Fears To Face

∞ Chapter 71 ∞

Rayne

"Rayne, quit fidgeting, you're turning me insane." Kayley looked at me from her seat in my car, her eyes scared and at unease, her heart beating just as fast as mine.

Yesterday had been perfect, just what I needed although it took me a flight from Kayley to understand I did, but when Kayley mentioned Ava, I could have slapped myself in the face for being so occupied with finding a solution that I had looked passed the obvious. Ever since then I had been unable to get my heartrate any slower than like I'd just ran a marathon.

Now, knowing we were getting closer to Ukiah every minute, I had no peace in me at all. This was the only chance Kayley had left. If Ava didn't know what to do, then this was it. I had no other ideas after this one. If it did not work out, Kayley would really stay a werewolf the rest of her life. My gut turned at the thought. "I'm sorry," I muttered, even though I knew there was nothing I could change about my behaviour right now.

She had arrived at my house twenty minutes ago with dark circles under her eyes. I wasn't happy with the fact that she had barely slept last night, but I couldn't blame her. I hadn't either. Still though, knowing that whatever solution Ava might have was most certainly heading her way soon, I had preferred her to have had a good night of sleep.

I looked at her from the corner of eye. She was staring straight ahead, hands stiffly placed beside her legs, her expression tight. Sighing, I loosened the dead-grip I had on the wheel and took her left hand in mine, squeezing it. She gripped it hard. "How bad is it?"

She took a deep breath and looked at her lap before shifting her gaze to me. "I'm terrified of what she will have to say, no matter the direction this will go. And seeing and feeling and hearing you going crazy inside doesn't do my inner calm any good while I'm trying seriously hard to maintain it." She wasn't trying to make me feel bad, I knew that, she was way too sad for that.

Now I felt even worse for being on the edge. "I'm sorry. It's just..."

"I know why you're acting like this, Rayne," she interrupted me with a soft voice. "You don't have to explain. It's just not helping."

Pulling on her arm until her head was resting on my shoulder, I kissed her hair. I forced my voice to sound surer than I was, knowing I had to be strong for her. "I'll calm down for you. It's going to be okay." But I knew the options we were about to face. Ava could be perplexed and have no idea, she could have heard somewhere there was a solution, but didn't know what it was, she could know and could actually be able to stop this or she could tell us it was too late. That there was nothing we could do. Four possible answers with only one that I could accept. I begged that we would walk out of her office with a cure.

Although I knew my body still wasn't relaxed and I was sure it couldn't be comfortable to hang between two seats, Kayley didn't remove her head off my shoulder before we headed into Ukiah. She even seemed to ease a bit after taking a few deep breaths. Yet as we drove through the crowded streets, she sat up and her hands lay in fists in her lap.

I couldn't help but think back to the last time we went here together. We hadn't had a relationship yet, she just agreed to help me and be my friend, but it was here that she found out she wanted more than friendship after all. It was this place we came from when she kissed me for the first time, that she took care of me when I had felt horrible after that first treatment. Kayley caught my eye and I knew she was thinking the same thing when her lips curled up slightly. Mine did the same.

Parking the car in the lot, we walked hand in hand to Ava's office and knocked. Kayley's hand trembled slightly in mine. Ava frowned as she opened the door and took us in. "Hey, what are you doing here? Your treatment isn't until Thursday," she said to me.