Hestia House Book One

Chapter Six

~One Week Later~

~Leo’s POV~

The wreckage from the SUV was sitting in a garage, being inspected by some of my best mechanics. That deranged alpha from Lone Fang said it was a gas line leak, but I could smell more than gasoline even a week later. Tom was the only survivor, and had woken up on day three post crash. He swore Arynn wasn’t in the vehicle, but in the house when the explosion happened. Her scent had been faint in the house when I had done a walk-through, but it had even been faint while I had sat next to her the day I left her behind. I trusted Tom, and my mate-bond, that Arynn was out there somewhere. No matter how long it took, we would find her. And then Lone Fang would pay for their crimes.

~Six Months Later~

~Arynn’s POV~

I dropped into bed with my phone, exhausted from the day. I had been baking since 5 A.M. and it was now 8 P.M. I was tired, but I dreaded sleep now, ever since my last day at Lone Fang. Ash always seemed to sense when I was having a harder day, and I let her lull me to sleep. I could sleep in tomorrow, but it was always a gamble if I would actually keep sleeping. March this far south meant the sun rose earlier and I had trouble sleeping without curtains in my room. It’s little things you don’t realize were there until they are gone, and they always made me homesick for my parents.

I fell asleep easily enough, but despite Ash’s best efforts, I was still tormented by nightmares of the day I lost my parents. What had started out so hopeful had turned monstrous in the space of a breath, and I woke up sweating but thankfully not screaming this time. Checking to find it was about 4:30 in the morning, I turned on my lamp and pulled my journal off the stack of books beside my bed. I started journaling the event, again, like I have done every time since it happened. The journaling was slightly therapeutic, so it would at least calm my mind enough that I could function for the day.

~

I saw Tom standing in between me and the SUV, waiting for the cookies I had just picked up. I could hear the SUV running, and knew Levi was in the driver’s seat, Mom was in the middle, and Dad was in the very back. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, followed by a loud explosion, and a shock wave that knocked me further into the house. After getting my breath back, I hear the fire roaring outside and look through the door to find Tom on the ground with debris around him and blood on his head. I want to go to him, to help him, but I can’t make myself move out of the house. Instead, I pick up the cookies and tin, make sure there isn’t a mess, and move to the dining room. My head is ringing, and my hearing feels off, but my mom’s words from earlier come back to me. I stuff the tin of cookies into the backpack, and leave through the back door, making sure to shut it behind me.

I spend the rest of the day alternating between walking and running away from Lone Fang and the explosion. If they didn’t think I was dead, then I needed to gain as much distance as I could, as fast as I could. Even if they thought I died in the car bomb, then I needed to make sure my scent was as faint as possible. It was dusk by the time I stopped, hunger finally showing itself enough to make me aware. I took the time to look through what Mom had packed this morning, and found she had thought of many things. There was a thick, flat manila envelope labeled “Arynn” that I set to the side to look at later, and picked up a granola bar instead. She had somehow included a thermal blanket, and I wished I could have asked her where and when she had gotten it. The thought made tears come to my eyes and I wiped them away quickly. Dusk was setting in and I needed to figure out where to sleep.

I spent that first night in a tree, strapped in with a rope and covered with a thermal blanket. I woke as dawn was creeping up the horizon, and Ash wanted to run for the better part of the day. We figured out how to bring the backpack without much issue, and I let her run. It also helped me be numb for a bit, just so I could focus on survival. Time for grief for my parents would come soon enough. Eventually we made it to a small town, where I was able to find some decent food, and a bus that passed by every other day. I took it south, eventually ending up in a smaller town in Oklahoma. It was just big enough that I wouldn’t stand out, but not too big that I couldn’t keep watch for danger.

My mother had placed new identification papers in the manila envelope, plus GED papers and enough money to get settled somewhere. The bakery I found had an owner who didn’t ask any questions when I stumbled over my new name. Mom had included a note saying that it was my birth name. It sounded beautiful to me, even if it didn’t feel like me yet. Aster Kinley. Mom didn’t include any information about my birth parents. That would have to be a search for another time, when I wasn’t running from my previous life.

Working at the bakery made me feel content. It was familiar, in a safe way. And the manager, Sue Ann, allowed me to work every other day. It was enough to pay my bills, and I was able to eat actual, full meals. I had saved enough that I was starting a martial arts class that afternoon. I may not be able to fight back against Lone Fang right now, but I would make myself stronger. I would be stronger so I could make sure Lone Fang never hurt another family like this.