Chapter Ten ★ Secrets Cont’

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

​

The fork fell out of her hand mid-way to her mouth. It clattered on the table and threw the remaining brownie bits onto the tabletop. Aunt LeAnne’s mouth closed shut and formed a thin line as she got and grabbed her plate along with mine.

“What?” I asked. “Why can’t you tell me anything about Aunt Tabby?”

She turned on the faucet to the sink and was scrapping the remaining brownie pieces into the sink then ran the garbage disposer. Her eyes focused on the task at hand. I asked, “Aunt LeAnne?”

“Leave it be.” She said and closed her eyes as she leaned forward on the counter. Okay so she does know about Aunt Tabby but refuses to say anything about her. Hmmm.

I glanced at the clock and noticed it was past eight. Augh, I have to write up that report for Mrs. Lockharte or I’ll get detention. Dang it. I scooted my chair across the floor and got up. Aunt LeAnne looked up at me.

Tears were streaming down her face but I don’t really know why she was crying. Did she have something to do with Aunt Tabby’s disappearance? Ugh. Nevermind, I have to go write that dang report.

Pushing my chair back in it scraped across the floor with a loud groan. I mumbled, “Nevermind. I have to go write my history report that’s due tomorrow or I’ll get detention.”

Aunt LeAnne gave a weak smile and said, “Okay honey. I’ll be here if you want to talk about anything else.”

“Sure.” I grumbled and hustled to my room. Well it’s mine and Pete’s room but he isn’t here. He and my step-mom Jamie are off on a silly get-away to Jacksonville Florida that I wasn’t allowed to join. Whatever. Hope it rained.

My backpack was on the bed after I had thrown it there earlier this evening. I snagged it and rustled through the contents pulling out crumpled notes and torn pieces of paper. Taking the pile with me I dropped them on the desk and opened my laptop.

It chimed a merry tune as it woke up from its slumber. I entered the usual password to unlock it then opened the word processing application. Now was the hard part… writing my report.

Sure the best of wordsmiths out there could knock out a 5000 word essay in an hour without breaking a sweat. But me? Nope. My typing skills are less than desirable. I would rather be taking pictures instead of writing out this drivel.

Upon reviewing my notes from the library a message pops up. It was from Jacob. He said, “Hey! Are you still going to apply for that job at the amusement park?”

“Maybe.” I typed back. “Not sure if I can :(“

“You better hurry they only have two positions left.” Jacob replied.

Wow. That fast? The last time I saw the park it was in no shape to be opening up. It still looked like an old creepy abandoned amusement park. I wrote back, “I’ll do it after school tomorrow. Do you want to come with?”

“Sorry, can’t :(“ He replied and added, “watching my little sister while Mom goes to her book club.”

Shoot. Considering tonight’s stalker it would have been nice to have him with me. I wrote back, “S’kay. I can get Calvin to come with.”

The bouncing ellipses for Jacob’s chat went on for a minute before he typed back, “That’s a negative. Didn’t you hear?”

“Hear what? :O” I replied. Did Calvin get hurt? I know he confronted the guy that was following us home tonight. A sinking feeling hit the pit of my stomach. I waited for Jacob to respond. The seconds ticked by as the feeling got worse.

Jacob typed, “Calvin got beat up. He’s home now but he did go to the ER earlier tonight. That’s all I know. His mom had taken over his phone and texted me back that information and that he needs to rest.”

“:O” Was all I could type back. I knew that it was my fault that Calvin got hurt. Maybe I shouldn’t take that job at the park if I have bad people after me.

It was like Jacob read my mind because he wrote back, “Don’t let this stop you from taking that job at the amusement park. I’m guessing they know we’re on to them. We can’t stop now.”

“LOL” I wrote. “Jake, you’re too much. I doubt that it’s because we’re on the trail of my missing aunt.”

The ellipses bounced as he typed his response. He wrote, “You never know. With all these secrets it could be the biggest of them all. We might even unravel the mystery as to why the park shut down in the first place. You HAVE to do it.”

I laughed then typed, “Okay man. You don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll do it. Now let me focus. I gotta write this paper for tomorrow or my chances of snagging a job at the park are zero to none if I get detention.”

“Kk.” He wrote and went offline.

Hmmm. It is odd that I get a stalker after I find out about Aunt Tabby’s disappearance. Nah, it’s just a coincidence. Alright time to get cracking on my essay about the midnight riders. Fingers, don’t fail me now.

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – Chapter 10 :: Secrets Done – Stay tuned for Chapter 11… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chapter Ten ★ Secrets Cont’

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

​

His eyes grew cold and distant. A scowl replaced the wide grin that he once sported since he got home. He slammed his hand on the table and got up. Aunt LeAnne went to grab for him but he said in a dark voice, “Don’t.”

She looked at him with pleading eyes and whispered, “Stephen you–”

“No. Not right now.” He growled and stomped over to the doorway leading off to the hall to our bedrooms. He paused for a moment and said, “Maybe, later.”

With that he was gone as the door to the master bedroom slammed shut. I looked over at Aunt LeAnne. Her eyes were brimming with tears but she still tried to put on a smile for me when she looked my way.

Aunt LeAnne really wasn’t my aunt but more like a family acquaintance. Apparently she and dad went way back before I was even born. I always thought it was weird that dad didn’t take her as his wife instead of Jamie. But that’s probably even more secrets that he’s hiding from me.

“Well,” she said and got up from the table, “this calls for a pick-me-up.”

My stomach grumbled in agreement. I laughed and said, “Brownies?”

She was already at the stove slicing into the thick pan of ooey-gooey goodness that came in the form of chocolate heaven. “Ohh, you read my mind.” She giggled. 

Aunt LeAnne placed two big slabs of brownie onto a plate and then held up one finger as she rushed over to the fridge.

“Can’t forget the chocolate syrup.” She said and smiled. While in the fridge she grabbed the milk and carried it with the syrup back to the counter. Taking two glasses out of the cupboards she poured us both a cup of milk then added chocolate syrup to each.

Oh man talk about chocolate overload. Aunt LeAnne stirred each glass and drizzled more chocolate syrup over each brownie piece probably into a fancy design. She should have been a pastry chef due to her talent with desserts.

“Ah, here we go,” She remarked and balanced the two plates on her arm then grabbed the glasses of milk before she walked back to the table. I got up and swiped the plates from her arms before they fell and made a huge mess.

“Thank you.” Aunt LeAnne said and smiled then placed the glasses on the table. I placed the brownies down too. We both sat and admired her chocolate masterpieces before she said, “That’s good enough. Dig in!”

The first bite was the best as the flavor wrapped its soft velvety texture around your tongue and gave it a warm hug. Chocolate continued to kiss each and every tastebud and fill my nostrils with its bittersweet scent. It was rich.

I grabbed for my milk and took one gulp. The coolness of the delightful chocolate liquid added its essence to the overall dessert. I let out a groan, “Mmmmm.”

Between mouthfuls Aunt LeAnne asked, “Delightful, isn’t it?”

“Mmmmm,” Was all I could answer with as I took another sip of the chocolate milk. She laughed. One thing about Aunt LeAnne she knew how to distract you. Hmmm, distract.

I placed the glass back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It never occurred to me to ask her questions. Well not until now. She noticed that I was no longer eating my dessert and asked, “Is everything all right?”

How can I ask her? She’s the sweetest person that I know of… besides Jamie of course. I fiddled with my fingers in my lap and stared down at them. In a low voice I asked, “Aunt LeAnne, who are you really? And do you know what happened to Aunt Tabby?”

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – TO BE CONTINUED… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chapter Ten ★ Secrets Cont’

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

​

I stared back at his luminous golden eyes. They were not his normal colored eyes with the usual bloodshot added to them because he was drunk. No, the dad that sat opposite of me was completely different.

He was alert, cheerful and willing to listen to what I had to say. The warmth that came from him was way different from the usual chill or distancing that he treated me with in the past. Guess it’s time to ask question because who knows when I’ll have this opportunity again.

Placing the chair upright I sat forward and put my arms on the table in a relaxed pose. If he was a werewolf then its best not to show any fear or agitation. They can pick up on it and that’ll change the situation in a heartbeat.

“Does Jamie know?” I asked then added, “Or Pete?”

Dad let out a small laugh and said, “Boy you certainly don’ful ’round do you? Right to tha’ hard questions, thas fer sure.”

“Well?” I asked again and kept eye contact. Yeah I know your not supposed to look the alpha in the eyes but heck he’s avoiding the question.

He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck then said, “Naw. They have no idea. Though I suspect lil’Petey is on to me.”

I grimaced. Pete hated that nickname and so I grumbled, “Don’t call him that.”

“Wha? Lil’Petey? Why not?” Dad’s eyebrows rose as he stopped scratching the back of his neck.

“He hates that name.” I replied and added, “He’s not five anymore. He’s nine.”

Placing his meaty hands on the table with the palms down Dad growled and went to stand up but Aunt LeAnne shook her head. He rolled his eyes and sat back down with a huff.

Okay next question. I thrummed my fingers on the table and asked, “Am I a werewolf?”

“Yes.” His eyes flashed even more yellow. “The whole Shaw family line are werewolves. Passed down from father to son. It is only passed down on the paternal side. Sometimes it skips a generation and sometimes it don’t. On rare occurrences a girl might get it too.”

I licked my lips and let out a shaky breath then asked, “Is Pete one?”

Dad leaned on his elbow and gave me a bored look then replied, “Dunno. Not until he hit puberty will we know for sure.”

“Are there any signs?” I asked.

A large lopsided grin pulled at one corner of his mouth and dad answered, “Not really. One day you’re a boy worried about girls (or boys) and the next you’ve turned furry still worrying about the girls.”

“Half-truth.” I spat. My voice became sour as I asked my next question, “Is this why you stay home this month during the full moon? Because you suspected that I might be one?”

He leaned in, “Boy, I didn’t suspect. I knew.”

I shot up from my seat and asked as my voice cracked, “How? If there aren’t any signs?”

Dad looked over at Aunt LeAnne then back at me. He tapped the side of his nose and said, “I could smell it. Younguns change their scent long before they go through the transformation.”

Things clicked into place. My hand tightened into a fist at my side and I looked down at the floor. Truth. He was telling the truth. Don’t ask me how I knew but I knew he was actually speaking the truth for once.

“If you knew that I was going to be a werewolf then how come you didn’t tell me?” My voice cracked even more.

He said in a hushed tone, “Because I’ve been wrong before… “

That made my head whip up and I stared back at him. My breath became unsteady. Was there another before me? 

Thoughts of Aunt Tabby flooded my mind. Even though she was a girl, could it have been her? I needed to know. I moistened my tongue then asked, “Was it Aunt Tabby?”

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – TO BE CONTINUED… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chapter Ten ★ Secrets

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

​

Aunt LeAnne sat quiet at the table. The sound of the old coo-coo clock on the wall ticked as the minutes passed. Dad had been gone for a while.

It still seemed like a fairy-tale or a weird dream that I could not wake up from… worse it was like a nightmare. All this time. I’ve been lied to or am I being lied to now?

Darkness fell outside and the chorus of frogs and crickets sounded to serenade the outdoors. The screen door out to the back porch was opened to let the cool evening air waft into the hot kitchen.

A timer buzzed. Aunt LeAnne got up and moved over to the oven and placed oven mitts on both hands before she bent down. Upon opening the oven the sweet scent of chocolaty goodness assaulted my nose.

My mouth practically drooled a puddle onto the old oak table that sat in the kitchen. My aunt smiled as she placed the pan of brownies onto the stove-top to cool and turned off the oven. She removed the oven mitts and placed them back onto their designated hooks on the wall next to the oven.

Oh I hope those brownies are for dessert. My stomach growled just as I thought of their bitter sweet tanginess kissing my tastebuds and washed over with a warm glass of milk. Aunt LeAnne laughed.

She patted my hands then said, “Your father had the same look when I told him I was going to make brownies tonight.”

I snatched my hand away and replied, “Nah-uh.”

Aunt LeAnne giggled then rested her cheek on her arm propped up on the table. She let out a dreamy sigh and glanced out into the backyard where the fireflies were in full swing of their light show mode. Things always seem quiet and relaxed when she’s around.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the front porch. Dad! I got up to go see when Aunt LeAnne grabbed my wrist and gave a slight shake of her head. I stopped and waited.

The front screen-door let out a whiny creek as it opened. We both waited and watched the doorknob to the main front door jiggle then turn. The heavy door moved inwards as it opened and let our visitor come inside.

He sighed, “LeAnne, I thought I told you to lock yourself in when we have these moments.”

She let go of my hand and replied, “Sorry Stephen. I thought I had locked it.”

I rushed to the front area of our small house to see my dad face to face. His eyes still shone their golden gleam. With one quick movement dad let out a groan as my fist landed hard in his stomach.

“That’s for lying to me.” I said and walked off.

Dad laughed, “You’ve gotten stronger kid. Didn’t expect you to do that… not yet anyways.”

I took my seat back at the table and threw my arm over the back of the chair and leaned into it. I asked, “How long?”

He walked into the kitchen through the doorway which his body nearly filled and leaned against it. Crossing his arms he answered, “How long for what?”

My glasses slid down my nose as I crinkled it. I pushed them back up and said, “Don’t play games with me. You know what I mean.”

Aunt LeAnne butted in, “Stephen, it’s time. You can’t keep him in the dark any longer. Especially when his life is on the line.”

Dad rolled his eyes and whined, “Seriously LeAnne, you of all people are going to lecture me on keeping secrets?”

She tapped her fingernails on the table and arched an eyebrow, “Well?”

“Fine.” He said and walked into the room and sat down in the seat backwards so that he could rest his arms on the back.. The chair creaked under his added weight. He rested his chin on his arms and turned to me, “So, what do you want to know?”

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – TO BE CONTINUED… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chapter Nine ★ Burn Bright Cont’

｡☆✼★━ Luna ━★✼☆｡

​

An image of Ray came to mind and I took a sharp inhale. Scarface looked down at me and said, “Yesss. Yousss knowsss the onesss.”

It can’t be him. Sure he’s from the Mediterranean but he sure as heck ain’t no merlock. Or was he? 

Things started to snap together as I thought about his weird comment earlier. About our base not following protocol and that his people took down the threat no matter if it was man or not.

With another shaky breath I pushed myself back up to my feet and stood right before Scarface. He sneered in response. Pearl stepped to my right with her weapons at the ready.

“What is Ray’s connection to you and yer kind?” I drawled.

Scarface let out a hissing laugh as his shoulders shook up and down. He held his pudgy hands on his rather rotund stomach and let out a loud barking laugh. The men behind him joined in on the laughter.

I yelled at them, “Confess or your my next travel set of luggage.”

That seemed to have sobered him up real fast for all of them stopped laughing. Scarface’s eyes narrowed as he let out a menacing growl. His hands made into fists and was ready to fight at any moment.

He said, “A deal. He’sss madesss deal with usss.”

Time for me to arch an eyebrow, “A deal? What deal?”

“To delay.” Scarface said then allowed a huge grin replace the scowl on his face. The light danced in his eyes as I realized at that moment Pearl and I had been had.

“Oh for the love of Triton!” I shouted.

Pearl caught on real quick and said with a gasp, “the boy.”

“SSSmart. Yesss mermaidsss sssmart but ssslow.” He leapt back and motioned for his men to attack.

Pearl lit up like the forth of July as her blades sunk into the unfortunate alligators in her way. She threw her head back at Doc, “Luna grab Doc. We’ve gotta hurry.”

Even though my powers were blocked it didn’t mean I wasn’t fast. Alligators swiped and lunged as I weaved through their mass of arms, legs and tails in my attempt to retrieve Doc. Using my tae-kwon-do knowledge I was able to block most of their attacks and use that energy to propel me closer to him.

How could Ray deceive us this whole time? I thought he was on our side? What worries me the most is that he was able to get around our safety protocols that checked for cloaking spells. The sirens above went off and woke me out of the worry storm.

Just in time to see an arm sailing through the air right for my face. Yikes. I ducked and swung my leg out to trip the attacker and rolled on through getting me closer to where Doc laid prone on the floor.

Outside I heard the sound of several stomping footsteps. Reinforcements will be here soon. Pearl and I just have to hold them at bay.

A wave of magic surged through as Pearl knocked back several alligator men with her tidal wave jutsu. The men stood for a moment holding and shaking their heads. But some were coming out of the daze a lot sooner than we wanted.

They closed in on her and piled on top. I screamed, “Pearl!”

Some of the alligator men started to go for Doc. He was still a few feet from me. What to do? What to do? Think Luna. Think.

Thud-thud.

In that moment everything stopped.

Thud-thud.

Fire. Much brighter than the fire from earlier burned.

Thud-thud.

My entire being was engulfed in flames and I ceased then screamed out. Bright light flooded the room as my body floated up from the ground and spun to face Scarface. 

He was still in striking pose… ready to leap onto Pearl for a finishing blow. Rage coursed through me and I thought, “Oh no you don’t.”

Moving with the flow of energy I moved back and darted to where he stood. My hand went up to his throat and lifted him up from the ground. His eyes grew wide as he struggled to escape my grasp.

“Burn.” Was the one word that came to mind and I spoke aloud. 

Scarface closed his eyes and stopped resisting. In seconds all of the alligator men in the room turned black and then grey as their bodies burst into ash. Their scattered remains mixed in with deceased scroll on the counter top and floor.

Time rushed back to its normal flow as Pearl stood there wide eyed. Men from the base came into the room and looked puzzled. For the only occupants in the room before they entered were the Doc, Pearl and myself.

The bright light left me and I collapsed to my knees once again. Heavy breaths heaved in and out as I tried to recapture my breath. Dang. That was one heck of a work out.

One of the soldiers asked, “What happened in here?”

Doc groaned and moaned as he sat back up. He said, “Can’t a doctor get some rest once in a while?”

The soldiers let out a laugh and I joined in. We needed that… yes, we seriously needed that from Doc.

Pearl walked over to me and pulled, “Luna, we have to go before you-know-who gets here.”

I grumbled and got back up then dusted myself off. Doc nodded at us and got the soldiers’ attention as Pearl and I snuck to the doorway.

As we hustled into the hallway I heard my father call out, “Luna. Wait.”

Pearl kept on moving and I followed her. If this was any other time I would have stopped. But no, we had a kid to go save.

I waved my arm at my father and blew a kiss, “Sorry dad. Maybe next time?”

He yelled, “Luna Shimmers. Get back here this instant. That’s an order young lady.”

Ignoring his order I pushed past Pearl on our way to the bubble room where we would be ushered to the surface in no time flat. We had no more time to waste. With a merlock now in the mix the boy’s life was on thin ice.

Questions about what happened in there will have to wait. I suspect it has something to do with the curse and the temporary cure all messing with my powers. But that’s a mystery for later.

Right now the mission is to save the boy. Beast or not. Witch, merlock or some other creature won’t stand in my way of protecting him.

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – Chapter 9 :: Burn Bright Done – Stay tuned for Chapter 10… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙