Prologue

Prologue

“Come on, let’s go to the beach today. There is going to be a solar eclipse.” The Dad said

The baby in the Mom’s arms giggled as if in agreement and fingered the one of the mom’s curls in her light blonde hair with a chubby hand and small fingers. The mom looked at the baby lovingly in her arms and nuzzled his cheek causing him to squeal.

They walk the short way to the crowded pier with people wanted to witness the spectacle and settle on the nice warm sand. The baby reached for the seagulls that hopped around trying to reach them. They took off their shoes and put themselves on the small ratty blanket far enough from the small waves that licked the wet sand.

The baby looked at the shiny sea shells buried in the sand looking at them in fascination. He giggled grabbing the san that spilled through his tiny fingers.

“Come here, Jax.” The mother said to the baby. “It will begin soon.” The baby didn’t want to move away from the sand and didn’t understand why he needed to go to his mom, but he came towards her anyway.

Jax was bounced on his mom’s leg watching the bright sun be swallowed slowly be a black circle and he blinked away and whimpered looking at his mom who was watching in fascination.

“Wow.” She whispers in awe, blinking fast to escape the bright light of the sun without missing the experience. The father looks at her face in adoration and kisses on her cheek.

She elbows him without looking at him making him smirk at her and looks down at Jax who giggles again despite feeling uneasy. Jax tugs on her hair again. She rearranges him to be facing the eclipse.

The moon slowly slides into place in front of the sun creating a ring of white with a black center, making the light dim drastically. Jax clings to his Mother’s hair trying to find comfort that she was there.

There was absolute stillness, like everybody was watching in silence, holding their breath in awe. Even little Jax, still too young to understand what was happening, watched in reticence.

 Then there was a boom, a blast of white light exploding from the center. The aftershocks from the boom came towards them, reaching them faster and faster, causing the water to come towards them in a huge wave. The father was the first to move out of his stupor and rush to his feet, dragging them to their feet. Jax started to cry and his mother cradled his body to her chest to protect him from the harsh wind raising the sand and spraying water at them so fast it was like little bullets. They ran trying to get past the huge crowd of people trying to get to the safety of their home and cars.

People trampled each other, jumping over another, not caring about anybody, but themselves. Kids screamed and cried, dogs ran running ahead with their leash still attached, Jax and his family ran down the streets hoping to outrun the danger, but they were too far and the wave from the blast was too fast.

Jax’s father fell down first, tumbling to the ground, as he was behind his wife making sure no one bumped her and caused her to fall with his beloved son. She ran faster seeing that, but she too crumpled to the floor unconscious.

Jax cried in his mom’s limp arms, tugging at her shirt, totally ignored by people yelling and running away until they too fell silent.

Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

I woke up suddenly from the nightmare, breathing heavily. I fumbled with the flashlight switch drowning out the darkness slightly while I try to catch my breath.

Sea rested her head on my lap looking up at me with her head slightly tilted, as if to ask me what’s wrong. I rub her golden ears and she licks my hand gently.I hold her to my body real close, not only to relax me, but to get some body heat. It was really cold, but that may have been from the fact that I was in a forest. The place that I had decided to rest for the night.

I bury my head into her soft fur, breathing in the scent of it. Rain and earth and a scent that as uniquely dog. “Its not real. It’s not real. Just a dream.” But even as I said it, I didn’t completely believed myself. It seemed real, like a memory. That didn’t help ease my anxiety, shivers that racked my body and I rubbed my arms to cease my discomfort. Sea nuzzled at my chest.

I looked around the forest bed and leaned my back on the tree trunk. I kept looking at the darkness that my flashlight couldn’t reach as if someone has caused the resurgence of memories, it has been a while since I have had dreamt of my past, of my parents.

It was still dark and I knew I had to go in town to get supplies. Food for us, batteries for my flashlight, and a few other necessities. I had been putting it off because I was not looking forward to constantly watching my back to make sure someone dosen’t stick a knife in my back just to obtain my rank.

As a purebred ten, I was a rare breed. I have not met another Ten since the beginning of the new age. We are killed not just to get our lengendary abilities, but they fear us. We could be dangerous, abuse our power, used to bring down cities. No one knows the true extent of my powers. No one, not even me and I don’t want to know. If I had a choice, I would make sure the eclipse never happened, no one had abilities and powers. Man is not meant to be powerful.

Then maybe my parents would still be alive. Then I wouldn’t have to hide from people. Maybe life would better.

But, for right now, I just wanted to watch the first signs of sunrise. Listen to the world wake up to a new day. When the first birds made the first notes of the morning, I knew I had to move. No matter how much I didn’t want to and dreading have to go to the city I had long since abandoned, I had to take care of Sea and in doing that I had to take care of myself.

I debated taking Sea. If I take her to the city, she could get hurt by someone and I couldn’t be as stealthy. But, if I left her behind she could wander off and get lost or fall of a cliff or worse, run into a pack of wolves that definitely ran in these woods. I would hear them communicating in the dusk or in the dead of night.

I would rather risk myself than risk her, so I decided to take her with me. I cleaned up camp and packed up the few things I owned. A small solar-powered lamp, my flashlight, a metal bowl, a water bottle, and a navy blue lighter. I packed it into my black leather backpack and hoisted it on my back, making sure to not leave any clues we were here in the first place.

I followed the small x’s I had made at the base of the tree every few feet to make sure I didn’t get lost in the forest, but low enough that someone wouldn’t be able to see it unless they knew where to look. We kept on going down until we saw the road, then we kept going, but still kept near the trees. Just incase a car comes by. I don’t want to be seen.

I wish I could give Sea a better life with a better owner, but I was selfish. I didn’t want to be alone again.

Before I found Sea, I would spend time in abandoned buildings. I couldn’t eat. All of it felt like ash after the death of my parents. I would be in illegal power fights trying to vent out my anger in another person with a lower rank than me and drown myself in alcohol to numb the pain. The emotional not the physical. The physical pain was a welcomed distraction from the hole in my chest.

Until I found Sea. Well to be technical I found her mom one night and siblings when I went to one abandoned building. There she was, the runt of the litter, pushed aside by her own mother. Her mom growled at me and Sea looked at me fearfully until I coaxed her with some cooing.

When I finally got her in my arms and she licked at my fingers. I had felt…a light, a flicker inside me. I was hooked. I vowed to always protect her, to take care of her.

I felt what I hadn’t had in a long time.

A reason to live.

And Ill be dammed if I let anything happen to her.

As we got closer to the city, there were less trees and more cars driving into and out of the run-down buildings. It used to be a full, healthy bustling city. ‘The Eclipse ruined everything’ I thought remorsefully.

We had struggled to function with now everybody now more powerful. The Eclipse was not biased. It gave it to everyone, no matter status, class, how rich, how poor. The thieves got stronger, the murderers more blood-thirsty, absolute chaos ensued. They broke out of jail and were determined to have their revenge and run the rich to the ground. They did run and abandoned the world. Creating the perfect Elysium, the perfect cage, to protect themselves from the world. The cowards, running away like a couple of wet scared kittens. No one can leave or enter. Leaving us who were not rich, not part of the government, not a priest, not famous, not anyone who they deemed important to fend for ourselves, leaving us for dead.

Selfish bastards.

Sea puts her black muzzle on my clenched hand and licks my fist. I instantly relaxed myself and pat her gently. “Im okay, girl.” I wasn’t sure if I was lying or not.

When the trees thinned out to about thirty yards of open field before we can hide between the first houses. “Were going to have to run.” I mumble more to myself than Sea. She wags her tail in anticipation to running and I can’t keep the small sliver of guilt. She deserves better. An owner that could let her run to her heart’s content and eat her weight in food. I push it down, though. I don’t trust anyone to take care of her and I don’t know if I could survive without her.

“Ready.” Sea jumps next to me, her tail whirling so fast, it makes her butt wiggle.

“set.” I hunker down next to her, my body ready to take off. To stretch my legs, to run for pleasure. Not because someone is chasing me down.

“Go!”

Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2

The city still buzzles with life, even with half the population absent. The sun rail overhead the lighted up streets. Buildings in better condition compared to the outskirts of the city. Street vendors selling overpriced goods they probably stole or made themselves. The scent of trash, polluted water mixed with the food smells. Even then, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face to be in the city again. I was not meant to be a country person.

 Cars buzzled past too fast and bikers cycled by probably wanting to save money on the expensive gas rather than help the environment. With probably couldn’t be helped much anyway.

We humans have ruined our Earth past beyond repair. Black clouds circle the earth. Like it would rain any day, but the few times per month where it does rain, it is acid. The seasons were off. It would snow for no reason one day and then be a sweltering a hundred degrees the next. Nighttime either came too early or too late. It was as if our Earth was out of orbit.

The few trees and plants that did survive the harsh condition, were sickly or in the greenhouses with artificial lights. Animals were in farms being abused or out in the harsh wild. Having a pet was almost unheard of. It’s sick.

My parents always talked about when the earth was cleaner. Water that they could actually swim in. Consistent seasons, brighter days, and rain once or twice a week. Nice and clean rain.

Must be nice.

Most people walked like we did. Sea was watching everything in excitement and her tail like a helicopter smacking my leg on occasion. She looked at a hot dog cart hungrily. When the vendor was distracted with another customer, I swiped one off the tray and stowed it inside my jacket. It burned me slightly, but I ignored it.

We headed down the city, bumping past people to where most of the shops were. Most were abandoned and already empty of the food and clothes so I ignored them. It grew more secluded and the buildings more spaced apart.

I ripped of chunks of the hot dog to feed myself and Sea. It didn’t make me full in the least, but at least quieted my grumbling stomach. Once we could get to the storage unit we could eat something more substantial and probably stay the night.

Sea whined for more after it was finished, looking at me hopefully. “Sorry, girl. Gotta wait.” She didn’t look happy about it, but didn’t whine for more. We headed to one of the small neighborhoods in the more ghetto and poorer part of the city. The road became more cracked and a faded gray. The houses a little browner and pathetic from lack of maintenance. The few people out in the cold wind were huddles near a fire in the trashcan or part of the gangs of kids doing who knows what.

I stopped suddenly in front of a small house much like the rest of its neighbors. Same sunken in porch, same faded roof with peeling paint and rotten wood in the roof. It looked much worse than when I had expected it to. I hadn’t visited it in a few months, not after the incident. The only way I could tell it was my house was the metal numbers right above the door. 5329.

5329 Dante Street. Home sweet home.

Sea trotted around me, nose down as she sniffed everything. Seeming comfortable, which is curious because she has never been here before. I walk ahead to the originally white door almost beige with dirt.

I took out the key that was under the small pebble with an indentation in the middle, like a donut. Went to the door and unlocked it. I didn’t open it.

I couldn’t.

What if they’re dead bodies were still there? What if they weren’t? Am I ready for this?

I knew this was the real reason I didn’t want to come to the city. Not because I was cautious or wanted to be safe but because I didn’t want to come to my home and see it empty and just so…so…lonely.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by Sea clawing at the door and it opens with a creak. She looks up at me and then trots inside, her claws hitting tile floor. With the small opening the door made I could see it was dark and cold. No smells of my mom cooking food or the comforting sounds of my Dad fiddling with his tools.

 Nothing. But silence

I felt a big sense of nostalgia and sadness, making me want to break down and cry. But, I held it back. I needed to be strong for Sea and also for me. For us. With that, I went inside. My footsteps seemed to echo as I tried to find a light. I flipped the switch but the lights didn’t even flicker. Electricity ran out, of course. I flicked on my flashlight, shining it across the room breathing a sigh of relief when I didn’t see anything. No bodies, no smell of death, not even a blood stain on the rug. I frowned.

Wait, there is nothing. Someone was here.

I walk over to the picture of my family and take it off the wall. I type in the password in the Key pad and open the safe. I step into the small bunker it was open to. There were boxes filled with clothes, canned foods, toilet paper, even weapons and a bunk bed fitted in the corner of the room. My parents had made this shortly after I had turned four. They probably knew what was going to happen. They taught me to be self-sufficient. Teaching me to hunt, teaching me to fight, setting up secret rooms, making sure I had a person they could trust, saving money away. I didn’t understand before why they taught me that stuff. Wouldn’t they be there to help me. But they knew. They always knew.

They knew they would die and leave me all alone.

They even taught me to not rely on my abilities. I could not touch them or anybody else. I subconcoiusly rubbed on my leather gloves. My power could hurt people and I didn’t want to do that. I don’t want to.

But what drew my attention was not the boxes of food, strangely enough I had lost my appetite, but the note on top of it with two words in capital letters.

I KNOW

I mumbled curses under my breadth. I knew who it was and I was hoping to avoid him while I was staying in the city. But knowing him, he would box my ears for not coming to visit and telling him my parents were dead. I just didn’t want to deal with his pitying remarks and trying to comfort me. I knew he cared, he was like a second father to me.

And he could be gone to.

Sudden sadness and Ice cold fear gripped at that thought. I could be alone, truly alone in this world. With no one to turn to, being cursed to just exist, fighting for my life an still not caring whether I live or die. No, I wouldn’t go back to that. No way.

It wasn’t until Sea was licking my face and whining at me, that I noticed that I had sunk to the floor. My hands in my auburn hair and drawing my knees up to my chest. Tears creating hot trails down my cheeks and my breathing labored. It was too much and I didn’t have enough in me to hold back. I just hugged Sea to my chest with trembling hands and cried in her hair for what seemed like hours until I calmed down my sobs and my shivers diminished to a few sniffles. I just lay there for a while.

Everything hurt. My chest hurt from breathing too hard and fast. My limbs felt like rubber. My eyes felt red from my crying and irritated. I just wanted to go to bed and wake up never.

But Sea was hungry and I couldn’t abandon her just because I couldn’t keep it together. I tried to lift my head up, but extreme nausea consumed me from that small action. I breathed hard against it and tried to move again. I pushed her away from me sligthtly and used the wall to support me as I tried to stand on my feet, but my knees knocked against eachother causing my legs to buckle. I tried again and this time my legs still wobbled but I could still walk. I grabbed a can of baked beans and popped the tab, pouring it all in my small metal bowl.

 I wasn’t hungry anymore.

Most of the time lately I wasn’t.  

Sea slurped up the beans quickly and I decided to make my leave. Even though I felt horrible, I didn’t want to be in my old home any moment longer. The feeling of abandonment made me feeling even worse.

God, I need a drink.

But first, I needed to visit an old friend. 

As soon as I went outside, a big gust of wind almost tore the door of the hinges, but I managed to close the door shut. I made my down the street going in the direction of his house, but it was a losing battle.

I felt like I was drunk.

My head swayed from time to time like my body was having too much trouble keeping it erect. My  feet dragged on the ground making me almost stumble at the smallest pebble. I hugged my arms around my body, trying to stay warm against the merciless cold wind. My vision flickered and I struggled to keep them open, but it was hard with the cold wind making my eyes water. My body started to tremble under the strain of moving.

Everyone was gone, even the people huddled around the fire. It was like a ghost town, just needed the tumbleweed. I guess I was the only idiot to come out of their home in this weather.

Geez, I’m smart.

I tried to turn back, but my body betrayed me and I fell my vision turning black.

Chapter 3

 

Chapter 3

It is cold. And very very dark.

I hug my arms to my chest shivering in my thin nightclothes. My bare feet scrunched up near my body trying not to freeze. No matter how long I stood there, the darkness didn’t let up. It was so dark it seemed to swallow up me. Only my shivering was the only movement that proved I had limbs. It was silent. Graveyards have nothing on this.

I almost smiled at my joke, but a whimper came out instead.

I was terrified.

I wasn’t going to mince my words, I was absolutely posolutely petrified. I was afraid to move, to breathe, to make any sound. Am I dead? Is this what dying felt like? I didn’t want to die. My breaths came out in desperate pants.

“Mom? Dad?” I asked into the void of black. My voice ragged.

A very faint. “Jax?” Hope bloomed in my chest.

I stood up on wobbling legs. “Mom! Dad!”

“Jackson. Is that you?” That was definitely my dad.

“Where are you?” I tried to move, but it seemed like my feet were frozen on the floor. I stare at the spot where I assume my feet are and try to move them. Nothing, it was as if someone glued them to the floor. Panic washed over me as I heard my name being called.

“Jax! Jackson! Jackson!” I try to cover my ears with my arms, but I couldn’t move them. I could only move my head, but no matter where I turned to, I couldn’t find my parents. Not even could I pinpoint where it was because every time they called my name, it seemed to echo and bounce around a million of times before reaching me. “Jax! Jax! Jax!”

Overwhelming helplessness bloomed in my chest as I struggled against my invisible bonds. I shut my eyes to stop the onslaught of tears that wanted to escape. “Jackson! Please Jackson!”

“Shut up!” I screamed.

“Please Jackson! Open your eyes!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. It hurt too much to hear their voice, but not being able to hug them, see them. “Shut up! Shut up.” I felt deflated. I was dead and this was my punishment. I was in hell. Might as well do as they say.

I opened my eyes. The light was blinding me and I groaned against it trying to move my hand to block out the bright light. I could not move my limbs, I felt so weak. I could only cause my fingers to twitch.

“Dim the lights. He’s waking.” I heard a voice say. Deep and masculine.

“Stacey, get the water.” The same voice said. Something cool was placed on my lips and I opened my lips drinking greedily of the refreshing liquid. It soothed my parched throat. I drank the whole glass and then someone placed another which I also finished.

“Jackson can you hear me. Move your ring finger for yes.” My fingers twitched again. “Good. Vey good.” I felt him touch my ungloved hand and a sense of power went through me, healing me, making me feel warm all over. I welcomed it and latched on his finger but he knocked my hand off.

He chuckles. “Okay, Jax. Don’t suck in all my powers. I’m still running low on trying to heal you.” I opened my eyes this time more easily with the dim lighting and the window covered by curtains. I saw a tall male with shoulder-length chestnut brown hair dressed in a gray button-down and black pants. His bright blue eyes stare at me in concern for me.

“What h-happened?” Everything was blurry. I remember snow, going to my house, then the weird dream. I wasn’t completely sure how I ended up here. How I ended up in a warm bed with the family friend I was going to visit in the first place. Did I make it to his home? Where is Sea? Is she okay? I suddenly tried to sit up in worry, but I was sent a splitting headache making me groan in pain.

“Don’t move too much. I don’t want you to get hurt again. Flailing around in your sleep and almost knocking yourself to the floor. I had to hold you down to make sure didn’t hit someone.” He grumbles under his breath but I knew he was worried. 

He holds my eye open as he shines a small handheld flashlight in my eye. “Everything seems to be working fine now. You’re going to be weak for the next few days and it will take an hour for your anesthetic to wear off. Don’t try to move or I will strap you to the bed.” He waggles his finger in front of me and I stare at it. “What were you thinking? Going out in the cold weather and falling asleep in the snow. If your dog didn’t come out and dragged you to the sidewalk, you could’ve died. Do you hear me?” I winced as he scolded me.

Then a hand smacked him in the shoulder. “Kayo, be quiet.” He looked like he wanted to argue, but she shushed him. “At least wait until the poor boy can talk right so you can give him a heart attack.” Her brown eyes looking apologetically at me. “Sweetie, you gave us quite a scare. Disappearing on us and we find you half dead in the snow.  What happened?” Her long blonde hair brushed over one shoulder in wavy thick locks reminding me of my Mother’s hair.

“Okay, I see how it is. You can ask questions but when I do it, it is a crime.” Kayo grumbled at her, folding his arms like a child. She glared at him and opened her mouth to argue, but I interrupted her.

“My d-dog. Where is S-Sea.” I stuttered trying not to panic. Is she hurt?

“Oh she’s fine. We had one of our nieces keeping tabs on you and she sensed you were in trouble. She tracked you where you were and we found you on the sidewalk with your dog laying on top of you. Was growling at anyone who tried to come near you. Super protective of you and only calmed down when we said your name. She also saved you. Without her body heat, you would’ve been a human popsicle.” She chuckled a little weakly in a grimace and put the hair in my face behind my ear.

“You had a case of hypothermia and you’re body temperature was extremely low. You were dehydrated and malnourished.”

Her expression became haunted and Stacey stroked my cheek. “We thought we lost you, honey.” Her eyes filled with pain.

I suddenly felt super guilty. I left them with no evidence that I was alive. Just two dead bodies of their best friends and a deep sense of worry for me. For all they know I could’ve been kidnapped by my parent’s murderer and left for dead.

I should have left a note or something to let them know I was okay. But, I wasn’t okay though. I was way too skinny from when I couldn’t eat and I had dark circles under my eyes from being unable to sleep. I had a scar on neck and shoulder and several scattered around my body from the power fights I would fight for money and a way to vent out the anger I felt for myself. My hair was too long and matted with dirt and grease.

I am definitely not okay.

I suddenly felt very self-conscious without my hoodie and gloves on. My cheeks pinked when I realized these were not my clothes. They undressed me. I was dressed in a thin T-shirt and some navy blue sweats. They dwarfed my tiny frame. I felt exposed and just wanted to be alone.

As if reading my thoughts, Kayo looked at me. “Well, we’re going to leave you for a little while. The kids really missed you and have been dying to see you. Dinner is in an hour and we can see about giving you a bath. Man, you smell like you went living with the pigs.” Stacey smacked him on the arm again and he looked at her sheepishly. “What! What did I say? We were all thinking it.” She looked at him exasperated.

“We’ll let you rest. If you need anything, just call us better yet me.” Kayo looked like he wanted to add something else, but Stacey shushed him and pushed him out the door before he could make any more crude comments.

Before she left she turned to me one more time. “We really missed you. We view you as a part of our family and hate to lose you.” Like we lost your parents. She didn’t say it, but the shock of losing my parents really hurt her. Now that I had a nice look at her, she looked more tired and wrinkles had shown up where it wasn’t before. With that she left pulling her husband in tow, who grumbled about chivalry being dead.

I closed my eyes and snuggled into my warm bed. I pulled two pillows on either side of me and tuck them in beside me. Perfect. I suddenly felt so tired. All those sleepless nights were catching up to me and I felt so tired of everything. The instance I rested my eyes I went into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 4

 

Chapter 4

I woke up to someone poking my cheek. “Are you awake yet?” I am now, I thought grumpily, maybe if I ignore him he will go away.

“Anza, I think he is dead” he whispered to his twin.

“No he’s not, Bobbi. Dad said he might look like it, but he promised he wasn’t.” I mentally roll my eyes. Of course Kayo would tell five year olds that. Then Anza proceeded to tug on my ears. “Wake up.” she yelled in my ear making me open one eye to glare at her.

They gave me identical innocent smiles that made it hard to stay mad at. They inherited their mom’s chocolate brown eyes that could make anyone like putty in their hands if they give you puppy eyes and dark brown hair streaked with blond highlights. While Anza, short for Esperanza, had wavy long hair down to her waist, Bobbi, real name Robin, had his curly in an adorable little afro. They didn’t have their powers, but I was dreading the day they do. Knowing them they would use it to pull even more pranks on us and make it harder to keep track of them. They also inherited their father’s mischievous nature. 

“See I told you he wasn’t dead.” Anza said to Bobbi. Bobbi stuck his tongue out at her. Before I could even open my mouth to ask her why she woke me up, I just saw a blur of fur come towards. Sea tackled me so hard I fell of the bed with a groan from me. She ignored it as went to lick my face as I struggled to get her off me. Every time I managed to push her off she just weaseled out of my grip to sniff me everywhere to make sure I was okay making me laugh at her.

“Girl, I’m fine. Though you may have bruised a rib.” Her tail went in between her legs in shame and her head bowed down for a second before she jumped on the bed to sniff at Anza making her laugh and shriek when Sea pressed her wet muzzle to her cheek. Bobbi pushed her fluffy tail away from him that was smacking him in the face every time she wagged her tail.

I laughed at the two, until I saw a figure leaning on the doorframe, looking at me. As soon as she saw me looking at her and she immediately left down the hallway while I tried to stand up to follow her.

“Savannah, Wait!” I tried to get her to stop but Sea decided it was a good time to stand in front of me and I tripped over her, falling face first into the carpet. I heard a door slam shut and I groaned glaring at Sea who licked my cheek apologetically as I tried to get off the carpet while the twins giggled behind me.

Why did she not want to see me?

Wasn’t she worried about me?

I couldn’t help but feel hurt. Savannah was the niece of Kayo and Stacey. Kayo was her uncle and the twins were her little cousins, but she treated them like her siblings. Her parents travelled a lot so she stayed with them. She was also my best friend. We were inseparable since we first met which was when we were both one. She was actually older by two months, a fact she would love to flaunt in my face.

We were always hanging out with each other, getting in trouble with each other, fight each other, comforting each other, training together. When she got her powers at age six and I still haven’t gotten it, she would show me all she could do just so I wouldn’t feel left out.

Savannah was like a human bloodhound.  She could find anybody and pinpoint their location. She could also teleport to the person or somewhere she could see, she would include me in everything and when I had discovered my powers, she never spat at me.

But now she didn’t want to see me and my heart broke at that. What did I do?

Suddenly feeling a need to be alone, I jumped on the bed and put my body under the covers fighting an urge to groan. My headache has returned and I was hungry. As if to remind me, my stomach growled. Even though the thought of food churned my stomach and made we want to vomit, but obviously my stomach didn’t get the memo.

Bobbi giggled obviously hearing my stomach growling and bouncing on my back, but Anza pushed him off. “Come on, let’s tell Mama that were hungry.”

I sigh in relief when they left, but Sea unfortunately left with them. “Traitor.” I mumble under my breath and bury my head in the pillow.

There was a knock on the door. “Pumpkin?”

“Mph?” I mumbled under the blankets.

“Do you want to come and eat? You should be able to walk.” I push the covers and try to stand and to my pleasant surprise, I didn’t wobble or fall over. I sit down again and look at Stacey in the same doorway Savannah was mere minutes ago.

“Why does she hate me?” I look down in my lap, my fingers playing with the hem of my oversized shirt.

Stacey put her arm around my shoulder and cradles my head to her making me hear her heartbeat, the same way she used to do when I was little, but I didn’t mind. “Oh sweetie, she doesn’t hate you. When we thought you were dead and she took it harder than the rest of us. Just give her time.”

I lift my head to look up at her. What do I say? I’m sorry for running away when my parents died and trying to struggle with the pain almost running myself in the ground in the process. Sorry for not contacting them sooner to make sure I was alright. Sorry for abandoning them. Do I explain how I was afraid my parent’s murderer would come back for them? How I was afraid to be alone so I didn’t want them dead, too?

Stacey smacked me in the arm distracting me from my thought. “Oh, stop that. After dinner we will discuss what happened to you the past three months and talk then. And don’t be so hard on Savannah, she just needs more time.” She assures me. I kind of understood. Savannah had always been sensitive and always protecting me. The fact that I hurt her by not thinking about her and she was just worried. It would crush her to know what I have been doing these past months. I did understand why she would avoid me. She was afraid I would leave again.

God knows how many times I had thought their deaths were some nightmare and I kept waking up knowing that it wasn’t. I avoided sleeping because my dreams were infested with them and I hoped it wasn’t a mirage, but when I woke up that hoped was crushed over and over and over again. I understood, but I wasn’t going anywhere, not this time.

I nodded at her she helped me up, but I didn’t need it. I just wanted to hug her close to me. Maybe because she reminded me of my mom. They were about the same height with long blonde hair, my mom’s hair had been a few shades lighter and curly. They had similar personalities and could easily be mistaken for family.

She left me and pointed towards the bathroom. “You can take a shower and wash up. The clothes for you to wear should be on the hamper. Then come down to eat.” I nod at her and enter the bathroom.

I stripped quickly out of the clothes and step into the shower. When I turn on the hot water it comes out cold, but I relish the feeling of running water. The only water I could have was the ice cold rain and I almost died of hypothermia.

I rubbed the nice clean soap over my body and watching my clear olive skin come in view. I saw the dirt wash out and make brown swirl before draining in the drain. I sniffed the shampoo bottle scent and poured it over my auburn hair making it smell like vanilla. I massaged my scalp with the liquid and poured conditioner after rinsing off the shampoo. I stayed in the hot water a good deal after I had rinsed everything out.

It just felt so good. To be absolutely clean and refreshed after so long. I felt pure and it was strange how a small thing could make me so happy. Six months ago and I wouldn’t make such a big deal of it, but I couldn’t help it. I had been in the gutter for the past few months and struggling to live. Now I felt like my old self. Like all that happened before was a bad dream, a mere hallucination.

I jumped out and grabbed a towel as I dried myself. I caught a glance at the mirror and winced. I looked horrible. No wonder Bobbi thought I was dead, I looked like a corpse. My eyes were sunken in with horrible black bags at the end. My normally bright green eyes were dark and had a haunted look. My hair was wet from the shower and too long, just past my shoulders. I look down at my finger nails. Jagged and dirty. I see past my fingers and eye the scissors on the counter.

I grab a handful of my wet hair and cut right up to the nape of my neck. The strands falling to the floor making a puddle of hair at my feet. I snip at my bangs so they’re no longer in my eyes and make sure they are all even. I cleaned up the hair on the floor and put them in the trashcan. I take a razor and shave the extra stubble careful not to cut myself. Taking a new toothbrush out of the package and grabbing the spearmint toothpaste, I brush my teeth to a point where I was brushing m gums. I gurgle some mouthwash in my mouth and stay there for a few minutes. I showed my teeth in the mirror feeling satisfied.

I dropped my towel revealing my bony figure. I could count my ribs easily and I finger the new scars that were present on my body. I shake my head and dress quickly. My shorts fit a little better, but only because the shorts had a drawstring to it.  I shrug on the hoodie that made me look any smaller.

I always hated being short and small. Granted I was considered average, at 5 feet 8 inches, but my dad was a whopping 6 feet 5 inches. He was buff too and handsome. I inherited my mom’s slim figure, short height, and green eyes. The only thing I got from my dad was my hair which I hated. The color was a dark auburn and was thick, which was hard to deal with. It doesn’t have the thin soft curls that my mother had.

 I had feminine features too. Soft pink plump lips and big eyes framed by dark ling eyelashes. A short stubby nose and high cheekbones. I had a big butt that Savannah always teased me about and I felt like no one took me seriously. No one woud be intimidated by little old me. But sometimes it was fun to see the look of shock on people’s faces when I kicked their butt.

I almost smile at the amount of times that had worked in my advantage. How my opponent would let their guard down when they see me and I take the opportunity to send a punch in their face.

I take one more look in the mirror and get out of the bathroom. I head towards the dining room where delicious smells were coming from. I rub my stomach hungrily as I walk. My smile fades as I near Savannah’s door.

Should I knock? Stacey said to just giver her time. Does that mean she has to come to me or I just ask to talk? I didn’t know. What if she got mad at me? Or worse, I made her cry. I wouldn’t know what to do. In the past I would just hug her, but would she not want me to touch her?

All the questions swirled in my brain, causing my head to hurt. I didn’t even notice the door had happened to open until a creak resounded. I snapped my green eyes to her clear skyblue eyes that were watching me with a blank expression.

I gulped. Oh god what do I do?

Chapter 5

 

Chapter 5

“Um, hello?” I accidently stated it as a question and I feel heat creep up to my face. I rub the back of my neck nervously as I look at Savannah.

Her blonde hair was longer, almost reaching her waist curling slightly at the tips. Her bangs framed her face in a slant. She was wearing a I hate Mondays t-shirt that was baggy, but you could easily tell she had some muscle on her and she was made of lean muscles like a dancer.  Her blue eyes were staring at me intensely and I look away quickly.

God, she is beautiful.

Stop staring! I plead with her silently as my blush spread to the tips of my ears.

What do I say to her? I panic slightly. I hadn’t gotten this far. I had honestly thought either she wasn’t going to open or I wasn’t going to knock.

I put my hands in my hoodie pockets and try not to meet her eyes, looking everywhere else as if someone can come and help or just dig me a ditch so I could die.

“Savannah, I…well, I mean…I had…I’m sorry.” I tense slightly. I expected her to slap me or grab my ear while scolding me. I was not afraid of her in the least, but even I knew to stear clear of her when she was angry. Which wasn’t an easy feat because she could find me if she wanted to just by picking on my scent.

Needless to say, it was impossible to play hide and seek with her unless I’m IT.

I cringed when she lifted her hand, but instead of hitting me like I expected, she grabbed my arm and wrapped her arms around me tightly. “I missed you so much Jackson.” She says near my ear, her hot breath making the hairs stand on the end.

Her natural scent of earth and rain mixed with her vanilla perfume made me not wanting to let her go. I almost sigh in relief of the familiar scent. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed her. Missed everybody really. I hadn’t really thought how me leaving would affect them. How much I hurt them.

Wow. I was a self-centered jerk.

I almost sob in relief to have my best friend back. I know she hadn’t forgiven me. Heck, I wouldn’t forgive me, but I hope she does. “Me, too Savannah. I’m so so sorry.” My voice strained and if possible she held me tighter.

It took everything in me to pull back from her. I immediately missed her warmth and comfort she emitted. My body screamed at me to hug her again, but I knew she needed time.

I looked at her face that seemed torn between crying in pain or laughing in hysteria. Her eyes shiny with unshed tears. I could imagine I looked similar. I didn’t know what to say or how to start or how my tongue even worked. We just stared at each other in silence.

Blues to my Greens.

I unknowingly leaned in closer as she did too. We were real close, outrageously so, too close for my comfort, but neither of us moved away from each other. The electricity between us caused me to pull myself towards, totally defenseless.

So close. I look at her lips that were warm, pink and inviting. I wanted to taste them, I was almost scared of my thoughts, but I couldn’t move away even as my brain told me to in urgency.

“Are you coming?” we both jumped away from each other to Stacey looking at us in amusement and curiosity. She looked at both of us as if making sure we were alright. I nodded at her and she clapped her hands together. “Well come, come then. You can talk after dinner. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

We both nodded again as if we have lost our voices. I was in shock at myself. How could I do that? If Stacey hadn’t interrupted us, what would we have done? I knew what and it sent a shiver down my spine.

Stacey looks at us one more time in suspicion. But didn’t comment on it to my utter relief. Instead she led us to to the kitchen. There were various vases filled with unique flowers. Lilies, roses, orchid, periwinkle and many others I couldn’t hope to know. All of them seemed to brighten and follow the movement of us or more specifically Stacey.  She seemed calmer too more at peace. I knew it was because her ability.

I didn’t really know how to explain it. To put it simply, she had a connection with plants. She was almost always spending time outside and she couldn’t stand being inside for long periods of time, especially in sunny weather. She could accelerate their growth and summon them to her will.

Right now, I could practically see them stretching their stems and leave to be nearer to her like a moth to a flame. She smiled at them knowingly and they shimmered as if they were smiling and laughing back.

A small pang of jealously went through me. I sobered instantly and the small happiness I felt was smothered, but I pushed the unwanted feeling away. I had no need to be jealous at her power. Her power was good and pure, while mine could hurt people if I wasn’t careful, if I didn’t control it. I was meant to destroy people’s power, absorb the energy like a sponge and if I kept absorbing them I could permanently suck in someone’s power.

Destroyed forever. Never to return. Never again being able to have superhuman abilities. Almost defenseless. I could never wish that to anyone, even my enemies.

Well…maybe one.

My expression darkens, but I push it down to keep my expression stoic. I wasn’t going to ruin the moment with my thoughts of vengeance.

The smells from the kitchen ferment the rest of the house in smells of stew, warm bread, and if I wasn’t mistaken pie. My mouth waters from the smells that reached my happy nose. My stomach grumbles hungrily and for the first in months, I actually wanted to eat.

Kayo has already sat down at the head of the table as the twins had chicken nuggets which they happily munched on. Stacey sat next to her husband and gestured for me to sit next to her which I did. Savannah sat next to me and goosebumps spread on my arms at her close proximity, her vanilla perfume permeating my senses.

Stacey served our stew into our bowls. As she served me, she touched my hand again before turning to serve Savannah. I noticed she did that a lot as if she couldn’t believe I was here. My chest twisted at that.

I slurped the stew in my mouth. I almost moaned at the perfectly warm liquid with a sour and spicy tang. I closed my eyes in bliss in feeling it go down my throat and down to my hungry stomach that cramped slightly at the food after so long.

I opened my eyes to see Savannah looking at me strangley. My stomach twist at that, but this time because of Savannah. I didn’t want her to know I practically starved myself. It will just cause her more pain and look at me with pity.

I hated pity

Never helped me before, never saved me. People trying to giv me money, food, even a place to sleep just becausethey felt sorry for me. Because they thought I couldn’t get it myself. That I was broken.

I wasn’t broken.

And if Savannah looked at me like that. I couldn’t, no wouldn’t stand for it. I couldn’t tell tham the truth. Couldn’t tell them what happened to me, what I had to do to survive. It will crush them. Hurt them.

As I at the rest of the stew, I constructed a story. By the time I had finished, I came to a conclusion.

I was going to tell them I was kidnapped by my parent’s murderer.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“What happened, Jax?” Kayo asked me, looking me square in the eyes as he stopped eating his pie to wait for my response. I could sense Stacey wanted to wait to ask me, maybe in private. We were in the living room and the twins were playing with their toys on the floor, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere.  

I almost cringe at the same nickname my parents used to call me. I hadn’t been called Jax in all the months I spent alone. Just Jackson. I wanted to tell them not to call me Jax but I knew that would get a suspicious reaction from them.

“Jax?” This time from savannah who was looking at me in worry.

The million dollar question. What happened to me? Why did I look like crap? Like a corpse? It couldn’t possibly be my doing.

I swallow at my suddenly dry throat. I grab my drink and poor the cold liquid in my throat. As if sensing my nervousness, Sea came over and rubbed my leg and sat at my feet putting her head in my lap. I stroked her soft fur and told the story I had made up in my mind.

“After my parents were…gone. He took me away from the home. I don’t know where we went, because they had me blindfolded. They had me in an underground cell where I was kept there as a captive for months. He never came back, just had his lackeys guard me and give me food and make sure I didn’t escape or die. I think they were ordered to keep me alive and not to talk to me.” I didn’t look up the entire time I spoke, just ran small circle into Sea’s hair. I hoped they would believe me. This was mild compared to the truth. One that I will never tell.

“How did you escape?” It was Stacey this time that asked. I look up to her and see the twins had gone, probably upstairs.

I continue in my monotone tone of voice. “I didn’t, not really. One night, there was an explosion close by, probably an enemy or a raid, I don’t know. Some men came into my room and took me as well as a group of others. They told us to run away and go far away before they come back. We all ran and went to a nearby town. From there I sold my gold watch to get someone to get transported to here.” I had actually had my watch stolen from me one night when I had to sleep in an alley, but again, I couldn’t tell them that. Savannah was still looking at me suspicoulsly like she wasn’t sure if I was lying or not. I hoped she didn’t voice her thoughts.

Kayo spoke up again. “Do you remember anything about him. Hair color? Eye color? Accent? Anything?”

My mind flashes to the day he came in. A normal day, a seemingly random day. I remember hearing my mother scream words that were beyond recognition. I remember scream my dads name as I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. I stop at the scene downstairs. My mom sobbing and cradling a body, my dad’s dead body. I remember trying to do something, anything to save both of them.

I was helpless.

I was helpless to protect my mom as someone shot her in the head causing her to fall down in my dad’s own blood.

Right. In. Front. Me.

I was right there, but I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t save her. I kept trying and trying to shake her as fi I was trying to wake her up.

But it was no nightmare.

I remember looking up to hear chuckling. A tall man wearing a navy blue suit as if this was a special occasion or a formal party. His blonde hair slicked back and Green eyes flashing wickedly at me and a giddy expression on his face like kid at Christmas. I remember him being so happy. Like this was the greatest moment of his laugh.

I remember him stooping down to my level making his back leather shoes creak. I remember him wiping the tears off my cheek with a baby blue handkerchief and stroking my hair. When he drew his hand back I saw a ring on his middle finger. It was like a white donut with the center cut out.

 I remember not being able in move in shock as he said, “Don’t cry, muchacho. El puta got what she deserved.”

I remember glaring at him and yelling words at him and trying to make him hurt as much as he deserved. I remember trying to absorb his powers, but it seemed as if he had none making me gasp quietly.

He had chuckled at my expression like he could think of nothing better. “You’re so much like her. You have the same fiery spirit. I just hope you don’t make the same bad decisions.” He was insane, a psychopath, one that killed innocent people and laughed in the face of their traumatized sons and daughters.

I remember growing angry at him and started to hit him, but he swiftly moved into the shadows and as I kept trying to find him and kill him, he would laugh. Almost as if he was amused by me. Like we were playing a game of tag or hide and seek.

I never caught him. I remember going into the living room and staring at their dead bodies, the scent of blood and death thick causing me to throw up, adding that bad smell into the air. I couldn’t move at all I just sat there on the chair staring at their bodies. I was waiting for them to move, to jump up and say april fools or maybe I was waiting for him to finish me off as well or waiting to wake up. I don’t know what but I waited until morning.

Then I couldn’t stand the sight anymore. Couldn’t stare at their pale skin, black beady eyes, blood covered bodies any longer.

I grabbed a pack and started stuffing it with clothes, food, things I would need to be able to leave and not come back. I didn’t want him to follow me and kill everybody I loved.

I was going to find him and kill him. And he is going to wish I had caught him today.

I left them alone. My parents. My wonderful amazing family that deserve the world, but they never deserved to die like that. They were good, maybe the last good people in this world and now they are gone. Killed.

Someone touches my hand making me flinch. “Jax?” I look up to see them looking at me in concern. “Jax, are you alright?”

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t alright. “We need to get you to bed. You haven’t really had time to sleep and here we are asking you questions.” I felt numb and limp. Everything was crashing down at me all at once. I felt like Atlas holding up the sky. The strain was unbearable. I try to stand, but my legs wobbled and Savannah and Kayo went on either side of me trying to help me up which was an easy feat considering my loss in weight.

I was too tired to care that they could feel my ribs from underneath my shirt. I look down at myself and I could swear I could see blood on my clothes before I blinked and it was gone. I swear I could still hear my mom’s scream and his laugh. His laugh that mocked me. His laugh that viewed me as insignificant, underneath him.

I close my eyes to get rid of the visions, but that only made it more vivid. My body started to tremble and when I opened my eyes my vision was flickering on and off. My breaths became more erratic and I felt a scream bubbling up my throat.

I felt their blood on my skin like acid. On my arms and legs and chest. I tried to get rid of it, but my hands felt restrained and sluggish. I remember their dead lifeless bodies staring at me with black beady eyes. I clutch my head and scream to get rid of the image and back away from them.

I open my eyes and suddenly I’m back home in my living room. There he is in his navy blue suit grinnig at me, but he is not alone this time. “Grab him. Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.” He says to his two other lackeys. It was exactly like except this time he wasn’t laughing at me. He was smirking and trying to reach me. Oh god he’s going to kill me. He’s found me again and he’s going to kill me.

What if he already found Savannah, Kayo, Stacey and the twins? Oh God, are they already dead?

That sent ice cold fear in my veins and I feel bile bubble up my throat. I thrash in panic and try to get away yelling obscenities at him but he keeps coming towards me unintimidated. His green eyes glint as he see me struggle. I try to run but I was backed into a corner and I screamed again covering my face with my arms.

I feel a pinch on my arm and everything becomes black. A final thought went passed my mind before I was completely engulfed in the darkness

I’m not alright

 

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I was always dreaming.

I used to dream about seeing my family again.

My mom’s laugh and my dad’s smile. The way they would dance together to some song any day. My dad teaching me something from his books and my mom singing a tune. How me and my dad would join in and she grimaces at our singing voice. She always had the most beautiful voice. I swear even the angels envied it.

Not only my parents, but also Kayo and Stacey’s family. I would imagine what they were doing, how they were doing, did they miss me? They might as well been family as they practically raised me with my parents.

When the twins birthday passed when I was away, I cried. I actually cried. I cried for not being able to see them when they turned five. I cried for not being able to give them their presents. For not being able to hold them and stuff our faces in cake.

I dreamed of Savannah. I wondered if I would ever see her again. To hear her sweet voice again or see her beautiful blue eyes looking at me. Whenever I dreamed of her, she was laughing at me or running away from me and laughing. She looked so happy. Content. I wondered if I would ever see her smile at me again.

I would imagine Kayo telling me jokes and Stacey showing me different plants. Kayo helping me pull pranks on his niece. Stacey helping me tend to my mother’s garden and teaching me how to cook.

I would do anything for them. Anything to make them happy, safe, and content.

And I hurt them. I would see the pained expressions they would try to conceal when I was around them. Like I was everything they were trying to forget. Like I was everything they were grieving over.

When they saw me, they didn’t see just Jackson, but also the whole Faye family. They would see my mom in my green eyes and my dad in my hair. In all my quirks and habit, they would see them.

Us.

All of us. I had in a way died with them. I was a hollow shell of what I used to be. I no longer laughed easily. No longer my happy self. I was sad and depressing and the worst part is the lie I told them. They think it is all because of him. All because of my parent’s murderer. Because he held me hostage and damaged me. He had starved. He caused the scars on my body. He made me have panic attacks and nightmares.

When in truth, I had done this to myself. It was all my fault. I didn’t protect them. I didn’t fight hard enough to save them. I had run away and abandoned them.

And I hate myself for it.

Some days I had just wished someone would kill me. That someone would have mercy on my poor soul and kill me. I was hoping my body would give up. That if I didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, din’t take care of myself, I would die eventually. I couldn’t do it myself.

I was a coward.

I wanted to suffer. I wanted to suffer like my parents did. I wouldn’t give me the mercy of a quick death. I didn’t deserve that.

I never wanted Kayo’s family to see me like this. I was planning to talk to Kayo privately and just tell him I was alive then leave. I was such a fool. How could I ever expect him to let me leave? I don’t know what I was thinking.

I shouldn’t be here. I was tainting them.

And I just made it worse. I had a panic attack in front of them. Now they could see how broken I truly was. I could see they’re guilt. Im not sure what theyre guilty about, but I hate it. Ever since that day, they have been walking eggshells around like I could explode if they make a single sound.

Like I would break down again.

Kayo just comes in to check on my health. I could sense he was uncomfortable. He wouldn’t look me in the eye and would smile a fake smile when he said I was alright. We both knew it was a boldfaced lie.

Stacey would come in with soup and rearrange the washcloth on my head. She kept fussing over me and asking questions, which I wouldn’t answer. She eventually stopped asking them. She just came to get the dishes and give me water for me and sea, as she had never left my bedside. She only left to do her business or eat the scraps Stacey left her.

I spent the whole day in bed either sleeping or pretending to be asleep. I watched the sun rise and eventually set before the night came from inside the little bedroom. It was only after Savannah visited the next day is when I actually talked.

“Sav-vannah?” My voice hoarse and I gulp the water.

She strokes my hair away from my face with an unreadable expression. “We’re sorry, no. I’m sorry” She says before I can say anything.

I look at her in confusion. “What?” I should be apologizing for not being able to control myself. For letting them see that part of me I would try to hide. For making them more guilty. I knew they were good people and seeing how much the past few months had affected me had affected them.

“I’m sorry.” She says looking in my eyes. “You weren’t ready to talk and we pushed for it. We shouldn’t have done that. Obviously the experience was traumatizing and we caused you to talk about it.” For a second I was confused, then I remember what I told them. Oh right. They thought being held hostage caused this.

“No.” I sat up. “I’m sorry.” It was her time to look confused. “I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

She looked hurt. “Why wouldn’t you want to see you like that? We care about you and we want to help you.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m beyond help.” I didn’t mean to sound so pessimistic. I was just telling her what I honestly felt. I felt horrible, but I deserve it.

She hugged me and her vanilla scent invaded my senses. She shook her head. “Don’t say that. Everybody can be helped.” She sounded determined and I that sent a warm feeling in my stomach. Someone actually cared.

I open my eyes and see a red bird staring at me with eerie orange gold eyes. I recognized it instantly and anticipation filled me, but I needed to get rid of Savannah. She couldn’t know what I was planning. I know she would try to stop me.

“Yeah okay. Ill try to be more open with you guys. Actually I really want to get out of the house. Can I walk Sea?” I say trying to appear innocent.

She narrows her eyes at me. “It would really help me to get some exercise and fresh air.” I add quickly, hoping she would allow me. I could always sneak out and mask myself to her powers so she cant find me, but it would be easier if she wasn’t suspicious. Sea is already wagging her ail and out the door.

I gesture towards her wagging her tail in excitement, like to say see. “Ok, but I’m coming with you.” My stomach drops.

“No, its fine. I really want to do this alone.”

I could tell she was getting suspicious and I think fast. “I just want to buy the twins a birthday present because I missed theirs.”

Then she stood me up with my arm linked with hers. “Then I can help you. You’re not getting rid of me. You are still be weak and you might get lost.” Man, she’s stubborn. I felt fine, but I had a feeling she wanted to come to make sure I didn’t run away. That distrust hurt but I squashed it down. I wouldn’t trust myself.

“Ok, fine. Just let me get dressed. In my pack, there is a leash for Sea.” I grab my pack and thrust it in her arms and push her out the door. “Ill meet you outside.” And I close and lock the door before she could protest.

I breathed a sigh of relief at finally be alone. I open the window and the bird immediately swooped in and went to my arm. I unclasp the mini collar and took the small slip of paper that was imbedded there. My breath catches at the message.

SHIPMENT IS IN

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was so good to be outside again. Granted it wasn’t the most prettiest of sights, with grey polluted clouds and trash-filled streets, but I was so used to being outside that it felt weird to be inside for so long. It felt like weeks since I’ve been outside, but I knew it was only 48 hours.

 

I was breathing deeply and smiling again despite my best efforts to keep my face nuetral. Sea appeared to be happier as well. Her tongue was hanging out and she was panting with me.  Savannah was quiet next to me, lost in her thoughts, staring at the ground in silence. I let her be. I kind of wanted to ask her what was on her mind, but I had a feeling I didn’t want to know.

 

We ended up in the shopping district of the city. Since the Eclipse, everyone had clustered in the cities, wanted to be protected in the numbers. Resulting from this, we had a vast ethnic diversity. White, blacks, Indian, Greeks, Italians, and Spanish all walking side by side. Big and small all near the busy shops, walking on the promenade, and eating together. It was like a big mixing pot of culture.

 

I shifted when Savannah put her slender arm around my waist. I jerk my head at her and she smiles wide. “Come on. I know exactly where to go.” She pulls me to god knows where. But I knew she could drag me anywhere and I wouldn’t have complained, as long as she was there and wanted to go there.

 

We ended up at a general store. Stuffed full of potential buyers and shoppers. I kept walking hoping we weren't going to go in there, but of course she dragged me inside. Sea didn't share my discomfort as she happily pulled on my hand holding her leash.

 

"Traitor." I grumble at her, but she either didn't hear me or was ignoring me, because she kept pulling at my hand to the heart of the crowd. Why or why couldn't I think of a better lie. Like I wanted to go to the park? Like I needed to get a new comic book that came out? Jesus Christ, I could have said I wanted to go skinny dipping and I would have enjoyed that more than being in close proximity to a group of busy shoppers.

 

Even worse, I could feel their energies rising off them in waves. Most of them were pretty weak, but there was a handful of them who gave me goosebumps from the amount of power emanating from them. I could feel my hands tingling and my mouth water from wanting to get their powers, but I reign in the feeling. I had to control my inner power-hungry beast before it became too strong for me.

 

I rub my bare hands self-consciously. Again I had forgotten to wear them in my haste to get ready, but I had thankfully chosen a long sleeved shirt that I pulled on the sleeves to cover most of my hands.  Savannah didn't notice as she led me to the section of toys.

 

 "Is it always this busy?" I ask as I bump into another customer for the umpteenth time. "WE should come back later, it's going to rain soon anyway."

 

"Aww, are you afraid of getting wet?" Savannah teased and I gave her a droll stare which she laughed at. "No, just saying we can come back later." Savannah just went straight ahead and bumped a few people back, earning dirty looks. She ignored them as she pulled me with her. "Sure, but no, it is just getting near the holidays. Everybody wants to make last second revisions" 

 

I frowned confused. It's not near Christmas, Easter, Halloween, or thanksgiving. "Presidents day?" She laughed at me and I froze in surprise. I hadn't meant it as a joke, but if it made her happy, I didn't mind. "No, I don't think we have celebrated them, since they are either dead or in Elysium." She said referring where the island where all the important people had abandoned us and ran scared.

 

Savannah must have seen my still-confusion because she relented. "Eclipse day, silly." I almost groaned aloud. It was a holiday that was made a few years after the eclipse that ruined everything and gave everyone powers. It was a day where everyone spent the night outside until midnight to mark another year that we had survived with our abilities. Like we had be grateful or something. It was like New year's day but more popular. Despite my negative views on the Eclipse, I still celebrated it like everybody else.

 

Someone elbowed me in the back and I stumbled causing Sea to growl. I hold onto her collar, not wanting her o attack someone. I could sense the person was still standing there, so I turn around. He towered over me, his black hair in long locks down his back. His menacing eerie purple eyes glower down at me. His too tight shirt revealed bulging muscles. He was huge, but I didn't allow myself to become intimidated. "What's your problem?"

 

The giant narrows his eyes at me. "This is a fancy establishment. No mutts allowed." He sneers in my face. Sea growls at him. I narrow my eyes at him. I look at the grease-stained chipped cement floors and the green faded walls. This place was nowhere near to being fancy. And how dare he call Sea a mutt? "She's not bothering anyone, if anything you should be kicked out." I tell him boldly. Nobody insults my family.

 

He grabs me by my collar and yanks me out of Savannah's hold. I snarl at him when he drags me none too kindly out of the store. When his fingers touched my neck, I couldn't stop the rush of power that went through me making me a light headed. I suppress a smirk at him at the feel of electricity pulsing through me, boiling my blood. Electricity, not bad. He must be high up on the rank to have this much power.

 

He stops just before the door. "You seem to misunderstand me, mutt, I meant you." With that he pushes me out the door and I land hard on my shoulder that hit the asphalt. I hiss at him as I try to stand with a dislocated shoulder.  I feel anger at my helplessness course through me and I push myself on my feet quickly despite the pain. I concentrate the electricity through my body, like water on a rapid river, and to my fingertips as I blast him in the chest. He doesn't appear particular as stunned or surprised at all as, which is curious enough, but I used that one second to blast him in the face, but he dodges it and runs towards me.

 

I knew he was by far way more powerful than me, So I knew I needed to make him use his energy attacking me and when he was tired, I would go in an attack. I took one of several knives I had hidden in my boot and aimed it at his leg to speed up the process, but what he did next was surprising.

 

He used his electricity to make a force field of some sorts so my knife bounced off it and clattered on to the ground. I look at my blackened knife on the ground and look at the purple electricity spinning around him. He smirks again, his purple eyes flashing, with him looking smug. I bristle. What a cocky arrogant baster he is. I will enjoy putting him down when I beat him. See how much he smirks then.

 

I see an equally as stunned Savannah and a snarling Sea coming at my opponent and I blast the wooden crates so it fell down and blocked their paths. Savannah starts yelling at me and him. "Leave him alone!!" and tries to climb over, but I yell. "Stay back!!" I couldn't let them get hurt. "Go home. Please." I add. Savannah looks reluctant, glancing from me to him and back again before she nods and disappears into the store.

 

The giant smirks at me. "You're pretty protective over her. I mean I don't blame her, she's hot." I snarl at him and his smirks widen. He's baiting me, I realize. "Who are you, you creep? A bastard with no life so you have to resort to picking on people smaller on you to feel useful." His amusement ends and irritation takes its place.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I not introduce myself?" He bats his eyelashes in mock innocence, which did not look good on him. At all. "The names Buzz. And I know all about your skills in fighting, Jackson Faye." Ice cold ice went through me, but before I could react Buzz swings his leg knocking my feet out from under and I land on my back, forcing the breath out of me.

 

I direct the electricity to my fingertips and  send a blue pulse out. He gasps and stumbled back from the force and I flip myself onto my feet. I see him preparing to blast me so I back flip and purple electricity soars above my head two inches away from my face. So close, another few inches and I would have been toast. I take another knife and flick  it towards him to get him in the neck, but he moves causing it to nestle into his arm. Blood immediately oozes out of his arm, but he doesn't react at all except for groan as he rips out the knife. What the heck? Does he not feel pain at all?

 

I force the electricity into my palms creating a ball of electricity and sent it to his stomach, but he puts up the force field again deflecting it. He glances at the sky. Buzz blasted me another bolt of purple electricity and I jump out of the way. But it was too late and a searing pain went up my foot. I cry out in pain and grab my blistering foot.

 

This is not working. He is obviously more trained in his abilities and anything I will do he will parry it and destroy me. I need to find a chink his armor, his weakness. I stand up putting most of my weight on my right leg and I put my own force field up.

 

Buzz is looking up at the sky again. Why is he looking up there? I look up too and see gray clouds indicating it was going to rain again. Is he afraid of water? Or maybe it's his weakness? I smirk. It's worth a try. But it will probably not rain for another ten minutes and I can't keep fighting like this or keep this force field. It was taking a great deal of my energy to keep it up. I look around and my smirk widens. Oh this is going to be fun.

 

I create another ball of electricity and Buzz tenses to prepare for another attack. I try to jump on the ball, but it slips under my feet and slams into the wall, creating a black circle on the brick. I sigh and place another ball at my feet and manage to jump on it before it takes up. It was like it has a mind of its own and I could barely control it as I created a path of static energy for the ball to follow. The wind rushed by rustling my hair and I could say I actually enjoyed it.  I laugh at the shocked expression on Buzz's as I head straight towards him. He tries to blast me, but I move the ball swiftly avoiding it. I grab two knives and throw them, pinning both of his sleeves to the brick wall behind him. Bulls eye! He's trapped.

 

He tries to struggle but it was stuck too deep and I knew his electrical energy consumption was draining him, plus his arm that was still bleeding, but I notice it had reduced somewhat. Could he heal himself using the electricity? Buzz tensed when he saw me getting closer, but at the last second I veered to the left and grabbed a bucket that was filled with dirty water. With some difficulty I grab and limp over to him.  I douse him head to toe and the smell hit me first. Man, that smells like it came from the sewer. His nose wrinkled up from the rancid smell permeating the air. "Think thats going to stop me. You fool." He tries to blast me, but it spirals out of control, missing me and hitting a puddle at the ground between us.

 

His eyes widen as he tries to create a force field but it weakly starts, but dies. Buzz starts breathing ragged as he tries again but it sputters to the ground in harmless embers. I could see the force of using his electricity was now paining him so much that he couldn't do it. His arms were shaking from exertion and I almost felt bad for him.

 

I smirk at him struggling to free himself from my knives and defend himself. "What's wrong, Buzz. Afraid of a little water?" I try to stand, but I decide against it when the pain nearly sent me down on my knees. But, can I? I divert the energy to my foot and the pain dulled greatly before disappearing completely. This has to be one of the better powers I have ever tried before.

 

I stand and get into his face. With great irritation I still saw that stupid smirk on his face. "Who are you and why did you come after me?" I yell in his face. I see a blur and he punches me in the side. I stumble back in pain. It hurt to even breathe and  know he must have bruised it. I hope it's not broken.

 

He went to wrestle the knife that was pinned in his sleeve free, but I grabbed his wrist and snappped it. He screamed cradling his wrist to his chest and I holding it to his chest. I get into his face and we stare at eachother. His purple eyes glaring down at me and me staring up at him just as defiantly. Maybe I do have a death wish. Maybe I don't know when to stop. I just couldn't let him win.

 

"You think this is going to stop me." I dont say anything to him. "Maybe I will come back when you least expect it. Next time I won't let that pretty little thing go and kill that barking mongrel." He spat the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth to say that.

 

 My anger turned my vision momentarily red. I wanted to pummel his face into the ground and wish he never crossed me. I wanted to break every bone in his body and leaving him screaming in pain. Pump him so full of electricity that he would never be able to recover. How dare he? I try hard hard to restrain myself from breaking his other wrist and his legs for good measure.

 

I didnt know what was wrong with me. Usually when I fought I was really good at controlling my emotions and not letting them get to me. Even when they made crude comments or insulted me. It was all the more rewarding when I beat them to the pulp. But now I was overloaded with anger and other emotions I couldnt identify that was overwhelming making it hard to keep neutral.

 

I can't kill him. I can't kill him. I can't kill him

 

I gave him a glare. "Do that and I won't hesitate to kill you. Why did you really come after me? You have three seconds to talk before I spill your innards for the buzzards to enjoy." Taking another knife , this one bigger than the others, I rip his t-shirt down the middle then point it right above where his black heart should be. "Tell me." I say hoping he wouldn't catch my bluff.

 

I get right up in his face, "Tell me now, you son of a motherless goat." I press the knife harder that it broke skin and a small trickle of blood went down his chest. To my great irritation he didn't even blink or sweat. He didnt even look the slightest bit intimidated at all. "You're going to have to try harder than that to get me to talk." he spits on my face.

 

I wipe the spit off my cheek and then I give him a uppercut to the jaw. He slams his head back against the brick wall hard. His eyes roll back as he slumps forward unconscious, a bloody gash at the back of his head. Man, I hit him harder than I thought.

 

I curse and immediately take out the knives imbedded in the brick and put it back in my boot. Buzz slumps forward on the ground like a sack of potatoes. It started pouring making us drenched in seconds. I can't leave him here. He would die from blood loss and infection if hypothermia didn't kill him first. I didn't care, but I blamed it on me being human.

 

Mostly.

 

I curse again and grab him by the legs and drag him to the corner in the alley that the rain didn't reach. Could I leave him here? He did try to kill me. A futile attempt and he did fight well. I had to admit if the rain wasn't coming so soon and I hadn't drenched him in water, it could have been disastrous for me. I can't leave him here. He was drenched and I don't know if I could heal the gash on his head without burning him as well in the process. I take off my wet button down and flicking my hair out of my face, I rip it into strips. I make a handkerchief and attract it to his head and  wrap the wound on his arm that has not closed completely. I try to set his broken wrist right to reduce the pain. Again, I didn't know why I cared. He was a dick and threatened to kill me and my newly found family.

 

Something about this seemed suspicious. It was too easy. From someone from his rank and size, it should have been much harder. Something was off. A random guy coming after me and not even being a little surprised when I could use electricity too. Then he doesn't even attack me, just defend himself like he was the victim. When I sensed his power it was much stronger than Buzz showed in his skill. I knew he was holding back. But why? Was this a trap? I look around to see him anyone was watching or coming towards us, but with the heavy rain it was difficult to see anything past five feet.

 

I look back to check to see if Buzz has awaken, but he was gone. I gasp and take a step back looking around to see if I could spot him. Cold rain slicked down my back and I shiver uncontrollably. I need to get out of here. Something was not right.  I run out of the alley and stop under a tree. The rain was less heavy and filled with noises of the storm happening around me, enough so no one could overhear my phone call.

 

I hover over the contact. Man, he's going to be pissed I didn't come sooner. But better late than never, I think as I press call. He picks ups on the third ring. Before I could say anything he was already ranting to me about where I was.

 

"Where were you? Sumi sent you the note hours ago. You could have at least called if you weren't going to show up. It is the only information we had gotten that is solid. I thought you were going to be the first one here. What the heck? Don't tell me you-"

 

I interrupt him, a smile tugging at my lips at his attempt to be stern. Sometimes he is so cute. "Kwan your concern is touching, but not needed. I just ran into some obstacles that needed to be smoothed out before I came to you. You know we need to be careful, especially now." I could tell he was frowning now.

 

Kwan's voice immediately turns into one of concern. "Obstacles? what happened? Was it-"

 

"Doesn't matter. I'm coming in ten." I hang up before he has a chance to question me further. I knew he was just worried, but if I told him about Buzz he would immediately be paranoid and add unnecessary stress. he was already going to have a cow when he finds out I have moved back with my family.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

Chapter 9

 

"What!" I almost jump when he exclaims. "What happened to you? Your moving back with them. Why? This bad. This is really really-" Kwan jumps off the couch and starts pacing back and forth muttering incoherent words. Some books off the shelves started to rattle. I look at him worriedly.

 

"Nice going. I think you broke him." I almost jump as Sumi came out of the shadows. On her shoulder was the red bird that had visited me this morning. Sumi could summon and control animals. Even if she doesn't want to they would flock to her heels and rest in her arms like a modern-day Snow white. That bird, Vena, always stayed with her. Vena is a Red tailed with a black curved beak and copper feathers.

 

Sumi had black layered wavy hair reached below her shoulders and intense bright red eyes. She was tall and curvy with fair pale skin. I would be lying if I said she wasn't beautiful, but not as much as Savannah. She had on red leggings and black turtle neck.

 

Kwan stopped pacing and sat by me by the sofa. "Ok. What happened to have our own personal mother hen all flustered." Kwan turned red at the description. Before he could say anything I interject. "I have rejoined my family and they have welomed me back. I want to move in with them."

 

Sumi was silent for a moment. She sat down and Vena flew to rest her claws on the arm rest.  "Are you certain that is best?" She looked me in the eyes and I knew instantly what she was referring to. Sumi and Kwan was the few people who knew the truth about my past.

 

"I can protect them this time. You have taught me how to better use my abilities and how to fight. I will be careful. They will not be harmed." It was true. I would die before they were harmed by him or anybody else.

 

"I know that Faye. you have improved greatly when I first picked you out of the gutter, but we don't even know the killer's name. We don't know its abilities, allies, how powerful he is. He could come back and this time he could kill you." Her eyes looked at me in distress and I gulped.

 

Deep down I knew she was right. I still didnt know much about my killer beside his face. And how for some reason I couldn't absorb his powers. I look at hands. Why? Why only him? He was powerful. He could easily overpower me, I knew that.

 

And what about Buzz? he could have been working for him. it will make the most sense, but why? Why send one guy? Why not he kill me himself? Questions swirled in my mind making my head hurt from the assault.

 

"I'm willing to take the risk." Sumi stayed silent and sighed while running a hand through her black hair. I knew she wanted to say more, but it was pointless. I wasn't abandoning them again. She must have seen my determination because she just said one word. "When?"

 

"Tonight. I can still visit and if you need anything you can still contact me or send Vena. I'm not abandoning you or everyone else. Especially all that you have done for me." Sumi was the one to pick me and Sea off the streets. She has a sort of shelter for people who have nowhere to go. Besides kwan and me, there is Caprice, Saya, Jori, and Alex. We were like a band of misfits with Sumi as our Peter Pan.

 

Sumi looks at the window and sees the raging storm outside. "You can't go tonight. Call them and saying your staying her tonight and coming in the morning. You can sleep in your old bedroom. Besides knowing you, you haven't eaten lunch. Have dinner with us, Caprice is cooking and booze is on me. We can have one last hoorah" She puts her hand on my shoulder and puts a strained smile to help diffuse the tense atmosphere. I knew she was upset that I was leaving.

 

All of us were like her family, as her parents had kicked her out when she had been young. She dosen't talk about it and I only know basic details, but I think it has shaped her to want to want to help people without a place to call home.

 

I knew this was a bad idea. I was planning on telling them I was going to leave and go on my merry way. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to come. Why do I always do this? I think something is going to be easier than it will actually be. Then it blows in my face.

 

I was torn to staying the night here or there. Sumi must have seen the conflicting emotions on my face because she just gently dragged me to the dining room and plopped me in a seat. "At least stay for dinner. You need some more meat on your bones. Text them now and you can help Caprice in the kitchen." I nod and text Savannah that I was staying the night at a motel because of the storm. I don't wait for a response and put it in my pocket.

 

I follow the delicious scents of stir fry and seasoned potatoes. I just love it when it's Caprices' turn to cook. We all had to take turns with the chores around here. Caprice usually got stuck with cooking since the only other good cook in the house Jiro, but he always seems to weasel out of his chores. Saying chores are for chumps or something along those lines. Lazy kid.

 

"Hey Caprice, what's cooking?" Caprice turns around and gives me a nod, but doesn't answer me. I would have been more surprised if he did answer me. He doesn't talk much, or really not at all, and the only time I had seen him smile is when he had a forkful of food in his mouth. Sometimes he accidently eat the fork as well.

 

Caprice has the capability to eat anything and not die. He was like a human version of a garbage dispenser. Caprice could eat poison, dirt, rocks, hell, he can even swallow knives if he wanted too. Actually he had done it and regurgitated it so he could use it in a raid. It was kind of gross with his tongue being able to elongate and swallow up items from the bowels of his stomach. I shudder, that's one power I don't want to try out. 

 

Maybe that's why he doesn't talk. Maybe his tongue will just roll out like-. Ew. I push the imagery out of my mind. Actually Caprice was a pretty nice looking guy. He was big, almost seven feet. His caramel skin was paired with hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair cut short and neat with bangs swept across his face. 

 

 Also in the kitchen is Alex. I didn't know much about him, he had always unnerved me a little. Maybe it  was his eyes. One was a bright pure blue and the other was pitch black. His black bangs were covering it, but it was still visible. Or maybe when talks to you, he stares right in your eyes without blinking.   "Chicken stir fry, mashed potatoes." Alez then turns back to cutting the vegetables into neat even cuts.

 

The storm was still brewing outside. The trees outside were rapping at the window rather violently. I hadn't realized how bad it has gotten. There were a distant rumble from thunder and lightning streaked by. I jump.

 

"Aww is little Jackie afraid of a little storm." a familiar voice sneers behind me. I narrow my eyes at seeing Jiro come into the kitchen. He had his usual leather and ripped jeans despite the weather. With sun-kissed skin, copper hair and pale emerald eyes, he definitely had the ladies swooning and he knew it. To us he was just pain in the arse.

 

Kwan point a knife he was using to cut the chicken at him. "Out of the kitchen, Jiro. Food's not ready. Go bother someone else." Jiro pointedly ignored him and went next to Caprice who swiftly ignored him and considered to stir the food.

 

Kwan glared at him and he smirked. "Don't worry princess. I'm not going to disrupt your cooking time with the goat." Caprice and Kwan both glare at him and he holds his hand out as if to say, 'No offense.' I roll my eyes at his antics.

 

He went into the pantry and came out with  a bag of chips. CRUNCH. I cringe. I hadn't been with him for more than a minute and I already felt the need to smack him.

 

CRUNCH

 

Jiro looks at me suspicoiusly. What did he think? I was going to steal his chips? "So, where you've been." He talks with his mouth full giving me an eyeful of of half-chewed potato chips. Ewww.

 

CRUNCH

 

"None of your buisness Jiro." He narrows his eyes at me and point a chip at me. He sets the bag down on the counter and walks towards me. Even though he is taller than me, I didnt take a step back. I wasn't afraid of him.

 

"Yes, it is. You get sent out to get supplies and not only do you not have supplies for us, your mutt is not here. Something stinks fishy and it is not Kwan's breath." He leans in closer ignoring Kwan yelling obscenities at him. "How do we know you're not a spy sent to kill us all?" he grabs the front of my shirt. "Maybe we should kill you now."

 

Two knives come straight at him, hovering one inch away from his face. "Do it. I dare you. I'm no spy, but by all means go ahead and see what happens." He glares at me murderously with his eerie pale eyes and his face becomes mottled red with anger. I narrow my eyes at him, knowing I had the upper hand. He even moves and I could pin him with knives before he could even say oops.

 

I notice how quiet it has become. Kwan had stopped cutting and Caprice had stopped mixing, waiting for my answer. Even Alex, who usually ignored us, turned around and stared at us with his mixed colored eyes. Did they really think I would rat out the team? That I was really a spy?

 

We were interrupted by Vena making a noise. We both look over to see Sumi standing at the entrance with the rest of the gang following behind. The knives immediately clattered to the ground and Jiro stepped back as well as me.

 

Sumi claps her hands together in a golf clap. "Wow. not even an hour in this house and you already started a fight. I'm impressed." She says dryly and I fight a blush. "Now, who's hungry? Because I am." She sits at the head of the table. The rest of the group start filing to thier seats, the tension dissipating.

 

A petite girl with white blonde styled in a pixie and grey eyes almost matching the storm clouds outside puts an arm around my waist. "Sonny, where were you? You're sitting next to me. I have so much to tell me."

 

I smile down at my friend and let her place me n a seat right next to her. "Around town. Went down to some of the shops and it was so crowded because of the holdays. Met some intresting peopple." I say referring to my family.

 

Saya's eyes went wide and she grabbed my arm nearly squealing. "Oooh. Did you meet a girl? Do I know her? You stayed with her didn't you, you sly dog." I chuckle at her and met my eyes with Kwan who looked away immeditedly.

 

"Yeah, you could say that." I knew what she was insuinating and I couldn't help but imagine her face was when I was about to kiss her. Her pink lips parted and her blue eyes looking at me at such an intensity.

 

"Your thinking about her now, aren't you. Aww this is so cute. I have to meet the lucky lady. I mean if you were my type, I would totally had banged you, because honey I got to tell you, you are fine." I blushed at her words and ate my food to avoid looking at her. She chuckled at me and poked me in the ribs.

 

Then Jori piped up. "What about me? Is your type handsome, strong, amazing in bed, charismatic? Because I am the total package." He gave her an award winning smile.

 

Sumi snorts. "I think you forgot lazy, arrogrant, self-conceited, and dosen't know how to eat stir fry." Jori pouts while wiping his mouth with his sleeve and we laugh at him.

 

Jori stands up and holds his hand over his heart. "That smites, Noah. I'm wounded really after all we've been through together." He wipes a fake tear and we smile at him. "Now, I'm going to get a drink. Who wants one." We all cheer and he takes two packs of budlight out of the refigerator.

 

He grabs two for him and places the rest in the middle. We all grab one except Alex who wasn't even seated at the table. I didn't notice him eating either. "Hey smiley. Your going to take one or not." Jori asks him while taking a swig.

 

Alex just stares at him. I could have sworn I saw his blue eye flicker to black then back to blue but it must have been the lighting.  He grunts about a barely heard, "No thanks." in a hoarse raspy voice before turning on his heel to go upstairs.

 

"Okay. Nice talking to you." Jori yells sarcastically at his retreating back before turning towards Sumi who was looking to in concern. "What crawled up his butt and died. I swear he's above clown on my creepy." Jori gives us an exaggerated shiver.

 

I smile and use the same tone he used to mock me. "Aww is little Jori Wori afraid of  big bad clown." He sticks his tongue at me childishly and takes another swig of beer. I chuckle at him

 

As the night proggressed the night grew more relaxed. I was tipsy and kept hiccuping in the middle of my sentences. Saya and Caprice were dancing sloppingly to soem music from the radio booming out. Jori was trying to get Sumi to dance by flirting with her, but she kept gigglig and refusing him. I was trying to concentrate on not throwing up as the ground kept shifting on my feet. I felt bile at my throat and I knew I needed to find the bathroom.

 

I got on my feet and frowned as the ground kept moving. "Stay still." I barked, but it didn't listen. Deciding that it wasn't going to listen to me, I used the wall to make my way to the bathroom, but I found it difficult to tell the difference of the doors. Where is it.

 

"Where -hic- are you, thwe -hic- dwear bathwoom?" I finally found it. The bathroom is not as good at hiding as it thought. "Found -hic- you!!" I yell triumphantly and quickly went to the toilet. I held my head down and emptied the contents of my stomach. I kept retching until my throat felt raw.

 

Suddenly feeling tired, I leaned against the wall and stared at the dark blue wall. I reminded me of the sky and I had a pressing need to be outside. I got up slowly, but my head still pounding and I rubbed my temples while stumbling out of the hallway to the front door. The cool air making me sigh and I inhaled the cold winter wind that caused me to see my breath out in white puffs.

 

Like minituare clouds.

 

I breathed out hard and slow just to see more of my own clouds. I giggled out to myself and squealed when I slipped on slush causing to hit the driveway. I was wet and my skin felt numb on my exposed arms and feet.

 

I stopped struggling as I looked up at the sky to see the stars. I want to touch them. I hold my arm out, but it didn't reach. I suddenly felt sluggish and tired. My eyes closed despite my efforts to keep them open.

 

I was cold, shivering and alone.

 

Just like my dream.

 

"Jax?" I open my eye again to see a figure above me.

 

I close my eyes again and surrender myself to the darkness and listen to my name be called again by people I can't reach.

 

Just like in my dream.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.02.2016

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