Page 68 of Hollyhocks

Thoughtful as a fucking rock smashing a windshield.

I look out onto the lake and see Storm light a tree on fire.

Creed crushes his beer can, places it on the ground, and stands. His wings burst from his back, and he launches himself into the sky. “Don’t you dare keep blowing that fire, young man! Do you know what you will do to this ecosystem if you burn it down?” he yells, sounding completely different than I expected him to.

I’m not sure what I thought he would do, but I didn’t think he would actually sound like a parent. He’s so… Creed.

Luckily, the tree Storm lit on fire was growing out of the water. Creed uses his wings to wave the water onto the burning branches.

“No fireballs. We talked about this,” he warns. “And if I see another, I’m telling your mom to zip-tie your wings together so you can’t fly.”

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be here listening to conversations that should never exist.

Yet here I am.

I down the rest of my beer, plopping the can next to Creed’s on the ground. I’ll take them to the recycling bin when I head home. I bury my face in my hands, blowing out a stressful breath.

A loud growl has me tilting my head up to see Creed and Storm barreling toward the water like a cannonball. The splash is huge. Water sprays all over me, soaking my clothes, my hair, and my face.

And I can’t help but laugh.

My phone rings, blaring my sister’s ringtone from my pocket. I scramble to answer knowing this phone call is going to give me an update on Eli. Her name brightens the screen and with shaking fingers, I swipe to answer it.

“Will he be okay?” I ask without wasting any time.

Creed, Rhett, and Mickey are staring at me with concern. Storm is too little to understand so he continues being a menace to society.

“Sorry it took so long to call back. It’s been chaos. Elijah just got out of surgery.”

“Surgery?” I shout and stand at the same time. “What do you mean, surgery?”

“He’s okay, Fitz. He needed his appendix removed. He is okay. He is alive. He is still asleep. If he is up for it, I’ll have him call you later. We should be able to get there soon. He’ll need to rest the moment he walks into your house though.”

“Of course. I just want him safe and okay. He will heal? No complications during surgery?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Everything went as expected, Fitz.”

I pinch my eyes together to try and stop the onslaught of emotions. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if Eli had died. There would be a part of me that would never be able to heal.

“That’s a relief. I’ve been so fucking worried.” I fall onto the bench, plopping down hard on the old wood. “That’s good.” Rhett shifts into his human form, wrapping his arms around Mickey. He lifts up a thumb to signal if everything is okay.

I return the thumbs up and a big grin washes over his face.

“No word from Dad yet?” It’s the one issue that’s been eating away at me. I know he is waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Nothing yet. Maybe he didn’t mean the threat. He doesn’t usually think this far ahead. He attacks before he thinks. You know that.”

I shake my head in disagreement, staring out onto the lake where my friends are. “This was different. You’re going to have to believe me.”

“I’ll always believe you,” she yawns. “Sorry, I’m so exhausted.”

“It’s okay. You need to rest. Get some sleep while he is.”

“I’m going to. I’m not going to leave his side though. This entire experience made me age twenty years. I swear, Fitz. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so afraid as I was when they took him into surgery.”

“I wish I could have been there. Get some rest, okay? I’ll see you two soon.”

“I love you.”

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