Chapter 26
"Excuse me?" I gasped out, completely dumbfounded.
"You're not my biological daughter, Emma," Alex repeated, but the new information still did not choose to process.
Not knowing what to do at the moment, I chose to let my mouth do the talking. "Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. You've known this long and you've never told me?"
Alex's head hung low as he slowly nodded his head.
"Do you at least know who he is?" I asked, hating how my tone softened slightly.
"No. I don't even know if he knows you exist. After I found out, your mother tried explaining but... I wouldn't listen. All I remember from all the yelling is her saying that he's non-existent," he explained.
Unable to stay in one spot, I stood up from my bed and began pacing. "You sure he doesn't know about me?" I asked between breaths, and Alex nodded his head in confidence.
"He couldn't have. I'm sure of it."
I nodded slowly, rubbing my right hand down my face. "I... I need... I need to go."
"Where?" Alex asked behind me as I went to grab my notebook and phone.
"Jason's. I need to get out for a little."
Alex stayed silent for a short period, so I used the spare time I had to look over my shoulder, only to see him looking slightly pained.
"Okay. Just... I'm sorry sweetie. I really am."
A little late, dad.
What should I even call him?
I whispered a quiet goodbye as I moved around his stiff body. Once I've made my escape out of the house, I dashed across the front lawn, and knocked on Jason's door three times.
After a minute, Danielle opened the door in her light pink bathrobe. "Emma? What are you doing here hon?" She asked, rubbing her eyes while yawning.
"Can I stay over for the night?"
Danielle gives me a look over before nodding. "Of course. Is everything okay?"
I nodded, walking inside her air conditioned house.
Just as I was about to march up the stairs, a whisper in the back of my head told me to stay put.
"Did you know?" I asked, still facing the staircase.
Without even needing to look in her direction, I felt her stiffen. "Know what?"
I laughed harshly as I turned around to face her. "About him. About how I'm not his real daughter."
Danielle's eyes widened dramatically from what I said. I didn't even notice tears running down my cheeks until one landed on my clenched fist.
"Yes," she whispered, looking down at her feet.
"Amazing," I scoffed sarcastically.
"Emma, please you have to understandâ"
Danielle stops her sentence as footsteps walking down the stairs echoed off of the walls.
"Emma? Are you okay?" Lucas's authoritarian voice caught my ear, and I turned around to face his worried expression.
Once Lucas caught a glimpse of my tears, his confusion transformed to anger. "Come on, Emma," he consoled as he grabbed my hand gently, guiding me upstairs.
As we were nearing Jason's closed bedroom door, Lucas pushed me against the wall across Jason's room, and leaned against it. "Is everything okay?" Lucas asked as I caught a whiff of his scented peppermint soap.
Unable to keep my gaze singularly on his eyes, my eyes dropped down slightly, briefly glancing at his full lips.
Lucas sucked in a harsh breath as I quickly looked back up. "Let's go inside. I'll tell you guys everything."
He slowly nodded before taking a step back away from me, which causing a pang of anger to flash in me.
"You okay?" Jason asked once we've entered his room.
I sighed, and took at seat on Jason's left on his bed. "I don't even know where to begin," I mumbled under my breath before deciding to start from when they left my room.
"You're shitting me," Lucas deadpanned once I've finally taken a breath of air.
I shook my head as a empty laugh left me. "I wish I was."
"How are you handling this?" Jason asked, resting his hand on my knee.
I briefly looked to Lucas to see him eyeing where Jason's hand currently is. "I don't think it's processed yet. I'm sure to have a bigger freak out tomorrow."
Suddenly, Lucas's laugh filled the room. "I guess we're all fucked up now."
I shot him a look, and he raised his hands up in surrender. "It's true! God knows who the fuck your dad is, and mine is a witch hunter who passed his genes to me."
"Nothing's fucked up about me," Jason piped in.
"Yet," Lucas smirked.
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"Shocking," Lauren rolled her eyes once she saw my figure leaving my house.
I flipped her the finger as I strolled down my porch steps, making my way to her car where Anna was already seated in.
It was currently Monday, and Lauren texted me this morning unexpectedly saying that she would pick me up.
Of course, I'd love to be late when meeting Jason, but Lauren gets a little more... angrier.
Once I'm seated in the back seat, Lauren shifted her gear and zooms down the street, while I on the other hand, felt like vomiting.
"You okay?" Anna asked once she saw my expression over her shoulder.
I gripped the shoulder of the seat in front of me. "Just feeling nauseous," I respond as Lauren pulled a sharp turn.
"Stop being melodramatic," Lauren scoffed as we began to pull into a parking spot in front of the school.
"I'll show you dramatic after I've puked all over your car," I grumbled as I stomped out of her car.
Lauren sped up her speed until she was walking next to me. "You do that, and I'll find a way to put it back inside your mouth."
I cringed at the thought as all three of us walked through the large doors inside the school.
"Locker?" Anna asked next to me, and I shrugged, heading to the direction of my locker.
As we're climbing up the steps, I suddenly heard a small amount of giggling coming from the second floor.
The three of us slowed our steps until suddenly, I froze at my spot when I saw who those giggles belonged to.
Brianna, who was pressed against the tiled wall with Lucas standing across from her with a smug expression on his face.
As if he sensed our presence, he turned around and caught my eye.
Without looking away, the girls and I opened the door that separated us from the second floor.
After the door shut behind us, I couldn't get rid of this feeling inside of me.
Which I refused to admit was jealously.
Once all three of us put away our things into our separate lockers, we headed to homeroom â which was Calculus.
Jason's laughed echoed off of the classroom walls once we entered the small cubed shaped room.
I looked at his desk and found it empty, so I shifted my gaze to the back of the classroom, where Dylan and Jason sat, talking.
"Hey Dyl," Lauren greeted as she jogged her way next to him.
As she kissed his cheek, Anna waved at the both of them as she joined their small little circle.
I slowly made my way to the group and took a seat on top of the desk in front of them.
While all four of them chatted about semi-formal next week, only one thought kept on creeping up in the back of my mind.
Who is my real father?
â¡
I angrily threw my locker door open, rehashing how the journey was to get here.
Fucking people fucking bumping into me like I'm invisible.
I wasn't able to stop the different curse words that left my mouth.
Just as I began to put my Chemistry binder and textbook in my bag, a warm presence took its place behind me.
"Boo!" Lucas shouted, grabbing a hold of my upper arms.
Surprised by the sudden action, the things in my hold fell, and I turned around to glare at him.
"Thanks," I spoke dryly as I bent on my knees to pick up my fallen materials.
Just as my hand touched the large Chemistry textbook, Lucas's large hand engulfed my own, and I glanced up to see him staring deeply into my eyes.
Suddenly, he looked back down to the floor and picked up my black binder.
Once he grabbed a hold of it, our gazes locked as we slowly stood straight.
Unable to control myself, I slowly looked farther down from his eyes to briefly glance at his full, soft lips
When I was finally able to control my God damn hormones, and I looked back to his eyes, only to see them trained on my lips as well.
"There you are!" Someone behind us said, and Lucas was the first one to turn around, facing Jason.
I cleared my throat as I quickly ripped my binder out of Lucas's hold. "We were just heading to the cafeteria."
Jason nodded in the corner of my eye as I shut my locker. "Okay. So let's go then, because everyone else already found a table."
All three of us made our way to the cafeteria in silence, but my smile brightened when I saw Anna and Lauren sitting around a table with Dylan.
"I'm actually excited for semi," Lauren stated shockingly as I began to pull out my sandwich from my bag.
"Really?" Anna asked wide eyed.
Lauren nodded. "Probably because I have a date," she chuckled as she shoved her shoulder against Dylan's.
Dylan smirked as he slowly wrapped his arm around her waist.
Anna suddenly frowned. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She sighed dramatically. "I just realized I don't even have a date."
Just as I was ready to tell her that I'd be her date, Jason spoke up. "I'll be your date," he casually shrugs.
Anna's eyes widened. "What?"
"Well, we're going together as a group anyways. We're just gonna put a label on it."
Anna smiled brightly, and my lips tipped up at the sight. "Well, yeah. Sure. Thanks Jason."
He nodded before continuing to eat his hot dog.
"Well now you all have dates. That's awesome," I mumbled under my breath, already feeling lonely for the event next week.
Just as I lifted up my sandwich to my lips, Lucas spoke. "I'll take you."
Before I was able to take a bite, my grip on my sandwich loosened and it dropped on the table with it landing safely.
"Don't you have a date?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent.
He shrugs. "No. Didn't really want to."
I slowly nodded as I glanced to the meal in front of me. "Okay. That sounds good, I guess."
Lucas nodded, and continued eating, while I, pretended not to be completely shocked at his offer to accompany me.
â¡
After school, I headed home, ready to talk to Alex â who, just a week ago, was considered my biological father.
He was a shitty one, but it was better than nothing.
As I dropped my bag lazily on top of my bed, my phone rang once, indicating a new message.
Opening it, my eyes widened at who the contact stated they were.
Unknown: Emma. It's Adam.
I slowly took a seat on my bed as I decided what my response to him would be.
Emma: What do you want?
Adam: More people are coming for you, Emma. Be careful. Don't contact this number again.
My wide eyes re-read his text message until my eyes began to hurt.
More hunters?
I quickly pulled out of the conversation as I pressed on Jason' contact. After pressing the call symbol, the phone rang twice before Jason picked up.
"What's up?" Jason asked.
"Can I stay over?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
He yawned. "Sure. Come over now before I fall asleep," is all Jason says before ending the line.
I can't be home right now.
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Over the next couple days, I spent it at Jason's house in their guest room. I couldn't handle being home when there was a group of hunters on their way to get me.
On Thursday night, Jason and I spent it watching some movies before passing out on his bed.
The next thing I remembered was a swooshing sound while my eyes were shut.
"Unbelievable," a familiar voice says, and I fluttered my eyes open, facing the front of someones legs.
Guiding my eyes higher, I captured Lucas's gaze as he stares at our sleeping state.
"I'll just see you guys when you're ready to leave," Lucas grumbled under his breath before disappearing in front of my eyes.
"Fuck," I hissed under my breath as I stood up from Jason's bed.
Looking over my shoulder, I grabbed a hold of the pillow behind me before throwing it on Jason. "I need to head home."
Jason shuffled around his bed to find a comfy spot. "Okay," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow in front of him.
After rushing downstairs, I quietly unlocked their front door before zooming outside across the yard.
Pulling out my keys, I quickly unlocked the front door, only to face my father â or Alex.
"Emma," Alex breathed out once he saw me. He pushed himself off of the wall he planted himself on, and stood in front of me.
"Hi," I whispered, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Alex noticed my nervousness, and slowly placed his hand on my shoulder. I flinched from his touch, and Alex moved his hand back.
"I know that our relationship can never be the same. And maybe your biological father would want to meet you. But you, Emma, you'll be my daughter. Because I raised you. I watched you grow, and nothing will change that," Alex said, and my eyes began to fill with unshed tears.
Not knowing what to say at the moment, I nodded, making sure he was looking in my eyes when I did so.
Once his lips gently tipped up, I moved around him and went upstairs to get ready for school.
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During lunch, the girls and I decided to head to the mall after school to find something to wear for semi-formal.
Of course, I cringed the idea of wearing a dress â seeing as though I haven't worn one since my eighth grade graduation.
It's time to change, a little voice in the back of my head reminded me.
And it sounded a lot like Jessica.
So after the bell rang, Anna, Lauren and I headed to our local mall.
After walking into several different stores, I groaned out in frustration as we passed the food court. "Can't we just eat now?" I asked.
"No! We have to buy our dresses first so the food at the end will feel deserving," Anna cheered excitedly.
I rolled my eyes and continued walking down the hall, briefly glancing at the stores we walked passed.
As we were nearing Forever 21, a group of girls exited, walking passed us.
I sensed a familiar scent as they walked, so I looked back, capturing Brianna's gaze.
Instead of saying something like I expected, she simply rolled her eyes in my direction before walking forward.
"What's your problem?" I suddenly asked, and I internally crigned when I saw her and her two friends spin on their heel, facing us.
"Excuse you?"
"What's with all the looks? if you have anything to say, just say it to our face," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
A melodic laugh leaves her as she follows my movements. "Well, I don't have a problem with you, for your information. If we'd have a problem, you'd know," she smirked before leaving.
She literally got the last laugh, damn it.
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After a lot of deciding, I managed to find a dress I actually liked.
Once the three of us found something to wear, we decided to head to my house after buying a dozen or so snacks at the convenience store close by.
"Okay, you get the snacks, I'll bring your dress, and Emma, you unlock the door," Anna said, pointing to the both of us once we're parked outside of my house.
I laughed and nodded. Just as I left Lauren's car, this certain... strange feeling filled the air, and my gaze locked on my quiet house.
Something's wrong.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Lauren in the car, while Anna was removing the bags from the truck.
"Anna, drop the bags and go next door to get Jason," I whispered, managing to catch Anna's attention.
Her eyes widened, suddenly afraid. "Why? What's wrong?" She asked.
"There's no time for questions, just go get him!" I shouted louder, and Anna began sprinting to Jason's house.
Suddenly, the front door of my house burst open, revealing three men in black outfits and sunglasses.
I sucked in a harsh breath as they moved their attention away from me, and onto Anna, who's almost at Jason's house.
All of their attention was locked on her, and I choked on a scream when I suddenly saw the man in the middle lift up his hand.
In seconds, Anna was lying on her side on the other side of the road, unconscious.
"Anna!"
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My poor Anna :(
I hope this chapter was eventful for you all! I'll see you lovelies in the next one xx