The Otherkind Book One:Heart

~*~ 24 ~*~

~*~ 24 ~*~

Uncle Mark drove us home after we had given our statements. Neither Sarah nor I had mentioned Bryce being there, ostensibly we had left that little detail out. Sarah's mom was just happy that we were both okay, saying that insurance would take care of the van, for us not to worry about it.

Uncle Mark came in with me after we dropped off Sarah, to talk to my dad who was sitting at the kitchen table when we walked in through the back door. He stood up looking pale, scared, and older.

"Rowan!" Getting up he came over hugging me. "You okay? You get hurt? I wanted to come up too when Uncle Mark called to let me know you were okay."

"Not a bit, scared the heck out of me, but I am fine."

"You wouldn't want to be there Stan." Uncle Mark interjected.

Dad didn't look happy that he had to stay and wait. "And Sarah?"

"She's fine too. Uncle Mark drove her home first, we just came from there. There wasn't much left of her mom's van though."

Dad flinched. "It could have been you two in it just pulling up, or something," he left his sentence hanging.

"But it wasn't dad. We didn't get hurt." I didn't tell him about Sarah getting her head gashed, or that bleeding that mysteriously stopped and healed itself immediately, or even about the waitress.

"How bad was it?" he asked his brother.

"Pretty bad. I got the girls out of there as fast as possible. They've done their statements all ready, both are home safe and sound."

"Anyone, is everyone okay?"

Uncle Mark looked around for the coffee pot. "Fresh?" he looked hopeful.

"Always."

He went over and got a mug pouring himself one talking softly as he poured it. "Yeah, it's bad." Looking at me for a moment he reached up and got down another mug pouring coffee in it passed it to me.

"Thanks."

Uncle Mark was too silent. I looked at him and intuitively picked up on something. "Uncle Mark?"

He gave me a look of pleading, knowing I would ask anyway and sighed.

"Uncle Mark, I saw. The driver, the way the truck came in. It should have gotten us too, shouldn't it have?"

"I would say you were more than lucky Rowan. And you know that as well as I do don't you? You had guardian angels working over time."

I flinched visibly.

Dad was looking fixedly down at his coffee mug.

Uncle Mark looked at me then at my dad, then back at me. "Stan—- I think it's time for you to call Mom."

Dad jerked his head upright in shock, like it was the last thing he expected hearing.

Uncle Mark appeared to ignore Dad's reaction. "Seems mom's gift has resurfaced in your daughter."

"What?" I looked at him like he was insane.

He turned toward me, mug of coffee in hand and a look I didn't understand on his face.

"I know Rowan. Probably more than you think I do." He looked at me analyzing me, "Maybe even more than you do." he mused.

The silence in the room became almost tangible.

"Mom had a gift, your dad" Uncle Mark used his mug of coffee to point towards dad "he knows it too, as much as he likes to pretend otherwise. And the time has come." he looked squarely at his brother now. "You need to send my niece back to the woods."