Bitter Blood (BBi)

Chapter 5: Tall, Dark & A Tad Bit Scary

Chapter Five
Tall, Dark & A Tad Bit Scary

I can't help but stare at the guy now glaring down at me.

He has dark, messy brown hair that ends just above his brow. He has eyes that seem to switch from hazel to gold and back again. Beneath his shirt I can see the outline of his collar bones and I melt at the idea of seeing him without it.

Wait a minute...

"Brother?" I spin on Avery. "You never had a brother."

"Actually," She half smiles. "I did."

I frown. "So... you had a brother and you didn't tell me?"

"Not exactly." She knit's her fingers together in front of her. "How about we sit down and I'll explain."

Fifteen minutes later we're seated in her living room, her brother just returning from a trip to the bathroom to remove the rest of the mint spray from his eyes. I sit in the single arm chair across from them, silently waiting for Avery to begin.

"Okay," She takes a deep breath. "When I knew you Parker, I didn't know I had a brother. He was adopted out by my parents and grew up in a different family. Before I ran away I found out about the adoption and tried to find him. Eventually I tracked him down and we've been together ever since." 

I look over at her brother. "And you left your family as well?"

He looks towards Avery. "Yes."

"This is Rhys, by the way." Avery smiles.

I pause for a moment before looking towards Rhys. "Nice to meet you. I'm Pa-"

"You're Parker. I know." His curved jaw and strong eyebrows give him a serious expression that seems to soften when he smiles. "I've heard a lot about you."

I fight the urge to glare at Avery. I wonder what she's been saying about me.

And I also wonder about the two families that Avery and Rhys had left. Where were they now? Had they given up on ever getting their children back?

Avery's parent's had moved away a year after she disappeared. I guess they stuck around long enough to see if she'd come back or if any new information happened to pop up.

But eventually it became too much. Their hope burned up and fell to ashes, leaving them with nothing but pain and grief for their missing daughter. Sarah and her husband John had visited me right before they left town. It was a quick goodbye that ended with one last plead from Sarah to tell her if there was anything that could hint to where Avery had gone.

By then I was sick of telling people the same thing over and over again. I don't know.

"I have some exciting news." Avery smiles and glances at Rhys. "I'm enrolling at your school!"

My eyebrows shoot up and I grin widely.

But then I remember a certain girl that still doesn't know Avery has returned.

"What about Lara?" I ask. "She doesn't know your back. No one knows your back except me, right? What are you going to tell people? How are you going to explain this all to them?"

The questions fly out my mouth in a rush of words. I blush in embarrassment at my suddenly panicked tone.

"I think I'm just going to make up a story half believable and stick with that." She says.

I realize then that I don't even know the real reason to why she left. All I got out of her was; "I needed a break".

"What are you going to tell them?" I ask.