novelThe Thumb Drives
| ← Ch.063 | Ch.065 → |
I don't have the energy to mount you. I just have to go home. She realized that it was the first time she flew on Quetz. She hugged him and thanked him.
Moments later, he said, You stay here. I will get the weed.
An hour later Dawn returned home, limping badly. The pain on her back and leg was excruciating. She noticed that Cole was sleeping on the couch in the living room. She went near him to see if he was doing well. His cheeks were red with marks of tears on them. It seemed he cried a lot. She remembered the last time when he was this anxious—when their father was murdered and they were holed in the hospital room. She brought a quilt and covered him. Without disturbing him she went to her bedroom. There were a lot of explanations she had to give to him and a lot to ask Daryn. Her wounds had already started healing. It was almost 1AM but she had to take a bath just so that her injuries didn't catch infection. A warm water bath later, she slept. When she woke up in the morning, it was over 10AM. Being a werewolf, her wounds had healed overnight. Lazily, she crawled out of the bed being in no mood to go to her workplace. She picked her phone to send a message to Yolanda when she saw that her message inbox was flooded with Daryn's texts. There were over hundred messages and more than fifty missed calls. She bit her lip and sent a message to Yolanda.
Thinking that Cole must have gone to the school, she went out to fix breakfast for her but hesitated hearing noises in the kitchen. She paced up there only to find Cole chopping red bell pepper. The two stared at each other. He had skipped the school. Cole looked down and continued to chop."What happened last night?" His tone was urgent.
Dawn took in a deep breath. She walked up to him, sat on the high stool near the counter and said, "I am sorry Cole that you saw it, but it's not my fault. It started the day I had come after winning my nationals."
Cole stopped chopping. His expression was that of confusion and shock.
Dawn narrated everything to her about how she turned into a werewolf, but kept Quetz as a secret. That was one thing she planned on keeping confidential.
Cole closed his eyes and touched his temple. A whimper left him and tears again formed in his eyes but he stopped them. He circled the counter and went to hold his sister tightly. She had been suffering so much, and all for him. He hugged her tightly and placed his head on her shoulders."I am sorry, " was all he managed to whisper. He had to learn how to live with her new identity.
She patted him."It's fine Cole." The siblings stayed like that for a while.
Then Cole said, "Get ready. I am making cheese omelets for you."
Dawn chuckled and left. She felt better sharing her secret with Cole. Once she was ready, the first thing she did was to call Daryn. He picked her call on the first ring.
"How are you?" he sounded shaky."Where are you? How are your wounds? Are you home or you are in the office?" He had crumpled to the floor of his cottage. He leaned over with the hands on his knees and was almost hyperventilating."Can I come and see you?"
"I am feeling fine, " she replied softly in an assured voice. She could feel that he was at unease."I will join the office tomorrow."
She heard him breathe heavily."Okay..." he replied.
"How did you know about the rogue wolves attack?" she asked in a hoarse voice."And how did you come there when I was ambushed?"
There was no answer. He stayed quiet and she didn't insist.
In time Dawn. In time...
None of them initiated to disconnect the call and just heard each other breathing.
Her trance was broken."Dawn!" Cole shouted."The breakfast is ready."
"Go..." Daryn said and she had to cut the call.
Dawn bit her lower lip and looked up at the ceiling. This had to stop.
After having breakfast, the first thing she did was to call Azura."There was an attack on me from a group of neotides. Do you know anything about it?"
"What?" Azura was going to a convention but the moment he heard her, he swiveled his car towards Dawn's place."What attack?" He was so nervous that his suit's tie stifled his breath.
Dawn gave an account of what happened to her the previous night.
"I am coming over to your place now, " he said and threw his phone on the side seat. How come he didn't know about the rogue neotides? Who were they? He picked the phone again and then called his man."Give me a list of every neotide in the area who has gone rogue by the end of the day." If this happened then the purebloods would create more problems than he could imagine. Did they kill anyone else? Did they attack any pureblood? He caught the steering of his car tightly and clenched his jaw. If Daryn would come to know about them, he would once again start with his mission of cleaning the earth of neotides. And Dawn was also a neotide. And worst - she was working in his Company. A vein in his temple throbbed. He jumped out of the car as soon as he reached her home and stormed in the house."Dawn!" he hollered.
She came out from her bedroom. Upon seeing her, Azura immediately embraced her."Are you fine?" he asked.
"Yes, I am, " she replied, not liking his closeness. She removed herself from him. She sat on the sofa and Azura sat beside her.
"I have asked to find out about them. Don't worry. The moment I will know, I will eliminate them, " he promised.
Dawn rubbed the back of her neck. None of them were alive but how could she say that."Thanks, " she said."I took a leave from the office today, " she changed the topic.
"You did good, " Azura said. Then suddenly upon remembering something, he said, "I'll be right back." He got up and went out. When he came back in, he was holding something in his right hand. He walked to her and opened his fist."The thumb drives."
Dawn quivered from the inside. This wasn't right. After what Daryn did for her, she didn't have the heart to do it.
He opened Dawn's hand and kept the thumb drives on her palm."Do exactly what I said and come out. I don't want you to stay inside that place any longer. With rogue neotides on the prowl, I am scared that Daryn might take out his anger on you." He sounded as if he wanted to get this over and done."Once you get the information, I will take you away from this place. No one will be able to trace you ever."
She poked her tongue in her cheek. The thumb drives were like two heavy stones on her palm. In her heart she knew that disappearing from the scene was best for her and for Daryn. With the way they were feeling for each other, the future was bound to twist and screw up. She nodded and closed her fist around the USBs stiffly.
Azura talked more about his plans and how he feared that Daryn might cause havoc if he came to know about the rogue neotides. He left an hour later.
Since she had time, she went back to her blog. She had to find information about The Key Punchers. At one point she thought she would ask Azura about the Company, but refrained. However, she called Cole to help her find more about it.
What happened next was unbelievable."It can't be possible. I don't believe it!" A knot formed in her stomach.
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