Forgotten ✓︎

Chapter 27

Jared

I felt myself wake up, and I shifted, only to realize there was a weight on my chest. I opened my eyes, blinking against the sunlight. Megan's head was resting on my head, her arms around me like she was cuddling with a teddy bear. I smiled to myself. 

We had been up late last night, working with Megan's dad to go through the information we had discovered, thanks to Zia's mom. My head still spun with all of the revelations. This was definitely beyond a bunch of 17 year-old teenagers. I was okay with having a boring life for the rest of my life after all of this was over. 

Megan shifted, groaning quietly as she tried to move even closer to me. I held in a laugh, amused by her behavior. She was not a morning person, and trying to wake her up sometimes was like trying to wake the dead. I leaned over and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. 

I was amazed by her resiliency. She was taking all of the information in so well that part of me was concerned for her, but I trusted that she would say something if it seemed like too much for her. I would be there for her through it all. 

I sighed and slowly removed myself from Megan's hold. I didn't want to get up, but there were a lot of things I had to get done today. My fight was coming up soon, and Megan's dad had emphasized sticking to our routines. He was worried that people were watching us, and if we deviated from our usual behavior, it may send out a red flag to them. 

Megan's mom was supposed to be home today, so I knew Megan wasn't going to be home alone, which made me feel better about leaving her. I was concerned for her safety, especially after finding out the connection between Zia's family and Megan's. My friends deserved to have boring lives from here on out. They had been through too much in such a short amount of time.

"I love you," I whispered to Megan as I pressed another kiss to her forehead before leaving. 

I shut her door softly and left downstairs, hearing her mother in the kitchen. Luke and Zia had ended up crashing the night, and Luke was snoring lightly on the couch downstairs. I shook my head, amused. That guy could sleep through anything, anywhere. 

"Good morning, sweetheart. You sleep okay?" Megan's mom greeted me. 

I smiled at her and nodded. 

"How are you doing?" I asked. 

Her smile fell a little. 

"I'm guessing you and her dad had a conversation when you came home?" I guessed. 

"How'd you know?" she asked with a wry smile. 

I shrugged my shoulders in response as I took a seat at the island across from her. She finished making her coffee and took a sip. She sighed.

"As a parent, you want to protect your kid from everything. This is hard for me," she admitted. 

"My mom said something similar to me not that long ago. I can't imagine what you're going through with Megan and Daniel. How much does he know?" I asked. 

"Daniel's out of danger, as are Zia's brothers, but it's out of pure dumb luck. Megan and Zia had the misfortune of being in the wrong place and the wrong time when they were younger, and it made them easier targets. We're not sure anyone would try and hurt them now, though. Zia's already proved that she can take care of herself, and Megan might be a wild card because of her memory," she explained to me. 

I nodded in thought. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes, or Megan's dad's for that matter. Their daughter still wasn't completely out of danger even after all that she had been through. I wasn't sure how they were holding up so well.