Sisters by chance - The beginning

Forgiveness

For the first time, I can see them. Really see them: Rose and Ruth I recognize, their blond hair. They look so much alike. Except for them, I don't know who is who. The light is on in the truck, and the girls are all kneeling in a row before me on the covered floor. He is pacing behind them. Still without clothes. He caught me, he caught all of us. How is that possible? The atmosphere is thick with defeat and fear. The girls are shaking, so am I. Suddenly he turns on the spot and grabs the tiniest looking girl's head with both hands. Her oval face looks tiny within his big fingers spread over her cheeks, temples, and forehead. Her hair looks dirty blonde and straight. When she starts to plead with him I can hear her light high voice. It's like a slap to my face. Agnes!

"Consent." he roars, looking me dead in the eye with a wicked gleam. Time seems to stop, and I can't breathe. 

I can't speak, I shake my head weakly. Without breaking eye contact he grins, and then he flicks his wrist. The snapping sound is heinous, and with it, I find my voice and scream. Her empty eyes are staring at nothing, but he takes a step to his right and grabs the next girl. She has dark, thick curly hair. Her eyes are dark but I can't see the color. She looks at me, terrified. And cries despondently.

"Consent" he booms with wrath squeezing her head tight.

Sofia’s POV

I’m back in the truck. Over and over, our failed escape is shown to me. Like a film that never ends. We get out, he brings us back. He kills Agnes in front of us, and I could have stopped it. This guilt is eating me alive. All the what if’s… But one important part of the puzzle was missing then.

We didn’t know he wasn’t human.

We didn’t know we stood no chance against him.

We know nothing… 

In the hunger games, yes the movie. Katniss repeats what she knows about herself to remain sane. I wonder if that works. I don’t feel insane though, just sad, stressed out, and overwhelmed by all this. I wonder if things would have been different if we had known everything at that moment.

I miss my new ‘sisters’, I had them for such a short time. And they meant so much to me! I’m worried about Oliva, how she and River are doing. Is Mia okay surrounded by witches? And where are Rose and Ruth? I haven’t heard anything about them.

I can’t help them, I can’t protect them. What good am I? 

The saddest possible voice is heard, but it’s distant, like far away. 

“Hi, Angel! Would you please talk to us?” He begged. My eyes are opened but all I see is the trucks' darkness. Am I going to be stuck here forever?

“We miss you so much, baby girl!” He sobs, “we need you, please wake up!” His words are like a warm blanket over me and slowly the dark truck is transformed into the soft and pleasant guest bedroom. Jacob is lying in front of me, his eyes closed and he is smelling my hair, like always. His beautiful face is wearing a frown. Carefully not to surprise him, I caressed his face and played with his sexy beard. A sigh of relief is heard so I move close and rub my nose against his.

“Why are you sad?” I mumbled to his lips.

“You left us!”

“No silly, I’m right here!” I giggled. He gave me a shaky laugh like he was on the verge of crying.

“I’m never letting him take you for a shower again!” He growled before becoming quiet. But it’s like he isn’t finished, so I stay quiet and wait. “You left us…” He sobs, like a stubborn child, making me giggle at his silliness. I’m not going anywhere. How could he think that?

We stay like that, I stroke his cheek over and over trying to calm him down.

“I’m sorry, I truly am! I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just, I was back. Back in the truck, with him… The night we tried to escape, he found us and brought us back.” I’m thankful he keeps his eyes closed and listens to me, it’s easier to talk.

“He killed Agnes. She was so tiny, her voice so soft! I couldn’t save her, but I could save Mia. And I did, I did that!” My voice is shaky, it’s all so real.

“Yes, yes you did!” He comforts, “You saved her! And we will save her again. But you can’t leave us!” He begged again and opened his eyes to meet mine. I feel ashamed of how I handled this. I didn’t mean to make him suffer. But he must know I wouldn’t leave them like that, go crazy and not live with them. 

“I’m not leaving, not now when Lucas found my magic spot!” I teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. Instead, he gives me a pained expression.

“Don’t do that angel, right now I want to kill him for causing this!”

“This is not his fault, and you know it! What if it was us in the shower, you and me, have you thought of that? Don’t blame him!”

“I’ll stop hating him, eventually!” He murmured, making me laugh.

We cuddle and just talk about random stuff. My body feels stiff, I guess I have been lying here for some time now.

The door opens and Lucas walks in. Jacob frowns and kisses me before standing up to walk away. Lucas looks after him but lets him go. My need for stretching is tremendous, so I sat up and realized I’d got a t-shirt on. I pull my hands up over my head and stretch as high as I can. Lucas slumps down onto the bed, his shoulders and head hanging low. Jacob is angry and sad, Lucas is just sad. His whole body screams remorse.

“It wasn’t your fault!” I tell him sternly, I’m not going to baby him about this. He needs to get over it, and so does Jacob. He doesn’t answer me, he doesn’t even look up at me.

Filled with annoyance, I sighed loudly for him to hear before I quickly crawled up to him and straddled him. I put my arms around his neck and my forehead against his. I need contact, physically yes, but mentally mostly.  

“Are you not going to look at me, talk to me or touch me?”

“I don’t know!” He sighs forlorn, still not looking at me.

“Don’t be daft! How am I supposed to put up with you not seeing me, talking to me, or touching me? You found my freaking magic spot… what if I have more? Don’t leave me hanging!” I teased, trying to force him to realize that this was inevitable. I’ve been through some stuff that will take time, even I get that.

I feel him chuckle under me before his arms find their way around me.

“Jake hates me!”

“Nah, he’s just upset. It’s going to blow over if you give him some time. Or I can become catatonic while being with him if you’d like!”

“No thanks, you just stay like this!” He mumbles.

“Well, the offer stands!”

“I believe you, but no!”

***

Jacob stays working from home the rest of the week. He doesn’t speak to Lucas and Lucas avoids Jacob. I just try to be like usual, I want to feel normal. They aren’t doing anything to help with the situation right now. So when the weekend comes and we all still walk on eggshells, I’m fed up with them. After an awkward Sunday breakfast, I’ve had enough.

“I’m going for a walk, when I’m back I expect you guys to have fixed this!” I ordered while pointing between them before leaving.

Leaving the house is liberating, I’ve been here all this time feeling safe. And they have destroyed it with their feud over something they have no control over. Or, Jacob is. Lucas just lets it be hoping it will blow over. And that could be my fault, but still.

The day is cloudy, with no shining sun and blue sky. I walked down to the edge of the lake. It’s bordered with huge smooth rocks to sit on and watch the calm steel-gray water, but I don’t feel like sitting and watching the lake today. I need to move, walk. So I walked, past the stones and the lake. Away from the house and mates, from the village and all living there. I just walked into the forest, aimlessly. I’m going to use this time to not think about anything.

After what feels like hours in the deep forest surrounded by the sturdy trunks and all the different greens, I feel fine. Lighter. But I should have chosen better shoes for walking. My feet are tired.

Eventually, I end up back at the little stone beach where I had my first and only date with Jacob. I take a seat and put my feet in the water, looking out over it, calm, collected. On the other side, I see the campsite.

I think about the life I had before, of Mom and dad. I miss them!

I think about Hannah and let the tears roll. The memories cause my heart to ache, and my stomach drops, making me feel nauseous. I think about Noah, May, and June, their happiness and liveliness. I miss them all, so, so much.

But Mia, Olivia, Rose, and Ruth, they’re alive! That makes me sad and happy. I long for them, and I want to find them.

My thoughts sweep away over the water, the stillness is comfortable. I closed my eyes and lay down on my back. The smooth pebble under me doesn’t bother me. Lucas' handsome face is shown to me, he is all wet standing in the shower. Eyes glowing with lust and expectation. I lean in and kiss him, a steamy hot kiss. As I pull back and gaze up at him, I realize I’m on my back on the bed admiring Jacob from underneath him. His eyes are flickering full of mischief. He licks his lips slowly, not breaking eye contact, before taking my lower lip between his teeth, nibbling on it. I moaned into his mouth. I miss Jacob and Lucas. How is that possible? They aren’t far away, but still, I do.

They make me happy, safe, they make me feel loved!

With the mental images of them fresh in my mind, I sit up and take my shoes in my hand. I’m ready to go back and see if they have resolved their issues. As I rose and turned to leave, I was met by the sight of a huge Wolf and a tremendously big Bear. The scream that ripped through my throat echoes over the water and bonuses between the trees. Realizing it's them, I slap my hands over my mouth. My heart is in my throat and is pounding so hard it's deafening.

“What the f**k is wrong with you two?!” I yelled at them and throw my shoes at them before holding my hands over my heart, panting. Blue sits down in front of my whimpering. But Lucas slowly walked up to me, still in his bear-form. His thick chocolate brown fur is shiny despite the gray weather, his eyes are like amber, golden. He is truly outstanding, just like Blue.

On instinct, I take a step back. And he stops. The sickening sound of Jacob's joints rearranging is heard and I swallow hard. Lucas followed his lead and I had to turn away from them. My heart still pounds like crazy and I still want to kill them.

“For how long have you been standing there?” I hissed at them, angrily focusing on the ground beneath me instead of their naked bodies in front of me.

When they don’t answer, I continue “Have you two made up?”

Both of them grunt in response, implying they aren’t totally happy about it.

The uncomfortable silence that follows makes my skin crawl. Why are they just standing there, why aren’t they saying anything? Unless they are lying to me, could it be so?

I scrutinize Lucas first, he beholds me like there is nothing else in the world to put your eyes on. He almost makes me lose focus. I take my eyes from his amazing body and inspect Jacob next. He is glaring at Lucas.

“Y-you’re lying!” I whispered yelled at him, snapping him out of it. “You two are lying to me…” I screamed this time.

Jacobs’s eyes are pleading with me, for what I don’t know.

“Technically, we didn’t answer, so!”

“Really, you are going to argue about details?” I warned him, lifting a finger in Lucas' direction, not taking my eyes from Jacob.

“No, not to argue, honey. Just, telling you. That’s all!”

“Why are you defending him?” I objected, watching Jacob mentally collapse in front of me. Like the air is leaving him.

“Why aren’t you just letting this go? I miss you, I want this to go back to normal again. Our normal!” I pleaded.

Lucas grabbed my hand and I reached out for Jacob.

“Just please, forgive him and let this go…”

He nods defeated and makes eye contact with Lucas.

“Sorry, bro. You know! It was like finding her all over again.” He explained, not making any sense to me.

“I know, how do you think I felt? I saw her leave…”

“I never left, I wouldn’t! I know I’m only human, okay, and all that. But I like this, us, you, both of you” I mumbled, slightly embarrassed, an unusual emotion for me. I meet their eyes, Lucas hazel, and Jacobs green. No animals. Just them.

I look them in their eyes one at a time and tell them.

“I care about you, and, I like you, truly!” My last words were nothing more than a shallow breath.