Hidden Truth

Chapter 15

Claire

My eyes burned as they slowly opened. I was still laying on the couch, the tv still playing the movie. Memories of last night came back to me, bringing fresh tears to the surface. Turning off the tv, I slowly stood up, surveying the room. The sun shone through the open curtains, revealing the empty, unslept-in, bed. Blake either never came home or never came back to the room to sleep.

I stumbled a few steps to the bathroom, my head pounding. Flipping the light switch on, I placed my hands on the counter and met my eyes in the mirror. They were red and dark circles lined my eyes. Turning on the cold water, I splashed some over my face to wash away the dried-up tears and snot that was probably there. When I felt more presentable, I left the bedroom to find Blake.

I wasn't sure what I was going to say when I found him, but I needed to know how he felt. There is something between us forming and I know that I want it to go further.

Pushing open the kitchen door I called out to Blake. The kitchen was empty. Leaving, I called down the hallway towards the library. The house was silent as I opened the door. He wasn't there either. I was alone in the house, most likely all night.

A tear slowly rolled down my cheek as I slid down the wall to the floor. Was I that repulsive, that Blake would run off and not come back home? A crack of thunder sounded and the pounding of rain hitting the window made me lift my head. Slowly standing up I walked back to the kitchen, and out the back door. I stood at the edge of the patio watching the sky change from bright blue to dark grey, and the rain pelted the ground.

Raising my hand slowly above my head, I brought it halfway down forcefully. Following my movement, a streak of lightning came down, striking the trees lining the property in front of me. My mouth opened slightly, as I gaped at what I did. Flames erupted and the surrounding trees caught fire. Panicked, I tried to concentrate on creating a downpour to put the fire out.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to think about what I wanted. I imagined a steady rain fall over the trees, and the fire dying as smoke filled the air. Another crack of thunder sounded as something rustled in the trees. Cracking open my eyes I watched as the rain slowly killed the flames and a figure walked out of the woods towards me. I knew those eyes from miles away.

"Where have you been," I yelled over the rain. Blake stopped a few feet in front of me, the rain soaking his clothes. His hair was plastered to his face and his eyes shone brightly as he looked at me sadly.

"I'm sorry Claire."

"Why did you leave?" I took a step toward him, leaving the shelter of the patio. "What did I do?"

"You did nothing wrong Claire." I could see the hurt in his eyes and his shoulders dropped. "I was an i***t and never should have left."

"Then why did you," I asked softly.

"I was scared."

"Of what?" I asked as I took another step forward.

Blake took a deep breath before he answered," of how I felt about you." We both took a step forward until we were right in front of each other. "Claire, I'm sorry I ran off. I really care about you, and I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"Blake-" he cut me off before I could get another word out. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. Without hesitation my arms snaked around his body. His chin rested on the top of my head as he took a deep breath.

"It is against the rules to be with someone outside your species. But we can't deny how we feel, and the oracle had a vision about us together."

I pulled back slightly to see his face, "what's an oracle? And why is it having visions of us?"

A deep laugh rumbled his chest as he tightened his hold. "I'll explain all that later. Right now, I just want to hold you."

A squeal left my lips as he lifted me off the ground. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as his hands rested on my butt. I ran my hands through his hair as our eyes locked on each other.

"I promise I won't run again. I'm here now Claire, for good." I could feel the honesty in his voice. I smiled as I lowered my lips to his. Our kiss started slow and sweet, before turning hungry and rough. His grip tightened and the rain started coming down harder.