The Spawns

The Spawns | Chapter XXIV -- Like a Hawk

THE SPAWNS

Like a Hawk

Chapter XXIV—Lilibeth

© DarknessAndLight

About half way through the bus ride to my cousin, I started to regret leaving. Leaving so abruptly suddenly felt like I was just throwing some kind of childish tantrum because I couldn't deal with the mess I had made. I didn't want to face Cole so I preferred running away.

All of my beautiful pep talk, all of my oh so noble quest to find who I really was felt like just beautiful cover, something to hide the truth. I wasn't running towards who I could become, I was just running away from Cole Torres.

I wanted to cry, all alone in this bus, surrounded by strangers I wanted to cry at how stupid and childish I was. Why couldn't I deal with my problems the way normal people did? Why couldn't I just grow up already? Why couldn't I just wash Cole out of my system if I was so convinced that I wasn't the right girl for him?

So for the latter part of the bus ride, I just kept feeling more and more miserable, regretting my decision, regretting every decision I had made in the last twenty-four hours. If I could have gone back in time, I would have stayed in bed all day instead of screwing everything up.

Still, there was a tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal part of me that couldn't regret kissing Cole, even if it was just a one... well er, two, or more like three time thing. I couldn't regret kissing him because kissing Cole... however wrong it was, I had never felt anything as right as it. I could die happy with the knowledge that I had kissed Cole Torres at least... thrice in my life.

When the bus parked at my stop, I was all but ready to jump in the next one and go back home but that's when I saw my Nikki with a big sign that read "Your carriage awaits Miss Lilibeth." It was covered with drawing and glitter and I could totally tell that my two young cousins, Gavin and Jackson had helped in creating that poster. It was kind of adorable actually, especially as I saw the two flanking their sister on both side, huge smile on their lips, almost jumping up and down.

I was such a cry baby. What was wrong with me, going all dramatic about leaving? It was a good thing. My cousins were proof enough of that.

I got out of the bus, my backpack swung over my shoulders and headed towards my family.

"Hello Lilibeth, I hope you don't mind, the whole family wanted to see you arrived," my aunt Vanessa greeted me, before giving me a hug, a huge smile on her lips.

"Hi Aunty," I smiled back and then backed away from her embrace to smile at my cousins.

The three of them were waving at me enthusiastically.

"Hey! Hi!" Nikki squeaked. "I'm so happy you're here. We're going to have so much fun! I have a lot of things planned! I mean, if that's okay with you, if you don't already have stuff planned, because if you do, that's totally okay, we can do what you want to do."

I couldn't help my smile broadening. "I have absolutely nothing planned, you're in charge. I'll follow your lead.

"Yes! Awesome! Cool, okay yeah, we should probably go," she said, looking at her mom, "We're not going to have that much fun at a bus stop. I mean, I'm sure we could figure some way to have fun, but there are better things to do."

"Nikki, honey, let your cousin breathe for a second," Aunty Vanessa said.

"Oh, it's okay," I reassured them all, "don't worry about it. I like Nikki's enthusiasm." I needed that. I needed someone happy to snuff out my gloominess right now.