Page 37 of Fated to Them

“Where did your friend go?” she asks, and my eyes snap open.

I look around. I didn’t hear him leave. Getting up when I hear a door shutting outside, I yawn, walking outside to find Eli and Cyrus both next to my car.

“What are you doing?” I ask as Eli pulls on his jacket.

I try not to laugh when I look at Cyrus, who is still sporting the Spice Girls shirt.

“Cleaning your car. She made quite a mess of it,” Cyrus says.

“No, you don’t have to do that,” I tell them.

Eli shakes his head. “It’s already done.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I would have done it,” I tell them, a little embarrassed that they’ve just cleaned up after my sister.

“It’s fine, Addie. I messaged Eli and told him to bring some stuff. I didn’t want to wake you,” he says.

“Well, thanks. Coffee?” I ask before yawning again.

“No, we should go, and you should go to bed,” Eli says, stepping forward and kissing my head.

I involuntarily lean into him, needing his touch, before I suddenly wrap my arms around him, hugging him. He feels warm, feels like home. I can’t understand how they have this effect on me. It feels strange, like I need them; I have never needed anyone, but I need them, want them, and it confuses me. Eli’s hand goes to my hair, stroking my head, and I realize what I am doing. I step back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I think maybe I do need to go to bed.”

“It’s okay, Addie. We don’t mind you touching us. Don’t be afraid to. We will never reject your touch,” Eli says, and I furrow my brows.

They leave, and I head inside. Maya is fast asleep on the couch, and I curl up beside her. It isn’t even dark out, but the day has taken a toll on me. I also can’t figure out the strange feelings I have been having; they’ve literally come out of nowhere.

Yawning, I fall asleep only to wake in the middle of the night. Great, now I am wide awake. I should never have had a nap. Getting up, I pop my head into my sister’s room. She is still passed out, my mother reading next to her, using the lamp to see. She looks up, and I give her a nod as she grabs her coffee. No surprise she won’t sleep; instead, she will wait till she wakes up and try and convince her to go back to rehab.

Grabbing my phone, I try Sam again but get no answer. Frustrated, I toss my phone before picking it up. He can’t ignore me if I just show up at his house. Grabbing a jumper, I walk back into my sister’s room.

“I am just going to go out for an hour. Do you need anything?” I whisper, and mom shakes her head.

“Make sure you lock the door,” she whispers back.

Walking downstairs, I decide to put Maya in her bed before leaving. Scooping her up off the lounge, I see her macaroni bowl and pick it up, too.

The news suddenly flicks on. A news reporter is reporting from a street that looks remarkably familiar. I turn the volume up, listening.

“We are live on the scene, where a meth lab has exploded, and nine people have died in a residential area. Firefighters did everything to put out the flames and stop the risk to neighboring houses, but unfortunately, they were too late to save the occupants. Investigations are underway to identify the victims. Police have said the house was known to them and helping with the identification process.”

I am about to turn the TV off when it flicks to the picture of the house, and I gasp. Shock hits me when I realize it is Ethan’s house, the very same house I’ve pulled my sister from earlier in the day.

I walk Maya to her room in complete and utter shock at what I have just seen. Placing her in bed, I tuck the blanket around her before closing her door.

Grabbing my keys, I head for my car, bracing myself for the pungent smell inside. But when I open it, all I can smell is the air-freshener tree hanging from my mirror and the smell of the cleaning products. No foul odor at all. Putting my car in reverse, I pullout of the driveway heading to Sam’s, hoping to get some answers about why the hell he’s bitten me and why I can hardly remember anything from that night.

Pulling up at Sam’s, I see his motorbike in the driveway, and I know he is home. Walking up the front porch of the A-frame house, I knock on the green door. I hear movement inside as someone walks over to answer the door. It opens to reveal his mother in a pink dressing gown and bunny slippers on her feet, her face lighting up when she sees me standing there.

“Adeline, what a lovely surprise,” she says, opening the door wider and allowing me to enter.

“Who is it, ma?” I hear Sam’s voice call out from the lounge room out the back of the house.

“It’s your friend Adeline, dear,” she calls back to him.

I hear the shuffling before seeing him walk down the hall toward me. His mother’s name is Mary; she is lovely and has blonde hair that is almost white and kind blue eyes as she stares at me.