The Divided

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sneaking back home was surprisingly easy, even as I climbed back in through my bedroom window. After changing back into my pajamas, I laid back down in bed and fell asleep for another hour.

I woke up to my mother knocking on my bedroom door, telling me that it was time for breakfast and I needed to get out of bed. To say that I felt exhausted, would be an understatement. I was someone who always needed sleep, and to run on an hour of sleep was going to be difficult.

By the time I got dressed and walked into the kitchen, my mother was finishing up some pancakes and my father as already eating two at the dining table. Cassidy turned around and smiled at me over her shoulder as I pulled out a chair at the table, but my father didn't spare me a glance. He was acting normal; it seems as though neither of them noticed I was gone half the night. I yawned and wiped my eyes, still feeling the effects of my lack of sleep.

"Did you not sleep well?" my mother asked, placing a plate with a pancake in front of me.

I grabbed a fork and knife and began cutting up the pancake into bite-size pieces. "I slept well, just not long enough," I said truthfully. My mom sat down in front of me and began eating.

"I need you to join a meeting this morning," my father finally spoke, looking up at me. "It involves you and Mason."

I nodded in acknowledgment of his words, but I didn't look at him, nor respond. He was a murderer. I wouldn't ever be able to look at him the same way again. All I saw as a monster when my eyes caught sight of him.

After a little while, we left for the meeting together, and once we arrived, I was told to sit with Mason and his father, Adrien. I ended up zoning out throughout most of it, which was becoming a habit. The little snippets of conversation I actually heard, was about Mason needing to follow my dad around so he could start learning what the everyday tasks are for a leader and how to do them. It was like I was irrelevant and being used just so they had a way to legally make Mason the Leader.

The meeting took hours. Afterward, Xavier told Mason to join him and then told me that I was free for the time being. "But I'll need to see you later this evening," my father said to me. With a nod, I watched them leave and decided that I would take the chance to return to the other side.

#

I knocked on the Martins' door, but nobody answered. It took me a few long minutes to realize that there wasn't a single car in the driveway. Figuring they were at their leadership building, I walked down the street and anxiously made my way into the building. I realized I had a short-sleeved shirt on. Making sure my other hand rested over top of my forearm, covering my Ameliorate mark, I walked up to the first desk lady I saw. "Where can I find Reagan Martin?" I asked.

"Fourth floor, right hall from the elevators, and the last door on your left," she said without looking up from her desktop computer.

I left her desk and followed her instructions. Just a few minutes later, I found Reagan and Hadley as they were walking out of Reagan's office and locking the door behind them. "Melody!" Reagan greeted me with a bright smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just thought I'd come to visit," I told him. "Where's Dean?"

"He's out with Wyatt and Alice," he answered to my disappointment.

"Where is Iris?"

"She's getting things for the surprise party."

I furrowed my brows. "Who's surprise party?"

He chuckled. "Dean's, of course. It's his birthday." My confused expression didn't change. "You didn't know?" he guessed.

I shook my head. "He didn't tell me." He had the chance early this morning, but I guess he decided against it.

"Well we are throwing a surprise party back at the house in a few hours," he informed me. "I know he would be thrilled if you were there waiting for him." I grinned at him. "We are supposed to meet Iris downstairs about now. You can go help her set up the party while Hadley and I pick up a last minute gift if you'd like." I nodded.

By the time we made it outside, Iris pulled up in her car. She and Reagan exchanged a few words about what she picked up and her plans for everything before I joined her and the two of us drove back to her house. There, we immediately started decorating. We hung streamers and banners and made bundles of balloons. It was really coming together. The living room and kitchen looked festive for the occasion.

"I feel bad because I didn't get him anything," I said as we were finishing up.

Iris shrugged and pushed a strand of her light-blonde hair behind her hair. "Dean isn't one for gifts," she told me, tying a bundle of balloons to a kitchen chair. "He doesn't pay them much attention. Trust me, just you being here will make him thrilled."

Just as we completely finished putting out the decorations, Reagan and Hadley walked in. Reagan was carrying a large blue cake and wrapped in Hadley's small arms was a little puppy. I squealed as the German Shephard jumped out of the boy's arms and ran toward Iris and me. It ran circles and barked in excitement, making us all laugh.

A little while later, Grandpa Arthur showed up, along with a bunch of other family and friends of the Martins'. As more and more people arrived, I realized I needed to conceal the mark on my arm. Reagan must have had the same thought because, at the exact same time, he glanced down at my arm than in my eyes. "Go grab a jacket from Dean's closet."

Immediately nodding, I didn't waste a second. I turned down the hallway and made my way into Dean's room and pulled a grey cotton jacket out of his closet. A loud "Surprise!" filled my ears. Disappointment flooded through me as I realized I missed him walking in. Quickly slipping on the jacket, I made my way back into the living room to join everyone.

I immediately spotted his familiar shoulder length blonde hair. He was pulling back out of an embrace with both of his parents and was looking around the room at all the familiar faces with a bright smile stretching his cheeks. As soon as he met my gaze, his smile reached his eyes and he started making his way toward me. I hugged him as soon as he reached me and his arms wrapped around me tightly. "You know, just then when I was looking around, I was thinking that the only way that this could get better was if you were here, too," he said with a chuckle. "Then in you walked."

I laughed and pulled out of the hug. "Happy birthday!" I cheered.

Laughing, he hugged me again.

"Time for cake!" someone called from across the room. Grabbing my hand, Dean led me through the people and to the kitchen table where his tall mother was lighting the candles on the rectangle cake.

Just a moment later, everyone started singing "Happy Birthday". Dean stood right behind me, hugging me from behind as we sang, and his smile never faded in the slightest. When we finished, he blew out all nineteen candles from over my shoulder. Iris then cut the cake and started handing out pieces.

Hadley seemed overjoyed and stole the first slice from his mother's hand and took off running toward the living room. I laughed. "Someone is excited."

Dean chuckled, not moving from behind me. "Excited is an understatement. Hadley is literally obsessed with cake," he told me. "The kid can't get enough of the stuff, so we only let him have it on special occasions."

***

Sorry for the lacking chapter. I didn't have much time to write this week.

I hope you enjoyed anyway:)

Also, school starts in two days, so I don't know how much time I will have to write from now on, with that going on and work, I guess I'll see how the first week of trying to do all three will go...

Thanks for reading!

~Emily