Savior (Book One)

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was oddly quiet when we got back. Leviathan was still nowhere in sight, and I could only assume he was still out looking for Shane. Though, what concerned me was the fact that Donna was not where we had left her. The beds were both vacant, the TV off, no raven haired girl in sight. Feeling a heavy weight form in my chest, I sat down one of the bags of food, peeking into the bathroom to confirm that Anabell and I were truly alone. Where the heck is Donna? I wondered, with furrowed brows. Did she go somewhere?

Apparently Anabell was thinking along the same lines as me, because she whipped her phone out and furiously texted her best friend, sending the message before she placed a hand on her hip, turning to me exasperated. “If she wanted to go somewhere, why didn't she at least text me? Ugh! She always does this crap. I just hope she isn't...ah…”

“Isn't what?” I asked curiously, sitting down at the table.

Anabell blushed, rubbing the back of her neck before she shat across from me, making me all the more confused at her reaction. “Well...Donna has this habit of disappearing and...um...convincing men to...you know….do the do. And when I say men, I mean guys her age, really. It's something I had thought she had stopped doing. Guess I was wrong. Ugh, when we find her I am so kicking her ass!”

“Wait, wait...so you're saying that she...consumates with random men….why? And do her parents know?” I couldn't believe that she was doing such a thing. I mean, did she not treasure her purity? Maybe it was a human thing. I wasn't sure.

Anabell shrugged, picking at the fries. “She turned eighteen last week. Oh don't look at me like that, she was held back a couple of grades. But yeah. Her dad was kind of a dick and hurt her a lot, so she tries to gain control of whatever she can, and sex is that thing. Don't ask me why, even she hasn't told me that part yet. As her best friend, it sucks seeing her do that to herself. I've tried talking to her, but nothing really works.” She sighed and rubbed at her face. “Being a best friend is hard.”

I gave her a small smile, the smile disappearing when Leviathan walked in, looking disheveled and utterly...exhausted. “Leviathan? What happened?”

“Huh?” Leviathan glanced up at me, blinking those brilliant turquoise eyes before he scrunched up his nose, closing the door behind him. “Oh. Nothing. A bunch of birds. Maybe a tree or two.” He then sighed when he saw the food on the table and walked over to it, glancing into the bag. “Which is mine?” He asked, glancing at Anabell.

“Uh, the cheeseburger. You sure you're ok? You're all...well, no offense but you kinda look like shit. And...wait, is that blood?” Anabell stood up, frowning as she reached for Leviathan shirt collar, only to gasp when Leviathan’s hand shot out, grasping her wrist just inches from his shirt.

“I'm fine. Just a little scrape.” He said sternly, before he cleared his throat and let go of Anabell’s wrist. He grabbed his cheeseburger and sat down next to me, not eating...only staring at the food in front of him.

I frowned, clearly worried. However, after witnessing what he did to Anabell, I was weary to tick him off further. So instead, I ate my meal in silence, sneaking peeks at my older brother. Before, when he first came in, he had looked exhausted, as if he ran a marathon. Yet, this close to him, I could see the dark circles under his eyes, eyes in which looked...red, and puffy, as if he had been crying. His skin appeared clammy as well, sweat just beginning to dry on his skin. The closer I looked, I could also see the faintest of scars just below his left ear, one that hadn't been there the last time I saw him.

What the heck happened to him? Why was he in such an exhausted state? Did he find Shane at all? Did he run into any other creatures who wanted the Sword as much as Adam? What made him lash out at Anabell? Well, not lash out, per say. Though, he did look...terrified when she tried touching him. And that worried me. Why was he afraid of a simple, innocent gesture?