Persona (49 page)

He will however, give them a little time to enjoy it, before he breaks it up. And to keep him from doing that, Liam seriously needs a distraction from his empty quiet room. What is a better distraction than finding out what is going on in the world around them?

Nothing, this is why his cellphone is placed against his ear and ringing. Charles answers at the third ring, even for the late hour.

“Can I help you with something Morgan?”

“Good evening to you too Charles.” Liam says with a smile.

“Hey, don’t try to get cute with me. The boys are in bed and this is the first time Jo and I are alone. So make it snappy, if you don’t mind.”

Now Liam is not only smiling but, he is laughing now too. Apparently there is a reason his friend answered the phone too fast; he is in a hurry.

“Sorry, I don’t want to keep you. I just was hoping you have an update for me. I could really use some news.”

Charles sighs on the other end of the line, and Liam has the feeling that there is nothing to share.

“There still isn’t anything to share Liam, not even a peep. I even looked into the group you said took the girl, but none of them were even picked up at the scene.”

Liam clenches the phone tightly in his hand, and has to relax it when the phone creaks from the pressure. Hearing his fears confirmed that it’s most likely that Marty and Gordon aren’t even with Fletcher; makes him seriously want to hit something.

He wants to storm around the house for his father and scream at the man, but figures that isn’t the best approach. He’ll have to do what Marshall wants, which is to wait; until he has proof anyway. Even if it kills him to do it.

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to your hot date. Just keep me posted will you.”

Liam hangs up the phone without saying good bye, mostly because he isn’t even sure Charles was still on the phone. Most likely he wasn’t. Charlie isn’t really knows for his patience, and add a pretty woman to the mix, and he’s done for. And Liam knows he’ll be done for too, if he stays hidden in his room much longer.

He is on his feet and running down two flights of stairs before he gets to the first floor, and doesn’t stop until he is at the bottom of the back porch stairs. He’d like to think that he came to his senses and decided to just go back inside and not be a dick.

But no, something that caught his attention made him stop. And that something is in the form of a certain thick spicy scent of freshly cut apples.

“Where are you running off to boy?” Marshalls voice cuts through the night behind him.

Liam freezes but jumps on the inside, while he turns around with a scowl on his face. His father is leaning on the doorjamb leading back into the porch.

The man looks to be at too much ease for his tone of voice.

“Just going for a run; blowing off some steam.” Liam tries to say nonchalantly.

“Is that what you and your friends call a bonfire, because I have some other phrases for something like that.”

Liam’s eyes go wide before he can control his features, and this of course makes his father snort out a short laugh.

“I’ve known about them for a while now yes, it would take a fool not too. Are you going to join them or shut it down?”

“Shut it down.” Liam says quickly, like he doesn’t want to get into trouble or something.

“Good, it’s not exactly subtle now is it?”

Marshall is turning away back into the house, and Liam knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help wanting to tell him about his brief chat with Charlie.

“Charles hasn’t heard anything still you know. Gordon and the kid may not have been arrested and you know what that means.”

His father pauses mid turn and goes stock still. Liam can physically feel the old mans persona before his earthy plant spiced scent fills the space around them.

“You know where I stand on this Liam. So go and break up your friend’s party before we have to worry about the police showing up here.”

His father springs into motion and walks back into the house in a blur without saying another word or even looking back at Liam. Who by the way is feeling shot down at the moment.

Clearly he didn’t play it cool and ended pissing the man off, but dammit, they do have a time sensitive situation on their hands. With Marshall gone from the area, his scent leaves as well and Liam is left with the freshly cut apples of Moira own scent again.

It doesn’t take a genius, to know that she isn’t even close by though, but he isn’t worried about not being able to find her. Using the scent as a trail, and feeling very much the hound dog, Liam walks out into the yard and uses his nose to find her.

He picks up his pace the closer he gets to the woods, and even more so when her scent changes to the sharp tang of something sour. He knows now, that the scent change is attributed with her moods apparently.

He is running full out.

***

Sitting outside on a cool night, on logs surrounding a pit full of fire with a bunch of teenagers, isn’t exactly Moira’s idea of a good time. That can’t be said for her traitorous friends though; they seem to be loving the whole out door motif.

She would too, if it wasn’t a cool fall night, where she is currently being attacked by mosquitoes; and the occasional bug too.

The mosquito in question is a buff blonde guy, who introduced himself as Lucas. Not that she really cares who he is, only because she’d prefer to be back in her room practicing with her persona again. When she finally left the library, Marshall had her convinced that she was packing some serious persona heat.

Ignoring the boy trying to talk her up, Moira takes in her surroundings more properly. The clearing is larger than she would have thought, but then again, they are in the woods. It was a pretty short trip once they all left jumped the fence. And it was very comical watching everyone leap over a fifteen or so foot fence.

She and Raven with Daisy and Ray, at met up with William just outside the main house some time ago. Together, they all trekked to the fence and were met with about twenty kids their age. That was when she met Lucas, who seemed to zoom in on her almost instantly.

If she wasn’t known for the fugitive freak, she might have thought she was looking good tonight. As it was, she with the help of Raven and Daisy had decided to dress up.

She really needs to give who ever shopped for her some major props, because they were certainly on point with her size. She really hopes it wasn’t Marshall, because that would be super weird.

Regardless, she is decked out in a short jean skirt with a long sleeved sheer lavender top and of course with a cami under that. She even found a pair of lavender flats that fit her perfectly, courtesy of Daisy. Where the girl had those hidden of their cross country trip, she has no clue.

And, for a bonus, her strawberry blonde curls actually decided to behave tonight. That makes going out in public almost worth it. It hangs over her shoulders with its usual limp way, but the curls are more curly than usual. If she knew she wouldn’t stand out, she’s try to only change her hair, and let her auburn curls come forward.

But she would never though, it would be to stand-outish and that is the last thing Moira needs right now.

Getting over the fence was a little tricky in the skirt, but she couldn’t back out. Especially since there were a few others with shorter ones than hers; and they didn’t seem to have a problem. She did notice they flashed more than a smile though when they jumped to the top; so waiting to go last was pretty wise on her part.

The boy Lucas kept trying to help her, so she could go before him. It was laughable the way he kept insisting, but now way was she going to show him some skin. After finally getting him to go before her, and that she would be fine; she had noticed that it was just her with her friends now.

A sinking feeling had formed in her gut; that this night was as close to a date night, which any of them had ever had. It’s depressing to know that the last date she had, ended badly.

What’s worse is that said date is what lead up to all this crazy she calls her life now. One dumb boy and a prank later, and she still finds herself all alone and boyfriendless.

It’s no fault but her own she knows. She had all the time in the world to be with the one person she clicked with, and she went and ruined it all over a jock that looked good in running shorts. When Ray and Liam help the girls over the fence and quickly joined then right after, only then did she snap out of her thoughts.

Now really alone, she heard the others on the other side; wondering if they would wait for her or not. Best not to find out though, who knows what, could happen being lost in the woods; maybe eat a bear for dinner?

Using the freshly honed practice of her persona again, Moira closes her eyes and clears her mind of everything but where she is. It didn’t take long for her to focus on just the scent, mostly because she is in the woods and the whole place is fresh with moss and something like a cool breeze as it passes over water. Taking deep breaths, she can feel the familiar tingle of her persona playing across her skin now.

Rather than letting it come forward for a complete change, she just welcomes the light kiss of it and opens her eyes to gaze up at the fence. Fueled with her persona, she slowly bends at the knees while focusing on the tiniest tipped point of the fences top.

Before she can think about how scared she would be to fall off, she uses all her strength and pushes off the ground.

With strangely cat like reflexes, Moira flings herself through the air and somehow manages to land with a soft touch at the top of the fence. Not bothering to hold back her laughter, she peers over the side to see Raven and Daisy waiting for her.

They are both smiling at her and shaking their heads. Just past them and weaving through all the massive trees, are the rest of their group. Up this high, she can literally see the woods that go on forever it seems. The breeze plays through her hair, and a sense of peace settles over her. She could have stayed up there forever, if not for her friend’s cat calling to her.

A comment about her nicely shaped inner thigh, from no other than Raven, she catapults over the side and lands right beside them in one swift movement.

The feeling she got when she landed, was like nothing she ever felt before. Alright, so that isn’t true, she had felt it only once before. Back at Gordon’s house, after she kicked the intruders from here to kingdom come.

It’s almost like an adrenaline rush, but something so much more; something akin to feeling indestructible. Unlike that night, now she doesn’t feel out of control, just the opposite in fact. She can feel her persona coursing through her entire mind and body, yet it stays back and doesn’t over power her.

Arms laced between the two girls and walking towards the rest of their party, Moira only wishes she could have gotten this control without having to come as far as she had.

The feeling even lasted all the while they weaved in-between the hundreds of trees, and when they finally came to a clearing in the brush. She didn’t know what she expected, but what they walked into, certainly wasn’t it. It’s obvious at first sight, that the fire pit and long benches set up had been their longer than her lifespan.

It just reeks of ancient, and in a weirdly good way.

The pit itself is nestled into the earth, and is roughly the size of a compact car. Lining the edges of it are greying or maybe charcoaled white stones the size of beach balls. A foot away from the pit, are massive logs that circle the entire clearing; while still leaving a good amount of space from the tree’s. The log she is currently sitting on was clearly plucked from this very forest, as it’s incredibly big, but it’s aged nicely enough that she is comfortable.

If only Lucas wasn’t still trying to hit on her, then she’d be in mini Moira Heaven. Thankfully though, Raven is on her other side, in her own version of a mini skirt and low-cut top. The downside of course, is the fact that the girl is oblivious to anyone other than the adorable William. On their other side is Ray and Daisy, and they too are lost in their own little happy bubble.

As is ever other person, sitting around the intensely hot fire pit. It’s strange to think that anyone could be at ease with nothing else to do but sit, and oddly enough it is peaceful. And here she thought she wasn’t a woodsy type of girl.

Her worst nightmare would have been if she and her friends got too much attention, and started asking all these uncomfortable questions. But, they are all too busy clearly making out to want to know anything about her.

Then there is Lucas, who seems to be quite interested in both talking and making out; and with her no less. The only person that appears to be uncomfortable person here is a girl that is sitting so stiffly on Lucas’s other side, and it makes her slightly uneasy too. She is a tall waif of a girl, with the wildest mass of brown spirals that Moira has ever seen.

It definitely puts her own limp waves to shame that’s for sure.

She had heard that her name was Gianna, and might find a kindred spirit with a funky name like her own. Only the girl could care less about anyone, including Moira. She is wondering why the girl would even come out here, if she just hates it, when Lucas chooses to finally make his poorly played move.

This is to not so subtly place his meaty arm across her shoulders while grinning at her like it’s going out of style. She does have to give him credit though; she’d never have the nerve to make a move on someone who is ignoring me.

Before she can tell Lucas to kindly remove his arm from her, the girl on his other side, Gianna, starts to snicker. Moira leans around the wall that is Lucas, and pears at the other girl. Who is watching them with a sort of pent up laughable tension.

Their eyes meet, and Moira has the feeling she isn’t the first girl to fall under this boys arms.

“Luc, why don’t you leave the new girl alone huh? It doesn’t look like she is too interested.” Gianna says in a spicy sweet voice.

Lucas turns towards the voice, and since she is locked in his embrace, she gets moved from the motion too. It’s hard to stumble while you’re sitting up, but that is what she does.