Shenanigans
I basically had no choice. Giving Jade a perplexed look, I slid into the passenger seat of my own car and buckled my seatbelt.
We watched as Jade jogged impressively- at least, to me- back to her car, before Aegis began expertly pulling us around to the exit. I fiddled with my shirt, looking out the window and hoping he wouldn't say much of anything.
"You don't remember much, do you?"
I blinked, before turning in surprise to look at him. "Remember much of... what?"
"Before you left." He was looking straight out the window as he talked, only moving his eyes to check on his sister's position before beginning to merge back onto the mostly empty street.
I blinked, and then floundered for a response, because it wasn't what I'd expected him to point out.
"I guess... not," I said slowly.
"Hmmm."
He sat comfortably in the old, ripped leather of my driver's seat, and I felt, for probably the thousandth time that morning, the deep claws of shame. I was nearly 30 and driving a beat up old car, on the run from pissed off paparazzi, and scrambling to start a brand new life. Meanwhile, Ivy was the town Sheriff, and Jade was apparently a mega rich social media popstar.
I had kids, sure, but I was barely enough for them. I wanted so badly to be able to just go out and buy whatever they needed, let alone what I wanted, but that... that just wasn't my reality.
What a disappointment.
"There's two things one could take from that," Aegis said, drumming his fingers on my steering wheel, and I realized with a start that I'd been staring at him. I quickly turned back to my window.
"What's that?" I asked quietly.
"One is that you never expected anything in return for you actions, which is admirable."
"I'll take that one, then."
Aegis chuckled dryly, though his expression barely changed when I glanced at him. "The other," he continued, tone more solemn, "is that it's been blocked out by some very difficult memories."
I very obstinately stared out the window. Aegis was always really damned perceptive, I thought, groaning inwardly. I don't know what I was thinking, assuming no one would notice anything. Hell, I didn't even think he'd remember me.
"I'm guessing I hit the nail on the head with that one, though I would guess that they're both true, in their own way."
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
I could feel that heavy gaze on me for a moment, as the car came to a stop sign. "If that's what you want to go with," he said, "then I'll drop it."
A huge part of me was relieved when he said that. The panic and tension that flared up in me when the looming threat of having to talk about why I'd left at all eased a little. Logically, I knew I'd have to address it at some point... but the childish part of me that had never had a chance to gracefully age out desperately wished we could all just... move on with our lives and pretend none of that had ever happened.
Sort of.
Aegis was already pulling into my driveway, and Jade was pulling her incredibly nice, foreign car onto the street. A black Sheriff's car was already parked along the opposite side.
"My neighbors are going to hate me," I said, bemused as I undid my seatbelt. "I've always got the Sheriff over here."
Aegis chuckled as he closed his door. "Ivy's a good Sheriff. She gets people to open up and trust her pretty quick."
"She always was super personable."
Aegis hesitated, and then a heavy hand came down on my shoulder, causing me to pause.
"Rudy isn't the only one with a secret past," he said quietly. "And neither are you."
"What secrets?" I said, shaking my head. "My life's an open book."
"I don't think you realize how suddenly you disappeared," Aegis said, and his expression was suddenly grim. "It was total confusion, Sylvia. We all thought you'd died, too, for about a month."
I stared at him. "What? But the funeral-"
"You weren't there, and it was closed casket. Things didn't get cleared up for... a while."
I swallowed. I'd forgotten that little detail. I hadn't come to their funerals.
I couldn't come back to Werewolf Hollow, let alone to come face to face with the fact that not only was my entire family dead, but I now had twins that I had to take care of, and I was running away from home. I'd shoved it all down and busied myself with babies, government aid, and sleepless nights.
My front door opened, and Lucy hopped up and down on the front porch. "Mama!" She squealed, running down it to crash into my legs, beaming up at me. "Mama, Mama! Ivy came over, and she helped me unpack all my stuff, and then she even played dolls with me!"
I raised my eyebrows. "When did Ivy get here?"
"A while ago," a voice called from the door. I looked up to see Ivy there, grinning. "Figured the FBI Agent could do with a hand, but as it turns out, he's even more capable than I am."
I got the feeling that Ivy had some issue with Rudy, but I'd have to ask her to get answers, and asking her anything was... dangerous, right now.
Jade was now out of her car, so I led the way for everyone, Lucy skipping as she held my hand. Ivy kept the door open, and we all stepped in to find, shockingly, peace and tranquility.
Rudy was up at the counter with a newspaper folded in front of him, leaning on his arms with a grin that eased back some of the lines in his face. Collin was awkwardly situated on the couch, looking bigger than ever and barely fitting in his clothes; Dylan was beside him, playing a game.
The two looked up as we entered. I noted immediately that Collin's large, semi-bright eyes widened at the sight of Aegis, immediately turning straight down to his lap. Dylan looked between all of us, but the second Jade walked into the room, he suddenly let out an unholy shriek that nearly caused my heart to stop.
"Dylan, what the hell?!" I shouted. I wasn't the only one; Rudy had jumped straight to his feet, hand at his waist, and Ivy was in a similar stance, uncharacteristically grim alarm all over her face. The only unphased people in the room were, apparently, Aegis and Jade themselves.
"MOM," Dylan said, his voice going into this odd, squeaky range. He was staring in open-mouthed disbelief at Jade, who just smiled at him. "MOM. MOM!"
"Dylan, baby, words. Use your words."
He ran his hands through his hair and looked at Collin. "Dude?!"
Collin, too, was now staring in open-mouthed disbelief at Jade. His shock was tempered, however, by the presence of Aegis, and he quickly swallowed, glanced anxiously at the Alpha, before putting his overly large hands over his face.
"I'm missing something," I said flatly.
"That is the JadisMatch," Dylan said, when Collin offered no answers. "THE JadisMatch, Mom!"
I raised my eyebrows. "I'm going to need more than that, kiddo, I haven't had time for the internet in like, a decade."
"Ugh, MOM! You have no idea!" Dylan moaned. Comically, he threw his head back and slid entirely off the couch.
Ivy seemed to suddenly understand, and rolled her eyes, laughing. "Oh, boy. Here we go. A fan."
"Scared the daylights out of an old man," Rudy complained, dropping into his seat.
"How did you meet the JadisMatch?" Dylan demanded, scrambling back up and pointing at me accusingly. "If you tell me she was here this whole time, I'll be so mad."
"She's been here this whole time," I said gravely.
Dylan shrieked and fell off the couch again.
"She's a, um, really big streamer," Collin offered, a little nervously. There was a gravely edge to his voice. "Dylan and I watch her... you know. Play games. She's really, really, really good."
"Like three time Champion of the Fighter Fest Tournament!" Dylan said, outraged, as he jumped back up to his feet. "They have like, fifty different fighting games at those tournaments, and she wiped the floor in nearly all of them."
I felt so insanely out of my league. I looked helplessly at Jade, who had gone somewhat pink in the face and looked very pleased.
"I'm not all that," she said, looking at me apologetically. "I play a lot of fighting games on my livestreams."
"Uh, yeah, and you absolutely rule," Dylan wailed. "I can't believe I could've grown up as the neighbor to one of the greatest streamers of all time, and instead, we were slumming it with the lizard lady and smelly old Mrs. Higgins!"
"What?" Ivy asked, taken aback.
"Think crazy cat lady, but she had thirteen iguanas," I explained. "And Mrs. Higgins was... um."
"We called a welfare check three times," Collin said, looking down when Aegis's attention landed on him. "We- we thought the smell was uh... and we hadn't seen her in a bit."
"She's pretty," Lucy offered, as Dylan bemoaned his terrible fate. "I like your pants."
Jade beamed. "Thank you! I actually thrifted them, and then did them up myself."
"Hey," Ivy said, waving a hand. "Are we going shopping, or not? I am down for some retail therapy."
"I'm heading back to the Auto Repair," Aegis grunted, making a face. "I don't think I'm needed here, anymore."
"Go along, brother dear," Jade offered. "Rudy, you joining?"
Rudy snorted. "No, thank you. This sounds like chaos incarnate. I've got a newspaper to read."
"We'll hit main street," Jade explained. "I know where everything is- and we'll start with the kids," she added, just as I started to open my mouth.
I felt myself blush slightly. "Yes. They need new clothes, stat." Particularly Collin. He was looking far more comfortable now that Aegis had left.
As per usual, it was chaos getting the kids in the car. Dylan was being comically doomsday about having missed out on watching Jade, in person, grow her fanbase. Collin was awkwardly shaped, now, and had to push his way into the car, hunching over. Lucy was just happy to be alive.
"Lucy looks just like you," Jade marveled, when I'd finally gotten all three situated.
"Is there... any of her Dad in her?" Ivy asked slowly.
I swallowed. I hadn't really tried to imagine Jackson’s face in years. "I can't remember," I said, not meeting her gaze.
"Uh, oh," Ivy said grimly. "That bad a guy?"
"Does he not come around?" Jade asked, frowning.
"I don't know where he is," I said, shrugging. "And I don't care to know."
"Understood," Ivy said immediately. "Come on. I'll lead the way. I know it's been a while since you walked these streets."
I nodded and slid into the driver's seat. Through my window, I watched Ivy and Jade exchange what was apparently a warm conversation, the two of them laughing brightly before Ivy slipped into the passenger seat of Jade's car.
I suddenly got the impression that, in my absence, the two of them had gotten close in the way that Ivy and I had once been.
That was a... very strange feeling.
"Collin, honey," I said, looking at him in the rearview. "Everything okay?"
His head snapped up, which was a bad move, because he conked the crown of his head against the ceiling of the car.
"Ouch," he whined, rubbing it. "Why... why do you ask?"
"You don't really like Mr. Aegis," Lucy said, very matter-of-factly. "Every time he comes around, you get all weird and stuff."
"Do not!"
"You do, dude," Dylan said bluntly. "You get all quiet. No way he hasn't noticed."
"Why don't you want to talk to him?" I asked, frowning.
Collin groaned theatrically, turning his head to try to look out the window. "He wigs me out, okay? There's something about him that's kind of... scary?"
"Scary?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Is he possessed by a ghost?!"
"No," Collin snorted. "I don't know how to explain it. I don't want to do anything bad around him."
"Hmm," I thought, frowning. "Maybe Jade will know what you mean."
"No WAY!" Both Collin and Dylan shouted, horrified. "You can't tell her something like that," Collin added, outraged. "She'll think I'm a total loser!"
"You realize she's nearly thirty, and you're eleven, right?"
"And I don't want one of my heroes to be over there, thinking about what a little gremlin I am," Dylan shot back.
"You already cemented that this morning with the death shriek."
"It was very Wilhelm Scream of you," Lucy commented.
"You don't even know what that is!"
"Do, too! You guys showed me in that one movie we watched that Mrs. Higgins lent us!"
"All right, all right," I groaned. "Settle down, seriously. We're not arguing over the Wilhelm Scream. I need you guys on your best behavior, yeah?"
"Are there going to be a lot of people there?" Collin asked nervously. "Can I wait in the car?"
"No. If I can help it, we're handling your wardrobe, first. Your whole closet is basically useless right now."
Collin made a small whining noise. "I don't want people to see me like this..."
"Dude, unless you get this figured out in like, 24 hours, people are going to see you on Monday," Dylan pointed out.
"Unless we learn how to stop time," Lucy whispered, staring out the window as if she'd just figured out the answer to all of our problems.
"Best. Behavior!" I repeated, rolling my eyes. Nothing about this family is normal, I thought. And somehow, I've got to go out in public and pretend like that's all fine and dandy.
I groaned as the three fell into a heated discussion over trying to emulate the exact sound, pitch, and frequency of the infamous Wilhelm Scream.
I'm doomed.