The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven (114 page)

             
“No. Just until you are well again and only if you use a large amount of power otherwise you should be fine.”

             
“Thank you Billy,” I said, taking another small sip. I was already feeling better.

             
“It’s not a problem.” He waved me off.

             
“Not just for this,” I held up the bottle. “I mean for everything, for not giving up on me and well just…thank you.”

             
“You’re welcome,” he smiled. “I know this can’t be easy for you. Having all these powers and not knowing what’s happening to your body, but I just want you to know I’ll help you the best I can. I won’t leave you to be alone in this. I’ll do what I can for as long as I can,” he said, squeezing my hand. I gave him a thankful smile and took another sip. “Drink half of that now and finish the other half later and you should be fine for the day. I want you to continue to drink at least half a bottle a day for the rest of the week or until you get all your strength back and then you should be fine.”

             
I drank half as he instructed me and followed him downstairs to the car. I knew I wasn’t a hundred percent better but I did feel a lot stronger than this morning which was a plus.

             
I started to get a little nervous on the way to Tristan’s grandparents. I had a bad feeling his grandmother, Deirdre, would not be so cooperative. I went over in my head all the questions I wanted to ask and all the questions I should ask. My head was full of so many things I hadn’t even realized we arrived. I got out of the car and made a hesitant step toward the house. Josie stayed back with me waiting patiently. I let out a slow breath and pushed open the gate.

             
Josef greeted us at the door happy to see us this bright and early in the morning. I smiled at him politely as he welcomed us into the house. Deirdre was sitting in her chair. She was not as welcoming as Josef and Caleb. “Can I get you something to drink?” Caleb asked. “Breakfast should be ready momentarily.” 

             
“Would you like some help?” I offered.

             
“No, no Josef can help. Just sit and relax.”

             
“Kind of hard to do with Deirdre sitting there glaring at me,” I thought. We all sat there silently while Josef and Caleb finished fixing breakfast. Sensing how uncomfortable my friends were I decided to make nice. “So, I like your garden. How do you have so many different flowers throughout the seasons?”

             
She just narrowed her eyes at me, got up, and then left the room. “O-kay,” I said, looking at my friends confused. Josie just shrugged her shoulders.

             
Caleb returned to the living room to let us know breakfast was done. As we all gathered around the table, Caleb informed us that Deirdre would not be joining us. He said she was not feeling well. I tried to act disappointed.

             
During breakfast, Caleb told us all about the favorite places Tristan liked to go. All his favorite places to eat, hang out, and shop. He told us stories of his childhood, including all the trouble he used to get into when he was little. His face lit up when he talked about him. I smiled. There was no doubt how much he truly loved his grandson.

             
When we were done I offered to help clean up, but Caleb said no, we were guests in his house and him and Josef would clean up later. I thanked him for the breakfast and all the information. Then we said our goodbyes as we headed out to start our search.

             
We began with checking out one of the places Tristan liked to eat. Unfortunately, most of the time was spent driving around and trying to figure out where the hell we were. Billy made the mistake of letting Josie control the map. She didn’t even know how to read a map. “Doesn’t this thing have GPS?” Josie whined.

             
“No, that would have cost more,” Billy grunted, trying to keep his anger in check.

             
“Give me that,” I ripped the map from Josie, tired of their bickering. “The town is about a mile that way.” I pointed to my left. “How about we start there and walk around to see if we can find anything.”

             
We spent all day driving and searching the areas Caleb suggested. We had a hard time finding any clues. Most people weren’t too eager to talk to out-of-towners, which told me we were going to have a hard time getting the information we needed.

             
It was almost night time and Billy suggested we call it quits for the day. I agreed only because my stomach was growling at me in protest. We stopped and grabbed some food on the way back. When I reached our room, I opened the door, and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him sitting there. “Dean, what are you doing here?”

             
“You didn’t think you were going to take a trip to Ireland without me, did you?”

             
“I uh…”

             
“Relax, no one knows I’m here and I’m not going to bust your ass or tell you how dumb it was to leave the hospital.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m here to help,” he smiled.

             
“Really?” I asked not convinced. Dean never did anything that wouldn’t benefit him. I knew there had to be an ulterior motive.

             
“Yes,” he glared offended.

             
“How’d you even know where to find us?”

             
“Cameron.” I looked over at her and she just shrugged. “Who you think got you the car to leave,” he said.

             
“Why didn’t you just leave with us then?”

             
“Would have brought up too much suspicion us leaving together so I waited until they discovered you were gone and left the next day so they thought I left to look for you.”

             
I sighed relieved that he was here to help as oppose to attempt to take me home kicking and screaming. I threw the greasy bag of food down on the table and plopped down into a chair to take off my shoes. Dean automatically helped himself to the food.

             
“So do you actually have a plan here or you basically flying by the seat of your pants?”

             
“Both,” I replied.

             
“Well, I had a long flight,” Dean crumpled up his napkin and threw it on the table. Then he got up and made himself comfortable on one of the beds. I stifled an eye roll and got ready to crash. Luckily we managed to get a room with two king size beds so we were able to fit three to one bed. Unfortunately I somehow got stuck sharing a bed with Cameron and Dean. I wasn’t happy about it – Dean kicks in his sleep.

             
I spent most of the night curled up close to Cameron. “Ella, I know I said I would be here for you, but even I have my limits.”

             
“Sorry,” I mumbled. Tired of being kicked in the shins, I got up, grabbed a blanket and pillow and tried to make myself comfortable on the small couch. I would rather be cramped then kicked.

We spent all morning searching and trying to find clues, but once again, nothing. Feeling exhausted and rundown, I asked if we could head back to the hotel for a little and take a break. When we got back to the hotel I found the nearest bed and crashed. I was so exhausted from this morning I didn’t even bother to take off my sneakers.

             
I slept for several hours. Finally getting the rest I needed. When I woke, I noticed the girls were doing their hair and makeup. “What’s going on?” I asked.

             
“We’re going to a club,” Josie replied from over her shoulder.

             
“Josie, that’s not why we are here,” I said annoyed.

             
“Hello, it’s Tristan we’re looking for. Where else are we going to start?”

             
“True,” I thought.

             
“From what Caleb told us Billy thinks we should start there. Billy said he remembered Tristan telling him he went to this club a lot.”

             
“What kind of place is this?” I asked, looking at Josie’s choice of outfit. She had on her black knee high boots with a tight, short, red mini skirt and black lace halter top.

             
“It’s a night club that caters to our kind.”

             
“What does that mean?”

             
“It means if you’re not on the supernatural team you don’t get in.”

             
“What’s the dress code? Less is more?”

             
Josie scowled at me. “We have to blend in and from what Josef told us about this place it’s very slutty chic. Okay, not his exact words, but you catch my drift.”

             
“Josef?” I said skeptically.

             
“He called while you were asleep and I asked him if he knew anything about this place. He’ll be here in an hour, by the way, oh and apparently Dean made a big stink about getting his own room because you snore.”

             
“Okay one, I do not snore,” I knew Dean just used that as an excuse to have his own room which was fine by me. “And two, why is Josef coming with? He’s only sixteen and I really don’t want him involved in this. It could get dangerous.”

             
“Ella, he’s a local. He knows the ins and outs and could really help us out.”

             
“I guess,” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t really know how I felt about including him in our little adventure.

             
“Here,” she said, throwing what looked like a shirt at me. “I went shopping with Cameron while you were sleeping.”

             
Clearly there was a lot that happened while I was asleep. “What is it?” I asked, holding up the dark blue satin material.

             
“It’s a dress,” she said rolling her eyes.

             
“Where’s the rest of it?”

             
“Ella, live a little.”

             
I sighed and got up to get ready. The dress was strapless and just covered my butt. I made a mental note to remember to not bend over. The blue satin matched my streaks and I have a feeling that’s why Josie picked it. I wore my hair down and Josie did my make-up. It was heavier then I would have done, but Josie insisted it completed my look. Then she handed me a pair of strappy silver heels and said we were to meet everyone in the lobby.

Chapter three

“Damn Ella, where you’d get that dress? Hookers R us,” Dean said. He gave me a look that said he clearly did not approve of his little sister wearing something so scantily clad. “You couldn’t find something that maybe actually covered you?”

             
“Not my choice,” I mumbled walking past him. No need to start a fight now. “Is everyone ready?” I asked.

             
“We just have to wait for Josef,” Cameron replied. “He should be here any minute.”

             
“I didn’t know we would be babysitting tonight,” Dean complained.

             
“Dean, knock it off,” I warned. As usual he ignored me. I fidgeted with the hem of my dress trying to pull it down as far as I could until we heard a rumble of motors. I looked around to see Josie and Cameron shrug. Billy and Dean exchanged a look. I decided to step outside to check it out for myself. I tugged at my dress as I walked out, feeling over exposed. Josie swiped my hand away saying it was fine. I stifled an eye roll and searched for the cause of the noise.

             
In the distance I spotted a pack of bikers, who just so happened to be coming right for us. I took a step back. The biker leading the pack pulled right up next to me and took off his helmet. “Hey Ella.”

             
“Josef,” I said surprised. His eyes widened as he looked me up and down making me feel self-conscious. His cheeks flushed red when Dean cleared his throat, indicating he was staring longer then he should have.

             
“Um…yeah, hey,” he stuttered.

             
“You already said that,” I teased, making him blush more.

             
“Sorry I…”

             
“It’s okay,” I smiled. “Are these your friend’s?” I gestured to the other bikers hoping to distract his gawking eyes.

             
“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind. I thought they could help,” he said uneasy.

             
“No, I don’t mind. It would help to have a few extra set of eyes,” I told him. “Are we just going to follow you then?”

             
“I thought it would be better if you rode with us,” he said.

             
“Okay,” I looked around. “Is there someone else coming in a car?” He gestured to the motorcycles. “You’re kidding, right?”

             
“It’s easier this way. Hop on.” He held out his hand.

             
I looked down at my dress and then back at Josef who was waiting expectantly. “This isn’t going to work.”

             
“There’s enough of us that we can all ride,” he said, not understanding my issue.

             
I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant.” I pointed to my outfit making him blush again.

             
He got off his bike and handed me his jacket. “Here, this should help,” he said, helping me put it on.

             
“Thank you.” I looked back to my friends and noticed Billy was admiring one of the bikes, going on about I didn’t even know what. I knew nothing about motorcycles. From what I could gather from the conversation he had one back home, but had to give it up. The guy offered to let him ride it and I’ve never seen Billy so giddy. Josie hopped on the back squeezing Billy tight while Cameron got cozy with one of the bikers who looked like Jax from ‘The Sons of Anarchy’. If I got to choose I would have picked him as well. Not normally into the rugged type but, hello, have you seen Charlie Hunnam on S.O.A.?
Holy-hotness-batman.

             
“I’m sorry but I’m not riding bitch,” Dean whined.

             
“Dean, I’m not in the mood for this,” I said, glaring at him.

             
“Dean, you can ride with Gina,” Josef told him, gesturing to the only girl in their group. She was dressed head to toe in leather and had two long dark braids that hung over the front of her shoulders. The ends of her braids were tied with suede shoe string and had feathers hanging from them.

             
Dean turned to her and smiled. “Hey sweetheart, how about you slide back and let me drive.” She just looked at him and revved up the gas. Clearly she was not going to move and looked like the type you didn’t want to piss off. Dean rolled his eyes and hopped on the back.

             
I carefully got on the back on Josef’s bike, put on the helmet he handed me, and grabbed on tight as we took off.

             
I never rode on the back of a bike before. The wind felt cool against my bare legs and blew the hair off the back of my shoulders sending shivers down my spine. I wanted to spread my arms out wide and welcome the night. The ride was exhilarating like nothing else I’ve ever experienced before.  I didn’t want it to end.

             
Unfortunately the ride to the club was short. If I had the option I would have asked Josef just to ride around for a while. We pulled into a side alley next to the club and they parked their bikes. I slid off the back and handed Josef back his helmet and Jacket, but not before I made sure my skirt was pulled down as far as I could manage it. Josie cleared her throat when Josef started to stare again. He averted his eyes quickly, embarrassed. I just smiled bashfully and walked over to Josie and joined the rest of the gang.

             
We followed Josef and his friends to the back of the club. He signaled for two of his friends to come forward. The three of them stood around the door while the others kept watch. “What are they doing?” I asked. Before anyone could answer me I heard a click and the door opened.

             
I looked at Josef. “It’s magically protected. You have to know the secret code to get in.”

             
“What’s the secret code?”

             
“Now if I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret,” he smiled. I stifled an eye roll and followed everyone else into the club.

             
Inside the bass was thumping so loud it was vibrating inside my chest. “I don’t know how you’re going to find anyone in here?” Cameron said, stepping beside me. I looked around the packed club. If I didn’t know any better she would be right. It would be almost impossible to find anyone in here, but I didn’t need to see Tristan to know he was here. I knew I would be able to feel him.

             
I took her hand and pulled her over to a section near the back where we would have a perfect view of the entire club. There were two floors and we entered on the top. The top floor encircled the bottom dance floor and had couches and tables set up all along the perimeter.

             
As soon as we sat down Dean automatically went to the bar. I tried not to let him bother me and concentrated on scanning the dance area. I stood near the railing by our table while my eyes searched everywhere. I closed my eyes hoping maybe I could get a feeling for him, but I got nothing. I told myself not to get discouraged. As I looked around I noticed the club was exactly how Josie had described it – slutty chic. The girls were dressed in what looked like very expensive hooker wear. As for the men’s choice of clothes, they ranged anywhere from suits to casual wear. The men in suits had taken up most of the private areas which came complete with your own waitress. You could tell they had money to spend and weren’t shy about throwing it around.

             
There were girls here who looked barely sixteen that were throwing themselves at the men in the private areas. My stomach churned at the sight of it and I wanted so badly to do something, but I had to remember not to bring attention to myself. I let out a sigh and looked out onto the dance floor again. “Here,” Josie said, taking a spot next to me and handing me a glass. I looked at her wearily. “Don’t worry. It’s just soda.”

             
“You really think he’d come here?” I asked, taking the glass from her.

             
“Well,” she drew out the word. “You knew how Tristan was before he met you and from what Josef and his friends have told me a lot of
‘high society’
as they call them, come here.”

             
“High society, what is that supposed to mean?”

             
Josie gave me a look saying she didn’t want to really explain it. “Ella, think about it,” she said softly.

             
I let out a breath. I knew exactly what she meant. I just didn’t want to admit it. She was right. This was definitely the type of place he would come to. They catered to the rich and there were tons of women here who would do pretty much anything if you waved a few dollars at them. Not to mention both Billy and Caleb had said this was a place he used to frequent. Once again I felt my stomach churning. Josie gripped my arm sensing my uneasiness. “Hey, that was Tristan then. He’s not the same person now. Okay?”

             
I nodded, closed my eyes, and took a breath. She was right. That was a different Tristan that came here. Not the one I fell in love with. “Why don’t we sit down for a bit?” When I didn’t budge she said, “It’s early yet. You know how Tristan liked to make an entrance.” I let her pull me down into one of the chairs.

             
I had a hard time sitting still. I couldn’t stop fidgeting. I kept having this feeling that something wasn’t right. “Are you okay?” Josef asked.

             
“Fine.” I lied.

             
“You don’t look fine,” he said, looking at my shaking leg.

             
I crossed my leg over the other to help the shaking. “Sorry, I’m just…anxious I guess.”

             
“Maybe you should have a drink to take the edge off,” he offered.

             
“I prefer to have a clear head.”

             
“Do you want to dance?”

             
“I…uh…”

             
“Come on Ella. We’ll all go,” Cameron said, pulling me out of my seat and not giving me much of a choice. Dean and a few of Josef’s friends stayed behind while the rest of us headed down to the dance floor. I kept my eyes open, looking in every direction hoping to see any clue of Tristan. I wasn’t in the mood to dance, but I thought maybe being down on the floor would give me a better outlook.

             
The girls mixed in with the crowd, dancing like it was any other night out at a club. I just focused on my surroundings. My eyes searched everywhere while I dodged excited flailing limbs. “Look Ella, you’re not going to find him if you keep looking for him,” Josie said.

             
“What?” I did not understand anything she just said.

             
“You know how they say you always find what you’re looking for when you stop looking.” I nodded. “Ella, it’s the first night. I know you want to find him, but you have to understand he’s not just going to fall into your lap. It might take us days before we even get a clue. So while we’re here please just try to enjoy yourself the best you can. Hello, we are in Ireland.”

             
I took a couple deep breaths and tried to relax. Billy told us he was going to walk around and see if he could find out any information. I think he more or less just wanted an excuse to get away so Josie wouldn’t make him dance.

             
I was forced into the middle of the dance floor to engage with the rest of crowd. Josie gave me an exaggerated smile trying to get me to give her one back. I complied but still had a hard time trying to settle my unease. I couldn’t get rid of this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was off about this place.

             
Josie and Cameron started to twist me back and forth forcing me to dance. To make matters worse Josie and Cameron started to bust out some old school 80’s moves. They looked so ridiculous I couldn’t help but laugh. Finally able to loosen up a bit, I joined them with some creative moves of my own. “I hate to tell you, but I think your moves are a little outdated,” Josef said, joining us on the dance floor.

             
“We’re just having fun, come on.” I pulled him in between all of us. “Show us what you got.”

             
For a young kid he ended up having some pretty good moves. I was actually starting to have a good time goofing around with them. I would still look over my shoulder every now and then and search the crowd, but I saw nothing. Then I remembered what Josie had said about finding him when I stopped looking. So that’s what I did. I put my full attention on my friend’s ridiculous moves.

             
Shortly after, the music started to slow down so Josie and Cameron went to go get something to drink. I started to follow them when Josef stopped me. “Do you w-wanna dance?” he stuttered.

             
I figured, what the hell, and turned back around to dance with him. I put my arms around his neck while still keeping my distance. I knew Josef had a thing for me. Ms. Kraft’s spell to block everyone’s thought was slowly wearing off so every now and then I would catch random things people were thinking. I didn’t want to do anything to lead him on. So I kept the dancing to a minimum with friendly conversation. “How you come to live with your grandparents?”