FINALLY here it is! I know it's been a little while, but I've been busy with school and xc. Chem and APUSH are driving me crazy SO MUCH HOMEWORK.
If you want a dedication, just try your hand at the question below. You have to get it right though hehe ^.^ Happy Reading! Oh and warning this is longer than usual... deal with it ;) Ded. to Topaz757 for her embarrassing family story!
Recap of Chapter 12
She gathers her stuff together and we head towards the car with Domonic leading the way. Chase hops in the front with Domonic, leaving Lanie and I in the back together. She buckles her seatbelt looking around the messy car in fascination. Her eyes linger on the abandoned snack wrapper and on the old tennis shoes and sweatpants that haven't been worn in ages and she does the last thing I expect. She smiles.
Chapter 13
Domonic takes it slow, never going over the speed limit as we follow Lanie's instructions towards her house. The car is moslty silent, except when Domonic is asking Chase or I about how we liked high school. We leave out the most important details and chat about teachers and friends we've made.
After twenty minutes of long winding back roads, we finally arrive at Lanie's house. Actually, it looks more like a mansion. It rises behind perfectly sculpted bushes, which are shaped in a circle. The house extends up high enough that I wonder if you can touch the sky from the rooftop. I hold in a gasp of surprise as we park near the front gate. The bushes aren't sculpted in circles, they're heads! I hear Chase let out a quiet yelp as we come face to face with a an enlarged representation of Lanie's face. I glance over at Lanie, who is playing with her hands looking embarrassed. The second Dominic stops the car, she's out the door, walking quickly towards her front door without even a goodbye or thank you.
"Poor girl." Dom sighs watching as her back disappears through the doorway, letting the door slam shut. Rude girl.
"What do you mean, poor girl? That was seriously rude." I frown in confusion as Dom turns around to stare at me, shaking his head slowly.
"Julianne, they have a hedge of her face. She's just embarrassed about it, that's all. It clearly wasn't her idea. No wonder she didn't want to accept the ride!" Chase laughs at me, shaking out his brown hair, but there's a serious edge to his voice.
"Fine, okay. Whatever. Did you find him or not?" I ask quickly, my voice rising slightly in anticipation, and Dom starts the car up again.
"We looked everywhere but," Chase turns around in his seat to face me, his green eyes flashing in an attempt to convey how hard they tried. "He just vanished."
My breath catches as Dom stops the car at a stop sign. "Are you serious? You needed my help, didn't you?" I knew I should have helped them look. I curse quietly and Dom shakes his head immediately.
"No way. What if he had come back and attacked Lanie while she was alone? We can't risk something like that happening. You did good, Jules." He presses the gas again as we pass by a line of trees, taking the shortest route home. I nod, giving into logic, and lean back on the comfortable seat, suddenly exhausted. "This means we'll be taking even more precautions. We'll place a guard outside Lanie's house tonight and tomorrow, you'll have to keep a careful eye on her at school." He adresses Chase, knowing that he will have the exact same schedule as Lanie and I bite my lip. Is that it? Doesn't he need my help with anything?
Chase nods, looking completely focused and serious at the thought of the task at hand. Domonic pulls into the driveway of SASS' headquarters and puts the car in park before turning to face us. "To pull this off, you need to be completely focused and dedicated. This is a serious job and there is no room for hesitation." With that, he exits the jeep, not waiting for us to follow him.
Chase sighs, leaning back against the seat in an exhausted manner. I stay quiet, unsure how to form a comforting sentence but unwilling to leave him alone in the car. I'm annoyed I couldn't help them catch the man, but it's not like it's Chase's fault he got away. "Julianne," It comes out as a heavy sigh, the word loud in the uneasy silence.
I close my eyes for a second before leaning back into my own seat. "Chase, don't. It's as much Dom's fault as yours and you're not blaming him." He turns around in the seat startlingly fast, his eyes flashing dark green in anger.
"Do you think that makes it any better? The bottom line is that we failed. And not only that but on my first day, Julianne. How does that make me look?" A faint red hue takes over his cheeks slowly, giving away how important today was for him. Patience never has been his strong point.
"I know you tried your best," I start, frowning at his edgy tone. But sometimes your best isn't good enough."Maybe if I had been there to help-" I trail off at the hard look in his eyes.
"What, you think you could've done a better job than me?" He leans forward angrily, a touch of genuine curiosity mixing with his annoyance. He's taking this way out of context. I roll my eyes, grabbing the door handle and sliding out quickly, not bothering to answer the question. He's too worked up to really listen to me and there's no point replying to that because no matter what answer I give he'll twist it into a reason to keep the fight alive.
"Yeah whatever, Chase. Just come find me when you cool down, alright?" I slam the door without waiting for a response, heading towards headquarters. To make SASS a harder target, it isn't visible from the road. I stomp through the hedge maze and hurry through the narrow twists and turns with unusual efficiency. The last thing I need is for Chase to catch up and start another round of fighting. He always complains that I run away from our fights before they're over so we both have all these leftover bottled up emotions. But he's always been a touch to deep for me to keep up with.
The tall hedges tower above my head by several feet, high enough to make sneeking a peek over the top more difficult than just memorizing the way. I reach the other end quickly; by now I can probably run through at full speed without slowing down once. I march past Toby, one of our security guards and he nods cooly at me as I make my way past. Maybe I'm being paranoid but it seems like he knows exactly what went down this afternoon. "Next time, Julianne." His friendly yet condescending voice confirms my train of thought, and I frown in annoyance. Of course Toby knows. It's his job to know. I spare a weak smile at him and push past him towards the house. When I get there, I stand still a minute and let my thoughts wander. I remember the first time I saw this place. I laugh to myself as the memories start tugging at my brain.
I sit up slowly, rubbing my head in annoyance as it continues to throb. A window on my left shows a view of a brilliant sunset, the reds, oranges, and pinks blending together in a way that makes my breath catch. I almost forget my head in the moment until the van goes flying over a bump, making me sit up straight. It's not meant to be sunset. Is it? I don't really remember... What just happened? I sit still for a minute, thinking hard. Why can't I remember why I'm here? I squirm in my seat trying to remember my last memory. I was playing in the garden, getting ready to weed and then....what? Then the phone rang and I ran inside and who was calling? I don't remember! How on earth did I get here? I unbuckle my seat belt and look around, peering over the top of the seat. A man is behind the wheel, his wavy black hair blowing in the breeze and in the front seat beside him, an old man is resting his arm on the window's ledge. Was I kidnapped? But why don't I remember anything? A sharp cough cuts the silence as an older boy shifts in the seat in front of me.
"Look, I'm sorry okay? How many times do I need to apologize before you forgive me?" His voice carries back to me and my forehead crinkles in confusion. Apologize for what?
"There's nothing you can do now to fix this, Jacob. She could easily have a concussion the way you slammed the door into her head. What if she's hurt? That's a risk we cannot take." A gravely voice speaks up from the front seat, dripping with gentle disapproval.
"For the last time it was an accident. You think I meant to slam it into Julianne's skull? I'm not an idiot." I sink a little lower in my seat, nervous when they say my name. Why do they know me? Who are they?
An amused snort explodes from the driver as he stops the car at a red light. "While I have to disagree with that last part, I believe you didn't do it on purpose." Jacob huffs in annoyance as the man calls him an idiot and I let out a quiet giggle. That's so funny.
In a flash, three faces turn to towards me, looking uncertain. "Julianne, how do you feel? You hit your head pretty hard there, didn't you?" The older man peers at me, his grey eyes narrowed in concern.
I tilt my head to the side smirking knowingly at the older boy. "No I didn't. Jacob slammed the door on me." I laugh at the wide eyed stare he gives me and raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to deny it.
"How did you- Look, it was an accident that's all, little girl. Don't go getting all prissy on me." He narrows his green eyes defensively and crosses broad arms over his chest. I stay silent, pursing my lips together in annoyance.
"Who're you calling little girl? I'm eight not six." I snap back at him giving him my most intimidating glare. Jacob snorts suddenly, his shoulders haunching up as he holds back a laugh. It works for a second but a strangled chuckle bursts forth a minute later cuasing me to narrow my eyes at him.
"That's enough, Jacob. Julianne, I'm quite sorry about this. Of course, none of this was planned." The slow, calming voice sends a shiver of fear through me as I drag my eyes away from Jacob to look at the man. How could I ever forget why I am here? Even for just a second?
"Oh, so you didn't plan to kidnap me then?" A challenging lilt infuses my tone as I stare him down, taking a wild guess. There's no other way to explain how I could be in a van with three strangers. The driver hums softly, seemingly in agreement with me, and pulls to a stop at the intersection. Cars all around us slow gradually to a stop making me open my mouth. The window's open.
"Help me! Someone please, call the cops! Help me, I've been kidnapped!" I scream suddenly at the top of my lungs, praying to God that someone will hear me and call the cops. The men roll up the windows immediately as a hand wraps tightly around my mouth. I struggle for a minute, kicking back and forwards but fail to shake the hand or even scream. A second later, the light turns to green and all the cars rush forward without so much as a lingering look in our direction. So much for that idea.
I breathe in slowly through my nose as I start to feel claustrophobic from the constraining hand on my mouth. "I'm going to let go now, sweetheart. Just do me a favor and don't call attention to us again, alright? It'll be a huge bother to have the cops on our trail." A mischievous voice gently tickles my ear from behind and I smile against her hand as she lets out a small huff of laughter. She sounds friendly.
The palm uncovers my mouth and I suck in a deep breath of air when she lets go. It's not that I couldn't breath, just I didn't feel completely comfortable. A small giggle sounds behind me and I turn around slowly as come face to face with two pairs of eyes. My eyes grow wide at the sight, making the woman grin at me like I made her happy. The other pair of eyes settle on me immediately, an impish grin appearing on his face as I meet his eyes.
He turns to look at the woman with guarded eyes and she smiles downs at him nodding slightly. The boy turns back to me, his green eyes sparkling in excitement. "I've been waiting so long for you. I'm Chase!" He grins so wide his face looks transformed, his teeth slightly crooked but tiny and white.
I frown in confusion at him and he smiles at me again, his face falling when I don't smile back. The boy before me has dark black hair that is falling messily over his forehead and the smallest shoulders I have ever seen on a boy his size. He seems a little bit younger than me, maybe six or seven and it makes me want to cry. Did they kidnap him too? Why does he look so happy? Poor, confused boy. Why was he waiting for me?
I glance up at the woman beside him and feel a gentle smile tugging at my lips, which I fight to keep down. She may be beautiful, with her long blonde curls, but she also is involved with this boy and whatever brought him here. I glare at her aggressively and she frowns, tucking a curl behind her ear. "Why are you here? Did they take you as well?" I give the boy my most sympathetic look and he stares at me looking confused.
"No, of course not." He frowns at me looking upset. "This is my family. Don't you understand?" I shrink back in my seat as he nods eagerly, looking around at the men and woman with a giant, content smile. They return the affectionate look and the woman squeezes his shoulder gently as I frown again.
"That can't be right. These people-" I pause, struggling to find the right words, and just shake my head a bit angrily. "Well, I don't remember exactly what happened, but I know they kidnapped me! And you better let me go, brats" I snap looking around at them. No one tries to correct me and I sit for a minute in silence. Calling them brats doesn't make me feel better like I thought it would.
The young boy looks like he's about to cry. "I thought she was going to want to be friends. You said we could train together and I could teach her what I know. You promised." My lips turn down in a small frown as I watch the different emotions flash across his dark green eyes- confusion, sadness, and then anger.
His conflicting emotions leave me completely confused. He thought I would train with him? What does he think he can teach me? I lean back from him and glance at the woman beside him. Her eyes are calm and a gentle patience radiates from within the light blue orbs. I have a feeling that no matter what I say or do, she's going to get her way.
"Look, I'm sorry I lied to you about your parents, Julianne. But I needed to get you here somehow, sweetheart, and it was the easiest way." I keep a straight face, wanting nothing more than to shout at her. What is she even saying? Why is she talking about my parents?
"My parents..." I trail off in confusion and look into her eyes. "What did you do to my parents?"
She hesitates, shaking her head. "It's not what we did to them. Don't you remember anything? Sweetheart, think." She orders looking seriously at me. I close my eyes trying to remember, willing my memory to come rushing back and fill the empty space.
Whispers echo around me as they talk about me like I'm not even here but I ignore them. The woman's command felt like a challenge and I am determined to complete it. I never back down from a challenge, even though it usually leads me to trouble with my family. I try to keep my mind still and think only about the last thing I remember- weeding the garden. My aunt and I were playing around and then I got up to answer the phone and- My mind is blank, like the answer is on the tip of my tongue but I just can't put my finger on it.
"Think, Julianne. It's important." I close my eyes again, trying to remember what happened next. It's in my brain somewhere. The phone rang...and I answered it... and my parents... and the hospital... The hospital called to say my parents were in an accident and I was about to go visit them. My eyes snap open in surprise and I find the grey haired man staring at me, watching me intently. My eyes survey the members of the van with a new layer of suspicion as I realize exactly what happened. I turn around in my seat slowly and meet the woman with my eyes narrowed. There she is.
"I thought you were taking me to the hospital." I pause for a second narowing my eyes as I search for a good enough insult. "You liar." She only raises a thin eyebrow, looking amused at my efforts to intimidate her.
"Sorry about that sweetie, but I needed to get you here somehow." She smiles brightly at me, her blue eyes shining, before noticing my unamused glare and dropping the smile.
"Well, take me home you brat." I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow when she just looks at me blankly.
"Hey, stop it! Don't talk to Janet like that." Chase glares at me, his green eyes narrowing to slits. I back away a bit, taken back by his agressive mood and flatten my lips into a line.
"It's alright, Chase. I can't take you home right now, Julianne. The situation is," She pauses, twisting the end of a blonde curl thoughtfully. "rather complicated."
"How can it be complicated? You tricked me into coming here and I want to go home." I frown at her when she sighs deeply, leaning away from me against her seat.
"Domonic, you're better at explaining than I am. You tell her." She stares at me with calculating eyes, looking at me like I'm the problem here. The driver looks up, slowly taking a right turn past a cornfield. There aren't corn fields near my house. Where are we?
"I'm not exactly sure where to start with that one, Janet. Sometimes it's just best to be blunt about it." He shrugs lightly, his attention clearly focused on the road ahead of us and not the conversation.
The older boy turns to face us in his chair, making me scowl at him, and he glances at me before frowning. He runs a hand through a few black strands of hair before shrugging. "Well, I say we let boss handle this one." All eyes turn towards the elder man who laughs, the loud noise filling up the van.
"That seems to be a common pattern, doesn't it? Very well. Julianne, we're here to-" The man turns to look at me, his dark eyes unblinking, before clearing his throat and continuing. "We're here to protect you, in a certain sense. That is, we'll teach you-" He pauses again, a small frown crossing his face as he struggles to form the right sentence. "Well, we keep the peace around here, Julianne." He finishes, nodding conclusively and I squint at him.
"So you're the police? Who do you protect? And from what? Why do you need to protect me?" The words flow quickly from my mouth without my permission and I close my eyes for a second, afraid they'll yell at me for asking too many questions. My parents always say, 'A quiet child is a happy one.' I have so many questions I can't ask without being rude.
The woman behind me laughs quietly, her chuckle loud in the strained silence. "I'm not quite sure how to explain our work in a way a child would understand it." The man turns to face the driver who shrugs again, looking indifferent.
"What do you think, Jacob?" The old man turns in his seat to face the dark haired teenager who sighs, looking bored.
"It always comes down to me, doesn't it? Julianne, we're all spies from SASS and we've come to help you because you-" A sharp whack on the shoulder draws the teen's eyes to the older man, who has a grave warning look on his face which leaves no room for arguements or disagreements.
"That's quite enough, Jacob. Yes, I suppose it cannot hurt to tell you that much. My name is Jeremiah Hale and I've been training since... I was not much older than you actually." His keen grey eyes fix on me as he talks, a look of remembrence on his face.
"You're spies?" The words fly from mouth as I frown in disbelief. The woman behind me laughs sweetly and I turn to face her. "You guys too?" It's hard to believe she is a spy. In the movies, they're all bulky guys with guns. My eyes wander to Chase's smiling face and my frown becomes even more pronounced. No way is this seven year old kid a spy. "You're not a spy... are you?" My voice comes out more uncertain than I wanted and I wait impatiently for his response.
"Of course, we all are." He replies to me, smiling impishly, his eyes twinkling. I stare at them all uncertainly, waiting for the laughter. It's just a joke, right? They can't actually be spies. The van makes a sudden right turn and I gasp as the momentum pushes me hard against the window.
"Domonic, careful!" Jacob calls out in annoyance from the seat in front of me. I glance over at him as he puts his earphones back in, scowling heavily. Domonic turns around, flicking his wrist in a half-apologetic, half- dismissive gesture.
"Don't worry, Jacob, we're almost home." He calls back over his shoulder. Jeremiah glances sideways at him, looking skeptical.
"That's not really a reason to speed up, Domonic." Jeremiah calmly comments gripping the armrest tightly. The trees blur as we speed past, one soon blending into the next. Even the clouds seem to be moving, following us on our journey to who knows where. It's a comforting sight, like the clouds are keeping an eye on me. Like maybe they'll see where we stop and send someone to rescue me.
Domonic pulls the van onto a narrow side road and slows his speed. I look back at the boy behind me in time to see recognition, comfort, and hapiness fill his eyes and it isn't hard to figure out that we must be close to their house. I turn back around to face the front, nervously playing with my fingers as we come to a slow crawl. Maybe it won't be so bad to be here after all, at least for a little while. Chase seems to like it here, so it can't be all that bad. Maybe after awhile I can find a way to reach my parents. I know they're out looking for me somewhere.
The road cuts off abruptly at a dead end and Domonic puts the car in park, hopping out quickly. Jacob takes his earphones out and opens the door, sliding out without even glancing at me. Following his lead, I climb over the seat and open up the door again, with Janet and the boy close behind me. The three men are waiting for us when we get outside, looking slightly impatient at our slow exit. I look over at the boy to see him staring at me again, a look full of confusion and curiosity.
I meet his gaze head on, challenging him to break the eye contact by looking away. He stays still a moment, a gentle smile tugging at his lips until he turns his back on me to follow Jerimiah, who has been marching straight into a towering hedge. My mouth drops open as he walks right up to it and dives in. What is this, Harry Potter? The other four agents quickly run after him, straight into the bushes without hesitation, leaving me alone with my shock. I stare at where they disappeared for a minute before a head pops out of the bush.
His eyes are sparkling in the fading light as he smirks at my dazed expression. "You coming, Julianne?" His tone is filled with genuine curiosity, but also something else, something like hope. I blink my eyes, shaking my head a bit to clear it as he grins innocently at me. I glance behind me, uncertain, as he holds out a tiny hand for me to take. "Come join us." His voice is filled with gentle suggestion, but he still makes it sound more like a question, like it's my choice. I look behind me one last time before realizing I have no way to get home and have no idea where we are. My eyes meet Chase's once more and a small grin forms on my lips at the challenge in his eyes. I never back down from a challenge ever, even when it gets me in trouble. I come closer, reaching out my right hand and connect it with his left hand and he smiles up at me, his grin widening. I let him lead me towards the bush, hoping I'm making the right choice, and he pulls me in, his strong grip pulling me into the middle of the bush. And then suddently, I'm on the other side.
DADADA THE END.
Just kidding just kidding, just wanted to see who would believe it.
What do you think? I understand it's a bit long WOW I don't ususally put this much all into one chapter. I feel so proud :P
So reactions? And hey, anyone who correctly guesses what they did with that bush trick will get a dedication in the next chapter. Love you all!
xxLisexx (Runitback, formerly Bookhunger)