Eternal

Memories

Chapter 20: Memories

I rested my forehead against the car window, watching the scenery fly by for the second time in five days. The car was silent except for the radio softly emitting music. Atticai had put it on about ten minutes into our drive. I couldn’t really blame him, the stifling silence that hung thickly in the air was more than a little uncomfortable. To be honest I wasn’t being entirely fare. It wasn’t Atticai’s fault that Keegan was acting like a douche – in fact, he’d even tried to apologise on his friend’s behalf. When I’d simply turned my gaze to the forest he’d given up trying to hold up any form of conversation.

“He’s just worried about you.” The geeky Vampire said gently two hours later.

I shook my head and grimaced when the glass dug into my skull. Ugh. Maybe the headrest would be a better idea. “No, he’s just being an idiot.” I corrected, earning a nervous chuckle.

“Well, he does not think much when it comes to you.” He offered a tentative smile, watching carefully for my reaction.

I couldn’t help but crack a smile at the thought of the blood drinking, mind controlling Vampire being afraid of me – dormant witch powers or not, it still sounded ridiculous. “So he can be excused for his caveman attitude because he’s a guy? Sorry, Cai, but that’s not happening.”

He pushed his nerd glasses up his nose and was silent for a moment, “No, it’s not the caveman attitude I’m talking about.”

I raised an eyebrow, an open invitation for him to explain.

“You’re the most important person in the world to him. Just the possibility of you being hurt is enough for all rational thought to fly straight out the window.”

I shook my head again, not liking this new habit. “You can’t say that. He has his family – his mom, his sister, all of you.”

Cai snorted, “That means nothing. His parents…well, he got used to them being dead a long time ago. He doesn’t know Jo from a bar of soap and even though we’re his friends, the first time he saw us again was a month ago and he’s been sure to keep distant.”

I frowned, “What do you mean? He knew about his parents being here the whole time, why would he be used to them being dead? And you lot? I thought he’d been seeing you guys on the sly for the last decade.”

Cai smiled sadly, “He really didn’t tell you?”

I ducked my head in shame, thinking of my hasty departure the morning his mom had walked in and the chaos that had ensued. “I didn’t give him the chance.” I whispered softly, closing my eyes.

He nodded knowingly, “Well, maybe it’s time you got the whole story.”  Silence followed for so long after that I thought he wasn’t going to tell me, but then he pulled over and turned to me. “Will you let me show you something?” his black eyes excited and nervous.

I shrugged, “Sure.”

He reached out to me but paused at my confused expression, “Don’t panic, okay? We can all do this and even though it might feel a little weird it won’t hurt you.” And then he hand my head between his hands and I was no longer seeing Cai and the car and the forest outside.

Instead I found myself in the Masters’ house. Besides the different furniture it looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen it – large, warm and inviting. I blinked in surprise at the fact that Jonathon and Lucy were perched on a dark brown couch, worry and pain clear in their eyes as they both stared at – at Keegan. Only he wasn’t the seventeen year old I’d left hours before. No, he couldn’t be older than five. The little boy I knew so well sat across from his parents, navy blue eyes filled with tears and coppery hair sticking up in every direction.