The Unclaimed Human Luna
Chapter 39

El POV

El had planned on spending the morning down at the lake hanging out with her new friends, but Willah seemed to be ticked off at her, and this appeared to be making everyone else annoyed with her as well, and when El had asked her why? They’d been getting along for several days without issue. El was actually glad that Marlo had a girlfriend, he was less attached to her, didn’t hit on her. Hadn’t since he’d dropped her off on Saturday night. It was actually a bit of a relief to be able to just hang out and not worry that he was going to be right there next to her all the time. Would just go off and hang out with his friends instead of ignoring them to be next to her.

Willah had muttered something about El staying away from Marlo. El had told her she was not interested in Marlo at all. They were just friends, that she had told this to Marlo many times, that she meant it. Told Willah she thought that Willah and Marlo looked good together, which she did. The girl was clearly smitten, and everyone could see it, surely including Marlo.

Willah had just glared at her for a long moment and then stalked off, then she had been standoffish all morning, so had most of the girls in the group and they were all glaring at her now. She’d not done anything wrong, certainly hadn’t gone near Marlo at all in that way. Had meant what she said, by 10 am she’d been over all the glaring and had packed up her things and just walked off into the woods.

She didn’t even know why they were all suddenly hating on her but, if they didn’t want her around, she wouldn’t be around, no one had stopped her from leaving, not even asked where she was going off to. Not even Marlo himself, though Willah didn’t look to be happy with him either. She could only put it down to something Marlo must have said.

That maybe he still liked her, and Willah had found out, but it was now clear to her that they weren’t actually her friends, were only hanging out with her because Marlo had been nice to her, he’d told her it wasn’t because Logan had told him to. But now she wondered if that wasn’t actually the case. She’d actually been herself around them, liked most of them, but it seems none of them actually liked her at all. Still didn’t belong even when she did try. What was the point of it all? She knew she was trying to make it look like she was making friends, had actually thought she had made some friends, liked most of them. But now it seemed not.

Marlo, it seemed, was only interested in her if he could get something from her, and he was now fully aware he wasn’t going to get that, though she’d still been able to hang out with them for the past few days, he’d started staying away from her. Now all his friends were as well. Had to remind herself they were his friends. Willah’s friends.

She was the outsider, not one of them. Put her stuff down in her room and sank down on the couch, looked at the calendar she had on the wall and closed her eyes, reminded herself not long now. She was going to get out of this place. Don’t take it to heart, what did it matter in the grand scheme of things if no one here really liked her? If they were all just told to be friends with her and so had done that, pretended to be her friend.

The problem was she did actually like them, they were a nice group of people her own age to hang out with, or at least she’d thought so. It seemed she was better off by herself, her eyes moved back to that calendar and pian touched her. She had to get them to let her out for that weekend, she couldn’t stay here for it.

Got up and went off to find her mother. In her office the text came back. She’d gone there and the door had been closed, she’d knocked on it and her mother had opened the door and asked her to please wait. She was in a meeting.

El sat, there were no chairs here, slid down the wall and just stared aimless at the wall opposite her, took nearly 30 minutes for her mother to come out of that office, saw two others come out before her. She stood up as they left and looked at her mother.

“What’s the matter, El?” she asked, frowning at her.

“It’s father’s birthday in just over a week.”

Saw her mother sigh “I know when it is.”

“I want to go and visit him.” El stated, knew this wasn’t going to go over so well.

“El, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“He’s my father and it’s his birthday,” she could feel the pain welling up, “Why can’t I go to see him. I miss him.”

“Honey, you can talk to him anywhere, you don’t need to go to his grave to do that.”

“I want to, I should be allowed to.” She shot at her mother.

“El, I know your upset, honey. But you might run off again.”

“And go where? I have nothing left. You gave it all to Logan, remember.”

She saw her mother sigh “Look El, I don’t think you should. Honestly, I don’t think you need to go there. You and your father were always hiking, and camping. Wouldn’t a better place to feel connected to him be here in the woods.”

“Yes, it would, but I’m not allowed in there either.”

“Of course you are, just not at night.”

“Which is exactly when I would feel the most connected to him, we would go camping together, spend the nights talking under the stars. With him telling me about the insects he could hear and what they were.”

“Perhaps I can talk to Logan about that, have him or Conner perhaps take you into the woods on the day.”

“Yay.” She dripped with sarcasm. “Go out there to feel closer to my own father, only to have the new family stare at me the whole time.”

“El, California is a long way away.”

“I know that, I’d only drive there, stay at Cordi’s for the weekend and then drive back.”

“On your own.”

“Yes, I don’t want people I don’t know around me when I want to be alone with my thoughts, to be able to grieve openly. I wouldn’t be able to do that with them around.”

Her mother was just staring at her, didn’t really say anything much for a long time. “I’ll discuss it with Logan.”

“Of course, you will, can’t make a decision on your own anymore.” El snapped and walked off.

How could she say no, it was the first birthday since his death, and all she wanted to do was go to his grave and sit there, be with him. Feel close to the man that had loved her, respected her choices and wanted her to have the world.

But no, nothing mattered to her mother anymore, just Logan and this prison she was now made to live in. She was making the effort to fit in, done everything they expected of her, maybe she’d come around too fast, and they just didn’t believe it. But this was the only card she had to play to get out before university started.

She was getting out whether they liked it or not, flopped down on her bed and stared out the window, was not likely going to be allowed to drive herself to California and she knew it. Logan was going to say no. “Fine,” she muttered and sat herself up, yanked her laptop over to her and used that bank card he’d given her, bought a sailboard and a kayak and a jet ski. Had them all expressed delivered, racked up quite the debt for that man to pay.

Was still online browsing sporting equipment when she saw a sale on Kite surfing equipment as well. That had been something her father was going to do with her this summer before she went to Italy, bought one of them as well. Had only tried it once, but if Logan asked her mother about the purchases, she would say yes to all those things, that they were things she’d done with her father.

She had access to unlimited funds he’d told her, so let’s just see if that was true, she was going to use it, she was going to find a way out of here. If going across the lake, was it, so be it. She wasn’t going to be able to swim, it was just too far. She could use that jet ski or sailboard, kayak even, just needed to get one of them down to the lake, without anyone knowing was all, or perhaps get it down there and leave it down there on the shoreline. To be used the next day.

Was getting herself organised to leave, changed the dates on her aeroplane ticket and paid the fee for it with her normal card, not something Logan could track her with, no one even knew she had purchased that ticket, other than Cordi and Collin. She knew they would help her and if they opted not to, well she would have to go on her own. She didn’t really want them getting into trouble anyway. They’d not appeared to get along with Conner, though their interactions had been more than weird, and now Cordi was always bringing the man, up.

Though the plan had been devised that she was to tell her mother and Logan that she was staying at Cordi’s for the two days in California, then a day and half to get there, and a day and half to get back. That would give her a 5 day head start on anyone looking for her, if she could gain their trust that was. Didn’t much look like that was going to happen right this minute. So, leaving her phone here, and only taking her own debit card, plus her identification was all that she really needed. They could all go into her backpack.

Thankfully, she’d spent some spring vacations with her grandma and had seen the way she tracked people down, had gone with her on stake outs once or twice. Her grandma was amazing, just like her dad.

Though she didn’t think that her grandma would worry about hunting her or tracking her down, for her mother or Logan, if she actually knew she was not missing. Was going to have to call her and tell her but was going to leave it as late as possible. Didn’t want them going to her and harassing her about where she was.

Sat and looked at the map of Utah, of Bear Lake itself, the roads that lead in and out and around it, especially on the other side of the lake. There was a road that went all the way around it, which was good. Though if she could get that sail board or kayak here by then and down to the lake, she could use it to get all the way to the most southern end of the lake. That in itself posed a problem. There was only one road out from there and it ran right past the gates of the gated community.

Needed to find transport and didn’t know anyone in either of the towns to the south. Hadn’t even been there at this point. Wasn’t likely to any time before she was getting out of here either.

She closed it all down and lay there on her bed, stared up at the ceiling. The other question that bugged her was Conner. How was she going to escape that man? She didn’t usually go downstairs for breakfast, and he would go off to the university before she went downstairs most of the time. So, if she left on a day when he was not here was busy himself. That was likely going to help her. She shook her head at his words as they popped into her head. ‘I know what you smell like’. Then he had actually smelled her, that was one of the weirdest things she’d ever heard anyone say.

Though the way he’d taken her after that, so possessive and aggressive, it almost felt like to her that he was trying to tell her she belonged to him. That he was not going to stand for her leaving, he’d been like a bloody animal, only problem was, she’d like it. More than liked it, wanted more of it, had told him so when he’d asked her. It wasn’t even like they’d not had s*x in weeks, not even half an hour before that she had had s*x with him, and she’d been in control. He’d told her to take what she wanted, and hadn’t she. How could he be so bloody needy in such a short amount of time?

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Not even knew what was going on with that man anymore. He didn’t like her, but he couldn’t, it seemed, keep his hands to him bloody self, and she knew she had no control anymore where he was concerned. So was in real trouble there. El knew if he walked into this room, she wouldn’t say no to him. Hell, she knew she’d let him do whatever the hell he wanted to her.

‘Want me, need me, crave me.’ Popped into her head and she pulled a pillow over her face and g*****d into it.

Wondered what would happen if she texted him, she wanted to have s*x? Would he come to her and have s*x with her? Would he ignore it altogether? Would he just shut her down? Thought about that and then shook it off ‘Eliza don’t be so stupid.’ She chastised herself, that was just asking for trouble. Was only thinking about texting him because she was thinking about s*x itself. Had to shake it off and not think about it. Thinking about it was making her want it, that was all.

Got herself up out of the bed and headed down the stairs. It was only mid-afternoon; she would go for a walk in the woods. At least, out there she was all on her own, with no one bothering her, and didn’t mind the solitude. El strolled along at her own pace, into the woods on the western side of the gated community. The only thing she did like about this place was that it was completely surrounded by the woods, that she could just walk 5 or 10 minutes and be in the woods.

Found a nice place to sit down, deep in the woods well away from anyone. Her mother had told her to be closer to her father, to just go into the woods. So, she would, would go there all the time and just be alone with her thoughts.

She leaned herself up against a fallen tree and just sat with her eyes closed, and listened to the forest around her, it was something she had done with her dad often. They would just sit with their eyes closed and listen to the sounds of nature. Her father would tell her what those sounds they were hearing were. Knew everything about the forest and what he didn’t know or couldn’t answer would delve into research and find the answer for her to impart the news.

She listened and wondered what the insects were, though she’d listened to him, she’d never really absorbed the information, just liked hearing him talk. His voice had been rich and deep, would have made for a really good voice over person. Or someone you just wanted to listen to. She had loved growing up hearing him read her tales in children’s books.

Though his favourite things to read to her were the mythical legends of Foxes. Mostly of the nine tailed foxes, some were said to be evil and others benevolent, some were neutral. That though depended on the culture of where the tale originated, but he told her they were just misunderstood creatures. Most likely. Loved to show her pictures of them, he had even drawn her a few sketches himself of what he thought they looked like.

He had told her once, that they were hidden from the world for fear of humans. Had nudged her and said “I’m going to find one someday. You can help me.” She’d laughed at him, and he’d made her promise she would. Always told her when they were out in the woods to keep her eyes and ears open for any signs of foxes.

They were his favourite animals. Told her that out of all the fox species out there, his favourite one was the silver fox, showed her lots of pictures of them, with their black fur and all that white colouration through them, so many different variations. He thought they were beautiful, so did she for that matter.

He’d had many books on foxes. His own mother had instilled that love of foxes into him. She had a whole study filled with pictures of foxes, of all colours and species. There was nothing prettier in her grandma or fathers’ eyes than a fox and when she saw one for the first time and had heard it Gekkering, she’d squeezed her father’s hand so tightly, and looked right up at him filled with excitement. She’d been like 5 at the time but still recalled that one memory easily.

Actually, recalled him smiling right down at her, at the excitement she’d felt at seeing her first silver fox and hearing all the noises and sounds it made. They’d sat quietly and he’d told her what each noise meant, why the foxes were doing that. Displaying their dominance with vocal noises because they didn’t want to fight each other.

Her father had Installed that excitement and joy of seeing them into her, just like his mother had done to him. They’d always been on the lookout for foxes when out camping. Her father knew where they lived and was good at tracking them. Said he got his tracking skills from his mother and, her grandma would just proudly state, “of course you did, son.”