Chapter 64 Cold
He tells me where the bathroom is, right outside of his room, to the right of the hallway.
He watches me, concerned the whole time I walk out of the room as though I’ll break down again at any second. I softly shut the bathroom door behind me, taking a deep breath.
I look at myself in the mirror, not shocked at how horrific I look. My eyes are red and swollen from all the crying. My nose is red as well. My cheeks are covered in red and white splotches, leading all the way down my neck. I look like a complete mess. I look like how I feel, at least.
I turn on the water and make it as cold as it can get. I cup the water, leaning down to put it on my face. It snaps me out of my head again, making me feel more alive. I keep my hands under the cold water flowing from the faucet. I don’t move them until my hands start to hurt from the cold. I shut off the water, wiping my hands dry with the towel next to the sink.
Taking a deep breath, I look back into the mirror. I look a little less distraught, but I still don’t look good enough to be meeting the parents for the first time.
I can’t believe that I even have to meet his parents right now. I get that it’s important to them for the sake of the pack and their safety, but I’m far from being in the right headspace to even want to hear about them, let alone speak to them. Do they think I’m a part of this? That’s why Cassie was accusing and threatening me in the car. She thinks I might have known about this. That I would put them all in danger.
What if his parents think the same thing? What if everyone thinks I’m involved? I can’t handle pleading my case to everyone. I put both hands on the edge of the sink, taking in several deep breaths to calm myself.
I can do this. It’s part of my responsibility now. I know what my parents are doing, I know what they’re capable of. I can help stop them now. Even if they doubt me, I have Alec. He believes me. He won’t abandon me. He’ll take my side.
With the help of my little pep talk, I feel good enough to face them. I open the door, surprised to see Alec standing there in the hallway like he was waiting for me.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this right now. If I could push it back, I would.” He apologizes.
I know he does feel bad that I’m being pushed into meeting his parents right now. Right after, I just heard the life changing truth of my own. But we both also know that there is no other way. I have to suck it up and help these people before it’s too late.
I put my hand into his open one, allowing him to bring me some sort of comfort. “I know.”
I allow him to lead me through the house and up the stairs into a room I find out is an office. It’s a large office with a couch at one end and a large wooden desk at the other. The desk has several chairs sitting in front of it. My breath picks up automatically at the people sitting in the room.
Noah, Kyson, and Cassie are sitting on the couch. Another guy I don’t recognize sat on one of the arm rests. On the other side, a man sits in the chair behind the desk while a woman stands next to him. I can guess they are his parents. It’s quiet when we walk into the room. I can guess they’ve heard everything that’s happened between us in the last few hours. It’s a bit embarrassing to know they heard me have a meltdown, but it’s too late to change it. I would hope everyone would be understanding of my situation.
Alec leads me into the room across from the desk, where his mother and father are.
“Anneliese, these are my parents, Matias and Iris.” He gestures to his parents.
They both smile kindly at me, making me feel surprisingly uncomfortable. It’s a kindness from them, but I feel weird receiving it, especially after everything that’s come out about my family.
“Hello. You can call me Anna.” My voice is smaller than I wished it to be, but I find little care in it.
“It’s very nice to meet you. We’ve been looking forward to it. I’m sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances.” His dad gives me a sympathetic gaze.
I don’t really know what to say, making Alec take control. “We can all introduce ourselves better later. Right now, I think we should finish discussing this so she can go rest.”
His dad nods understandingly. “Of course.”
His mom gestures for us to take a sit in the two chairs in front of them. “So we understand that you were in the dark about your parents' business?” She asks me.
“Yes, I swear I had no clue what they were doing. I didn’t even know the supernatural existed until I met Alec.” I hope they can hear the truth in my words. I have no intention of lying to them at all.
“You don’t need to worry so much. We believe you. We can see that it’s pretty clear your parents kept you out of the loop.”
I nod along, still feeling the need to show my innocence. “The main reason we wanted to see you right now is to know as much about your parents' plan as possible.”
“But I don’t know anything.” Why would he say he believes me but then ask about their plan?
“I don’t expect you to actually know anything specific, but I’m talking about things you might have noticed. Certain statements, behaviors, or anything of that sort that stand out now after you know the truth.”
That makes more sense, but I still don’t know. I pause, trying to think. Maybe I heard something.