Chapter Twenty Five
1005 Words
Elara's POV
"Elara, what were you thinking?"
The ride back home was suffocating and it was not because of the closed windows but it was because of the suspense hurled across the driver's seat.
The atmosphere was so tensed, there had to be many questions swirling in my mum's head, I had questions for her too.
"Sneaking out of the house with a boy to wander around a crime scene? Do you even realize how dangerous that was?" Her voice was sharp, louder than the blaring horn of the car she just overtook.
Her hands clutched the steering wheel tight as she continued. "What happened to visiting a restaurant or an ice cream shop for a first date?"
Eyes fixed on the passing streetlights, the only thing that escaped from my mouth was a loud scoff. The word "date" made my skin crawl.
"You could have gotten hurt! Or even worse!" She continued, slamming her palm against the wheel.
My fists clenched in my lap. The amount of anger surging through my veins was enough to make me dig my nails into my palm. Swallowing back the bitter taste of fury was not easy but there was also no use arguing in the car, not while she was on the highway.
We eventually pulled into the driveway, the headlights casted long shadows across the porch. She pulled the car into a stop and without wasting a second, I stepped out and headed inside.
"Elara! I am not done with you!" Mum's voice followed from behind.
She yanked me by the arm but I pulled back immediately.
"You think I am being too harsh, wait till you hear your punishment for such unruly actions." She said, accusingly.
Trying so hard not to look at her was difficult, her words hit like slaps.
"You are grounded, Two weeks. No Ethan. No Maya. No gadgets and no visitors, that includes the boy next door!"
That was it!
Spinning around, my eyes locked gaze with hers.
"What about you mum? You were out late too, at a crime scene for that matter yet you get no punishment? Why? Because you are the mother and you get to make the rules around here?"
Her eyes narrowed. "No! It was because I was worried! I went to see the house for myself, to see how bad the damage really was." She said in a defensive tone.
"Oh really? What happened to visiting during the day mum?" I snapped. "No normal human being would visit a crime scene at night! Your words, not mine."
Mum sighed, she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Elara, I am your mother. You do not get to question me like this."
My eyes rolled in mockery. "Here we go again, play the mother card!" My tone was laced with sarcasm.
"You do not have to know everything Elara!"
"And you do not have to lie to my face like I am stupid!" The words slipped out of my mouth.
The house was full of tension. Dad was standing by the end of the hallways, his hands raised in an attempt to intervene but his voice was completely drowned by ours
Nothing he said could calm me down and it was the same for mum. The anger was already too deep in us.
"Ground me all you want, I do not care." Rushing straight to my room and slamming the door shut behind me, I threw myself on the bed, anger pulsing in every bone and the sudden urge to scream really loud engulfed me.
Instead, I buried myself in my sheets and let the silence take over.
It took hours of tossing myself back and forth before sleep came and when it did, it was not peaceful.
The next morning, mum's annoying voice followed me out the door.
"Remember that you are grounded Elara, straight home after school!"
Ignoring her felt like the right thing to do, at least for peace to reign.
Stepping out of the house, the cool air hit my face. For the first time since yesterday, the tension in my chest eased. The walk to school was not long but every step away from the house felt like freedom.
Stepping into school, the first thing my eyes caught were Jordan's set of piercing amber eyes.
The sight of him was enough to send butterflies down my stomach. There was this soft warmth in my chest enough to make me release a sigh of relief.
His eyes met mine and there was a small smile plastered on his lips.
"Hey." He said, halting right in front of me. "How are you holding up?"
"Better......now." If only he knew he was the reason behind that.
"I'm sorry about my mum last night." He murmured.
My memory drifted back to his mum's reaction last night and to be honest, it was quite scary.
"Are we even allowed to be speaking to each other?"
Suddenly, Jordan leaned in, his voice low. "We don't have to each other to talk."
I blinked and stuttered. "Wh-at do you mean?"
"There are other ways to reach me, you've done it before." With that coded response, he flashed me a mischievous smirk and headed off.
His words echoed in my mind. other ways? Was he talking about.....the mind-link stuff that happened those past few times? That could not have been real.
I struggled to grasp what Jordan was talking about when all of a sudden, something itched at the back of my senses.
A scent.
A familiar one.
I trailed the scent, rushing down the hallways but halted in my steps right in front of the door. That was when it all became clear.
My worst nightmare.
Standing at the front of the classroom, dressed corporately was no one other than Gabriel Cross.
It was like he sensed my presence when he turned slowl. His eyes met mine, a small smile tugged by the corner of his lips.
This was not a coincidence, something felt out of place.
- Writer
