Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Clara's eyes stayed on carving before turning to face the strange looking people who were seated in the living room.

"You're awake, finally." Nimue smiled.

Clara remained on the spot, not moving an inch, while standing she cocked her head to different directions in search of any quick exit, but she found none.

"Come, take a seat". Nimue beckoned at her, but Clara still did not move from where she stood.

"Who are you people?" Clara asked.

And the man who was seated among the women in the living room smiled at her and said.

"We are your people, Shayne"

Clara frowned, she didn't know these people, yet they acted like they were acquainted with her, they even called themselves her people, and what was that name again?,her frown deepened.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you. I don't know any of you. Whatever this is, I don't want to be a part of it. I just want to go back. just let me go please". Clara pleaded.

Inwardly, she had decided to pack her things and leave mystic falls once she was able to get out of here.

The people in the room frowned slightly, not expecting Clara to be so stubborn, but of course, she's a Shayne, and the Shayne's have been known for their stubbornness, courage and also kindness. The more they looked at her, the more they felt very protective of the little girl, who would again, reconnect the broken link and bring back their lost glory.

"You are free to leave anytime you want, but don't you want to hear what we have to say and are you not curious to know the source of your gift".

A frown came to settle on Clara's beautiful face. She wasn't interested and didn't want to hear anything they had to say but, since she was allowed to leave anytime she wanted, she decided to hear whatever they had to say, out of courtesy.

Finally, Clara walked away from the door, made her way to one of the sofas and got seated, placing both hands on her thighs, her expression turning serious, she said.

"Go on, I'm all ears"

Silence reigned for a few moments. Nimue tried to read Clara's expression, but the girl had none, she only stared back at them with the same seriousness which they all held.

Clearing her throat, Nimue spoke," I want you to keep in mind that everything we're about to tell you is the truth and may mother nature strike me dead if I dare to alter any detail" Nimue said.

This statement had Clara's heart pounding in her ribcage, and she felt uncomfortable with the gazes she received, She straightened her back in an attempt to hide her discomfort and nervousness, her intuition already told her that whatever they were going to tell her would be nothing but bad news but Clara still wanted to hear it and get it over with. Her friends would be worried sick if she didn't return back in the next 2 hours and she needed to avoid causing trouble for her friends.

Clara noded, and signaled for the old lady to continue.

"But first, We would like to ask you a few questions before we go to the point," said Nimue.

"Where are you from? we would love to know about the ones who raised you and how you ended up here in mystic falls''

Clara's gaze narrowed all of a sudden, why does it feel as if she had been placed in a room for interrogation?. With knitted brows Clara said.

"I was raised by my mother, Flora Michael, my dad died when I was only a few months old and we live in Lakewood". Why?. Clara questioned

Nimue exchanges glances with the other two in the room before turning to face Clara again.

"I hate to break it to you this way but, Flora, the woman you call mother is not your biological mother, our late queen was''

Clara let out a nervous chuckle, you must be joking" but Clara could only see seriousness.

"Right?" She asked.

"No, my dear. We are serious, 18 years ago in mystic falls, a fight broke out between our people and a coven. To protect you, Queen Felicia, your mother handed you to her most trusted servant and sent you away from here. Unfortunately, she didn't survive the war.

"If you have not noticed, mystic falls is a town of supernatural beings, and you are no different, you are a banshee, just like us, Clara. your power are just starting to grow and you need to learn control, or you will end up hurting yourself and the people around you"

"You are the heir to the throne, Clara, the wailing faeries need you, we all do, and you need us even more"

Clara sat there, unable to form a sentence, her mouth opened and closed without any sound, she was still trying to process everything she had heard, she didn't want to believe, but deep down somewhere in her mind, she knew it was the truth. And what is a banshee? What was she supposed to do now?She asked herself.

She should just run away. No, that would be absurd. She will go to see her mother and ask to know the truth. she would never believe an outsider when she had not heard from her mother, there had to be some sort of explanation, her life can not be a lie. Clara panics as thoughts plague her mind.

Clara raised to her feet" if this is a conspiracy of some sort, then you've got the wrong person, i would not sit here and listen to you lies"

"It is the truth, Shayne," Nimue said helplessly.

"And stop calling me that," Clara yelled.

"You know what, I want to go home, take me home" said Clara.

Nimue watched Clara in silence before craning her neck sideways to face Jeremy who was seated next to her," take her home" she ordered. Then she turned to face Clara," feel free to come here anytime, this is your home, we are your people"

Clara said nothing and followed behind Jeremy, he led her to white high end luxury car, Clara was surprised to see the luxury car. Taking a look at her surroundings, her eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent building that stood before her. Yes, she had seen the interiors of the building, but she never expected the exterior to be like this; it was a whole castle that stood before her. And they called this her home?She scoffed. These people most think her to be a fool.

Her mother was a surgeon and they had a good life. But not to the extent of having a castle and luxury cars. Clara adjusted her gown before she entered the car, and Jeremy drove off to their destination.

Clara leaned her head on the car door and rested her head on the rear door glass, she shut her eyes to calm her troubled mind. Clara feared that everything the old woman said would turn out to be true. But she hoped not. Her mind wandered away to the silver eyed man and she felt a sense of longing. Quickly, she shut out that thought.

Jeremy had stopped driving for a while now, but he said nothing and watched Clara from the rear view mirror. He waited until Clara could come out of her thoughts.

Clara soon realized that the car was no longer in motion such that she raised her head to check her surroundings and a relaxed sigh left her lips at sight of her apartment. Even though it was already late at night, Clara was still glad to be home.

"Thank you for the ride" she said to Jeremy and pushed the car door open to step out when Jeremy's voice reached her ears "wait" he said. Clara paused, looking back at the man, he held out an old rusty large looking book, she stared at the book and then at the man who nodded at her "take it, it contains the knowledge of our kind and other kinds that exist."

She eyed the man suspiciously before taking the book from him, stepping out of the car and making her way to her apartment.

Clara pushed the entrance door open then got inside the house and her friends' worried expression welcomed her.

"My god, Clara. Where have you been, you had us worried sick. Why did you leave your phone and Xander wasn't taking his calls?.

"I'm fine'' said Clara, kicking off her high heels, she walked to the sofa and slumped down tiredly. Her friends seated themselves on the sofa opposite the one Clara was sitting. One look at Clara and they could already tell that something had happened to her and she wasn't alright.

"What happened?" Gina asked.

Clara looked up at her and said "a lot happened, we have to leave mystic falls in the morning, we can't stay here anymore"

Gina and Raya exchange glances before facing Clara again," why the sudden change?"

"Trust me guys, we have to leave here Asap,I promise to explain everything when we get back to Lakewood, okay. Please, I need you to do this for me" Clara pleaded.

"Fine, we would pack up, but you owe us an explanation" Raya said,Gina nodded in agreement.

Clara was relieved that her friends did not try to make things difficult for her. She would try her best to compensate them for ending the vacation before the scheduled date.

Clara got up from the sofa, bid her friends good night and tiredly walked to her room. She placed the old looking book on the table then stripped herself of the dress and sluggishly entered the bathroom. She turned on the shower head and let the water fall on her body. The water was warm and soothing but Clara felt nothing of it, her mind was troubled and she couldn't wait for morning to flee this mysterious town.

Clara walked out of the bathroom and wiped her wet body with a clean towel, she put on silk pajamas and climbed in bed, shutting her eyes to catch some sleep. Thirty minutes have gone by and Clara was still turning and tossing in bed, her eyes were dry of sleep. As long as she shut her eyes, the events of the day kept replying like a video tape in her head and the words from the old lady disturbed her. Clara laid on the bed with wild eyes till morning.

Seeing the first rays of the morning light, Clara jumped down from the bed and darted towards her closet, she removed all her clothes, dropping them in the suitcase without proper arrangement. After making sure her things were packed, Clara changed into a black leggings and a gray hoodie, pairing it with a white sneaker. She dragged her suitcase out of the room to meet her friends who already had their suitcase and were ready to leave.

Clara walked up to them and said." I'm sorry, I ruined this vacation for you guys, I hope you don't hate me for it"

"Be quiet, Clara, pack your bags and let's bounce, it's no use staying here if this place makes you uncomfortable, we are friends and you would do the same for us if any of us were in your shoes". Gina rolled her eyes.

Clara for a moment forgot about her troubles and chuckled at Gina's statement." Thank you guys" she said.

"You still owe us an explanation," Raya pointed out.

Clara nodded and they rolled their suitcase out of the apartment and were heading to the taxi when Clara's eyes landed on Skyler who was standing not far away from her.

She froze on the spot and watched him, he was extremely handsome and his smoldering silver eyes shone like crystals. He was tall and well built with a ripped muscular body such that the gray t-shirt hung tightly to his broad chest. His ruffled dark hair and beard looked unkempt, but made him very sexy and smoky.

Clara gawks at him with agape mouth, she once thought that Xander was handsome but now, Xander paled in comparison to the man that stood before her. As if realizing that she had been staring inappropriately at the man, Clara quickly looked away and tried to hurriedly roll her suitcase into the taxi.

Skyler moved fast and stopped Clara from going any further, he held her by the arm. Clara gasps as tiny sparks travel along her arms, she snaps her head to look at his hand on her arms and back to his face, she becomes lost in those eyes again but she warns herself. She stepped back and managed to free her arms from Skyler's hold.

"What do you want?". She asked.

"Where are you going?". He asked, ignoring her question.

Clara bit her lower lips, contemplating whether to give the right answer or not.

"I'm going home" Clara found herself saying the word before she could even stop herself.

Meanwhile, Gina and Raya were standing not very far away from the duo, they looked totally confused at the person who had suddenly shown up, he looked slightly similar to Xander but totally different in another way. They curiously watched as the duo interacted.

Standing next to this person made Clara feel a certain pull and longing, something she had never felt before, she felt drawn to him, just like the way she felt drawn to him even in her dreams. He smelt heavenly,the scent of spring and fresh air and it was becoming very addictive. Clara knew she would have to leave now or never. Taking one last glance at those charming eyes, she turned away and was about to leave when Skyler again grabbed her by her arm, igniting tiny sparks that made Clara shiver.

Clara cocked her head in his direction with a questioning look.

"Permit me to introduce myself. I'm Skyler Ethelwulf, your mate" he said with a smile.

Clara frowned at the word "mate" ; she didn't know what it meant and wasn't interested to know. Whatever these people were, she didn't want to get herself involved in it.

"I'm Clara Michael" she replied out of courtesy. She could see the smile that lit up the face of the man that stood before her, as if knowing her name was similar to receiving a trophy and Clara again could see that familiar look in his face. Tenderness, admiration and love. Love? Clara hopes not.

Clara'' he whispered.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he gave Clara a nod," I will be waiting for you, princess". His deep husky voice made its way to Clara's ears, causing goosebumps to form on her skin; she was way too familiar with that line.

Clara nodded subconsciously, she turned around and rolled her suitcase into boot, she got seated alongside her friends when the driver started to drive away from there.

Skyler watched as the car moved further and further away from his sight and a sudden emptiness washed over him.

"Our mate is not only beautiful but gentle" Moon whispered in his head, Skyler couldn't agree more, she was indeed very gentle and polite, she would make a perfect Luna.

Skyler turned around and walked into the apartment that Clara and her friends had just left.

He opened the door with ease and got inside the house, he inhaled a deep breath, Clara scent of all over the place, the smell of roses and vanilla. It was driving him crazy, he followed the scent that led him to a room where the scent was strongest.

"Mate" Moon howled.

Skyler focused on taking inas much scent as he could, because he would not be able to perceive it for a while until she returned to him.

He ran his finger along the undressed mattress, his eyes scanned the room when they caught sight of a black cloth. Skyler went over and picked it up from the floor, it was a t-shirt.

"So eager to run away that you forgot to pack properly?". Skyler said to himself. A smirk formed on his lips. He brought the t-shirts to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled like her. There was something he could hold on to while he waited for her return.

"What if she never returns?" Moon asked

"She will," Skyler replied.

Skyler walked out of the apartment with Clara's t-shirt in his hand. He walked to the back of the house where nobody would see him. Dropping the black t-shirt on the ground, he shifted into his black wolf then picked up the t-shirt with his teeth and sprinted back to the pack house.