Chapter 154
“That’s basically the entire facility. Do either of you have any questions?” Aaron asked Brandon and I as we looked around the gym.
Without hesitation, Brandon said, “Yeah, when do I get to meet Sam?” His hands were on his hips, and once again, I was slightly reminded of his father. I pushed the thought aside.
Aaron and Cadence exchanged a nervous glance. “Don’t you think you should wait until you Transform for that?” Cadence asked.
I didn’t give Brandon a chance to answer. If he was meeting Sam, so was I. And I wasn’t waiting a year. “I want to meet him, too.”
Cadence’s head was shaking before I finished talking. “No way. That’s way too dangerous.”
“What?” I had lost it again. I was shrieking. Like a crazy person. “He was in an airplane crash. He’s basically a pile of mush. What could he possibly do to me?” She was not my mother, and it infuriated me that she insisted on treating me like a child.
My sister’s resolve was unwavering. She was giving me her sternest look. “You don’t know him, Cass. You don’t have any idea what kind of evil we’re talking about here.”
“It’s not fair that Brandon gets to meet him and I don’t. I knew his dad a lot better than he did--he never even met him!” I exclaimed. The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them, and I realized my sister and Aaron were both staring at me with their mouths open and their eyes wide as saucers. I am a despicable person. Slowly, I turned to look at Brandon, whose face had paled, and I felt like the worst being on the planet. There wasn’t much I could say except for the obvious. In my most sincere voice, I said, “I’m so sorry. That was unbelievably rude.”
Brandon looked at me for a long time, as if he was trying to make sure I meant my apology. Eventually, he said, “It’s okay. You’re right. I never got a chance to meet him. I’m glad you did though. You can tell me stories about him.” He looked at my sister and Aaron who had recovered from the shock of my verbal diarrhea. “All three of you can. I just wanted to see Sam before I Transform, to say that I faced him as a man; that’s all. He’s a big part of my motivation to be here, after all. It might make it a little easier if the Transformation gets painful, like you were saying, Cadence.”
Cadence exhaled loudly and turned to look at Aaron. I could tell they were having an internal conversation because of the way their eyes were moving back and forth. I tried not to stare and looked at the floor instead. I was sure my second outburst of the day would cost me any opportunity to see Sam. There was no way she’d reward my behavior by letting me go in there.
A minute or so later, Cadence finally said, “Fine. But you have to follow our directions completely. You have to stay back away from him. Got it?”
“Got it,” Brandon agreed.
And then I realized she was looking at me, too, waiting for me to agree. All I could do was nod. She was actually letting me do this after what I’d just said?
“All right, let’s go before Jamie calls us to let us know he’s ready.” She took off, headed for the exit, her hand back on her stomach again, and I caught Aaron’s eyes before he walked around me to catch up to her. “I still think this is a bad idea….” Cadence muttered, and I realized, once again, it wasn’t my sister who had decided I could do this. It was her fiancé.
We stepped outside and the October wind cut through my jacket. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I had a coat. I noticed it didn’t seem to bother my sister or Aaron, though, and Cadence still had her hand on her stomach. I could tell they were having a pretty intense conversation about something and wondered what it might be. I’d never know.
“Little chilly out here,” Brandon said, drawing my attention away from the pair in front of me.
“Yeah,” I agreed. I glanced up at him and tried to smile. “Listen, about what I said back there….”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Brandon said, cutting me off. “No big deal.”
“But it is….”
“Listen, Cass, you’re clearly very passionate about what they’re doing here. I can’t blame you for wishing it was your turn now. Your sister doesn’t quite seem to get that.” I was glad he could see it, too, that it wasn’t just me. “I’m glad you’re here, though.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s nice not to be the only one sort of on the outside.”
For once, I actually appreciated not being part of the team, or at least I appreciated the fact that I had an opportunity to help someone for a change. I smiled at him and increased my speed a little bit. Even though I was more nervous about seeing Sam than I cared to mention, I was also freezing.
We stepped into an intersection, and I noticed Cadence looking around at the tops of the buildings, like she was trying to spot a Vampire, and it made me nervous. Whatever she was sensing, I thought it was probably legitimate, and it had me a little uneasy. Another reason I’d be happy to get inside.
We stopped at a building that looked to be about four stories tall, situated behind the building that Jamie’s office was in, catty-cornered to the apartment buildings. Aaron pulled the door open and we all stepped in. Cadence waited for him to catch up to us and then led the way down the hall to another door, which she opened. There was a flight of stairs that went down into the basement. The smell of mildew and wet cement hit my lungs, and I was glad Brandon was behind me as we descended into darkness.
