Hidden in the Immortals (Book #1)

Chapter 11

It was six that night. Noelle, Ben, Chad, Jana and I were sitting around the table reminiscing about the good times we had with Andres. I started it when I brought up the time when Andres was 7 and I was 6 and he caught me when I fell down the stairs. It was nice, and probably healthy, talking about Andres in a positive way, but there was still that pang of devastation deep down.

Jana laughed and pointed at Noelle. "You had a massive crush on Dres a few years ago."

"I did not." Her porcelain complexion gave her away that she was lying. 

Ben just about busted a gut laughing. "You definitely did!" He looked over and elbowed me. "Do you remember two summers ago when Gabi and Andres were visiting and when they got here Noelle sprinted out of the house, broke her flip flop, and landed face first on the ground?!" Noelle groaned and hung her head in shame.

The rest of us laughed. "Didn't you break your nose?" I asked with a slight chuckle. She peeked up at me and nodded slowly; her cheeks still flushed.

Chad looked around. "Hey, where are your parents?"

"Moms' at work and dad went to Bluedale till probably tomorrow."

"And we're probably getting Andres's autopsy results tomorrow, too." Jana added. Little did they know, I already knew what happened to him.

"Are you guys scared to find out what exactly happened to him?" Noelle asked.

Jana shrugged. "A little, but I think we all need to know."

I trusted everyone in this room with my life. I could tell them all right now that somehow I saw what happened to Andres in a dream through his eyes. I could tell them that Chad and I were the ones who found and dug up his body in the woods. I could tell them about hunters; and Immortals. I could tell them that Andres was killed by a hunter because he was an Immortal and apparently apart of some Immortal army trying to kill the hunters. And I could tell them that I was an Immortal...

I cleared my throat. "Ummm guys," I started in a low voice. Before I could finish, my phone started ringing on the table in front of me. I picked it up. Garrett. "I've got to take this." That was probably another sign that I shouldn't tell them. 

I hurried into the living room and answered the call. "Hey." I answered happily.

"Hey, Julianna," He started in a slow, soft voice. "I just heard about Andres. I'm so sorry. It's terrible what happened to him." 

I smiled. He was too sweet. "Thank you, Garrett," I replied in a soft voice. "And, I know... it's horrible."

He cleared his throat. "So, I was thinking that maybe you needed some comfort food," He said with a slight spring in his voice. "Do you want to go to Last Course tomorrow night? My treat," Last Course was the fancy dessert restaurant in Old Brook and it was super expensive. I've only eaten there a couple times in my life, and the last time I was there was for my eighth grade graduation. "Literally." He chuckled.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. I really didn't want to seem like that girl that expects a guy to pay for every meal. Especially at a restaurant like Last Course. "I can pay for myself..."

"No, no I insist." He pressed. "I really, really want to."

I sighed. "I could make a pun about you being sweet, but I won't."

He laughed. "I really like you, Julianna," He told me sincerely. "I want you to be happy. And I know there's not much I can do to at a time like this to get your mind off things, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you're happy and stay happy." I swear my heart felt like it was in my throat. He was such a great guy. There's no way someone like him could ever be a hunter. I didn't care if he was a Nelson or not; I couldn't even see him killing a fly. "Even if that means spending a hundred dollars on ice cream." He added with a chuckle.