Never Let Me Go (Derek Hale Fanfiction Book #3)

Chapter Six: Discovery

                         “Christina? Hey Christina, is that you? Wait! Wait!” he shouted after me as I abandoned my cart and just flat-out sprinted out of the grocery store, my mind racing. Clutching my purse to my side, I scrambled for my keys and swiftly unlocked the Camaro, dashing across the parking lot with no regard to my personal safety as a beige sedan slammed on it’s brakes right in front of me.

“Christina!” A hand wrapped around my wrist, and with a breathless high-pitched scream, I spun and confronted him.

“What do you want from me, Damien? What are you even doing back in town?”

“It’s not what you think, we’re not here for you-”

“Then what?” I demanded, scowling up at the blonde vampire who had bitten my fiancé and consequently forced me to shoot myself. I almost hadn’t survived the injury, and if it weren’t for him, I never would have had to find out. Damien, I thought venomously, the blood pounding through my veins laced with ice cold fear.

“It’s Loni and Marcus...they’re getting married. Loni wanted to be here to tell you in person, but she’s out of town with Annie getting fitted for her dress,” Damien confessed, stepping back and letting go of my wrist. I blinked a couple times, rubbing my arm absentmindedly as I took in the new information. Loni’s getting married? Last I’d heard from her, things were still good with Marcus, but she understood why I couldn’t have them come visit. Not with Derek, and, if I was being honest with myself...not with me either. And now they’re all back. Damien, Annie, Cate, Milo, Jake, and Gisela. And Marcus. And my sister.

“I, uh...I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, well, if you ever responded to your sister’s calls, you’d know.”

“Things with Loni have been...weird, alright? Look, I’m not even supposed to be talking to you. I don’t want to be talking to you. So just stay away from me until I talk to my sister, okay?” I snapped, shaking myself out of my shock and slamming the car door shut on Damien’s response. As I drove back to the apartment, I realized my entire body was clenched up and painfully tight, my hands trembling on the wheel. I wasn’t prepared to deal with Damien and all of them yet...I didn’t think I’d ever have to deal with them again. And Derek’s not even here. Great. I’m all alone.

                          When I got into the apartment, I surveyed the still-considerably-messy living room with dismay. I had an urgent need to cry, but felt like I’d done too much of that already. Suck it up, Chris. Clean first, cry later. And so I spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up the apartment; I vacuumed, unloaded the trashcan, and reorganized the kitchen. Dammit, I realized as I stacked up the only remaining food on the kitchen counter. I didn’t even get a chance to buy the groceries. Shit. All I had now was a mostly-empty box of Coco Puffs, half a carton of orange juice, an egg, a cucumber, a packet of microwaveable oatmeal, and two cans of beer. I guess I could always use the grocery money to order takeout.

                    By the time the Chinese delivery guy arrived, I was so starving and bored out of my mind from trying to do some homework that I scarfed down the orange chicken, crispy beef and fried rice right in front of the TV in the living room, straight out of the cartons. Finishing off the last two beers, I was preparing to go to bed when there was a knock on the door. Please don’t be Damien, I prayed silently as I crept into the foyer and peered through the peephole. Loni?

“What are you doing here?” I squawked, opening the door wide and looking my sister up and down. She looked terrible; she’d cut her long red waves to about shoulder-length, and it was all puffy and frizzy. Her pale skin had a grayish tint to it that didn’t seem healthy, the dark circles etched so strongly under her eyes that they almost looked sunken in. She looked like she’d lost some weight; her legs were bony and her collarbone protruded nastily from her chest. Coupled with the raggedy sweatshirt and yoga pants she was wearing, and my sister closely resembled someone who had just walked right off the streets.