Jade's Awakening (Delacourt Saga Book 1) (7 page)

"Hey, you'll find someone soon."

"Yeah, but I'm busy lately."

"With what? I know you'll be heading to college next year."

"This summer's been hectic. I've been helping at my dad's office lately." Alejandro could feel the vice clamp down as Henri began with his dad questions. He had a way of asking them that made him want to run out of the room.

"Jade's been asking about you lately. She thought you moved away." He laughed.

"Just stuff. You know."

"No, I don't, Alejandro. That's why I'm asking."

"Well, we're here, Mr. Delacourt. I'll keep everything quiet. I promise Mrs. Delacourt won't hear anything from me."

Rosa walked to the car with her hand on the small of her back. "Thank God you're back."

Henri and Rosa disappeared into their suburban home and he recounted the events of the last several hours.

Alejandro answered his phone. It was Mikas. He rolled up his car windows as he sat in the Delacourt’s driveway.

"Hello?"

"Gregory's dead. There's a meeting tonight at the Old Mill. Be there in half an hour."

* * *

At the Old Mill, Alejandro walked past large rusted farm tractors that had weeds growing out of most of them. There were a few lanterns lighting the dark room that smelled of wet hay. He noticed most of the members were present. The Faction headquarters were in Los Angeles. This group of Supernatural Hunters was small but dedicated. They were old and young, and all different ethnicities. Mikas Hambry stepped forward.

"My fellow Factioners, Gregory is dead. There was a note left written in his blood. It was the fairies."

The room was full of murmuring and gasps.

"Listen, all supernaturals aren't as bad as we've been told," Alejandro said.

"Is that right?" Craig yelled. "Oh, it's because he's soft on Jade. She's one hot thing, I'll give you that, but she's got to die."

“Didn’t your mother get killed by a supernatural? How can you go and start falling for one? That doesn’t seem true to Faction beliefs.” A teen girl said who stood near the back.

People cheered.

Mikas clapped loudly and held his hands up.

The room grew silent.

"The Faction in Los Angeles is making a bold move. I spoke with them on the phone today and we've decided this evening that a radical shift must occur to gather new members and to stop the supernaturals. A new leader for our division has been chosen. He's a young man who lost his mother to supernaturals, yes. He’s had connections with the supernatural world. He’s going to be a new and fresh face for the Faction,” Mikas said. He walked near Alejandro and held Alejandro’s hand up.

People cheered.

"Our new Faction leader for the Southeastern division is Alejandro Bienamie."

"What? I can't."

Mikas whispered in his ear, "Denial will be an act of offense. We know how acts of an offense are handled, right? You don't want that for your family."

He swallowed hard. Alejandro felt the room shrink. He saw scowling faces and other faces smiling. He felt his hand being pumped in over-enthusiastic handshakes.

He heard himself saying, "Thank you."

He walked out of the Old Mill, feeling shattered. He had to kill Jade.

Mikas walked by his side and stopped. "Alejandro, we expect you to bring Jade to us by tomorrow afternoon. No excuses."

Alejandro began to speak but thought better of it. He nodded his head.

Mikas placed a hand on Alejandro's shoulder. "That's a smart response. See you tomorrow. Oh, and if you don't bring her, consider our previous conversation."

He called Jade. "Hey, it's me."

"Where are you? I tried calling you."

"I visited my grandma. She needed help with something."

"That was a late visit."

"You know my grandma; she's always up to something. Hey, I was thinking. You know that hotel that we stayed at with our parents — where we saw our first concert a few years ago?"

"Yeah, the—"

"Don't say it."

"Okay, Mr. Bond."

"Seriously, who knows who's listening? Anyway, meet me there."

"Lobby?"

"Yeah. Where's your tiger man?" Alejandro asked.

"I don't know. He said we'd meet up tomorrow." She understood Seven needed time after David was killed.

She hesitated, "You didn't tell anyone back home about what happened here, did you?"

"No. That's our secret,” he said.

"Thank you. Some people are against supernaturals."

"Not a word from me. You can count on me, Jade. Don't tell Seven where we're going."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Just don't. I'll meet you at the hotel."

Alejandro dialed Mikas, "Hey, meet me at the Westmorgan hotel in about three hours. Yeah, she'll be there."

He thought of his mother's death and knew he was doing the right thing. He just might like being head of the Faction, after all.

Jade had only had her powers for about twenty-four hours and so much had happened. She couldn't keep a tally of all the crazy she'd experienced. She sat in the hotel lobby of the Westmorgan Hotel and sipped her lemonade.

She thought of the kiss with Seven. It was exciting, but she imagined he had kissed thousands of girls. Seven was sexy, that was true. But she didn't feel comfortable with him like she felt with Alejandro.

She shook her head and stirred her drink with her straw. She was so aggravated by Alejandro. He was always so… she didn't know how to complete the sentence, but whatever it was, it got under her skin.

She looked up and saw Alejandro walking towards her. Maybe it was because of all they'd gone through, or maybe it was because he knew her secret, but she trusted him fully, now.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Alejandro asked.

"I'm tired and I need to sleep."

Alejandro checked them into a room.

As they walked to the room on the twenty-first floor, she said, "Don’t get any ideas."

"Obviously. I just saw both your parents today. Your father would kill me."

"No,
I'd
kill you."

"I'm sleeping on the floor, just give me a blanket and a pillow and I'm good. Why didn't you want to go to that Nina lady's house?"

She didn't tell him everything, just parts of what she went through over the last two days. "I'm not sure I can trust her. I don't know who I can trust but I feel I can trust you. Thanks, Alejandro."

She eyed him as they walked to the door. He had changed from the goofy neighbor who always cheated at games and ran from stray dogs as though they were full of rattlesnake venom. He was actually handsome. She scrunched her face and asked, "Did you get a haircut?"

"Yeah, like six months ago."

They walked into the room.

Jade grabbed the remote. "Ah, I just want to watch television and forget everything that's been going on."

"I'm with you. Let's find some old movies."

"Great."

* * *

Jade slept soundly as Alejandro lay awake. Jade's phone lit up. He grabbed it to turn it off and saw that it was a text from Seven. It read:

Good idea to change hotels. See you tomorrow.

The text history showed that Jade had texted the room number to Seven after he begged her. He was an ass, Alejandro thought. He wouldn't let Seven get in the way of taking Jade to the Faction. This was his time to shine.

He wanted to text Seven back to tell him to leave Atlanta and go back to New York City or wherever that piece of crap show was filmed, but he didn't. Instead, he turned off her phone. That's when he heard shuffling at the door.

Alejandro stood up and pressed his ear against the door.

"Dude, it's me, Mom wanted me to let you know dad's sick."

Alejandro looked through the peephole. It was his brother. How did he know Alejandro was there? Was his father sick? He did have heart problems. He unlocked the door.

His brother stood in front of him and was silent.

"Jason?" he whispered, not wanting to wake Jade.

"Not quite." Seven shook and his features morphed and shifted back into his regular appearance. He jumped and swerved to the left, avoiding Alejandro's right hook.

"What are you—"

Seven punched him and grabbed him before he hit the ground. He nodded as two guys picked Alejandro up and put him in a large suitcase.

He pushed open the door and walked into the room. She slept. She was undoubtedly tired.

Her face was nestled in the cloud of her dark curly hair. He wanted to touch her face. When he was with her he didn't feel so lost. She understood him. He was torn between saving Jade and saving his close friend. He exhaled. He touched the bed. He wanted to curl beside her and sleep. He wanted to forget his pain.

He was glad Alejandro was out of the way.

He walked to the door and closed it gently.

Several hours later, Jade awoke to an empty room. She thought Alejandro was in the bathroom until she walked in and saw it was empty. She opened the door and looked left and right down the long hotel hallway. Nothing.

"Alejandro?" She said only once. She saw Seven approach her with a bag of bagels and two cups of coffee.

"We have to get you to safety like Wyle said." He walked into the room and set the bag down and grabbed a bagel.

"Where's Alejandro? Did you see him leave?"

"No. I haven't seen him since yesterday." He took a bite of his bagel.

* * *

Alejandro woke up inside of the luggage. Instead of boiling with rage, he was almost grateful for the mini sweat lodge experience. The hours spent in the semi-unconscious state allowed him to reach a clarity that he couldn't see before. He was committed to the Faction and would do everything to avenge his mother's death.

He managed to shove a finger in the little hole of light and unzip the suitcase. He was relieved for the cooler air, but the office lighting was blinding at first.

"Holy crap! Are you okay?" A hotel employee said, rushing to him. She was near tears seeing him escape from the suitcase. "Do you want me to call the police?"

"No, I'm okay. Just a prank." He crawled out and leaned on the nearby table. He felt his muscles scream.

"Here's some water. You've got a mean friend if you don't mind me saying. That's just not right."

"Yeah, he's mean, alright."

Alejandro walked out into the bright afternoon. He covered his eyes. "Seven, I'm going to kill you when I find you." He marched down the hot pavement and dialed Jade.

* * *

Jade packed her few belongings in her bag. She hadn't known she'd be stuck wearing the same things for so long. She held up her t-shirt from yesterday. She did not want to wear that again.

"We've got to take you shopping soon."

"That's a great idea. Let me change quick. I'll be right out."

"Okay, I'm here."

Jade jumped when she heard a crash from the other side of the door. She heard voices and another crash.

"Jade! Run!" Seven yelled.

Alejandro held a metal pipe and swung it, hitting Seven in the chest. He fell on the bed in pain.

Jade opened the door and jumped back when a second person ran towards her with a knife.

"I'm coming for you," the woman screamed.

Jade held up her hand and sent the knife flying into the hallway. She swung her fist, knocking the woman into Alejandro.

"How could you?" Jade asked Alejandro. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"My mom was killed by a supernatural. I hate your kind, Jade. I want to find a way to make you normal again."

Seven kicked Alejandro's legs from under him. He fell and landed on a small table, shattering it to pieces.

"Jade, fly." Seven said.

"What?" she asked.

"You have to escape by flying out of here." Seven pointed to the window. "I'll be right behind you."

She didn't know if she could do it again. She looked at Alejandro and saw him scramble to his feet.

"Be careful, Seven." She had to focus to shapeshift. She ran into the bathroom and shut her eyes, but her nerves were getting in the way. She heard a crash and closed her eyes again focusing on a bird. Her body convulsed and she turned into a white dove and flew out of the window.

* * *

Jade tried circling the area, hoping to find Seven, but began to grow tired. What if he didn't make it out alive? She flew to the only place she knew she could find shelter. She landed on Nina's balcony. The sliding glass door was shut. She had left her key that Nina gave her in her clothes.

Jade convulsed and shapeshifted back to her regular form. She crouched down, hoping no one could see her. She was naked and needed clothes. "Please be unlocked, please be unlocked." She tried to open the sliding glass door, but it was locked She saw the key that Nina kept on a hook near the refrigerator. Jade held up her hand and motioned the key into the lock. The key fell.

"Hey miss." The neighbor from a few apartments away saw Jade on Nina's balcony. She held her phone in her hand.

Jade ignored the woman.

"Hey, what are you doing over there? I'm calling the cops on you."

Jade tried to focus on the key, but it dropped again. She had to block everything out. Her pulse raced. She focused on the key and used her hand as a guide to control the key.

"I'm watching you. They're going to get you. And where are your clothes?"

"Come on, come on," Jade whispered to herself. She had to get in and out before the police came. The key finally went into the lock and she moved it. She heard the click and she flung the door open.

Jade ran inside. She heard the police car and grabbed the bag by Nina's door. She sped to the stairwell and walked out slowly with her sunglasses on. She kept walking until she felt far enough to relax.

She looked inside the bag Nina gave her and found a few items like a flashlight, beef jerky, a flip phone, a map and chewing gum. She also saw a one hundred dollar bill. She couldn't get very far with a hundred bucks. At the very bottom, she found a folded up white dress and the leather bound book she'd been curious about.She needed more money so she called her dad.

Jade barely knew how to use the flip phone, but figured it out quickly. "Mom?"

"Hey, Jade. Are you somewhere safe?"

"Uh, no. Can you please send me money? Wire it to the Trinker Grocery Store near the museum."

"Don't be silly, it won't take me long to find you. I'll be there soon. We miss you, honey. Isn't it time you came home?"

"No. I can't have them hurt you or anyone else I care about."

"You can't do this alone, Jade."

"I'm not alone. I have help. Mom, don't tell Alejandro anything about me. He's part of the Faction."

"Our Alejandro?"

"Yes. Nothing, please. Not a word."

"Okay, honey."

"Thanks."

"You're going to need identification to get the money we're sending you."

"I don't have any." Jade's mind scrambled for solutions. "I'll call you with someone's name in about forty minutes. Stay by the phone."

"That's dangerous, Jade. I don’t like where all this is going. Your father and I raised you to be a good person. Don't break any laws just because you've awakened."

"I have no choice for now. I won't hurt anyone. I'm being careful."

"Stay in touch. Hey, just buy a phone, one of those flamers they use on television shows."

"They're called burners, Mom. And I'm using one now." She couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, okay. Take care, Jade. I love you. Be safe. You're our only daughter."

"I know. I love you, too. I'll be safe." She wondered at that very moment how her biological parents would feel about her. Did they know she was alive?

She hung up the phone and pulled down her floral hat. She needed to find a way to get identification from someone and get the money her parents were sending her. She had to leave Atlanta tonight.

She walked through the street and kept going until she felt safe. To get to Trinker Grocery, she'd need to walk for another thirty minutes. It allowed her time to think.

Alejandro was changed by his mother's death. She wondered how far she would go if one of her parents was killed. She winced at the thought. But she kept going with it. Would she turn into a person who would do anything to soothe her aching? Would she switch sides? Would she kill?

She shook her head as she passed by a storefront window and looked at her reflection. She didn't even recognize herself. "Maybe I'd be worse," she said out loud.

She hoped Seven would reach out to her soon. Crap. Her life was more complicated than ever. She walked into Trinker Grocery store and walked by all the employees. She just needed one to go to the bathroom. She waited and followed the short woman in.

Jade walked out as Sally Mckinnon. She felt weird shifting into another person's form. She realized the world looked different from a few inches closer to the ground.

"Hey Carla, my uncle's sending money," Jade said. She leaned on the customer service counter.

"Lucky you, Sally. Wow, he likes you." Carla said, looking at the amount of the transfer.

"I'm going to buy a new car. Mine's on the fritz," she said, trying to sound old.

"Well, good luck to you. I think they're making cars so they quit on us faster and faster."

"Preaching to the choir."

Carla looked over her shoulder and saw the other Sally Mckinnon stagger out of the bathroom. Sally pointed her bound hands towards Jade.

Jade shoved the cash down her bra and ran. She felt like she ran for an hour, but really it was more like five minutes. She bought a new smart phone and called Seven again.

Jade left Seven a few messages and half a dozen text messages before she gave up. She walked down the sidewalk feeling alone and lost. She hoped he was okay. She had no one to turn to. It was now almost forty-eight hours since she'd awakened --but she didn't feel more awake or more complete.