Gabe taught him.

  While we waited for Cameron to come out of the dressing room I turned to Zane and asked, “So how did you get stuck here for the summer?”

  “In order to get my license as a guardian I have to do a semester worth of one on one training.”

  “So you chose to stay here for the summer?”

  “Yeah, this way there’s less distractions and I can focus more on school work in the fall.”

  “Makes sense,” I said. “You know, you really don’t have to stay here with us. I’m sure this isn’t fun for you.”

  “I don’t mind, besides it’s good practice for the future,” he smiled, showing off his dimples.

  “Okay, so what do you think?” Cameron asked, coming out of the dressing room.

  She was wearing a green, mermaid style dress that looked so tight I was wondering if she could actually breathe in that thing. “You plan on doing aquatics?” I asked and Zane laughed.

  “You could have just said no,” she frowned.

  “Well if I knew you wanted to try out for ‘The Little Mermaid’ on ice,” I replied, getting another laugh from Zane, who then tried to cover it with a cough. Cameron pouted and stomped back into the dressing room.

  “I think you hurt her feelings,” Zane said, trying to keep the smile from his face.

  “Trust me. I’m doing her a favor.”

  After about the tenth dress and many insults later, Cameron finally found the perfect dress. It was a plum colored strapless dress that just grazed the floor. The top was heart shaped and gathered in the middle with a diamond broach right in the center. The material clung to her just right, accentuating her body, but not too much that it was tight or clingy. It was perfect. All she needed was the perfect pair of shoes and a few accessories and she was good to go.

  We finished just in time to meet the boys for dinner. After dinner we went and saw a movie. Cameron and I were outnumbered so we had to settle for the latest Alien flick. By the time the movie was over I was exhausted. I crashed the moment I laid on my bed.

  When I finally woke up, it was sometime around noon. I stretched my arms high above my head. For the first time in a long time I had a good night’s rest. I ventured down to the cafeteria to get some food. Sleeping through breakfast I decided to make up for lost time by piling my plate high. I found Aidan sitting at a table in the corner alone and I thought I’d say hello. “Good morning,” I said, in what I hoped was a cheerful voice.

  “More like good afternoon,” Aidan said smiling. “Planning on having someone join you?” he gestured to my plate.

  “Oh, um, I missed breakfast,” I said bashfully, suddenly embarrassed about the massive amount of food on my plate. He laughed kindheartedly and pulled out a chair for me to have a seat. I joined him and tried not to look like a pig as I scarfed down my food. “So, could you give me a little hint as to what we’re in for as far as the manual labor we’ll have to do?” I asked in between bites.

  He just smiled and sipped his coffee while flipping through his paperwork.

  “So nothing. You’re just going to leave me hanging?”

  “It wouldn’t be much of a punishment if you knew what was to be expected.”

  I sighed and went back to my brunch. We sat silently for the next few minutes. The quiet made my mind wander to Roman and what he was doing and if he made his decision. Not wanting to drive myself nuts I turned back to Aidan. “I wanted to say thank you for letting us get off campus for the day.”

  “I thought you guys needed a break. You’ll definitely be begging for one by the end of summer,” he said, smiling behind his coffee cup again.

  I groaned to myself and finished eating. “Thanks for the company. I’m gonna head back to my room and enjoy my downtime while I still have it.”

  “Good idea,” he chuckled. I tried my hardest not to narrow my eyes at him.

  I spent the rest of the day in my room putting my stuff away and getting settled. Then I lay on my bed and tried to relax. My mind wandered and soon I was wondering what to expect for when Roman returned. I had no idea, but I was sure it wouldn’t be pleasant. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling I was bored. Apparently I wasn’t one who could do leisurely downtime. I got up off the bed and looked around the room. Since I would be the only one there for the summer I decided to do some rearranging. I thought it would be a good distraction and keep my mind off of Roman.

  I spent the next two hours moving furniture around and organizing my stuff. When I was done, I stared at the pile of dirty clothes in the corner and thought it would be wise to do some laundry. I stuffed all the clothes into bags and was just about to head downstairs when there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door I was startled to find Roman standing on the other side. “H-hi,” I stuttered.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “I didn’t think you’d be back until tomorrow?” I said, remembering counting down the minutes until his return.

  “I caught an earlier flight. I wanted to get a good night’s rest so I was prepared for tomorrow.”

  I nodded, understanding. Not knowing what else to say I asked, “So how was your trip?”

  “Good,” he replied, agitated. I could tell he was upset that that was what I decided to ask about. I braced myself for bad news. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. His face calmed and he asked, “Can we talk?”

  “Yeah, I was about to do laundry if you want to join me?” I pointed to pile of bags behind me.

  “If you’re busy I can wait.”

  “No. I insist. Besides, it’s kind of creepy down there by yourself.” He gave me a small smile and agreed to join me. “Let me just grab my stuff real quick and then we can go.” I grabbed the first two bags and when I turned to grab the soap I saw that Roman was hovering in the doorway. “You can come in?”

  “I’m good here,” he said, making it clear he wasn’t going to budge. I grabbed the soap and two large duffel bags of dirty clothes and headed out the door. Roman offered to carry t
he bags for me and I gave him a thankful smile. We walked silently down to the laundry room which was located at the far end of the basement. Even though it was only a few flights of stairs and a turn here and there; the walk seemed like an eternity in the silence.

  When we reached the laundry room, he tossed my bags on the washer and then leaned up against it. I was hoping he would say something first, afraid I’d open my big mouth and say something stupid or start pathetically begging him to take me back. “So, what did you do this weekend?” I was a little surprised by his opener, but in his defense I said the same thing when I saw him.

  “Aidan, I mean Mr. Callahan,” I quickly corrected remembering his dislike for him. “Let us go off campus for the day. Cameron and I shopped while the boys, well I should say Dean, went to the bar. Gabe tagged along to keep an eye on him.”

  “That was nice of him,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Aidan or Gabe, but I didn’t care. He was talking to me and not yelling.

  Roman was blocking the only working washer and I paused in front of him biting my lip. He just looked at me. I could see sadness in his eyes, and I knew he had made his decision and I wasn’t going to like it. Instead of losing my nerve I gestured to the washer behind him, but he didn’t move. “You know it’s kind of hard to do wash when you block the only working washer,” I said, trying sarcasm to ease my nerves.

  Roman didn’t laugh and still didn’t move. At a loss for what to do, I just stood there, and waited for a reaction. Slowly he took the wash basket from my hands and placed it on the broken washer next to him. He took a hesitant step toward me. I looked up at him, half expecting him to turn and walk away, but instead he reached out for my wrist and pulled me closer. I held my breath as he looked deep into my eyes.

  What he did next not only shocked me, but it took my breath away. He bent down and pressed his lips sweetly to mine. They were soft and tender and missed so much. Not wanting to seem too eager I kissed him back gently. I wanted to devour his lips the moment they touched mine, but I didn’t want to scare him off.

  He pulled back too soon and I regretted not taking as much of him as I could. “Ella,” he spoke softly, still holding on to my wrist. “I love you,” he whispered.

  Those three words were enough to break my heart all over again, but I kept my cool and tried not to cry. “I love you too,” I said, hoping he believed I did.

  He leaned back against the washer making my heart sputter uncontrollably. “I’ve done a lot of thinking while I was home,” he began.

  “And?” I pushed having no patience.

  “And I do want to be with you, but I just can’t go back to the way things were.”

  “I understand.” I stepped away and leaned on the dryer, disappointed. I dropped my head and let my hair cover my face to hide the tears I could no longer stop.

  Roman stepped in front of me and picked up my chin, forcing me to look at him. His face fell when he saw my tears. “Ella, I don’t think you were really listening to me. Unless you were hoping I said I didn’t want to be with you?”

  “No,” I shook my head. “I want to be with you and I want you to want to be with me, but?” I knew he was holding something back.

  “But…we’re going to have to take it slow,” he said, wiping the tears from my face. “Think of it as starting over.”

  “I don’t know how to do that?” I said, scared this might not work.

  “It’s easy. Watch,” he said, walking out of the room. I stood there dumbfounded. He returned not seconds later and walked in pretending he didn’t know me. He picked up my clothes and started doing laundry. I stood there and wondered what the hell was going through his mind. When he was done loading the washer, he turned to me, and smiled that amazing smile I missed so much. He leaned up casually against the washer and looked me up and down like he was checking me out. He extended his arm and said, “Hi, I’m Roman.”

  “Do you always wear women’s underwear?” I asked, pointing to the basket he ‘borrowed’ for his little demonstration.

  He blushed slightly. “I was trying to make a point and didn’t have much to work with.”

  “I see,” I said, trying not to laugh.

  “Okay, how about we try this one more time now you know what I mean,” he suggested.

  “Okay,” I agreed, willing to try anything to make this work.

  “Hi, I’m Roman,” he said extending his hand.

  “Ella,” I smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. When our skin made contact I felt that shock I felt the first time I touched him. I knew he felt it to by the look on his face. I refused to let go. I forgot how good I felt when we touched. I looked up into his eyes hoping he was feeling what I was.

  He answered my hindering thoughts by pulling me tight to his body and kissing me hard. My whole body melted into liquid by the intensity of the kiss. I let myself fall into him. Not willing to let him go this time, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything I had. He spun me around and lifted me on top of the washer and worked his way in between my knees. I ran my hands down his chest and up the back of his shirt. He grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to him. A tiny gasp escaped my lips. His hands slipped under my shirt and then quickly tugged it off. Wanting to feel his bare skin against mine I tugged on his shirt and he let me pull it off. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him as close to me as I could. His skin was warm to the touch and I couldn’t get enough of it. My hands roamed every inch of his bare skin as he kissed me. I dug my fingers into his shoulders as his tongue explored the inside of my mouth.

  I ran my nails down his back and gripped the belt loops on his pants. Roman let out a grunt, pressed his hand into my lower back, and tugged me so close to him our stomachs collided. Things had gotten hot and heavy. A little too hot. I pushed back suddenly, gasping, and burning. Obviously Roman was a little out of practice because he had burned my back with his hand. “What’s wrong? What is it?” he asked panicked, seeing the pained look on my face.

  “You burned me,” I said giggling.

  “Ella, that’s not funny. Where?” he asked, looking me over. I hoped off the washer and turned around pointing to my lower back. I could only imagine, but I had a feeling it probably looked like a giant hand print. “Oh,” he said. “How about I go get you some ice?”

  “Yeah, and maybe next time try to actually take things slow, for real,” I smiled.

  “I thought we were?”

  “That’s what you call slow?”

  “I didn’t feel you pulling away,” he teased. “It’s not my fault you can’t keep your hands off of me,” he smiled cockily. I threw his shirt at him and he laughed as he took off out the door.

  I picked up my shirt and then turned around to actually do my laundry. I had a smile on my face that I couldn’t seem to get rid of. I was so afraid Roman would have decided not to be with me and who could blame him, but I was wrong and I couldn’t stop smiling. I closed the lid on the washer and pushed start, but nothing happened. “Huh?” I double checked to make sure it was plugged in. As I bent down to check the outlet all the lights went out. I stood up. “Seriously?”

  This was one of those situations that never ended well. “Roman, ha-ha very funny,” I said, hoping this was one of his sick jokes since he can generate power. “Roman?” I called. I heard nothing but the clanking of old pipes which just made the situation even creepier.

  I tried to adjust and refocus my eyes to the pitch black. It was odd, being able to see in the dark. It was almost like looking through blurred night vision goggles. I could make out shapes and some objects, but not much else. I guess my powers were still growing. I relied on my other senses and took a step forward and then another and another until I was out in the hall. “Roman?” I called again.

  A loud clank, like the sound of a pipe bursting, caused me to stumble backwards into the laundry room. Instead of backing into one of the dryers like I hoped I would. I fell into someone, someone I did not know, and s
omeone who was not a friend.

  I spun around quickly ready to attack, but there was no one behind me. I looked to my side and then back around again, nothing. I heard a sound coming from down the hall. It sounded like a pipe dragging on the ground. “Elllaaa,” a strange voice whispered.

  Whatever was going on was not good and I needed to find a way out of there fast. The noise was getting closer and I was running out of time. I had nowhere to go and now my only option was to stay and fight. “Elllaaa,” the voice called again. “You can’t beat me,” it hissed, sending cold spikes down my spine.

  I took a step back. Panic surged through my body. I bumped into someone again, but this time I turned swinging. I punched air. I was starting to think I was losing my mind. Smoke started billowing up from the ground and encircled me. I was surrounded by it and coughing from the immense thickness of it. I waved the smoke away from my face and in the distance I caught a glimpse of two glowing dots. I squinted through the sea of black cloud and the glowing dots appeared to be getting larger and appeared as if they were coming straight for me.

  I gasped when I realized what they were. They were eyes and eyes I knew well. Jack’s face jumped out of the smoke. “Boo,” he said and I screamed.

  I felt hands on my shoulder and I screamed again, jumped, and did not hesitate to attack. “Ella,” Roman said, ducking and grabbing my fist before I socked him.

  “Roman,” I cried, throwing myself in his arms.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No. He’s here…I…I saw him,” I stammered, not so sure.

  “Where?” Roman growled, jumping in front of me.

  “I don’t know. I mean it was weird. I heard a woman’s voice calling my name and then there was all this smoke and it was as if Jack appeared out of nowhere.” I looked around again. “I just don’t know?” I said, looking over my shoulder.