LAILAH
FOUR
The house was quiet as I wandered through the rooms. It seemed that I was up before anyone else.
Granted, it was five a.m. on a Sunday morning, but I couldn’t sleep.
I kept having nightmares of that demon's face chasing me. This time the guys didn’t come to my rescue, and I was left to fend for myself.
The adrenaline rush when I woke up was enough to keep me from falling back asleep.
I have to admit, I was glad to be alone as I explored the rest of the house, settling my nerves.
So far, I’d discovered a game room filled with a pool table, foosball, ping-pong, and even a few arcade games.
Apparently having one hang out room wasn’t enough for these guys, but I noticed it didn’t look very used.
A workout room was next door to the game room, filled with all kinds of weight machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes.
I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more impressed with what was going on in this house until I found the pool with an attached hot tub.
There was no reason to ever leave this house—it had everything you could possibly want or need.
Finally, I found the kitchen, and there were already two people cooking and getting things ready for breakfast.
“Um, if you could just point me to where I can find the hot tea,” I said, taking in the huge intimidating industrial appliances. It reminded me of what my mother always dreamed she could have one day at the diner.
“Of course. Did you have a particular tea in mind? Ms. Whittemore mentioned you enjoy chai teas, so I made sure to have a selection for you,” the woman said, leading me over to a small three-person table.
She was older, her graying hair wrapped up in a neat bun on the back of her neck. As she smiled, her eyes seemed to disappear under the wrinkles around them. For some reason, it instantly made me like her.
“That would be lovely. I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“Goodness, look at me, forgetting my manners. My age must be catching up to me,” she chuckled.
“I’m Sarah, and that handsome-looking man over there cooking is my husband Garrett.
We’ve been working in the Aiden House for nearly forty years, along with Garrett’s brother Larry.
He takes care of the grounds and maintenance-type things. ”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled as she handed me a good-size basket full of thirty different tea packets. As I looked through the selection, Sarah set down a small tray that had a mug of hot water and little containers of sugar and cream.
“Can I get you anything else? Breakfast should be ready soon; we're not used to someone being up this early on the weekends.”
I shook my head, plopping in a teabag. “No, I can wait, I just couldn’t fall back asleep.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised. You’ve had quite an upheaval in your life,” Sarah said, going back to the cutting board.
I watched the tea bloom in my mug, the brown infusion slowly taking over the water, morphing it into something completely different than what it once was.
In a matter of minutes, this simple cup of water would be transformed entirely until you couldn’t even recognize it anymore.
Was I any different? I thought I knew who I was, but then all of a sudden, along comes this flood of power, and I’m transformed.
Now my whole future is changing from what I had planned.
I was no longer in charge of my fate. I was a part of a bigger plan, according to Beth, but what about my plans? My dreams and aspirations?
“That must be some fascinating tea.”
I jerked up from my hunched position to find Hudson sitting across from me at the table.
I’d been so lost in thought I didn’t even notice him sitting down.
He watched me with bright blue eyes that were only enhanced by his black-framed glasses.
His blonde hair was tousled, and he even had some scruff on his jaw.
I was surprised by how much I liked seeing this rugged side of him.
“Just lost in thought.”
“Would you like to talk about it? I find it helps me process a problem if I verbalize it.”
I smiled. Hudson was ever the practical one. Sarah set down a full coffee cup for Hudson, and I sighed as she patted him on the shoulder before walking away.
“I was thinking about how everything has changed now. All the plans I had for the life I thought I was living are now going to be thrown out the window. There’s a bigger purpose for me, and that is the path I have to follow.
” I paused as I took the teabag out and mixed in the milk.
“How am I going to explain this to my family? Can I even tell them? Did they have any idea what I am? What the hell am I going to do now?”
Hudson reached out, placing a hand on mine, making me realize how tightly I was holding onto my mug. I’m surprised it didn’t shatter in my grip. These feelings were overwhelming, and I didn’t know what to do with them as they built up inside me.
“You're looking at the big picture. No problem can be solved unless you take it apart piece by piece to make it more manageable.”
“How do I do that? It’s my whole life that’s changed; everything I thought I knew isn’t true anymore.”
“Wrong.”
I looked up at the tone in that one word. Hudson was rational; he didn’t do dramatic, but that one word was filled with such emotion, it took me by surprise. “What?”
“You said everything you thought you knew isn’t true anymore.
That, Lailah, is incorrect. You're now the person you were always meant to be. Will it change a few things, sure, but that isn’t the same as everything not being true.
Your parents may not know about this, and we will have to come up with a way to explain it to them, but that won’t change their love for you.
Sure, they will have questions and be shocked, but who you are at the core, the daughter they raised, hasn’t gone anywhere. ”
I sat stunned at the words that were coming out of Hudson’s mouth. Never would I have guessed that he would be the one sitting there telling me in the most rational way possible that I was overreacting.
“As for what you're going to do now, you're going to take it one day at a time. We’re all here to help you through this. The five of us have been where you are now. I remember how volatile my emotions were after I came into my power—it made me feel like I couldn’t control anything. That will change in time. The more you learn, the more your confidence will grow. Never feel like you can’t talk to us about what you're feeling.
You're part of the team now; we have your back.”
I felt something wet hit my hands that were folded in front of me, and when I looked down, I realized I was crying.
Hudson had literally said exactly what I needed to hear.
He stood up and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me as I hid my face against his stomach.
Without saying anything, he just stood there, rubbing my back, letting me feel the emotions that had been building over the past twenty-four hours.
“Can I get a hug too?” Parker asked.
Pulling away from Hudson, I smiled, wiping away the last of my tears, and stood. “Sure.”
Returning my smile with his signature grin, Parker pulled me against his chest, almost squeezing me a little too tight. He placed a kiss on the top of my head and set me back on my feet, pulling me away from him but still not letting me go. “Why the waterworks so early in the morning?”
“Just trying to figure out this new version of my life and what it means for the future.”
“Whoa, that’s a little heavy for first thing in the morning. I would cry too.”
I giggled, wondering if Parker could actually survive a serious emotional discussion.
“Goodness me,” Sarah said, pulling my attention. “This is a sight, seeing you up so early, Parker. Should I be expecting the rest of the boys joining us here in the kitchen?”
“If Lailah stays here, then I would say there’s a strong chance you’ll have us all underfoot soon enough,” Hudson said.
“Off with you then, to the dining room. I’ll bring out what we have ready now, and then everything else when it’s done,” Sarah said, shooing us out of the kitchen.
Parker slung his arm around my shoulders, guiding me out and across the way to the dining room.
Hudson pulled out the chair at one end of the table for me, and I sat as he pushed it in.
They settled down on either side of me, sipping on their coffee, making me realize I left my tea untouched back in the kitchen.
“Here you are, love,” Sarah said, placing a fresh mug of water and a tea packet at my elbow. Bless that woman.
Soon, the table was full of delicious-smelling food, making my mouth water. Hudson took my plate and filled it with a little of everything. I opened my mouth to tell him I wouldn’t be able to eat that much, but before I could, he cut me off.
“You’ll find that with your new powers, you're going to eat a lot more for the first few months. It’s a side effect of your body adapting to the high rate you will burn calories.”
I took the plate and decided it wasn’t worth arguing about when they were more familiar with the changes that would be happening to me.
As we ate in a comfortable silence, I was surprised when a teenage girl came waltzing into the dining room and sat down.
The guys both had frowns on their faces but didn’t seem alarmed that she was there.
“Kayley,” Hudson said, pulling her attention from her plate of food. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
“Hey, Hud, Parker.” She smiled, waving her fork at them. “I just needed some bro time, so I called Brayden to come and get me from school for the day.”
Hudson’s frown deepened, and Parker’s eyebrows raised at her words. I had to admit that my curiosity was through the roof. I was about to ask her a question when Brayden made his entrance, pausing when he saw us all staring at him.