Shadow Effect - 19. Chapter 19

Tyler tapped his foot impatiently as the Dean of Schools wrapped up his speech. On what should have been one of the proudest days of his life so far, all he could think about was how messed up everything had become.

Thank fuck the dean finally finished spewing whatever inspirational crap came from his pie hole. Tyler never cared for graduation speeches, no matter who they came from. Now all he had to do was wait, while two-hundred other names were called in front of him. It could be worse. They could be baking under the sun with all the nearly thousand members of his graduating class. Instead, the college did the graduation ceremony in stages, according to one’s major.

The Arts department had the morning graduation session, while the science department had the afternoon. The rest of the college programs would be held the next day. How the hell the administration sat through all the tedious drivel four times was beyond him.

His parents and Elijah were in the auditorium somewhere, surely bored out of their minds like he was. Elena had been quick to offer to watch the little kids, giving up the last of the four tickets Tyler’s family was allotted. Instead, Mama made his brother Malcolm come in her place. It was his penance for talking back to one of his teachers, which necessitated a phone call to Mama. Tyler was sure Malcolm now regretted his indiscretion and wished he had kept his big mouth shut.

His mind wandered as he mulled over the events of the past few days, ever since the desperate phone call from Elijah. He never wanted to hear such anguish in his best friend’s voice again. Never had he been so scared. As it was, Tyler was sure the sound would haunt his nightmares for years to come. He drove like Satan himself was hot on his heels, making it to San Francisco in record time. The traffic, thankfully, had been nearly non-existent. He didn’t know how he managed not to get pulled over.

It still hadn’t fully sunk in that Kage was gone. Even though he hadn’t liked him very much when they first met, the man had slowly won him over. The attraction between him and Elijah was undeniable. The mere fact that Kage always insisted he wasn’t good enough for Elijah scored him extra points as well. Tyler wasn’t sure anyone would ever be good enough for his best friend. Kage had come damn close. When he pictured Elijah being hurt by the shadow shifter, he never envisioned it would be because of his death.

He was pulled from his thoughts when everyone in his row stood up. Thank God, it was nearly over. He still had to break the news to his parents that he and Elijah would be hitting the road this afternoon. Following the herd, he shuffled through the row out to the aisle and edged forward, one step at a time until at last he heard;

Tyler Christiano Williamson

He recognized Elijah’s whistle as it pierced the air in solidarity, his best friend’s way of conveying his relief that this show was nearly over.

Tyler accepted his diploma, shook the president’s hand, and paused so the school’s photographer could snap the required photo, of which he was sure his mom would purchase the biggest package they offered.

The closing speech was short. Finally, everyone stood up, and a mighty cheer broke out as dozens of caps went flying into the air. Tyler ducked as they rained down before nudging his way out to the aisle. Fellow graduates filed out, free at last to find their loved ones and blow this popsicle stand.

He made his way to the southwest corner of the building, near the loading dock, to meet his parents. They could have met by the iconic fountain like everyone else, but that meant fighting the mass of students.

“Tyler!” his mom shouted as he came around the corner. Her face was beaming with pride.

His dad pulled him in for a hug once his mom let him go. Malcolm rolled his eyes, but Tyler felt the sincerity in the extra squeeze his brother gave him as he said congratulations.

Elijah wore a genuine smile on his face for the first time in days. It made the past two and a half hours of torture worth it.

“Now, Elena and Declan should have everything ready by the time we get home. Everyone will be there by two,” his mom announced.

Shit. He looked at Elijah, wide-eyed. He should’ve known his mom wouldn’t let this slide without a big shindig.

“It’s okay. Let her have this. It’s only an hour and a half drive and the hotel is guaranteed for late arrival,” Elijah whispered as he pulled Tyler aside.

“Thanks, pretty sure she’d kill both of us if we bailed now. I should have seen this coming.”

“I did, which is why I guaranteed the room.” Elijah looked smug as he gave Tyler a half-assed grin. The amusement, however, did not reach his eyes.

Tyler went willingly when his mom insisted she wanted pictures. They found a shady spot across the commons and he posed for shots with his parents, with his brother, with Elijah, and pretty much every combination. He knew there was more to come at home too, finally pleaded to stop. His gown gave him the excuse that it was too hot, and it wasn’t a lie. The early afternoon sun was high overhead, making him sweat beneath the stifling robe.

“We’ll meet you at home. No pit stops you two!” his mom ordered as they made their way to the parking lot.

Tyler shucked his polyester, shin-length, slippery gown before tossing it into the back of the Jeep. He unbuttoned the oxford shirt his mom made him put on and pulled the tails out of his black dress pants. At least she hadn’t made him wear a suit.

“Bro, you just used up a third of your favors you owe me,” Elijah announced sarcastically. “That was brutal.”

“Sorry, man. She wasn’t going to give an inch on this one. If there was a way for the whole family to go, she would’ve dragged each and every one of them kicking and screaming. You’re right, it was brutal. Twenty years from now, I won’t remember a single detail of this.” Tyler smirked. “Scratch that. It’ll be out of my head by Monday.”

Elijah gave a short bark of a laugh. It wasn’t his normal, full out laughter that lit up his face, but it was a start. Tyler was worried about him. No one should have to go through losing their parents and their boyfriend, or anyone they loved for that matter, in such a short span of time. His heart ached for his best friend. He had a feeling it would be a long time before Elijah was ready to move on.

The day was getting hotter, so he decided to roll up the flaps on the soft top so they could enjoy the fresh air. So what if his hair got messed up? That’s what brushes and combs were for.

Having done this many times before, Elijah helped and they were on their way in less than ten minutes, the air whipping past them as Tyler headed back to his parents’ house. He hadn’t said anything to Elijah, but he’d spoken to his sister Elena and she was going to close up his apartment. Anything she didn’t need could be kept at Elijah’s house in his garage.

Tyler also arranged for the Chevy to be towed and stored in Elijah’s garage as well. No sense in paying storage fees when there was a perfectly good place to keep the car. He and Elijah were taking the roomier Nissan on their road trip, and leaving his Jeep for Declan to use, with the caveat that Malcolm could borrow it when he got his full license in the fall. A pang of sadness hit him as he realized he would most likely miss his younger brother’s milestone. He wondered how many others he wouldn’t have the opportunity to share.

The driveway was full so he parked on the street. “We still have time to bail.” He looked at Elijah hopefully.

“Not a chance.” Elijah shook his head and got out, beckoning Tyler to follow. Or else.

He was willing to bet that most of the aunties were already there. Sure enough, the party was in full swing by the time he and Elijah walked through the doors. Cheers went up and his face was assaulted by his aunts pinching his cheeks like he was five, or covering them with multiple hues of lipstick-colored lip prints.

Elena and his cousin, Carina laughed at his predicament.

“You should see your face, Ty! Looks like a bunch of hookers attacked you,” Carina cackled, her arms having already been relieved of her little bundle of joy.

Tyler swiped at his cheeks with the backs of his hands. “Where’s MJ?” he asked, using the baby’s new double-entendre nickname.

Carina laughed, obviously not bothered one bit by her offspring’s new moniker. “Being passed around in the VW bus again.”

Tyler sobered when he saw Elijah’s face fall. Clearly, he was remembering Kage being part of the inside joke.

Carina, too, sobered as she realized what was happening. “I’m sorry Elijah,” she said softly, giving him a hug.

“It’s fine, Carina-beana. Please don’t stop just because Kage is gone. He wouldn’t have wanted that.”

Elijah was right. Tyler had only known Kage a short time, and nowhere near as well as Elijah did, but in those couple of months he realized Kage had been as sincere as they came. He meant what he said, even if you didn’t want to hear it.

“So Cuz, what are your big plans, now that you’re a hot-shot college grad?”

Tyler shot Elijah a look, and his best friend nodded subtly.

“Don’t say anything to anyone. I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet, but Elijah and I are going to take a little road trip. There are some sights we want to see and some things that Elijah needs to do. Before I get locked into the whole adulting thing, why not have a little fun?”

“Whoa, that’s going to be a hard pill for them to swallow. When are you leaving?” she asked.

“Tonight.”

“What!?” she exclaimed, a little too loudly.

“Shhh, look, Elijah needs to get away from here for a little while. He’s been through a lot and, as his best friend, I need to support him,” Tyler replied, trying out his little preconceived speech on his cousin.

“Sure, they’ll buy that. But what’s the real reason?” she pried, narrowing her gaze.

Elijah saved him from having to lie to his cousin. She had a knack for sniffing out untruths, or even half truths. Only Elena was better at detecting their bullshit. Carina’s daughter didn’t stand a chance when she got older.

“Carina, we can’t tell you right now. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to, but if it gets to that point, I promise you’ll get the entire story, okay?”

She nodded, trusting them like she would no one else. They held each other’s childhood secrets in their hands. Bonds like that were sacred.

“Just be careful, both of you. I knew there was more to Kage than meets the eye,” she remarked slyly, just before one of the aunties informed her MJ needed a diaper change. Carina rolled her eyes. “It’s never-ending.” She blew them a kiss before going to tend to her daughter’s blowout.

The graduation party went into the early evening hours. It was after six o’clock when the last of the relatives and family friends departed. Mama always set an end time to her parties, needing to decompress, according to what she told them. Tyler secretly believed it was because she just plain got sick of the commotion. He knew he did.

They pitched in to help clean up. As soon as everything was taken care of, it was time to pay the piper and break the news of their imminent departure.

“Mama, Papi, can we talk to you for a minute?” he said, nodding to Elena. His sister shooed the younger kids out of the kitchen, telling them they could watch a movie until it was time to get ready for bed.

“What is it, Son?” Papi asked as he looked between the two boys with furrowed brows..

“Don’t be mad, but—”

“Child,” Mama interrupted, “No good conversation has ever started with those four words. I taught you better than that. What have you two done now?”

“We haven’t done anything. It’s what we’re going to do that you might not like very much. Elijah and I are headed out tonight. We’re going on a road trip and probably won’t be back for a while, a few months at least. He doesn’t want to be here right now. There’s too many memories,” Tyler explained, taking complete advantage of the ability of a child to tug on his mom’s heartstrings. Sometimes it was necessary to play dirty. “I’m sure you can understand.”

“Mama,” Elijah interjected as he saw the rebuttal forming. “My head’s not in a good place. I don’t like being in my house and I can’t live with Tyler at his place. It’s too small for the two of us. I’m sorry to take him away so soon after his graduation, but it’s too hard for me and I don’t trust myself enough not to make a stupid decision.”

Damn, Elijah was much better at this shit than he was, implying that his choices might include abject stupidity. He knew Elijah would never hurt himself, or anyone else for that matter, but to hint at it, and with Mama no less? Brilliant move.

The instant Mama’s eyes got misty, they knew they were in the clear.

“When are you leaving?” Papi asked.

“Tonight,” Elijah replied.

Mama let loose with a barrage of English, Spanish, and Italian. Hell, she may have even tossed in a few French words just for dramatic effect. He couldn’t keep up with the woman when she went on a multilingual tirade. No one could. They just had to ride out the wave and hope they could still stand after the angry, swirling waters receded.

Once she finished with her foreign tongue-lashing, she started with the waterworks. Papi gave them both a look that said, ‘see what you started?’

He and Elijah had been on the receiving end of one of these guilt trips several times growing up. In fact, they had seen it played out dozens of times when you factored in all of the siblings and their shenanigans and disappointments over the years. It would run out of steam. Eventually.

Eventually, was a good fifteen minutes later. Definitely one of her longer rants, maybe even top three. Tyler would have to think about that one.

When it was over, Mama deflated like a balloon with a slow leak, not one that went pffllltttbbb as it went careening all over the room.

“Are you finished?” Papi asked.

Mama shot her husband the stink eye, but answered, “Yes.”

“Tyler, your mother and I are very proud of you, not only for graduating from college, but for putting Elijah’s well being ahead of your career goals. It’s not easy to put someone else first. You’ll realize that someday when you find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Every day will bring new challenges, new compromises. You and Elijah have a rare friendship bond that will follow you for the rest of your lives. Cherish it. You’re only young once, so go explore the world that’s out there. Just be safe, and be smart. If you ever need us, we’re only a phone call away. I love you, Son.” Papi pulled him into his strong arms, so familiar and so full of comfort and support.

This brought forth more waterworks from Mama and Papi pulled her in as well. Tyler wouldn’t trade his parents in for all the gold in Ft. Knox. He reached over and yanked Elijah into the clutch. When the love fest was over, Mama pinned him in her glare one final time, but the fire was gone and all that remained was love.

“You make sure you call. Try for once a week, but if more than two go by, so help me God, I’ll shut your phone off. Do you understand?” she asked, trying to seem tough, but falling short. Tyler knew the threat to shut off his phone was real, though, and he wasn’t ready to shell out for his own plan.

Papi cleared his throat. “One more thing,” he said, handing Tyler a card in an envelope. “This is from Mama and me. Use it for your road trip fund. It’ll get you through a few weeks. I’ll take care of your phone bill for you, too, until the end of the summer.”

“Thank you Papi, thank you Mama,” he replied, adding the card to the bag with the other ones he’d received for his graduation.

Tyler turned to Elijah. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Elijah looked at Mama and Papi. “Thank you for letting me steal Tyler for a while. I love you both and I promise we’ll do everything we can to stay out of trouble. I can’t guarantee it, but I’ll try.”

Papi pulled his best friend in for a hug and clapped his back, pausing to whisper something into his ear. Elijah’s eyes filled with tears when he pulled away and gave Papi a sad smile. His father glanced at him, his eyes filled with love. Tyler knew he didn’t get away with anything. Without a doubt, Papi knew there was an alternative motive to their plans. His trust was reflected in his silence.

Mama kissed them both and lamented the fact she couldn’t send them off with containers of leftovers. That, more than anything, threw the woman off her game. In her world, four containers of cookies was nowhere near enough.

After one more round of hugs and kisses, Tyler’s siblings found them, courtesy of Elena. Then it was time to make their escape. He felt it in his gut, this was the last slice of normalcy they would be seeing for a while. The road ahead was unknown, but one they knew they had to travel.

The Nissan was already packed with their necessities and the wayward laptop. It was after eight o’clock and the sun had gone down for the day, making the state road dark. Elijah drove carefully as he headed north. Tyler regarded the shadows of the forest they passed, seeing them in a different way.

They were quiet for a while until Elijah asked Tyler to put on some music. He hit the first playlist in his music folder and the sound of orchestra instruments filled the space. He loved classical music, especially brass and percussion. Elijah didn’t mind it either. It was easy listening.

They talked about Tyler’s extended family, good-naturedly making fun of some of his crazier relatives. His uncle Tio was an easy target. The man was one of those people who were not happy unless he was bitching or complaining about something. Tyler laughed every time Elijah mimicked him. He had the man’s tone of voice down pat.

It was a little after ten o’clock when they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. Elijah had sprung for the Hampton Inn because the rate included breakfast. Fair enough. Check-in was quick, and they were handed two plastic key cards for room four-fourteen.

Dragging their wheeled suitcases behind them, it was a short wait for the elevator and an even shorter ride to the fourth floor. Elijah looked a little pensive.

“You alright?” Tyler asked as the elevator dinged and they got off on their floor and followed the arrow pointing the way.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Tyler stopped in front of their room and inserted the plastic card into the reader until the sound of the lock disengaging signaled it was open.

A standard hotel room greeted them; two queen-sized beds, a desk, chair, dresser, TV, and credenza with mini-fridge, microwave, and tiny little coffee maker. Tyler took the bed closest to the window. He liked being near the air conditioner. From past travels with Elijah, he knew they both preferred the room a little on the cool side, but Elijah didn’t like the cold air blowing on him. Tyler didn’t mind.

“So what’s the game plan for tomorrow?” he asked once they were settled.

“I’ve been thinking about that, and here’s what I suggest, but I’m open to other ideas, too. From here on in, we’re a team and we make decisions together. Otherwise, one of us can get hurt.”

Tyler nodded. That sounded like the best idea Elijah ever came up with. He was prone to acting first and then thinking. The whole snafu with Kage seemed to have cured him of that.

“The text I got just had an address, no date or time. I want to show up unannounced. I doubt if I’ll catch the man off guard. I’m pretty sure he’s already thought of the possibility when he sent the text. He’s probably just waiting for me to make the next move, it doesn’t matter what that move is. I really don’t think he’ll hurt me. Kage never gave me the impression his boss was dangerous. I mean, he’s a handler for assassins, sure, but he’s not one himself, although I’m sure he must have been at some point. I’m rambling, aren’t I? It’s just– well, Kage didn’t really know much about the man. ”

“I wonder why that was?”

“Not sure. I don’t think Kage knew either. Anyway, look, the house is a few blocks over from this little plaza.” Elijah showed him the location on the map he pulled up on his phone. “I think you should wait there with the car. I’ll walk from there to the mystery house and have a little chat with Kage’s boss and see what the deal is with him. Who knows? Maybe he just wants to hear my version of what happened. If something does happen to me, then you can still get away and have transportation to get your ass to Montana with the computer.”

“Hmm, I’m not totally comfortable with you going in there by yourself, but you’ve got a point. It’s a good plan. We have to make getting the laptop to your friends a priority. Did you call them by the way?”

“I texted Sebastian to let him know we’re coming, but not why. I’ll call him tomorrow to fill him in. He said we’re welcome anytime.”

Tyler thought about what he wanted to say next. He and Elijah rarely kept secrets from each other, and lately, it seemed more important that they continue not doing so.

“E, I know I wasn’t the most supportive person when you decided to head to Montana to help the shifters. Honestly, I was a little jealous. Well, maybe more than a little. Even when you came back and told Kage and me what really happened, I couldn’t help but get green-eyed. That’s why I was so sarcastic and negative whenever you talked about them. But right now? You know how you said that helping to figure out what happened to those kids, the ones who were turned hybrid and sold off, was something you felt compelled to do? I feel that way about this road trip. I have a feeling that somehow, it’s going to be pivotal, not just for me, but for you too. I can’t put a finger on it, but it’s why I was so insistent on coming along. I just have to.”

Elijah looked at him curiously for a moment. “Okay, Ty. I think I understand. But whatever happens, you have to promise to listen to me, or any of my shifter friends, if things go south. If at any time you’re in danger, you have to promise you’ll do as we say. I can’t bear the thought of losing anyone else.”

“I promise you, Elijah,” he replied sincerely. He doubted he’d ever want to cross a real wolf, let alone a shifter. The very idea made his gut flip and his asshole tighten. He’d been completely honest when he said the thought of a human turning into a wolf freaked him out a little bit. It didn’t just freak him out, it scared the shit out of him.

“Let’s get some sleep. I need tomorrow to be out of the way.”

It didn’t take long for each of them to take a turn using the bathroom and they were ready for lights out.

“You good over there by yourself?” he asked as Elijah plugged in his phone to charge. He didn’t mind sharing a bed when his friend needed him, but he preferred having the space to himself.

“Yeah, g’night, Ty.”

“Good night, E.”

Tyler plugged in his own phone before plumping up the hotel pillow and snuggling under the poofy comforter. His mind couldn’t turn itself off. There were so many unanswered questions. His knowledge of the supernatural world was extremely limited. What little he knew about animal shifters. It drove home the fact he knew even less about Fae. He sure as hell hoped things went smoothly tomorrow.