"Hey Major!" Selena called walking from the office, buying time for Sam to go pack his things, and whatever other essentials they may need.
Stepping into the Selena found Major crouched over the oak coffee table in between the TV hanging on the wall, and the now fluff pile of once pristine sectional. He didn't respond, his finger too busy tracing whatever design on the table had all of his attention.
Her eyes drifted to the front of the house, and she thanked her lucky stars that her mother had sprung on the black-out curtains. Five large paned bay windows lined the living room wall, providing natural light from the front of the house, pointed straight at the street.
One could easily catch whatever was going outside in their front yard or driveway. In fact, she saw Sam's lady friend sneaking out of the house that way earlier in the morning. The curtains would give them cover while they attempted their escape.
However, with the curtains opened and half shredded, Major definitely would notice the lighting change, even if he didn't acknowledge her entrance into the room.
Selena licked her lips and went to go flip the switch that was on the adjacent wall of the windows to turn on the ceiling fan.
Major's head shot up at the change, and his body tensed. He moved his hand to the eagle head pommel of his sword he used to slay the chimera.
"Easy Sparky, it's just me," she said.
His hand drifted from the weapon strapped to his hip, but he didn't turn around to face her.
"Aren't you supposed to packing?" Major asked.
Selena took a slight side step to her right, inching closer to the curtains. All she needed to do was keep him semi distracted long enough not to notice what she was doing.
"Well, I uh, was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I took a shower before we left?" She placed her left hand behind her back, her fingers grabbing onto the fabric. "I feel and look absolutely disgusting."
"I figured that's what you've been doing. You two were taking so damn long to come back out." Major turned around to face her, and Selena stilled, her breath hitching.
Did he see the curtains move?
"Uh, no. We were just talking, trying to digest all your newfound information you dropped on us."
Major leveled his stare at her. "I thought we went over it pretty well into detail."
Don't argue with him. Selena told herself. You need his attention to be back on whatever he was doing at that table.
It was hard to heed her own advice, especially since the urge to argue was practically nipping at her lips.
"Yeah, well, Sam's a bit slow, so I kind of needed to explain everything that your were talking in layman's terms for him."
Major turned back to whatever he was doing on the table, and Selena let out a sigh of relief. She slowly began closing the curtain.
"Well hurry up, I don't need our trip getting anymore delayed as it is."
Selena's fingers grazed the end of the other curtain, and her the end of her mouth twitched. She closed the only vantage point he'd have of the garage, and he didn't even notice. Granted, sunlight still leaked through from the several claw marks on the left panel.
"We'll try to hurry it up."
"That'd be appreciated."
Selena flipped him off, even though she knew he couldn't see her.
Fucking prick.
Her entire world was just flipped upside down, and his only concern was that her and Sam move along fast enough for him.
She stalked off toward the bathroom, and she swore she saw that platinum blond head of his perk up once she left.
Selena had little time to waste. She ran as sure-footed as she could into the bathroom, turned on the bath faucet, and rushed to her room. Her feet skidded to a halt, and her eyes widened.
Whoever invaded their home spared no expense to her bedroom and personal belongings. Selena's room was absolutely trashed, and not in some pseudonym way her mother normally describes its state.
Someone tossed clothes from her closet and dresser onto the floor. Her bed was torn to shreds just like the couch in the living room. Who ever was here was looking for something. The weight of her graduation gown got heavier with the realization.
Not only were her parents keeping her true identity hidden from her, if Major was to be believed, but they were also hiding something else. Something important enough that had Aaron and Cathryn King running scared.
Selena pushed past the clothes, rummaging under her bed for any remaining intact bag. She rifled through a mountain of empty water bottles she shoved under there since her last "cleaning" of her room.
"C'mon, I know it's under here." Selena muttered.
Eventually, moving a Stanley, she found her backpack she used for last year. Selena smiled, pulling on the black strings, bringing the bag back to life. Thankfully, opening it up, all she found in there was empty water bottles. Dumping the contents of the bag onto the floor, a single photo booth photo strip she had taken with her friends last year at prom landed on the pile of bottles.
Selena picked the photo up and ripped it to shred. She wasn't too sure if whoever invaded her home was coming back, but she would not risk her friends' identities if they were. The least she could do was to protect them.
Without necessarily searching for any clothes in particular, she grabbed whatever was functional, and thrusted them into the bag. Once it was full to the brim, she zipped up her backpack and made her way back to her dad's office.
Sam was in front of the safe raiding it of the cash that was in there and stuffing it into a duffle bag. Selena went over to the closet that was next to the safe and opened it. Two compound bows hung on the inside of the door, and two fully stuffed quivers sat at the bottom.
"Here, take this," Selena said, plucking Sam's green bow from the door and handing it to him.
"Do you think it's really necessary to take these?" Sam said, zipping the duffle bag.
"I think," she grabbed the quivers, and slid one to Sam, and slung the other one over her free shoulder that wasn't supporting her back pack. "That we just got attacked by a chimera back at school, and we'd dumb as shit not to take any sort of protection."
"Fair point."
Selena walked to the window next to the trophy cabinet and placed her hands on the bottom. The coolness of the windowpane nipped at her fingers. She unlocked the lock and slowly lifted the window. She pushed out the screen, and threw her leg over the ledge, and dropped out.
She landed swiftly on her feet from the four-foot fall. The warm summer air hit her face and sent a trail of gooseflesh up her exposed forearms with the fast temperature change, and the smell of the neighbor's freshly cut grass grounded her.
Without waiting for Sam to follow, Selena made her way to the stick-shift. The yellow Porsche stayed parked outside the garage—always in the same spot. Aaron King was always a showboat, her mom would call him.
Since it was a sports car, the whole family never drove in it; her father barely used it. Basically, a glorified lawn ornament. However, he insisted his children learn how to drive a manual. Selena has long since forgotten how to do it and filed that very loud screaming match of a lesson into the deepest part of her memory. Sam, however, thrived on the knowledge of how to drive a stick-shift and was less likely to forget.
Selena stole a glace back to the bay window, confirming that Major kept the curtains shut after she left. Relief washed over her when she saw they were still closed. Selena opened the storage compartment that was under the hood of the car and shoved the backpack and quiver into it. Sam quickly followed her lead, putting the bow and the duffle bag into it as well.
They came up with the plan back in the office. By pushing the car down the slight driveway hill, they planned to start it when it hit the street. They needed to have their exit as quiet as possible.
Selena closed the storage compartment and Sam rushed to the driver's seat and undid the emergency brake. The car slowly descended the driveway while she pushed it.
Sam maneuvered the shifter. When she got to the bottom of the driveway and pushed the car past the end of their neighbor's driveway, the low purr of the engine kicked to life. Selena ran across the car to the passenger side, throwing the door open and sliding in.
She gripped the keys to the other two cars in her pocket—the one in the garage and Sam's Accord. Selena smiled. When Major realized they left, there was no following them now.
***
In the ice-cold water, Selena replayed the day's events in the motel room's shower. The dread like feeling she had in the morning, meeting Major at Biggby, the chimera attack and discovering there home had been invaded by harpies. She'd be naive if she didn't think these events were connected.
Eventually, Selena raised her hands to her face and saw her skin wrinkle. She turned off the shower.
Pushing back the motel's yellow-stained blue shower curtain, the steam from the water's heat lingered. Selena wrapped the towel around her and looked into the mirror beside the shower.
She wiped away a spot on the fog-embellished mirror where she found silver eyes staring at her.
Blood no longer covered her face; she swore she must've aged ten years in the last - she glanced at her phone on the counter.
Four hours.
Had it only been four hours since the world known to her had flipped upside down? And to think, at the beginning of the day, she thought the worst thing she had to bear today was walking in on her brother having sex.
Selena dressed in pajamas to replace her graduation gown--if she was on the run she might as well be comfortable while doing it. Her bloodied and shredded once-white garment laid crumbled up on the floor by the foot of the shower.
She left the bathroom and walked into the central portion of the motel room. She found Sam reclining on the bed atop the red duvet, his head propped up against his left arm. He had his other hand in a bag of chili cheese Fritos; he must've gotten it from the vending machine in the lobby. His eyes fixated on the ceiling fan in the room.
Selena sat next to him on the bed. Noticing her presence, he tossed her a Milky Way.
"Those? Really?" He asked.
Selena looked down at her clothes. She wore red sweatpants and an oversized navy blue New England Patriots shirt.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Sam donned jeans with rips in the knees and an old black Nickelback t-shirt holed up by the collar. Sure, it wasn't something he'd typically wear, but it was probably the first thing he found that he packed, like what she did.
"Nothing, you just look relaxed at a nonrelaxing time." He clamped his lips together, but the ends of his lips had a slight curve.
Selena bit into the candy bar, and she melted. Like all her life problems went away with that one bite.
"We're on the run, Sam. I might as well be comfortable while doing it." She shrugged.
He gave her a small smile and returned to eating his Fritos. Selena's eyes darted to the table next to the bed, where an assortment of snacks from the vending machine lay in disarray—chips, cookies, candy, water, and soda. He must've ransacked the entire machine.
"Got enough snacks?" She asked in a light tone.
"What I wouldn't kill for a hot meal right now."
"Even if it's Mom's burnt lasagna, she swears everyone loves and makes it every Sunday?"
"Definitely, if it's Mom's lasagna."
Sam gave her a tight smile.
This led her to the question that had left the car ride to the motel taut, but nobody dared to ask.
"Do you honestly think they're in Paulden?"
Sam pushed himself up on the bed, where his back leaned against the headboard, and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I don't know what I think,."
"I don't either."
"But I do know." Sam went on. "That as long as we're together, we're safe."
Selena gave her brother a coy smile. "Don't be getting all soft on me now, Sammy."
Sam's nose scrunched at the use of his old nickname. "Didn't I ask you to stop calling me that?" But his eyes hardened. ""I'm serious, though, Lena. We stay together."
"Always."
The room fell silent. Selena toyed with the half-eaten candy bar in her hands. No, it didn't seem appetizing to her anymore, but a hot meal did sound fantastic.
"I saw a McDonald's a couple blocks down." Selena offered.
Sam uncrossed his arms behind his head and stood up. "Say no more."
Sam approached the door, and Selena tossed her candy bar into the trash bin. She was about to ask him if they would drive or walk to the McDonald's. His posture tensed in the open doorway.
"Uh, Selena," Sam's voice quivered. "What's that?"
Selena hurriedly walked to her brother's side, her heart racing.
"Fuck." She breathed, clenching her jaw.
A half-human creature slowly slithered toward the twins in the parking lot.
The monster had a female body with pale green skin from the waist up. Her long silky black hair blew rapidly in the wind. She gripped a spear in her right hand, with a flat-head leaf-shaped blade at its tip. A silver armor breastplate covered her chest. And her bottom half--Selena's muscles trembled.
Starting at her waist, the bottom half curved into two snake tails; the right tail shimmered with a gradient of yellow-green scales, while the left bore pitch-black ones.
Perhaps leaving without Major wasn't a good idea after all. Because some greater power sought to have the twins dead.
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