Chapter 267

“Yeah, at three,” I replied, she nodded twice, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Walter,” she said over her shoulder, leaving me in my spot. As she walked away, my chest ached, but knowing that I’d be meeting up with her tomorrow, soothed me. Staying in the park until it was nearly nine p.m. I began heading home, two blocks away from our flat, I felt a souring pain to the left side of my body, stopping me cold, bending over holding my side, and I feel another blow to my ribs, my face, mate, Zed whined, I stumbled. Turning away from our flat I went in the direction of Nora’s flat, by body aching still, because she was and all I cared about was finding her. X – X – X PRESENT X – X – X It took a long time to get my relationship with Nora going, but that night was a game changer for me, and I think it was for her as well. I found her in the bushes in the same park that I had seen her mere hours before, beaten and her guitar had been stolen. Taking her to the hospital, Andrew and I waited until we heard something, but they wouldn’t give us any information. The police became involved, questioning us both, inquiring if we were the ones that had mugged her, because the smart thing to do then would be to show our faces and bring her for help. When Nora finally woke up, telling the police themselves that it wasn’t us, they informed her that we were in the waiting room and she agreed to see me. Walking down that hall, and into her room was something I would never forget. All I wanted was to see was that she was okay, but that day changed my life, I had almost lost her before I even got a chance to really have her. . . . Chelsea POV The more I learned about Oakley, the more relieved I am that I decided to bring her and the rest of them, because I know that Oakley wouldn’t have survived her shift when the time came. “Sarah is pregnant?” Julia asked slowly, but Grant just shook his head, no wonder she didn’t want to leave the house, she was thinking of herself, always thinking of herself, he thought, no wonder Oakley just wanted out, the sadness he felt for that girl was so genuine. “Yeah, it’s my job to gather all the trash from all the rooms and throw them away, when I went into their room I saw the positive test in the waste basket.  It was five days before Amelia’s birthday,” she shrugged, “that’s why you didn’t ask your dad to choose?” Julia asked sadly. Oakley nodded, “Daddy would never choose me though, even if there wasn’t a baby, he wouldn’t.” I bit my lip, I didn’t know her father, at that moment I couldn’t be the one to say that she was wrong, that her father would have put her first, that is something Julia and Grant could say, even Ben, but no one says anything. No one objects her thought, and that saddens me even more, I sighed, “Well, on this island, the people here Oakley, will always choose you,” I murmured in the silence, “And do you want to know why?” if I thought I couldn’t hate her father more I was wrong. “Because I’m your sister,” she said with confidence. “No, that’s not why. You’re worth choosing Oakley, not because you’re my sister, or because our mom was an Elder, but because of whom you are. You’re brilliant, and caring, you’re brave and stronger than you even know, and even though you never asked your dad to choose, you had the right to do that. You are the child; you should be his first concern. He made the situation what it was, if you needed space from Sarah, you shouldn’t have been the one to leave your home,” I paused for a minute, “But I think the reason you didn’t ask him to pick was because you wanted out regardless.” I swallowed, turning to face Oakley completely I knew it would be important to share this with her, “I don’t know how you did – how you lived inside that house for as long as you did without seeking help or talking to anyone about what happened Oakley. I’m in awe of just how you lived with all those memories, especially when I couldn’t be as strong as you were. A man killed my father inside my home, and after that event, I never stepped back inside the house." I spoke remembering the time before we all left for California, Jack and Casey packing the things I wanted. Only when I wanted to show everyone just what I was capable of did I go there, and even then... "I went to the estate, but I haven’t step foot inside our home since what happened. I – I stop myself from thinking of all the good times we had there, but you… you remembered hard, and even though it was hurtful to think that she wasn’t there anymore, you still thought about her, listened to the recording, you told your brother about our mother…” I stopped not wanting to cry, but my emotions were all over the place. She’s so good for Oakley, Grant thought to himself. “I’m just so happy you brought us here,” she murmured quietly, and I knew what she meant. Deciding that we’d train starting tomorrow, Lux would be helping Oakley hone her craft, while I worked on mine as well. Gabriel and I left after I invited all the Lawson’s’ for dinner, telling Lux to pass an invitation to the Walter Rykos as well. After reading the files my father had left us, I had a feeling that it was going to be a night of revelations.