The Tainted (The Tainted Series Book 1) (6 page)

Still, one thought kept cutting into Rebecca’s mind. Something Maverick had said earlier had stuck with her more than anything else. It had awoken in her a yearning that she’d suppressed many years ago, one she’d been almost certain was gone.

Rebecca lifted her head and looked over at Maverick, “You said earlier that the human parent’s mind is erased, and the Ailill parent is only killed if they contact the child…Does that mean my parents are alive?” She made no attempt to hide the longing in her voice or mask the pain on her face. For so many years, Rebecca had told herself she was alone in this world, that she would never have a family. The idea that her parents could be out there, that they could be alive and possibly want her as much as she wanted them, was a reality she’d never thought possible.

Maverick lifted a hand and slowly drew back a few loose strands of hair from her face. “I don’t know about your human parent, but I can assure you that your Ailill parent still loves you, and wants to be with you very much. As with all Ailill who have a Truaillithe child, they would never have given you up if they hadn’t been forced to.”

Rebecca breathed deep and stood tall. Maverick followed suit. She looked up into his eyes as her courage grew in her chest. “I’ll come away with you, but on one condition.”

Maverick raised an eyebrow, but didn’t speak.

“I want to find my parents.”

It was nearly pitch black when Rebecca snuck up to the house. All the windows were dark except for the one in the back bedroom. She cautiously made her way toward the bright window, taking a silent moment to gather her thoughts.

She’d left Maverick in the woods, promising to meet him at the edge of town in a couple hours, which were now nearly up. He’d offered to let her stay a few days before leaving, but she knew that would only make things harder.

Her first stop had been to her own house. Rebecca had snuck in through her window and filled a duffle bag with clothes. She had no idea where she was going, so she’d grabbed a little of everything just in case.

The whole time she packed, Rebecca fought with herself about whether to tell Ingrid and Thomas about leaving, or to just go. Finally, she decided to write them a letter. It would’ve been much too hard to tell them in person, but they deserved at least some explanation.

In the letter, she’d thanked them for everything. For showing her the first kindness she’d ever known, for making her feel wanted for the first time in her life. She told them not to worry about her, that she’d be safe and that she needed to leave, though she told them nothing about why.

Rebecca had placed the note on her bed and, just before she’d climbed out the window, she grabbed the silver necklace hanging next to her mirror. The charm on the end of it was a delicately veined, silver leaf. They’d given it to her on her first birthday with them. It had been the very first present Rebecca had ever received.

Now, Rebecca crept towards what was sure to be the hardest thing she had to do that evening. Once she reached the edge of the house, Rebecca dropped her duffle bag on the ground next to the bike she’d been pushing, and tapped lightly on the lit window. She could hear some quick rustling, and then watched as the glass was slid open. Abruptly a surprised head popped out and stared at her.

Emily sighed heavily once she recognized Rebecca, “You know, for a quick second I thought it was going to be like in the movies, where I’d open my window to find a handsome man on one knee, with fresh flowers in his hands, ready to confess his undying love for me.”

“You’d rather that over me?” Rebecca whispered, feigning hurt disbelief.

“Oh, OK, I guess you’ll do,” Emily laughed quietly and then pulled herself back through the window so Rebecca could climb in.

Once inside, they sat at the end of Emily’s bed.

“So, to what do I owe the honor of this highly-random late night visit?”

“I needed to talk to you…” Rebecca cut off, unsure of how to continue. For some reason, it wasn’t until now that the realization of her immanent departure finally hit her. The thought of never seeing Emily again frightened her more than she’d thought possible.

“Did you do something bad again? I thought you told me you were over that faze of your life.” Emily crossed her arms and gave Rebecca a disapproving stare.

Rebecca laughed, despite herself, and reached over to pull Emily’s crossed arms down, “No, mom. I didn’t do anything wrong or unlawful.”

“Well that’s good to hear, because I’d be an accomplice for hiding you, which would mean I’d go to jail too. I’m way too pretty for jail.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes dramatically, but couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping up in her chest. She sat silently for a moment, looking down at her hands in her lap, trying to find the right thing to say.

Emily’s face fell as she looked over at her friend, “Becs…are you alright?”

Rebecca met Emily’s stare and finally spoke, “I’m leaving town.”

“Wait, what?” Emily sat back, her face a mixture of genuine concern and fear. “Did Ingrid and Thomas kick you out? I can’t believe they’d do that, but it doesn’t mean you have to leave, Becs. You can stay here with me. My parents would totally take you.”

Rebecca lifted a hand and placed it on Emily’s arm, cutting her off. “It’s ok Emily, Ingrid and Thomas didn’t kick me out. I’m choosing to leave.”

Emily’s face fell. “No, you can’t leave,” she implored. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”

Rebecca let her hand fall back into her lap, the sorrow tearing at her heart. “I have to do this, Emily. I need to…I’m going to find my parents.”

Emily’s jaw dropped, “They’re alive? You know where they are?”

“Kind of yes, kind of no, but for the first time ever I have hope, and I have to see if it’s possible to find them.”

Emily was silent for a moment as she searched her friend’s eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was a shaky whisper. “I’m going to miss you…a lot.”

Rebecca feebly smiled at her friend in an effort to stop her tears, “I’m going to miss you too. But I’ll write to you when I can, and maybe some day I’ll be able to come back, or you can come find me.”

“
Maybe
?” Emily furrowed her brow in mock anger.

Rebecca chuckled, “No, I promise. We
will
see each other again.”

Emily brought her pinky up. Immediately Rebecca wrapped her own little finger around it, then pulled her friend into a tight hug. Emily had been her other half for three years now, and knowing that she would no longer be there made Rebecca feel horribly empty inside.

After a long moment, they pulled away and Rebecca saw Emily try to hide her face as she wiped away a tear. “Damnit, I was having such a good night before you showed up.”

Rebecca smiled ironically as they both stood up from the bed. “Sorry.”

When they reached the window, Rebecca turned toward Emily. “Thank you...for everything. I want you to know that no matter what, I’ll always think of you as my sister.”

Emily smiled up at her closest friend, “And you mine.”

After one more long hug, Rebecca slipped back out the window, grabbed her bag, and rode her bike toward town.

“There was the smallest part of me that worried you wouldn’t show.” Maverick said, leaning on the side of his old Ford truck. Rebecca slowed her bike to a stop in front of him.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were moments when I nearly turned back.”

Maverick walked over and helped her throw her bike and bag in the back of the truck. “Then you remembered you were coming to me, and it kept you going.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes and shook her head, choosing not to dignify his comment with a response.

Together, they climbed in the truck. Maverick started the engine and pulled out onto the road.

“Where exactly are we going?” Rebecca said as she looked out the back window and watched the last bit of her town fall out of view.

“To the new safe house.”

“What exactly is a
safe house
?” Rebecca turned back around and pulled on her seat belt.

“My crew and I locate isolated houses that meet our requirements, and kind of set up shop there for a while, until we feel the location is no longer secure. Then we move on to a new spot.”

“Like abandoned houses? Are we talking about shacks in the woods?” Rebecca’s nose curled up at the thought.

Maverick laughed at her disgusted reaction, “No, of course not. Let’s just say we have ways of getting some rather nice pads for a while. You’ll understand more when we get there.”

Rebecca yawned wide as she fought against her drooping eyes. It was getting rather late and it had been a few nights since she’d slept properly.

“Why don’t you rest. I promise I’ll answer all your questions when we get there.” Maverick threw his hand behind the seats, pulled out a pillow, and handed it to her.

In all truth, Rebecca had been so physically and emotionally drained from everything that had happened that day that the thought of a good night’s rest was all too tempting. Setting the pillow against the window, she rested her head on it, and was fast asleep within minutes.

The sound of gravel underneath the tires woke Rebecca. Rubbing her eyes, she looked out her window to find that they were slowly making their way up a long driveway that cut through a thick pine forest. The sun had nearly fully risen, the last few pink and orange rays lighting up the thin wispy clouds above.

“I slept the whole ride?” Rebecca asked, amazed.

“Yep, and you didn’t even try to get in my head once,” Maverick joked.

“Very funny.” Rebecca put the pillow back behind the seat and ran her hands through her hair, trying to tame the bed head. “Where are we?”

“Just outside Ashland, Oregon, about to pull up to the safe house.” Just as he finished talking, the truck pulled into a wide opening in the trees, revealing a beautifully landscaped garden, complete with a grand fountain. Behind it stood a house larger than any Rebecca had ever seen.

Her jaw dropped and she stared in awe at the giant home that must have been at least four times the size of any house she’d ever lived in. It was a two-story, Victorian style house with a third-story, rounded room tower on top. Though its historic character still remained, the entire house looked as if it had been recently renovated. A new, large, wrap-around deck, complete with thin white columns and fencing, opened at the center to reveal a grand, ornate, double door entryway.

“Not such a bad shack in the woods, wouldn’t you say?” Maverick pulled the truck to a stop in front of the house and the two climbed out.

“Holy crap! How in the world did you get ahold of a house like this?” Rebecca stood awe-struck, staring up at the immense building.

All of a sudden, the front doors opened. A woman, who looked to be in her early twenties walked out and placed her hands on her hips, “You couldn’t have called to let me know you were coming? It’s been two days since I’ve heard a single word from you!”

Even Rebecca couldn’t miss how stunningly gorgeous the woman was. She looked Hispanic, with lush, dark, curly hair and green-brown eyes. Her skin was a natural tan that seemed to glow, and her body, while thin, had all the curves a woman should have and then some.

In a flash, Maverick ran up the front steps, onto the porch, and grabbed onto her, spinning her around in a tight hug until she started to giggle. After a fair few spins, he set her down and she slapped him playfully on the arm. “I swear Ricky, you’re the hardest person to stay mad at.”

Rebecca tried to ignore the small twinge of jealously in the pit of her stomach, as the woman looked over at her and smiled. “And who do we have here? You must be the special mystery case.”

The woman gestured enthusiastically for Rebecca to come up on the porch and join them. “Come on up. I promise we’re not all as scary as Maverick.”

Rebecca made her way up the steps and stopped in front of the woman. She was just slightly shorter than Rebecca, but she held herself with such grace and presence that Rebecca couldn’t help feeling smaller than her.

The woman’s eyes glinted as she smiled brightly, “My name is Etain. What’s yours?”

“Rebecca.”

“It’s wonderful to have a new face on the crew. Come on in and meet the others.” Etain laced her arm inside Rebecca’s and began to walk her into the house, calling back, “Be a doll Maverick and take care of her belongings.”

They made their way into the front foyer, whose ceiling rose above the second story. The floor of the giant entry room was made of large, checkered black and white marble squares that gave the space an even grander appearance. The walls were an exquisitely paneled chestnut-colored wood, with a few large, expensive-looking paintings in gold frames hung on them. On the far wall, a white marble staircase with golden railings led up to a similarly railed walkway on the second floor. The walkway led off in both directions to, what Rebecca could only guess, were even more rooms. Either side of the foyer opened into old, wood-floored hallways, leading off to the rooms on the first floor.

After giving Rebecca a moment to take in the grand entryway, Etain swung right and led them down toward a room from which Rebecca could hear a television making loud noises.

“This isn’t really the best house we’ve ever gotten, since I wasn’t given much notice this time, but it’ll do for now.” Etain waved her hand disparagingly as she sighed.

Rebecca couldn’t even believe that a house better than this could even exist, let alone that a group of orphans could afford to live in them. She was about to ask Etain how she could have possibly gotten her hands on this house, when they came to a stop in front of a doorway.

Sitting on a large, red velvet couch in the center of the dark room were two boys, who looked about her age, playing a video game on a television so large that it could have easily been from a cinema. The one closest to them had short, perfectly styled, dark brown hair, and brown eyes of almost the same colour. He was dressed plainly in a white shirt and jeans, and even sitting down it was clear he was quite tall. The boy sitting next to him, on the other hand, looked anything but normal. His dirty blonde hair hung in dreadlocks that reached down to his chin, and his skin was darkly tanned, obviously from spending a lot of time outside. He wore a ratty, tie-dye t-shirt and cargo shorts that had seen better days.