Chapter 7 Vague Truths

Mr. Bruce was startled at the sudden change in her demeanor. He pulled back and looked at Amaris as if she had struck him.

“It’s true. You really are her.” Amaris looked at him not understanding his meaning, but also feeling weird. It was as if she had just drank 10 energy drinks and they all kicked in at once. There was a feeling of energy running through her suddenly. It’s like the thought of her Gran being in trouble woke up a power in her that she never knew was there before.

Ignoring this as just one more weird thing to happen to her today, her 17th birthday of all days. Amaris looked back into Mr. Bruce’s eyes and repeated her command.

“I want answers Mr. Bruce and I need to hear the truth from you about all of this. Who are these people and are the people from the school the same ones who came here and killed Grover? Do you think they have Gran too?”

Mr. Bruce stood up, reached down and offered his hand to pull Amaris off the floor. He grabbed a kitchen chair that was laying on it’s side on the floor and righted it. He proffered her the chair and as she sat he picked up a second chair off the floor for himself. Mr. Bruce sat down to face her and rubbed one of his large hands over his face.

“I was hoping that your grandmother would be here as she is the one who should rightly tell you all of this. First off you can call me Lyle. Tell me, what do you know about how you came to be here with Gran?”

Amaris furrowed her brow and looked exasperated but answered “Gran found me, or rather paochers did, when I was very little in the mountains.  She met them on the mountain side  when she was out looking for herbs for a poultice for one of her patients. She brought me home and reported me to the police here, but no one ever came forward so they allowed her to adopt me. We celebrate my birthday today because they guessed that at the time they found me I was about 4 months old. So today may not be the actual day I was born, but it is the day that we have always celebrated. Why?”

Lyle smiled at her warmly and said” That is all she has ever told you? She never mentioned exactly where they found you, or anything else?”

“No. Why what else is there? What do you know?”

“Amaris, Gran found you 16 1/2 years ago on the side of the mountain above a river. There had been a car that crashed into the river there that night. Your parents, your real parents, were the ones in that car. They died when their car had plunged into the river. They had crashed from the road above. They were forced off the road by the same people who came to your school today, the same people who came here.”

Amaris looked at Mr. Bruce with big eyes in disbelief, “But why? I don’t understand. Why would they want to kill my parents? Why do they want me? Why kill all these people?” Tears were running down her cheeks again. None of this made any sense to her. Were her biological parents bad people? Were they mixed up in the wrong crowd? Did he cut off the wrong person on the highway and they really held a grudge? What would make someone hunt down a family for 17 years?

Mr. Bruce looked at her and reached out his hand to take hers. “There are some things that I need to tell you, and they are going to sound pretty fantastical, but I need you to listen to me and hear everything. This is the reason why I wanted to wait and have your grandmother tell you. It would be easier for you to believe her. She and I always said when the time came we would tell you together.”

Amaris snapped her head up ”Wait! You two know each other? You have been talking and planning about ME and neither of you ever said a word to me? I have never once seen you here. Not once. Heck I don’t even think you live here in town! What are you trying to say Mr. Bruce, that you and my Gran have some deep dark secret?”

“It’s Lyle. And Yes.”

“Fine Lyle. So LYLE, out with it. People have died and the police are going to be here any minute so tell me what is going on.” Amaris was quickly loosing patience. How can the world that she thought she lived in be turned completely upside down in a matter of hours?

“Mari, you and I are actually from the same, uh village. We lived up on the mountain. Well your right, I still do. I have to because I am one of the leaders there. I come down here and work as a teacher to keep an eye on you. I have for the last 4 years. I was originally assigned as your guard detail. A few people from our Uh, village have taken the post here watching over you. After I was assigned 4 years ago, uh certain things happened and I was permanently assigned to stay here and watch over you, as well as return to the village at night when you were safely at home with Gran.  After about a year I took a teaching post so I would be able to keep an eye on you during the school day.” Lyle said vaguely.

“Why do I need someone to be watching me? Why am I in danger?” Amaris questioned.

“Well, honestly we weren’t sure that you were in danger. The people who killed your parents thought that they had killed you along with them. So we thought letting you stay safely hidden here was the best way to keep you safe. Your mother and father were the leaders of our village, and these people were after power. If they got rid of your family they would be able to take control. So far we have fought them off and not let that happen, but the law is that the pack needs to produce an uh heir within 17 years of the leaders death or there can be a vote to bring in a new leader.”

“Who is the leader now?” Amaris asked.

“The uh Vice President, I guess you could call him.” Lyle replied still being vague.

Amaris looked him in the eye again and suddenly felt a little strange. Her head began to swim. What was going on, she had not hit her head, at least she didn’t think so. This was just all too much. She closed her eyes and tried to breath deeply but all she could smell was Mr. Bruces after shave and that seemed to make it worse. Amaris put her head in her hands. They were still filthy from the chase through the woods and smelled earthy which was calming somehow.

Through her hands she asked, “Why do you sound so unsure what to call these people and your village? You live there right? Do you all live in some commune with weird rules? Why do I think you are not telling me the whole truth. Just tell me. Things can’t get any worse people are dead Lyle!”

Lyle looked at Amaris. His eyes were wide as if he was seeing something unbelievable. “I might as well get used to telling you everything now.” He mumbled under his breath.

“Mari, there are a great many things outside of this village that you have heard of but not seen or experienced before, right? But you still believe they are true because you have heard from one person or another that they have experienced it or seen it or been part of it themselves. Right?”

“Right? I guess. Where is this going?” Said Amaris suspiciously.

“Well Gran and I each have seen and experienced something that you are part of but have not experienced yet yourself either.” Says Lyle

“You ARE a cult! I knew it! Oh my god! Is all this part of some dooms day conspiracy? You worship the moon or something and now it is in the proper cycle for the end of days or something?” Says Amaris sarcastically. Suddenly her woozy spell was gone and she was wondering why she had even gotten into Mr. Bruce’s car in the first place.

As Amaris finished speaking red and blue lights light up the far wall of the kitchen. They were coming in from the window next to the side door.

As Lyle opened his mouth to respond, Amaris turns and says, “ I think the police are here.” And walks to the door.