know how to explain what just happened. Besides, I want to
find out why that woman killed my mom and I think you can help me."
"If you're
willing to come back to our headquarters, we can teach you everything we know
and do our best to help find the woman."
I hesitated. I
wasn't sure if I trusted Felix enough to go somewhere with him, but my
instincts were telling me to trust him. My mom always told me my instincts were
better than anyone else's. Maybe that had to do with being a Lovac.
"Okay. I'll
go with you," I finally said.
Felix's eyebrows
rose slightly. "You sure?"
I shrugged.
"I've got nothing better to do. Besides, I came here to find answers and
you're the only one who's given me any."
He nodded.
"Go get your stuff from your motel room and check out. Our headquarters
are a few miles from here in the forests, and you'll probably want to stay
somewhere closer if you're serious about learning more. I'll meet you in the
parking lot of the motel in fifteen minutes."
Before I even
had a chance to nod Felix was already turning away from me and walking in the
opposite direction of my motel. I stood frozen in a place for a moment and
wondered if I was doing the right thing. I wondered if my mom would be proud of
me for going after answers or disappointed in me for risking my life after she
protected me for so long. I told myself she would be proud and walked back to
my motel.
Fifteen minutes
later I was leaning against my car with my mom's trunk safely inside and my
backpack slung around my shoulder. I finished checking out of the motel a few
minutes earlier and I began to wonder if Felix ditched me.
Another five
minutes passed before a sleek black SUV rolled into the parking lot. Felix
rolled down the window as he got close to me. I noticed there was a woman in
the passenger seat and I felt a tiny pang of jealousy that it might be his
girlfriend. I had no right to be jealous over a guy I barely knew.
"Sorry I'm
a little late. I had to go pick someone up," he said and nodded his head
in the direction of the woman. I stepped a little closer to the window to get a
better look at her.
"Hello,"
the woman said. "I'm Riley."
Her voice was
very soft and I had to strain to hear her. Her eyes looked sad and even though
her smile was genuine, it almost had a sad feel to it, too. Her long brown hair
cascaded down her back in waves and I felt another pang of jealousy. I had always
wanted perfect curly hair. Even from this distance, I could see her bright
purple eyes framed by slightly tanned skin.
"It's
really nice to finally meet you," Riley continued.
"You know
who I am, too?"
"Of course.
Every Lovac knows who you are. You're practically famous in our world."
I shifted
uncomfortably. I didn't like the thought of a whole group of people I never
knew existed spying on me.
"Do you
want to ride with us or follow in your own car?" Felix asked after I
didn't say anything for a moment.
"I'll take
my own car," I said without hesitation. There was no way I going without
some kind of escape available. I didn't want to be stuck with strangers,
especially if they refused to let me leave.
Neither Felix
nor Riley argued and a few minutes later I was following them through the city
of Seattle and off into the nearby forests. Nearly an hour after we left the
main road a large building came into view. From the outside it was boring and
reminded me of how I pictured a jail, only without the barbed wire fences.
I pulled into a
parking space next to Felix's car and hesitated before getting out. Part of me
was excited to learn more about these people and the other part of me was
terrified that I was walking into some kind of trap.
Felix tapped on
my window and I jumped. I would probably be pretty jumpy for a while until I
truly trusted them. I opened my car door and an uneasy feeling settled over me.
I was about to enter a building full of strangers that weren’t human.
"Are you
sure you're ready for this?" Felix asked. His smile