The Creation (Book III)

(12) Present: 2024

(12) Present: 2024

  

It took a lot of convincing to get Joanna to come with us to Chicago, the place she was born and raised. She had sworn to never return after some really terrible fights. But Matthew wouldn’t use his private plane without Joanna coming, which was kind of a jerk move for me considering I really wanted to get to Chicago immediately. However, I was relieved to have Joanna with me because otherwise it’d just be me and Matthew and a two hour flight from New York to Chicago, Illinois. At least Joanna was sure to provide entertainment.

“What’d you pack in here, all of your romance novels?” she questioned as she took my suitcase and handed it to one of Matthew’s guards.

“I packed some clothes and makeup. I wasn’t sure what to wear…” I stepped inside the private plane and was amazed by the creamy leather seats and mini televisions.

Matthew sat in one of the chairs, staring out of the window. “We should arrive around eleven or so. The drive to my house is an hour from the airport, and then the drive to Xavier’s location is a few hours from my house. We can stay the day at my place before departing—“

“No. I’m going there tonight,” I interrupted as I took a seat across from him.

He sighed and gave a wave of his hand. “As you wish.” His eyes went over to Joanna, who stubbornly took a seat near the front to avoid both of us.

“What’s the plan?” she asked, not bothering to look back at us.

“Well, if we’re going through the entire night, I guess it’ll be busy. We’ll land and head straight to Xavier’s location where my men will meet us. We’ll have the people who currently live in the house leave for some reason I’ll convince them of, and then we’ll search for Xavier. If we find him we’ll bring him straight to my house and give him some blood to recover. If he is buried, we’ll have to just load him in the car as-is and bring him to my house because I doubt we’d have enough time to awaken him.”

“And we’ll stay in your home until he recovers?” I questioned.

“Of course. I have plenty of resources.”

“And I’ll be staying at the motel near the city,” Joanna muttered as she flipped through one of her magazines.

“Stubborn woman,” Matthew grumbled. “If you prefer, I’ll have a room ready for you, Anna.”

She craned her head and looked at him. “Let me guess, it’s right next to yours?”

I popped in some ear buds to watch whatever movie he had playing. It was Gone with the Wind, one of my favorites. Although I couldn’t hear them, I could see their frustrated expressions and eye rolls. This is going to be a long flight.

It was roughly halfway through the flight when Joanna sat in front of me with one of her normal serious expressions. I popped out one of my ear buds and looked at her.

“How’re you doing?” she wondered, picking at her nails.

“With what? This movie or the fact the love of my existence is possibly alive in the place I saw him die in?” I smiled at her because of how ridiculous it sounded.

She laughed and leaned back in her chair. “I’d say the latter.”

I could feel my smile begin to melt away as my thoughts wrapped around what was going to happen tonight. “Ever since I learned he could be alive, I’ve been replaying the night of his death over and over again. I’ve been remembering the sounds, the smells, and the fire.” My eyes drifted out the window. “Xavier knew they were going to kill us. He had more enemies than me, and he was more concerned about getting me out than his own life. He told me to run, and then provoked them to kill him in order for me to get away.”