UnStoppable [Book 2]

You're Not His Family

I hope you’re enjoying the story so far!  Did I surprise you with Luke’s curse?  Hope so!

All right, without further ado, here’s your next chapter!

Chapter Quote:

“We create monsters and then we can’t control them.”

~Joel Coen

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Chapter 5: You’re Not His Family

Silena

The drive went along much more smoothly with Derek driving.  Silena could actually close her eyes without fear of dying or going to jail.  Bryn had fallen asleep when they neared Pittsburgh, not opening her eyes until they reached Cincinnati.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Derek said when she woke up.

“Where are we?  If you turned around, I swear on my life-” Bryn began.

“We’re almost to Cincinnati, promise.  I was thinking we could stop at a gas station or something and take a break,” Derek mused.

“Sounds good.  I need to pee.  I’ll drive next, give you a break,” Bryn offered.  Silena prevented herself from groaning out loud and instead suggested, “Why don’t you let me drive?”

“And risk having you turn us around?  I’ll pass thank you,” the daughter of Zeus retorted.

“What does that mean?” Silena demanded, hardly holding back her anger.

“I think you’re so worried about getting in trouble with your mum and dad for disobeying them that you’d turn us around to avoid harsher punishment.”

“So you think I care more about my parents than I do my brother?  Is that it?”

“You care more about the punishment.  You’ve always been a goody-two shoes.  I mean, I am too, but I care more about family than my own well-being.”

“Luke is not your family,” Silena hissed. “He’s mine, and you best well remember that.”

“Both of you shut up.  Bryn, Silena wouldn’t turn us around.  And Silena, Luke is Bryn’s family.  Both of you remember what I said,” Derek warned.  He typically didn’t get angry, so upon hearing his tone, the two girls shut their mouths instantly, leaning back angrily in their seats.  Bryn looked out her window, biting her lip.  She had one leg propped up against the dashboard of the car, she had her arms crossed, and the more Silena studied her, the more it became apparent that Bryn was far from angry.  In fact, she appeared to be… upset?

Then it dawned on Silena that she might have actually said something to Bryn that upset her.  At first, she felt bad because no matter how angry she got at the daughter of Zeus, she still held a place in Silena’s heart simply for her fierce protectiveness of her friends.  Not many things got underneath Bryn’s skin, but when it came to Luke or Derek, she changed.  She did consider those two family.  Silena had no doubt Bryn would not think twice about dying for either Derek or Luke.  But Silena herself was a different story.  She was a friend in good times, an annoying acquaintance in the bad.  Sure, she had and Bryn had bonded a lot over the school year, but Bryn still acted like she was superior to Silena.  Without Luke in the group, Bryn ran the show, meaning the only other person that mattered was Derek and Rachel (and Rachel only because she was the Oracle).  Silena meant nothing to Bryn; and if she did, it was only because Silena meant something to Derek.

A cold feeling settled in Silena’s stomach.  Was she the expendable one on this trip?  If she died, Luke would be there to take her place as the other relative of Poseidon and Athena.  Bryn wasn’t expendable because she was the only child of Zeus.  Derek was just special.  Silena couldn’t place why, but she knew he was.