Between Shadows Read online

Carma stared at her, “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Jared I got scared when you didn’t answer me!” She ran out of the room and down the hall into the bedroom and slammed the door.

  “Just stay here, I’ll explain everything, I’ve got to go get her. I promise she didn’t mean any harm, if I don’t answer she worried about things and goes for the information herself. It’s one of her powers, remember she’s new to our world, and please stay.” Jared was pleading with friends, he knew things would work out but only if they stayed.

  “Jared, let me. I was the one who assumed too much of her making jokes and not letting her in on it, she’s new here and she’s scared. I guess she can go into your mind and take a walk. Remember I can talk to you through my mind, I want to talk to her, and I want to set it right.” Carma knew if she did this she might finally have a friend that wasn’t a guy or an ex boyfriend.

  “Miranda, Can I come in?”

  First she used her voice and got no answer, so she tried her mind, to see if she could coax Miranda into letting her in. Miranda got up and opened the door.

  “I’m sorry. That wasn’t very fair of me, or very smart for that matter. I don’t know your powers and more importantly you don’t know mine, but apparently we both have that one.” There was a smile on Carma’s face as she walked into the bedroom, “I was Jared’s girlfriend once a long time ago and we joke about that sometimes. Neither he nor I could get along unless we were fighting or just friends and that’s all we are, just friends. You are pretty vulnerable right now and it was wrong of me to do that to you. Can you forgive me?”

  Miranda smiled, she really expected that she ruined the night and that Jared would be anger at her.

  “Sorry I jumped into your head like that; I guess Jared is right, I do need to work on my temper.”

  She had peeked Carma’s curiosity, “You’ve done that before?”

  “Yes,” Miranda answered, and “Jared’s dad really pissed me off. He was treating me like I didn’t exist, and that I couldn’t make up my own mind. So I….forced his brain to turn his head and look at me. I know it wasn’t very nice, but I was pretty pissed off, although Jared and Michael seemed amused.”

  “No, come here.” Carma grabbed Miranda and dragged her back out to the living room, “Mattis, wait to you hear what she did to Kilaws, and she’s still alive!” You have to tell my brother what you just told me. Jared I love her! She’s so awesome! Anyone who can do that to Kilaws is my new best friend.”

  Smiling; Jared listened to Miranda talk about the day the Council and Gage came to see her and how she turn his father’s head. Miranda didn’t understand why it was such a big deal, but she was happy to finally have a best friend. She was starting to feel like she belonged and she loved her new friend, she also got an idea. “Can I run something by you guys?”

  They all looked at her with interest because her face lit up and she was smiling from ear to ear. “Tomorrow the Council and my father will be back to get my decision on living with him, I do plan on living with him and Jared, but we never addressed my disappearance from the human world. I was thinking, if you guys could keep your fangs to yourself, maybe you can go into the human world with me and get me out of there for a few weeks. I could show you around to world and my parents would see you as my “human” friends. Then I could tell them you’re going on a trip to the Rockies and you’ve ask me to come alone. I know they’ll want to know you more, but if we time it right, I won’t need to show my face in their world for at least three weeks.

  “What about your job? Don’t you humans have those?” Mattis knew more about things then she thought.

  Suddenly she saw it, “Mattis you were there when it happened, weren’t you? You were there when Michael screwed it up and my family died?”

  Mattis replied to her the only way he could, “Yeah, sorry about that. We didn’t know who you were, and that’s why I talked my sister into leaving for awhile. The Council doesn’t like it when a job goes that bad.”

  Carma just stared at him, she had no idea he was involved in that mess, and she wasn’t thrilled that he didn’t tell her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Miranda broke in, “Don’t worry you’ll be a hero now, technically you saved Gage’s daughter’s life. What a bonus! It’s ok I’m coming to terms with all of it, it was just meant to be this way, right Jared.” She went on, “I do have a job, and they want me to take a leave of absence. I’ve been fighting them on it, but now with the help of my new found friends, I think it’s time. Don’t you? I think a three week trip, with a few calls home is in order.”

  Jared tried to warn her, “You are going to have to disappear for good sometime, how this is going to help?”

  “I think it will make the transition better for everyone involved. I can move away with my friends and just not ever come back, who’s going to miss me? They didn’t want me around then I was there. Leaving is the best thing for everyone I know in the human world, this is where I belong, and you are who I was meant to be with.” Miranda had never been so sure in her life and she was ready for it all.

  “OK, I get it, she’s right we can make it a slow and easy transition for all of the humans. They will be less likely to ask questions and then we won’t have to kill them. I think it’s a great plan! But, I don’t want to be the one to tell your father we’re all going into the human world; he’s going to go crazy.”

  Carma knew Gage, she knew he would do anything to keep his daughter were he could see her.

  “Just leave that up to me.” Miranda was way too confident, “Mattis please go get the Council and my father. Tell them my decision has been made and I’m ready for them.”

  “Miranda, what are you doing?” Jared was upset, but he knew her mind was made up.

  Miranda just smiled and waited; before they knew it Mattis was back with everyone. “Dad, if I may call you that, I have something to ask. I want to go with Jared and live with you, however, I need to be able to do it on my own terms, and I hope you can understand that. I had to ask my new friends to help and they agreed but only if you approve. I am a very stubborn girl and I want you to be nice about this, I need to slowly leave my human family. I have a plan so we will not have any need to kill anyone else. I want my human family alive I can’t live here knowing more people were killed because of me. Can you understand that?”

  Miranda knew what she was asking, but she knew that her dad would do where ever it took to keep her here and away from her human parents. Letting the others help her gave him more control because he could arrange it so that they wouldn’t leave her alone to long, and Jared would see that she stayed with him the whole time.

  “No problem, what do you need from me?” This was his only answer.

  “I only need a week to go back and introduce my family to my new friends. They will always be my past and I need to create a reason for them to forget about me. I hope you can be ok with that, I also think that this will give me a few more chances to show them that they can forget about me and it will be ok. I need this, please be ok with it, then Jared and I will come back and live with you.”

  Miranda was proud of herself, this time she was in complete control and she was also doing the right thing.

  “Done! Now can the two of you come with me and work on your living quarters?”

  Her father was happy to have his child back, he would never admit it but he missed her. The day he saw her at two years old he wanted her and was willing to kill anyone to get her back, and here she stood walking right back into his life on her own.

  “Dad, can my friends come along too. I would really like it if they were welcome at our house.” Miranda knew the words to say, she knew just how to get to him and get what she wanted.

  “You really want to push me today, don’t you?”

  He knew he had to put on a front for the Council members, but he was really ready to give her anything she wanted, worse of all he knew that she knew that, but he was dealing with it well.

/>   She walked into his head and thanked him; he smiled at her and grabbed her hand. They all left the woods together. The only ones who weren’t worry however, were Miranda and Gage. Jared, Mattis, and Carma were terrified and the Council walked in silence waiting for something to go wrong, but it never did.

  Jared smiled as he walked up and took Miranda’s other hand. He looked at Gage to ask permission and, if only for a second, he smiled back. Jared believed that Gage understood that he was the real reason she wanted to stay in this world, so he was willing to deal with Jared. Maybe Gage would someday come to like Jared with his daughter even if they had different blood lines; after all he himself mixed bloodlines to have her. Hmm, maybe not, he thought.

  Miranda smiled at Jared, it reminded him that his thoughts were not always his own, he smiled back. His father walked next to him praying and hoping Jared wouldn’t get the whole family killed. Michael, Mattis, and Carma pick at each other and ran around like idiots. This amused Miranda so she picked back at them, poking them from behind, another little gift she picked up. Her mind raced with questions, who knew how many powers she would have? Who knew how this new life was going to turn out?

  She looked up at her father suddenly asked, “Will I grow old?” She was very upset because the rest of them just stopped growing at some point.

  “Don’t worry no one grows old when they live in this world. It’s the human world that had age,” he laughed. She looked puzzled and he spoke gently, “You had a power rush at twenty seven, because that the time when you stopped aging, you will never get any older than that. I’ll explain more about that later.” He kissed her gently on the forehead.

  Chapter 7

  As the group left the cottage, Miranda never looked back, she knew her world was unfolding right in front of her. She had learned so much in the last few days and so much more was ahead of her. As they moved on through the woods, Carma moved Jared over so she could walk next to Miranda. Miranda knew right away she was up to something and she couldn’t wait to see how it played out.

  “So what do you want to know about the woods?”

  Carma smiled as she spoke because in her heart she knew Jared and Gage were holding back the information on purpose.

  Now Carma however, liked the shock factor, and it had taken a lot of will power for her to hold back this long. She also understood more than that guys that Miranda needed to be self-sufficient. Miranda could defend herself, she had the power, but what she needed to be successful in this world was the knowledge. Carma had decided that it was her job to bring Miranda up to speed.

  “After all,” she continued “what are best friends for!”

  Miranda smiled back, “You’re right! What are best friends for?”

  She looked right at her dad and Jared knowing neither of them looked at this new friendship with any love. They both knew this was going to be a lot of trouble for both of them.

  Jared and Gage looked at each other. They had a common enemy; one neither could control, nor had the power to get rid of.

  Jared looked at Carma, “Why do you think we need to talk about this now? Can’t we wait until we get her settle in with her dad? It’s been a long day already and I want to take it easy on her.”

  Gage chimed in right on cue, “Darling let’s just get things settle at the house with your room and how we are going to work Jared in, ok?”

  “There’s no working him in, he’s staying with me. I don’t need an extra room; he needs to be in my room, that’s how we’ve been working it all along. I hoped you understood that part, he stays with me and I stay with him.” Miranda was almost at a complete stop as they came upon Gage’s house.

  It was more like a mansion from the south, in the old days; it was huge to say the least. It was not at all what Miranda had expected and when she saw it she looked at Jared.

  She was angry when she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me this little piece of information?”

  Jared spoke out loud, “Because your father threatened me if I did.”

  He was very serious about that fact, he wanted Gage to know what was about to happen, before Miranda screamed at him. Jared knew what her fits could be like and he wanted Gage to feel it firsthand.

  “Gage I warned you about his part.” Jared smiled and waited for her to start, and that didn’t take long.

  “What the hell were you thinking? You threaten him! Did you think that was going to be ok with me? How dare you change anything that anyone wants to tell me by threatening them? Maybe you really don’t want me here; I should go back to the human world if I’m going to get this!” Miranda was livid and she looked like she was going to strike.

  The Council had quickly taken off when Jared spoke because they knew they didn’t want to witness what may or may not happen. Carma and Mattis just stared at her and stood behind Jared for cover. Jared, however was unfazed by all of it, she had done this so many times to him that he just stood there.

  Miranda’s hair started to move and a strange blue white glow started around her. Jared moved in quickly to calm her down, he had never seen this before, and he really didn’t want to see right now. “Miranda get control over yourself! You really don’t want to do this, you need to stop over reacting all the time, and get your emotions in check. You are going to hurt yourself or somebody you love if you keep this up.”

  Jared was staring right into her eyes as he spoke to her. He really needed to bring her back from wherever she was. Carma jumped up and ran into her mind to try to help out, and between the two of them, they got her under control.

  Her father smiled and then said, “That’s my girl! You really know how to get mad, and Jared’s right now you need to learn how to control it. Jared, Carma great job! You may be of some help after all. At least she won’t kill you, me on the other hand, well we’ll see.” He started to walk toward the house, “You, Jared and your friends can have the east side. I don’t use it much because I really don’t like morning. You can figure out your own sleeping arrangements after all you are a grown women. However, if Jared ever screws up please let me have him, I wouldn’t want you to get your hands dirty. Carma, Michael and Mattis are welcome to stay here as well; I think your parents might want to know you are still alive Mattis, after that beautifully botched job. Tell them I said staying at my house is my way of thanking you for not killing my daughter.”

  Carma and Mattis couldn’t wait to go home and tell their family where they were going to live. Mattis could hardly wait to see his dad’s face; his dad didn’t want Mattis to do anything that could get the family in any trouble with Gage. In fact most everyone was afraid of Gage; he was the most power person in their world, at least until his daughter showed up.

  Carma looked closely at Gage, “Thank you once everything is in order, we’ll do just that. I’m sure my father well be very pleased at your offer.”

  Miranda was starting to come back to them; she was looking completely into Jared eyes, waiting. It wasn’t long before the others noticed that the two of them weren’t talking but they were both smiling.

  “Can the two of you get it under control now? We’ll be upstairs soon enough, and then you can be alone.” Carma smiled she knew she was starting to get to Gage all over again.

  “Carma stop it!” Mattis didn’t want any trouble after all they had just been invited to live there.

  Carma stared at her brother, “You can’t let me have a little fun ever? Well, can you?”

  The house was extremely old and extremely beautiful. It rose out of the woods like a phoenix from the flames. The beautifully crafted six red cedar pillars on the front set the frame at the center portion of the house. To each side of the center were long wings, as Gage had said, one on the east and one to the west. The outside of the house seem to be made of the most ancient of cedar trees, who’s smell lofted around the area, but what made Miranda stop in her tracks were the windows.

  Miranda just gazed at the beauty of the artist that had created them. They were made of staine
d glass in the most intricate patterns and unique colors she had have seen.

  The grounds were amazing and gorgeous, there were flowers of all kinds, some she had never seen before, she was sure they were not in her former world. There were equally strange and interesting animals roaming the grounds. She hated to admit it but she was in awe of what her father had. There were four smaller buildings that Gage had pointed out to them.

  “The one in the front is the gate keeper’s cottage. I will alert him to your presences, now Miranda he’s different and I don’t want the two of you having any disagreements here. Let’s try to keep that temper under control for now, although, I doubt Jared will allow you to go anywhere without him. We both know he can calm you down quite well.” Gage wasn’t thrilled about that little fact but he knew it came in handy. “Over there on the other side is another cottage, you don’t need to worry about them, they’re here for me and they won’t bother you.”

  Carma whispered, “His women I’m sure, after his wife died he has been having his own fun, so you now have a little ammo when he bothers you about Jared, just mention the cottage.”

  Carma smiled at Gage, apparently everyone in the land knew about the cottage, but normally no one spoke of it. Carma wasn’t your normal girl she was ready for anything.

  Gage coughed a bit, “There are two more building in the back, one is a barn for animals, and one is for the gardener. He is ok but not very safe for most to be around, I will let he know the five of you are here. Also the ground can be, how can I say this, different at night. I would suggest not going out after dark. Miranda this isn’t like the human world and it’s not what you’re used to. I really need you to be careful until you fully understand this place.”

  “It’s ok, Jared has let me knew how awful this area is at night and that I shouldn’t go out in it.”

  Miranda was being very serious. Jared had told here some things, but the sounds of the night told a better story, she knew what she had heard.