“No, you said... And I will not let you do this without me,” I argued.
I wasn't letting him go without me, that was just stupid beyond reasoning.
He sighed longingly. “What can I do to change your mind?”
“Nothing, and that's final,” I said, breaking away from his hold.
I stormed off into the house without looking behind me to see if he followed, and I walked into the living room.
I sighed angrily and plopped down on the seat near James.
“Everything okay?” James asked from the other end of the couch.
“Do you want me to stay behind?” I asked him, straight up.
“Sam?” he asked, and I nodded in response.
He sighed. “I want you to be safe. And, well this is my opinion, but I think you would be safer with us.”
“See! Why can't he just see it the way you do?” I asked myself, throwing my hands up in the air, exasperated.
“He does not see it because the biggest potential danger is the Warrigal coven, and by going to them it might end up bad, especially because our numbers are increasingly small,” James said with a shrug.
Hunter walked into the room and sat down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder.
“I don't know, but I'm not staying back here,” I said angrily.
“It's okay, calm down Lays. Sam is just being-” I cut Hunter off.
“Over protective, I know. But he's not leaving me behind, I'm by his side and thats where my place is,” I said.
I started calming down now because I could see his point of view.
“I was gonna say cautious,” Hunter mumbled quietly, but I didnt respond.
I exhaled noisily and let my head fall into Hunters shoulder, and he started stroking my hair softly.
It was quiet for a while, the only noises were the TV and the clock. Maybe Sam was right, but it wouldn't do either of us good if we were separated, one of us would always be worried about the other and it would make things complicated.
“Where are Jane and Elane?” I asked into Hunters shoulder.
“Ah, I think they are upstairs in Elanes room,” James answered, distracted by the TV but still listening.
I sat up straight, staring at the staircase behind the big screen TV. “Alright, I'm gonna go upstairs. I'll see you guys later,” I said.
I got up off the couch and walked over and up the stairs slowly.
“Thanks for the support guys,” I called down to them as I made my way up the spiralling stairs.
I was re-thinking the first time I walked up these stairs, they use to be so beautiful, a piece of magnificent art. Now I am a bit superstitious walking up and down them after the attack, afraid they may cave in on me again.
I walked up the hallway and rounded the corner to the first bedroom door in the upstairs living room. I knocked and waited for someone to answer. Elane opened the door with her welcoming smile and let me into her room. Her room was a light blue shade and she had a queen sized bed in the middle of the spacious room. All the furniture in her room matched the colour scheme, and it looked so neat and tidy, yet it was personalized with her own likings.
I was sitting in her computer chair quietly and watching the two run around the room.
“Do you think I should stay here?” I asked after while, sounding distracted by my own thoughts.
Jane looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “Sam?” she asked.
I nodded, everyone knew him and it was no surprise. Come to think about it, I was actually surprised when he let me come the first time.
“But, what do you think would be better?”
Elane looked at me and answered. “I think you would be safer with us, because if we leave you here anybody could come for the taking.”
“Can you see his point though?” Jane asked, coming over to me and putting her arm around my shoulders.
“Yes,” I grumbled.
She laughed lightly. “Go talk to him, you wouldn't know how he feels. He finally has someone, at long last, and he just does not want to lose you. Like I said; he is over protective.”
If he really cares for me that much, he would let me come with him, no matter the consequences. I know its true so well figure out something together, I really could see his side now.
“Okay, I'll go talk to him,” I said after a lot of thinking.
I got up and headed towards the door. Before I left, I turned around to face them both. “Thank you. You are both wonderful sisters.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” Elane said, bowing her head with a grin.
I left Elanes room and thought of how amazing it is to have them, to have all of them in my life. I'm sure Sam would understand my point if I could just see his. He is just very stubborn, but not unreasonable.
I walked through the upstairs living room to Sams door slowly, I figured hed be there by now unless he was still outside. I took a deep breath and was about to knock, my hand centimetres from the wood of the door, but I couldnt do it. Then the door opened before me and I saw Sam was lying on the bed facing the ceiling. Yep, he was definitely here. His long, lean, perfectly masculine body was clearly tensed but he was silent. I was stiff but I couldn't resist moving closer to him so I could see his beautiful face, even if it contained the most hostile look. I walked over to the colossal bed slowly, hearing the door close behind me, and I sat down beside him carefully, always watching his face as I hoped he wouldnt push me away.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered after a few minutes of unnerving silence.
I couldn't bare the silence or space between us, it hurt me to even know that there was a gap breaking us apart.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, except for the fact that you are so important to me and you are willing to put yourself in danger so you can stand by me,” he said, his voice working to stay calm.
“You don't understand, you mean the world to me Sam, and when I saw you die a couple of months ago... I almost died with you. I found myself when I found you,” I murmured, flinching from the memory.
He didnt answer or even look at me, his face was frustrated. I stretched out closely beside him, slowly, and he stayed still. I nuzzled my head into the crevasse of his neck, draped my arm over his chest and my leg over his. I needed to be close to him. Everything he thought, everything he did, it mattered so much to me.
“I will not lose you again,” I whispered, touching my fingertips lightly to the side of his face.
He finally looked down on me, his face pained in agony. His green eyes were gauging my face, searching for something. Whatever he was looking for made him make up his mind. “If you were to come, you would have to promise me one thing.”
“Anything,” I said, hopeful, my brain processing his decision frantically.
I would promise him anything, or would I regret it?
“If the time comes and I tell you to run, you are to do so.”
I nodded solemn, this was the best bargain I was going to get and I knew it.
“Good,” he said, and I felt his body relax, his hand even came up to stroke my hair.
I could detect the uncertainty in his voice but I knew I had his word.
“Remember, I love you and only you,” I said, wanting to change the subject.
He smiled easily but I could still see the worry deep in his eyes. “As I love you, and would do anything for you.”
I hugged his masculine body tighter and he put his arms around me now.
It was very hard to suppress my fears and worries but I could somehow do it, just so I could just function. With Sam, all my pretences slipped away though, he was somehow irresistible and saw right through me. This is how you feel with your true soulmate.
20. Escape
It was now 7:30pm and we were all back in our warm black clothes and had our masks at the ready. We had all decided to take as fewer vehicles as possible this time, so we chose the SUV and Hummer which were the two biggest cars. Sam had shown me the weaponr
y which was behind two of the bookshelf walls in the library. It was full of shiny weapons of all kinds; guns, knives, swords, daggers, bows and arrows, all of which had a blue glow to them, which I was guessing was the cut off venom. I chose to use the 9 millimetre pistol. What I couldn't believe though was how the house was this surprising. It was like the Archers were super renovators, or the old couple who lived here before were extreme.
I looked out the window of the Hummer and watched the darkness pass yet again in a blur. It seemed every time I looked into the darkness it turned out to be a nightmare.
Sam was driving. He had a shiny knife in one of his boots, two Calibre handguns, one on each sides of his hips, and one rifle across his back. I was in the passenger seat with my 9mm Pistol on my hip and a dagger on my leg in a sheath, and James was in the back with two swords criss-crossing across his back and a high power pistol in the back of his pants. We were closely followed by the SUV with Jane, Hunter and Elane who were all psyched up and ready to get Fredric back with similar weapons to ours. Except Jane and Elane had bows and arrows, along with one Browning handgun each. I was worried though, always worried. Mainly about everyone losing their lives because of me, and I was thinking about the outcome of this. If it did end up bad, I would never forgive myself, especially if Sam got hurt. I tried not to think about my fears for tonight, but every time I wasnt thinking, I was still actually thinking.
It was a fifteen minute drive to the reserve in the French Forests; the next town over, and we were almost there. In a couple of minutes it would be time and I was starting to doubt myself.
We pulled up and my heart rate sped up to a thousand miles a minute. James jumped out of the car as fearless as ever, putting his mask on in the process. I watched him walk back to the SUV and wait for everyone else.
“Sam,” I choked out, fear pumping through my veins.
“What is it?”
I looked at his worried face and struggled to find words.
“Hey,” he said, taking my hand. “Stay with me.”
I nodded.
“In and out,” he reminded me with urgent green eyes.
I took a deep breath and nodded again. I jumped out of the car and went over to the rest of them, getting my mask out of my back pocket. I heard Sam shut his door and turn the car alarm on, then he came over and hugged me to his side tightly with one arm.
When we were all ready, which included tightening our bullet clip belts, and weapons, and what ever else, Jane locked the SUV and we all braced ourselves when we put our masks on and pulled our gloves on tighter.
“Do not pull your guns out unless you are in danger. You can use the swords and arrows, just be cautious about when you use the guns. Unfortunately it will make a lot of noise if you fire one because we havent ordered the silencers in yet. If you do stun someone with the bullets, hide their body. Try to use your ability as well because it is more useful than the bullets,” Jane said, and we all nodded.
“Lets go,” James said.
We all took off jogging next to each other in a line up the road, and when we saw the reserve sign, we stopped.
“Elane,” Jane whispered through her mask.
We were all quiet for a minute while Elane tried to see where to go. She closed her eyes and we waited patiently for her to tell us where to go and when to go. She had improved and was getting better at triggering her sixth sense, but it was still slightly dangerous and unpredictable which was ironic.
“Follow me,” she whispered, opening her eyes and taking off in front of us into the reserve.
Sam never let go of my hand and never let me drag behind. I looked around us as we ran and saw trees pass by. The only noises were our footsteps and breathing. The cold chilling air was running through my body but I was still sweating bullets because I was nervous. We werent following a path anymore, we were in the trees and it was too dark to see where we were going, but Elane knew. She stopped jogging all of a sudden and pressed back into some trees.
“Get back, get back!” she suddenly whispered fiercely to all of us.
We all slunk back into the trees silently and waited for whatever was coming to pass. After a few seconds, two males walked past, it looked like they were on patrol but we couldnt be sure if they were good, bad or human. If I was more practiced with my senses I would have been able to detect what they were, but because I was still new at this stuff I couldnt tell. I saw Sam take his knife out of his boot, ready just in case they caught us. When they passed Elane took off again, all of us on her heels. I eventually started to see lights up ahead and wondered what that could be doing way out here.
“Almost there,” Elane called back.
We all slowed once we had reached a white faded two-story building hidden deep beneath the trees and bushes. We had stopped and were catching our breath in some trees near the building. This must have been some old house that the trees just grew around.
“In and out, right,” Hunter said, reminding us all.
“We're clear. Everyone has to follow me up until we have to split inside,” Elane said.
I nodded and looked up at the big building. I could feel my knees begin to shake but I had to keep going for Fredric, I had to keep thinking we were going in to find Fredric alive and then we were going to get out without them noticing.
“How are we getting in?” I asked.
“Theres a door around the side,” Elane answered.
“Lets go,” I said with a nod.
I was determined to get Fredric back, we were here now and I knew Sam would be with me, he would protect me.
We followed Elane around the side and saw there really was a door.
“Sam,” Jane whispered.
Sam walked forward, pulling me with him. I saw light come from his palms and the door unlocked with a click and opened. Elane passed through us and we all followed her in, closing the door behind us but leaving it unlocked just in case we needed a quick escape.
I looked around us and it was bright inside, but no furniture or anything anywhere.
“Where is everyone?” I whispered.
It was abnormally quiet in the building and I was starting to get suspicious.
“They must be upstairs,” Hunter whispered back.
“Cameras?” Sam asked.
“Strangely enough, there isn't any,” Elane answered after everyone had looked around.
“Alright, this is not the time to worry about it. Earphones in,” Jane ordered.
I took my earphone out of my pocket and clipped it onto my ear under my mask, and I watched the others do the same.
“James and Elane, go left. Sam and Lays, upstairs, and Hunter and I will go right. Remember, if you find anything just say so, we are all on the same frequency,” Jane said, nodding for us to split up.
I clutched Sams gloved hand tightly and we all split up. As Sam and I walked further into the building we came to a staircase and stopped.
“This is it,” I whispered.
He squeezed my hand, and although I couldnt feel the touch of his skin, I felt reassured. I looked up into his eyes and I knew he was just as determined as I was to get in and out of here. “I'm here and we are together,” he said through the mask.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and we took the stairs two at a time, trying to be fast and quiet. We came to a lobby but still nobody insight, then I heard Elanes voice in my ear.
“Sam, Layla, he's your way. Do you see a door to the left of the stairs?” she asked.
Both Sam and I looked around and spotted the door.
“We see it,” both of us whispered as we held the button in on the earphones to speak back.
“Go through there and you should come across a long corridor. Take your third door on the left and you should be in another lobby. We're on our way up,” she said through the receiver.
“Alright, we will meet you there. Have you seen anybody coming?” Sam asked.
We were already moving through dark corridor, watching the light fade
away as we walked further into the darkness.
“No, it's very strange. It seems most of them are outside of the building,” she whispered back.
“Here it is,” I whispered, stopping at the third door, which was a while down in the corridor.
“Elane, is there anybody in there?” Sam whispered into his receiver.
We waited for an answer in the dark cold corridor. “No, nobody,” she said, sounding cautious. “Just be careful guys.”
“Were going in,” Sam whispered, opening the door.
We walked through the door and entered a dark lobby just like Elane said, then I realised Sam just opened the door without hassles.
“Was the door unlocked?” I asked, a bit panicky.
“No, I unlocked it,” Sam said, I think he was smiling through his mask.
It got darker and darker as we walked deeper into the lobby and I started to feel Goosebumps on my arms and legs.
“Where do we go now Elane?” Sam asked, his hand to his ear, pressing the speak button as he did.
“Look for a latch around the walls, that should open a secret door.”
We both went over to the walls and started to feel around for the latch.
“There's nothing here,” I said, fumbling around.
“Keep looking,” Sam said calmly.
My hands searched the walls but didnt encounter anything until they stopped on a bump in the wall. “I think I got something,” I whispered to Sam.
I felt him come up behind me and his hands searched around mine. I tightened my hands around the huge latch and tried to pull it down, but it was jammed.
“I can't get it,” I said, getting my grip.
I felt him move my hands gently away from the latch and replace them with his.
“Grab a hold of my wrists,” he instructed.
I wrapped my hands around his wrist as tight as possible.
“Pull on three, ready?”
“Yes.”
“One, two, three,” he said, already starting to pull back on the latch.
I felt his arms tense as he pulled the latch down. I pulled on his wrists as much as possible and the latch moved down slowly and we heard a click and a groan. We looked around and there was a strip of light coming through a crack in the wall. We looked at each other in the darkness and straightened up. Sam took my hand and we pushed open the piece of wall that seemed to be a door. It opened up to a brightly lit room, and as I looked around this time I saw Fredric in the corner of the room, tied to a chair with a blindfold on.
The Hidden Revelations: First Light Page 37