Double Love {ON HIATUS}

8- The Usual, Please

    It had been a week. A whole week since I had mailed the letter that should've changed my life. It had been over a month since I had seen a carving in the cave, but that didn't stop me from checking every day anyway. Each time I saw nothing on the table, my heart dropped a little more, but I never lost hope.
    Today was Friday, the first day in a few weeks that my mother had a night shift at work and wouldn't be home. I had just pulled into the garage, parking my truck and getting out. I jogged up the two steps to the side door, unlocking it and stepping inside. I locked the door again, knowing I wouldn't be using my car to get to the beach. I deposited my backpack by the front door on its shelf, then checked the mail like usual. Nothing but college ads for Sky and me. I put the mail on the kitchen counter, then went out to the barn to take Charcoal Blue to the beach.
    Once again, he flew across the Meadow, this time towards the beach. I left him to wander freely once we reached the water's edge, taking his saddle bag with me like I usually do. I walked the rest of the way to the cave, pulling out the lighter from the saddle bag as I went. Once I reached the tunnel, I slung the bag over my shoulder to prevent my arms and the bag from scraping against the walls. The walk from the entrance to the mouth of the cave seemed shorter than usual, much to my surprise.
    I walked to my chair to put down the saddle bag, like usual, and saw something out of place out of the corner of my eye. Turning to the table, I picked up the small piece of paper. I unfolded it to find two words in handwriting I knew all too well: I'm sorry.
    I stared at the paper in disbelief for a few minutes, then dropped it like it was live fire. I didn't know what to feel. Angry? Hurt? Happy? I somehow was feeling all three at once. He hadn't communicated with us in two years, and then he leaves this note like we've been a happy family again all this time? I was happy that he communicated with us, or rather, with me, but there was still that one thing that made me angry. Livid, if you will. Why now? Why not sooner? He'd been gone for two years, and now he chooses to put in the effort? My anger washed over my happiness, and reminded me that he had two years to say hello. He didn't even say hello, I realized. I picked up the note carefully, stuffing it into my saddle bag. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, sat down at the table, and began to write.

    I was laying in bed later that night, a bad feeling in my gut. I rolled out of bed, slipping into jeans and a t-shirt before silently heading downstairs. Opting to use the back door instead of the front, I shut it silently behind me and all but flew past the pool in our massive backyard. At the hedges, I slipped through the small opening I had made and ran towards the barn. I quickly hopped on Charcoal Blue and made my way to the beach.
    This time, I didn't waste time protecting the entrance from wary eyes, instead opting to shorten my walk and leave my horse at the entrance of the tunnel. I slung the saddle bag over my shoulder as usual, then cautiously made my way into the tunnel. Everything seemed normal on the beach, but the strange feeling hadn't gone away. The closer I got to the cave, the worse the feeling got. Towards the end, I couldn't handle it anymore, and grabbed the wall to steady myself. Waves of dizziness racked through my body, hitting me so forcefully I was afraid I would pass out.
    Once the horrible dizziness stopped, I continued into the cave. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except there was a new carving on the table. I picked it up, noticing my father's initials engraved into the bottom. I walked over to a shelf on the wall, placing it next to the first carving. As I turned to leave, slightly disappointed, I noticed a piece of paper on the table. I picked it up, realizing it was shorter than my letter, but longer than the last note. I scanned over it, not truly paying attention, until a sentence stood out at the bottom. Eyes wide, I read it again to make sure I had read that right: I'm so sorry about the past two years, but I had no choice. The government is dangerous, and they're planning something huge. Be careful, and make sure to run when you see the signal. I love you Jace, and I hope you never forget that, even if they kill me before I have the chance to properly say it to you one more time.

A/N
*says he hates author's notes*
*puts author's note on the last three chapters*
Hey guys! I haven't updated in forever, and I feel really bad about that. I've been super busy, plus I had writer's block (ugh), but I'm back!! Sorry about the cliffhanger, by the way. Sorry (not really) :)