“Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. So, anyway, I guess that's my news. I am someone's child, but I don't know who, and from the story he gave me, they don't know, either. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do.”
“I'm sorry that you found out this way. I wish they had more information for you. I know that it must be really hard to not know. It would drive me crazy, and you’re just as bad as I am.”
Laurel agreed and just somebody recognizing that made her feel better. She wasn't crazy for feeling like her whole world was turning upside down. That was good to know.
It actually made her feel better, and she asked Mallory how she was doing. Mallory didn't want to talk about herself, but Laurel made her. She knew that it was because her friend was having a great time. Vincent was her mate. They seemed fated to be together.
“Do you want me to come back? We can come back for a little while to visit. Vincent probably wouldn't mind checking up on the Academy. I think this is the longest he's been away from it, and he's kind of freaking out a little bit himself.”
Laurel told her that it wouldn't do. She didn't want them to have to rush back because of her. Mallory had already made her feel better. Besides, what was she supposed to do?
There wasn't much that could be done. It was really just learning how to live with it all.
“No, nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. You guys have fun. It was good to talk to you, Mallory. I really wasn’t trying to convey that at all.”
“Are you sure you don't want me to come back? You know that we don't mind. I know that Ethen misses you.”
That was good for Laurel to hear, because sometimes it felt like that life was so long ago. It wasn't, of course, but it certainly felt like it.
She hung up with a smile on her face and wondered what she was going to do next. Her plans of college somehow didn't seem likely. Now, she had to figure out what in the world she was going to do. She had to do something. There was no supernatural world to get lost in. Laurel was now in the real world, and she needed to figure it all out.
Chapter 4
Nathan was in the middle of a class when he got a call from his boss. Vincent was on some kind of vacation, so if he was calling, he probably needed Nathan to do something. He excused himself from the class and told them that he would be back in just a moment. He went to answer the phone and see what his boss, who was his best friend too, wanted.
“Hey, man, what's going on?”
“Hey, Nathan, this is not Vincent.”
“Who is this?” Nathan asked when he heard a female voice instead of Vincent. “Mallory, of course. You sound different on the phone.” He didn't recognize at first but then he thought who else could call from Vincent’s phone.
“Yeah, I've heard that before. So, what's going on? Everything is alright, yeah?” Mallory asked.
“Yeah, everything is great. Then what's up?” Nathan asked as he was little worried if everything was all right. There was no reason that Mallory would call him unless there was some emergency.
“I got this call from Laurel a little bit ago and she sounded weird. Have you seen her lately?”
“No, I can't say that I have. She came by a few days ago to say goodbye. Said that she was going back to her parents. You didn't know about it?” Nathan asked as he worried for Laurel.
Mallory said that she didn't, and Nathan wondered why she wouldn't have told her best friend. The two of them shared everything together. “Do you think something has happened to her?”
“I don't want to assume anything, but I think she just needs somebody that's on her side, you know?”
Nathan didn't know, but if it meant he got to go see Laurel, he was down for it. “Do you want me to go check on her?”
“Yeah, would you, really?”
“Sure, I don't want you in California worried about it. I'm sure that everything is fine, but I will go run and do a check up on her after I leave the Academy, if that will make you feel better, Mallory.”
Mallory thanked him profusely and he told her that it was no big deal. He didn't let on how much he wanted to talk to her, anyway, and it would give him the perfect excuse to do just that. She didn't need to know that information.
***
Usually, Nathan would stay at the Academy a little bit past closing time. There was always so much damn paperwork to do, and he knew that since Vincent was away, there was nobody else to do it. It all fell on his head, but tonight, he didn't have to go that course. He could, instead, put it all down and go find out how Laurel was doing. It had only been a couple of days since they had said goodbye, but he already missed seeing her in the mornings.
Nathan got the address of her parents from Mallory. She wasn’t sure if Laurel was going to be there or much else of what was going on, but he figured it would be best just to go and see. He was drawn to the woman, and even though he had wanted to see her, his promised mate had left him no choice but to stay.
He knew that Nancy would never allow him to see a human, and if she found out about it, even if she thought that they were just friends, there would be no telling what she would do. Best thing she would do was shame her and make sure that Laurel never came within ten feet of him again. Worst thing would be that she killed her. It would take nothing to do so, because Laurel was human and vulnerable. The same delicate nature of her that seemed to draw him in was the very same thing that had to keep him away.
