Chosen Witch (Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 6

This part of the woods is dark. It feels like we've stepped into a completely different world, just a few feet away from the happiness of the one we were just in.

"Jeff, slow down," Isaac calls out to the shifter, who's almost sprinting through the woods now. If I didn't know he was a shifter before, I'd be able to tell now. I've already stumbled three times, and he has no problem gliding over the landscape.

"I always forget about you, slowpokes," Jefferson comes back around, smirking over at us. I just roll my eyes, ignoring the jab. It's not our fault we don't have super vision or agility.

"Look, you need to give us more info than whatever that was," I hook my thumb over my shoulder, before folding my arms in front of me. "I'm not moving from this spot until you do."

"You're going to help me out here, man?" Jefferson asks, looking at Isaac. But the other boy shakes his head, surprising the shifter.

"I'm with her, Jeff. What's going on?"

The shifter rolls his eyes, before mumbling something under his breath. Keeping my eyes trained on him, we wait him out.

"Fine. People are sick. Magically sick. Dad smelled it on one of the humans and went to tell your mother," Jefferson points at me, before continuing on, "They rushed the top Elders to the Town's Hall, but before they could come up with a plan, people started dropping down and convulsing. Some were throwing up, others just screaming in agony. We started grabbing people to evacuate, which is when I came to get you."

There's a moment of silence as I let that sink in, before I turn on my heels, and start heading back toward the festival. I take about two steps before Jefferson's hand falls on my arm, spinning me around.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to help," I try to pull my arm out of his grip, but he's not budging. "And I'd like you to unhand me. I don't know how you do it in your shifter world, but we don't usually like manhandling people."

My skin feels hot, burning with anger at him and at my mother. At the whole stupid council who think they have the right to decide for others. Leaving all those humans sick on the ground. And at Jefferson for thinking he can tell me what to do. Or physically detain me.

"Jefferson," Isaac voice comes from over his shoulder, and when I look over at him, his eyes are on where the shifter is holding my arm, his own anger rising.

"Are you hard of hearing, shifter?" I snap, yanking on my arm once again, and this time he lets go. "That's better." I move once more toward the town, but this time, Jefferson uses his body to block my way.

"I can't let you go back. You are at a risk of getting sick and we need you if we're to battle it."

"What does that mean?"

"You're the next in line, Meredith. You're the vice president to your mother's president. If anything were to happen..."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."

"But you know what I'm saying is true," Jefferson is not about to be deterred. "It's why my father stayed and I had to leave."

"That's stupid logic."

"It is logic. You're arguing with me just to argue." He glances up at Isaac as he says that and I turn to the other boy as well.

"Don't tell me you're on his side?" I ask.

"I'm on the side of what's right and in this case, he is"

Groaning, I rub my temples with my fingers, now fighting a headache as well as the two stubborn boys in front of me. Truthfully, they are correct. But it doesn't mean that I don't want to march back there and see if I can do something to help.