Essence Extracted

Chapter 24

© ItalRT4u, 2012

     I was glad that dinner time was approaching and I had managed to spend the rest of the afternoon with Cane by my side.  I convinced him to finally let me out of bed and downstairs seeing as I had smelled Sandra’s cooking for the last hour or so; not to mention that I was feeling slightly caged in.  I felt happy but I couldn’t get past the nagging feeling I had with what was going on with Carly and Andy.  They both deserved to be happy and let’s face it, they would have never been matched if they weren’t good prospects for one another; the Fates knew what they were doing.  Anyone could see that those two were a perfect fit; granted, they were both incredibly different from one another but didn’t someone say once that opposites attract?  I didn’t know the extent as to what caused them to separate to begin with nor why Carly seemed adamant that it would never work.  Despite their differences, they were both very similar when it came down to their stubbornness and lack of seeing things for what or how they were supposed to be.  If you ask me, they needed a huge shove in the right direction.

     “What’s going on in that head of yours?”  Cane asked as I came out of the bathroom, refreshed and dressed for dinner.  I had tried to block him from my thoughts but clearly, I had forgotten about the conniving smile that played at my lips as I approached him.  The one I couldn’t seem to wipe from my lips fast enough.

     “Nothing.”  I said a little too quickly.

     “You need to leave it alone.”  He told me softly as he turned me to face him.  “You have enough to deal with as it is.”  Cane knew everything.  I had discussed it with him after Carly had left me earlier.  Turns out he’s known for a while seeing as he and Carly had talked over the last few years about it.

     “But…”  He hushed me with a quick kiss on the lips as I stopped in front of him to grab his hand.  I groaned and gave him my best pouty face as I pulled away.  “They need help.”  I kissed him quickly on the cheek and quickly pulled him into the hall and down the stairs before he had the chance for a rebuttal.

     Everyone had been at the table for dinner.  It felt great to be part of a family after last night’s horrendous massacre.  If I said that I had already forgotten about the worst of it and that I no longer hated what I knew I had to do, I’d be lying.  Truth is, I had thought about the unfolding of last night’s events nearly every second of the day.  As for what Cane had told me, regarding forgetting about his brother and my aunt, there was no way that I would drop it.  The tension between the two could be cut with a knife and it seemed to drag both Cane and I down with our extra empathic abilities.  The tension was so high that I had grown fidgety.  I had to make it better; I owed them both that much.  At the worst times in my life, those two had been there to help me out; sure, Carly a hell of a lot longer and more extensively than Andy but Andy did prove his worth.  He might be a pompous, egotistical, temperamental idiot on the surface but he also had loyalty, heart, and bravery on his side – those character traits couldn’t be overlooked, easily dismissed, or ignored; not from my perspective anyway.  As I sat there, silently stuffing my face, a plan began to form in my mind.  I couldn’t help the giggle that came out of me when Cane nudged my leg with his as a warning to cease and desist.  He knew what I was up to and I made sure to leave my block down so he would.

     “Are you two alright?”  Patrick turned toward us as he wrapped an arm around Kristie’s shoulders and she leaned into him slightly.  It seemed like Patrick was more like Cane and William than anyone thought; he had fully embraced the fact that he was matched.  They looked quite happy and I was thrilled because Kristie had been through so much at the hands of the Davis clan as we had come to find out.