Kindred (The Watcher Chronicles #2) (3 page)

Silently, I debate with myself on whether or not I actually want her found.  Knowing that she gave me up, even if it was so I could have a better life, doesn't make me want to find her anytime soon.  I have spent most of my life looking for a way to be reunited with my parents.  Now, I have my father back, but did I really want a mother who could so readily hand me over to a complete stranger?  Would a woman like that even want to see her daughter again?  My grand fantasy of having a joyous family reunion crumbled the moment my dad told me why she left the night the Tear opened.  I’m not even sure I want to find her anymore.

"Speaking of Joshua," I say, "has he located Chandler's crown?"

"Yes," Isaiah tells us.  "We're simply waiting for Chandler to recover enough to go get it."

"Where is it?" Chandler asks.

"It appears to be inside a tree on your parent's old property in Georgia."

Chandler looks confused for a second but then he smiles.  "I bet I know which tree."  He looks at me.  "I used to have this massively cool tree house when I was a kid."

"Why am I not surprised?" I say with a roll of my eyes, just further proof of Chandler's charmed, over-privileged life.

"I played in that thing all the time when I was a kid."

"Chandler, do you remember anyone special in your life when you were younger?  Someone who was only around until you were seven years old."

"Nanny Simone," Chandler answers without hesitation.  "God she was gorgeous.  I remember just staring at her when I was a kid thinking she must be an angel."

I smile.  "Well, you were right."

"Really?"  Chandler says, sitting up straighter, completely excited by this news.

"My dad said we were all allowed to have the Guardian who made us for the first seven years of our lives."

Chandler's forehead crinkles as he thinks about what I've said.  "You know she did seem to just up and disappear right after my seventh birthday party.  I remember being upset about her leaving, but I don't remember being told why she left.  I'm not sure my parents knew the reason either.  It was like she was there one day and gone the next."

"Our Guardians didn't have a choice about leaving from what my dad said.  They had to go back to the Guf."

"Do you think I'll be able to see her again?  I swear she ruined me for life.  I can't even look at women without comparing them to Simone.  Maybe that's why I've never been able to fall in love."

"Trust me," I say, "falling in love isn't all chocolates and roses.  Maybe you should be happy you haven't yet."

Chandler squeezes my hand.  "Don't say that, Jess.  I would give anything to feel the way you do about Mason."

"Even if it makes you feel like your heart is a lump of hot twisted metal burning a hole inside your chest?"

"Even then," he smiles sadly.  "If I could have that sort of connection with someone, it would be worth the heartache to me.”

Chandler looks like he wants to say more but hesitates.

“Go on,” I urge him, “say it.”

“It always seem like things happen for a reason,” he says.  “Do you think maybe you’re supposed to be with someone besides Mason?  That maybe this has happened to free you to fall in love with someone else?”

“No,” I answer bluntly.  “I don’t.  Why would you even ask such a question?  Can’t you use your power to see how much I love him?”

“Yes,” Chandler says, squeezing the hand he still holds.  “I know.”

My phone begins to vibrate in my jacket pocket, and I quickly pull it out to see who’s calling.  It's Mama Lynn.

"Hey Mama Lynn," I say when I answer.

I hear Mama Lynn sniff on the other end.  "Jess, can you come home?"

She breaks down into sobs and I know what's happened.

"Has Uncle Dan died?" I ask.

Mama Lynn's sobs grow louder but she finally gets out a, "Yes."

"I'll be right there."

I hold the phone in my hand and just stare at it.  I knew this day would come and all I can think about is Uncle Dan's soul.  What torturous things were Lucifer and those under his command doing to Uncle Dan in Hell?  In my mind, I can still see Uncle Dan's skeletal face twisted into a mask of fear after Lucifer told him he would suffer a million fold for what he did to me as a child.  I just can't quite decided if I feel sorry for what he's going through now or happy that he's finally getting what he deserves.  I decide not to think about it because the torture of his soul isn't something I can control.  Whatever Lucifer does to Uncle Dan is too far out of my reach to have any influence over.  The monster of my childhood is finally out of my life for good, and I can't help but feel relieved by that fact.

I stand up but Chandler keeps a hold of my hand not letting me go yet.

"Let me come with you," he says.

I shake my head.  "No, you stay here and rest.  I can handle this."

"Then at least let me know when the funeral is," Chandler begs.  "I want to be there for you, Jess."

I know I should tell him not to come but a part of me desperately wants him there.  If I can't have Mason by my side for comfort, Chandler is the next best thing.

"Ok," I agree.  "I'll call you later and let you know the details about the funeral.  I need to head back now though and take care of Mama Lynn.  I'm sure she's not in any condition to make the funeral arrangements."

"I'll be waiting for your call."

I have Isaiah take me home.  Once he leaves to tell Mason what I learned from my father, I head over to Mama Lynn's house bracing myself to deal with her grief.

Chapter 3

As I sit between Mama Lynn and Faison by the grave site, I feel one of Chandler's hands gently squeeze my right shoulder, letting me know he's there if I need him.

We decided to only have a grave side service for Uncle Dan.  Mama Lynn said her brother didn't have many friends and she was right.  There are only a handful of people from Cypress Hollow present plus us, his only family. 

I reach up and place my left hand over Chandler's which remains steadfast on my shoulder.  The feel of his hand under mine helps bring comfort to my soul as Pastor Cary drones on about how Uncle Dan will be missed by his family and friends and what his legacy on Earth is.  I tune him out because I don't need to hear the perfunctory speech, which is meant to bring comfort to those like Mama Lynn who might actually feel like his death is a loss to the world.

My eyes are drawn past the glossy wood casket to my first waking vision of Michael.  He's standing two rows down from Uncle Dan's plot in the old church yard.  I see him pointedly look to his left and I instinctively follow his gaze.

I feel my heart begin to beat like a thundering herd of elephants has invaded it when I see Mason standing at the far corner of the graveyard; half hidden by a tall tombstone with an angel of mercy crouched on top of it.  His eyes are narrowed on me.  He doesn't look away when our eyes meet and all I want to do is jump up from my seat and run to him.  I feel his worry over me like a physical presence between the two of us.  His eyes hold a longing to bring me comfort and all I want to do is go to him and accept it.  Our eyes never waver as the funeral service continues and comes to a close.

Our neighbors form a line in front of us to bestow their condolences.  I briefly lose sight of Mason when Sadie bends down to give me a kiss on the cheek, telling me how sorry she is for my loss.  By the time I'm finally free to stand, I look over at the spot where Mason was and see that he's already phased away.

"Was I imagining things or was Mason standing over there during the funeral?"

I turn to Chandler who is still standing behind my chair.

"You weren't imagining things," I say, my heart feeling heavier now with Mason's sudden departure.  Why did it seem like he was always leaving me?

"Jess," Mama Lynn says standing from her seat beside me, "the ladies of the church prepared a lunch for us.  Do you have time to stay and eat or do you need to get back to work right away?"

I put an arm around her shoulders.  "Of course I have time.  Come on.  I know Ms. Margaret probably made us her famous fried chicken."

"Well you better come on too, Chandler," Mama Lynn says, trying her best to still be the epitome of Southern hospitality even while she’s grieving.  "I can't let you go without at least having lunch with us."

I was surprised by Mama Lynn and Faison's reaction to Chandler's presence.  When I told them he was coming to the funeral, Mama Lynn said she was happy I would have a friend there to comfort me, and Faison didn't hound me too much for information about the extent of my relationship with the most sought after bachelor rock star in America, if not the world.

I desperately wanted to tell them about my reunion with my father but knew I couldn't.  I couldn't tell them anything, which made me realize I was being forced to lead a double life now.  Since becoming a Watcher agent, they had become accustomed to my silence about work.  But now, that part of my life was leaking into my personal life, and it was becoming almost impossible to keep the two separate.

After lunch, I tell Mama Lynn I need to get back to work.  She isn’t too surprised and just seems thankful I took off so much time to be with her and to handle the funeral arrangements.  She tells me to be careful and to call her later.  Faison takes me off to the side while her fiancé, John Austin, attempts to have a conversation with Chandler, but I can tell he is completely star struck by my new friend.  What normal person wouldn't be?  It’s not like Chandler even looks remotely like he belongs in Cypress Hollow.  With his designer suit and rock star looks, he doesn’t exactly blend in well with the general population.

"I saw Mason," Faison says to me.  I told her the pervious day what happened between Mason and me without going into too much detail about the Watcher attack, the impetus of Mason's departure.

"Yeah, he was at the cemetery."

"Are you all right, Jess?  Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shake my head.  "Not really.  Just take care of Mama Lynn for me so I don’t have to worry about her.  I'm going to be busy with work for a while so I’m not going to have a lot of free time to be with you guys."

"Can you tell me anything about what's going on?  Maybe it would help you if you could talk to me about it."

I sigh.  "I really wish I could but I'm sworn to secrecy, you know that."

Faison smirks at me.  "Yeah, yeah, Watcher business.  So do you know what they are now?  The Watchers?"

I almost nod but don't.  "I can't answer that.  If I did, I would have to kill you afterward."

Faison sticks her tongue out at me.  "Fine.  Keep your secrets.  Go on with your new boyfriend and save the world."

"New boyfriend?"

Faison tilts her head towards Chandler.  "I see the way you two are together.  You don't have to be a genius to see something is going on between the two of you."

"It's not like that," I say, not liking the idea of Faison assuming Chandler and I are anything but friends.  "I can't fully explain the relationship Chandler and I have to you, but I don't have any romantic feelings for him.  I love Mason."

"Then I'm completely confused," Faison confesses.  "I watched the video of him singing to you at his Madison Square Garden concert and from the way he was looking at you while he sang, it looked like he felt something deeper than just friendship."

I shake my head.  "We do have a connection but it's more like brother and sister, not boyfriend and girlfriend.  Trust me.  It's completely asexual."

Faison shrugs.  "If you say so, but that's not the way the world is seeing it."

"What do you mean the world?"

Faison pulls out her cell phone from her purse and goes to a celebrity gossip website.  On it, I see a picture of me and Chandler at the concert on stage.  The title of the story is
Chandler Cain Finally Finds Love…with a Watcher Agent
.

I shake my head, completely dismayed by this new revelation.  I immediately wonder if Mason has seen this tabloid gossip and hope he knows how untrue it is.

"Don't believe everything you see on the internet," I tell Faison.

I call Isaiah and have him come to the church to pick me and Chandler up.

"I want to go get my crown now," Chandler tells us.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go back to your apartment and rest for a while?" I ask, concerned he might be pushing himself too hard too soon.

"No, I want to go get it.  The sooner I have that part, the sooner I'll be able to find my own fiery sword."

"You do realize," I say, "that we're all supposed to get a talisman that fits us.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't see a fiery sword in your future, my little rock star."

"Well, it's gotta be something wicked cool right?"  Chandler beams.  "Either way, I need it to help me develop my powers.  Plus, if I have it, maybe it'll make it easier for us to find the third vessel."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that," I say, looking over at Isaiah.  "Do you think Mason would let us use his villa?  Chandler and I have already tried to connect with the next vessel at his apartment but the mood just didn't seem right.  I would like to try it at the villa since that's where it worked for me the first time."

"I will ask," Isaiah says cautiously.  "But I can't promise anything."

Secretly, I'm hoping this might also present an opportunity to find a moment alone with Mason.  Maybe if I force him to at least be in the same house with me, he'll have to listen to what I want to tell him.

"First," Isaiah says, "let's go to Chandler's childhood home to retrieve his crown."

Isaiah places his hands on my and Chandler's shoulders.  We instantly find ourselves standing on the street of a very normal looking subdivision of upper middle class homes.

"Wow," Chandler says, staring at the house across the street from us.  "I haven't been back here in ages."

"You're only twenty-one," I say.  "It can't have been ages."

"You know I got my big break when I was fifteen," he says, reminding me of the timeline of his life.  "When my first album went platinum, I bought my parents a house in Los Angeles so they would be close to me out there.  We sold this house."