Chapter 265

‘Be real quiet Bumblebee… I – I love you… don’t come out… not until you hear daddies voice.’ I go rigid. The earsplitting pop goes through me as I listen to the tape again when I’m seven years old, but this time, I’m older, I know better. I know that it’s not thunder. It’s an explosion of sorts, because from memory the noise went on for minutes, ringing in my ears. ‘Be real quiet Bumblebee… I – I love you… don’t come out… not until you hear daddies voice.’ I listen again when I’m ten, the loud frightening boom, is different, it means nothingness to me, it represents death, not thunder, not anymore. It doesn’t make me flinch; I no longer want to seek out comfort. ‘Be real quiet Bumblebee… I – I love you… don’t come out… not until you hear daddies voice.’ It’s a gunshot, but listening at 13 years old, I wonder how I could just stay hidden like that? Why didn’t I go out and see what was happening? It’s no longer just hearing her execution and mistaking it for thunder. I don’t flinch because all I wonder is why did I hide? Would they have killed me too? Would they not kill momma because I was there? Could me coming out have been the thing to save her life? Now, in my head I don’t stay hidden, and sitting on the forest floor I don’t let Chelsea get hurt by this man, that Jack, Casey and Jamie are afraid to stop from hurting her. I’m burning inside, and it happened fast, in my head and on the floor, I lift my hands to stop both events from happening, but I can only stop one, I can only protect Chelsea. I don’t know what happens, but I can’t help it, my hands are doing – acting on their own – because I don’t mean it to happen, but it does. White light, energy a force of some sort that I can’t explain, shoots from my hand, starting from my upper arm, traveling along, tingling and the sensation of being pricked rushes down to my wrist, leaving my finger tips with a force that pushes me back as I shout. The large man, flies back against a tree, the force pushing him, takes down the tree behind him. The light – it’s fast, so quick to start and stop, but it changes, and my perception stands still, I’m not in the house in Middleburg. I’m not a little girl. I’m older, on the floor, burning, my skin surely red, frightened, lived my vision becomes glassy, and I see everyone watching me with opened mouths and wide eyes, and I look up at Chelsea, and I see her, I don’t see momma. There’s a pounding in my ears as my hands fall limp to my thighs, no one was saying anything and when someone pushed aside some bush and stepped into the space, we all turned to it and saw it was Gabriel. The man Chelsea called Lux, groaned, sitting up but he placed a hand behind him to help, shaking his head confused, I tensed when his eyes zeroed in on me, but I couldn’t sense anger, not when he gave me this impressed smile. But I couldn’t return it for him or Chelsea, instead my whole frame shook, “Oakley… are you okay?” Chelsea asked coming to kneel next to me, but I didn’t know how to answer her. “Come on, let’s just go inside and sit down,” but I couldn’t move. When Chelsea came closer, I leaned away, “I – I don’t want to-” I paused not sure what I did could hurt someone, I pushed Lux away but I’m fairly certain that the tree did more damage to him that I did, but how “What did I just do?” I whispered, focused on my hands. “We heal Oakley, so it’s fine,” Gabriel came forward, but he didn’t seem to be confused by what was happening, scooping me up he carried me inside, but I held my self rigidly, when he placed me on the black sofa, Chelsea sat next to me. I held my head down, my mind going back and forth, nothing, making sense. “Princess,” a thick voice said, confusing me, forcing me to look up, and when I did Lux came to sit right in front of me. He’s calling me princess? My eyes went straight to Chelsea but she looked puzzled back at Lux as well. “Jason never told you?” Chelsea shook her head, then corrected, “Jason didn’t tell me much of anything…” Chelsea said with an edge to her voice. I however was still confused, “You’re not angry with Chelsea?” I asked in a small voice, and Lux just shook his head, “I trained Chelsea when she was still human… I wasn’t angry, just eager to take her on.” I nodded not understanding, “I’m sorry,” I said my eyes welling up again, “I don’t know what happen…” which was partially true. “It’s okay… you were worried about your sister, you reacted right,” Lux said easily, “Did you ever do something like that before?” he probed. “No! Never, I just, was so…” “Angry?” he offered nodding, but not even a day had passed from when Chelsea said the same thing, I had built up rage. You do, you’re just overriding it… Byrdie replied. “Well princess, you have the ability to manipulate electricity, you are an Elemental shifter... I believe, I’m not sure to the extent what you can or cannot do, but it’s clear to see.” “Why do you keep calling me princess?” I didn’t want to talk about what I had just done; I didn’t want to think of how I couldn’t save my mom. “As a sign of respect,” he said easily but that felt like a lie to me, I nodded, and he turned to Chelsea, “I went to your house, but your mate said I’d find you here, training these two,” he said referring to Benny and I, “I wanted to offer my services, you’ll have to be training yourself while you’re here Luna. It’d be my honor to help with your sister and brother.” Would you be okay with that? Chelsea asked, giving me a choice and for that I was grateful. Yes, that’s okay… you’ll work with me too right? Of course. “Yeah, that’ll be fine,” she told him, and Lux rested back, he finally paid attention to Uncle Grant, eyeing him, “Wonderful girl you got here,” Lux told him, Uncle Grant gave him a tight smile, “You’re right, Oakley is amazing, both kids, but they aren’t my children, they’re my niece and nephew,” Uncle Grant said brightly, proud. “Hmm” Lux said, turning back to me, “I’m sorry for your lost,” he added. I tilted my head, “Our dad’s not dead,” Ben, answered from behind Lux. He looked over his shoulder, the frown he wore worse, “Why’d you bring them and not the father?” “It’s better that she brought Uncle Grant and Aunt Julia, even now, if she went back to get dad he’d want Sarah and Amelia to come, especially since Sarah’s pregnant,” I said dryly, but inside my heart quickened, my stomach rolled and I had to take a deep breath, thinking of the test I saw in Dad and Sarah’s bathroom.