The Shadows

The Truth (36)

I didn't go home right away. I took my time, stalling. I didn't know if my dad was still drinking or if he'd be mad and yell. I mean what I did was wrong. But he wasn't on the innocent side either.

It was late when I finally arrived. I stood there dumbfounded. Should I knock, or just walk in? Is he even awkwe? Does he even want me back home?

Before I had time to decide if I was going to knock or not the door opened. And I stepped back prepared to run.

"Don't run." A man's voice said. He was tall and I looked up at him. I didn't know how to react, because the resemblance was unbelievable. But it's not possible.

"Tori," Jim said as he came up behind the man. He squeezed around him and hugged me. I stood there letting my hang at my sides. "I was so worried about you."

I just stood there letting him hug me, and the other guy stood there watching me. Very intently.... several emotions ran across his face that I didn't understand.

Jim held my shoulder left away from him, his eyes watery as if he were about to cry. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

I sighed. "Not physically. But can yiu tell me who your guest is." I watched sadness fill his face, as he looked at the ground nodded and the 3 of us went inside.

"I think you should sit down for this." Jim said as he sat in the love seat diagnal from the couch where me and the guy sat. He kept staring at me, and I still couldn't tell what the look was.

Jim sat silently thinking and almost looked like he was about to cry. And then he did, and all my anger for him disappeared. I stood up and hugged him. I was mad at my dad of course, buy the last time I've ever seen him cry was over mom. I knew whatever he was about to say wss very difficult for him.

He began to sob in my shoulder a bit but I didn't care. He made mistakes, everyone does, but he was still my dad. And always will be. He pulled away real fast, still tears streaming down his face. "Tori," he said as he rested his hands on my shoulder. "You- you're," he looked at Janson as if asking for help.

"What's wrong. Tell me." I said standing up. I looked at both of them.

Janson stood now taking the lead. "A long time ago. About 16 years, I met this girl. She was sweet and had bright green eyes that and everyone bow to her feet. Of course just like everyone else I fell for her. And I realized too late that those green eyes did have dark power that made everyone bow to her. I f-"

"She was a vampire?"

He shook his head. "No much worse. See she's very power seeking. She will do anything to stay the most powerful one. She even sacred the witches to the point where they gave her power."

This sounded familiar. "Just like the one girl who killed Sierra, or whatever her name was."

"You've herd this story before?"

"Yeah, actually, my-ummm, a few friends actually told me."

"Well the Katherine, the women in the story. Sh-shes your mother."

I just looked at him at a.loss for words. And then it hit me, why my father would be upset. Because I was the closest thing he had to mom, and now he could loose me. "Does that mean, I'm a hybrid too?"

"Yes, but I won't let the STC touch you. Neither will Katherine."

"Why wouls she be after me?"

"She used to be sweet and kind. Her and I had triplets. And all three of them kept her calm and helped her control her powers. She loved them, but Katherine knew one would be the most powerful. Would change the world. She wanted hybrids to be able to live freely without the STC attacking and killing. She gave Katerina the most attention teaching her magic and simple things.

"But word got around that she had, had children and with both parents being hybrids, the outcome was obvious. A good friend of Katherine had taken the children and sent them all to mortal families to keep them hidden. It worked of course, until Kristen was activated. And then not long after Katerina, and it won't be long until Kasen is too.

"The three of you together will be unstopable, and able to accomplish her goals. The problem is, not only does she want to help the hybrids, she wants to control them."

"So you're telling me, I'm a hybrid? That you're my dad and I have 2 other siblings. Katherine- who us my crazy mother could be coming after me?" I raised my eyebrows. "You expect me to believe this?"

"No Tori," Jim stood. "It's true. Yiu were brought to ne when yiu were little. Thresa and I took care of you.

"This is all bullshit. You guys are fucking with me."

"We don't have any pictures of you when you were first born." Jim said. "The first picture we had, you were already crawling. Rememeber how many we have of Trey?"

I just looked at him then the man. We had the same face shape, and nose. His dark hair matched mine, and had a few freakes but I had even less. The evidence was right in front of me but I didn't want to believe it. Jim's been mt dad mt while life even if he was drunk 90% of the time. The two of us together have had put good moments.

I didn't want this man to ruin that. Because that's what's gonna happen. He's gonna try and make me come woth him, hell no. I'm staying right here with my real father. Even if this guy's was the biological father.

I just went upstairs to my room and checked my phone. 16 calls from Lucus and many texts. What caught my eye was a call from Logan.

Why would Logan call me? Especially since we haven't been one goid terms after the kiss. Or... it's Lucus calling him on his phone thinking I'd answer. Well I didn't, wouldn't even think about it.

My phone went off again, a call from Lucus. I let it ring. But after a few more calls I turned off my phone for hours. I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling, silently. Jim came in after a few hours asking if I was hungry, I told him no.

I herd him go to his room to sleep, and I think he set up a place on the couch for the man... who I still didn't know the name of. I waited a few hours to turn my phone back on. Many more calls and texts from Lucus. And another from Logan.

Then a text popped up, from Logan.

This isn't Lucus.

I barely had a chance to read it before a call from... Logan appeared on my screen.

I almost let it ring all the wa through but then an idea popped in my head and answered.

"Hello,"

"Hey," he said. "I just wanted to check up on you. See if you're okay."

"Yeah I'm fine."

"You didn't hurt... yourself." He paused between hurt ad yourself.

"You mean did I hurt anyone else? No everyone is fine."

"Okay, how are you handling the.... situation?"

"I'm doing fine. Perfectly fine."

"Okay...."

"But I have this... plan. And I wanted to know if you wanted to come along?"

"What is this plan of yours?"

"Why don't we leave. Get out of town, take a break, escape the shadow world for a while?"

"You mean run, like you did last time. Then put people who care about you in danger, Lucus will come after us. And my parents would flip trying to find me. You see where I'm going with this?"

"If wait long enough then we'll be announced dead. They'll get over us and stop looking." I realized how cruel that sounded. "But that would be... wrong." He didn't say anything. "I'm going, I need to take a break from this shadow stuff. If you change your mind let me know before 3."

Then Lucus called....

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Sorry the update literally took forever... I've been EXTREMELY busy. I'll try my best to update more frequently but I can't make any promises.