In Plain Sight (A Hunted Rose)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

First off, let me say how sorry I am that I've been MIA.  I got sick, and school has been loading on homework.... Not to mention I've had a tough time writing.  Anywho... and update for you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night sleep was unachievable.  Much to Liam’s irritation, I spent the entire night on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor of the kitchen with high power chemicals that probably singed the delicate hairs of my nose off.  The horrid smell helped to take my mind off of all the problems, but to Liam it was just a nuisance.  He actually left the house at one point to get away from the smell.  It had become fairly obvious that I was not going to be attending school that day, and so I continued my scrubbing well into the early hours of the morning – turning the dirty cream of the tile into a gleaming white I didn’t know existed under the decades-long buildup of dirt and other grime.

The scent of intense chemicals might have been ingrained into my brain after spending the entire night scrubbing the floors.  I was able to smell them for hours after I had put them away, wiped the floors down with water, and taken a shower. 

There was no knock on my door or a doorbell rung; instead there was just a flurry of activity as six people rushed in the front door.  Five hunters and one vampire burst into my living room, two of which were arguing.  Of course it was Liam and River – who else would it have been? 

I didn’t even attempt to figure out what they were fighting over.  I just chose to yell “Shut up!” and glare at them.  My nerves were wearing thin and I didn’t have a very tight leash on my temper.  My eyes narrowed as I said, “I don’t want anyone fighting.  Things are bad enough as is.”

They looked appropriately ashamed of their actions – specifically the vampire in the group – and I continued to speak.

“Do your parents know that you aren’t at school?”

All of the guys looked at each other.  Liam had taken a seat on the couch, and after a silent discussion through simple eye contact, they all responded at the same time. 

“Yeah.”

“Uh huh,” I said doubtfully.  “Do they know why you aren’t at school?”

This time Ryder answered.  “Not really.”

Followed by Cameron.  “Kinda.”

Seth was next.  “Not exactly.”

At least Jason was up front about it.  “Nope.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead with the heel of my hand.  “That’s just great.  What do they think you’re doing?”

This time they all answered at the same time without looking at each other.  “You really don’t want to know.”

This made me groan.  I rolled my eyes and then let out a deep breath.  I licked my lips before asking, “With all of that aside, what should we start with?”

“Well,” River said cautiously, “maybe we should start with making sure that everybody can fight well.  I know that we all can, but we should practice with each other; we need to get used to everybody’s strengths and weaknesses.  These guys mean you harm.”

I nodded.  “That sounds decent enough for now.  Where were you thinking of practicing?”

“The training cent-”

I cut him off.  “No.  No way.  Liam would be instantly recognized.”

“Right,” Ryder said, nodding.  “Which is why a simple location would be best.  Like your backyard for instance.”