Chapter Five: Trip

I woke up to the bright sun shining in my eyes, due to Griffin climbing in the window and everything which happened after, I didn’t get the chance to close the curtains so this wouldn’t happen. I open up my eyes to see Griffin, still lying beside me but wide awake, staring into my eyes as I looked back at him.

“How long have you been awake?” I ask my voice raspy as I bring up my hand to wipe the sleep from my eye, but he simply sighs a little still looking me dead in the eyes.

“Not long, I’ve just been thinking about everything, and I think we should go ahead and start the huge trip we’ve been planning. There is never going to be a right time, we need to find it, so let’s do it.” He says but a smile not on his lips as it normally, is when we speak about the trip, it wasn’t only worry swirling around his mind but also, anger in a sense. “I’ve already booked us a cabin deep in the woods about three hours away from here, we need to get the keys this afternoon.” He explains whilst my eyes grow wide, I knew he wanted to go on the trip soon but not today!

“Griffin, we can’t just up and leave out of the blew! For one, your family are still here and probably, won’t like the idea of you just skipping town and for two, my father would never allow me just to leave, even taking the trip at all would take days of persuasion from me!” I say sitting up slightly having to hold the blanket over myself so I wasn’t exposed, yes, I wanted to go on this trip, but we can’t just drop everything and leave!

“I was under the impression you wanted to leave for this trip as much as I did, so I went along and booked everything and now you’re stepping back and telling me no!” He exclaims looking at me with anger in his expression, I had to take a step back and really look at him, Griffin has never spoken to me in that way before.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to go on the trip because trust me, I would leave today if I could but Griffin, we can’t just drop everything and leave, it’s not only my dad and your family, but I have a job, I can’t just leave them in the lurch, I won’t have a job to come back to if I did that.” I explain wanting him to see that I wasn’t backing down on anything, but things can’t be as simple as he attempting to make it seem.

“That’s where you don’t need to worry my sweet little Rose, I’ve planned it all. I spoke to your father yesterday and told him about the trip, he was a little hesitant at first, but I assured him that I would take such diligent care of you. I phoned your work and told them you’re taking a trip and won’t be in for a few months, they were happy you were getting a break and said they’d see you after. And my family, they left late last night after I finally told them straight, I want nothing to do with them so that’s why I’m focusing on this.” He tells me explaining all that he had done to prepare for this trip, whilst I sat there a little shocked that he had gone through all of that but also, many different emotions.

When he said his family had left late last night, I couldn’t help but think of the mystery man that came to the café yesterday. Yes, I know I said I wouldn’t do anything with him out of respect for Griffin, but that didn’t mean I never wanted to see him again. He was so kind and nice that I wouldn’t have minded if he stuck around for a little while.

“Everything is in place Rose; all we need now is to get a yes from you.” He smiles with his head tilted to the side slightly, I sat there my brain still racing with all this latest information that had just been dropped into my lap especially, after only waking up a moment before.

“Well, I can see how much work you’ve put into all of this so, how can I say no?” I ask with a smile looking over at Griffin, who not only looked relieved but very much happy.

“I knew you could never say no to me, now hurry up and get changed and packed, we don’t want to be late to pick up the keys to our new cabin.” He smiles pushing me out of bed slightly whilst I only roll my eyes, but when I knocked my arm slightly off the bed side table, a shot of pain ran up my arm.

As I take a look down, I start to see a bruise beginning to form on my arm around what looked to be a puncher mark. I stand there confused inspecting the wound before turning around to look at Griffin, who seemed to grow nervous again once he saw what I did.

“It looks like I’ve been jabbed with something in my sleep because I know that wasn’t there when I got home last night.” I say holding up my arm so that he could see, but he only shakes his head putting that same smile on his lips.

“It seems like a bite, I read in the paper that the number of bites being found on people have gone up, something about the pollen count. But we don’t have time to speak about the news, the trip remember.” He smiles gesturing me to walk into the bathroom, I simply smile his explanation making a little sense before turning around to shower.

After around an hour of mad packing hoping I hadn’t forgotten anything, I walk down the stairs with my heavy bag in hand to find Griffin. He was stood by the coffee table in the living room, as like he knew I was there, he quickly rips the paper out of the notebook he was holding and places it on the table.

“I was just writing the address of the cabin down for your dad, he wants to know where we are each day, so I said I’d text or leave a note at each of our stops.” He explains walking forward in a sense blocking me from being able to see the note, I only smile understanding how overprotective my father is but so happy that he finally, agreed for me to go on this trip with Griffin.

“I don’t like not being able to say goodbye to him before we leave, maybe I should ring him and let him know we’re about to leave.” I say pulling out my phone from my back pocket, but Griffin was quick to rush over and push the phone back down.

“There won’t be much point Rose, your dad told me yesterday that he’s going so far out into the sea in hopes of catching more fish, he won’t have an ounce of reception that far out into sea. I’ll tell you what, once we get to the cabin, I’ll ring him for you okay?” He asks placing his hand on my shouter with a smile, I smile nodding my head with a sigh, this will be the first time since the accident that my father will be in this house alone. “Now, we best hit the road if we don’t want to be late.” Griffin smiles taking my bag from my hand and walking it out of the door for me, where the note was in full view of the coffee table.

If I knew then what I knew now, I would have walked over to that note and read what he was really telling my father. But I trusted Griffin, so with one last look at my house, I close the door behind me and head to the car.

Whilst Griffin was pushing my bag in the boot, I begin to look around the neighbourhood taking in the fresh air. But when my eyes fall on his uncle's house, I get even more confused than before.

“I thought you said your family had left late last night, why are their cars still in the driveway?” I ask pointing towards the two black expressive cars in the driveway, when I turned back to look at Griffin, I notice his face flash with shock and a little piece of worry.

“My mother enjoyed playing a role that she was so distraught from me disowning them that there was no way she could have driven the car home, so she had some of her workers pick them up where the cars will be picked up later tonight.” He explains his voice fast as he takes my arms once again, but I couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious about that story. “Now enough about my family, they already held off the trip for three days already. Let’s go!” He smiles pulling me over to the passenger door, I smile once again climbing into the car where we were soon driving down the road and away from my tiny town.

~~

Griffin’s family sat in the living room waiting for his return, they had been patient, but they were out of time, if they did not return to the Kingdom and put a stop to this ongoing dangerous situation, they were unsure if they would have a Kingdom to return to.

Griffins' uncle George sat at his dining room table with his hand to his mouth, he was worried for his nephew who had become like a son to him over the years he had lived in his house. He knew of the dangers Griffin would face when he returned back to the Kingdom, so much that he worried if Griffin would make it out alive. But he was also aware that it was due to Griffin all of this was happening, he had ran from the issue for too long now, it was time it was fixed.

“Where is Griffin, we have waited long enough?!” Thomas who was Griffin’s father asked angrily, he was pacing the living room with his hands on his hips.

“Griffin gets like this sometimes, the only thing you can do is right until he calms down.” George explains watching as his older sister Julia emerges from the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the sofas opposite her son Maxwell, who was sat forward with his hand clasped, still beyond angry at what he had witness the night previous.

“I have yet to see that little mate of yours Maxwell, I normally, see her each day in the morning.” She explains looking at her son whose eyes go to the window in hopes he would see her as like he does each day, but he also didn’t see anyone.

But when three loud knocks on the front door fill the room, it ended whatever conversation they could have started. George looks a little confused as he gets out of his seat and opens the door, his neighbour John, strides into the house looking beyond furious.

“Where is that nephew of yours?!” He asks looking around the house as though he would he hiding somewhere, but when he was met with many confused faces, he realised it was worse than he thought. “When I returned home, I was expecting to see my daughter Rose as normal, but this note was in her place!” He angrily explains handing the note over to George, who began to read it aloud so the rest could hear.

“Rose would be better off with me.” He reads the tiny note before staring over at the family, where Maxwell’s eyes turn the deepest shade of black as he thought about his little mate and his brother together, he was going to kill him.

“We have no idea where he is John, we assumed they were at your house after the argument last night. Don’t panic we’ll find them.” George says in hopes of calming the house down, but John reached into his pocket pulling out a gun and a box of silver bullets which caused each person to gasp.

“Can’t believe you’re shocked that I know what all you beasts are, I should have known allowing one of you into my home with my daughter would be a bad idea.” John mutters loading up his gun with the special bullets, whilst George takes a step back covering his sister. “You better hope you find him first.” John growls out before opening up and slamming the door behind him, each person left too stunned to speak.