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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
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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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Harley"That's Junior!" Cole practically shouted as he grabbed the file and studied it more intently. "I spent most of the day with him… but he said his father was dead. He said he joined the Rebels in memory of his dead dad."I'd seen the guy Cole had been hanging out with but I guess I hadn't been paying that close attention to him - my focus being on Cole instead."Are you sure, kid?" Hank asked, scratching through his scraggly beard.Cole nodded, his eyes fixed on Jay. "I promise, if I'd known the full story I would have said something to him. I will see what I can do to break the news to him gently… try to get him to leave that group of criminals."
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Cole"What the fuck is that on your back, Harley?" I asked again as she stared at me, mouth opening and closing like a demented goldfish."What do you mean?" She responded with a question of her own, feigning ignorance.I took a step toward her, noticing her taking a step backward in response. I wasn't trying to scare her, but I was struggling to contain the emotions bubbling up inside me."You know exactly what I mean, Harley," I stepped forward again, trapping her against the back of the sofa. "Why do you have that tattoo between your shoulder blades?"The tattoo of a tree covered in blossoms and surrounded by a tribal styled borde
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HarleyYou know those events in life where you just know sticking around will end in disaster, but you do anyway? Well, this rally was like that.I was seriously regretting my outfit choice, and was pretty sure my backside would be bruised by the evening from all the slaps drunk old men had given it. As it turned out, it wasn't the "young bucks" Jay was so worried about that I needed to look out for - it was the creepy old men with wandering hands and boozy breath.Even Tanner's presence didn't seem to help, although I guess he didn't really look like he would be able to do much in a physical fight. He was a lover, not a fighter. The whole personal space thing really was lost on drunkards.
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ColeI had woken up feeling like I had been hit with a freight train - which then reversed and ran over me again. It was probably thanks to the fact that I hadn't slept much that night, thoughts of Harley plaguing me whenever I shut my eyes.She, on the other hand, had looked as if she'd hadn't been affected at all by our kiss and my quick escape.Okay, she'd dressed as if she wanted someone to pay attention to her, with her hot as heck arse in those tight fake leather pants. I really had to stop myself from either grabbing her and kissing her again - because I hadn't learned my lesson the first time - or begging her to go and change. When Jay shook his head at me I knew it was pointless though, the chick had shown a stubborn side to her and she'd clearly just di
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HarleyI watched in horror as Cole ran - literally ran - to get away from me. Was I THAT much of a freak that guys found the need to escape the moment things got slightly intimate. I mean, we were just making out.I swore under my breath and stared at myself in the reflection of the floor length mirror that Jay had hung up beside the coat rack by the front door. I wasn’t hideous. I mean, I wasn’t drop dead gorgeous either, but I wasn’t a monster. I was probably a bit curvier than the chicks Cole obviously attracted, my backside refusing to shrink from a size ten no matter how much dieting and exercise I put in. My blonde hair had a slight curl to it and, in some lights, looked as if it was shot through with golden threads - another reason Jay insisted on my nickname. Nothing about me stood out or screamed sexy
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