Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Mythology ❯ Departure ( Chapter 2 )

The moving van hit a bump and jostled Cat out of her sleep. She and her father had been on the road for two days now and Cat spent most of her time sleeping. Her father had chosen a fairly straight forward path with as few stops as possible, making for a rather uneventful trip. Cat yawned and readjusted her sunglasses, ensuring they were in the proper place before resting her head on the window once again.

“Where are we Dad?” Cat asked, wondering how much longer before they’d be stopping again. Her father had gone over his route with her so many times that she now had the path, and all the stops, memorized.

“We just left Bismarck a little while ago. I want to get some more distance before we stop for the evening. We need to get gas soon though. There’s a truck stop coming up soon, exit 147, we should be able to get some food there too.” Davin O’Connell, Cat’s father, responded without taking his eyes off the road. How he was so awake, Cat would never know. Long trips always seemed to put her to sleep.

“Alright, let me know when we get there.” Cat gave her father a smile before she yawned and leaned forward to pick her purse up off the floorboard of the truck cab. ‘Might as well check my messages.’ She thought while idly pulling her cell phone out of the bag. Flipping it over, she hit the small button on the side, lighting up the locked screen. She quickly entered her security code and when the home page automatically came up, she was alerted that she had 8 new messages. Pressing the icon at the bottom of her screen to bring up the message folder, she flicked her thumb up to scroll down on the page.

‘Four new message from mom, probably wondering where we are, how we’re doing and if we’re dead yet. Three messages from Jack and one from Lucian. Hmm….I wonder what he wants.” Cat worried at her bottom lip and pressed the small photo of her mother on the screen, opening the first message.

‘Have your father call me when you stop for the night. Love you.’ Time stamped 1:14 pm, Cat scrolled down to the next message. ‘Actually, have him call me when you two stop next, it’s important. Love you.’ Checking the time stamp, Cat noticed it was from a few hours ago, they were still on the road, so all was well, they haven’t stopped yet. Scrolling down, the next message read: ‘Cat, Call me as soon as you get this message. I don’t care if you and your father are still on the road, please, call me.’ Cat scowled and looked at the time stamp, 5:39 pm. That was only about twenty minutes ago. She figured she should finish reading all her messages before calling anyone though and scrolled down to the final message from her mother. ‘Catliene Marie O’Connell, you call me.’ Cat scowl deepened and she backed out of her messages from her mother.

Cat quickly touched the icon next to the name ’Jackson Otso’ in her messages folder bringing up the three messages she had missed while sleeping. The first message was time stamped 10:26 am, ‘Hey Sunshine, just wanted to see how your trip cross country with your dad was going. I know you were complaining about being bored in your text last night. Sorry I missed your call, I pulled a 12 hour shift at the store only to work another 4 later in the evening, and I had passed out for the night. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other night…I’m sorry if I overstepped my boundaries. I just…..nvm, it’s not important. I’ll talk to you Sunday when you get to Seattle. I love you.’ Cat rolled her eyes; he really did over think things sometimes. She shook her head and scrolled down to the next message marked 3:57 pm. ‘Hey Cat, I need you to call me, soon please.’ Jack’s text messages weren’t usually that short, Cat was starting to worry. The last message from Jack was marked as being sent at 5:46 pm, fifteen minutes ago. ‘Hey Cat, something came up, I have to go to my grandparents for a while…I’ll contact you when I can, I’m getting on the plane soon. I’ll be fine, just wished I could have heard your voice one last time before I had to catch my flight. Love you Cat.’ Shaking her head, Cat backed out to her message folder one last time to read the message sent just a couple minutes ago from Jack’s younger brother Lucian.

Lucian’s message to Cat was short, but to the point. ‘Mom and dad found out, they’re sending Jack to live with mummo and ukki until they can figure out what to do with him. Call me, I’ll fill you in.’ Cat shifted uncomfortably in her seat, watching as her father turned off the highway. She stared straight ahead, her mind not even processing the sign in front of her.

‘They’re sending him away? Why?’ The question resounded in her mind, echoing over and over. Blinking a few times, Cat drew herself out of her thoughts and turned her attention back to the screen. Her father was pulling off the road and into the gas station now, she’d call Lucian as soon as the vehicle was stopped and her mother after that. What was happening back home?

The airbrakes on the van squeaked and before the van was at a complete stop, Cat had the door open and was walking towards the small white building. The roof was a hideous shade of green that looked like it needed to be replaced long ago and the majority of vehicles parked out front were some variation of truck in an assortment of colors. Cat pressed the send button on the face of her phone, lifted the device to her ear and waited for Lucian to answer. The phone had not even rang twice and she was already impatient, willing him to pick up so she could get some answers.

“Hey kit-cat. I take it you got my message.” Lucian’s sing-song voice rang on the other end of the line. As serious as Jack tended to be most of the time, Lucian was very much a happy go lucky jokester. Cat supposed that was due in part to where they were raised. True, the brothers were only a few years apart in age, Jack being almost twenty and Lucian having just turned seventeen. Jack had spent a large portion of his childhood, until he was thirteen, living in Finland with his father’s family, though. By the time his family had moved to the states to be closer to his mother’s family, Lucian had already spent several years living in the area with their aunt.

“Hey Lucy, what’s the scoop, what did I miss?” Cat asked, getting straight to the point. A few customers exited the gas station, holding the door for her as she walked towards the entrance. She nodded and mumbled a quick thanks as she stepped through the door.

“Well……” The tone in Lucian’s voice told Cat that whatever it was, she wasn’t going to like it. She cringed and waited for him to bring forth the bad news. “Jack sort of left his phone sitting on the coffee table this morning. Dad happened to read his text to you, asked what happened the other night, and well, you know Jack….”

“I swear, if his life depended on telling a lie, your brother would die a horrible death. Which, come to think of it, he just may anyways. My mother wants me to call her, she evened used my full name.” Cat sighed. “I suppose it’s wishful thinking to hope that your parents didn’t call my mom?” Cat scrunched up her nose, and glanced over the selection of soft drinks in front of her. She suddenly had a strong feeling that she knew what her mother was calling her about.

“Is that Cat?” Cat grimaced, it was Jack’s mom. “Yeah, I’m filling her in on dad and Jack’s latest fight. Kind of stupid if you ask me, I mean, dad should be happy that Jack was getting his rocks off somewhere, he’s so uptight….” Cat chuckled, Lucian certainly had a way with words, she’d give him that. “Lucian Alexander Otso, if you finish that sentence I swear you’ll be the next one on a plane to Finland.” Cat grabbed a bottle of overpriced water off the shelf and shook her head. There was a reason that Cat liked Mrs. Otso, she had almost forgotten why. The woman was feisty, and Cat liked that about her. She could hear the phone being passed and a few muffled voices on the other end. Mrs. Otso was most likely chastising her youngest son.

“Cat, sweetie? It’s Natalie.” Cat smiled, as long as she had known Jack, his mother had always insisted that she call her by her first name. Being raised in a proper catholic household, Cat never did of course.

“Hello Mrs. Otso.” Cat responded, a quiet, sheepish tone in her voice. She was a bit unsure of how to have a conversation with her, now that she knew about this particular aspect of Cat and Jack’s relationship. Cat slowly set off towards the counter to pay for her water and leave, she wasn’t in a hurry, but the conversation she was sure was coming wasn’t one she wanted to have in the middle of a convenience store.

“Listen sweetie, I know that you and Jackson are a little more than friends, and I’m fine with that, thrilled really… I just wanted to tell you not to worry, Niilo’s just overreacting. We’ll talk this over once he’s calmed down some. I’ll have Jackson home by Christmas. I promise.” Cat could almost see the sincere smile on Mrs. Otso’s face. She truly was a warm, loving woman. She could remember Mrs. Otso being overjoyed the first time Jack had brought her home and introduced her to his mother. His parent’s really were the epitome of the saying opposites attract. Niilo Otso was not a cold man per se, but he was rather large and quiet, much like Jack. Cat wondered if part of the reason Jack and his father didn’t get along very well is because they were so much alike.

“Thank you Mrs. Otso. Will you have him call me as soon as he gets back?” Cat was starting to tear up, she couldn’t believe she’d be starting her school year, in a new place, with no one familiar to her, and she wouldn’t even be able to talk to Jack. This was not how she wanted to start out the year at her new school.

”We love you Cat, and we’ll see come Christmas. Try not to worry about Jack too much.” Cat mumbled a farewell that Natalie Otso didn’t hear as she passed the phone back to her youngest son. Cat paid for her water and pushed her way through the glass doors leading outside.

“Kit-Cat, let me just say I’m happy for you two, and I’d wait about 36 hours and try to call him. His flight should just be getting in by then. If he doesn’t try to call you first that is.” Cat nodded and made a note, a day and a half from now. She’d have to make sure to find something really nice for Lucian’s next birthday and Christmas. “Oh hey Cat?” Lucian’s voice has a tinge of seriousness that Cat was only use to hearing from his older brother.

“Yeah Lucy?” Cat asks, thinking that maybe he has something else relevant to add to the conversation.

“You do know, don’t you? That he means it when he says it?” There was almost a sad tone to Lucian’s quietly asked question. She could almost see the frown on his face. He was concerned about Jack, and she had to say that she respected him for it. This wasn’t something she necessarily wanted to talk about right now, before she could say anything however, her phone beeped, alerting her to a call on the other line.

“I have another call Lucian, I’ll talk to you later and I’ll see you at Christmas. Love ya little bro.” Cat ended the call in her haste to further avoid Lucian’s line of questions and connected the call on the other line. “Hello?” Cat asked, since she hadn’t bothered to look at the caller id. She quickly exited the convenience store and headed back across the parking lot to the moving van.

“Catliene Marie O’Connell, do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in right now?” Cat cringed at the upset in her mother’s voice, the anger an almost tangible thing. Cat closed her eyes and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Hi mom…Can I at least explain before you start yelling?” She could at least try to explain things to her mother, in hopes that she could appeal to her rational side. It didn’t always work, but it was known to on occasion.

Cat could hear her mother sigh on the other end of the phone and a small hopeful smile appeared on her face. “Fine, it’s not like there’s much I can do about it now, you’re already halfway across the country and Natalie just texted me and told me that Jack is on his way to stay with his grandparents. Start explaining Cat.” Cat’s smile widened, it would seem that her mother was in a gracious mood today.

“Well….I mean….Really…” Cat scowled, this was going to be harder then she thought. Then again, she never thought she’d be explaining to her mother one day just why she was having sex with her best friend. She sighed and decided that it’d be best to do this and get it over with. “It’s only happened a few times mom, and we’ve always made sure to use protection. It’s not like I’ve been sleeping around with a bunch of guys, it’s only ever been Jack.” Cat exhaled, hoping that her mother wouldn’t feel the need to know too many more details.

“Define few young lady, and when did you two start sleeping together?” Ashley O’Connell, Cat’s mother asked, the angry nature gone from her voice. Cat nodded, agreeing that those were reasonable questions for her mother to ask, and not too intrusive.

“By a few, I mean only about once every three to four months. The first time we had sex was for Jack’s seventeenth birthday, so we’ve only had sex a total of nine times. We still haven’t completely gone through the box of condoms I bought him for his birthday that year.” Cat’s eyes swept from side to side, scanning the area to make sure her father wasn’t anywhere near. She could handle her mother asking these questions and honestly knowing the answers, but she really didn’t want to see how her father would react to the news. He could be a little over-protective sometimes, and not always the most rational of people with news like this. Cat could still remember how badly he had reacted to the news that she had gotten her first bra.

Cat heard her mother sigh again, and she figured her mother was rubbing her temple with her free hand the way she tended to do when she wasn’t happy with something. “I can’t say I’m thrilled to learn that you two are sexually active, but at the same time, you two are adults now, and part of being an adult is making your own decisions. I am, however, proud of you both for making the conscious decision to protect yourselves. That being said, I promise I won’t tell your father until he comes home from moving you out there. You may have made a not so great decision, but I don’t believe that means you should miss out on this opportunity. I know how your dad is and if I told him now, he’d turn right back around and bring you home this instant. Thank you for being honest with me kiddo, I appreciate it.” A slow smile spread across Cat’s face, she didn’t expect things to turn out in her favor this way.

“Thank you mom, I love you and I’ll make sure dad calls you when we stop for the night!” She was excited now. She didn’t expect that things would be perfect when she came home for Christmas, but they’d at least be okay, her mother would make sure her father was calmed down and seeing things sensibly by then.

“I love you too Cat and I’ll talk to you later.” The phone went silent, signaling that her mother had ended the call. Cat got out of that mess easier than she had expected to. She could only hope that Jack’s mother was able to talk sense into Jack’s father, and that his flight wasn’t too horrible.

Jack scowled at the back of the seat in front of him, arms crossed over his chest and his right leg bouncing up and down at a rapid pace. His anger had dissipated some, but not much in the three hours since he had boarded the plane and started heading towards his grandparent’s home in Finland. The argument that had led to his exile of sorts was still fresh in his mind. His father was just being irrational in his opinion. He knew what he was doing, and he knew the consequences of his actions if things should go wrong. Jack clenched his jaw, flexing the muscles, as his scowl deepened.

‘You know, he’s just concerned that you’re too young and you’ll do something you won’t be able to undo. Your dad is a little old fashioned that way, you know that.’ Jack couldn’t decide if the little voice in his head was trying to calm him down or make him angrier. Jack assumed it was the former, but it wasn’t having the desired effect.

‘He just makes me ridiculously angry. He’s argumentative for the sake of being an ass.’ Jack closed his eyes, letting the argument in his head drop. Try as he might though, the fight from earlier in the day kept playing over in his head. Like pouring salt in a wound, his father’s words stung long after they were said.

Jackson closed his eyes, trying to relax under the steady stream of hot water rolling over his shoulder and down his back. Working a total of sixteen hours the day before had taken a toll on his muscles. He slowly rolled his head from one side to the other, trying to work the muscles loose. He opened his eyes, staring at the shower drain, but not focusing on it. He couldn’t keep the thought of what had happened two nights prior out of his mind. Trying not to dwell on something that he knew wasn’t meant to be taken romantically, he shook his head, the memories refused to dispel however. He groaned as the memory of Cat’s softly whispered pleas and moans of pleasure came flooding back to him.

Jack shook his head and jerked the handle of the shower tap into the off position, figuring a distraction was much needed; he shook some of the water from his hair, and yanked the towel off the hook by the door. He loosely wrapped one towel around his hips, and grabbed another to start trying his hair. Jack walked over and paused in front of the mirror letting out a sigh. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself now that Cat wasn’t here. Jack decided that it would be best for him to not dwell on the what if’s of his future existence, and opted instead, to call the girl on his mind. He hadn’t talked to her since the morning she left.

After exiting the bathroom adjacent to his bedroom, Jack quickly dressed himself and made his way towards the living room where he had left his cell phone laying on the coffee table. Upon entering the living room, the first thing Jack noticed was his father sitting in the arm chair on the other side of the room. The second thing Jack noticed was that his phone was missing. Jack scowled and scanned the room before he realized that his father was staring him down, a notable frown on his face.

“Mind telling me what happened between you and Ms. O’Connell the other night?” Niilo’s tone was clipped, Jack could tell where this conversation was going and as much as he might not want to have this conversation with his father, he had little choice. The older man stood, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrow at his eldest son. Niilo had a good idea as to what had happened, but he wanted verification before exacting punishment.
“Ei. Not really.” Jack responded to his father’s question. Suddenly angry himself for the intrusion on his privacy, Jack had a good idea as to where his phone had gone. As far as he was concerned, his father had no right to intrude on the private conversation between himself and Cat. “Would you care to tell me where my phone is old man?” Jack asked, crossing his arms over his chest, and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“What’s going on here?” Natalie Otso asked, walking into the room with her youngest son, Lucian. She looked back and forth from her oldest son, Jack, to her husband. They were staring each other down, scowls on their faces with their arms crossed over their chests.

“Why don’t you ask your son what happened between himself and Ms. Catliene the other night. He won’t answer me when I ask even though I already know.” Niilo was the first respond, glancing at his wife while pointing at Jack.

“You know dad, so what if something serious happened between Cat and I the other night? I really fail to see how it’s your business, or what gives you the right to go through my stuff.” Jack didn’t look at his mother or younger brother, directing all of his attention and anger to the man in front of him.

Niilo turned his attention fully back to his son, his face turning red with rage and embarrassment. “You know why, Jackson!” Niilo growled, barely opening his mouth to respond. “Think what you may, but I’m only trying to protect you.”

“Why don’t you believe me? I’ve told you before that Cat’s my mate, and I’ll say it again. Catliene Marie O’Connell is my mate, dad. The only one I’ll get, and gods forbid I have to tell her who, and what I really am before I’m comfortable with it, because I managed to slip up and mate her before telling her.” Jack glared back at his father, unwilling to back down this time as he had many times before.

“Hevonpaska, Jack! I believe you have feelings for the girl, and I do believe that you love her, hell; I even believe that you think she’s your mate. You are young though and you don’t know what it means to have found your mate, and you certainly don’t understand the repercussions if she’s not. If you tell her, if you show her, and she rejects you, do you honestly think the Tai-youkai will let you get away with revealing what we are?” For the first time, an honest look of concern settled on Niilo’s face and Jack started to think that maybe his father really was just anxious. “Cain Zelig is not one to allow youkai such as us to go around revealing our world.”

“I understand dad, really I do. Cat is my mate though and I’m not going to give her up. Mom…?” Jack looked to his mother for support. He hated pulling her into the middle of the arguments between him and his father, but sometimes she was the only one who could give voice to reason.

“Leave your mother out of this Jackson.” Niilo’s attitude turned angry once again with the inclusion of his wife into the heated debate between the two men. “I honestly think you should spend some time with your grandparents. Maybe they can put things into perspective for you and get you to see reason. You leave this afternoon, pack what you need and do so quickly. My mind will not be changed either.”

“Haluaisitteko jotain juotavaa?” Jack blinked a few times before meeting eyes with the stewardess. Being lost in his thoughts as he had been, Jack didn’t fully understand the question that had been asked of him.

“Excuse me?” He asked, raising his eyebrows and giving the girl his full attention.

“Oh, sorry, I asked if you wanted something to drink.” The cute brunette named Hailey, if her nametag was to be believed, gave Jack a warm smile and waited patiently for his response. He smiled back and nodded.

“Water is fine, thank you.” Jack sighed and turned his attention to the window, watching as the clouds passed neatly in front of the darkening backdrop of early night. He rested his head against the back of the seat and settled in for the long flight ahead of him.