Half Bitten

“Oh my god, we thought you were dead.” Amber’s voice was followed by a sob. Kindle patted her on the back and hugged her gently. With concerned eyes, Ian stood behind Kindle, beckoning Lowlii to come closer. At that point Amber darted out towards Lowlii attacking him with a hug. It was obvious she loved him. What did I just get myself into?
“Is she hurt?” Bird walked past the caution tape they had just put up followed by Steph, talking to what looked like an investigator.
Steph darted her head towards me, “she doesn’t seem hurt.”
“No, no she’s alright.” My dad said ominously.
“Well, where was she?” Bird seemed to throw the question up in the air.
“I was with Lowlii.” I tired to speak for myself before my father did.
Steph and Bird seemed to glance at each other, talking through their eyes.
After a sigh Bird looked over steph’s shoulder, “I’m going to go see if my son is okay.”
“What’s going on?” I questioned, “Why are all these cop cars here?”
My dad looked back down to the ground, “there was another attack around here. This time, they killed two people.”
I shook my head in confusion, “what does that have to do with me?”
Steph sighed and held her hands together, “one of the people that was attacked was girl. She looked exactly like you.”
I looked to my dad in confusion
“And when Lowlii disappeared, we thought he was killed too,” Steph finished her sentence with a tone of concern.
I blinked aimlessly. I couldn’t handle the words of Lowlii and Kill in the same sentence.
“Do you know who attacked them?”
My dad sighed discouragingly, “They think they do.”
As soon as my dad’s sentence was finished Steph seemed to tense up, “who are you to tell us what we do and do not know? We don’t think, we’re sure.”
My dad scrunched his face and sighed childishly, “please, be logical.”
“ We are! You know what I think is illogical?” she went on before anyone could open their mouths to answer, “is that you’re arguing with me instead of getting your daughter out of here. You know how much harm she’s in.”
My arm darted out to stop their dramatic argument, “me? Why am I in harm? You said it killed someone that looked like me, right?”
Steph bit her lip after realizing she let too much slip in my presence, “ the truth is, Jackie. We think, whatever is out there is looking for you and Lowlii.”
I gasped inwardly, “Wait—what do you mean, after me and Lowlii?”
I turned my head in a sudden urge to see where Lowlii was. He was pulled aside by Bird who had been talking to him attentively. After a couple moments of conversation, Lowlii had looked down with a despairing expression. His eyes coated with sadness, I felt the need to run to him. To hold him until he felt better.
“You’re never going to see that boy again,” my dad pulled me by the wrist closer to him.
Steph angled out her hand with intentions of calming him down, “now, hold on. It’s not like they can’t talk to each other. If anything, that would make matters worse.”
“ Yeah right,” my dad jutted his jaw out to challenge her, “ this thing hasn’t been around for centuries and all of a sudden when Cole seems to meet Jackie, it decides to jump out of the bushes.”
I pushed back, “you can’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to.”
He retorted sourly, “yes I can, you’re grounded. You’re not allowed to see anyone until the school year starts.”
My mouth dropped, two weeks of utter abandonment. Trapped in a room with nothing but four plain walls.
“Do you think that giving her a life sentence would better the situation?” Steph shook her head in anger.
My dad ignored her, “we’re leaving now, Jackie.”
I whipped my arm back, “tell me what’s going on. Why are you referring to this person as ‘thing’? why would anyone be after my life?”
Steph looked down, “you should go home, Jackie.”
My eyebrows curved up in despair, she nodded before I could finish my thoughts.
“We’re leaving, now!” my dad pulled me forward towards his car.
“Jackie!” Lowlii’s voice called after me,” We need to talk!”
My dad darted his head, “not if I have anything to do with this.” Before I could fight back I was strapped into the front seat of my dad’s noisy rust bucket.
“Dad, I know you know what’s going on. Tell me, please.”
He shook his head angrily, speeding down the road, “all you need to know is that you’re grounded. You’re not seeing that boy—or, anyone else before school starts.”
I started breathing heavier, angry words bottled up in my throat, “why am I grounded! Who said this guy would even find me?!”
“If you knew what was out there,” his voice had turned weary, “you would be begging me to keep you in the house.”
“I highly doubt that,” I snapped back, “tell me what’s going on, or I will find out on my own.”
Kindle was bound to blurt it out eventually and even if she didn’t, I was sure Amber was easy to break.
“I’d rather you not find out at all,” this time his voice was nothing but a growl.
“Bird is your best friend, he’s going to want to invite you over to his house. You can’t keep me away from Lowlii, or kindle, or even Quinn and Coco.”
The car swerved into the muddy back yard of the house.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
I was enraged. He was under the assumption that whoever this person was, killing bears and innocent by standards, was on a rampage to find me. I had only been in Port Angeles for less then a week, Besides Amber and Kindle, who would hate me already?
“This thing isn’t going to get me!” I yelled back to my dad, as he walked around to the front door of the house.
“How do you know that, Jackie?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed childishly, “ Haven’t you heard, I have your stubbornness.”
He shook his head in disbelief and looked out in the yard to make sure nothing was following us, “get in the house.”
I reluctantly trudged in, coming to the realization that he knew more then he led on to believe.
“Now, go to your room and sleep. It’s almost one.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, “I’m hungry.”
He squinted his eyes; “I’ll go to the market tomorrow. Good night.”
His voice seemed to have power over me. I walked up the stairs in a slow pace, hoping the phone would ring so I could overhear something I wasn’t supposed to.
Maybe you could sneak out when he’s sound asleep, a slightly captivating voice insisted.
No, you know how much that would hurt your father. The angelic voice cut in.
There was no way I was going to last two whole weeks locked up in this house. It was as if I had two little figures sitting on each shoulder arguing on what to do with me. Like a I was a piece of helpless trash they couldn’t get rid of yet they had no intention of keeping. One would have white wings covered in fairy dust, and a halo hovering half a centimeter over its head; while the other, would be dressed in head to toe red leather and pointy high heel boots. I crashed down onto my bed like I always do. Making the pillow flop into the air and the side of the bed hit against the wall. Seeing how it was already one, I was restless. There was no way my eyelids would allow themselves to close. I knew absolutely nothing about the attacks yet still had managed to become a target. Guess to an extent, I wasn’t really a surprised. Even in Texas, before I ran away, drama always managed to find me, especially when I didn’t want to be found.
I picked my hands up and forced my eyes shut. Maybe discipline is all I needed and that my dad’s life sentence for me was a gift instead.
“Shh,” I hissed at the angelic voice, and in return chime like bells rang from under my bed. I rolled to the ground in a thump, forcing my hands through the trash that just so happened to be there. Controlling my fingers enough to find whatever was chiming, I found my cell phone. I forced it to my chest, hugging it passionately. Every teenage girl needs a cell phone.
“Hello?” Carmine’s voice was impatient, “Jackie Brown, I need to talk to you now!”
“Yes?” I managed not to groan.
“Oh thank god you answered your phone! I’ve been calling you for the past two hours.”
I raised a brow wondering why she didn’t quit the first hour, she never committed to anything she had to put extra energy into. “ What do you need?”
“Well,” her voice was hesitant, “everything has seemed to calm down since you left.”
“Isn’t that good?” I dumbly asked.
I could hear her shake her head, “nope. Not good at all. Without drama my life is pointless.”
“Not true,” I shook my head back.
“Can’t you just, I don’t know,” her voice suddenly turned to a peeping whine, “Come back!”
I rolled my eyes, “trust me, I’m hating this place. Especially since everything is working out horribly.”
She seemed to perk up, “really? Dish everything. Don’t act like you don’t have time, cuz I know you do.”
She really knew me too well. Without another second my mouth opened, allowing words to gush out. I had mentioned the sudden attacks by this ‘thing’ everyone had been talking about, and how the grounding followed soon after, only because of my dad’s fear of loosing me. Yet she still didn’t seem amused.
“Any boys?” her voice was stern.
I scrunched my face hoping that she wouldn’t break me down, “just one or two.”
She didn’t bother to answer back, making the guilt eat away at me even more.
“Okay, well partly why my dad was upset was because I had spent the whole day with Lowlii instead of him.”
“I know what that means,” She giggled, “Jackie has a boyfriend!”
I shook my head again, “no I don’t. If anything he’s just a harmless boy.”
“Mhm.” She hummed doubtfully, “so, are you going to sneak out to meet him?”
“No, do you know how upset my dad would be?”
“Yeah,” she agreed in a sigh, “but he should know by now. You’re a growing teenage girl and you already attract the drama. It’s about time the boys follow.”
“It’s not like that.” I protested.
She snickered carelessly,” what, does he think that these mysterious attacks were caused by both of you meeting? Like a destiny thing?”
I didn’t bother to answer.
She gasped with a firm voice, “is he part of the Hopi tribe?”
I glared my eyes, “no.”
“Yes.” She stated with no doubt, “you need to leave Washington. It’s not safe for you.”
“Oh, not you too.” I groaned, “You’re my life long friend. You shouldn’t be trying to protect me, you should be telling me to go cause drama and take pictures.”
She sighed once again, “ Look, it’s not like I don’t want you to have fun. But I don’t want to loose you.” her voice had become saddened, “not anymore then I already have.”
I gripped the phone tightly with the thought suddenly running through my head. Considering everyone’s response to these attacks, if whatever this ‘thing’ was found me, the odds of coming out alive weren’t in my favor. Where would that leave my father? Or even Carmine? I knew my mom didn’t express her love for me, but I didn’t doubt that she wouldn’t care.
“Well, what do you think I should do?”
“Seeing as how you can’t sprint all the way back to Texas,” she inhaled slowly, “find out how to protect yourself.” I could hear her smile stretch over her face,” there’s only three months of school before we get two weeks off for thanksgiving. I could drive up there to help.”
“No,” I shook my head; I didn’t want her to get hurt. “I’ll drive home.”
“You mean it?” her voice turned eager, “you sure?”
“Why not? I’ll get a rental. Besides, maybe my dad would want to come.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you away from your research.” She chuckled softly, “good night.”
“Good night,” I hummed back, trying to figure out what she had just built me up to do. I lifted myself back onto the bed and tapped my foot on the floor alertly. Why did my dad react the way he did by the lake? He seemed pretty sure that whoever this person was, was really coming after me, and I knew he was the type of person that wouldn’t mind protecting me for the rest of my life if he had to. Glancing over to my clock I noted that in two hours my dad would be awake, probably angrier then before due to lack of caffeine.
I knew exactly what I had to do.

The coffee machine beeped as it warmed up the water I had poured into it. The kitchen window had let in a faint ray of sun, glaring off the now clean sink, giving the room an extra spark of life. PLOP! The eggs flopped onto the plate as the pan sizzled from the cool air that took their place.
“Jackie?” I could hear scuffling of feet coming down the stairs. My dad stopped at the bottom stair and scratched the back of his head, “why are you up so early?” his voice more sharp then intended.
I turned my head and smiled politely, trying to prepare myself. “ Just because.”
He let his eyes gaze over the suddenly vivid kitchen, “what happened here?”
“I decided to clean up a little bit,” looking at him sideways to see how he would react.
He scratched his fluffy hair once more, “yeah, I guess you could do that.”
The coffee machine beeped once again, we both turned our head.
“You found the coffee machine,” he stated in revelation.
I smiled lightly, “why don’t you have a cup?”
He looked back at the machine in wonder, “maybe just one.”
I could hear the liquid pour into the mug he had just picked up, I pointed to the table with my eyes, “the paper’s here.”
Placing the cup under his nose He inhaled “smells like the way your mom used to make it.”
I nodded, “yeah. She taught me how.”
He took his seat, sipping lightly. I could tell he missed her so much. I swallowed hard as I opened the drawer to grab a couple of forks and knives.
“These attacks wont stop,” he said sternly, skimming through the headlines of the paper, “maybe I’ll have to keep you inside just a little longer.”
This was my chance, “who said you needed to?”
He raised a brow, “I said so.”
“That’s not a nice rebuttal.”
“Okay, how about this one?” he looked up from the page, “I’m your father.”
“And my mother’s my mother and Carmine is my cousin.” I set the plate of scrambled eggs beside him. “Any more questions about our family tree?”
He sighed, “This is for your own good, Jackie.”
I shook my head, “ how do you know for sure?”
“I don’t know,” he turned the page moderately, “better safe then sorry.”
I raised a brow, “ What would you call being safe, exactly?”
He bobbed his head to the side, still looking down at the page, “staying indoors, out of harm’s way.”
I picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled, “wouldn’t you call that smart?”
He lulled over my words, “seems so.”
“So,” I sighed, putting down the piece of bacon, “if a person was smart enough to know how to protect themselves from the person behind the attacks, then they would be safe.
He raised a brow, “ I suppose,” Then he chuckled softly, “too bad no one will figure out who it is.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, “but what if someone did?”
He put the paper down, “what do you mean?”
I shrugged, “I mean, if that someone figured out who was behind these attacks, she would she be free to roam the streets.”
“What? Are you saying that you could outsmart all of Port Angeles police on this case?”
The air stood still, “if I do, then you wouldn’t have to protect me anymore or feel obligated to worry if I was out too late.”
He squinted one eye seeming humored. “Are you really going to try and figure out who is behind the attacks?”
I inhaled slowly, “what else is there to do?”
After a moment of silence, he sat in his seat lazily and began to read the paper once again.
“If you say so.”