ROMANCE: CLEAN ROMANCE: Summer Splash! (Sweet Inspirational Contemporary Romance) (New Adult Clean Fantasy Short Stories) (102 page)

              “Where are your photos then?” Caleb asked. I mean you did just say you didn’t have any HERE in New York.” Caleb said.

              Hailey was tentative, but the boys had been through so much for her to just crush their dreams right then and there. “They’re all back home.”

*****

              Hailey never really liked “home”. It was even surprising that she even called it that. She referred to it as home just as a formality, and most of the time to stop further questions from the likes of her workmates or the intermittent and never constant “blind dates” she got set up with by well-meaning friends.

              The drive to her old hometown was not fun for her. Of course, this in turn made the two alphas quite out of their wits just trying to make her feel better.

              “What the hell? It seems a storm is brewing and it just might be following us.” Caleb made his observation nonchalantly.

              “That’s quite odd.” Anton mumbled to himself as they spent the rest of the drive in an almost dry kind of silence. Hours passed when they finally arrived in Hailey’s hometown.

              “I have no idea why we did not just rent a private plane. I mean you have got to be a billionaire.” He said as he tried to wake his legs which had fallen asleep in the car.

              “Anton, it’s okay; Caleb is just being a baby.” Hailey answered trying to reassure Anton that he did not have to go through thinking and explaining even, the reason why he had always refused to ride in air planes. Basically, he was an alpha was because of a plane crash, a sad and lonely crash that had reduced his family to just him, his mother and a few others.

              “I would rather not talk about it.” Anton said.

              They entered what seemed to be an abandoned little house in a low income suburb.

              “Welcome to where all the magic happened.” Hailey said with so much bitterness the two boys could taste it in the air.

              “Let’s get to it. Hails, the pictures?” Caleb said trying to change the topic.

              “Here.” Hailey picked up a box and spilled all of its content onto a worn out table.

              “Where is everybody?” Anton asked.

              “Mother or whoever she was, is nowhere as well as the man who he called her husband, but we could never really know for sure.” Hailey said.

              “You own this place now?” Anton asked. Caleb was busy going through the first pile of photographs.

              “Yes.” Hailey answered.

              “Why not sell it?” Anton asked.

              “I tried, no one want this sty of a house.” Hailey answered directly.

              “Guys!” Caleb made the two jump from their spots with his ear bursting howl. “I found her!”

              Caleb started to point out to an obese old woman who was in most of Hailey’s baby and toddler pictures.

              “Nana Rosa?” Hailey was obviously quite confounded. “It could not be her, I am sure of it!”

              “I can see it.” Caleb said. “I just can. She’s not human or at least just an ordinary kind of human.”

              Anton stared at Hailey’s face just etched with so much disbelief. “I think Caleb won’t make that big a mistake Hails.”

              “Where is she? Do you still know her whereabouts, have her number and all that?” Caleb was so excited.

              “It is not her.” Hailey said firmly. “Let’s try more pictures.”

              “Why are you rejecting me?” Caleb asked sincerely.

              “It is not that Caleb. It is just so simple. She’d dead.” Hailey said as her eyes began to water.

              “She died when I turned ten years old.” She continued.

              “Gustav said the keeper is someone who is with me and has been with me all my life right?” Hailey said trying to stop the memories of her childhood that actually were pleasant from resurfacing.

              “Is everything okay?” Anton asked.

              “Yes. Well, it is just that Nana Rosa was the only person who loved me and cared for me when I was younger.” Hailey said, which made Caleb drop the whole issue and made him go back to her pictures.

              “This is the pile from when I was in high School.” Hailey said.

              “Oh my goodness, here she is again.” Caleb said.

              “Who?” Anton asked.

              “It is her. Hailey’s Nana Rosa.” Caleb answered

              “Caleb. Nana Rosa died four years before this picture was even taken.” Hailey said, in a somewhat annoyed tone.

              “That can’t be right. She is here, right here. Red Hair and pointy face. Nana Rosa.” Caleb pointed to a figure beside Hailey who was not what he had just described.

              “Caleb, Nana Rosa is not a red head. She was Latina, she had black hair was very round.” Anton said picking up the picture they found first.

              Caleb was dumbfounded, and suddenly he realized something.

              “Who is this Hails? Describe what she looks like to you?” Caleb asked hurriedly.

              Anton and Hailey looked at each other as she picked up the photo of herself and a young girl whom she knew as Jane.

              “This is Jane, my high school best friend. She has blond hair and she has a heart shaped face.” Hailey said.

              “I got it!” Caleb exclaimed. “This is Nana Rosa… She’s also Jane. I get it now. The keeper has always been with you all your life Hails, just as different people. All you see are different people but to me they are one and the same.” Caleb finished up.

              “Who was Jane?” Caleb asked.

              “She was my only friend in high school but she moved away after middle school. I never talked to her ever again.” Hailey answered.

              “Are you seeing the pattern here?” Caleb asked Anton, but Anton just simple shook his head in confusion.

              “Okay never mind, wait.” Caleb went through her picture yet again. This time it was Hailey in what seemed to be her senior prom.

              “Who is this?” Caleb asked.

              “That’s Nancy, my math teacher that helped me through the hell that I was going through in high school.” Hailey answered.

              “What happened to her?” Caleb asked.

              “She had to move to a different state. She said she got a promotion as a principal in California.” Hailey answered.

              “How about this one?” Caleb picked up another picture.

              “That’s Ms. Copperfield. My nursing teacher way back from when I was still in community college trying to finish up my degree.” Hailey answered and then she paused. “She died which was why I decided to move to New York where she had arranged my job there in the hospital for me.”

              “Nana Rosa, Jane, Nancy and Ms. Copperfield are the same person. And they all “disappeared” from your life somehow.” Caleb answered.

              “All of them? They were your friends?” Anton asked Hailey who was now crying from the pain of being deceived by the people she thought truly cared for her.

              “Yes.” Hailey answered.

              Anton beamed. “Now I get what you mean. Why you are so excited. This is good news.”

              “What do you mean?’ Hailey asked as the two men looked to each other.

              “It means Hails that your keeper, she is on your side - on our side. She’s a friend.” Caleb answered.

              “Now we know that your keeper intended for you to go to New York.” Anton said as they hurried into the car.

              “Who was the first person you became friend with?” Anton asked.

              “I did not have any friends in New York when I got here. I met Caleb a few months later.” Hailey answered and Caleb confirmed it with a stern nod.

              “It was meant to be, destined, for you to end up working at the hospital. You did say that your keeper arranged for you to work there.” Anton said.

              Caleb nodded. “That’s right; she must have wanted you to be where she was going to be to still “keep” you.”

              “Can you remember anyone who stood out as a friend?” Anton asked.

              “I was very sad from losing Ms. Copperfield the first months I worked there. I just kept to myself and my patients.” Hailey answered.

              Anton slumped into his chair defeated.

              “Wait.” Hailey suddenly had a realization. “There was one girl who was so adamant on being my friend!”

              “Oh my goodness!” Caleb knew who she was talking about.

              “You have already met her!” Hailey exclaimed toward Anton.

              “I left with Caleb to go to the hospice where I technically work now,” Hailey explained, “but in the first hospital I worked in there was a girl.”

              Remember how you brought me to the hospital when I got attacked?” Hailey asked Anton.

              “The reason why Caleb was able to get to me was because there was this girl whom we used to work with who knew me already. The girl you gave me to at the hospital.” Hailey said.

              “Oh, that small Filipina woman!” Anton exclaimed.

              “Yes! Pilar!” Caleb pitched in.

*****

              “We can’t be so sure that’s it’s her.” Hailey said. “Caleb needs to look at her first and try to see if she is my keeper.”

              “If we do finally figure out that it is her, what do we do next?” Hailey asked.

              “We ask her to help us. We need her to tell us what you are so we can figure out a way to taint you.” Anton answered.

              “Once you are finally tainted, then you cease to become a pure sacrifice.” Caleb finished.

              “Here we are.” Anton said as they stopped right in front of the hospital. Hailey stepped out first followed by Anton and lastly, Caleb.

              They stepped into the nurses’ station where they saw Pilar instantly.

              “Pilar?” Hailey asked.

              “Hailey!” Pilar said with so much cheer and sincerity that you wouldn’t guess she was a member of an ancient race of demigods that were tasked to take care of supernatural babies until they were to be brought to the sacrifice of the moon.

              “I need your help.” Hailey said sullenly.

              “Of course!” Pilar answered. “You look well. I am so glad I found you. I was looking everywhere for you.”

              Hailey and Pilar made their way to the cafeteria and found a seat. Anton and Caleb shadowed them from afar waiting for Hailey’s cue.

              “I know.” Hailey said, trying to bluff out a confession from her rather than spooking her with Caleb and Anton.

              “What do you mean Hails.” Pilar said.

              “I know about the sacrifice.” Hailey said. All of a sudden, pillars expression changed and her brown skin suddenly flashed and changed to olive and then a fair color. Her hair then suddenly changed from a jet black color, straight and smooth, into a flaming red hot mess. Fear was in her eyes.

              The woman who was once the bubbly Filipina who was so endearing and loving turned into a pale faced red haired girl with long legs and a pointed face. After having realized that Hailey had seen her true form, Pilar stood up and without any notice at all, she started darting through the cafeteria like a mad woman spilling and knocking down every single tray that came her way. Hailey tried running after her but suddenly her knees buckled in as a sharp pain shot through her body.

              “Go get her!” She said as she pushed Caleb and Anton away from her to chase Pilar who had finally revealed her true self.

              Caleb looked to her, but Hailey just gave the wolf man a nod. He knew Hailey would be okay but something in him kept telling him he was not.

              “Anton, take the left hallway. I’ll try to cut through the wards and corner her by the east wing.” Caleb commanded. Anton knew Caleb had more knowledge as to the layout of this hospital owing to the fact that Caleb and Hailey did work there in the past, so he merely nodded and started dashing.

              Both men seemed extremely frustrated not being able to use their wolf speed to get to her. It was too public a place to just shift, and two wolves running around a major hospital in New York City was obviously not that safe.

              Anton still had his sights on the now red headed woman who was dashing frantically away. The hospital was in a state of panic, and he could hear security personnel chasing him. From afar he saw a white blur suddenly leap from one corner, smashing into the red headed woman.

              “Yes Caleb!” Anton exclaimed as he joined Caleb who was now grappling the young red headed woman.