Two Moons

Chapter Nine

Jared

May looks at me with horror, and I feel a sudden jolt of protectiveness.

"What?" She says after a few long pauses of silence. "I'm coming home right now... no, I don't need guards, Jared is going to be with me... what? No, I don't want anyone to escort me in... Max, stop freaking out... oh my gosh, Max, I will be okay... you know what, fine... see you soon." May hangs up the phone, and looks at me.

"I need to be home. Now." She rushes to the passenger seat, and I step on it.

"May," I say hesitantly.

"What?" She snaps. "Sorry. I'm just on edge right now."

"It's okay. I get it. Want to tell me who Derek is?" I ask, knowing fully well she might flip out.

"I can't. Not right now. I will when we get home, I promise," she sighs. "I'm just really stressed." She looks out the window, obviously looking for something.

"Okay," I stay quiet until we get to the gate to pack grounds. Three guards are stationed there, and one asked for our names and thumbs.

"Why?" May asks.

"Name."

"May Laurent."

"Thumb." May sticks her thumb out the window, and his eyes go wide.

"May, you should know more than anyone. Name." The guard turns to me.

"Jared Loff." I put my thumb out the window also.

"You may enter," I start to close the window, when I hear the guard shout. "May. Be careful."

"Okay. Bye," May waves at the guard.

"May, we got to walk to your house," I tell her. She's almost in a haze, and she seems really out of it.

"Okay." A branch snaps nearby, and May lets out a scream, and jumps closer to me. "Oh my gosh. Oh my God." She buries her head into my chest, and I pull her close. A bunny emerges from the direction of the snapping branch.

"It was just a bunny, May."

"I thought it was Derek. Oh my God." We walk to her house and before I can knock on the door, May is tackled by Max.

"I was so worried." He breathes into her hair.

"I was only out for six hours, Max. Derek isn't going to get me," she says, though I can tell she is unsure.

"Come inside. Both of you." Max looks behind May. May glances behind her shoulder, eyes wide and scared. I am so confused, and pissed, because I have no idea what is happening, and pissed because I want to kill the asshole that's causing May to freak out. Max closes the door behind him, and tells us to sit down. May's mom is crying on the sofa, and Lena and Alex-I'm guessing-are there too.

"Mom," May hugs her mom, sitting next to her.

"I was so worried, I thought he had you again, and I just thought he would do it as soon as he found you and I don't ever want you to be away," she sobs. Another girl, who has long brown hair and high cheekbones is sitting next to May's mom, rubbing her back.

"May, I thought I lost my only sister," she gasps out. Wait... May has a sister?

"Thanks for being here Sydney. I seriously need some support." Just then, the wind picked up, and made a whistling sound. A branch scratches against the window, and everyone jumps, along with Sydney, Lena, May, and her mom screaming. May goes up to the window and peers out.

"It was just a branch," he assures them, and sits next to Sydney. He slings his arm around her and kisses her cheek. I guess Sydney is May's sister-in-law.

"Who's Derek?" I ask, after a long silence.

"You didn't tell him?" Max asks May. She shakes her head.

"I couldn't. I don't know, I just get freaked out." May takes a deep breath, and turns to face me. "Jared, don't freak out, this was when I was... twelve. Derek is my brother. He tried to kill me."

**Edited