and so was he, in another city. My parents thought I was smitten and silly and made us leave right then, forbidding us to ever see each other. We were separated for a week before he was able to find me, get to me and sneak past my parents to make it back to me.”
I remembered this morning. The strange flu like feelings and aches I had and how Caleb took them all away with one touch this morning. I looked up curiously and she nodded.
“ Yeah, think about what you went through this morning but everyday, all day, non stop for a week.” I hugged myself while she shook her head. “My parents thought I was crazy, that I’d have some kind of breakdown and were thinking about having me put into an institution.”
“Wow.”
“So, you see why we are all so concerned for you two, especially you, dear. You are human. You have human parents who will not understand your need to be with Caleb, among other things. Plus you are so very young and not yet legal, the youngest I’ve ever heard of being imprinted in all the clans. I am worried about causing problems between you and your family.”
“Well,” I started. “I graduated already.”
“Yes. Kyle told us. Skipped a grade?”
“Yes, ma’am, but even if I hadn’t, my parents won’t cause any problems, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“What do you mean, child?” she said with a scowl.
I felt so uncomfortable. I did not want to hash out my sad sob story in front of these twenty or so people, all with their waiting eyes. Them, wanting the dirt and story of the life of the strange girl who had been thrust into their lives. I did not want their sympathy. I licked my lips nervously.
Then I felt a hand on mine and it all went away, like wind blowing fog to clear the air. I only felt calm and warm when I looked up into those blue eyes. He was rescuing me again, with a little encouraging smile to boot. So I told her.
“My mom left last summer. It’s just been me and my dad and he’s depressed and a little...bitter. I barely see him. I don’t have any other family except one adopted brother who lives in New York. No grandparents. No uncles or aunts. No cousins. Just us.”
I waited for the onslaught of ‘ahhs’ and ‘you poor things’ but they didn’t come. His grandmother just nodded.
“That’s hard. But if nothing else it’ll make this a lot easier on you. Do you have a plan for college or anything yet?”
“Um, no. No yet,” I said and picked at the fabric of my jeans.
“Well, we’ll talk about that later.” She glanced meaningfully at Rachel and Mr. Jacobson, the one I’d talked to, and then back to me.
“Um, what do you mean it’ll make it easier on me?”
“Well, honey, to be blunt, you can’t live without Caleb!”
Five
“Gran!” Caleb’s hand released mine as his hands flew in the air. “This is not the way I wanted to explain things,” Caleb said and I could feel how exasperated he was.
“It’s gotta be done. It’ll be worse on her if we don’t get it all out in the open. We all know it. She’s human. The deed is done. Nothing can be changed now. We can pretend all we want to that there’s another choice but the girl will have to be with you.”
“I have to be with him,” I repeated before Caleb could say anything else. “You mean with him physically around, like all the time, or I’ll get sick like I did this morning?”
“Yes. It’s worse in the beginning but it fades some. You will always need each other. After you ascend, things will be even more different than now, in a good way. I know it’s scary right now-”
I cut her off. I wasn’t scared. I was feeling an eclectic rainbow of emotions but scared wasn’t one of them.
“I get all that, don’t worry, I’m not scared. I’m not upset. I’m just not sure how to make it all work. This is...” I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes for just a few seconds. “Crazy. I mean, yesterday I was a nobody, seventeen year old who
I remembered this morning. The strange flu like feelings and aches I had and how Caleb took them all away with one touch this morning. I looked up curiously and she nodded.
“ Yeah, think about what you went through this morning but everyday, all day, non stop for a week.” I hugged myself while she shook her head. “My parents thought I was crazy, that I’d have some kind of breakdown and were thinking about having me put into an institution.”
“Wow.”
“So, you see why we are all so concerned for you two, especially you, dear. You are human. You have human parents who will not understand your need to be with Caleb, among other things. Plus you are so very young and not yet legal, the youngest I’ve ever heard of being imprinted in all the clans. I am worried about causing problems between you and your family.”
“Well,” I started. “I graduated already.”
“Yes. Kyle told us. Skipped a grade?”
“Yes, ma’am, but even if I hadn’t, my parents won’t cause any problems, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“What do you mean, child?” she said with a scowl.
I felt so uncomfortable. I did not want to hash out my sad sob story in front of these twenty or so people, all with their waiting eyes. Them, wanting the dirt and story of the life of the strange girl who had been thrust into their lives. I did not want their sympathy. I licked my lips nervously.
Then I felt a hand on mine and it all went away, like wind blowing fog to clear the air. I only felt calm and warm when I looked up into those blue eyes. He was rescuing me again, with a little encouraging smile to boot. So I told her.
“My mom left last summer. It’s just been me and my dad and he’s depressed and a little...bitter. I barely see him. I don’t have any other family except one adopted brother who lives in New York. No grandparents. No uncles or aunts. No cousins. Just us.”
I waited for the onslaught of ‘ahhs’ and ‘you poor things’ but they didn’t come. His grandmother just nodded.
“That’s hard. But if nothing else it’ll make this a lot easier on you. Do you have a plan for college or anything yet?”
“Um, no. No yet,” I said and picked at the fabric of my jeans.
“Well, we’ll talk about that later.” She glanced meaningfully at Rachel and Mr. Jacobson, the one I’d talked to, and then back to me.
“Um, what do you mean it’ll make it easier on me?”
“Well, honey, to be blunt, you can’t live without Caleb!”
Five
“Gran!” Caleb’s hand released mine as his hands flew in the air. “This is not the way I wanted to explain things,” Caleb said and I could feel how exasperated he was.
“It’s gotta be done. It’ll be worse on her if we don’t get it all out in the open. We all know it. She’s human. The deed is done. Nothing can be changed now. We can pretend all we want to that there’s another choice but the girl will have to be with you.”
“I have to be with him,” I repeated before Caleb could say anything else. “You mean with him physically around, like all the time, or I’ll get sick like I did this morning?”
“Yes. It’s worse in the beginning but it fades some. You will always need each other. After you ascend, things will be even more different than now, in a good way. I know it’s scary right now-”
I cut her off. I wasn’t scared. I was feeling an eclectic rainbow of emotions but scared wasn’t one of them.
“I get all that, don’t worry, I’m not scared. I’m not upset. I’m just not sure how to make it all work. This is...” I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes for just a few seconds. “Crazy. I mean, yesterday I was a nobody, seventeen year old who
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