The Jungle

Chapter 25: Hitched

The floor creaked slightly, and Warren turned around. Standing behind him were Bahati and Juliet with murderous looks on their faces. “Good morning, Warren,” Bahati hissed.

“Why don’t you tell us what you really found when you did the blood test,” Juliet growled.

Warren sighed and ran a hand down his face. He was incredibly annoyed that they had come to him now. How had they figured it out? He had tried so hard to keep it hidden from them, but all that was moot now that he was staring down the noses of two very angry Kupata. “I take it you’re mad?” he said, hopeful that he was wrong.

“You’re damn right I’m mad,” Juliet hissed. “How could you just forget the fact that I’m his sister and conveniently not tell me when you gave me the results?”

Warren sighed and rubbed his face again before getting up from the couch and standing before them. “Look, before you get pissed, I’d like to say that I wanted to tell you. Really, I did. Lex didn’t think it was a good idea because it would distract you from what our objective is.”

“Hey!” Lex said, peeking around the corner. “I didn’t make you do anything, buddy.”

Warren rolled his eyes and sank back onto the couch. “Sorry. I’m a despicable person, I know. But this isn’t the end of the world! Things will be okay, guys. Nothing has really changed, except now you know. Life will go on as it always has, more or less. I’ll still be the one who gets the bad end of the stick while you guys are off gallivanting after your noble cause with my sister riding piggy-back on Bahati the whole time.” He refused to face them and turned the volume up on the TV.

“Warren! You listen to me, you idiot!” Juliet shouted as she ran up to the couch and beat Warren over the head several times with her palm. Bahati suppressed a chuckle. She looked quite deranged.

“Are you crazy?” Warren shrieked as she continued to beat him. He rolled onto the floor with her still on top of him, hitting every inch of him she could find. “Get off of me, you crazy bitch!”

“Juliet!” boomed a new voice. James strode forward and pulled her off Warren with a murderous look in his eyes. “I want you both in my room now! We can’t have any of this if we want to succeed!”

His voice was sufficient in calling Caroline and Lex into the TV room to stare at the unfolding scene. Caroline’s eyes met Bahati’s and he gave her an imperceptible nod to reassure her. As soon as Warren and Juliet had left with James, Caroline rolled her eyes. “Do I really want to know?”

“Yes you do,” Bahati replied. “You have to know this.”

“Oh God,” Lex said suspiciously. “You didn’t…”

“She showed me a picture of her father,” Bahati said in a strained voice. “He was also my father.”

“Oh God,” Caroline repeated. “Bahati!” Now that the native said something, though, she could see it. Beyond the fact that Juliet had green eyes and blond hair like all the other Kupata, Caroline could also see that some of her features were the same as Bahati’s. It was there in the sharpness of his cheekbones and the curve of his chin, the strength of his sharply-defined eyebrows. His face was more masculine than Juliet’s, but she was struck for a moment by just how beautiful Bahati really was. He was a tall, dark angel with eyes as green as the sea. He stood tall and unmovable like a mast in a storm. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t appreciated it until now. Without quite thinking about it, both parties moved toward each other slowly as Lex stood in the doorway to the kitchen, laughing quietly.