Her Forbidden Threeway

Chapter 3

That night, Reade didn’t sleep at all. She tossed and turned and found no comfort in the softness of her blankets. Their texture didn’t bring any warmth, comfort, ease or relief. Instead, she thought about the book. About how it seemed impossible to open. The gem on the front cover glistened and winked almost teasingly as she pried and pulled, trying desperately to uncover the truth of what was inside. She had no luck. It was becoming clear that no one was getting into it. Especially not Scott or Jackson.

“What am I going to do?” Reade thought to herself, her brow furrowing.

Reade’s eyes widened suddenly as she thought back to the creepy old woman. A part of her, deep down inside, knew that the old woman would be able to open it. The grandmother. Her bony fingers were laden with rings and tattoos and her gray hair was bushy and wise, but she had a wisdom about her.

Reade slipped out of bed and grabbed her phone. “She’ll be able to get into the book.”

The phone number for Drakon was in Reade’s most recently dialed numbers and as she listened intently as the other line began to ring, her nerves and frustration began to bubble over.

“Maybe Scott hasn’t gone home yet,” she thought to herself, chewing on her lower lip. “Maybe Jackson doesn’t know that his brother had managed to steal the book after all. If they were a team, like Scott said, wouldn’t they have gone to the diner as a pairing?”

Reade exhaled a deep breath of air as Jackson’s familiar voice resonated from the other end.

“Reade?” He asked.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she replied. “Are you still willing to meet up?”

“Will you bring the book?” Jackson questioned after a long pause.

Reade swallowed away her honesty, something she used to pride herself on and nodded despite Jackson not being able to see her. “Yes, I’ll bring the book. Where should we meet?”

*****

There was a new element of fear that Reade felt as she snuck out of the house and it confused her. It wasn’t the first time she had left without her father knowing where she was going, but this was actually dangerous. It wasn’t a college frat party that her father would disapprove of. It was something that he would chase after her for and she wasn’t sure if that frightened her more than the actual severity of the situation.

Reade slipped her Father’s keys from the hook before creeping out of the front door and to his truck. She unlocked its doors and slipped inside where the overpowering scent of burning hit her like a wave. She coughed and gagged as she pulled the neck of her shirt up, attempting to keep her nostrils free of the smoky attack. She rolled down one of the windows and breathed out the side as she placed the key into the ignition and twisted, causing the engine to roar to life. She pulled on the gearshift and reversed back, her foot jammed onto the pedal as she blared off of her quaint street.

“Where did that smell come from?” Reade wondered to herself. “It wasn’t here earlier.”

There was an anxious part of her that continued to wonder if maybe there had been some type of gas leak, though it didn’t smell like anything other than fire; a thick, choking fire that could keep a person warm from a mile away.

Reade pulled her head back into the truck and stifled her mouth with the napkin she had wrote directions on. The instructions weren’t clear, though she had picked up on the street Jackson mentioned and knew how to get there. Old Coal Avenue. The named seemed fitting, giving that she was surrounded by the scent of smoke. Old Coal Avenue was one of the longest roads Reade knew of. There were no casinos, no bars, no bakeries or tourists. It was completely vacant, there was nothing but the sight of dried out fields for miles.

As Reade neared the destination, she checked her jacket pocket for the pepper spray that her father had given her for protection some time back. The cool feel of the bottle beneath her fingers set her at ease. She wanted to meet somewhere public, she would have felt safer, but given the time, she knew that the streets of the strip would be full of people and risking being caught wasn’t something she wanted to take part in.

Reade curled the truck over the curb and switched off the engine before she clambered from the cab and slammed the door behind her, the sound echoing loudly. She inhaled a deep breath of air and began walking, shaking off her nerves and hesitation.

In the center of nowhere land, Reade could see the golden hair of Jackson blowing in the slight breeze. He stood, larger than she remembered and his shadow seemed daunting against the browning grass that surrounded them.

Jackson didn’t smile when he saw her, though as she approached him, she noticed the familiar sight of disappointment embedded within the fine lines of his face.

“He knows I don’t have the book,” she said to herself as she stepped towards him. “I didn’t mean to lie to you, I’m sorry.”

 “I knew you didn’t have it anyway,” he replied.

“Then why the look of disappointment?” She asked, a frown mounting her features.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t show at all.”

The riddles Jackson spoke in jumbled Reade’s mind, even though she was used to that type of treatment from her father. He seemed to live to watch the confusion stretch across her face. She felt a pang of guilt go through her as she thought about him, though the fact that he was asleep, safe and at home was temporarily comforting.

“Can we stop with the brain teasing?” Reade sighed, looking exhausted. The past few days had taken a toll.

Jackson nodded his head in agreement and got down to the meat of their conversation. The gold in the treasure chest of lies.

“There are things in this world that can’t be explained,” Jackson started. “For instance, the workings of karma. What happens when we die, even the existence of dragons. Mythology is the same as religion, it’s all based upon your faith and what you believe.”

Reade swallowed before answering. “And what do you believe?”

“I believe that this world thrives on lives,” He said. “I believe that people would rather live in normality and shut out possibilities, than accept the truth of what is really out there. What exists, what is, what am, what are.”

“Dragons.” Reade said, sounding confident rather than doubtful.

Jackson didn’t smile.

“You have what a lot of people don’t have, Reade. You have the chance to block all of this out. You have the chance to return to normality.”

“Maybe I want to live in a world of possibilities. Maybe I’m tired of lies,” Reade objected, leveling her gaze to his. Jackson hadn’t been expecting this, it was evident on his face, features that were so marbled and chiseled, like a sculpture carved from ice. “Maybe I like possibilities.”

“You don’t know what you’re agreeing to.” He shook his head.

Reade stepped forward, surprising herself with her certainty. “I know more now than I have the past few years of my life. For once, I’m indisputable, I’m sure and I’m awake, Jackson.”

That was the first time Reade had said his name and it had an effect. One that was like the haze of alcohol hitting you at once. Jackson lurched forward and took her by the cheeks, pressing his mouth to hers instantly.