Nightfall

Chapter 14

                   

The hours after the rescue were stressful. As soon as we got home, Sage was completely unconscious, so she was our first priority. Using the juice from an aloe vera plant, Alina healed the cuts on Sage's body, applying a drop of my blood to the cuts in the hope of them healing faster. The boys seemed fine, except for Andrew, who had a deep cut on his side, and Mav, who had a shallow stab wound in his arm.

After Alina fixed Sage up, we all took turns sitting by her on the couch, until we all fell asleep with her in the living room.

The next morning, I was the first to wake up at 10 AM. Getting a cup of coffee, I walked back over to Sage and sat next to her, careful not to wake the boys.

"It's hard, isn't it?"

I turned around to find Caleb's dad, Andre, walking down the stairs. "What's hard?" I asked.

"Waiting," he responded, feeling Sage's forehead. "Attempting to be patient for the one you love, even though you don't know their condition. Patience is one thing, Ember, but I know that you didn't inherit that from your parents."

"Well, what did I inherit?" I said, looking at Sage's face. "Sometimes I feel like I didn't inherit anything from them."

"You have many characteristics that your parents had," he explained, yawning. "You have your mother's strength and kindness, and your father's stubbornness and ability to love someone whole-heartedly."

I smiled, my eyes flashing a bright red as I remembered them. "Were you close with my parents?"

"We grew up together," Andre responded, his eyes flashing a pale yellow in thought. "Samantha and Eryck were one of the most loyal couples ever, despite having multiple fall outs now and then."

Suddenly, Sage started to move slightly, and I watched as her eyes opened slowly. "Yea, our parents were fucked up romantics in high school," she murmured. "Mom sometimes pushed Dad away but he always pulled her back in."

Chuckling, I helped her sit up as Andre ran upstairs to get Alina. "Nice to see you again," I said sleepily.

"Who the hell are they?" Sage whispered in my ear, pointing at the sleeping boys. "Okay, to sum it up," I explained, "our parents left a note saying that these boys are the key to defeating Rachel, so I've been training them for the past few weeks."

"How are they the key?" she asked. "What are they going to do? Kill her with their charm and wit, which is something that they lack?"

"Apparently, they possess special abilities that haven't been accessed yet, so it's our job to do that."

"So we have to help them?" Sage asked, giving me a face of pure bitchiness.

"Yes," I responded.

Sage thought for a moment. "Fine," she said, messing with her dirty blonde hair. Pulling off her bandages, she unveiled the pale scars on her arms and side. "When are they going to wake up?" she asked.

"In three, two, one," I said before roaring in the middle room, the sound resonating throughout the house. Their eyes shooting open, the boys stood up quickly, glaring at me as I sipped my coffee happily. "Good morning," I laughed.

Mav growled at me, and I snarled at him playfully. "Alright, here's the deal," I explained. "This is Sage, and she will be helping me train you."

Glaring at the boys, Sage attempted to stand, but soon gave up. "Hello little girls," she said sarcastically, looking at the line of boys that sat before her. "Now, like Ember said, I am Sage. I am hard, blunt, sarcastic, and I hate everyone and everything, so don't be surprised if I don't crack a smile for you. I don't like you, and it's a possibility that my feelings about you will never change."