Finding Course

13

Sophia.

"You can't just leave them there!" I screamed. We were at Zane's house, arguing in the kitchen. Jack and Charlie stood opposite me and the conversation wasn't going well. We weren't getting anywhere and Jack was too thick headed to see the truth. "They're probably being tortured in there!"

"We don't know that, Sophia!" Jack argued back and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, he would kill us if we didn't have a solid plan going in, yeah? We follow the elders council and wait until one of the hunters strays out of that compound."

"That's a bullshit plan and you know it!" I pointed a finger at him.

"Sophia," Charlie said, stepping closer.

"No. No, Jack you're acting like it isn't a big deal!" I was so damn angry. Angry because he didn't seem like he was taking it seriously.

"It is a big deal, damnit! I know!" Jack shouted back at me and slammed his hands on the counter making me jump. I flinched back at the outburst but tried to hold my ground. "Just...I just need to think, alright? Zane makes it look easy making all the big decisions and I don't want to fuck this up. I don't want to loose my best friend."

I could see he cared, but I was still upset. The three of us stood in silence before the front door opened and Kristy waltzed through. "I gotta go," I muttered and stormed out past her. I didn't have it in me too deal with her.

"Sophia," I heard Charlie's voice call after me but I ignored it. I kept walking, further away from the house and finally reached my SUV. "Sophia!" he said again and jogged through the snow to meet me at my vehicle. "Hey, we're gonna get 'em back, alright?"

"What if we don't?" I finally let a tear escape and then they couldn't stop flowing. "What if they're dead? We can't feel the link!"

"We would have felt it if he died. We all would have felt it."

"What about Katherine?"

"Come here." He didn't answer my question. Instead he pulled me to his chest and held me close as I sobbed. I felt his hand run down my back and took comfort in his touch. We stood there for a few minutes while I cried it out, and eventually the tears slowed and sniffles remained. "Let's get you home. Come on, I'll drive ya." I nodded, and got in his truck. We drove down the familiar roads until we arrived at my house. It was situated at the end of a road just west of Zane's house. It didn't take us long to get there, and Charlie walked me up to the front door.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?" I asked. Honestly, I didn't want to be alone. Throughout Zane and Katherine disappearing Charlie had been the only voice of reason.

"You got Irish coffee?"

"Sure. We can have Irish coffee," I agreed and found a bottle of whiskey to keep us company. I started brewing a pot and we stood in the kitchen in silence.

"Here," he said as he grabbed the bottle from me. He poured it straight into the coffee mug.

"But the coffee isn't done yet," I began to protest.

"I don't want the coffee," he muttered and smirked down at me. "Besides sweetheart, I'd say you need somethin' to take the edge off before you rip into Jack with them claws of yours." He toasted me before downing a swig.

"Maybe you're right." He handed me a mug of whiskey and I followed suit. "Charlie?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." We say in silence for a bit until I couldn't help but voice my inner thoughts. "Charlie?" I asked again in a whisper.

He looked at me, and within seconds his glare hardened. "No. Don't...damn it Sophia, no."

"I didn't even say anything!"