Page 50 of Jacob Michaels is Trouble

“You’re a vegetarian,” I stated simply. “You don’t like to hear about animals getting hurt. So, I won’t tell you what happened to Jason.”

Lucas cringed, but then a new look overtook his face.

A look that said: “Well, he probably had it coming.”

“Where’s Mrs. Wagner?” Lucas asked as I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stands.

“Home.”

“Why didn’t you bring her?” Lucas gasped as I drug him toward the stands. “Wouldn’t it be useful to have her if the pack shows back up, Rob? I mean, your grandmother—”

I spun to face him, stopping us both in our tracks.

“She’s not my grandmother,” I stated sharply. “Esther Jean Wagner is not and never has been my grandmother.”

Lucas stared at me for a moment, then a smile overtook his face.

“Rob…”

I tried to turn to lead us towards the stands again, but Lucas jerked my hand, pulling me around to look at him again.

“You’re being crazy.” Lucas shook his head. “I have my memories, remember? Mrs. Wagner has been with you since you were a little kid, Rob. She’s your grandmother. You started staying with her when your parents…um, left…remember, babe? What are you even—”

“I lived in that house with my parents before they ran off, Lucas,” I said sharply. “That isn’t Oma’s house. It was my parents’ house. Then they disappeared, and Oma showed up. I have no memory of her before she just showed up one day.”

“What?”

“That’s odd, right?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I mean, she’s supposed to be my dad’s mom, but I never met her before he disappeared. No family reunion where she showed up with potato salad. No Christmas visit where she brought a gift. No phone calls to catch up. She didn’t exist in my life before my parents were gone, Lucas. She is not my grandmother.”

Pulling on Lucas’ hand, I managed to get Lucas to take a few steps towards the stands while in his stupor before he was pulling on my hand again. With a groan, I turned to face him again.

“That’s insane, Rob.” He admonished me. “I mean…maybe you don’t have memories of her before then. You were young, right? Maybe you just don’t remember? Or maybe she wasn’t in your life before then—I mean, you said that she didn’t like your mom much and didn’t get along with your dad, so—”

“That’s what she’s told me my entire life.” I hissed. “But I have no proof of that—just what she told me. How am I supposed to keep believing someone without proof? Especially with everything that’s going on now? Lucas—everyone in this fucking town is in cahoots with the man in the black hooded cloak. Even…the Barkley’s.”

Lucas stared at me with wide eyes.

“And I think you know what I’m talking about but don’t want to admit to it,” I said. “You know where your particular type of powers come from. I’ve seen what happened to you when you were a kid in your bedroom late at night. You met him before you and I became friends…and more. Maybe you’ve forgotten. Maybe you’ve repressed it. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, Lucas. The longer I stay in this fucking shithole town, the stranger things get. The less anything makes sense.”

Lucas shivered.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” I said. “Especially here, right now. But we both know that things are getting worse by the minute in this town. We both know that he is coming back sooner rather than later. This is how things felt before he showed up the first time, right? So…let’s just go. Let’s get in my car, go to the airport, and get the fuck out of this fucking state.”

“Tonight?”

“You still want to leave me with me, right?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.” I urged him on. “We can’t risk staying here any longer, Lucas. If we do…something really bad is going to happen. I can feel it. If we leave…maybe things won’t get better, but he won’t have any reason to return. I won’t be here. And if he still wants me, he’ll have to come to California. Because we won’t be here.”

“But, babe—”

“Let’s get into the car, Lucas.” I pleaded. “We’ll drive straight through to Hopkins. We’ll buy two tickets for the first plane going to L.A. and then we’re gone. We’ll never look back.”

“I don’t have clothes…”

“Babe.” I smiled at him. “I’ll buy you anything you need or want when we get to L.A. Fuck your house. Fuck my family’s house. Fuck our things. Fuck our families. Fuck this town. Right now is our one chance to get out of this town and stop what’s coming. If we don’t leave now…we’re never going to leave. And you know it.”