Page 78 of For All My Effort
“Good, time to go,” Jackson said, grabbing both backpacks and his drink.
I hugged Sebastian, who yawned and then told me to be safe, before I followed Jackson out to the car. As soon as I was seated, he started the car and took off, his hand on my knee in a casual touch.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a hiking path about two hours away that should be hidden enough for us to have a chat, work out some plans, without crossing paths with anyone.”
It was still dark outside, and I was pretty sure that even two hours wasn’t enough time for the sun to wake up, but I had the seat heater on, and my delicious smelling crisp apple mate, along with a thick smoothie to chug down. I was perfectly content on the long ass drive.
Reaching down, I untied my shoes and pulled my feet up to rest on the seat. “Am I technically allowed to be out this early?”
“Nope. But all our cars have tinted windows, and I don’t break any driving laws, so we’ll be fine.”
“It’s the dumbest rule,” I tell him, although he already knows. “It doesn’t even consider kids who haven’t fallen into their designation yet. Are children not allowed outside anymore? And what’s the punishment if an omega is even caught outside? A fine? Jail time?”
That last option made me snort. It was hard to have legal recourse for omegas when no one deemed us as smart enough, strong enough, or capable of anything.
“Do you think there’s ever been an omega murderer?” I asked my mate.
Jackson laughed. Loud and boisterous to the point that I was mildly worried he would forget he was driving. “Thinking of becoming a murderess, rebel?”
I shrugged. “I was just wondering what sort of legal punishments omegas actually face.”
“Usually, the recoil lands on their alphas. For negligence, endangering the public, bullshit names that take humanity away from omegas.”
“But that’s only if the omega was bonded. What if they weren’t?”
“It’s a good question.”
It was also one I would never get an answer to.
For the rest of the drive, we talked about random things. I was definitely awake, just not functioning at full capacity yet. By the time we arrived at the dirt parking lot, the sun was just starting to rise, although we would definitely be needing flashlights and jackets for this beginning portion.
Jackson’s backpack was significantly fuller than mine. The straps over his shoulders made his arms and chest look wider. Stronger. Like he could still pick me up and carry me with ease as he hiked.
For the first few minutes, we walked in silence, getting our bearings with the flashlights and warming up our bodies against the chill. Me probably more than him.
Eventually, Jackson broke our comfortable silence. “You want to talk about this interview?”
“What is there to talk about?”
“I think you should do it.”
I had no idea what I expected Jackson to say, but that wasn’t it. My feet literally stumbled over each other before I caught myself.
“What? Why?”
“Isn’t this what you wanted? You were so adamant before about wanting to go to the reporters and tell them your side. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.”
“I don’t trust whoever Adam trusts.”
“That’s why it’s actually beneficial we have a few weeks to prepare you.”
Prepare me? For what? I was only getting more confused from this conversation. “I thought you wanted me to stay out of the public’s attention. What happened to us being behind the scenes?”
“We’d love it if everyone outside of our pack stopped showing your image and using your name. Unfortunately, that just isn’t happening. On the most basic of levels, Adam was right. Until the public feels like they’ve wrung out all the information they can from you, they’re going to keep using you.”
“Then maybe we should do an interview on our own, without Adam’s guiding hand. Tell him that it’s an excellent idea and that we’re going to refuse his offer but take up his idea.”