Chapter 7 - On The Road

Fallon POV

At seven in the morning, Bruce and I are loading the car with two small bags. I should be worried or anxious, but I am neither. I honestly want to get this over with and find a light at the end of all this. Is there a light? I have to think that when this is over that, I will have a better understanding of my life and my family, both of them.

I get into Bruce's fire engine red mustang. "This car says a lot about you," I say, joking with him. I know he loves this car, and I love to pick on him about it being a chick magnet.

"It says I am single, and no one wants me," Bruce snaps back.

I touch his shoulder, and he smiles. I remind myself that we work together and he is only a friend. I don't see him any other way. Besides, he is my only friend, and I don't want to be alone in this world. Bruce is all I have left. I can't screw that up.

"Some day, Bruce. Some day you will find the woman of your dreams. I only hope she likes me and lets us remain friends," I say. In a way, those words sting. I haven't really thought about what would happen if he met someone. Maybe she would push me out.

"There is only you for me, Fallon. I mean that. There is no one else I want in my life right now," Bruce says.

I am not sure how to respond to that. Maybe I should have thought of something because we look at each other in a strange silence for a moment. I know Bruce likes me for more than a friend. I am not dumb. The thing is, I have a lot on my plate, and I am not ready for a relationship. I wasn't ready before all of this, and I am certainly not now.

I look out the window as we drive away. My mother would have a fit about me going somewhere as big as New Orleans. Maybe she knew that I would need to make this journey at some point. Maybe that is why she was always so protective of me. She was my guardian, in charge of hiding a witch. Why her? Why this family? Was she a witch too? I wish I could talk to her.

The drive is six hours, which is not bad, and not good. I have never been six hours away from home without my family. Now, I go in search of the other family, the uncles. All of this seems like a bad nightmare or maybe an adventure. I should think of this as an adventure, but it is hard not to stress over it.

I smile. I look over at Bruce. "We should think of this as an adventure into my past. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so guilty," I say.

Bruce holds the steering wheel tightly. "You have nothing to feel guilty about, Fallon. This is your life, and you deserve to know the truth," Bruce says.

He is right. What about Bruce? Is it supernatural that he knows things before they happen too? It isn't just me. Bruce knows when I need him. He heard me calling out to him when my parent's died. I look at him as he drives. Is there more to him, and he isn't telling me?

"You said you had family in Louisiana, and you never told me that before. You never told me about your sister or any of that, why not?" I ask him.

Bruce immediately looks uncomfortable. He gives me that uneasy smile. "There are a lot of things I haven't told you, Fallon, but I promise when we get to New Orleans, I will tell you everything about me that you do not know," Bruce says.

"Okay. I will not judge. I only want to know more about my friend and his secret life," I say, teasing him a little to lighten the mood.

Maybe I get along so well with Bruce because he is a witch. "I am not a witch," Bruce says.

I look over at him. Did he just read my mind? Is that how he knows when I need him? "It is complicated," Bruce says.

"It doesn't matter. You are my friend, and I don't need to know anything else right now, but later tonight you can tell me everything you are comfortable sharing with me," I say.

My mind sinks into a deep place. I look out the window and see them. The red-haired ancestors. It is only a glimpse, but I see them in a reflection on the window. Are they making sure I am safe? Anna said they would watch over me while I make my journey and keep an eye on the house. I want to know more about them.

"You should rest while I drive. I have a feeling tonight will be hectic," Bruce says.

"Okay," I say. I curl up in a ball in the seat. Sleeping in a mustang does not even sound ideal. I try to get as comfortable as possible and close my eyes. I feel like I a sardine fighting to get out of a can.

With my eyes closed, I see my mother. You are one of us. I can hear her saying to me. I know, but I need to know more. My mind and heart are torn over where I come from, but I have to know. I have a feeling my life is going to change drastically tonight. Am I ready? I am not sure.

I drift in and out of sleep. I listen to Bruce sing as I rest. He gives me peace. Maybe I should look at him as more than a friend. I just don't want to lose him.

Bruce touches my side. "Hey. I am stopping for gas. Are you hungry or thirsty?" he asks.

I sit up and raise the seat back up. I look around. "Where are we?" I ask.

"We are about an hour outside of New Orleans," Bruce says.

He gets out of the car and comes around to my door. He opens the door. I get out and follow him into the gas station. I find the cooler and grab a bottle of water. When I close the cooler door, I see them, the ancestors. They are keeping an eye on me.

"Hey," I hear a loud strange voice. I turn around to see an old woman. She looks like a gypsy. Her hair is long and white. It doesn't look like it's been washed in a few weeks. She shuffles toward me and reaches out to me. Her finger is boney as it points at me.

"I know you. I know you!" the old woman says. She raises her voice and repeats herself as she moves closer.

"I am sorry, but I am not from here. I am visiting with a friend," I say. I push past her, but she will not stop pursuing me.

"I said I know you. You are one of those Devour girls. I thought you were all dead," the old woman says.

Now I am starting to freak out. A young woman comes to my aid. "Sorry, she is confused. She is senile," the woman says.

"It is okay. She spooked me a little, but it is okay," I say.

I start to walk off, and the young woman grabs my shoulder. "You do look familiar," she says.

I step back. "I am not from here. Please let me go," I say.

Bruce rushes to my side. "What is going on?" he asks.

The young woman lets go. "Sorry, you look like someone I knew once, that is all. Sorry, my mother and I bothered you," she says.

I hand Bruce my bottled water and go back to the car as quickly as I can move. I am almost in a run when I get to the car door. Bruce comes up behind me. He opens the door.

"Here is your water. I will pump the gas, and we will get out of here," Bruce says.

I look back at the two women. They are talking and pointing at me. Bruce is watching everyone around us. They are all looking at me. Maybe I look like my mother, my birth mother. Was she a bad person? Why did she grab me like that?

"Maybe I should go back home," I say when Bruce gets into the car.

"If you want, then we will go back home, or we are one hour away from New Orleans. We should go talk to your Uncles and find out about your past. I will do whatever you want," Bruce says.

I look at the people standing outside the service station. "Let's go. Maybe they can tell me why these people are so interested in me or whomever it is that I look like," I say.

Bruce starts the car, and we continue our journey to New Orleans.