When Lightning Strikes [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18: New Beginnings (Part 1)

"Shh, be quiet, Jamie. Andy, I think she's waking up."

A tickle of hair on her arm and the smell of her mom's familiar perfume made Julie open her eyes. She immediately closed them. The glare made it feel as if her head was going to split open. She pressed her eyes shut.

"Here, honey," Andromeda said as she felt a glass touch her lips. "Take these." Some pills pressed to her mouth, and she swallowed them quickly.

"Oops, sorry, Julie. I forgot," Lir said, and the light piercing through her eyelids dimmed.

Her head felt a bit better already. She opened her eyes to see she was in her room. She could make out the three figures of her family standing around her.

"What happened?" Memories of the fight came back suddenly. "Jamie, are you okay? Is Rory okay?"

She tried to sit up, but Andromeda's hand pushed her back down.

"Jamie is fine. He's right here. Rory is fine too. He's downstairs in the living room. Since he and Jamie got up two days ago, he's refused to leave our house until he knew if you were awake." Her relieved face went tight, her smile forced. "His parents have been by a few times too, along with several other people."

Lir put a hand on her arm. "We can talk about all that later."

Julie stared at her parents, and they looked at each other anxiously after a few moments.

"So we're not human, huh?"

"Uh, no. Rory told me what he said to you, and there's a bit more to it than that," Lir clipped out.

Jamie laughed. "That's what you ask about?"

He didn't have a scratch on his face.

Lir gave Jamie a look, and her brother's face fell. "We will talk about it all when you are better, Julie. You need to rest now. You used up a lot of energy saving Jamie and Rory, especially with it being your first time. It will get easier, but right now you need to let us take care of you."

"I have so many questions."

That was an understatement. She might have more questions than ever. Why was the island so perfect looking? Who kept it all up? What about the building he worked in? What was it? Why was Andromeda not allowed to work here? Was there even more she didn't know to ask about right now?

Andromeda put a finger to her lips. Julie looked into her eyes. They were all glassy with unshed tears. "I know you do, honey. We can answer them all now. We couldn't before, and it was killing me—killing us."

Lir put an arm around her mom and blinked a few times. Julie stared at him. She had never even seen him come close to crying before.

She yawned. "Have I been asleep for two days? How is that possible? Don't I need to eat? Why am I still tired?"

"You've been asleep for five." Her eyes widened, and Lir nodded. "Our bodies can rejuvenate. That's why your mom and I look so young still, but we're in our late fifties, honey."

They looked like late twenties to most people, and once they found out they had kids in high school, everyone assumed they must have had Julie and Jamie very young.

"Is that why Jamie doesn't have any cuts?"

"Yeah. He finished healing up a couple of days ago. It's why we don't worry that much when we get sick. Very few illnesses can bring down a Fey."

"Is Rory okay then too?" Julie couldn't help but ask.

Her parents looked at each other. Andromeda frowned, but Lir smirked. "I told you it was true."

"I know you did. I was hoping it wasn't, that's all."

"Yeah, me too." Jamie muttered.