Discovering Shadows

by Jenkins, Tawnya

  “What happened Lil?” her brother asked, with concern in his eyes.

  “Well, it’s going to sound strange,” she said, not wanting to look her brother in the eyes.

  Leo reached up and tilted her chin toward him. “Hey . . . you can talk to me about anything. Me and you against the world, remember?” He assured her.

  She took a deep breath and told him everything; from the time she turned on the faucet to when she exited the shower. She watched his face go from concern to something she couldn’t recognize. Of course he thought she was crazy, he was probably going to have her committed.

  “I’m crazy right?”

  Leo just shook his head and smiled. “No . . . no you’re not crazy, but I . . . uh, I think I should introduce you to the guys now.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. The three men stood up all at once and stared at her. Reaching up, she gently tucked her hair behind her ears, forcing herself to look at her feet and avoid their gazes.

  “Everyone this is my sister, Lily. Lily these are the guys. You already met Nate.” She glanced up as Nate winked at her, causing her to blush. “And that’s Sam.” Leo pointed to the man closest to them. Sam nodded at her and adjusted his glasses. Her gaze drifted to the one man remaining. “And this is Reece.” Reece walked around the couch and approached her, his sparkling white teeth shone in contrast against his tanned skin. She watched his muscles ripple as he walked and then forced herself to look at her feet again, hoping nobody noticed her gawking at him.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lily,” Reece said, as he took her hand and softly kissed it.

  Nobody else existed. He was absolutely too gorgeous. She could feel the heat rise in cheeks. A haze began to form in her brain, muddying any and all thoughts. And then . . . cue the brother to ruin the moment.

  Leo cleared his throat. “Right, so uh—the guys are going to be living here with us for a while.”

  Lily shook her head and realized Reece was still holding her hand, she eased it from his grasp and watched his smile disappear.

  “Um, ok. Who are they? I mean, I know their names but why are they staying here? How come I’ve never met them before today?”

  “Slow down Lil,” Leo chuckled, trying to choose his answers carefully.

  “We attend the same university as your brother and we all work together. The housing unit we’re staying in is being renovated. Your brother so kindly offered to let us crash here until it’s completed.” Reece smiled. His smile was so bright and beautiful; she had already started to forget about the shower incident.

  “Oh, ok . . . well I guess that makes sense. I’m sorry for asking, it’s just Leo has never mentioned any of you before. And you guys have never come by or anything. So do you all work for the law firm downtown also?”

  “Law firm?” Nate laughed. “Oh that’s hilarious.”

  Reece smacked him in the back of the head, silencing his snickers.

  “Uh, yeah they do. They work security with me,” Leo answered quickly.

  “That’s right babe, you’re in the presence of a legend in the field of security. How do you feel about men in uniform?” Nate said as he flexed his biceps.

  Lily chuckled. “Eh, uniforms are alright, I guess.”

  Nate walked confidently toward her. “Well if that doesn’t impress you, what does?” he asked with a cocky grin. “Because I am a legend at a lot of things.”

  Lily blushed, but before she could answer, Reece elbowed Nate in the ribs. “Knock it off,” he stated with authority.

  “Sorry, I was just messing with her,” Nate said rubbing his ribs.

  “You hungry?” Leo asked, ignoring the others.

  “Yeah, I am actually,” she replied, feeling her stomach rumble. Leo kept his hold on her as he led them to the kitchen, the others followed. He pulled out one of the chairs and directed her to sit, he’s hovering again . . . I hate it when he does that. Ever since their parents’ were murdered a few years ago he had taken on the parental role. The police had thought the murder was premeditated, they had been receiving some strange phone calls the week prior—someone calling and hanging up, at least four times a day. Lily had noticed her father getting nervous, she had caught a few private conversations between her parents, discussing something about being followed.

  The night of the murder, they had sent her and Leo to the store after receiving yet another strange phone call. When they returned they found them both lying in a pool of blood. What was even stranger was that someone had removed all of the photos of her from the house, and the autopsy of her mother had found one of the smaller photographs in the contents of her stomach. Lily never found out why her mother had the photograph and Leo never wanted to talk about it.

  Lily had taken their death pretty hard, she had locked herself in her room for months; Leo had brought in a shrink who gave her some antidepressants and told him to give her some time. She had even contemplated suicide a time or two. She knew if it hadn’t been for Leo, she wouldn’t have made it.

  He had become very protective over her since she recovered; he never let her attend any of the high school parties she got invited to. He never let her date, or go to dances. It was already the last semester of her senior year and she had yet to be kissed. Lily loved her brother to no end, but sometimes he could be a little overbearing.

  She nibbled on her fingernails while the other three men positioned themselves in the seats around her. Nate surprised her by reaching over and softly pulling her finger from her mouth.

  “You shouldn’t bite your nails,” he stated, as he brought them to his mouth and kissed them tenderly. Leo swatted the back of Nate’s head with his free hand as he placed a sandwich in front of his sister.

  “Knock it off,” Leo stated.

  “Hey, what the hell man? Why are you guys always hitting me, this is abuse, or something.” He rubbed his head. “Do you see this Lily? Do you see what I have to put up with?” he said in a whiny voice.

  Lily laughed and took a bite as Nate smiled at her.

  “So Lily, do you have any plans after graduation?” Sam asked.

  “Uh, sort of. I have applied at a few universities and I have a part-time job lined up,” she answered between bites.

  “You applied to Dalton right?” Leo asked.

  She knew he would eventually ask her that question. Dalton is where Leo attends. As much as she loved her brother, she was kind of hoping to get into Oroville up town. While Dalton had a better reputation, it didn’t have a very good Bio Chemistry program, and she wanted to attend somewhere her brother wasn’t at, so hopefully she would finally get a break. Even though it was her first year without him at Triton, he was still a legend, and everyone still avoided her like the plague. Except of course for her best friend, Aiden. Sadly Leo knew nothing about Aiden, she was forced to keep him hidden. Her brother would freak out if he knew how close she and Aiden had become.

  “I . . . uh, of course I did. I haven’t heard anything yet though,” she lied. She noticed Reece studying her, his stare making her uncomfortable.

  “Where is this part-time job you have lined up?” Reece asked.

  “Oh it’s with a friend of mine. His parents own a research company near Oroville and have agreed to let me work there while I work on my degree.” Realization hit her and she shrunk in her seat, she had just said his.

  “His? Who is this guy Lily?” Leo asked as if on cue, giving her his signature big brother glare.

  Shit. “Um, he’s just a really good friend from school.”

  “Why haven’t I met him? Or heard about him?” Leo continued to grill her. The others were also staring her down. She sank further down in her chair, and fidgeted with her hair. This is not how she wanted Leo to find out about him. He was going to be furious. Her brother had always held their secrets tightly as kids. Lily recalled a time when she had been chasing Leo around the house after he stole one of her Barbie dolls; she had rounded the corner too fast and kn
ocked their mother’s favorite vase off the end table. She was so upset about it; she knew it would devastate their mother. Leo had covered for her and helped her glue the broken piece back on, he never told on her and her mother never noticed. The vase is still broken to this day. She smiled at the thought. It was going to devastate him to find out she had been keeping this secret from him. But what choice did she have?

  “You, uh, well . . . you don’t let me have friends over so I haven’t brought him here. I only see him at school, and well, I mean, I’ve never . . . he’s really nice and I think you’d like him a lot if you got to know him—”

  Leo interrupted her rambling, “His name, Lil, what’s his name? And if you only hang out with him at school, how do you know his parents well enough for them to offer you a job?”

  Crap, she was busted. Should she continue her lie or fess up, everyone was still glaring at her. She let out a deep breath, time to fess up, this wasn’t going to be pretty.

  “Ok, ok . . . his name is Aiden. He’s more like my best friend we hang out a lot. I’ve had him over a couple . . . ok more than a couple of times while you were at work. I have gone to his house, and I’ve stayed the night once or twice, but in separate rooms and his parents were home and—”

  “You what!” Leo shouted as he slammed his fist down on the table, causing Lily to jump. She had never seen him this angry before. The air in the room became dry and heavy.

  “Leo,” Reece warned.

  “Don’t Leo me, Reece. Did you just hear all that? What the hell were you thinking Lily? I trusted you this whole time, and you’ve been sneaking around behind my back and lying to me?”

  “It sounds bad when you say it like that, Leo, but it isn’t like that at all. He’s just a friend, and we’ve never, I mean we’ve never done anything but hang out. You don’t like me going anywhere or doing anything. You can’t expect me to be alone all the time. You’re never home, what am I supposed to do?” Lily responded, fighting back tears.

  “Call him, right now, Lil. I want to meet this boy,” Leo stated, as he slammed his phone down on the table.

  Secrets

  Lily waited with the others in the living room for Aiden to arrive. She was nervous for him to meet Leo, but now that he was going to be facing a whole firing squad of people she didn’t even know, she was actually petrified. For some reason she found them all rather intimidating, something about Reece and the way he commanded the room. She didn’t want to lose Aiden, he was the only friend she had and she loved him something fierce. Aiden didn’t sound nervous at all when she called him and told him everything that happened. If anything he seemed relieved, he had been trying to get her to confess to Leo for a while now, but she knew Leo would react like this. When the doorbell rang she jumped from her spot, anxious to be the first one to the door. The others didn’t move they just followed her with their intense gazes as she practically ran to the door.

  “Afternoon Sunshine.” Aiden smiled at her when she opened the door.

  “I’m so, so sorry, Aiden,” she blurted out.

  “Calm down Lily Pad.” he laughed. “We knew it would eventually happen. It’s ok, I’ll be fine.”

  He seems so relaxed, why isn’t he nervous? She adored Aiden; he was a handsome guy. All six feet of him was pure muscle, he spent a lot of time at the gym. His black hair was similar in color to hers, but always spiked up in his signature faux hawk fashion. He was tanner than her and while her eyes were green his were a bright blue. He actually resembled her brother in a lot of ways. Aiden had become her knight in shining armor after Leo graduated. He befriended her in Science class the first day of school, they have been attached at the hip ever since.

  “Lil?” Aiden said waving his hand in front of her face.

  “Sorry, I—uh, I spaced out again,” she said blushing. “Come in, Aiden.”

  Aiden laughed. “So, where is this firing squad you told me about?” Lily playfully smacked him on the arm, causing him to flinch.

  “This isn’t funny, Aiden, Leo is seriously pissed,” she said in her most serious tone.

  “Well of course he is, Lily, he just found out his sister has been sneaking around with a guy he’s never met before.” he chuckled. “I’d be pissed if I had a sister who did that, too.”

  “Ugh, let’s just get this over with,” she said as she latched onto his arm and pulled him toward the living room. The guys didn’t move once they entered the room, but she could feel the intensity of their stares. She wanted to run and hide, but Aiden reached down and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a slight squeeze. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. She took a deep breath and started the introductions.

  “Everyone, this is Aiden, Aiden this is everyone,” she said quietly.

  “Lil.” Aiden squeezed her hand a little harder this time.

  She let out a sigh. “Fine . . . Aiden this is my brother Leo, and his friends,” she said and pointed to each one. “That’s Nate, Sam and over there is Reece.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Leo, your sister has told me a lot about you,” Aiden said.

  “Ha! that’s funny cause she hasn’t told me a damn thing about you,” Leo countered.

  Ugh, this is going to be bad, she thought as she shrank behind Aiden.

  “Yeah, I know. I tried to get her to tell you a few times, but she was so convinced that you’d . . . well that you’d act like this actually.” Aiden laughed.

  Leo didn’t find his laughter appropriate, and the fact that he was so willing to place all the blame on Lily didn’t sit well with him. “So, it’s all Lily’s fault, is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Leo,” Lily warned.

  “No . . . it’s ok Lily Pad, he’s right. Of course I’m not saying it was all her fault, I could’ve come to you on my own. But, I respected her enough to honor her wishes,” Aiden responded.

  “Lily Pad? What the hell is that? Are you guys dating or something? And that’s a stupid nickname anyways, it doesn’t suit her at all,” Leo said angrily.

  Aiden turned to look at Lily. “Lily pads emerge in the sunlight and bring life and color to their homes. That’s what Lily has done for me . . . so I actually think it’s the perfect nickname for her,” he said with a smile, causing Lily to blush.

  Reece felt his jealously boil below the surface, heat radiated through his body. He clenched his fists tightly to ensure that he remained in control, this wasn’t something he was used to.

  “Wow that was beautiful. If you aren’t dating him Lily then sign me up.” Nate burst out laughing.

  “We are not dating, and need I remind you that Aiden didn’t have to come today. But he did, and now you are reminding me why I hadn’t introduced you already, Leo. Leave him alone,” Lily stated still standing slightly behind Aiden.

  “Let’s all just go outside and talk, we could all use the fresh air,” Reece suggested.

  “Uh, Reece can I talk to you for a minute?” Sam asked.

  “Alright, let’s go,” Leo stated, as he ushered the others out the back door to the beach.

  Once they all left, Sam approached Reece. “He’s not human,” he stated calmly.

  “What? What do you mean he’s not human? What is he? One of us?” Reece questioned, disappointed in himself that he hadn’t noticed.

  Sam shook his head. “I had a vision, as soon as he walked in the door. He’s an Elemental but he’s not with the Agency, and as far as I know, he’s not a threat.”

  “Shit, well this complicates things. Does he know? Does he know what he is or what Lily is?” Reece asked.

  Sam adjusted his glasses on his face. “Yes, he does know what he is. But no, I don’t believe he knows about Lily. But I can tell you, he is attracted to her.”

  “Well that much I knew, it’s written all over his damn face.”

  Of course he is, who wouldn’t be, Reece thought to himself.

  Sam and Reece joined the others outside, Reece kept his eyes trained on Lily and Aiden. Th
ey were sitting huddled together in the sand near the water. Aiden had his arm draped around Lily’s shoulders and her head rested on his. Leo approached Reece and the two of them shared a glance.

  “So, what do we do about him?” Leo asked.

  “I’m not sure . . . Sam had a vision, he’s an Elemental,” Reece stated, still in shock himself.

  “He’s a what? No way . . . How is that possible? What does he want with Lily?” Leo replied in a panic.

  “Calm down, we don’t think he knows about Lily or us for that matter. Sam is going to place a call to the League and see what we can dig up. Until then we keep our eyes open,” Reece stated.

  Heroes

  Lily approached her brother and his friends with her hand wrapped around Aiden’s arm. “So, are you done interrogating him with stupid questions now? Can I see him without hiding it from you?”

  “If I said no, would you keep sneaking around behind my back?” Leo asked with his arms crossed.

  “Leo, come on . . . he came over here and let you bully him, he has been nothing but polite. Don’t make me go behind your back. I’ll be eighteen soon, and if you don’t stop treating me like a baby I’m going to move far away and you’ll never see me again,” Lily replied crossing her arms as well.

  “Is that so? So you’re telling me you would chose this guy—” Leo motioned at Aiden— “Over me? Me, your only family left in this world. The one person who would do anything in the world to make you happy, to keep you safe. Really Lil, is that what you’re saying?” The hurt on his face was apparent. Not that she blamed him at all. It has always been the two of them.

  “I don’t think that’s what she’s saying at all Leo, calm down. She is just trying to get you to see that this boy is important to her and she wants you to trust her,” Reece interrupted. “Isn’t that right, “Lilian?”

  Lily’s eyes went wide. “Why did you call me that? Don’t call me that. My name is Lily, nobody calls that . . . do you hear me?” she stated as her body trembled. She pulled her grasp away from Aiden’s arm and tightened her arms around herself.