From Eden.

I stared at the symbol etched into her skin as if my life depended on it. While everyone else around me was congratulating Brian, Matt, Michelle, and Valary, I couldn’t force myself to look away from Kaelah’s wrist. She stared lovingly up at Johnny. It was the first time she had taken her eyes off me since they arrived.

“Babe?” Zacky poked my arm with his finger, breaking me from my trance. I snapped my gaze from Kaelah to him.

“Yes?” I asked, trying to push the image of her tattoo out of my head. While it may have been true that Johnny had Imprinted on her, what was on her wrist was not a normal Imprint tattoo. I knew I had seen the symbol somewhere before, but my memory was failing me

“Aren’t you going to open your presents?” Zacky asked, breaking out in a grin. In the midst of seeing Kaelah’s symbol, I had completely forgotten about the six presents that sat at my feet.

“I will later,” I told him, watching the grin fall from his face. I couldn’t focus on opening gifts when there was something very wrong. Kaelah wasn't supposed to be here with me. Her gaze had shifted back to me, making me uneasy.

Zacky, we need to get out of here, I told him, hoping no one else could hear my thoughts. He looked at me, his brows furrowed. He was worried, it showed it in his eyes. I shook my head, too nervous to tell him anything else. He nodded, getting off the loveseat. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. Everybody was busy doing their own thing, no one stopped to ask us where we were going, but I knew as we were walking out, Kaelah’s eyes were boring boring a hole into my back.

Why did Johnny have to Imprint on someone like her?

--

“What is it Del?” Zacky asked once we were in my room. I had shut and locked the door once Zacky was inside. He knew something was wrong.

“That girl. Johnny’s girl. Something’s not right with her.” I told him.

Zacky raised an eyebrow. He scoffed at my statement. “Really Del?” He asked, crossing his arms. “Are you jealous of her or something?”

“What?” I dropped my voice to a whisper, in case she was trying to eavesdrop. I couldn’t believe the words coming out his mouth. “I am not jealous of her! There is something about her that I don't like. That-that tattoo on her wrist, I’ve seen it before.”

“Her Imprint tattoo?” He asked, looking at me as if I had three heads. “Yeah, okay Del, whatever. I’m going back out there. You can sit in here and be...whatever you’re being.” Zacky said, turning to unlock my door and walk out.

“Wait Zacky!” I grabbed his arm, making him stop. He was irritated, it showed on his face.

“You promised we'd talk about what happened last month.”

“You think now is a good time to talk about that Delilah?” Zacky asked through gritted teeth.

“You promised.” I tightened my grip on his arm.

Zacky sighed and walked away from the door to sit on my bed. He ran a hand through his messy hair and looked down at his feet. “Are you sure you want to know?” He asked, looking up and staring into my brown eyes with his green. I nodded, letting him know I was serious about this. He wasn't leaving this room until I knew the truth. Zacky knew this too, and took a deep breath before he began.

“While you were in the hospital, Jaed came to visit me.” He began, “she was furious, and she had every right to be, I was stupid and put you in danger. You know I killed one of the attackers, right?”

“Yes.” I answered his question. It was no secret between us that he had done it to protect me.

“Well, now The Council wants to put me on trial for it. I'm claiming self defense, but they don't see it that way. They see me killing another Were - a crime punishable by death.”

I gasped when the words left his lips. “W-why haven't you told me any of this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t believe Zacky had hidden such a thing from me.

“You were attacked Delilah!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.
“I couldn’t be like ‘oh by the way, your homicidal maniac of a father is on the hunt for you and I could be killed for killing one of his henchmen’! You've been through enough shit.” Zacky was turning red in the face, overwhelmed by his emotions. I moved from the spot where I was standing to him. I grabbed his hands in mine and squeezed them. He had tears shining in his eyes.
“There is so much shit going on Del,” he told me, pulling one of his hands away to wipe his eyes. “I can’t keep fucking up.”

“But you're not fucking anything up Zacky,” I said in a small voice, chewing on my bottom lip. “What happens if they put you on trial and you're found guilty?”

“They kill me.” He answered, tears were streaming down his face now. He sniffled and wiped at his face again. “Jaed’s doing everything in her power to keep it from going to that, so are mine and Matt’s dad, but there’s still nine other Council members who need to vote.”

“We'll get through it together,” I whispered, sitting down beside him on my bed to kiss his cheek. I brushed my thumb across his cheek to wipe away his tears. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer to me. He rested his head on my shoulder for what seemed like a million minutes, getting my shirt wet in the process. “I promise.” I told him, linking my pinkie with his to show I was serious about not leaving his side through this ordeal.

“So why don't you like Kaelah?” He asked once he calmed down and the tears ceased to flow.

“That tattoo on her wrist isn't from her being Imprinted on,” I told him, the feel of fear creeping into my stomach. Just the thought of her made me uneasy. “I’ve seen it before. I can't remember where, but I have. I know I have. Something about her makes me really uncomfortable. Zacky, please don't doubt me on this.” I said, remembering how our conversation had begun earlier.

“Well then I guess we better figure out what that is then, huh?”

----

“Call me when you’re ready to be picked up. I'll be right down the street.” Zacky said once our lips parted in a farewell kiss. We had gotten Kaelah’s address from Johnny, and while his car was parked in her driveway, Zacky was still being cautious. He had nagged me the whole drive from Brian’s to here that I needed to be careful, after I had explained why I felt so uneasy around her, along with the constant staring. One part of my Christmas gifts had been a cellphone, tucked away in my bag.

“I don't think Johnny will let anything happen to you,” he said, “but you never know. Dude’s never had any in his life so she may have put some vagina death-trap curse on him. Love you.”

I giggled at his words, thinking of how lucky I was to have him. “Love you, too.”

I got out of his car and looked up at the house that Kaelah lived in. It looked similar to the one I had lived in when I was still apart of the Baybrook clan. I missed it, to be honest. I missed my room, I missed the people I had called family for all seventeen years of my life. I knocked quietly twice on the dark blue wooden door that was the entrance into the middle class house that contained the address that Johnny had given Zacky in order for me to come over to Kaelah’s house that night. Standing on her front porch made me jumpy, but I needed to figure out why she made me feel this way, and this was the only way it was going to happen.

The door opened slowly, and the first thing I saw was Kaelah’s fake smile plastered on her face. I could tell she was trying to mask whatever it was about her that put me on edge, so I gave her that much in smiling back. “Just in time, dinner’s almost ready.” She said softly and gently. There really was something up with this girl. Kaelah stepped to the side, gesturing me to come into her home with her hand, and I obeyed.
“Johnny is in the living room watching TV, you can join him, if you'd like.”

I looked around her house, seeing the state of the mess it was in. It looked like her and her family had moved in just a few weeks ago. There were unopened boxes sprawled out throughout the living room. They managed to get the TV and couch out, and they both looked like things I would be too afraid to go near in fear of breaking them. The couch had clearly been overstuffed, and had a black leather coating around the fluff inside. The TV looked very expensive, and was about as thin as my finger. I saw Johnny sitting on the couch, watching music videos.

“Hey Del! Glad to see you made it.” Johnny grinned. I was relieved that he was here. I heard hushed voices coming from a few feet away. I turned, and saw Kaelah talking to a woman that was setting up the table, which I guessed was the dinner table. The woman was a bit heavy set with brown curly locks running down her back like a rapid waterfall as she wore a plain black shirt with black dress pants, and to top it all off she had on black sandals. Her skin was a shade darker than Kaelah’s. I could only guess this was Kaelah’s mom.

“Oh, where are my manners? I'm so sorry!” the woman said as I noticed she had turned her gaze towards me. She stopped setting up the table, telling Kaelah to take over, as she walked towards me. She had a fake smile plastered on her face, but it didn’t look as fake as Kaelah’s. “I’m Vivienne, Kaelah’s mom.” She didn’t bother to extend her hand for me to shake. “You're one of Johnny’s friends, Delilah, right? You have such a gorgeous name.”

“T-thanks.” I mumbled, trying not to look so awkward around these people. I knew Johnny was just a few feet away, but he was engrossed with this music videos, not paying any attention to Kaelah, or her mother.

“Kaelah, be a dear and show Delilah around.” She focused her attention back to me. “We’ll eat when my husband gets home. I know Johnny is a fan of my spaghetti, so I hope that’s okay.” I could tell that Kaelah’s family wasn’t so much a fan of asking questions rather than telling you how things were going to be, and if you didn’t like it, tough luck. Vivienne walked back into the kitchen and Kaelah came over and linked her arm through mine. Her skin was hot to the touch, I bit down on my lip to keep me from recoiling. She led me up the stairs and into a room that was at the dead-end of the hallway, sort of like how Brian’s room was. She opened it, and I could see more boxes piled up in a city skyline sort of manner, but there were a few more wall decorations than the living room had. A mattress was carelessly placed on the floor with a messy blanket knotted up along with an uncovered pillow. A TV was placed a few feet away from the mattress, only this one wasn’t as luxurious as the one in the living room. But what I noticed were the pictures. There were none of Kaelah and her family. They were all of sceneries from the world. New York, Egypt, Paris, Tokyo. I couldn’t help but think it was weird.

“Kaelah, can you come down here for a minute?” Vivienne’s voice called up the stairs, down the hallway, and into Kaelah’s room.

Kaelah turned her neck towards her open door once she heard her name, and didn’t say anything before turning back towards me. “I'll be right back.” She said, smiling before walking out of her room. I listened to her footsteps until they became faint, meaning she had reached the kitchen. I kept looking around her room, trying to find something that proved she was normal - well, as normal as you can be. There were no pictures of her, her friends, or her family.

I saw one picture in the corner of my eye, and I noticed it was different from the rest. I turned my neck, and my eyes immediately locked with another’s. His eyes were a brilliant icey color that seemed to engulf his eyes as they stared right back at me. His face was a pale gray color, his cheekbones prominent against his silvery skin. His hair was a gorgeous white-blonde color, so bright, it could possibly blind somebody. His thin lips were pursed together as he finished his cold stare directed towards me. He was sitting in a large throne that was decorated with black and gold lining and stones. His long bony fingers gripped the edges of the arm rests that his lanky arms were placed upon as his body showed outstanding posture underneath his clothing, which consisted of a fancy black shirt with black pants. There was something about this man that made me scared. It could have been the stare he was giving me, but he wasn't staring at me. It was just a photograph of someone I didn’t know. But he looked so familiar, as if I had seen him my whole life, like a long-distance relative. But as I searched my brain to figure out who this mysterious person was, I came up blank. Why did Kaelah have a picture of him?

You’re angry, aren’t you? Kaelah’s soft voice rang into my head like a bell.

Why is she here? You weren’t supposed to fuck one of her friends! You orders were to kill her! My eyes widened as Vivienne’s voice spat out those words. They were talking about me. I knew they were communicating through thoughts, seeing Johnny was still in their living room. Knowing him, he wouldn’t be listening in, seeing it was very obvious they didn’t keep them well guarded. I felt dizzy all of a sudden as my breathing became uneven. They couldn’t be talking about me, I didn’t know these people from a hole in the ground. What orders was Vivienne talking about? Something was very, very wrong with this entire situation, I knew I had to call Zacky.

Need I remind you, Vivienne, that Gabriel himself ordered me to kill her, but to get close to her first. He may want her dead, but he still wants to know what his daughter is like. Kaelah’s voice spat out in pure venom. My eyes widened as the words registered in my brain. I flicked my gaze back to the picture of the man on Kaelah’s wall, and the wheels in my head began to turn.

My father was staring right back at me. The man who wanted me dead, the man who made me what I was, the man who gave me nightmares of burning alive, the man who wanted me to create a war. Those icey blue eyes were apart of creating me, one of the most powerful Hybrids. But why did he want me dead? Why would anybody want me dead? The dizzy feeling came back and I had to hold onto the wall this time to keep from falling down.

They’re going to figure it out. I had turned my attention back to Vivienne and Kaelah’s telepathic conversation, my eyes still locked on the photo of my father, Gabriel.

What makes you say that? Kaelah asked, her voice now soft and sweet once more.

She lives with a Lycan, she is in love with another Lycan, Kaelah. You're fucking one of her best friends, who need I remind you, is a Lycan as well? She is around others, you know. They're all a pack, and they're around her every waking moment of her life.Vivienne told her with a “duh” tone to her thoughts. Eventually someone will figure it out. She’s not to meant to be here.

No, they won't. Kaelah told her mother as soon as Vivienne had thought the last word, although I was beginning to think they weren’t much of a family. One Lycan is so in love with her, and the other wants her so bad they won't even notice. Johnny is getting exactly what he wants from me, and he’s too stupid to care. I have to get to know her, to get close to her, Gabriel commands it. If I kill her without following her orders, he'll kill me too. I was surprised at how level Kaelah could keep her thoughts, they showed no emotion.

Didn’t you learn enough yesterday?! Vivienne asked. I can't stand the smell of her blood, I don't know how the other Lycans manage it. Go up there and kill her before I do it myself!

I felt Kaelah’s mental recoil at Vivienne’s outlash as I opened my purse to dig for my phone. What did she mean that she couldn’t stand the smell of my blood? How and why could she smell my blood? Why was Kaelah commanded to kill me?

The Lycan won't allow it, Kaelah told Vivienne, recovered from the outburst. The tone of her thoughts told me she didn’t didn’t appreciate Vivienne talking to her like that. He wants her to himself, and he will gladly lay down his life for her. They say they love each other, but that’s can’t be true. Hybrids can’t fall in love.

I don't care if the Lycan loves her or not. Kill them both for all I care. Now go up there and do as your told or I will do it for you.

My heart felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest as I heard Kaelah’s footsteps walk back up the stairs to her room. It made sense why she couldn’t take her eyes off me when she was over at Brian’s house yesterday, and why her tattoo looked so familiar. It had been the same tattoo that one of the attackers had that day at the movie theater. I had finally found my phone, in the bottom of my purse. I hit the number one and heard the dial tone.

“Zacky, you need to get here right fucking now.” I whispered into the receiver before he even had the chance to say hello.

Notes

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