Golden Keeper Ch. 08

"Miss, how much further?"

May heard someone respond in a light, pleasant voice. "A few more yards, ma'am. The forest doesn't thin much around here, thick trees and such. You can't see her, but I'm sure she can see you." As soon as the words left her mouth, May saw them.

A young brunette, no more than twenty, Rebekah, she realized, led two other women. One was older than the others, aged with sadness, but she still had a timeless beauty about her.

Momma, May thought.

Her light, golden hair was pinned up, with some strands curling around her slim face. She trailed after Rebekah somewhat reluctantly, almost afraid. Then she noticed the last person in the group…Kita! she squealed in her head.

She had dark hair, cropped and spiky. She looks like Rage, May thought with a smile.

They both had the same pissed off attitude. And right then, Kita looked like she was about to kill a bitch.

May had the biggest, cheesiest smile possible on her face, but she didn't care. She was so elated, she could barely stand it. She started to jump up and down lightly on her feet as they neared and she heard Grant outright laughing at her on the porch.

Thinking that she had time, she whirled around and stomped over to him with her hand perched precariously on her tiny hip. She glared at him and pouted out her bottom lip, which just made him laugh harder. He was—quite literally—doubled over with laughter. His booming chuckles drowned out the sound of the three women's approach, so they were both startled when a young voice called out.

"Grant?" Rebekah said, obviously unsure whether he was laughing or in pain.

He was still gripping his abdomen. Grant straightened up and stepped down the stairs to offer May his hand. She smiled warmly at him, although she couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, "It'll be fine, sweet. I promise."

He tugged at her hand and May stepped back and spun around.

___

Those things that you see but aren't really there…Illusions… Mirages, she thought as she watched the tall, regal, silver-blonde woman spin around to face her.

Her features were sharpened, perfected, but underneath, she still looked like her baby. Her Charamaine. Yet, she knew it wasn't. No way. She was gone. It was all a mirage.

Maybe I'm dreaming? She hoped she was, but a tiny part of her hoped she wasn't.

___

Whoa, she thought, watching the tall, broad shouldered man with dark hair and amber eyes bend down to whisper in the woman's ear.

If I were straight, I'd totally tap that. Regardless, I bet that chick's got dibs, anyway.

She relaxed a little, her muscles fucking hurt after walking so far. She was in the process of stretching her arms above her head when the blonde woman whipped around. Her arms fell limply to her sides.

"Whoa," she said, aloud this time.

___

May never liked being the center of attention. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Grant nod to Rebekah in thanks as she slipped off into the forest. Focusing, she stepped forward. She looked into her mother's eyes and saw everything. The hurt. Disbelief. Shock. Pain. Then shock again.

"Momma?" her voice rang out. Her mother stood stock-still, staring. Nervous under her silver gaze, she turned to her sister.

"Kita?" she whimpered. May saw a smile slowly spread across her sister's features and she knew then that everything would be okay… somewhat.

"May-May!" Kita squealed and ran into her sister's arms.

They stood there, in an embrace, for a solid ten minutes until Grant tapped on May's shoulder. Letting go of Rikita, she smiled up at him, then back to her sister. "Kita, this is Grant. Grant, Kita."

"Nice to finally meet you," he said, his hand out.

"Likewise, man," Kita said, shaking his hand.

Then Kita looked back and saw her mother staring open-mouthed at them. "Momma, don't be a bitch like this. It's your daughter!"

Her mouth snapped shut, obviously talking offensive in the comparison of herself to a female dog. Her eyes watered. "Impossible," she said weakly.

"Momma, it's me," May said, flitting to her mother's side to hold her calloused and slightly wrinkled hands.

"It's me, Momma." She kissed her mother on the cheek and her mother burst into tears, trying to string together incomprehensible sentences. After a few minutes of May trying to comfort her heartbroken mother, she brought her to sit down on the porch's rocking chair.

"Where have you been, my baby?" her mother, Fina, inquired between hiccups. She refused to let go of her, clinging.

"Mom I don't think we should talk about this now. Maybe later, after you're relaxed a bit, okay?"

"But May, you're alright, aren't you? You're not hurt?" Her mother looked her over.

"Momma, I'm fine now. Are you hungry? I'm sure it was a long journey here."

"Oh. Yes, that woman was so nice. Rebekah, she said her name was." Her mother looked around for her. "Oh, my. Where'd she run off to?"

"Grant let her leave, Momma. She didn't have to stay." She hugged her mother again.

"Oh, alright. Grant? Was that the gentleman I talked to on the phone?" she asked, abashed.

"Yes, Momma," she waved him over and Kita followed.

"Ma'am," he said, nodding. He reached for her hand to kiss the back of it.

Her mother quivered. Grant always had a way with women. She smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"A pleasure," he continued, addressing her mother.

"So can we get something to eat? I'm starved!" Kita interrupted.

"Sure," May said, and gently goaded her mother into the cabin's kitchen.

May figured it'd be better if they weren't around all the others just yet. She looked up to Grant and could tell he thought the same thing.

"What can I get for y'all?" Grant asked, the gentlemanly image of southern hospitality perfected.

Fina and Kita looked at each other, not wanting to impose.

He easily interpreted their silence. "How about I whip you up some sandwiches?"

"That'd be nice, thanks." Kita smiled.

Their meal—of delicatessen quality club sandwiches—was quiet, but comfortably so.

"How about we sit for a while," Grant offered after he and May cleaned away their plates.

He led them into his small living room. May was surprised she hadn't noticed it before, yet it was expected, considering construction was just another hobby of his.

Kita and Fina sat together on the dark blue loveseat and, without thinking, May perched herself in Grant's lap in the overstuffed chair across from them. It wasn't until she caught the sharp, yet appraising, look from her sister that she realized where she was sitting. As she was shifting to get up, her mother stopped her.

"Now, dear," she smiled a small smile, disbelief still evident in her features, "don't readjust on my account. Make yourself comfortable."

May relaxed into Grant's inviting embrace and smiled warmly at her mother, trying to get her to calm down. Unsure of where to start, she turned to Grant for guidance.

"Why don't you tell them how it started?" he suggested, intertwining her slippery, silk-textured hair between his fingers, absentmindedly twisting it. She nodded and turned back to face her family.

"I was at home—my apartment with Emmett, getting ready for my date," she started in a soft, unsure voice. "Emmett told me not to go. That this guy wasn't good… but I didn't believe him."

I've gotten three sentences out, and I'm already choked up, she thought pitifully.

"So I went out to meet him—" She stopped again when she saw her sister and her mother's questioning looks.

"Oh… uh, Collin," she winced then continued. "He was acting strange in the car… I thought we were going out to a restaurant, but he told me he cooked at his place. So we went there. He made some Italian dish; I'm not exactly sure what, although it was very delicious. We were putting away the dishes…when he told me that he wanted to show me s-something in his basement."

She paused and breathed in deeply. "I told him that it was almost twelve o'clock, and that Emmett would come to get me if I wasn't home soon. He said he'd get me home, though. H-he promised. He p-put his hands over my eyes and led me downstairs. I could tell the lights weren't on anyway; it was too dark through my eyelids, even with his hands. When we got to the… to the bottom…" She hiccupped, not realizing there were tears on her lower lids poised to fall.

Grant made loving, comforting circular motions with his hand along her back. "He, uhm, he started acting even more strangely. He was saying weird things… and he still hadn't removed his hands from my eyes, so I got a little freaked out. He started referring to some Master of his, so I told him that it wasn't funny anymore… and… and he took his hands off and I saw the hallway… Then he hit me with something and when I woke up, I was in this… room." She shuddered.

"I heard Emmett upstairs, but then I heard him fall." Her voice cracked and wavered at the end, her tears ready to spill.

May decided to skip what happened to her there, she assumed that she'd already said too much. "I was there for so long… I don't really know for how long. Then one night, I woke up and I was in this forest. I ran to a clearing, where Grant found me."

She placed her hand on Grant's other unoccupied knee and he smiled encouragingly up at her. May hadn't looked up yet, at her family. Who knows what they'll think of me, now.

"I—well, when I woke up… in the forest… I… I had these."

She was very glad she picked a strapless dress, as she stood up with her back to Kita and Fina. Letting her mind drift, she found it was even simpler to move her wings back to her current plane. She heard the slight intake of breath—something that would have gone unnoticed with human hearing—and turned around.

___

They ended up sitting side-by-side on Finn's porch steps, watching the sunset, to a certain extent, as it was behind the abundant trees. Finn examined the condensation dripping from the neck of his beer bottle to the curves of his fingers. He took a swig and initiated the conversation again.

"So about Charamaine… how do you know her?" he asked, inclining his head in Emmett's direction but not making eye contact.

Emmett's jewel-toned eyes set his skin on fire. If he wanted any chance at coherency, he was going to have to stay focused and enflamed skin wasn't likely to help that.

"She's my best friend," he said, quietly. "Emmett Cade," he stressed his last name.

Emmett, Finn thought, Em—Oh! Oh. That Emmett.

"Oh," Finn repeated his thoughts timidly. "How are 'ya, man?"

"I've been better," Emmett smirked, amused.

Finn's eyes flickered briefly to Emmett's lips and he started burning. He took another long sip from the bottle, licking his lips afterward, as if it would help to cool him down any. He already wasn't wearing a shirt, how much hotter could Emmett make him before he'd have to take off the rest of his clothes? The prospect of taking off clothing made him hot all over again.

___

You'd think that sipping a beer wasn't sexy, but holy shit. He managed it somehow, Emmett thought, openly staring at Finn's mouth while he licked of the remnants of beer from his lips. If he does that again, I'm licking it off for him. No buts.

They talked back and forth and Finn never once asked what was up with Emmett's eye—or his scarred skin, for that matter—and Emmett appreciated that.

Figuring he'd overstayed his welcome, he drained the last of his beer and rested his hands on his knees, preparing to stand. When—perfect timing—Finn took another swig and licked his lips…

"Jesus," Emmett groaned, caving under his pent-up desire, and swooped down for a taste, as promised.

___

"Oh!" someone gasped, clearly audible this time.

May felt a little woozy, but nothing serious. She was afraid to face them, but she straightened her heavier spine and slowly turned.

"Oh, my." The voice was clearly her mother's this time.

Kita chuckled. "Weird."

Before anyone could be outraged with her obnoxious comment, she continued, "Totally awesome and beautiful, but still weird," she chuckled again.

May lifted her face and saw her mother and sister were not as apprehensive as she expected. May gave a small smile as she felt Grant wrap one arm around her. She heard her mother sigh, but Fina did not explain herself.

"So… where did you get those?" Kita asked, still staring… but hey, that was Kita.

May opened her mouth to answer, but her mother stopped her. "I know," she said, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she squinted at the large, black wings that overwhelmed May's small stature.

____

May knew they were being watched as she and her mother walked through on one of the many trails in the forest. She also knew that her mother realized this as well but Fina said nothing. Grant took Kita to meet Rage and they both agreed that they were each other's mirror image. May almost giggled again at the thought of two of them. She looked to her mother again and sighed, reviewing what she told her in her mind.

Fina told her that when she was born, she had them, her wings. That was a wake-up call. May asked her mother to explain, but she was unsure on how to continue. All she said was that May was of a different….species.

Well, if I didn't feel like an outsider already...

However, her mother and father repressed the gene with a heavy spell, trapping her wings in a different dimension. But, somehow—they had yet to figure out—someone removed it and her wings came back. May assumed that Collin did something, but her mother wasn't so quick to agree. She said that a spell like that couldn't just be undone by anyone. There were few people who would know how, outside of her mother, her father, and her uncle. Her parents never talked about her uncle much. Although, whenever they did, it was not pleasant.

"Why would someone want me to have these?" May asked her mother, continuing their conversation from earlier.

"Well, dear… the only thing I can think of would be for something like a rite of passage. However, for you, it would involve more of an ultimatum."

May was confused. "What ultimatum, ma?"

"Good versus evil, heaven versus hell, that sort of thing." She chuckled. "Your father could explain it better.

"Why did he really leave us, Momma?"

"He had to, Charamaine. He and his brother—well, I'm not a good storyteller. It would be better if Jatteo were here…"

It had been a long time since May had heard her mother call her father anything other than 'him.'

"If I call him, will he come, do you think?" May asked her, somewhat hopeful. She'd always loved her father.

"It worked for us," Fina said, referring to herself and her other daughter. "We can give it a try."

"I don't know his number, Momma." May gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, baby, you don't use a phone."

May was even more confused. "Then…how…"

"Just call him in your mind, Charamaine," she replied to her daughter, stroking her arm.

May hadn't even realized they'd stopped talking. "I'll watch you… go on. He's always been there, May. Just call to him."

May didn't really understand, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

…Daddy?

___

Shit…shitshitshitshit, she thought as she ran away from the mother and daughter in the woods.

Shit! He told her not to let them call. But what was she supposed to do? The mother put a protective spell over them and there was no way she could break it. The old woman was surprisingly strong with her magic. Not to mention, Grant would know in an instant if something happened to her…

Shit! she cursed again.

She flew past the trees, her light honey-colored fur a stark contrast to the darkened bark. When she came to the forest's edge, she shifted back to change into the clothes that she'd left underneath a bush. She replayed the end of their conversation in her mind…

Silence your ignorance, Lynaeo. Do not fail me.

"Of course, Sir."

You know what will happen if you do. I'm giving you fair warning. Collin had to learn the hard way.

She shivered, the fear made her blood run cold.

Making herself presentable, she walked out of the forest casually, running right into Grant. Who is that? she thought as she glanced at the Rage look-a-like by his side.

"Grant," she nodded with a sneer.

"Lynette," he acknowledged.

She hated that name, but it was closest to her real name, so she endured it. If they find out who I really am… She shuddered internally at the thought.

"How's Charamaine?" she asked with bitter politeness. "Emmett?"

The Rage-look-a-like looked shocked. "Em's here? What the fuck, man?"

Grant sighed. "She's fine, she's with her mother. Last I heard Emmett was… occupied… with Finn. Emmett didn't want you or your mother to know yet, Kita."

Emmett's gay? Goddammit! There goes my sweet revenge, she thought.

Nothing was going on as it was supposed to. "That's nice. Have a good night," she said quickly, ignoring the confused look Grant gave her.

She jogged towards Jase's small cabin, knowing that he wouldn't be with Finn if he didn't have to be. When she arrived, she pounded on the door, her peroxide blonde curls shaking.

He opened the door, stretching. "What do you want?"

Why does everyone always talk to me like that?

"Where in fuck's sake have you been?" It was rhetorical….she didn't give him a chance to answer. "She's calling Jatteo," she whispered.

Jase snapped up and smashed his fist into the doorframe. "Why the hell would you let her do that?! You know what's gonna happen now, don't you?!" he asked incredulously.

He was outraged and a little afraid. "You're going to get us killed," he whispered the last word. "Idiot!"

"What would you have done? Her mother put a protective spell on her. There was no way I could've gotten to her. Even if I did, Grant would've been there in a second."

Jase thought for a moment. "Alright," he said, finally, "we're leaving, then. But we have to do it soon. Who knows when he'll get here? Dammit, Lyn, did you have to screw up everything?"

That stung more than she was willing to admit, but she still held herself high. "Fine. When?"

"Tomorrow morning. Before dawn, please. Try not to screw this up too. I'd like to live."

"You know he'll find us anyway, right?" she asked, suddenly very, very nervous. There was no response. Jase just glared at her and stormed back inside.

I can't do anything right. She groaned and sprinted back into the forest.

___

Hey, there!

Thank you for being so patient (again) with me! I'm working on Chapter 09 now . . . which means that I'll probably be done before this posts . . .

If you have any questions or comments feel free to shoot me an email :)

Thanks for reading, darlings!

x's, Mia