Bloodline (The Forgotten Origins Trilogy) (18 page)

“Hey, it’s Brent’s dad!”
Jake yells.  I put a hand on his arm, just in case he was thinking about going to him.  Baxter growls quietly, but remains at Jacobs’s side.

I don’t know Brent’s dad that well, but even I can
tell that he looks confused and not confident like my mom and the others have been acting.  His eyes are still glowing, but dimly.  He’s rubbing his hands together nervously and shifting from one foot to the other.  Maybe the first thing that goes is the connection they all share, the single purpose that was driving them.  I relax my grip on the rifle slightly.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” he continues, not moving
any closer.  “I’d just like to get out of here and go back home to my family, but it’s obvious that you need some help, Alex.”  Looking around fearfully at the dark woods, he runs a hand through his hair in a very human gesture.  My hopes rise.

There’s movement behind him, and stepping out
of the shadows and into the glow of the candlelight…is my mom.  Her blonde hair is loose and messy, framing her face the way she used to wear it.  Not moving with the same grace and poise of a Shiner, she stumbles forward and looks quickly from Jake, to Chris, and then me.  Praying again with my newly restored faith, I cautiously smile at her.  The forest grows still and then relief floods me as she smiles back.  More important than the curve to her lips is the undeniable love that’s shining in her normal, blue eyes.             

THE END

Alex’s story continues in book two of the Forgotten Origins Trilogy;
HERITAGE
. Available now at all major distributors.