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Chapter 57 – UNSTEADY (Samson Conrad POV) Pt. 2

"Sweetheart, maybe you can find solace in knowing the truth," my grandmother Bess – mom's mom – said once. I overheard the conversation not meant for me but it was maddening all the same.

How on earth could she say something like that to my mom? We had just lost Silas. There was nothing that could take that sting away! I almost rather the empty placating comments.

Emotional, I iced out grandma Bess like it was no one's business, which only lasted a day before mom pulled me aside and sat me down to talk.

"Did you know that my parents at one point had four children?" mom said nonchalantly throwing off my pout and anger. "Where...?" I couldn't even form the question, confusion flipping my normally attentive and broad vocabulary off the rails.

"I didn't know at first either. She was born between Marisela and I, but when I was two she was taken. Grandma and grandpa did not tell me about her – Delilah – until I was nearly thirteen going on fourteen. On her birthday – though I didn't know that's what it was – we'd have a big dinner. At the time, they said it was to celebrate our den surviving another year in tact, which it was also but the same day was also her birthday."

"So what happened?"

Mom sighed. "They – our kind – it's painful when we lose someone and when they are taken from us. I'm not saying that our pain is worse than a normal human, loss it loss Samson," she clarified. "But my parents could live for a thousand years and never know what happened to Delilah. They – we – couldn't remain in one place on the chance that she could return or be returned. They cannot search for her the way humans would, alert the world. Get a billion eyes on the look out for their lost child. Even now, should that happen with one of you all dad and I could do is send out work to packs, dens and covens with hopes that by chance they've laid their eyes on the child missing."

"Your grandmother was not trying to make me get over Silas' death Samson. She was letting me know that though I'm in pain, I should also take into account that I know one hundred percent that Silas is gone. There will never be a tiny voice in my mind that my child is out there." Though it was meant to be comforting at the time it wasn't. I wanted that hope still. I wanted to run into someone and see him from the back and accidently mistake him for Silas.

There is no coming back from gone.

"Though grandma does not do it often Samson there are times when we go out even just to Portland and she will see someone around Delilah's age and I can practically see her doing a mental check list of this person's features, or height, skin tone, eye color, everything looking for her. It is never her, and each time there is a quick frown on her face before she puts it away."

A long talk with mom helped me then in one way, I held no grudge against grandma, however, it raised plenty of questions for me.

How did Silas die? I knew the plane crashed but was he dead before it hit the ground? Did he suffer? I always leaned towards no for the most unrealistic reason.

He and I were identical twins. I always seemed to know when something was up, when he was in danger, in that moment I did not. For a while I questioned how painful his death must have been. Our bodies could heal, not instantly, but fast enough that while he burned parts of him were healing at the same time.

We might have known that Silas was not coming back, but that did nothing for the times where my mind would just run rampant with hypothetical situations.

That is probably what flared my obsessive need to check over my car three to four times a day alone, the families, the house and all locks, everything. It was exhausting and though I tried to hide my paranoia mom again saw right thru me.

"You will never know everything and sweetheart if you're always looking for the next blow, you're going to miss a lot of things in life because there are factors, events in life that even the most skilled and careful cannot foresee."

Words. They did nothing to bring me comfort. So years after she said this I was the same person, careful and reserved. Not enough to see through Taylor, but then Fatima came along and I actually found a good reason to be careful and thoughtful of my actions.

Sure my family had been one but then Fatima was a whole other story. Or maybe it's just something I'm telling myself now that's completely untrue. I could just be my old worrying self. Nothing changed.

Maybe.

Fatima walks from the room now, leather-bound book tucked against her, and that same urge to protects flares inside me. Why? Because I know.

I know that Fatima just lied.

"Is – does – she mentally all," Rafael lifts his hand tapping his skull, "is she all there?" he asks of my girl and I'm thankful for the distraction. He pulls all attention from Fatima to her odd behaviors.

His question makes Imogen sort of frown and giggle at the same time as though she's confused and unsure what reaction to have.

Luca tilts his head to the side, not sparing a glance towards Fatima. Between giggles Imogen shakes her head until she forces herself to stop. "Faith is... unique," Imogen says carefully. "She uhm," Imogen looks over at me almost helplessly.

"She knows the world is going to end and how, so... it's impacted her socially," I say with a straight face, mind actually on Fatima and the lie she just told. When I focus on Rafael his mouth is dropped open, eyes wide and his heartbeat increased.

Good. At least he's afraid of what is to come and what he does not know even if I'm willing to bet that his fear came with confusion.

"The world? End?" he stammers out to Luca. "Can you – is this something that can be stopped?" his voice rises an octave. "Is she like you? Is that – I need answers man," Rafael pushes. Clearly, this was where the blind trust ended.

Rafael had driven to Bozeman after breaking into Nicks' father's office at the hospital all on minor details.

"You know I trust you man," Luca starts and I use starting explanation to duck out of the room, following Fatima. I head to the screening room first but come up blank. Immediately I head to the office, knocking and waiting. "It's me," I call out.

Coming to the door, eyes wide a camera in her hand she waves me in, rushing back to the desk. "Close the door." Her whisper does not quell my fear. Doing as she asks, I lock the door behind me before facing Fatima again.

Silent I watch as she takes pictures of each page, flipping through the whole thing not exactly reading it. I don't think so at least.

Observing Fatima I see it. What my mom probably witnessed when I became obsessed with checking around me. A few times Fatima shifted her gaze towards the door and ended up taking pictures of the same page twice.

It was distracting all on it's own, me asking questions to break her weak concentration was not needed. However, I must have opened and closed my mouth thirty times wanting to ask why she lied? Did she read something about herself? Was she in some type of danger?

And for maybe the hundredth time since Fatima arrived, advice, brief discussions with my one of my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncle hits me.

I wanted to ask Fatima what was up? Did the book predict disasters or something? But at the same time I felt like she didn't just already lie to Luca, Imogen and Rafael – but me as well.

Did I really want to ask Fatima what it said only to force her to lie to me? But at the same time her actions made little sense. She burned the code she wrote and the first pages that she decoded.

If she was meant to not read the book why did she not burn that too? That is how I spotted the lie but the question still lingered.

We aren't bothered or sought out by Luca and Imogen and when Fatima finishes taking pictures she hands me the camera I bought her. "You said that there is something called a cloud? Or server?" I nod confused.

"I want those pictures on it so that we can access it anywhere, that's something right?" she gives me more information while still showing me, reminding me that when it came to technology she was so far behind.

I nod but frown. "It... that is something that can be done but at the same time I... think I'll need to call aunt Angela to get her to help me, make sure it's right."

Fatima takes the book holding it before walking to the safe we had found days ago. Unlocking it she stuffs the book there before returning to me.

"What's going on?" I question when I finally cannot take her stranger than normal behavior.

Resting back into the sofa after I've placed the laptop on my thighs Fatima sits, leaning against me.

"It said not to read it," she repeats this time her tone is different. "Who said? Mother?" I ask getting ready to call aunt Angela.

"It said... Imogen and Luca couldn't remember the code. The book said share it with people who know it. So..."

"So since they couldn't recall it until you showed them you think the book was referring to them?" Could that be true? Imogen had just said that she and Luca believed that they couldn't remember everything because the human brain could only handle – store – so much.

Back to the book though, I was more than just curious. From the first pages that Fatima solved, it held so much information that really I still didn't know what most of it meant.

Not the case when it came to Jaxun however. That part, I think I understood. Jaxun was – is – the Mother's son. Now... who the hell was Mother?

My stomach still churning, I kiss the top of her head, before pulling away to look directly into her eyes. "I know you're not telling me everything and... I know you have your reasons, but," I paused as a bitterness crept into my mouth at just the mere thought of Fatima in danger.

"Are you – did you read something that said or foretold that you would be hurt? Is that why you didn't read it? Or maybe Luca and Imogen? I mean I understand that you cannot tell me, but it's not about you being in danger? Right?" shooting a glance from the corner of her eye, Fatima quickly connects with me again.

Shaking her head, she sighs, eyes lined in red. A yawn escapes her before she speaks. "It wasn't about me," sweet relief. For just a few seconds because after those four words, when I rest back, and dial aunt Angela it hits me that Fatima only said it wasn't about her, which meant... could only mean that it was about someone.

Luca? Imogen? Or maybe since it was an old book it was about this Wyatt character she did say his name meaning was in the book? Or maybe it was about Rhys and Seraphima? Jaxun?

What was written in that book that only someone that knew the code should be able to read it?

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Unknown POV Outtake

"How do you know this is where they are?" I asked the girl; furious the Conrad family had slipped right from under me. Revenge disturbed once again.

"You think I don't know who you are?" she points out with an arched brow. "Brian was your brother, you hung around Bend, tiptoeing in the shadows," she chuckles, crazy eyes on me.

"The love of my life is with them." Neither of us trusted the other, but we both wanted our revenge. "They murdered m-my f-family, so..." she fakes a cry.

Recovering from her fake sob determined the girl squares her shoulders. "I'll help you."

"You need me, but I have two conditions," she says as though she were in control now.

Still, I nod. Though I haven't decided if she will live. She was one that ignored that my brother died. "You cannot harm Samson." I lift a brow.

"But for me, you have to get rid of Fatima!" She spits. Stupid girl.

"Again, how do you know this is where they are?"

She shrugs. "There are some people that cannot be trusted that I've helped. They have failed me so I do not want their help now. I want Samson safe, I want Faith gone and as for the other Conrad's, I will avenge my parents' death. I've done things, set up extra plans just in case one was foiled."

Again she beats around the bushes. "How do you know for sure that they are in Nevada?"

"I planted some equipment in Devin's shoe," that could have been my fifth warning sign that something was not quite right with this girl. There was a unsettling feeling inside me but not strong enough to deter my single-minded focus on retribution. "We have both been wronged by the Conrad's we can help one another," that could have been maybe the sixth sign.

By the time I realized who really killed Brian, who was truly at fault it was to late – that girl had played me well.

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