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Chapter 22
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2024-11-25 16:13:31Lana
Everyone has their own guilty pleasure in life. For some, it's food, wine, cigarettes, travel, thrilling adventures, or even just curling up on the couch to read a book. For all three of my brothers, it's the thrill and competition of game nights.
The competitive natures of the three have resulted in our mother and father restricting game nights to once a month when I'm awake - for their safety, of course.
They always start the same way: Mom and Dad chickening out and opting for a dinner date somewhere in town, which would leave us kids to either order in pizza or make burgers. Moments before dinner, game master Matt would hand out envelopes with character profiles inside and we'd have a few moments to scrutinise them before we are launched into an
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Daniel guided Rhett back to his chair and almost forced him to sit down before he claimed his own and began the story, Willow and I butting in whenever a piece was left out. I felt Rhett take my hand in his and interlaced our fingers, his eyes not leaving my face as Dan finished the tale."Any questions?" Willow asked my rather dumbstruck twin idiots.There was silence for a moment, the cogs in their brains obviously working overtime. I could almost see the smoke billowing out of their ears."So, when are we confronting mom and dad?" Matt asked, running his hand through his hair.A few hours later (and after a much more sedate ending to the game night than usual), I sat with Rhett at the pool. None
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RhettI dreamed of Lana that night, a wonderfully warm and pleasant dream where we were lying in each other's arms and just enjoying each other's presence. Nothing sexual, just cuddling.Completely unlike what I would have enjoyed with other girls, but Lana is different.If I were the romantic type I'd say there's a strong chance she is "the one"... but I'm not so let's just leave it at "I like her".I opened my eyes, an annoying ringing sound clawing at my drowsy mind. It took me a few moments to realise that the sound was my cell phone."Hello?" I answered, my voice gruff with sleep.
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RhettI went around and opened the car door for her to get out, pulling her to my side as we walked toward the bar."ID?" A brawny man with skin as dark as ivory barked from the entrance.I passed him my ID, noticing belatedly that it was the fake ID I had made a few years ago so that I could get into bars and clubs. Lana also passed him her ID and smiled sweetly at the man until he grunted, passed our IDs back and let us pass.The interior was typical of a bar; dark with the only lighting being the neon signs hung on the walls around the venue. There were approximately twenty people inside, so not exactly the best turnout for the band."Rhett, darling! You came!" I hear
Last Updated : 2024-11-28The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 26
LanaI was washing my hands at the rather dingy basin when Terry waltzed into the bathroom as if he belonged there. I saw his reflection in the mirror and watched as he leaned against the door, blocking the exit."Well, I was wondering how long it would take for you to get rid of the leach you call a boyfriend." He smirked. "I was starting to think you hadn't understood my hints."He straightened and walked toward me, coming to stand behind me. He caressed my arm, the tips of his calloused fingers grazing my skin. It made me feel physically ill."I think you've misread this situation. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer." I said firmly, stepping away from him.
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RhettA few seconds after Lana's hand turned warm in mine, her eyes turned white and the plant she touched transformed. The leaves perked up instantly, its stem grew and sprouted buds which slowly opened to reveal perfect, magenta tipped orchards."What the…" Matt started, his eyes wide.We all stared at Lana, slack jawed and silent. Her eyes slowly returned to her regular shade of green and she glanced down at the plant in blatant horror."What have I done?" Her voice barely a whisper.Dan leant forward and touched the plant, obviously making sure it wasn't some sort of illusion."I think it
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Lana"I guessed you'd find these eventually." My dad said, leaning back in his chair. "What do you want to know?"My mom looks over at him, clearly horrified that he was even discussing the subject with me. She's always been uncomfortable discussing my unusual sleeping habits. She swallows a few times and I watch her intently as I try to formulate questions in my chaotic mind."Where did the photos come from?" Dan asked, helping me out a bit.My dad switched his gaze between Dan and myself, taking a deep breath before he began his story."After the second year that you experienced your sleep episode, I reached out to various colleagues and professors. I had
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RhettI'm not going to pretend that I wasn't overwhelmed by the information overload that Lana's dad piled on us. It was hectic, and somewhat scary. The fact that, at any moment, the military could bust in through the door and drag my girlfriend out was just insane.OK, I'm not saying it would happen… but you see things in movies that make you think that it's possible.Lana took it so well, and there I was trying to prevent my head from exploding.Lana's eyes met mine as her brother hugged her, and all I could think of was "shit, I wonder if it's too late to take up karate?"My folks had tried to get me to sign up when I was a kid but I never did, no
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LanaRhett said he had a surprise planned for me, a special date night, just the two of us."We've been officially together for two months." He had texted, adding a heart emoji and a winking face. "I think we should celebrate in style."I immediately agreed, any excuse to get out of the house. It had become stifling since my parents - or rather, my dad - had told me about me being some science experiment. They both kept checking up on me but at the same time, keeping their distance. It was weird… and had some zoo-like parallels."I'll pick you up at 7pm, " he had replied.And so, at 6.55pm, I was standing on my doorstep waiting for him, wearing a black mini dress
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RhettLana tapped her fingers against the dashboard of our car, the steady beat slowly becoming a form of torture that could possibly but dripping water to shame."Will you please relax," I moaned, resting my head back against the driver's seat in frustration."They're late," she responded with obvious impatience, her fingers stilling for a brief moment before they resumed their beat.I sighed loudly, closing my eyes. The past year had given a whole new dimension to our relationship and we were practically the married couple our new IDs claimed we were."They'll be here. There was probably just traffic or something."
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 43
LanaI woke up in a strange bed, Rhett's arms around me as his chest rose and fell with his steady breathing. I stared at his sleeping face for a moment before I pulled myself away and went to the dingy bathroom that was attached to the rather disgusting motel room. I was secretly glad we'd fallen asleep on top of the covers as I'm pretty sure the bed was covered in other people's DNA samples - if you get my meaning.Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized the girl staring back at me. My hair was matted and smelled of smoke, my eyes puffy and red-rimmedfrom crying the whole night and my skin paler than it usually was.After trying to tame my hair with my hairbrush and only succeeding on getting the implement stuck in my
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 42
RhettOne moment she was yelling at our attackers to let us go and that they were making a mistake, the next she was screaming as her body turned into flames which seared the flesh of those who tried to detain her. The fire within her grew and grew, swallowing the whole area in its furnace. Our attackers screamed in agony, their skin blistering and peeling off of their bones as they died a gruesome death.I looked down at my own hands, only a slight warmth tingling my skin. My clothes were completely burned off, but my skin was untouched for some inexplicable reason. The flames which engulfed Lana were spreading as she seemed to channel more energy unwittingly into the flames, her vision consumed with her dead brother.Dan's voice broke through my stupor as he pleaded with L
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 41
RhettMy dad had practically locked himself in his office since the moment he'd returned from confronting Lana's folks. I get it - he was beyond upset. Mrs. P had recently told me that Dr. and Mrs Summers were the ones who kept my dad sane after my mom bailed with me. They'd practically kept him from drowning his sorrows in a pool of strong spirits and his own blood - if you get what I mean.So the fact that he'd allowed them to see him so vulnerable without them affording him the same consideration sucked the big one.It would take time for him to pull his pride from his pocket and get over it, but eventually he'd see that Lana's secret was massive in comparison to my mom's affairs.Don't get me wrong, I felt
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 40
LanaHave you ever had the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop? That's what it had been like since Cole's dad had left the area.Christmas had been festive, my mom making sure it was just like I had seen in movies with the most delicious food ever. And just when I thought that I couldn't fit another morsel into my stomach, out came dessert. The only thing that put a damper on the festivities was this feeling that wouldn't go away. It didn't help that Willow had been having dreams again - and not good ones."It was just like before, you were running away from men chasing you and you burst into flames," Willow's voice was cracking over the phone, the poor signal at her grandparents cabin to blame."What do y
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 39
RhettIt was still dark when Dan's convertible crept out of the driveway, he and the twins on a mission to get a message to Cole. I had barely managed to sleep, nervous tension clawing at my stomach throughout the three days the General had decided to "be a guest" in our home.I knew that once the military man vacated the premises, my father would immediately have me in his office explaining every little detail to him. Lana said it didn't matter to her if he knew, but I don't think her folks would be of the same opinion so I had to weigh the pros and cons very carefully. I mean, how would you feel if you discovered your best friend of more than twenty years had kept a secret and had lied consistently to you?Fortunately - or rather, unfortunately - it didn't seem as if the G
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 38
LanaIt was official. I loved Christmas time! Everything about it drew me in; the lights, the food, the general merriment of the people I met. It was just incredible!Rhett's dad had arrived back home, so he'd been quite quiet, in fact I'd heard absolutely nothing from him. My texts had gone unanswered, and it was starting to freak me out a little bit. Dan had said to give him some space, he was probably just catching up with Bill so I busied myself with other things. Christmas shopping and baking quickly shot up to my favourite things to do.Eventually, I broke and decided to take Bill and Rhett some sugar cookies. A two in one gesture, if you could put it that way. It wasn't that I didn't trust Rhett, it was just that something felt off.
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 37
RhettAfter the discovery of Terry's body, we weren't exactly sure how it was all going to go down, but we all knew it wasn't going to be good.The cops had called my dad, asking questions about his whereabouts after they had discovered that Terry was dating my mom. They had some theory about a jealous ex or some such bullshit, and the fact that they'd picked up a car registered to my dad on a traffic camera close to the scene didn't help. They soon discovered that I had been driving the car, not my dad.Thank goodness for Cole's decision for us to eat at McDonald's - although in retrospect I think he made us go there on purpose. I'm not sure what Cole had done but the cops determined Terry's time of death was smack bang the same time as when we were chilling in McD's.
The Curse of the Seasons Chapter 36
LanaIt was a surreal experience knowing that Cole was one of the kids I had a vague memory of, their small bodies lying sleeping in the clinically white bedroom at the orphanage. He seemed a lot older than me, not just the two years which I knew he was.We quickly established that I needed to be careful. If the military tracking system was still working, then they would know that my tattoo had appeared. He seemed to believe that finding your soul mate made the marker appear, but there was a chance that he was just being romantic.Willow also wanted clarity on her dreams, but Cole just shrugged his shoulders."I guess you're like our mothers. You have an unexplainable gift," was all he could say.
