Howlin' For You [#Wattys2015]

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A cold shiver creeped up my spine.

Alone?

Realization dawned on me. My mother was alive. She wasn't dead in some ditch in the middle of nowhere. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Was I really going to come here alone tomorrow? I had to. My mind wanted to kick me, but my heart stood in its way. I shoved the note into my pocket.

It could be dangerous but I had to take my chances. I didn't know if whoever left this note was going to be any danger to me. Maybe they wanted to help me. Maybe they saw Luke with my mother and knew something was wrong. Luke made it clear that he had hurt her for his own entertainment purposes.

I couldn't tell anyone about the note. Not Jeff, Marq, or even Paxton, no one could know.

I opened my eyes and walked to the nearest tree. My eyes squinted to find the sharpest rock before I carved a small 'x' on the bark of the tree. I carved more around the perimeter of the clearing. If I have forgotten the way here tomorrow, I could look for the markings.

I took one last mental picture of the area before walking back to Paxton's house. The note made noises in my back pocket whenever I moved. My fingers gently flattened the note out of its crumpled state as I looked at it once more. As soon as I was safely back in our room I put the note inside of my closet drawers, hiding it under some clothes. It would be safe there.

A heavy weight rested on my chest as I slid back into bed with Paxton.

"Breeann?" He groaned and made room for me.

I stayed silent as he pulled me to his chest. He rubbed his hand unconsciously across my arm.

"Why are you so cold?" He mumbled before drifting back to sleep.

I pretended to have fallen asleep.

My heart froze of icy guilt.

---

"How protected is this area?" I asked Paxton, slowly eating some cereal.

He glanced up from his laptop and cocked his head. I looked innocently back at him.

He frowned. "Do you feel unsafe here?"

"No, just wondering," I replied.

I was lucky last night that the warriors didn't catch me or the other person. Luck wouldn't be on my side two nights in a row. They constantly changed their positions so that any intruders wouldn't know their regular posts. I needed to find out when the warriors changed shifts and if they would be there at midnight.

"The last breach we had was five years ago. From there on, not a single rogue had crossed into our borders," he said. There wasn't any hint of pride in his tone, like it was expected to be untouchable.

"Can I skip today's work out?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"No," he curtly replied.

"I'm skipping today's work out," I declared and sent him an innocent grin.

He narrowed his eyes at me but didn't say a word.

"Fine, I'll give you a tour around. It's about time you learned about your land," he said.

I smiled and nodded, not daring to show the turmoil in my head. The clock read five a.m.; I had fourteen hours to figure out the guard schedule, that should be more than enough time.

We walked our way instead of taking Paxton's car. As we passed the hospital, I felt guilty. He had taken me there to cheer me up and leaving him tonight felt like I was betraying him. It was only going to be for a few moments, I kept trying to tell myself. It's not as if I was leaving him permanently. I'd be back before he even realised I was gone.