Revelations (The Revelations Series Book 1) (26 page)

“Me, too.” Jenna took the box of cereal from Alex and poured some in her own bowl. “We got off pretty easy.”

“I wonder what she wants me to do,” Alex asked.

“I don’t know; maybe run an errand for her.”

“I hope that’s all it is.”

They both finished their cereal in silence. When Jenna was done, she got up and put her bowl in the sink.

“Good luck. I’ll see you later,” she told Alex as she headed for the back door. “I want to get back on Arlene’s good side and get the baskets done early.”

Jenna left the house and headed towards the barn. She had to admit it wasn’t that bad of a punishment. She was going to get to spend the morning with Dylan. She pulled a hair tie out of her shorts pocket and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. The hot sun beat down on her pale shoulders. “I really need to get some more sun,” she mumbled as she rounded the corner of the barn.

Seeing Dylan under the tractor whistling softly, she paused at the door and watched him for a moment. She wondered what he would do if he knew her secret. Would he still choose to be with her? She shook the thought from her head and entered the barn.

“Hi Dylan,” she said as she squatted beside the tractor.

“Hey, Jenna,” Dylan said smiling as he slid out from under the tractor. “Arlene said one of you would be coming, but I figured it would be Alex.”

“Yeah, well this is my punishment for fighting with Alex last night.”

“That was you that broke the banister? Wow, girl, how did you manage that?” Dylan pulled a rag out of his pocket and wiped his hands.

“I got mad at Alex and pushed him. He tried to grab the banister to steady himself, but instead it broke. I feel bad enough as it is. I can only imagine how much it’s going to cost to have it fixed.”

Dylan shoved the rag into his back pocket. “You don’t have to worry about that. My dad will fix it for her and won’t charge her that much.”

“Your dad’s a carpenter?”

Dylan shook his head. “No,” he said.” He’s just really good at fixing things. He works for the church. I’m not really sure what he does for them, but he does fix a lot of things. Arlene already called him and he said he’d stop over and check it out.”

“Good, that makes me feel a lot better. So, how about you show me what I’m supposed to do with the baskets.”

Jenna followed Dylan to the back of the barn where the baskets lined the whole wall. They were stacked five baskets high and there had to be about twenty-five rows.

“It’s easy. All you have to do is look over the basket; if the metal ring is broken then it needs to be replaced. Use your judgment if the bottom seems to be wearing thin or not. There’s nothing worse than filling it up and then when you pick it up the bottom breaks out. The broken ones you can throw out that back door. The good ones just restack against this wall.”

“Okay, that seems simple enough.” Jenna grabbed a basket and inspected it, then decided it was good and set it aside to restack.

“I’ll be under the tractor if you have any questions.”

Dylan slid back under the tractor and continued his work. “So what were you guys fighting about last night that got you so angry?” he asked.

Jenna knew she couldn’t tell him the truth. “He just thinks he can tell me what to do.”

“I have the same problem at my house. My dad wants me to go to work for the church, even though he won’t tell me exactly what he does. It became a big family argument when I told him I didn’t want to.”

“I bet he wasn’t happy about that?”

“No, he wasn’t. Every once in a while he’ll still bring it up, but I’ll just ignore the comment. It seems to be the only way to keep the peace.”

Jenna threw a basket out the back door. “I wonder why he wants you to join the church so much. There must be a reason.”

“He says it’s the best place for me, to learn the things I will need to know. But I don’t want to. That’s why I like working here. It gets me out of the house. I figure I only have a year left in school, and then I can get my own place with the money I’ve saved.”

“You have it all planned out, don’t you?”

Dylan slid out from under the tractor. “Yup, and I even know where I’m moving to.”

“Where?” Jenna inspected another basket, decided it was in good shape and stacked it with the others against the wall.

“Arlene said I could renovate the barn loft. It already has electric and heat up there so all I have to do is clean it up and renovate a little.”

“That’s great.”

“I know. And, the best part is Arlene isn’t going to charge me much as long as I pay for the renovations and heating bill. All it needs is a bathroom and Dean’s dad said he can help me do that.”

A pain squeezed in Jenna’s heart as she thought about her own dim future. “It’s great that you already know what you want to do after high school.” She sighed as she thought back to a conversation she’d had with her mom about what she wanted to do with her life. Her plan had been to go to a technical school where she would study to become a nurse. She loved to help people and figured that being a nurse was a great way she could do that. But, that was all in the past. She had no idea where her life would be going, or even if she would be alive very long to live it. So, she was going to live in the moment, and worry about what life held for her later.

Dylan walked over to Jenna and grabbed a basket. “You know, Jenna; you shouldn’t let Alex get to you. You don’t have to do what he says. You have to choose your own path in life, and no one can do that for you.”

Jenna smiled as the thought of her mom telling her almost the same thing came back to her. “I know, but he’s family and knows what’s best for me.”

“Just because he’s family doesn’t mean he knows what’s best. It’s your life; let him worry about his own.”

A strange sense of confidence washed over Jenna. “You know, you’re right,” she told Dylan, and then giggled. “But, the next time we get into an argument I’ll make sure it’s outside.”

Dylan laughed. “Good idea. I’m sure Arlene will appreciate that.”

With Dylan’s help, they finished sorting through the baskets quickly. Most of them were still in good shape so they just restacked them neatly against the wall. The others they broke up and put in the kindling pile to be burned later.

“Thanks for your help,” Jenna told Dylan as she tossed the last broken basket in the pile.

“Not a problem,” he replied as he shut and locked the side door. “So, what are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?”

“It’s still early so I guess I’ll take a hike.” Jenna gestured toward the trails. “Are we still meeting up for lunch?”

“Actually, something came up and I have go to the next county to get the fertilizer Arlene needs. I won’t be back in time. I’m sorry. You can come if you want.”

“No thanks. After my hike I’ll see what else I can do for Arlene to make up for the railing.”

Dylan grinned. “Good idea. I’ll see you later.” He quickly kissed her then headed for his truck.

Jenna smiled as she watched him walk away. She hoped when the time came for her to tell him the truth about herself that he would forgive her. She turned and headed for the trails behind the barn. She had a lot on her mind and hoped a long walk would help her sort it all out.

JENNA
headed up the trail to try to clear her head. Large oak trees shaded her from the sun making the trail a little cool, but she didn’t mind. She was in the south in the middle of summer and the temperature was getting hotter every day. A tingling sensation radiated on her hip as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open to see a text from Dylan.

Have a good time on your hike, and remember if you go to our spot let me know so I know where you are.

Jenna’s face brightened as she read the text. She liked that he referred to the place on the hill as their spot.

She quickly replied.
Yes I’ll be going to our spot. I’ll let you know when I get back.
She closed the phone and stuffed it back in her pocket. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky by finding someone like Dylan, but she was glad she did. She continued on the trail as she thought of everything that had happened recently.

Her mother had told her that letting Alex stay with them was a good idea so he could teach her everything he knew about being a Nephilim. But, she was totally bewildered by his behavior lately.

Jenna pushed some brush aside with her foot as she rounded a corner on the path and headed for the drop off. She thought back to the dream where her mother had warned her she was being deceived. She couldn’t imagine who it could be. She tried weighing the events that led up until now. But, for some reason, a reason she couldn’t explain, deep down in her heart she knew it wasn’t Dylan.

Could it be Arlene?
Jenna thought about it for a minute, and then shook her head. No, it couldn’t be. Arlene had been nothing but nice to her. If she were being deceived then it had to be by someone who was trying to get close to her, to use her.

Her mind wandered to Dean. Was it him? After all, he had become sudden friends with Alex and had insisted she join them at Charlie’s. He was enough of a possibility that she would have to keep an eye on him.

Jasmine and Carla were next, but she didn’t really think it was either of them. She had only hung out with them twice, once at the beach and then at Charlie’s. If it was one of them, they would be trying to incorporate themselves into her life more, and they weren’t.

Jenna pushed the bushes aside that lead her to the cliff. She found a spot far enough away from the edge so she was safe, but close enough so she could still see the view and sat down. Her mind took her where she didn’t want to go.

Could it be Alex?
a little voice inside her head asked. He was, after all, the only one left. And, he was the only one
who had been acting strangely. Strange and disquieting thoughts began to race through her mind.
No, it couldn’t be Alex
.
Her mother would never have let him into their lives if she’d thought for even a second that she couldn’t trust him. No, it
had to be someone else. It had to be Dean. But, the nagging in the back of her mind that it could possibly be Alex refused to go away.

Jenna lay back in the grass and soaked up the sun that was shining brightly out here in the open. She sighed as all her worries faded away and she was able to relax for a little while. She refused to think about anything negative and soon found herself staring at the clouds smiling as she thought back to her childhood. Her mother used to lie in the grass with her when she was a little girl, and they would each pick a cloud and tell what they thought it looked like. But, as Jenna grew older, things changed and she found herself hanging out with her friends more than her mom.

A tear slipped from her eye and she wiped it away. She would do anything to have her mom here with her; to be lying beside her and laughing as they each chose a cloud. Her growling stomach snapped her out of her memory. She stretched and stood up. It was almost lunchtime and she was getting hungry. She took a minute to look at the beautiful valley between the hills, then turned and headed back to the house.

****

Jenna walked in the back door just as Arlene was making a sandwich.

“I finished the baskets,” she told Arlene.

“Thanks, I appreciate the help. Do you want a sandwich?” Arlene asked as she spread mayo onto a piece of bread.

“Yes, please,” Jenna replied as she took a seat at the table. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Arlene handed Jenna her sandwich and started to make another one. “Actually, there is. Dylan turns eighteen next weekend, and I’d like to throw him a surprise party tomorrow afternoon. His parents are okay with it, but I need some help planning it. I know it’s really short notice, but I think we can pull it off.” Arlene finished her sandwich and sat down at the table. “Alex is going to talk to Dean to have him invite all of Dylan’s close friends. But, I don’t know what kind of food to get. Can you help me?”

“Sure, is this why you sent Dylan out of town today? So you could plan his party,” Jenna asked, and then took a bite of her sandwich.