Chapter 104 Dejected
1526words
Almost as bad as when I thought Kayn and Ember were going to die.
I watched in silence as Mom scooped up a giant heap of mac and cheese, dumping the goopy lump onto my plate.
"Thank you," I forced a smile and picked up my fork. My mind only registered a dry clump inside my mouth as I tried to chew and force it down my throat.
"We're going for a second night at the Ratskins house," Dad announced. "We found a remarkable amount of evidence. And the audio that was caught," he feigned a gasp. "You will not believe. It's insane."
"That wonderful news, love," Mom smiled. "I think moving here and sacrificing our financial health was worth it."
"Indeed," Dad agreed, peering at me. "And Carly made friends, which is a first."
"And a boyfriend," Mom teased and I peered down at my plate. "You've been spending a lot of time over there. You sure you don't want to move in there instead?"
Dad laughed. "I bet she'd grab the chance."
They fell silent, when Mom finally asked, "Is everything okay?"
I glanced up, finding them both staring expectantly at me with deep-set frowns on their foreheads.
"I'm okay," I forced a smile. "I'm just tired. It's been a long week and I could use a solid night of sleep."
"I hope you're not texting your boyfriend up in the most ungodly hours of the morning?" Dad scoffed and Mom tutted him.
"Who cares if she is?" Mom said. "It's not harming anyone."
"No, but lack of sleep isn't healthy," Dad persisted. "Did you know that too little sleep affects your immune system?"
Mom and I both rolled our eyes at the same time, and a stab of pain made its way through my heart. You wouldn't think, considering how normal everything was, that I could be adopted.
What if those papers were fake?
Okay, sure, they were fake, but not in the terms of which everyone assumed. What if Janice planted them to make Mom look guilty to sway me?
I released a deep sigh, wishing I had some solid evidence to work on. "So, how're things at the AOUB?"
Mom's mood immediately perked. "Amazing," she exaggerated the word. "The staff is so nice, and my boss is just great. I get access to all kinds of top-secret information about cryptids and evidence of their existence. It's beyond what I've ever seen." She leaned forward. "Even fairies, Carly."
I eyed her, trying my best to deadpan my expression. "Fairies?"
"Yes," she exclaimed. "I knew mermaids were real, but not them. It's so exciting."
"Janice showed me a picture of a mermaid in a tank," I said suddenly and Mom stirred uncomfortably in her seat. "You know about her?"
Mom sighed. "Yes. I do."
"That's imprisonment."
"It's not like that, Carly," Mom insisted. "She's well taken care of and not being harmed in any way."
"Mom, how would you feel if you were locked in a cage and poked and asked dumb questions day in, day out, missing your family and all alone?"
"Goodness sake, Carly—" Dad started, but Mom waved him off.
"It's for the greater good," she said and I huffed. "We live in a world where there are all kinds of dangerous creatures surrounding us. We need to be aware of what we are up against."
Who was this woman? I scowled. "Did Janice feed that line to you?"
Mom's lips thinned. "My boss is a well-defined and respected woman. I trust her word."
"Yeah?" I nodded. "What if it was me in that tank? Would you still say that?"
I swear, both my parents paled and exchanged nervous looks. Mom's voice shook when she said, "That's it. Go to your room."
I opened my mouth in protest, but Dad defended Mom. "I agree. You need some time out to think of your actions and the way you talk to your mother."
I glared at them, blinking away the hot tears escaping. I wanted to shout at him that she wasn't my mother, but I knew I had to play this game for Kayn if I wanted to help them.
I gritted my teeth, pushing myself up from my chair, and stalked out of the kitchen.
***
I couldn't sleep. I rolled around in the dark caravan, cursing angrily, and sat up. I grabbed my phone, realizing it was a few minutes past twelve and I was wide awake, feeling like my bed was infested with ants.
I flicked on the screen again on my phone, deciding to scroll the internet until I grew tired. It wasn't for a few minutes when a soft thud landed on the roof of the caravan.
I bolted up, peering at the window to see a large shape inking the night. My heart raced as I lowered myself underneath the table of my mini-kitchen and pressed the dial beside Kayn's number.
A loud screech of a ringing phone pierced the night and I huffed as I heard Kayn's voice cursing. I rolled my eyes, getting out from underneath the table. The ringing died as I canceled the call, and the window flipped open and Kayn slid in, dropping onto his feet in front of me.
"You really need to find a lock for that," he said.
"You think it'll keep any supernatural creature or cryptid out if I did?"
"Probably not," he shrugged. "But it'll keep humans out long enough for me to kick their ass."
"Humans aren't my biggest problem right now."
"You forgot the AOUB is human?" he frowned. "And they are our biggest problem."
My shoulders dropped. "I guess you're right."
Kayn stared at me for a long moment. "You're not okay."
It wasn't a question, but an admission.
I nodded. "No, but I suppose it could be worse."
"Yeah?"
"We could all be dead."
"That's morbid," he said. "For you."
"I know. I'm just not sure what to think." I placed my phone on the table. "I'm trying hard to be optimistic but this is just too much."
"You're right though," he stepped closer. "We could all be dead. But, instead, here we are. Let that sink in."
I eyed him. "Yeah?"
"As long as we are alive, we can still solve it," he continued. "Like my sister, Aria. If you ever lost anyone to death, you'd know how final it is. It's the most powerless feeling. You're empty and out of control of the situation. There isn't a thing you could do to change it. However, things have changed since we found out she's alive." He took hold of my hands. "In fact, it changed everything. There's hope. There's a chance we can get her back safe and alive."
There was so much faith in his eyes, it was hard not to admit he was right. Things could have been worse. I was making all of this about me, and my parents, when they had a loved one held captive out there somewhere.
"You're right," I sighed. "I think I'm just angry at my pretend parents."
"You know they love you, right?" he pressed. "It's hard not to notice that, even if they aren't biologically linked to you."
"I know."
Kayn suddenly pulled me toward him, crushing me to his chest. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."
I was confident he was saying it more to convince himself than me but I let it slide, rather enjoying how good it felt to be held.
"So, his chest rumbled as he spoke. "What changed?"
"What do you mean?" I responded with my cheek pressed to his shoulder.
"Last time I remembered you made it abundantly clear you didn't want me around."
"I vaguely remember something like that," I admitted. "I guess I gave up thinking."
His body shook slightly and I knew he was laughing then. "I'm glad you stopped thinking because this is nice."
"It is nice," I admitted, feeling my sleepless nights catching up on me. "Are you doing something to me?"
"No," he said too quickly.
"I feel drowsy."
"Because you're tired," he deadpanned, but I could hear the lie as my eyelids got too heavy. Kayn pushed an arm under my legs and lifted me from the floor. I was too tired to react, my head falling limp against his chest as he carried me to my bed. "Now I can get some rest too."
"I knew it," I half-snorted.
"Well, it's hard to sleep if your other half is having a bad night."
"It seems nice now."
The last thing I saw was his smile as my eyes fell shut for the night.
"Goodnight, Carly." I felt a soft kiss brush my forehead.
My arm shot out and I managed to grab a fistful of his shirt. "Please stay with me."
Kayn didn't say anything. Or I was too far gone if he did. I only felt the mattress sink beside me before his arms wrapped around me and I drifted off into oblivion.
