HIS SCENT IS A MOON LIT LIE

Chapter Forty Two

Elara's POV

Adrian's voice continually rang in my head and even though I tried to ignore it, it managed to stick firmly.

Forcing a tight smile at the police officer and nodding, I managed to say. "Thank you. I will contact you as soon as I hear from them."

Before he could say anything further, my legs moved fast, pretending to walk down the street. Once out of sight, I carefully slipped behind Jordan's house.

Jordan could not be gone, no!

The side gate creaked sllightly as my hands pushed it open, heart racing extremely fast and sweat forming on my forehead, anxiety washed over me.

He can not be gone.

I reached the backyard and froze at the sight in front if me.

It was not Jordan.

Adrian.

That explained why his voice kept ringing in my head.

He leaned lazily against the wooden fence like he owned the place, his arms folded and an unreadable expression plastered on his face.

"You again?" Walking towards him, disappointment fell across my face."What do you mean by Jordan left?'

Adrian did not flinch. "Exactly what I said. He is gone. What other explanation is attached to that?"

"You are lying." My voice cracked as my legs began to tremble.

"You think so or are you just trying to convince yourself? To make yourself feel better that Jordan did not just leave you."

Biting my lower lip to hold back the tears that threatened to escape from my lips, I turned in an attempt to walk away but Adrian continued.

"I saw him." His eyes narrowed slightly. "He and his mum packed up real early with his brothers too. They boarded a cab and so did I."

My eyes were fixated on Adrian as he shrugged. "They stopped at the station and boarded the next bus out of town."

"Which town?" I demanded, stepping closer.

His usual mischievous smirk grew on his face and there was this feeling he was about to give the most insensitive response. "I am not telling you because I have no intention of helping Jordan come back to town, not now, not ever. He is better off, gone."

My mouth opened to argue but no words came. Anger surged through me but so did fear. Did Jordan really leave? Without telling me? Without saying goodbye?

I turned around and sprinted home.

"Mum! Mum!" My mother was in the kitchen when I burst in.

"Elara? What happened? Baby, are you okay?" She rushed towards me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Jordan is missing.." I paused to catch my breath. "He left town I think, probably because he was afraid of going to prison."

Mum looked up, startled. "What?"

"The bus station. They left." Those were the only words my mouth managed to form.

A moment of silence passed by, mum pulled away and spoke calmly. "Elara, breath." She gestured me to sit on one of the stools in the kitchen. "It is alright, we will find him. If he really left then he could not have gone far, the police will handle it."

"But-"

"You have to trust me on this, okay?"

Staring into my mother's eyes, I felt relief wash over me. "Okay." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Mum made me take a few more breaths before driving me to school.

At school, I met up with Maya and Ethan by my locker.

"You missed physics and you look like you just saw a ghost." Ethan pointed out.

"Is this about your mum?" Maya asked. "Does she hate you and now me?"

I shook my head. "My mum and i reconciled, she is even dropping charges against Jordan."

"Hey, that is amazing!" Maya squealed, smiling enthusiastically.

"But Jordan is gone." I had not let her rejoice for long.

Maya's smile faded. "Gone?"

"He left town. With his mum and brothers and i did not even get to say goodbye."

Maya reached out, she squeezed my hand while Ethan flashed me a reassuring smile. "The police will find him, do not let it get to you Elara."

Later in AP bio class, I sat in my seat, my chin rested in my palm and my eyes roamed through my open laptop instead of the board.

Gabriel's voice faded behind the urgency of my thoughts. My research on lycanthropy had been going for days now, quietly yet surprisingly obsessively. I was trying to understand what Adrian was, what Jordan was and maybe what i was too.

My fingers scrolled through a page on some weird folklore about romance. I was about skipping through when a particular line caught my attention.

"When two bound souls are truly connected, the path between them shall remain unbroken. No turmoil shall separate one from the other, for the bond is the pleasant scent of home and they shall find each other, always."

My heart paused.

"Find each other always?"

The idea suddenly struck me like lightening. I gasped loudly and thought to myself, what if this bond, connection or whatever it is between I and Jordan...what if it can help me find him?

Without wasting another second, I moved.

My chair scraped loud against the floor as i jerked off with full adrenaline.

"Elara!" I heard Gabriel call out my name but too late, my body moved swiftly, pushing past my confused classmates and storming towards the door.

The hallways was quiet, everyone was in class. I ran straight to Jordan's locker.

Locker 118.

My fingers trembled as I reached for it, heart racing extremely fast as footsteps drew closer, it was probably Gabriel coming for me.

"Hurry Elara."

I gritted my teeth, tugging on the lock until it finally gave way with a loud snap. The mental bent a little bit enough to spring the locker open.

My hands dug right into it, fingers brushing against a familiar fabric, Jordan's swimsuit.

I pulled it out and clutched it tight to my chest.

And then, without shame, my nose inhaled every part of it.

His scent hit me.

Warm, familiar, like rain before it hitting the earth.

With a newfound determination, I clutched the swimsuit tight.

"If there was a bond between us then I am going to find you Jordan. No matter where you are."