Chapter 416
As difficult as it was, I didn’t bother to try to talk Brandon out of going to the Eidolon Festival. I was just being silly, thinking something might happen, and I needed to let it go.
He got his weapons together, and I couldn’t help thinking how cool he looked with his leather jacket on, checking his Glocks and sliding them into their holsters. What high school girl wouldn’t want to date someone who looks like a secret agent? Just to be even, I holstered my own Glock, which I’d set down on his dresser earlier in the afternoon. I didn’t need it for anything, but it didn’t hurt to have it on, and I thought he might feel better knowing I was armed in case something went wrong.
I walked downstairs with the Guardians and Ashley. I looked around for my sister but she wasn’t there. Aaron caught me and said, “She’s asleep.”
“Oh.” It was too bad that she wasn’t going to be there to tell them goodbye, but I guessed it wasn’t that big of a deal. They’d be back soon enough.
A third SUV had arrived sometime in the last few hours, and I imagined some of the locals had probably dropped if off. So there would be two for them to take and then they’d leave one for us, just in case.
Ashley had tears in her eyes as she was telling Jamie goodbye, and I might’ve thought that she was having the same bad feeling I was if I didn’t know Ashley well enough to understand that’s just how she is. I said a quick goodbye to Jamie over Ashley’s shoulder, and he mouthed goodbye to me.
Hannah and Aaron waved at me and got in, Christian ignored me and followed them, which left me with the people I needed to take my time saying goodbye to.
Dax gave me a quick hug and stepped aside, promising me we’d have a pancake battle in the morning. Elliott kissed me on the cheek and said, “See ya in the mornin’, lil girl.” I smiled at him and watched him walk away.
Alex was lingering behind me, sort of looking at the flowers near the mailbox, but I knew he was hoping to say something to me. Brandon looked bothered but didn’t stop me when I stepped over. “Have fun, Alex.”
He pretended as if I’d startled him. “Oh, uh, yes. Of course. Thank you, Miss Cassidy. I’m sure it will be a grand time.”
I chuckled at him, and he patted me on the arm. There was something in his eyes, something I hadn’t seen before, and it made that anxious feeling inside of me flare to life. With a small half-smile he said, “You are an incredible young lady, Cassidy Findley. Take care.”
It was odd. I wasn’t sure how to respond to it. So I just stared at the spot where he’d been standing for a long while as he walked away and Brandon took his place. “What did he say?” my boyfriend asked, his curious tone clouded by a hint of jealousy.
“He said... see you in the morning at breakfast.” For some reason, I didn’t feel like I could tell Brandon the truth, and even though I hate lying to him, and he can usually see right through me if I even try, he seemed to accept that.
I turned around and found his open arms, and he hugged me long enough that I heard Christian complaining that he needed to hurry up. “I will see you soon.” Brandon’s words were measured, intentional.
“I know.” I smiled my fake smile and looked up at him. He brought his lips down to mine, and I tried to believe him, but at that moment, I had a terrible feeling I was lying. And so was he. Brandon and Jamie climbed inside, and I pulled Ashley back away from the window so they could go.
Ashley and I stood in the yard and watched them back out of the driveway, Elliott driving one vehicle and Aaron piloting the other. Her tears were dried up now, though she didn’t look particularly happy. Once they disappeared down the street, we still stood there for a few moments, which made no sense. So I asked her, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” She smiled at me, but she was also not telling the truth. “I’ve just got a weird feeling.”
“It’ll be all right,” I assured her, but I was pretty sure she didn’t buy it either. Whatever was going on, it seemed to be affecting all of us. I just hoped there was some chance the entire universe was being overly cautious, and everything was going to be just fine.
I went back into Cadence’s room to check on her. She was still asleep, which was kind of a good thing since she hadn’t been sleeping well recently, what with all the wedding planning and all. I decided to go back into Brandon’s room and watch TV for a little while since he’d left the key with me, and I didn’t want to bother my sister.
There wasn’t much on that time of morning, even with fifty or sixty channels to choose from. I ended up watching The Weather Channel. They were talking about the eclipse, of course. I learned a lot about eclipses in the forty-five minutes or so I was watching, but none of it had anything to do with Vampires, thank goodness.
Finally, around 2:00, when the festival was getting started, I went back over to check on Cadence. The team was all in position, and I had visuals through Brandon’s IAC. He was partnered with Jamie, which made me feel like there was a good chance nothing bad could happen to him, despite the fireballs in my stomach. If he got hurt somehow, Jamie could fix him in an instant now that he had his blue healing powers which shot out of his hands like moonbeams. So long as Jamie didn’t get hurt, Brandon should be okay.
