Chapter 251

Chapter 14 – Russell Davis POV “Mr. Davis where do you see yourself in 15 years,” an old middle school teacher had asked me when I was no older than 13 years old. I shrugged, of course I shrugged, how could she possibly have thought I’d know where I would be when I was 28 years old? I could’ve been anywhere, including six feet underground. But I wasn’t there… I was on an island that I was teleported too by an ex – mafia member, but he wasn’t just running or hiding out from other individuals dealing with organized crime… No… that would’ve been too easy. He was running away from those types of people and Elders. Fucking Elders? And the Elders? What was their purpose? To support the shifters keep order. That’s right! Keep order between humans and were-shifters, like the mother of my children – Angel. With her life though, I can put my life on it, that they weren’t doing their damn jobs. Children with a were-shifter, that’s another thing that I wouldn’t have guess I’d be experiencing when I was thirteen, but Angel being a shifter didn’t bother me. The news and commenters could say what they wanted; about how shifters were violent… needed to be kept away from humans… they had no soul… abominations… lesser people… but I knew the truth. It wasn’t what the shifters were; it was their character and behavior, choices they made, because a person didn’t need to be shifter to do bad things, because humans did heinous things everyday. I would know. Someone I grew up with, held in my arms, gave comfort and loved, that I would never suspect had the ability to hurt those I loved, did just that. Amara. She took my little sister away, McKenna, someone that loved her as a sister all their lives, all because she wanted to get rid of Angel. She saw Angel as a problem, something she had to erase to get what she wanted, me. McKenna was just collateral damage, innocent. As innocent in all this as Angel, the real culprit, the one we should all blame was I, but no one here had said that, not mom, dad, my sister Rebecca or brother Thayer. We had all been close, and I knew everyone here… my family we were barely hanging on, but they came to the island with me, as did Dana and her son Cody. My family came… but not all of them. Vanessa and Darren stayed back in California, wanting to search for Amara, but I knew the truth, they’d never find her. I shook my head, leaning against the wall just gazing at Angel, our three children, Catalena, Rusty and Livvy – as Cody has taken to call her – all sleeping peacefully on Angel’s large bed. I sighed heavily, tensing when I saw Angel shift, her senses sharper than a humans, but she didn’t wake or lift her head. “You gonna stand there and watch them sleep?” Thayer – McKenna’s twin, my younger brother whispered behind me. Turning to him, his normally bright eyes are dimmed, sunken but I’m sure my face mirrored his. I shook my head, pointing my chin to the next room, the two of us sitting, him on the small chair in the corner of my room and me on the bed. “How… are you?” I asked, McKenna’s death was my fault, the least I could do was listen, “I – I just – I,” his voice thick with tears, I kept control of my emotions, I didn’t get to grieve now. Clearing his throat and shaking his head as though trying to physically remove the anguished thoughts we were all having. It – it doesn’t work, but it gives him time to get control of his emotions. “I feel like this – this is so fucked Russ, like – I just – I already fucking miss her, it’s only been a few days but it feels like she’s been gone so much longer than that…” his voice shook, but I nodded knowing what he meant. It was how I felt when Angel had been kidnapped, when I returned home and she was gone, those first five days felt like five years. Just… this though, McKenna, she wouldn’t be coming back, not like Angel. “What about you?” Thayer asked and my vision blurred, I held my breath, willing them away. I turned my head to the right, gazing at the wooden wall separating my room from Angels; my whole life was in that room. “It’s okay you know,” he said softly, “What do you mean?” I asked feigning misunderstanding when I’m sure he picked up on my predicament. He snorted, watery eyes sad, “It’s okay that you’re relieved Russell, no one not even mom and dad are holding that against you, you get to be happy that Angel wasn’t injured. You love her; it’s okay to be thankful she’s here. I know you’re avoiding us which I mean is impossible since we’re living in one house together, but don’t think we blame you for McKenna. You did nothing wrong, you – I’m proud of you, we all are – held your ground, you told Amara from the get go how things were… her decisions aren’t yours to carry.” I nodded, but I didn’t reply, not yet and not about that when I did. “This place though…” he said, not one to talk about his feelings. Standing and heading to the windows, we were on the third floor of this house Gabriel or Chelsea gave us, he scanned the trees. I knew what he meant, because from the outside, you wouldn’t expect this type of place to be here in the tropical forest, more like in the mist of industrial warehouses or something. “Yeah… Chelsea said that her father was sending materials here to have these types of places built… all used materials, from torn down places. He was trying to remain under the radar so everything is used.” We hadn’t done much exploring after all we had been here for less than 48 hours, but we got settled in. Angel, Dana and I, plus the kids on the third floor, the kitchen and living room area below us and on the first floor, mom, dad, Rebecca and Thayer had their rooms. Thayer objected, “I mean, this place isn’t on a map and here we are you know? You have babies with a girl that shifts into a wolf, Cody was on deaths doorsteps and he’s a healthy looking – feeling – boy now,” I snorted, catching myself, it felt strange and I instantly frowned, how could I be joking when McKenna was gone?