The Neutrals

Chapter 3: Parents

I slowly opened my eyes, looking at the wound. I had dropped the knife. It lay on the ground, the blade covered in blood. I looked back to my hand, shocked to see the cut healing before my eyes. I could tell how deep I had cut, and now it looked like I had just fallen down. Soon, my skin only looked a bit pink where I had cut myself.

I figured it would take at least half an hour for the scar to appear, so I ran home as fast as I could to get answers before time runs out. If it did run out, that is. As I opened the back door, I realized I had left the knife in the woods.

Oops.

I walked in and to my room after greeting Jacklynn and apologizing for taking so long. Just as I shut the door to my room I heard Riley's car pull into the driveway. I heard them talking, just normal topics like whack-jobs at work and things like that. Soon, Riley walked up to my door and knocked.

"Honey, I'm home." It sounded like she had a good day at work.

"I thought you were supposed to say that as you walk in the door." I hopped off the bed and walked towards my bedroom door and opened it.

"Well, we've made it a rule that we don't go into your room without knocking, so I'll just try again." She shut the door again and burst in yelling "HONEY I'M HOOOME!!!"

"Pfft haha, you're such a dork! Did you have a good day at work?"

"Yes, but I do feel a bit cheated. You and your mother got to stay home and relax while I had to work my butt off!" Riley declared, trying and failing to hold in a laugh. After getting all her giggles out, she looked back at me "Jacklynn told me that you had some questions that you wanted to ask the two of us?"

"Oh, yeah. Hold on." I grabbed my notebook and motioned to the door. "Let's go."

In the living room, I went over the first two questions again. I wrote down all of their responses. I asked casual questions before asking what I really wanted to know.

"Do you think the legend was real?" I started.

"No." They spoke in unison.

"Do you think that it might hold any truth?"

"Maybe."

"Why were you talking about Chaslura and Aluris the other day?" Wonder if I can catch them off guard...

"We-" Riley cut off as the question sunk in.

"You..?" I asked as if I hadn't asked anything wrong.

"Dakota, how did you know that we were talking?" Jacklynn asked. I saw Riley draw the blinds and close the curtains from the corner of my eye.

"I overheard you. And before you ask, I heard all of it." I said as Riley sat back down.

Jacklynn sighed and glanced at Riley before saying "Dakota, can me and your mom talk for a bit? Alone?"

"Ok, I'll be back soon." I walked up to my room and put my ear to the vent once again.

"We need to tell them." I heard Jacklynn's voice through the vent.

"But Jackie, they're only 13- besides I don't think we need to-" Riley was interrupted.

"Exactly! They're 13! They need to know. They already have two scars, we need to warn them at least. What if they already have the third and then they'll be unprepared."

Riley sighed. "You're right, Dakota needs to know."

They called me downstairs and looked at each other before turning to me. Usually this gesture would make me anxious, but I was too eager for answers to notice. I waited for them to start.