I laid back re-thinking my beautiful memories, Sam coming back, the moon on the cliff, the rose pendant, the way he kissed me and the feel of him being back with me.
I grabbed some warm clothes and my toiletries before heading for the bathroom, ready for the weekend.
I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab something to eat. It was 11:28am already which meant I slept in really late.
As I was passing the fridge, something caught my eye. I went over to get a better look and it was a note from dad.
Went to work. I came to say goodbye to you but you were fast asleep and I didnt want to wake you. I will be home by 7:00pm, I promise. Call me on my mobile if anything happens.
Love you-Dad.
Wow, thats weird. Dad never writes notes, especially not to me. He must really be working hard to be a good dad, in a way I was secretly proud of him and exceptionally happy that he was becoming more like my dad.
After I threw down some toast, I locked the house up and started heading over next door.
I pressed the speaker button and the gates opened automatically, I didn't even have to say who I was.
I wandered up their driveway, taking in the surroundings, it was very unusual how much the trees hid their house, but I reckon that was Elanes doing. I had to admit it was kind of nice living on a street where all the houses were spaced fairly far apart and a lot of forestland was hiding most of the houses. It wasn't too crowded, it was just right, except I only had one neighbour; the Archers. On the other side of my house is a lot of trees, and I remember Adam and I use to hang out in there when we first moved down here so we could get away from the house.
I approached the front door and turned the handle, the door was unlocked so they must have been expecting me. Although getting through their front gates first then their alarm system inside would be hard if you were a robber, so I don't think they would have to even lock their house.
“Hello,” I called into the huge house, closing the door behind me.
“Were in here,” James familiar voice shouted back from the kitchen.
I walked through the familiar living room and into the big kitchen where I saw Hunter and Fredric sitting at the table digging into some food. James was leaning against the counter eating, and Elane and Jane were in front of the stove.
“Guys,” I said, my face lighting up.
I briskly walked over to Fredric, who was the closest and wrapped my arms around him.
“Hey Lays, long time no see,” he said, hugging me back with one arm.
I smiled and went over to Hunter who was expecting my hug, so he had turned slightly in his chair.
“I missed you all so much,” I said while hugging Hunter.
“What, no loving over here?” James asked mockingly while laughing.
I smiled wryly at him and went over to hug him while he was still laughing. I went and sat at the table to try and wind down. It felt good to have everybody back here, I felt more secure and safe. I noticed they were all just eating now so they must have overslept too.
“Wheres Sam?” I asked lightly and coolly.
I had noticed he wasnt here when I first walked through the doorway but I didn't want to seem like some stalker or an overly obsessed person so I didn't ask right away.
James laughed and Elane smiled slyly.
“Not even five minutes, looks like I win Elane,” James said.
I was confused, what exactly did he win?
“Stop it you two, you are both worse than three year olds. Although, since you are both twins I see why you are both acting this way,” Jane said wryly.
James and Elane had both stopped laughing and were glowering at their sister, embarrassed.
“Go on up Lays, tell him to get his lazy arse out of bed,” Jane said laughing.
“Okay,” I said, already leaping out of my seat.
I heard a few chuckles behind me but I couldnt care less. I took the stairs two at a time and had to remind myself to key down when I was walking up the hallway. I stopped right out front of his door and I was debating whether to knock, or just walk in. I decided to walk in just in case he was still sleeping.
I crossed his brightly lit room to where his king-size bed resided. As I got closer I could hear his quiet breathing and I could see his sleeping form under the covers.
I tip toed to the side of his bed and saw his face. His flawlessness was too amazing, it sometimes made me sad to look at him and then back at myself. To know he was out of my league by many levels wasnt easy.
I bent down to kneel next to his bed and admire his face. I reached my hand out and swept his hair away from his eyes.
He was so perfect, in every way. It wasn't just his looks but his personality was golden, worth a thousand words.
“Sam,” I whispered.
His eyes flew open and they were soft like his smile. He patted the space next to him and I crawled in with no arguments. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. I felt he had no shirt on and the warmth of his bare chest was more prominent on my skin, radiating from every angle of him.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
It was quiet in his room, except for our peaceful breathing.
“Fine. You?” I asked, playing with his hand.
“I was having this wonderful dream, and it feels like Im still in it,” he answered, trying to hold back a laugh.
“Is that so? What was it about?”
“It was about this beautiful girl, her name was Layla,” he said angelically.
I chuckled with a goofy grin. “Jane said to get your arse out of bed by the way,” I added for her benefit.
He laughed. “She is so much like Summer,” he said.
“Why don't you call Summer and Peter, mum and dad?” I asked curiously.
I found it out of the ordinary the way they call their parents by their first names.
“We use to when we were little, but we grew out of it from being alive so long,” he simply answered.
I thought about that, and I guess it would get a little tiring after a few years, but he was still only a teenager.
“We better get down there then,” I suggested.
He groaned. “Two minutes.”
I grinned. “Okay.” I pressed my lips to the bare skin of his shoulder then rested my head in the curve of his neck and he exhaled louder.
He sat up and pulled me up with him after about two minutes. He looked at me for a moment and smiled.
“What?” I asked questioningly.
“I was just thinking that I am very fortunate to have you,” he said, climbing out of bed and pulling me off with him.
I rolled my eyes. “You regard me like Im the most important thing in the world,” I said ludicrously.
“You don't see yourself perceptively then,” he said, going over to his closet and pulling out a shirt.
I couldnt think of a comeback, I was too entranced by his body, how smooth the planes of his chest looked, sprinkled with light fine hairs. His cream skin made his arms seem even bigger, I couldn't help but feel sad now.
He turned around and was doing the buttons up on his shirt while walking over to me.
“And in my world, you are the most important thing,” he added tenderly, interrupting my sad silence. “Come on, lets go down stairs, we have plenty to discuss,” he said, winding his arm around my waist. “You okay?” he asked me softly.
I nodded and half smiled. My hands rested on his chest and I did the very top button of his shirt up that he had forgotten, looking at his power mark of the labyrinth one last time.
He looked at me in disbelief but let it go.
“Well, what do we do?” Elane asked.
We were all sitting in the ballroom. Elane was leaning against the piano, Sam and I were sitting on the piano stool and James was lying on his stomach in the middle of the ballroom floor with Hunter and Fredric. James and Hunter were having an arm wrestling match and Jane was umpiring cross-legged in front of them. So
far, Hunter was winning.
“Hello, guys. We are not just here to play around,” Elane said, agitated that nobody was really paying attention.
“I could go by myself,” I suggested.
It went dead silent in the room and everybody was staring at me.
Obviously they heard that.
“Don't be absurd Layla,” Sam said disapprovingly after a moment of awkward silence. “The only option we have is to all go. Peter and Summer will not be back for another week because they are teaching Rosetta, so we have to figure this out for ourselves.”
We all looked at each other, thinking out Sams plan.
I nodded and looked at everybody else. It was the best chance we had.
“I'm in,” Fredric said, he was smiling excitedly.
“Same here,” Hunter said, exchanging glances with Jane.
I think they were dating now. I wasnt completely sure, but I had caught them holding hands and looking at each other intimately on a few occasions, so I just figured. It was so cute of them.
“Count me in too,” James said, shrugging with a smile on his face.
I smiled at my companions; my family, and I was glad I wasn't in this alone.
“Looks like it is settled. We are all sticking together on Monday,” Jane said, getting up off the floor.
“Good. We will all meet here Monday morning and leave at the same time,” Sam announced.
Everyone nodded.
“So… what do we do now?” I asked.
Sam chuckled and put his arms around me. “Just enjoy what we have now,” he whispered in my ear.
“I like the sounds of that,” I said, my voice coming out shaky as he breathed on my neck.
He laughed cheekily and pressed his lips to under my jaw, looking at me sweetly.
****
Sam held the door open for me as I jumped into the SUV, then he jumped in after me.
I was speechless this morning, I couldn't speak or even eat because this morning we were going to confront the Warrigal coven.
Over the weekend I was told more about them and what they could do. Tommy was the leader of the coven, and James had warned me to never look in his eyes because he blinds you momentarily. James said he usually wears sunglasses, but he will most likely take them off in a fight. Thora and Christein were twins, Thora is a fire starter and can manipulate it and Christein; her twin sister, can manipulate water. Then there was Toby, he sort of did what Hunter could do, but he can only shield himself naturally, and if he touches someone else. Then there was Sylar, who was the youngest but the most powerful of the coven. He could make your whole body system shut down just by touching you, and apparently he cant control it very well either. That scared me the most because he had touched me before and it was lucky he didn't do that to me.
I looked out the window and we were nearly at school. I started breathing twice as fast. I think I was going to have a panic attack or go into shock.
“It's okay Lays. I will protect you,” Sam said in my ear.
He pulled me closer to him and started rubbing my arm, trying to calm me, but I was finding it difficult.
We pulled into the school parking lot and parked beside the Mustang. Hunter, Fredric and James were already out of the Mustang and searching the lot with their eyes. I saw them freeze and they were all looking in the same direction towards the edge of the car park past all the cars and passing students.
I looked around and Jane and Elane had got out of the SUV and were standing next to the rest of the guys.
“Sam,” I whispered. “I can't do this.”
I was radiating fear, looking at all the passing peers through the windows. We hadnt gotten out of the car yet and I felt like I was frozen to the seat.
“I will never let them hurt you, do you hear me?” he said fiercely, hugging me so tight it almost cut off my breathing. “This is your decision, but we need to talk to them, with or without you,” he said.
I looked up at his face and I had sudden reassurance. I trusted these guys completely. I was just worried about being so close to a Dark coven because I didnt know how dangerous it could be.
“Let's go,” I said in a small voice.
I opened the door and the sudden rush of coldness made my senses revive. Sam got out behind me and shut the door, the beeping of the car alarm behind me signalled that there was no going back because the decision was made.
Sam took my hand tightly in his and walked us over to his brother and sisters. They were all standing in front of me so I couldnt see who they were looking at. It looked like they were hiding me behind their wall of defence to be honest.
My phone rung and I looked up at Sam with frantic eyes.
He nodded.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hello, Layla, would you mind telling your friends to follow us and bring you as well. Make sure when we stop nobody gets out. Oh, and tell them not to pull any tricks either,” the same friendly voice said.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“Good.”
Then the phone hung up.
“What did they say?” James asked, without looking back.
“We have to follow them, nobody gets out of the cars until I give them the signal.”
“I should have known they wouldnt do something like this in a school car park.” Sam let out a huff. “Let's go,” he said.
I retreated to the car first, getting in before Sam when the alarm was off, and then we took off following the Mustang out of the parking lot, which was behind a dark blue late model Sedan.
We followed the sedan out of the town boundaries. We eventually slowed when the car suddenly turned down an unmarked road into the forest between Forestville and the French Forests.
I had a bad feeling about this; following a car into the forest that was full of powerful enemies, it couldnt be good.
The car stopped and my phone rung again. I slid it open and put it to my ear. I was breathing twice as hard now, you could hear me in the small interior of the car it was that loud.
“Now, this is how we are going to do it. You get out of the car first, by yourself Layla, just so we can see you. Then the rest of your little friends can get out too. Got it?” he said pleasantly.
“Got it,” I repeated.
I closed the phone and looked at Sams questionable face.
“I have to get out by myself,” I said.
“What! No, you are not going out there by yourself,” Sam spluttered out.
“I just have to get out first so they can see me,” I explained. “Then you and everybody else can get out too, okay.”
He took one last long hard look at me, then he nodded, clenching his jaw together. He knew what damage they could do to me in just a few seconds, but I had to go on faith here because I didn't exactly know.
I looked at Sam and realised that something may happen here today and without him, this could be hell. I grabbed his jacket and pulled him to me, kissing his cheek.
I pulled back and got out of the car into the coldness in one movement, without looking back at him. I looked around and I saw near the dark blue sedan, five figures get out of the car. I walked closer and closer until I was in front of the Mustang. I held my hand out to Hunter and Fredric in the front seat to show them to wait and not move. As I got nearer I saw a young man wearing black sunglasses who was slightly more in front of the others, so I assumed he was their leader; Tommy. On his left was a girl with frizzy blonde hair and next to her was another girl with straight short blonde hair; they must be Thora and Christein. On his right stood Sylar, and another middle aged man who I guessed was Toby. All their faces were emotionless. They were all dressed like normal people and they looked like normal people too. It's scary to think that beings like the Warrigal coven actually walk among us everyday.
Tommy; their leader, nodded at me when we were a few good yards away from each other, but close enough to talk to each other. I signalled to the others to get out of the cars with my hand.
&
nbsp; Sam came right up behind me in a matter of seconds and took my hand, pulling me slightly behind him. I looked up at him and his face was sculptured. I felt James, Hunter and Fredric enclose on my sides while Jane and Elane stood just behind me, watching our backs.
“Now, were here for this confrontation. What do you want?” Tommy asked politely.
“We want you to leave these ones here alone,” Jane answered, stepping forward next to Fredric.
He started laughing and I looked at the rest of his coven members; they were all smiling, including Sylar. He noticed my gaze had stopped on him and he smirked.
I looked away instantly. I couldn't even stand being this close to him, he revolted me.
“I'm sorry, you must be under some miscomprehension dear Jane,” he said kindly when he could stop laughing, but he was still smiling. “I only want one person now,” he said darkly, his smile disappearing in an instant.
His face suddenly looked dark, serious and hungry. I was afraid of what might happen next.
My breath caught and I knew who he wanted, but I couldn't do anything, I didn't know what to do. Elane saw this, and she was right.
“No,” Sam said sharply, his voice low and cold.
I had never seen him use this tone of voice before and it was just as threatening as Tommys.
“Oh yes Sammy,” Sylar spoke now, amused.
“I will not let you do this Sylar, you will not take her away from me,” he snapped.
His voice sounded more different by the word, more threatening and territorial.
“Hey, it's not my fault she doesn't actually love you,” Sylar said, provoking Sam by using me.
I heard Sams teeth snap together and saw he was glaring profusely at Sylar. I turned back to look at Sylar who was smiling entertained by Sam.
“Shut your trap Sylar,” I snapped.
That only made him smile wider. "Don't be like that Layla, I thought we had something.”
I wanted to swear at him, to hit him in the face with all my might, but instead I turned away from his eyes and squeezed Sams hand harder.
“You know she kissed me Sammy, before she kissed you,” Sylar lied, too busy entertaining himself.
The Hidden Revelations: First Light Page 21