Legion of Loch Ness

Chapter Fifteen

           Arabella, Jason, and Raphael had spent the past week investigating the woman, tracking down freak accidents and murders that had taken place in Chicago. None of them granted them any leads, but Raphael was determined to find the woman before she could bring any harm to his little sister, Amara.

           One night, while the three of them were investigating a crash that had taken place near Lombard, they'd stopped at a restaurant that claimed to serve the best spicy chicken sandwiches in Chicagoland. Raphael watched with some amusement as Jason sipped his soda and Arabella morosely dipped a fry in ketchup.

         "We haven't made any progress," she said. Jason quietly nodded in agreement, though he seemed distracted as he stared outside. He looked back at Raphael in question, tilting his head as if he'd been pondering something.

           "We know how we have these unique abilities," he said, eyeing the people in the restaurant before returning his harsh gaze back to Raphael. "But where do yours come from?"

          It was a question that Raphael had been expecting, but he remained frustrated that he had no satisfactory answer. The truth was, he'd researched ancient family grimoires, had traced bloodlines dating all the way back to 14th century Italy but had come up with nothing. Although his parents were distant, he believed they would have mentioned something as significant as inherited powers if they'd possessed them.

            He shrugged in reply, breaking his own train of thought. "I'm actually not quite sure. But you two mentioned something about faeries, right?"

           They glanced at each other silently, Arabella's eyes widening in alarm.

          "Correction," Raphael rolled his eyes. "You accidentally revealed some sort of relation to faeries, never intending to notify me of the origin of your powers."

         "Believe it or not, eavesdropping on the two of us while we're at the studio doesn't count as an accidental revelation." Jason raised a brow, his eyes cool and condescending as always. "You simply lack basic manners."

          Raphael shrugged again. "It's gotten me this far. I'm not about to apologize for my habits, questionable as they may be."

         Arabella rolled her eyes before finishing off her burger. "We should go. It's late and we're probably not going to find anything tonight."

         "Agreed," said Raphael as he slid out of the booth across from them, readying himself to head home. "So, I'll see you at the studio tomorrow then?"

        Much to his amusement, Arabella smiled at him sweetly. "Unfortunately."

      With a laugh he wished them a good night and exited the restaurant, not revealing his dismay until he reached his car. Although he rarely mentioned anything to Arabella or Jason, every day they went with nothing was another sleepless night he faced. He couldn't get the scaled monster out of his mind, her face shrouded in darkness, small green scales lining her arms and chest. Despite her horrifying eyes, her voice had been pleasant, smooth, and deep like honey. It was a voice that rang in his head incessantly, the threat ringing in his mind when he drove to school, went to practice, and even when he met with Arabella and Jason. He grimaced as he started the ignition, renewing his promise to protect his little sister, before reversing his car and leaving the restaurant lot.

                                                                    ***

        Penelope Winstrom was never sick. This morning was the first morning that she had missed breakfast with her family. Every member of the household had been concerned. Rissa had come up to check on her five times until it had finally been time for her to go school. Jason had stopped in to make sure she didn't need him to take her to the hospital for a quick check-up. After reassuring him that she was fine, she had sent him off as well. The last one to leave, and the hardest one to convince had been Michael. He had refused to leave her side until she was fully recovered. It had taken a whole hour for Penelope to convince him that she just needed to lay in bed and rest for the day. He agreed that she had taken on too much stress after Jason's accident, and perhaps just letting her have a day to herself would be for the best.