Luminescent: Crescent Wolves
Page 2
Chapter Three
Kayla
Waking up remarkably fresher than I should have. The warmth of the sun pooled through the blinds, and I was so hyped up, I decided to skip my morning coffee. I was desperate to leave the house to burn off my excess energy. Tying my overlong hair in a ponytail, I got dressed quickly. Filling up my water bottle, I locked the back door and shot off into the woods. I ran as fast as physically possible, covering a lot more ground than I was used to. I avoided the quarry, and thankfully, my run was uneventful. That was until I got home and found a card and a single white rose on the back porch. I was in two minds whether to move them as I didn't understand why someone left them at the back rather than the front of the house. The sensation of being watched had returned, which was probably because of the flower, which I found creepy. I hesitantly picked them up and ran back inside the house.
The card merely said “Thank you” with no name. I placed them on the kitchen counter, deciding they were for my mom and went upstairs to take a shower before I started to stink of stale sweat. Afterward, I decided to take a trip to the store as I was running low on supplies, and I did not fancy ordering takeaway again. The parking lot was extremely busy, but I guess this was to be expected on a Saturday. I finally found a space at the back of the car park and walked toward the shop.
I moved directly to the vegetable section, settling on a stir fry with chicken for dinner. After grabbing some sparkling flavored water and a few other bits to last the rest of the weekend, I made my way toward the checkout. I pulled out my wallet as I maneuvered the half-empty aisles; however, multitasking had never been a strong trait of mine, and I ended up walking straight into a hard body, dropping my purse and my shopping all over the floor. I bent down, quickly picking everything up and apologizing profusely at the person I bumped into. I stood, and when I realized who was standing before me, I was mortified.
“Fancy bumping into you here,” the stranger from last night laughed, making me turn bright red.
“If I didn't know any better, I would say you are stalking me.”
“Did you find them?”
“What?” I asked, puzzled.
“The card and flower?”
“What on earth possessed you to go in my back yard?”
“I saw you running out the back door as I pulled up and figured you would be more likely to find them on the porch.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I'm Jackson.”
“Kayla. So you live around here? I don't remember seeing you at school.”
“We moved here a few weeks ago, and I start at Weston prep on Monday. To be honest, I'm glad I met you, I wasn't looking forward to going to the academy, not knowing anyone.”
“I'd hardly say we know each other, and I'm sure you will make friends as soon as you arrive.”
“Thanks. So, what's the school like?”
“Probably a lot like your old one. Anyway, I need to go.” I started walking off, not wanting to go into details of a place I hate.
“See you around, I guess,” Jackson responded, sounding a little hurt at my reluctance to have a full-blown conversation with him. This didn't matter, though, because I was right. On Monday, he will make lots of friends as he is one hundred percent the type of guy who will fit in at school. He will soon forget I exist like everyone else has, and this hurt me a lot more than wanted to admit
I was halfway through cooking my stir fry when my phone rang with an unknown caller. Expecting a call from my parents, I turned off the heat and answered my mobile.
“Hi, mom.”
“Not your mother.”
“Who is this?”
“Jackson.”
“And you got my number, how?”
“I had to give it to the tow guy when I borrowed your cell last night.”
“I don't if I should be more freaked out about the fact you memorized my digits, when I don't know them or that you are calling me, which is a stalker move, by the way!”
“You're just jealous of my ninja skills.”
“If that's what you call it. Did you want something?”
“I just wanted to ask if we can meet up.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, I'm new here, and I haven't met anybody else, and I would kind of like to be friends.”
“You want to hang out with me?” I asked like this was the most absurd suggestion I had ever heard. To me, it was, but he might think I am simply rude. I thought for a minute about what having a friend would be like.
“Kayla, are you still there?”
“Yep, still here.” I must sound like such a nerd: well either that or a total up herself cow.
“So, can we hang out?”
“Sure, I guess it might be fun. When would you like to go?”
“I'm not doing anything now, are you busy?”
“No.” I instantly regret saying it, so I followed up with, “I'm trying to cook my dinner,” in the hope that would put him off.
“Cool, I will be round shortly.” He hung up.
Now I was panicking because I was dressed in my old sweats; my hair was messy, and I had no makeup on. I should not worry about any of this because as soon as Monday came, we would no longer speak. I understood, despite a slight part of me hoping I was wrong, and we might be friends, so on that thought, I put in a bit of effort. I headed upstairs and quickly changed my clothes and tidied my hair. I ran downstairs to finish cooking my stir fry before Jackson got here, but as soon as I turned the cooker on, the door knocked. I debated turning the hob off for a second, but I decided against the idea as I was hungry, and opening the door wouldn't take long.
“Hi,” he grinned.
“Come in.” He did as I asked, closing the door behind him.
“Something looks delicious.”
“Stir fry; do you want some?”
“Thanks, I'm starving.”
I got to work finishing the food while Jackson sat at the island, watching me cook.
“So where did you move here from?”
“We are originally from Alaska.”
“Wow, I would not have guessed from the way you speak.”
“We traveled around a lot, which is why I have no accent.”
“That explains some things, so why do you travel around so much?”
“My father was in the army. He retired, and we moved here. This is his hometown, and he wanted to relocate. He thinks this is an exceptional place to raise strong men.”
“So, is it just you and your parents?”
“No, just me, my dad, and my three brothers. My mother died when I was little, and my father never met anyone else.”
“I'm so sorry about your mom, that must be so hard.”
“There's way too much testosterone in our house, for sure!” he tried to joke, but a sorrow hid behind his eyes. “So, where are your parents?”
“They are on a retreat.”
“Do they go away a lot?”
“Every few weeks.”
“And you are alright with that?”
“Well, I have no choice. Besides, I enjoy having the house to myself.”
“I suppose it might be cool.”
“So, tell me more about you. You say you have three siblings?”
We spend the evening getting to know each other. The conversation flows freely, and surprisingly we have a lot in common. I like him, and I hope we can be friends.
His brothers sound fun too. He is coming back around tomorrow, but he is bringing the twins with him. They are eighteen months younger than us, and from what I gather are a pair of jokers, at least that is the impression I got from Jackson. He told me his older brother was working at the house with his dad, so I would meet both of them another time if I wanted to. I thought about this for a moment and decided I would like to.
I settled into bed with a warmth in my stomach, which was not connected to anything I had eaten. I was content for once, and the truth was I truly enjoyed having someone my own age to talk
to. Do not get me wrong, at one point, I classed a few girls in kindergarten as friends. Many years ago, when I was little, but we all drifted apart in middle school, and that is when I became serious about running. It was a way to escape my life. I needed to go somewhere, my parents would not find me sobbing, without interrogation. In our house, showing emotion was a crime. Over the months which followed, I stopped crying, and I ran because this was the only time I was free. It turned out I was an amazing runner, making captain of the running team. Despite the fact the rest of the squad hated me even more, I still accepted the position. At least now, I might be able to justify why they needed to be so horrible to me.
I stopped thinking about the negatives in my life and focused on the positive. I have a new friend, and who knows, perhaps tomorrow I will have three. I drifted to sleep. The sound of a knocking and the scent of something sweet woke me up. I jumped out of bed and checked my mobile to discover three missed calls, all from Jackson. While getting dressed, I quickly called him back, putting the phone on speaker,
“You're up early.”
“No, I think you are late,” he smirked, “Are you going to let us in or what, the breakfast's going cold.”
“You brought breakfast?”
“Well, you fed me last night, I thought I'd return the favor.”
“I will be down in a minute.”
Jackson and the twins had what I can only describe as the entire café menu; they laid out pancakes, bacon, pastries, eggs, and waffles on the kitchen counter. But best of all, coffee, not the fancy kind like a latte, but regular plain dark roast strong, and sweet with a dash of cream exactly the way I liked it.
His brothers appeared so similar to him, only a little shorter; they both had rich chestnut, almost black hair, olive skin, and piercing blue eyes. With their chiseled jaws and muscular yet statuesque frames, their check smiles signified that they would be trouble. They were identical, and I would have a hard time telling them apart. I got the impression their appearance paved the way for some fantastic practical jokes. I so wanted them to be in my class, instantly wanting to observe how the teachers would deal with them.
After breakfast, we all congregated on the sofa, music playing quietly in the background, as we were watching funny videos on the television as we competed in a try not to laugh challenge. I was too stuffed to move no longer able to giggle because my sides hurt, and my stomach was ready to pop.
“So, do you want to show us around town?”
“In a little while, I'm too full to think about moving.”
“What if we went for a walk instead?”
“Yeah, I think Josh needs to burn off some calories,” Jay snorted as he mocked his twin brother.
“So can I. Have you seen the quarry and the lake yet?”
“No. But this sounds way cooler than hanging out around town,” Josh shouted, jumping up. “Come on, let's go.” He had way too much energy.
“Give me five minutes, I need to grab some towels and my swimming stuff.”
“Now we are talking!” Jay snickered while moving his eyebrows up and down.
“You pervert.” Jackson threw a cushion at him so hard he fell off the sofa, which causes me to have another fit of giggles.
“I don't understand why you're laughing, you're next!” Jay grinned like an evil cartoon villain.
“You would have to catch me first.” I ran up the stairs to fetch my stuff.
“You can't be that fast.”
“Let's find out shall we,” I yelled down as I put on my trainers.
We all started walking through the woods. I hoped Jay had forgotten his threat of payback, but he took a sip of water and turned in my direction. I anticipated what was coming next, so I took off at full speed.
“You need to be quicker than that!” I shouted over my shoulder, seeing a now wet faced Josh chasing his brother. This was a colossal mistake, as now the twins both focused on me, and they headed my way with Jackson hot on their heels.
I ran between the trees, so there was no way these three would be able to keep up. Their muscular bodies would make it difficult for them to keep up with me. I was wrong, though, because they soon shot by me, running so fast, I did not have time to warn them about the cliff.
“Look...” I was cut off by the sound of a scream followed by a loud splash, and then another one.
I glanced at Jackson, and we both raced to the edge of the ledge, panicked. I scoured the deep crystal-clear lake, but the twins are nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, I was pushed from behind with such force I was heading over the side toward the water; he grabbed my hand, but it was too late, and the momentum of my fall was pulling him in with me.
“Enjoy the water suckers!” the boys called in unison.
I sucked in a deep gulp of air before we both hit the water and emerged quickly, looking for Jackson. I swam round in circles, calling his name over and over, but everything was silent. No one can hold their breath this long, I thought Jay and Josh were now at the top of the cliff looking at the lake, but neither of them appeared worried. Something touched my leg right at that moment before Jackson emerged in front of me.
“YOU ABSOLUTE JERKS!” I yelled at all three of them before I started swimming to the gravel edge.
“Kayla, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”
“Well, you did,” I screamed, taking off my wet clothes. I placed them over a sizeable bolder to dry, thankful it was hotter than hell today, so they would be ready to wear in no time. Jackson followed my lead, stripping to his boxer shorts, causing me to blush and forget I was mad at him!
The twins ran off after sensing my madness, leaving us alone.
“I am sorry; I truly didn't mean to scare you.”
“Don't worry, I'll get over it.”
“So, do you fancy joining me for a dip?”
“I'd like that,” I reply honestly. It is so hot, and the water is refreshing.
I join Jackson in the cool water, and we both swim laps in silence. Not sure when this became a race, but before long, I was pushing myself to my limit trying to keep up, while he appeared to have a lot left in him. I was falling fast, my legs cramped and I needed a break, so I decided on the next lap, I would take a rest in the shallow water. As I neared the water's edge, the twins were laughing from the top of the peak.
“Cannonball.” They yelled as they leaped from the cliff into the water.
I turned on to my back in time to watch as they jumped off the ledge, legs tucked up into a ball. I covered my face to shield myself from the splash, hoping Jackson heard the boys shout. After the water had settled, they both surfaced laughing. They glanced in my direction before looking around me in search of their brother. He emerged behind them, silently like a ninja. I chuckled, but it was too late for them, as Jackson pushed the twins under the icy water. He swam quickly to me, and we sat watching the boys mess around in the water.
“Are you looking forward to your parents coming home?”
“Well, I won't have to go shopping, or rely on takeaway.”
“Is that all?”
“Well, I hardly see them when they are home anyway, they are both busy with work.”
“So, I was wondering if I can pick you up in the morning a little earlier than school starts. If you have time and you wouldn't mind showing us around.”
“You realize they have people for that?”
“Yeah, but I would like you to do it. I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Well, I guess it would be alright.” I was still shocked Jackson actually likes me.
“You sure your parents will be OK with that?”
“Hardly, they don't pay much attention, to be honest!”
“So, we will pick you up around 7am?”
“That works for me.”
“Awesome.”
“No pressure, though.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Nothing, forget I said anything.”
“Tell me what's bothering you.”
“My sort of people?”
“Come on, you know what I mean.”
“You are my kind of person.”
“Hardly.”
“I don't understand what you think is wrong with yourself, or what you think I am like, but you are mistaken on both points. I like you, Kayla, and I want us to have a friendship.”
“I like you too, but I don't do the whole friend thing.”
His eyes widen as he feigns mock horror. “What do you mean you don't have any friends?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Sure.” He appeared puzzled. “But you are wrong again. You have mates; you have us.”
I say nothing as if I did, we would have gone around on this topic forever. I lay back and close my eyes and listen to the twins who are still fooling around in the water. I must have dozed off because I am far too hot, and something heavy is on top of me. Something is tickling my leg. I try to sit up, but whatever is on me is way too substantial for me to move. The sound of snickering woke me and slowly open one eye, only to find Jackson asleep next to me, but the disturbing part is that we spooned. If the twins were laughing somewhere near my feet, I would have thought this was cute and kind of funny.
“Kayla and Jackson sitting in a tree.”
“How old are you, two?” Jackson mumbles while smiling at me.
“Yes,” Josh laughs.
“Why don't you stop. We fell asleep; nothing is going on.” Jackson is visibly hurt by my words. “What's the time anyway?”
“Almost five, why?”
“Oh no, I'm sorry, I have to go. My parents are due home at around six, and I have to clean up the mess we made this morning.”
“Don't stress Kayla, we will help you, this won't take long if we all pitch in.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Jackson says. At the same moment, the twins yell, “No.”