Chapter 14
1596 Words
14
The address led Sam to one of the smaller parks of the city that was known for its drug traffic and bush shagging. Not a place she visited leisurely but had seen many times on the job. She checked her phone for messages, took stock of the empty park, and looked at her phone again. No new messages from Lilith. Did she get the wrong place?
A muffled cry disturbed the chirping birds and Sam was drawn to the noise by instinct. She followed the direction of the sound while peering into the bushes and checking over her shoulder. Without someone to watch her back, she had to prepare for the worst.
Why was Lilith not here yet?
A branch snapped behind her and she turned around, fists at the ready.
“Well hello to you too,” Lilith chimed.
Sam released her breath. “Don’t sneak up on people like that.”
“I wasn’t sneaking.”
“Yes, you were.”
“If I were, you wouldn't have heard me, would you?”
“I…” Samantha closed her mouth with a huff. “You were sneaking right up to the point I heard you.”
“That’s just called walking.” The other woman shot her a pearly smile, triumph flashing through her eyes. “Now let’s go. It might be best if you stay behind me.”
Samantha glared holes in Lilith’s skull. “Behind you?”
“I meant beside me,” Lilith coughed. “Beside me.”
“That’s better.”
Dramatically, Samantha snapped her head back and strode further into the park. Behind her, the other woman followed with a slight smile. The greenery opened up in a plain field.
“What are we doing here?” Sam asked.
Lilith swayed from side to side. “We’re looking for someone…”
“Who?”
“A teenager. His name is Elliot.”
“And why are we looking for Elliot? Is he missing?”
“Not entirely sure what’s going on, but his father is a trusted advisor to the clan so if I help his son, this will strengthen my position as a leader. Hah, take that Rex.”
Samantha frowned. “That’s what you’re thinking about right now? Outshining your cousin?”
“What else should I be thinking about?”
“Actually helping this kid?”
“He’s a teenager. How much trouble can they really cause?”
“It’s not how much trouble he can cause, but how much trouble he could be in.” Sam stopped, unable to hide her disappointment. “You’re just doing this because it’ll look good?”
“Well…”
“Life’s not a popularity contest.”
Lilith scoffed. “It is when you want to be at the top.”
“That might be true, but I believe in hard work and good intentions.”
“That’s all very beautifully said, but real life isn’t beautiful.”
Samantha’s chest tightened. It seemed like Lilith and her kept stumbling upon fundamental differences and while there were plenty of things she was willing to compromise on… this wasn’t one of them.
She glared at the other woman before she turned away. “I’m not interested in working with someone shallow that doesn’t care.”
Before she could walk away, Lilith blocked her. “Don’t go. I don’t know how to help people, that’s true. And you’re right, I don’t care, not the way you do… I’ve never really cared about much before but you make me want to.”
Sam sighed. Maybe she wasn an i***t for believing Lilith, but there was something about her that just screamed honesty. Maybe she was being a fool, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. I’m not interested in making you popular, but I’ll help you help people.”
“Really?”
“Yes. First lesson, stop stop being so…” She gestured to the other woman. “Intense.”
“Intense? I’m not intense.”
Samantha chuckled. “You’re doing it right now. It’s intimidating and when you’re trying to help people, you want them to feel safe so they can confide in you. No banging on doors and shouting at them.”
The other woman fell silent and thought for a moment. “So what would you have me do?”
“I don’t know… Maybe try to connect with the person you’re helping? Share something about yourself. You don’t allow people to get close to you,” Samantha said, hoping it didn’t sound like she was talking about herself.
“Hmm… I’ll try that,” Lilith replied, a smile playing on her lips. “Thank you.”
They exchanged a look and a flutter passed through Samantha’s chest. One smile, one damned smile and all her annoyance melted away like snow in the morning sun. Something her ex never quite managed and Lilith did effortlessly, probably without even noticing.
Sam tore her gaze away from the beautiful woman and cleared her throat. “Don’t we have a teenager to save?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s go.”
The two women ventured further into the park in comfortable silence, neither sure what to say. There really wasn’t anything to say. They came to a halt near a sizable tree where they discovered a figure hidden in the shadows.
“Elliot?” Lilith called.
The figure didn’t move.
“Elliot? Is that you?”
Finally, the boy appeared from behind the trunk. “What?”
“Are you alright?”
“Go away.”
Lilith shot Samantha a pained look. “Well, we tried?”
Sam raised an eyebrow in response.
“Fine,” Lilith mumbled. She moved closer to Elliot, her tone changing slightly. “We’re here to help.”
“I don’t need help.”
“It looks like you might.”
The teenager rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, revealing another boy lying on the ground. Samantha immediately noticed the cut on his forehead and the trickle of blood leading into his hair.
“What’s going on?” she asked, crouching down so she could press two fingers on his neck. Relief washed over her as she felt his heartbeat and saw the fall and rise of his chest. “Oof. He’s breathing.”
The boy shoved his hands in his hair, his eyes wide. “Careful!”
Sam exchanged a cautious look with her companion as she slowly moved back. “We’re here to help, okay?”
“I don’t need your help. Especially not hers!” the boy spat.
Cautious of Lilith’s temper, Samantha grabbed the other woman by the wrist.
Lilith looked down at where they were touching. “What are you doing?”
With headed cheeks, Sam quickly released her grip. “Nothing.”
To avoid an awkward conversation, she turned towards the distressed young man pacing back and forth, muttering unintelligibly and staring at his hands.
“I can tell you don’t trust us—” Samantha asked.
“Ya think?” the teenager interrupted.
“But we’re here, aren’t we? Look around, there’s nobody else. You’ll have to do with us.”
The boy grumbled for a couple more seconds, his pacing frantic. Finally, he balled his shaking hands and looked up at Samantha. “Fine.”
“Are you Elliot or is that him…?”
“No, that’s me.”
“Okay, Elliot. Tell us what happened.” She gestured to the unconscious boy on the ground. “Is he a friend?”
“No. Yes. No, he’s just… He’s…” The kid knelt down in the grass, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry, Scotty. I didn’t mean to.”
“What didn’t you mean to?” Sam carefully asked.
“I… We just wanted to have a good time, okay? I… I know it’s not, not… Normal.”
“Normal?” Lilith echoed.
Fear flickered through the teenager’s eyes and Samantha didn’t blame him. Lilith could be terrifying when she didn’t intend to be.
“What happened?” Samantha asked.
“We were… We… He… My hands…” Elliot’s lip trembled. “Scotty was right next to me and my magic… This blinding light exploded from my hands and next thing I know, he’s lying on the ground and I… I…”
Lilith knelt down next to Scotty and placed her hand on his forehead. “Hmm…”
“Is he okay? Do we need to call an ambulance? Or… What’s the Nox equivalent of that? Do you even have that?” she quizzed.
“No, it’s fine.” Lilith studied the teenager. “That’s some power you have.”
“I didn’t mean to!”
Samantha caught Lilith’s attention and gestured that the other woman should take a breath. With her voice low, she reminded her of her previous advice. “Connect.”
“Right.” She turned her attention back to the teenager and managed a somewhat reassuring smile. “This happened to me when I was younger too.”
Elliot sniffled as he wiped his nose. “It did?”
“Yes, I was playing with my cousin in the garden. I was… maybe twelve? I don’t remember how it started, but I know suddenly my arms got all tingly. My hands were searing hot.”
“Yeah, like they were on fire?” Elliot asked, completely captivated by her story.
“Exactly. I’d used my powers before, but this was… different. I ended up hurting my cousin and I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, that little rat, but it was terrifying not being in control.”
“What happened after?”
“He passed out. But after half an hour, he was fine and Scotty is going to be fine too. He just needs a little bit of time to recover.”
Elliot released a visible breath of relief. “Really?”
“Yes, really. He’ll be fine. Why don’t we, umm… Why don’t we sit down and wait together for him to come to?”
The teenager sniffled again but nodded.
With a grin, Lilith gave Sam a hidden thumbs up as she sat down somewhat gracefully. Heels just weren’t the right choice for grass.
Pride tugged a smile on Samantha’s lips as she watched Lilith chat with the teen. The way she approached the situation had been far from perfect but the end result… She couldn’t complain about that.
She let the two bond, keeping a close eye on the unconscious boy. But mostly, she was watching Lilith. The way she spoke, the smile in her eyes, the long strands of hair flitting past her face as the wind played with them.
Something stirred in Samantha’s stomach, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Despite being a free woman, she didn’t feel ready to start something new. Not yet. Especially not with someone that she could really see herself falling for.
She swallowed a lump and managed to tear her attention away from the beautiful woman. Whatever affection she held for Lilith was irrelevant. A woman like that could never be interested in her anyway.
And yet…
She glanced back at Lilith only to find the other woman already looking at her. Their eyes met and Samanath’s heart fluttered. Stupid traitorous heart.
- Writer
