The Otherkind Book One:Heart

~*~ 14 ~*~

I hadn't thought of dad! I was glad she had.

Her face suddenly lit up. "And don't worry about your dad either. I can handle him. He knows me."

I looked at her surprised, but she didn't give me time to ask her how, she was walking towards her brother.

"You're up to bat Bryce!" she said in a cheerful sing-song voice, scooping up his cell phone as she passed it leaving the room. Archer stood up and began following his sister. Right before he left the room, pausing he turned to look back at me giving me a thumbs up, grinning happily.

I had to smile back, if a bit apprehensive, it was still reassuring.

He mouthed to me "Good Luck!" and then turned the corner out of the living room leaving me alone with Bryce.

After they had left the room I looked at Bryce sitting there stewing over something. Uncomfortable I smoothed the hem of my shirt. He didn't seem willing to break the pause that was growing between us. "What did she mean it would come at a cost?" I finally asked him, breaking the nerve-wracking silence.

"For me, I may get sent back home. For you, it's dangerous. I won't mince words with you Rowan, this has to stop. We risk too much by even looking down this road again. It is one of the reasons I do not want to tell you anything. I wish you would trust me, this has to stop!"

"Go down this road again? What road again? What has to stop? Bryce!" I was frustrated "I don't know anything!"

"This."

"What this?" I was totally confused.

"Us." he said with a note of finality that pricked like a thorn from a rose.

I was frustrated and confused. "We are not even a 'we'! How can we stop what isn't even a something!"

"We—- are—-" hurt and desperate pain shown in his eyes as he overly enunciated his words, as if it really mattered to him "—something."

What was so wrong, so bad, and so terrible that it hurt him so? "Are you going to answer questions, or only continue to make more?"

He sighed, a deep weighty sound. "Probably a good portion of both before tonight is over. I just don't know how or even where to start." He had that look that said he didn't want to be here. For some reason that look cut me to the quick.

"The beginning would be a good place."

He sighed. "Fine, the beginning it is. 'And then there was light.'" He swept his arm out before him.

"What does the bible have to do with this? Don't be cavalier Bryce! It's important to me!"

"You don't think I know that? It's not just you that it's important to either you know! I—" he turned so he wasn't facing me.

I followed him moving to stand in front of him again. I wanted to see his eyes. "You what?"

"Rowan please?" he sighed. "You're not going to like this. I know I don't."

"Try me Bryce. Why don't you want to tell me? What is wrong?"

"There is only one way that I can think of to tell you. A way which will cause you the least amount of danger." He looked at me with those incredible smoldering silver gray and amber gold flecked eyes that burned right through me. My breath caught in my throat.

"You are going to have to trust me." He looked like he was trapped and very uncertain.

Nodding my head I didn't feel very certain either but willing to do just about anything to finally know what this was all about. The need was a burning thing within me.