Chapter 9: Excitement
"She slept with wolves without fear, for the wolves knew a lion was among them."
Lucy's POV
It was obvious that barely two minutes have passed as we held each other, but I didn't really care. I had my arms around my brother. For ten years I thought I would never see him again and now, he was holding me with the utmost tenderness. Like he was afraid I would break, or disappear. Everything around us seemed to have vanished and the only thing that mattered was that we were reunited.
A sense of home overwhelmed my very core and I couldn't help but start to panic. My breathing quickened and my hands clenched and unclenched. My mind started going through a haze of panic and I felt ice cold inside. Fear coursing through my veins. I wanted to stay in the bubble of happiness that I was in a few seconds ago, but the past always caught up to me. I was starting to hyperventilate and Liam just held me tighter, probably thinking that I was just crying very hard. My ears started to ring and my vision was blurry because of the tears. I couldn't see or hear anything clearly, but I could feel my brother's arms squeezing me tightly. But my mind wasn't thinking of him as my brother. My mind was thinking of him.
Flashback
My lungs were being crushed, my bones turned to sand. I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure on my entire body was killing me and there was nothing I could do about it. I was vaguely aware of the Alpha standing by the door and watching the doctor break me. But I didn't pay much attention to him, I was more focused on the two ton slabs moving toward each other, with me in their way. The doctor was standing on my right, laughing at my suffering maniacally as he made the slabs push even harder toward each other. My bones breaking under the pressure. He wasn't going to stop, not until I submitted to the Alpha, but I would rather have died before submitting to a monster. Darkness boarded my mind and I felt all my fear drain away. But unfortunately I was not allowed to die yet, because suddenly the pressure of the slabs vanished and I gasped in a lungful of air. Automatically, my body started to heal itself before I heard the Alpha speak. "You won't get off that easily Mein Schatz" (my dear: German)
My mind returned to the present as soon as my brother's arms loosened around my body and he let me go. I looked into his eyes and tears were still streaming down his face. I could feel someone's gaze on my face and my eyes drifted to Deric. He was staring at me with an ocean of intensity in his eyes. He seemed to be focusing hard on something according to the deep furrow of his brow. Somehow his blue eyes started to calm me down and with the sniffing that stopped coming from Liam he was probably calming down too. My eyes drifted back to Deric's and I gave a surprised gasp that shot Liam and Crystal into alertness. Both their eyes shifted to Deric and tried to figure out what startled me. Crystal opened her mouth to say something but Deric spoke first. "Relax. She's just not used to my eyes changing color yet. That's why she gasped." He spoke in a tone that seemed to put them at ease. I was still to focused on his eyes. They were that vibrant blue again and seemed cold as ice but they were swarming with intense emotions. It was probably wrong to stare, but I couldn't help and think, of how easy it seemed for him to be in control with his eyes being the color of his wolf's. I always had to have tight reins on my wolf and abilities while I was with them and even now being here. I saw Deric's lips move and focused on the conversation as he spoke, "I think you guys should go. We'll talk some more later" Liam seemed disappointed but it didn't look like he was going to argue. I wanted to, I wanted to reconcile with my brother after being reunited with him, but I knew Deric was possibly only suggesting it to look after me. I also knew even with the very, very short time that I've been here, that Deric was stubborn. But I still had to try... "Deric, they can stay. I'm fine, really." I told him in the most confident voice that I could muster. I seemed to fool Liam and Crystal, because both their faces lit up hopefully, but I didn't convince him. "There will be plenty of time for you two to catch up and for you to get to know Crystal. Besides, I don't want you to get overwhelmed and it's getting late." He used his calm tone again and this time the other two agreed.
"Deric's right. I'll see you soon, okay? " Liam said in a whisper while he hugged me as we stood outside, saying our goodbyes. He pulled away and took Crystals hand. "Bye" She said as they turned around and walked away. I turned around and headed back inside, Deric right on my heels. He closed the door behind us and led me to the living room again. We sat down and for a few seconds. It was quiet until Deric sighed and looked at me. "I know you want to catch up with your brother but I just don't want you to get overwhelmed." He told me in a soft tone as I stared into his eyes. They were back to their warm brownish-gold eyes. I didn't actually know what to say. He sounded so sincere that I just wanted to agree with him but that wasn't who I was. "I was fine. I just missed him a lot." I tried to make him believe me but I could see by the look in his eyes that he didn't. So I hung my head and sighed. I leaned back against the couch and tilted my head toward the ceiling with my eyes closed. The fabric of his clothes rustled against the sofa's material as he moved. The couch dipped next to me and I felt the warmth of his body radiating off him. "Lucy, when he was hugging you, I could feel the way you were starting to panic. You were remembering something from your past, weren't you?" He asked with concern coating every syllable. I sighed again. Dragging the sound out this time. Seconds ticked by as I stayed silent but so did Deric. He waited patiently for me to say something. "Yes." I whispered and because of that one word I knew nothing would be the same between me and him from now on. It was silent for a long time again as I waited for the one question that I wasn't ready to answer. I was waiting for, "What did they do to you?" But when he finally opened his mouth, he said something that I didn't expect. "You don't have to tell me now. Just promise that you'll tell me when your ready." He said in a reassuring tone, but I could hear the struggle it was for him to say it as calmly as he did. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him. His eyes locked with mine and all I saw in his eyes was sincerity and concern. "Thank you" I softly said and confusion bloomed over his features. Before he had time to ask why I thanked him I answered him without hesitation. "Thank you for understanding that I wasn't ready to tell you. Not many people would." I explained and his confusion was replaced with a smile that stretched over his perfectly shaped lips.
He stood up with sudden excitement and held out a hand to me. "Come with me" he said in an excited voice. I looked into his eyes and saw a series of emotions swimming through them, but as I gazed into them, I only felt safety and warmth. I could feel that this man would never hurt me, so I dropped my gaze to his outstretched hand and raised my own. I slid my hand into his and those sparks of electricity burst all over the skin that he touched. He pulled me up from the couch and he started leading us out of the living room. For a moment I thought we were going out the front door but we turned left, passing the stairs and walked through a long hall that held four doors, two on each side. We walked past them and toward a big wooden double door that was at the end of the hall. He pushed the doors open, letting go of my hand briefly, and after grasping it again, he pulled me into the room. There was a pool- and foosball table on one side of the room with a dart board on the wall and a bookshelf on the wall next to it. The shelves were packed with board games and puzzles. On the other side of the room there was a huge flat screen TV with sofas surrounding it and a popcorn- and vending machine on the wall next to the TV. But we didn't stop walking. Deric led me to an accordion glass door and he pulled it open with one hand. He pulled me with him as he stepped outside. I saw a glimmering clear blue pool and a large boma connected to it. The boma was slightly sunk into the ground but the dark wood that it was made of created an excellent contrast with the natural green grass that made the wood stand out. There was an outside kitchen that stood on a gray stone patio with stainless steel appliances glinting in the sun. The beautiful sight made me freeze in place but I felt Deric tugging on my arm and we continued walking toward the tree line. A sea of different types of trees formed the tree line and stretched higher than thirty feet. They made me feel small and helpless as I stared at the gigantic plants. Involuntarily my body moved closer to Deric and I squeezed his hand tighter. The sudden closeness between us made him stop and look back at me in concern. He was still holding my hand as he spoke, "We don't have to go into the forest, if you don't want to." He stated in an anxious voice. This time he squeezed my hand and gave me a small smile. I looked away from him and back at the trees, taking a deep breath and gazing into the depths of the forest. "No. I want to, just-just give me a few seconds to gather myself." I stuttered a bit but he accepted my answer and nodded. He kept hold of my hand and silently stood beside me as he waited for my signal to continue. Sparks of electricity kept playing between our entwined hands. My gaze moved away from the dark woods and drifted to his face. He was looking into the darkness. His eyes seemed far away and filled with excitement. The sparks were still playing all over my hand. My eyes trailed down and locked on our two limbs that were interlocked. Out of no where, Deric squeezed my hand again and I immediately felt my uneasiness draining away. I looked back up at him and took another deep breath. "Deric. I'm ready now." His gaze met mine and his lips stretched wide into a big smile. He nodded once then pulled me forward again.
In just a few steps we were engulfed by the forest. Trees of a million sizes stretched out all around us. Smaller ferns and other plants covering the ground along with grass that grew apart in patches, revealing the damp ground underneath. I could hear several insects crawling around and up the trees. The birds sang along with the slight breeze that cut through the trees. As we kept walking I kept my eyes on the ground eyeing a few protruding roots of the ginormous trees, afraid that I might trip over them. Deric kept a hold on my hand, pulling me in the right direction. "Can I ask you a question?" He blurted out. I briefly looked up to see his face, but he was looking forward and avoiding my eyes. It made me curious as to what he wanted to ask. "Yeah, go ahead." I told him. He was silent for a few more seconds as we walked then he finally spoke. "You seem to know the basic human abilities and language. You don't seem confused about anything around you, besides my eyes turning different colors. Why is that, if you were taken at such a young age?" He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and quickly looked in front of him when he saw I was staring at him. "You don't have to answer." He mumbled under his breath. I kept my eyes on him, the roots of the trees no where near the center of my attention anymore. The silence dragged on as I thought of my answer. We were even deeper into the forest and it almost seemed like it was night-time under the thick canopy of leaves. "The rogues I was with, had a midwife of some sorts. She convinced their leader that it would be better if I wasn't dumb, if I knew the absolute basics of the world. After a while of thinking it through, he agreed and she started teaching me. I'd probably still have the intellect of a ten year old if it weren't for her." I answered him with my eyes tearing up. I looked down at the ground again then I continued. "She taught me more than she should have. The leader found out and killed her, then locked me in the most secure cell he had. Cutting off all interactions that I could've had with people." A few tears rolled down my cheeks so I quickly brushed them away with my free hand. He was silent for a long time again. The sound of our footsteps blending in with the sounds around us. He whispered hesitantly, "What was her name?" I could see in my peripheral vision that he was staring at me in concern. Before I could stop it, a giggle escaped me. "Deric, relax. I've come to terms with her death a long time ago. I had to, if I wanted to stay sane for as long as I did." My eyes drifted to him as a big smile stretched over my face. He was already staring at me, and our eyes locked. When he registered the smile on my face, his lips stretched up over his teeth into a dazzling smile. "Her name was Melinda Fox, but I always called her Mel. She was my surrogate mother." I finally answered his original question and it seemed to please him that I answered. He opened his mouth to say something but then suddenly looked forward. I followed his gaze and saw an opening of light. "Come on!" he exclaimed excitedly, rushing us forward into a sprint, still holding my hand. We slowed down when we were a few steps away from breaking through the trees. He slowly pulled me forward with a bright smile and excitement swarming his eyes. As the blinding light faded, the sight in front of me was breathtaking and I couldn't help the gasp that escaped me...
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone