8. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
L ucas took his coffee cup with him as he made his way out to the small cement landing outside his cabin door. It was just a few feet from the water. It was the perfect spot, in his opinion. He sat in the plastic chair next to the door.
Of all the towns he’d passed through, it was the prettiest. He always felt an itch between his shoulder blades, where Cassie had touched him, when it was time to leave, as if there was an invisible hand pushing him right on down the road.
Cassie had said he would know when the vampires were closing in on him, and he figured that itch was it.
The itch had come with a vengeance one night, he’d gotten into his car and drove, landing in the cutest little spot in the world, Saint Lakes.
He counted himself lucky.
He usually picked bigger towns or cities to stay in, liking the anonymity. He could control his light of energy a lot better, so he wasn’t afraid to be around crowds of people. Plus, there were usually more job opportunities in the city and more people willing to pay him cash, too .
Cash helped him stay in one place a lot longer than using credit cards would have.
He wasn’t taking the chance that the vampires could track him through technology and such.
Technology was not his friend now that he was on the run.
And keeping a job for as long as possible was a good thing.
He hadn’t been doing great financially before going on the run and had tried to save every penny he could in order to get out of his parents’ house.
He never could do anything the easy way, including leaving home for the second time. The brighter side of the whole situation was the fact that he didn’t live at home with his parents anymore.
In fact, he’d probably never see them again. He wanted to cry at the thought.
The past two months had been a lot lonelier than he’d expected. There were times when he missed his old life terribly. And he thought the loneliness, more than anything else, was turning him into a bitter hag.
It was early in the morning, and he still had on his sleep pants and a hoodie.
He propped one of his bare feet on the chair and took a sip of his coffee.
The water was calm and still like glass.
There was an easiness to everything around him.
Peace washed over him for the first time in a long time, even before he’d gone on the run.
He was starting to like moving around, though, minus the loneliness and the lack of resources, of course.
Thank God for the rainbow duct tape he had found at a supermarket in the last city he’d squatted in or he probably wouldn’t have shoes.
They had been getting bad before leaving and now they reflected how rough his life had gotten.
He hadn’t been willing to spend what little money he had on clothing, even when he’d lived on his own.
Then he’d had to move back home and somehow the little things had gotten shoved aside as he spent every spare moment finding another job .
It didn’t matter. Eating and coffee were more of a priority than clothing. Having a roof over his head was also up there on the list, which was why he was staying in a one-room cabin.
The cute little dude who ran the place didn’t charge him much, probably knew Lucas was hard up based on the state of his meager possessions.
He slept in his car the night he arrived, not able to go any farther because he was tired.
He’d parked at one of the public beach accesses because there were no motels and the cabin rental office was closed so late at night.
Maybe he could stay there longer than he had in other places. It felt right, somehow. He felt a little less scared there than he had everywhere else. He couldn’t help but think about Cassie’s words. She’d mentioned a place where he would be safe.
If Saint Lakes was the place Cassie had mentioned, then it was filled with monsters. That little detail bothered him to no end.
Yeah. No thanks.
He saw the little dude come out of the cabin next to the one he stayed in, with a bucket and a rag. He had a bandanna wrapped around his head and a black tank top even though it was getting cold out. “Morning, Forrest.”
“Hey, Lucas. How’s it going this morning?” Lucas watched as Forrest put down his bucket and grabbed the chair from the cabin he had been cleaning. He picked it up and carried it to where Lucas sat, making himself at home on Lucas’ small porch.
“Would you like some coffee?” Lucas asked.
“Sure. Thanks, man.”
Lucas stood, setting his mug on the seat of the chair he’d vacated. The screen door squeaked as he opened it. Lucas closed it gently behind him. He went to the small kitchenette and got a cup off the rack thing on the wall .
“How do you take your coffee,” he yelled out to Forrest, his voice carrying easily through the open screen door.
“Just black. Thanks.”
Lucas carried Forrest’s mug of coffee outside and handed it to him. He picked up his mug off his chair and sat back down.
“So, what brings you into town?”
Lucas knew he stiffened at the question but couldn’t help it. “This and that,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
“How long are you in town?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not very many witches leave their circle for any lengthy period of time. Your magic is stronger when you’re together, right?”
Lucas’ eyes widened. “Circle?” He guessed he didn’t have one of those.
Forrest looked at him as if confused. “Well, you probably should talk to Ramsey if you’re gonna stay any longer than you already have. It’ll piss him off if you don’t.”
“Wait. What are you talking about? Why would I have to talk to someone named Ramsey? Why would he care?”
“Because this is our territory.” Forrest sat back in his chair and frowned at him. “How did you go your whole life without knowing this custom?”
“Custom? Okay, I’m so confused right now.”
“Didn’t your circle tell you this stuff?”
“Umm.” Lucas had no idea what Forrest was talking about. He could guess what a circle was, but he wasn’t sure what sort of customs Forrest referred to. No movies he had ever watched, had prepared him for the finer details of knowing how to function as a paranormal.
He bit his lip and set his coffee on the ground at his feet, grabbing Forrest’s hand.
Reading people was something he practiced whenever he could.
Focusing on other people, finding out what was on their mind, was something he’d discovered he could do.
He could learn quicker if he peeked into Forrest’s mind and found what he needed to know.
Forrest pulled his hand away abruptly. “Hey man. That’s something you need to ask to do.
You don’t just look into someone’s head.
Jeez, you really don’t know any of this, do you?
” Forrest sighed and shook his head. “Okay, I’m going to make this easy for you and just have you talk to my mom.
She’s a witch, just like you, so she can give you all the 411 on our ways. ”
Lucas expected the itch to pop up in the center of his back, but it didn’t happen. “How do you know I’m a witch?”
“I can smell it on you. You smell a little like my mom and another witch that comes through the area from time to time.”
“So, that means you have a superpower too. Just like me?”
Forrest chuckled. “Right, because I’m Batman. Dude, don’t say to another paranormal that you have a superpower. Some might take that as an insult.”
“Sorry. I didn’t grow up with this or anything. It just sort of happened to me.”
“You were born a witch, Lucas. Just like I was born a shifter. It is what it is, man. But my mom will be able to tell you more about that. She’s a great lady.”
Lucas nodded and didn’t say anything.
“Hey, can I ask you something without it offending you?”
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t your mom tell you all the stuff you needed to know?”
Lucas shrugged. He wasn’t even sure if his parents were aware of what he was. Maybe the paranormal gene had skipped a generation. It wasn’t as if he could call them up and ask them, not without drawing attention to his location. “I guess she had her reasons.”
“You doing anything today?”
“No. Unfortunately.” Lucas pictured himself with a loincloth smacking a fish against a rock. That would be his future in a couple of weeks if he didn’t find a way to make money soon.
Forrest smirked. “Need a job?”
“God, yes. Know anybody who’s hiring?”
“No, but I know someone who needs help. What do you know about boats?”
“I know they're supposed to float on water. I know about car motors, not boats.”
Forrest laughed. “My brother Bennett might bitch at you all day, every day, but he’s a good teacher. We can stop by his house this morning and then I’ll take you to see Mom. Maybe Ramsey too, depending on what Mom says.”
“Thanks, man. I totally owe you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t met Bennett. He can be…surly to say the least. And Ramsey still has to let you stay in his territory.”
Oh God, if that was the case, once these people learned what kind of baggage Lucas came with, they were totally going to kick his ass out of town.