Stay Pure

Chapter 2

Stay Pure

By Iyana Jenna

The ping sound from the laptop distracted Zeke from his daydreaming. He’d been wondering where he should spend the summer this year. He’d been all over places since he went to study at Ohio State here in Columbus. In fact, he’d never spent the holiday here. This was a great city but that was what it was—a city, certainly not a spot to relax or even make money during the season because others seemed to have the same idea with him, not staying around for the holiday. Now the question stayed: what should he do or where should he go?

Reluctantly Zeke got up from bed. He really didn’t have to check the email right away but with nothing else to do, he didn’t see why not. He’d finished all the papers and assignments. No more tutoring work, his one and only tutee had left for white beaches and chicks in bikinis in California. Not that Zeke envied him. The beaches, maybe, but certainly not the chicks.

Looking at his inbox, Zeke frowned. Only one unread message perched on top. He was quite diligent checking his email, replying to the important ones, moving the less urgent to a folder marked ‘to be read,’ and deleting the spam mails. Now this new mail was definitely not spam though Zeke couldn’t decide if it was important enough to be opened directly or if it belonged to that other folder. One thing he was sure of—he didn’t expect it. In fact, it had totally caught him off guard.

The letter was from his mom. No. Mother would fit her more. Zeke never felt close to the woman who’d brought him into this world. This was actually her first email. No phone calls or visits since Zeke got to the university. It was true Zeke never lacked money in his life. The college tuition was paid full in advance and his account balance was more than he needed for his daily stipend. If he offered himself to give tutorials, it was more because he needed something to do, not because of the money.

“What do you want, Mother?” he asked behind gritted teeth. He didn’t mind his parents’ way of rearing their only son. Zeke had never heard about his father after he divorced Zeke’s mother when he was still in elementary school. After that, she got busier shooting for her movies or spending time abroad. Zeke still had his grandmother before she passed away about five years ago. Still, Zeke couldn’t be happier. No parents watching you like a hawk and bottomless pocket money—what’s not to like?

Zeke clicked the email open and ran his eyes slowly down the lines of the words. After the last sentence, he stilled and switched his gaze back up, not believing what he had just read, especially…missed you. Thought I’d spend this summer holiday with you.

Seriously? After all these years?

So, his mother wanted them to return to Oil Hills. To their home. Funny he’d never thought it as a home though. For him home meant family and he never had a family. The only family he’d known was the Abrahams. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham always welcomed him at their house warmly. It didn’t matter if Nate was there or not, or when it was dinner time and Nate brought Paulina with him. To Nate’s parents, Zeke was just another son of theirs.

But that was the problem. He didn’t want to be their son. He had wanted more, something he couldn’t have. Zeke wasn’t sure he’d like to step his foot in Oil Hills ever again.

Zeke clicked on the reply button. Summer was still a month away. Who knew he could persuade his mother to meet somewhere else. He didn’t mind flying to Paris, for sure.

His mother’s reply came practically as soon as Zeke sent his email, making his head spin. He knew she was an actress and probably her reading comprehension ability was above average from much script reading. Still, from her fast response, she seemed to be able to read Zeke’s mind and to have prepared her answer beforehand.

“I really miss Oil Hills,” she wrote. “It will supposedly be our quarter of a century anniversary. I’m hoping you’ll be there for me. I can’t expect him to go there, can I?”

Zeke knew exactly who ‘him’ was. His mother never mentioned her ex-husband’s name anymore.

Another email came before Zeke got the chance to reply to the previous one.

“If you’re concerned about transportation, can’t get a ticket, and so on, I will ask someone to pick you up with a limo. It’s going to be comfortable enough for a long ride.”

Oh God. Zeke rubbed his chin. His mother hardly took no for answer.

“No limo, please. I’ll buy the plane ticket. It’s still one month from now. I’m sure I’ll get it.”

His mother’s reply came in an instant. “You’re going! I knew you’re always a good son.”

Zeke huffed as he shut the laptop. Great. He’d been manipulated so easily, by someone he couldn’t recall when they last met nonetheless. Where was the fierce Zeke Mitchell who fought and defeated the werewolves? Thank God he wasn’t this meek at that time.

Zeke went back to his bed and crawled under the sheet, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. Whatever. He still had a month to himself and then, let whatever happened happen. With that in his thought, Zeke drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Zeke hefted his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Columbus International Airport was full of hustle and bustle from the people here today, and soon he would be one of those moving from one spot to the next until he got to board the plane. Yeah, right. A month passed in a blink of an eye. Before he knew it, it was mere hours before he got to meet his beloved mother.

The airport in Akron, from where he continued his trip to Oil Hills, was much smaller and a lot less busy. Zeke wasn’t rushed. He took a stroll and got to enjoy his surroundings. Nothing much had changed from two years ago when he left. The coffee house counter was still in the same corner and a free-duty bookstore stood in the middle on the left. Zeke could almost see him and Nate checked out the latest Marvel editions and sat around the table enjoying their coffee at the coffee counter. There was someone else with them but Zeke chose not to include her in his memory.

Someone waved at him in a distance but it wasn’t Nate—he wouldn’t dream of it anyway, even if he’d told Nate about his coming home. He hardly heard anything about Nate, where he studied, but Zeke guessed he must go to the same major, same university with Paulina. Nate wouldn’t tell him when they said goodbye. He wondered why.

Zeke squinted. The woman waving at him didn’t age a day older than when Zeke last saw her. Savannah Mitchell, the movie star, always knew how to take care of herself. She was tall and still very slender. Her long dark hair flowed down past her shoulder. Zeke thought he took after her quite a lot, aside from the long hair.

Her smile got wider the closer they got, a beaming, happy smile, and Zeke couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips in what he prayed not to be a pitiful grimace.

“Zeke, my gorgeous son. Look how handsome you are.” Savannah threw her arms around her son’s neck in a dramatic fashion and Zeke grimaced for real.

“How are you, Mother?”

Her laughter was crisp as she pulled back. “Why so formal?” She squeezed Zeke’s biceps. “You’re so big and strong now. How’s your college? Got any girlfriend yet?”

Sometimes Zeke thought if his mother ever felt guilty for the way she raised her child, or the lack of it. Apparently, she never did or never showed it if she did. That was his mother and all her uniqueness.

“No. No girlfriend. How about you. Any new beau I get to know?”

She laughed again. “Not that I know of. So, no girlfriend, huh? How about boyfriend?”

Zeke arched an eyebrow. Did she know him better than he thought? He shrugged and searched her eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“What?”

“About the boyfriend thing.”

She was the one who shrugged this time. “Why shouldn’t I be? Do you believe I’d mind that?”

Sure, why should it be? It wasn’t as if she cared about Zeke’s life. Why should this be any different? Zeke never told her about the werewolves and the out of this world threat. Not because he was afraid she’d be scared and worried about how Zeke could have died, but because he knew Savannah wouldn’t care about it. It stung, but that was the fact. Zeke sighed.

“Never mind. Shall we go now? I’m kinda tired.”

“Zeke?”

But Zeke refused to listen to her anymore. He walked past her out of the departure lounge and looked around. His mother’s limo, where was it? It should be easy to spot.

“I flew in from LA yesterday.” Her voice was suddenly right next to his ear. Zeke jumped back in surprise. “Left my limo there.”

Of course. What did he expect, his mother going road-tripping all the way here to Ohio in a limo? Then her offer at that time, was it as empty as her past promises?

Instead of a limo, Zeke caught the sight of a red GTO. His old car? Gaping, he turned to his mother. “You drove this?”

She beamed. “Yeah. The engine’s still so smooth. You must have taken care of her incredibly well before you left.”

Zeke went silent as an onslaught of sweet memory came rushing in. Nate was so fussy about it every time he rode in it to go home. Yeah, before the day they killed the alpha, before Zeke found out about Nate’s crush on Paulina, they often hung out together. Well, regrets always came later. Zeke still didn’t understand why he never told Nate his real feeling toward him.

“Zeke, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“You look lost standing there. Is something wrong?”

Zeke felt as if he was awoken from a dream. He glanced a little to both sides and found he’d been standing still several feet behind his car.

“Uh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I drive? I miss my baby.” Such double meaning words only he knew what they were.

Savannah hesitated.

“What, you don’t trust me?”

She sighed. “Not like that. Of course I do. But I remember how you drove when you were in high school.”

Zeke couldn’t believe what he heard. “You know nothing about me when I was in high school. You weren’t even here,” he spat. She looked taken aback but he didn’t care.

Then she said in a low voice, “I came here several times. Did you forget that?”

“Several times, really? You’re my mother. You were supposed to stay with your child. Don’t you know that?”

She froze, staring openly at him. And Zeke—after his initial shock of his own outburst, finally found his words again. He shook his head as he stalked slowly toward the passenger seat.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came to me. Go ahead, you drive.”

“That’s fine.” She dug into her purse. “You want to do it, just do it.”

“No, Mother. Please, just drive.” He climbed into the car and didn’t say anything anymore. He’d acted like a spoiled child, lashing out like that to his own mother, of all people. He was a grown man, for God’s sake. But he thought he’d buried all those feelings of hatred, abandonment, loneliness. He’d traded his pain with indifference and—Nate. Talking to him or simply listening to him, it was enough for Zeke. Finally meeting the one person who was supposed to be the most important in his life should have made him happy, but it just served to remind him how hurting he was. And now he had to spend the whole summer holiday with her. Zeke wished he could just turn around into the airport and fly back to Columbus.

The ride home brought Zeke back to the past. They passed the streets he drove by too many times a day, a pancake diner Zeke would rather pass than admitting he loved visiting at that time. His school, Oil Hills High, from which he’d almost never graduated at all if not for Nate telling him he was genius when he didn’t act so stubborn. And the next thing he laid eyes on…Nate’s home. Tears stuck in Zeke’s throat. He’d never thought he’d missed Nate so much. He couldn’t believe he still cared for the boy even after two years.