The van drove through the Town of Roseland into the outskirts close to the area. The group saw cornfields with a dash of a couple family homes. Leticia looked at them; this place reminded her of those boring, rich, suburban towns that her band had to drive through when they were touring. Leticia felt sleepy. Maybe it was because she had to walk through a creepy forest just to get to this damn town. She could complain more on how her boots ruined and her feet killing her from hiking up through the woods. However, wearing those boots was her own fault.
Leticia looked up to see a large, tall, gray building and long, black gate surrounding it. The van drove to the building where they stopped at the gate door. Leticia watched the van’s driver talking to a guard to let them in. After a brief exchange, the guard let the van in. As the gate black, the van drove into the large area. Leticia saw houses surrounding the gray building and street signs.
“So, this place is a gated community, Raph?” Leticia asked her brother.
“We call this place the Haven Complex. It’s a safe place for our leader, Mikel….” Raphael answered.
As the van drove along, until it parked to a small, white, brick building next to the gray one.
“Why is it called that?” Chantel piped up into the conversation.
“It is a safe haven for our lost ones like; you.” Raphael said.
“Can you stop calling us that? It makes you sound like you’re on some freaky drugs, bro.” Leticia spat.
The van’s driver opened the door and let Leticia, Chantel, Raphael, and Darren out as they united with the other group in another van. Leticia followed Raphael to the doors inside of the building, leading them to the meeting room. They met with Mikel and Dr. Harris, who was sitting at the large tables. Leticia looked at Mikel, since it was the first time she ever saw him in person. The man looked more handsome as he was in the video.
Mikel and Dr. Harris welcomed the group to the complex and everyone found a seat at one table. Mikel stopped Darren, Leticia, and Chantel from being seated and the three looked at Mikel in confusion.
“Actually, I need to talk to you three in my office. Do you mind?” Mikel gestured, then directed them out of the meeting room.
Leticia did not mind this. She was curious about the leader of the Rise of Light. Nodding to his question, she along with Chantel and Darren followed Mikel out of the hall, away from the group. When they arrived at his office, pictures of people: young and old plastered all over the walls. Leticia observed these pictures as she thought, the people in the pictures are some ROL members.
However, she did not see one picture of her mother. Odd. Maybe her father lied about her mother being a member of this group. The same desk that they saw in the video at the introduction meeting, the group sat themselves in chairs next to it. Mikel sat behind the desk in his chair and put his hands together.
“You all must be exhausted. You traveled a long way to get here.” Mikel picked up the phone and smiled. “Would you three like anything? Coffee, water, tea? Anything?” He offered them his hospitality.
Leticia wanted coffee more than anything, yet she wasn’t a coffee addicted person like her best friend, Dakota. She brushed her hair from her face and answered, “Do you have decaf? I like two creams and sugar.”
Darren and Chantel spoke out their choice of drinks: Water and tea. Mikel nodded, then talked on the phone to fulfil their requests. The three of them kept quiet as they were nervous about what would happen next. When their drinks came, a vampire woman walked in the room and gave them all their drinks! Leticia felt creeped out seeing a vampire up close!
However, this vampire didn’t linger around too long. Mikel thanked her before she left, but it still did not keep Leticia from feeling a chill down her spine when seeing the woman’s fangs. Leticia looked more at Mikel’s desk and saw a picture of a family: A dirty blond haired little boy with blue eyes and a familiar-looking woman. Leticia leaned over, closer, then her eyes went wide immediately!
“Lily….” Leticia mouthed.
“So, let’s get back to business… I see all three of you lived in Clare Point View all your lives.” Mikel takes a sip from his coffee mug as he tries to relax them.
“Yeah… So, this surgery thing? Are you pulling our legs on footing the whole thing?” Leticia tasted her decaf coffee, but it is still too hot, so she quickly puts her mug back down on Mikel’s desk.
“I will pay for everything. No tricks or lies. Young Supernaturals like you need all the help you can get, especially for you three. You are all victims of a government coverup.” Mikel explained, which made Chantel spit out her tea!
“A government what?” Chantel babbled, then reached out for a napkin to clean herself.
“Mayor Gurin ran during the year the Bay Side Square Massacre happened. Mr. Richelson is right…'' Darren added onto what Mikel said.
Leticia eyed at Darren’s remark and barked, “How much of this cover up do you know, wizard boy?”
“I’m a mage.”
“Wizard, mage... Who in the fuck cares who you are? You’re a Supernatural and the fact you knew about this cover up more than us. Did you try to kill us that night?” Leticia accused Darren, which made him slam his cup down on the desk in fury.
“Fuck you, Hernandez! Why do you have to be a shitty person sometimes? I’m surprised how you’re still running a damn band! Especially with all those rumors that all your band members are sleeping with people to get ahead and get more gigs! I bet all of you are ‘easy’ girls and not as talented as you all think! There is a reason everyone around the scene calls your band, ‘Apple Sluts….’” Darren threw an accusation right back at her.
Getting up from her chair, Leticia got in his face. Chantel went between them, but not before Leticia shot back, “How dare you, you insufferable little shit! We’re not sleeping with anyone to get ahead! I’m not sleeping with anyone and why the fuck would I be when I have a boyfriend?! You’re just an ignorant asshole and you better shut your fucking mouth before you say another fucking word about my band…” Leticia ranted at him. She watched Chantel pulled Darren away from her before things got heated.
“Leticia, this isn’t the time for this! We need to focus on right now! All that matters is that Darren did nothing and let him tell his story!” Chantel shouted at her, while Leticia moved back into her chair.
Sitting her chair and huffing at Darren, she crossed her arms coldly glaring back at Darren. Leticia watched him get back into his chair in silence. Mikel, who watched all this confrontation and clapped his hands together, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “Chantel is wise. Now is not the time to fight, lost ones. You are all victims of a terrible cover up. The three of you should band together, not fight each other.” Mikel reminded the group.
Leticia listened to Mikel, but she could not stand working with a person who attacked her band and her character. However, Mikel was right, since this government cover up was serious, she needed any information that she could get out of Darren. Once everything was calm, Darren told Chantel and her everything from the night that they left the camp to the time the police found them. Leticia felt sick to her stomach when Darren said the words “a witch erased your memories of the events.” Leticia bent over, so she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
As she went to the bathroom, she ran into one stall and knelt over the toilet. After puking into the toilet, she took a deep breath. The entire story felt disgusting. Not only did Chantel and her not remember what happened that night, Jesse and Dakota remembered neither. Knowing that Darren knew for a very long time meant that Darren was suffering alone in secret.
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