CHAPTER 11
Cassie escaped from the school the first chance she got. Bursting free of the large brick building, she sprinted across the baseball field and into the woods. Her lungs began to burn, but she kept going, leaping over fallen logs, dodging branches, and other hazards with the easy grace those of her kind possessed.
Her kind, she thought bitterly. Being one of her kind had been anything but kind to her. It had robbed her and Melissa of their parents, taken Chris's father from him and destroyed his mother.
When Luther had found them, the revelation of how their parents had died had been a shattering blow to both her and Chris. It was disheartening to learn it hadn't been an accident that had taken their families from them, but a calculated mission to destroy their loved ones. A slew of vampires had banded together to seek out the Hunter line and viciously slaughter as many of them as they could find.
What was she thinking to expose Devon to such a life? Though it had been a while, they were all still fearful the vampires would discover them and finish what they started sixteen years ago with The Slaughter. She had no right to risk Devon's life; no right to inadvertently put him in danger. Though she barely knew him, she knew it would destroy her to lose him because of her selfishness.
Cassie dashed past some briar patches, not noticing when she scratched her arm and began to bleed. Though it was impossible, she continued to try and outrun everything she was, and everything she’d become. She didn't recognize the person she was now, as it was far different than the hopeful, innocent girl she'd been just four short years ago. That girl had dreamed big and loved every moment of her easy going, fun filled life. The person she was now wore her skin, but it wasn't her.
Pushing herself harder, she attempted to outrun the twisting sorrow wrenching at her heart, and shredding her insides. Stumbling out of the woods, her feet hit sand as she arrived at the beach. Her lungs burned and her legs were beginning to tremble, but she kept going, too frightened to stop. If she stopped she would have to think, and if she thought, she didn't know if she could survive it.
Her feet slipped out from under her. With a low cry, her knees hit the sand, her fingers slipped into its grainy depths and dug beneath the surface. It was cool to the touch, wet from the incoming tide as it lapped against the shore. Her shoulders trembled as she labored for air. Tears finally slipped free and spilled onto the beach as sobs shook her body and soul.
She couldn't move, she could barely breathe as agony twisted through her gut. She sobbed for all of the unfairness in the world, and all the loss and pain she'd experienced. She sobbed for the parents she couldn't remember and had never cried for before. She sobbed for Devon, who had come to mean so much to her in such a short amount of time, and whom she feared she would have to let go of. Once her tears began to flow, she couldn't stop.
Memories rolled forth, old wounds were sliced open. She recalled her early years, years spent on the run and moving constantly. Though she and Chris had been too young to understand the reason behind the constant moving, it had been stressful and lonely for them. Chris's mother had fled with them to Cassie's grandmother in Florida, and from there they had moved to Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, and had finally settled on the Cape after six years of constant moving.
She and Chris had never known they were moving to avoid being hunted by the same monsters that had murdered their parents, until Luther arrived. Up until then, they'd had six blessed years of peace, and had actually been able to make friends outside of each other. She hated the fate Luther had handed them, but she did take some joy in avenging her parent's deaths by ridding the world of the monsters walking on it.
Cassie rested her hands on her knees as her tears gradually subsided and the ebb and flow of the sea drew her attention. A soothing calm settled over her and the ocean breeze dried her tears. It surprised her how much better she felt after allowing herself a good cry. She resented the path fate had laid out for her, but there were many people who had it far worse than she did.
She had been given the ability to destroy some of the evil in the world, given the ability to help people; she should start to consider it a gift, not a punishment. Though she'd lost a lot because of what she was, to continue to fight against her destiny would only destroy her. She had to make a choice, either accept her fate, or continue to live in misery for whatever short time she had left.
Staring mutely at the ocean, the strength within her began to grow. It slipped out to her limbs and dried the remaining tears on her face. Her parents had died to keep her safe, had died to protect her, and the world. She couldn't continue to fight against the legacy they had left her. It was a disgrace to everything they had tried to accomplish.
For the first time in four years there was serenity inside her, a sense of true tranquility. By finally beginning to accept what she was, her path seemed to swiftly unfold and wasn't as broken and fractured as she'd previously believed.
A car door slammed, Chris and Melissa appeared at the top of a sand dune. Chris's face was strained and pale; Melissa appeared aggravated as she placed her hands on her hips. Cassie turned her attention back to the deep blue sea. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, but it would be awhile before the storm hit.
"What are you doing?" Melissa demanded as her black flip flops appeared next to Cassie.
Cassie didn't look up at her as she pat the sand at her side for Melissa to sit. "Thinking."
"Thinking will get you in trouble," Chris remarked, trying to sound cheerful, but the tension in his voice betrayed him.
"Are you ok?" Melissa inquired.
Cassie glanced at Melissa as she settled beside her and pulled her legs up Indian style. "Yes, better actually."
"You've been crying."
"I have."
"I've never seen you cry." Chris knelt beside her, his eyes troubled as he scanned her face. "Never."
Cassie gave him a reassuring smile and gently squeezed his hand. "Once I started I couldn't stop," she admitted. "But I feel better now, different somehow, stronger and more at peace. It's weird, but it's ok."
He nodded, but his eyes were still troubled as he searched her face. "Tears can be soothing." Melissa rested her hand on Cassie's arm. "You sure you're all right?"
"Yes. You've had a premonition about Devon?" It was a question but came out more as a statement.
Melissa blinked in surprise, the pupils of her dark eyes dilated subtly. "Do you really want to know?" When Cassie nodded, she continued on. "Yes, I had a vision about him arriving here; I knew he would touch something within you. I just didn't know when, or how deeply, he would touch you."
Cassie focused on the ocean as the tide rolled steadily in. Her mind clicked along, recalling the night when she'd first seen Devon at B's and S's. "When you said it was "about time" the first night he arrived, you weren't talking about time to leave were you?"
Melissa gave her a small smile as she shook her head. "I've been waiting over a year for him to arrive."
Cassie and Chris both frowned at her. "Why were you waiting for him to arrive?" Cassie demanded.
"To wake you up of course." She grinned at Cassie as she leaned against her side. "I knew he would shake you up and make you come alive again."
Cassie stared at her in surprise as confusion flowed through her. "Well, that he did," Cassie whispered. "I think I have to give him up."
"Cassie…"
She shook her head sternly. "It's too risky for all of us, for him. I can't bring him into this life, can't put him, or us, into that situation. I've been distracted but luckily it has only been in training. If I'm distracted in the field I could get us all killed. This is our fate, our heritage; he can't be a part of it."
"There was a reason I saw him coming Cassie, and I think it was more than just to wake you up," Melissa said.
Cassie turned toward her as she fought back the tears threatening to fall again. "What then?" she whispered.
Melissa's black eyebrows drew together.
"Unfortunately I only catch glimpses of the future, not the whole plan Cass. I don't know why it's important for him to be here, but it is. I believe it is very important for him to be in your life."
Cassie squelched the hope that had momentarily bloomed in her chest. "So you think I shouldn't push him away?"
Melissa's face was composed in thought. "He's only been in your life for a week and already you're happier than I've seen you in years. You need that, we want that for you. We'll find a way to keep him safe Cass. The three of us can do anything together. Give it some time; you don't have to have all the answers right now. You should just focus on being happy."
"And if something does happen to him?"
"We won't let it," Chris vowed.
Cassie fought back the tears of gratitude and love filling her eyes. She was so lucky to have the two of them in her life. "Should I tell him what we are? Shouldn't I give him the choice to walk away?" she whispered.
Chris stiffened as her question touched a very sore spot in him. His mother had never known about his father. She'd been human, and Chris's father had thought it best not to tell her what he was, and the threat he faced every day. Mary had simply thought Chris's father was working a second job at night in order to support his wife and young son.
The harsh truth hadn't been revealed to Mary until the night she'd fled with Chris and Cassie. Over the years, whether because she'd lost her husband and worried about losing her son, or because she couldn't handle the reality of everything she knew, Mary had retreated further and further into an alcohol induced stupor. She'd also retreated further and further away from Chris.
"You know my feelings on that," Chris told her.
Yes, she knew Chris would never keep such a secret from someone he loved. Chris believed Mary's resentment at being lied to, and cheated of the dreams she'd possessed, were what had made her the cruel drunk she was now. He was probably right, but Cassie wasn't in love, she couldn't be in such a short amount of time.
"I think you should tell him one day, but maybe you should get to know him a little better first." Melissa released her grip on Cassie's arm to clamp back her hair that was beginning to whip in the wind.
"But I do know him," Cassie murmured. "I know it sounds crazy, and if it were one of you telling me this, I would be suspicious too. I know him in a way I never thought I could know anyone. It's so strange, so different…"
Cassie broke off, unable to put into words exactly what it was she felt for him. It was impossible to explain it to them, when she couldn't even explain it to herself. "I understand that Cass, but I think it's too soon. I think you should wait a little bit."
"Or until you find out how the hell he can afford such a kick ass car," Chris muttered.
Cassie rolled her eyes, but she had to admit she had wondered the same thing. As much as she felt she knew Devon, there was still a lot she didn't know. Nodding agreement, she took hold of both of their hands. "When you guys are ready for me to tell him, I will."
Their tension eased as their hands relaxed in hers. She understood their concerns about telling Devon, they didn't know him, or how deeply she felt about him. It was their secret, and their lives too, and it would also have to be their choice.
Cassie turned back to the ocean, her questions and doubts still twisted in her stomach, but she doubted all of the answers would come to her now. They sat together wordlessly until the tide washed in on their feet, and the sky started to rumble. Cassie was too comfortable to move as she found solace in their presence.
"It's going to pour," Chris said. "We should go."
Cassie didn't relish the idea of moving, but she knew they had to. The sky was about ready to split open and release a torrent of rain on them. She climbed to her feet and wiped the sand off her legs and butt. She followed behind as they made their way over the dunes to the parking lot.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked.
"I had a glimpse," Melissa answered.
'Of course she did,' Cassie thought as she tried not to roll her eyes. She may have discovered a new inner strength and tranquility, but she still didn't like the idea of Melissa knowing her future, or her whereabouts.
Cassie arrived at the car as the wind picked up. She tried to keep her hair out of her face as she grasped the handle on the passenger side door. The hair suddenly stood up on the nape of her neck, the blood in her veins turned to ice as a chill swept down her spine.
Lifting her gaze, she scanned the empty parking lot. Sand and scraps of garbage blew across the numerous parking spaces. Past the parking lot, scraggly trees, Rosa rugosa, beach grass, and sand dunes spotted with scraggly bayberry rolled forth. There were few places to hide, but she knew there was someone out there, something watching them. However, this feeling of being watched wasn't like the one she'd had last night. This feeling was something evil, something wrong.
Cassie glanced at Chris and Melissa. They were both frozen with their gazes locked on the area she had been searching. "You feel that?" She had to pitch her voice above the rising crescendo of the wind.
They both nodded. "There is something out there," Melissa answered as her nostrils flared.
"And it's not good," Chris agreed.
"Should we go look?" Cassie inquired.
They briefly glanced at her. Thunder shook the sky and rumbled the earth. Lightning blazed across the dark sky as it sizzled to the ground with a loud pop that caused goose bumps to break out on her skin. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone as the sky split open and a deluge of rain fell upon them.
Cassie ducked into the car, already soaked as she slid into the backseat. Her gaze remained riveted to the scraggly woods, but nothing fled from the rain as it pounded loudly on the roof of the car. Chris and Melissa slammed their doors shut, but Chris didn't start the engine. They sat in silence, waiting for whatever it was to reveal itself.
It didn't.