8 Gabriel

Class seemed to go on forever, though there wasn’t much to pay attention to today since the professor had us all introducing ourselves. Near the end, he’d told us to write a 3 page essay on why we took that class and what we expected to get out of it. I wasn’t thrilled by the homework, but I knew I could get it done in less than two hours. I had always had a talent for writing. Back in middle school, I would write short stories and give them to my English teacher.

I made my way out to the front of the school, tossing my bag into the passenger seat of my vehicle as I waited for Gabriel to show up for our talk. It would be nothing too serious. I just had to figure out how he had gotten me into the house and into bed. I felt sort of bad at the fact that he would have had to carry me all the way over to his vehicle.

I remembered back when mom started dating people I had pretended to be asleep in the car so I wouldn’t have to walk all the way upstairs. The guy she had dated, John, would always carry me. Sometimes I wondered what had happened to that guy. I had seen nothing negative around him. Then again, adults were great at lying to their kids when they wanted to hide something.

Gabriel tapped on my driver’s side window, which made me jump. I had been so deep in thought that his presence startled me. “Let me drive.” His tone was flat, so I had simply nodded in reply and slid over to where my bag was sitting.

”Do I get to know where you are taking me this time, or is it going to be another surprise?” I kept my tone tight as well, mocking his dry attitude. What bug crawled up his ass in such a short amount of time. He didn’t answer, just kicked the truck into start and took off down the road. “At the waterfall, how did you get me home? I mean, how did you get me back into the house? How did you get my truck home?”

I could hear a sigh slip out of his mouth. He was amazing at this whole thing, not answering my questions. So much so that I was looking around for annoying things I could throw at him until he gave in and told me what I wanted to know. To my dismay, I had cleaned out my vehicle a few days ago to prepare for my trips to school. Good first impressions and all.

A half an hour passed before we stopped outside of my grandmother’s house. How he knew where she lived was beyond me. Maybe he was a stalker. Maybe he killed grandma, and I was next on his killing list because I threw up on him. Poor grams died because of a little throw up. A light tap on the passenger window made me flinch. My mind had flooded with little terrors for what could be there. Grams stood there in all her lovely glory with her lips drawn into a stern, thin line. Something was wrong.

I carefully opened the door, making sure I didn’t hit her with it, and slid out onto the dirt driveway. A small reassuring smile gracing my lips in hope’s it would comfort Nana enough for her to give one back. It didn’t work. Her stony gaze was locked on Gabriel as he too got out of the vehicle.

“In the house now. Both of you.” Her flat tone made my chest feel heavy as we hurried into the house. The scent of apple cider filling the air around us as I made my way directly to my spot on the couch. I was in such a panicked hurry I had left the two of them alone in the hall. Gabriel’s muffled whispers filled the silence as I watched that direction expectantly. Nana’s sigh had told me she had given in, now appearing in the room with Gabriel behind her.

Gabriel took a seat beside Nana, now across from me with her back to the fire. The look on her face shown clearly how tired she was. It was as if the light had left her and her age was finally starting to show through her light energy. Her eyes holding a glare which was locked onto Gabriel who seemed to not care in the slightest.

"Sweetheart." Nana began, her warm gaze returning as she looked over at me. "There are a few things I still have to tell you, about this new world you live in. Other beings such as werewolves, vampires, witches, and even dragons. They all exist here and some are even partially related to you. Some may even be destined to become a bigger part of your life than you could ever believe. Like your friend Gabriel here. He too is a being that is not completely human." Gabriel scoffed at Nana's words, displeased with how she was explaining what he is perhaps. Or maybe he just didn't like people, he really didn't seem like a people person no matter how attractive he was. He was still kind of cocky and standoffish.

"I'm what she calls a werewolf, though we don't exactly call ourselves that. We also don't turn into crazy killers on full moons if that was what you were thinking." Gabriel explained in an annoyed tone, like he was talking to a child and had to explain the same thing over and over until it was understood. I decided to ignore his input and kept my focus on Nana who once again had an exhausted look on her face.

"Yes, as he stated honey. His kind aren't as evil or... Lust driven as most books out there in the human world say. Though they do live in seclusion to keep their identities secret from others. As the pups aren't able to control their forms until their teens. Some even later than that. My husband... Your grandfather Jerian was of their kind, I was his destined, though it was only for a short while before he chose another for our safety. I have a book to give you, it has been passed down by the mothers of our bloodline for generations and hopefully generations to come." With that Nana stood from her seat, making her way to her fire place where she pulled forth a brick. Reaching into the now empty entrance, she pulled out a black leather bound book. Bringing it to me gently before placing it in my hands.

"I have a few things to talk with your friend about, why don't you return to your old bedroom and read over a few pages." She wasn't asking me to leave, but more so telling me that I needed to give them some privacy. Without another thought, I did as nana had said. Making my way to my room leaving them to discuss whatever it was that they needed.