Appleberry(Completed)

Ch. 10: Sunday

I woke up to someone lightly shaking me. I squinted under the bright sun shining through my window. "Frankie."
"Yeah, get up out of the floor. Did you sleep there all night? It's cold in here. How did you not have a blanket?" She rubbed her arms and closed the door.
I sat up rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's eight thirty." She sat on the bed.
"Shit. I've got to go." I got up throwing on whatever I could fine and brushing my teeth.
Frankie was following me around. "Where are you going?"
"I have to meet Bodhi then go to Zeke's." I stopped looking around for my jacket.
"Here." Frankie held my jacket out to me. "I thought you didn't like them."
I put on my jacket and put my hands on her shoulders. "Franks, when it's time to tell you what I'm going through, you will know. I promise. Do you believe me?"
She shook her head yes. "Okay. Tell dad I will be back later. We have dinner at Bodhi's tonight. So, make sure dad is ready if I'm not back to do it. Later, love you Franks."
I ran downstairs and to the truck. It took twenty minutes to get to Zeke's. I knew I was going to be late. I didn't mean to sleep as long as I did. But I felt comfortable. The most comfortable I had been in years.
I stopped at Bodhi's and got out. I knocked on her door. A pretty African American woman answered the door. "Hello, you must be Sloane."
I heard footsteps running downstairs. "Yes, hello Ms. Devlin."
Bodhi was by her side in a matter of seconds. "Mom, we can meet everyone tonight when we have dinner. We really have to go."
She kissed her mom's cheek and took my hand running to the truck. "I am sorry I am late. I slept in late."
We were in the truck on the road to Zeke's. "It is fine. I called Zeke earlier and said we would be late. I told him I slept in late."
I looked over at her. "Did you?"
"No, you did. But if I told Zeke that, he would think you aren't serious about any of this." She messed with the radio until she found some music.
"I am serious. I want to know about everything. About who I am. I have always felt lost. I didn't know where I really came from. We used to visit mom's parents all the time. But dad's, that was impossible." I started to bite on my lip.
Bodhi rested her feet up on the dashboard. "Like I said last night, you will have questions for your dad. I had them for my mom. We all did."
"How did you all find out?" I looked at her.
She shrugged. "Since we were supposed to know. We got a certain age and we were all given this book, a family history book. It told us who was who and what was what. After we read it, we all went to the elders, which are our parents or in Zeke's case, his grandparents. We asked them questions. They answered everything. They even gave us details that we probably didn't want to know."
"That is crazy. This is all crazy." I ran a hand through my hair.
She pointed. "Right here. Turn right."
I done as she said. We went down the long familiar driveway we went down a month ago. It was beautiful down through the woods leading to Zeke's big mansion.
When I pulled up the fleet and Zeke were all outside. Bodhi got out first. "What are you guys doing outside in the cold?"
Ozzi smiled. "You should know we don't get cold easily Bo. We are wolves."
I stopped in my tracks. They all stared at me and laughed. Zeke stepped through the fleet. "Knock it off. We aren't all here to scare her. We are here to help her. We had each other when we found out. She has no one."
Zig and Ziv came over putting their arms around me. "Yeah, we need to be on our best behavior."
"Thanks guys and girls. I'm glad you are all here." I smiled at them.
Once Jett saw Bodhi, they were latched together like I had seen them at school. I don't think they were hardly ever apart from each other. They were cute.
Just then, Zeke's grandfather came out. "All right you wild children, let's get in and get to it. Penny has goodies waiting as well."
All the guys howled running inside like wild animals. Bodhi and Jett came over linking their arms through mine taking me in. "Hey Sloane."
They both let go and left me standing there with Mr. Alderman. "Hello Mr. Alderman."
"Oh, please, call me Jason outside of school. You are a part of this wild bunch now." He smiled.
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Thank you."
He walked me into a huge room full of books. The walls were covered along with shelves placed here and there with books. There were couches, and chairs scattered around. Along with some tables. It looked like they spent a lot of time in here.
Zeke came up behind me. "What do you think?"
I grinned. "It's amazing. I have never seen a room like this in a house. I would expect it in a library but not a house."
"Yeah, well, we aren't the typical family either. These books have our history dating back to the 1600's. It is quite extortionary." He looked up from ground level to the very top.
There was even a second floor to other books. How much had happened in our families lives to have these many books. I was so intrigued.
"Sloane, come sit. Jason is fixing to start." Ozzi waved me over.
I went and sat in between Bowie and Bodhi. Everyone was talking until Jason sat in a chair. They all were silent.
Jason looked at me. "So, Sloane, is there anything specific you want to know? Or do you just want me to start talking."
I looked around at the faces staring at me, then my eyes landed back on Jason. "I guess just start from the beginning. I really don't know what to ask."
He nodded, seating back in his chair. "Our kind moved over from the European area in 1620. There was a man, his name was Zeke Rigby Alderman."
I looked over at Zeke. He smiled. "That's your name."
"Yeah, my parents decided to name me after the first known guardian who came over to America." He looked at his grandfather to continue.
Jason nodded. "He was writing journals about his kind along with witches and wolves. Now the guardian's they are the ones to look over everyone, human or non-human. They held all the knowledge about witches and their families and wolves and their families. They were said to be peace keepers. Not just among wolves against witches but peace between the wolves and the witches when war started with humans. Or witches against witches. By the time the 1800's came around, it was said a pact was made. The wolves would be the fleet. They would be the watchers and warriors. They would make sure the witches in the west wouldn't harm the witches in the east. They would also protect lives that got in the middle of the outbreaks."
Everyone was so engaged in the story. I however had questions running through my mind. "What witches? What witches would want to have vendettas or whatever was going on against one another?"
Jason smiled. "The Appleberry's and the Ashby's. Back in 1799, an Ashby was supposed to marry an Appleberry. The day before they were going to get married Ashby, your great great and so on grandmother went off and married one of the Barlow's. The Appleberry's were so outraged. They along with the Ashby's were the oldest and most powerful of witches. The bloodline goes back far beyond we even know."
"What did the Appleberry's do?" I was on the edge of my seat.
"They set out and killed your grandmother's husband. Your grandmother was so angry and vengeful she took an eye for an eye. She killed her best friend's husband. Who happened to be part of the Devlin family. Your grandmother's best friend was an Appleberry. From then on, the Appleberry's and Ashby's were enemies. The wolves would protect anyone and everything. The guardians would write any information down and keep the peace. We thought everything would be okay when your dad moved away from here. But then you came back."
I got up and walked behind the couch. How could our families do this? If only they would have just done what they were supposed to do, none of this would have happened.
I slammed my hands down on the back of the couch. I was angry. My fingers dug into the couch leaving tears.
"Why couldn't they have done what they were told?" I looked up at Jason.
Jason shrugged. "When love takes over, there is nothing you can do but let it happen."
Zeke spoke. "We don't choose who we love. We find one another and look at one another and it happens. It is like something clicks. That is one of the curses."
I looked over at Zeke. "What curse?"
"The curse of love at first sight. The Devlin's casted it so that one day the right Ashby would fall for the right Appleberry and end the war between west and east witches. The cool aid, I guess you could say was in all the water. It hit everyone. That's how your love at first sight thing happen these days. Though some people through generations have lost that part from the bloodlines they come from." Bodhi looked up at me.
"None of it is fair. Your families shouldn't have got drug into all of it." I walked around the room.
One of the twins spoke up. "If you don't stop pacing back and forth, you'll put a hole in it."
I heard a grunt. The other twin must have hit him. I looked around at all of them. They were all staring at me.
"How do we know who is supposed to fall in love with who? How are we supposed to know if this is the right time that it will happen?" I put my hands on my hips.
Jason got up and went over to the desk opening a book. "The spell talked about how two hundred and eighteen years will go by. The Devlin's were angry with how the Ashby's and the Appleberry's were acting. The Devlin's are peaceful witches until you piss them off. So, they were going to keep the war going until they figure the families would have had enough."
I looked over at Bodhi. "I'm sorry for my family's actions."
"It's not you or your families fault. It is mine and the Appleberry's fault. None of them should have acted the way they did." I sat in one of the chairs.
I looked to the floor then back to them. "I am sorry guys."
They looked at me and laughed. The twins came over and sat on the arms of the chair. "It isn't your fault. It's the ancestors fault. We just have to find a way to fix it."
I looked over at Bodhi. "Is there a way to get your mom to get rid of the curse?"
Bodhi shook her head. "No. We already considered it. Mom yelled at me in Hausa, I didn't understand it at the time. But never again will I ask her about that."
One of the twins tapped my shoulder. I looked to my left. "Yeah?"
"Do you have any powers?" He was looking down at me.
I just looked at him. Jason spoke up. "Do you not have any powers?"
I looked over at him. "I don't know. Dad never talked about his past. We lived in the city for as long as I can remember. So, I guess we never learned and he didn't want to teach us."
Jason nodded. "You need to sit down and talk to your father."
"He isn't going to sit with me and talk about this. He will refuse." The twins started petting my head.
I looked at them. "Really guys?"
In unison they shrugged. "Sorry."
"What is up with you two always being by me?" I got up. They fell on top of one another in the chair.
Jason laughed. "The Hardy's have been lost. Their fleet were sworn to protect your family. They are making up for lost time."
"So, you guys are like my lap dogs?" I grinned.
"Hey. Not cool." One of them got up off the other.
I giggled. "I'm joking. That's cool. Just let me breathe occasionally."
They shook their heads. "How am I supposed to tell you two apart?"
"Ah, easy, Zig has a mole on the top of his lip. Ziv does not." Ozzi said.
"That helps." I turned to Jason who was sitting at the desk.
I went over and sat in the chair in front of it. "Can I bring my dad here next weekend? Maybe that way he will have to talk to me. Also, Frankie, what do I say? She is part of this too, right?"
"Yes, you can bring him. She is part of it. You or she will end up breaking the curse. There is two of you and two of the Appleberry boys. Phoenix and Maddox." Jason leaned back in his chair.
"What if she doesn't want any part of it?" I was exhausted from all the information.
Jason shrugged. "We can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do. That's just how it is. Freewill."
Bodhi came up. "We got to get going Sloane."
I shook my head and she walked off. "Jason, it was beyond words to hear about everything. Thank you."
He smiled. "It is no problem. That is what we guardians are here for."
I got up going over to the fleet. "So, guys and girl, thank you for being here today. It meant a lot. I am also sorry for the way I acted for a month."
Ozzi got up and hugged me. "It is okay. You freaked. We shouldn't have pulled the band aid off that quick. Right, Zeke?"
Zeke huffed. "If that is what you say. It was that or she ended up with the powers she hasn't have since birth and completely freak out more than she did. She wouldn't have talked to us for more than just one month."
I patted Zeke's back. "You were right to tell me. I needed to know eventually. Might as well choose sooner. Get it done and over with."
I put my jacket on. "Does anyone else need a ride?"
Zig and Ziv stood up. "Us."
I looked at Ozzi, Bowie, and Jett. "You three?"
"No." Bowie said through gritted teeth.
Ozzi and Jett both hit him. "He meant no thank you."
"Okay. See you guys at school." I headed out with the twins and Bodhi.
The twins hoped in the back of the truck. The whole time howling and wrestling around in the back. "Why does Bowie not like me?"
Bodhi laughed. "Bowie is just being Bowie. Plus, he likes you."
"What? He does not." I looked over at her chuckling.
"Yes, he does!" The twins laughed while yelling in the wind.
I looked at Bodhi again. She pointed to her ear. "Their hearing is amazing, remember?"
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Where do they live?"
"Keep going then turn left up here when you see the dirt road." She pointed.
When I got to the dirt road, I turned. The road was long but not as long as Zeke's grandparents. When I stopped, the twins jumped out whooping and hollering.
I rolled down my window. "You two aren't going to say bye?"
They turned around grinning from ear to ear. "See you later Sloane. Later Bodhi."
We both waved. "They really seem like lovable guys."
"You have no clue. They weren't really this energetic until your family showed up though. I mean they are sworn to protect your family. It was like they lost meaning when you guys didn't grow up here." Bodhi frowned.
"Did it hurt everyone?" I looked back to the road.
She scooted beside me laying her head on my shoulder. "Yes, it did. We all felt something missing. Even the Appleberry's felt it. As much hell as the Ashby's and Appleberry's put each other through, there is still a connection."
"I am sorry it has been so hard." I patted her thigh.
She looked up at me. "Was it hard for you? Did you not feel something missing?"
I looked down at her. "Truthfully, yes I did. I always felt it. Frankie did too. But being the peaceful one, she found a way to ground herself. I am still working on it."