Chapter Seven: Jason

Aiden had tried to sway Mary from having the party at the woods. He had shown more concern than he really intended too, but his efforts were to no avail. She seemed insistent and it made him wonder if someone was manipulating her mind. He wondered if Cedric had a hand in all of this.

Aiden spent most of his time around Lorraine. In spite of his hasty approach towards her the other day, Aiden’s feelings only grew towards her. However, she treated him like a friend. She was very interesting, her wit and smart retorts managed to surprise him a couple of times. Sometimes her sarcasm too. On Friday evening he arrived at The Tavern, which was the most popular place to hangout in Secret Valley, and found Judy, Lorraine, Jake, Mike, and Mary. He sat down next to her but opted not to participate in any of the conversations.

Judy started asking Lorraine about the party and they agreed to get ready at Lorraine’s house together. Aiden leaned closer to her a bit, "Are you sure you want to go to this party?"

Lorraine thought about the question for a moment longer, she wasn't sure she wanted to go. But she didn't hate the idea of going either. *"It could be a nice change of pace."* She decided to herself, giving Aiden a firm nod. "It might be nice, Aiden. What do we have to lose?" She replied with a small smile before turning to the others and joining their conversation.

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Saturday morning found Lorraine having breakfast with Suzan. They had the TV on, and a news program started. “There is still no news of the Jonas family, the search parties are still going but we are still awaiting news”. The anchorman started, “When Sheriff Fisher was asked about the incident, this is what he had to say." The scene on the TV changed to an elder bald man, whose face was as hard as stone when he spoke. “We are doing the best we can, but we advise everyone to steer clear of the woods until we have a better understanding of what exactly happened.”

Suzan shook her head in obvious distress, “God be with them, I can’t believe getting lost in the woods for days. I mean it’s been almost a week and there is still no news”

“Do you think they’re still alive?” Lorraine asked, her eyes not leaving the TV screen.

“I sure hope they are”

The two sat in silence, their food ignored on the plates after having lost their appetites. There were three pictures displayed on the screen as the presenter said, "Adam Jonas, Linda Jonas, and their son John have been lost for almost a week now…"

Suzan turned off the TV eliciting an annoyed look from Lorraine, “Enough with this horrible news." She got up, and grabbed her things to head to the hospital for another long shift. Once at the door, she turned to Lorraine, "Be careful, call me if you need anything, and if you're going out, be home before nine."

"Don't worry mom." Lorraine said with a nod and a smile.

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Saturday night came earlier than Aiden had anticipated. He had just finished getting dressed, when he saw Bate’s reflection leaning on the doorframe of his room with his arms crossed over his chest and a disapproving look on his face. “You’re still going?”

Aiden turned to face him, “I have no choice, she’s going”

“A party in the woods” Bates said with a scoff, “You can’t tell me that it’s a coincidence, not at this time”

“What do you want me to do, Bates? Do you want me to just let her go alone? Cedric would take the chance and probably kill her there and then. I can't take that chance.”

Bates let out a long sigh and shook his head, pushing away from the door frame and walking closer to Aiden, “I just wish to understand why? What’s with that sparked interest in the girl?” He and Aiden had been together for the past eighty years; they rarely argued, but recently it seemed like that was all they did. Bates cared for Aiden more than he would like to admit; he was like the younger brother he never had. It was why he had followed him to Secret Valley, albeit not knowing their reason for being here.

Aiden didn't have an answer, not one that made sense at least. He hadn't been able to figure out a reason yet. He let out a soft breath, "I don't know, Bates. She's just…" He shook his head, "I tried to stay away. I wanted her to hate me, but it wouldn't even last a day. She makes me curious…"

"You understand who she is though? You understand who's after her?" Bates inquired in a tone that resembled one you'd use to speak to a child. His voice was even slightly reprimanding. Aiden said nothing but gave a firm nod and his eyes held those of Bates stubbornly. “You fancy yourself in love with her?” Bates asked incredulously.

The question had taken him by surprise. "Love?" He asked himself if that was how he felt. However, he decided that it was too early to be in love. He had been with women before, thought himself in love with one all those years ago, but Aiden wasn't in love with Lorraine. *"But I'm well on my way to fall."* The thought echoed in his mind, but he decided to not dwell on it. Without even glancing at Bates, he eloped the room as if the hellhounds were on his feet.


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Judy and Lorraine arrived at some secluded part in the woods before Judy pulled over. Lorraine could see some lights and hear the music a bit further. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way”. After Judy said that they got out of the car and Judy wrapped her arm around Lorraine’s and they started walking together. They arrived at a bonfire with some people gathered around it, chatting, and moving their bodies with the blasting music. Both girls saw Aiden strolling towards them, and Judy leaned to whisper in Lorrain’s ear, “How come you don’t want to jump that?!”

At the same time Lorraine was shaking her head at her friend’s bluntness, Aiden was in front of them. He greeted the two girls with a smile, one that Lorraine decided was fake, and even phony. Suddenly, Judy gave Lorraine a knowing look and said, “I’m going to grab a drink, want one?” They both shook their heads, and she walked away.

“It’s not really that bad.” Lorraine started with a teasing tone referring to the party.

Aiden only gave her a mocking glare, “It’s barely starting”. They stood next to each other watching the people around them as they danced. Lorraine’s eyes fell on a couple who stood a little bit further from the bonfire. The girl was leaning on a tree with her head thrown back in an inaudible laugh, while the boy’s head was on her neck. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was kissing her. Lorraine averted her eyes from the couple, feeling like she had been intruding on their moment.

She turned to Aiden and her mouth was open, but she choked on her words when she saw the way he was looking at her. "I’m busted." It wasn’t hard to see that he had figured out what she had been looking at. The teasing look on his face was enough. “It’s rude to watch others’ intimate moments”

She swallowed her embarrassment, fighting the blush rising to her face, “If people don’t want to be watched, then they ought to take their private business somewhere that it just as private”

Fortunately for Lorraine, Judy came back with a guy, his arms dangling over her shoulder. “Guys this is Jason.” She turned to Jason and introduced them to him. He smirked towards Aiden and Lorraine, then whispered something in Judy’s ear making her giggle.

Lorraine squeezed her mind, trying to remember whether she had seen this person before, but it was useless. Jason had an unfamiliar face and Lorraine decided that he definitely wasn’t with them in school. She tried to find out more about him, so she subtly asked, “Are you a senior too?”

He laughed, “No, I’m a freshman” he paused, “In college”

Lorraine tilted her eyes to the side then said, “Ah, I see”

Both Aiden and Jason exchanged knowing looks, for both knew what the other was. That went unnoticed by the two girls. Judy’s eyebrows wiggled playfully at Lorraine, before her eyes turned back to Jason. *"Something is off with Judy."* Lorraine decided, staring at the girl with an arched brow. She tried to communicate with Judy silently, only using her eyes, to warn her about Jason. But Judy’s eyes seemed to be only focused on Jason.
She looked drunk, too drunk for someone who’s been drinking for only a couple of minutes. It worried her even more that she sensed that something about Jason was unsettling. She didn’t know why, but he had a bad vibe, it was the only thing she could come up with. He just didn’t feel right, something was off about him. Judy then grabbed him and said, “Well, I’ll find you guys later” she gave them a wink then she walked away, deeper into the woods.

She stood for a couple of seconds staring after them and without turning to Aiden she asked. “Why does she look drunk already?”