Appleberry(Completed)

Ch. 13: Sleepover at The Elders

We all sat in the dean silent. No one was saying a word. It was getting a bit weird. "Okay, if someone doesn't talk. I'm going to start karaoke without the karaoke."
Dad made an annoyed sigh. "Did you have to talk to them like you did?"
"Excuse me?" I stood up walking over to the fireplace.
"You heard me Sloane. You could have behaved. Talked to them like you had some raising." Dad had his arms crossed.
I stared at the fire. I could feel the anger in me building. "I said what I had to say. I wanted them to stop coming after us for being with one another. Is that too much to ask for?"
Dad didn't say anything. The butler came in. "Your beds are ready for your stay."
I glanced over and saw a face in a hidden door. It was Jonathon. Everyone else went out of the room and I stayed.
Jonathon waved his hand for me to come over to him. I slowly went over. "Yes."
"Follow me." He left the door cracked. I made sure no one was in the room. When the coast was clear, I went in.
He was waiting with a lantern. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere no one will hear us talk. I needed to talk to you in private." He kept moving quickly.
I followed him until he stopped. He turned and went through another door. He popped his head out. "Come on."
I went through the door to a beautiful room. Zeke would have been jealous. There were books from floor to ceiling to one wall to another.
"I take it you are a guardian." I stood there waiting for him to ask me to sit.
He was going through a bunch of papers on his desk. "No."
"The fleet?" I kept standing there.
He looked up at me and shook his head. "No."
"Then what?" I still stood there, arms crossed.
He sat down. "I'm like you."
I was in shock. Claudette had someone like Slade, Frankie, dad, and I in the elders. "But you are an elder."
"Yes, I am. The youngest elder. Please, sit." He waved his hand out.
I sat. "But you are one of us. One of them. How?"
"I know you have a lot of questions. I am one of them because I was an orphan and they raised me. I am one of you because a witch and wolf fell in love." He poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"Why didn't you leave them? They hate people like us." I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
He took a sip of his whiskey. "I thought about it. Then I thought, what would happen if I did leave and others like me come out and want to live their lives and not hide. Which is what they had to do when it was way before you were ever thought of. So, I decided to stay. Be an insider. Keeping my enemies close."
I took a glass and poured myself some whiskey. "I like your style. So, what do you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, I think you and Slade should have kids. You two seem to work. The whole time you wanted to attack Claudette, Slade kept you grounded. I could tell. Claudette is afraid that she will be took off the power totem pole. That is why she doesn't want witches and wolves to mix. When they mix, the more powerful they are. You should know." He got up and walked over to the fireplace, drink in hand.
"We haven't even graduated high school, so kids aren't even in our area of discussion. But we love each other, and we want us to last for a long time." I put down the glass of whiskey.
Jonathon looked over at me. "You are going to have to break down Claudette. She needs to know that her power isn't going to be took away."
"I will talk to her. Where would she be at right this minute?" I got up.
"She will be down in the garden. I will take you." He downed his whiskey and went back over to the hidden door.
I followed him until we came to a dead end. At least that is what it looked like. "Now, when you go out this door. Just go down the stairs and it will lead you to the garden. When you leave the garden, just go back through the big wooden side door of the castle. Go up the stairs you come to, go down the hallway and you will find a red door. That is yours and Slade's room."
"Thank you so much Jonathon." I smiled at him and went out the hidden door.
***
I made my way down the steps to the garden. It was beautiful. There was snow everywhere, and lights were on every bush and tree. Then I saw her. Even in the night with the snow and lights. Claudette was gorgeous.
"Sloane, can you not sleep?" She never once looked up from the white roses she was smelling.
I put my arms around me. "No, can you not sleep?"
"Oh, I usually come out here at this time of night and enjoy the lights and snow." She looked over at me and smiled.
I sat down on the bench. "Are you okay with Slade and I being together? Truly?"
She came and sat by me. "I am fine with it. I just need to make sure that you won't use all the power you two have to take over."
I looked over at her. "Take over? Take over what? I'm not power hungry. We don't want to take over anything."
"I know you want. I will make sure you won't." She said in a vicious tone.
I got up from the bench. I straightened myself up and looked her dead in the eye. "If you try anything Claudette. I will not hesitate to come for you. We are doing nothing wrong. Leave us alone."
She stood up face to face with me. "You should be afraid."
"I'm not afraid of you. You don't scare me. You will never scare me." I didn't let her get another word in. I just left.
I walked passed one of the windows and saw Jonathon peeking out. He quickly moved even though I saw him. I didn't even shake my head from him spying. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. Then in the morning, we could all leave.
***
When I got to the room Slade and I were in, I slammed the door. I was more than upset. But I wasn't going to show that in front of Claudette. She was one person that wouldn't see me break.
Slade jumped up. "There you are. Where have you been? I thought they took you."
I ran my hands through my hair and over my face. "I'm fine. One of them did take me but I went voluntary."
"Which one was it?" He pulled me in for a hug.
I hugged him, shutting my eyes. He felt safe. "Jonathon. He is one of us."
Slade pulled back. "One of us? How? I wasn't expecting four of them. I was expecting an elder of the fleet, a guardian, and witch. How is he?"
"He is literally one of us. He is part wolf and witch. He was an orphan and they took him in and showed him the way. Though he doesn't agree with their every move." I went and sat on the end of the bed.
"What? Why turn his back on people that took him in?" Slade sat by me.
"He is younger than them. He seems well educated in a lot. He doesn't like that they want to keep people like us apart. He thinks it would be a good thing. He knows that Claudette just doesn't want her power took away from her. He said he wanted to keep enemies closer." I stared at the floor. I was still taking in what Jonathon said.
"He is on our side?" Slade was bouncing his knee. He was nervous. I could feel it.
I looked over at him and smiled. "Yes, he is."