The Chosen Ones

CHAPTER TEN

Matt awoke and came downstairs to find Casey and a cheerful Tyler in the kitchen making pancakes. He expected an awkwardness between he and Casey, but to his relief there was none. She even greeted him with a smile, again blushing, which he gratefully returned. She was still thinking of the night before. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about it no matter how hard she tried.

Tyler was back to normal with no side effects of passing out the day before. Matt figured when he healed him it must have taken a lot of energy from him and he just needed to recharge. It was something they would have to monitor if he ever did it again. Tyler never brought up what he did and neither Matt nor Casey questioned him about it. Perhaps they would wait til they got home.

The ride home was mostly quiet. There was no singing or joking going on. Maybe they were both thinking of what was to come, what they were going home to. Their little getaway was over, now it was back to reality.
Matt never got a text from Phil, which meant things were still quiet in Maple Brook, at least for the time being.

As he approached his house he was surprised to see Phil's truck and Shaun's red Toyota Tacoma parked out front. They rarely hung out at his house when he wasn't there, although he wouldn't have minded. This time however, he sensed something was wrong.

Their faces confirmed his fears as he walked in with Casey holding a sleeping Tyler. Something was going on.
"What's up?" Matt asked.
"Shannon and Bill." Shaun answered. "Apparently they've been dating people they haven't told us about." He said.
"Why is that news?" Matt asked. "Who is it?"
"Never seen or heard of them." Phil said.

That's why they were so concerned. Matt assumed it was going to be someone from town or a surrounding town that he at least had heard of. This was the number one thing Casey had warned them about. Watch out for new faces trying to infiltrate your small circle. The whole time Casey had told her story both Shannon and Bill had remained silent about the strangers they were dating.

"Jesus Christ." Matt muttered. "How long? How'd you guys find out?"
"Bill told me." Shaun offered, as he scratched his short orange head of hair. "Then he told me about Shannon."
Casey was listening intently. She put Tyler down and he walked slowly up to his room.

"What's wrong with him?" Phil asked.
"Nothing, he's just tired from the ride home." Matt lied. It was obvious Tyler might still be drained from the incident on the lake. "What are their names?" He asked.
"Shannon's been dating some guy Daniel for like a month now, Bill has been seeing Kate since around the same time." Phil explained.

"They're trying to find out information." Casey said. "If not, your friends would be dead by now."
"Shaun, you fucking live with Bill. You're telling me in a month you never saw or heard of this girl?" Matt asked, utter amazement in his voice.
"Now hold on. I'm not his fucking mom." Shaun said. "We have no idea if these people are with the group that killed your family, Casey. With all due respect."

"Yeah." Phil added. "We're concerned, but that's it right now. We aren't looking to kill anyone just yet. You know how Shannon is Matt, she never brings a guy in to meet us until at least a month."
Matt agreed with him. "He's right Casey, we can't just assume people are against us. We need proof before we act."

Casey's guard was up now. To her, this was the beginning, but to the others, not so fast. Matt texted Shannon to come over, and within the hour she was there.
Phil warned Matt not to press too hard. Once they made it clear they all knew about Daniel she would definitely be on the defensive.