Chapter 29

Something's gone wrong.

I sat in the waiting room once more; the same waiting room might I add. They still hadn’t cleaned the floors or updated the paint. It was obvious that this was a state hospital and only funded by taxes. I guess it doesn’t matter. The money is in the equipment where it needs to be. The waiting room doesn’t need to look nice. I would like a newer magazine though. As much as I enjoy Vogue from 1984 I think it’s time to update those.

Madeline was reading the Vogue magazine in the corner. She had a box of tissues sitting in her curled up lap. She would wipe away some new tears every two minutes or so. “Shouldn’t you be getting home to the kids?” I asked Tex who was still sitting next to me.

“Kei came home when she heard. She’ll be here later.”

“She didn’t need to-“

Tex turned to me. “Rylan’s her brother, the only family he even has anymore, and she wants to be here for him.”

I nodded, “Thanks for everything.”

Tex smiled and patted the top of my hand. As I looked around memories filled my mind. I tried to shut them out but it was impossible. Down that hall is exactly where both my mothers and fathers deceased bodies once were. Those rooms were the last two places I ever saw them. Images of my mother’s broken and beaten body floated in front of my eyes. I gasped and jumped up from my seat. It was so real, like I was seeing it all over again. As I opened my eyes I saw that the images didn’t go away.

I pushed my powers over them to try and stop them. Nothing was working. I backed up until I hit the chairs I was once sitting in. “Shi, are you alright?” Tex’s voice seemed like the dream to me. I tried to search for him. His hand grabbed mine, “Shi what’s going on?”

The image moved to Rylan collapsed in the hallway. My father’s grey body was lying on the cool medal table right in front of me. I started gasping for air as the images appeared again and again. Tex sat me down somehow and tried to find what was going on. “Shiloh calm down.” That didn’t work at all. The pain I once felt and now have dealt with started to return. I had let my parents go. I had finally found my closure, what was this? My powers were pushing harder and harder trying to get rid of the bloody images appearing time and time again.

Suddenly I felt warm hands touch the side of my face. They were coming from below. “Shiloh, what’s wrong?” It was Rylan. The surgery must be over. It wasn’t a very long procedure. “Shiloh, calm down and focus.”

Tex talked over my shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

I felt Rylan shrug underneath me. His powers radiated through me trying to find the source of the images. When his hands finally reached the top of my head he pulled them away. A great darkness filled me the second he touched the top of my head. Another gasp filled my lungs as I saw the bodies of Zander and David lying dead on their hospital beds. My lungs started pumping air in and out causing me to hyperventilate. “No Shiloh that’s not what happened. They’re okay.”

No matter what his words said the images appeared in front of me. “Something is controlling his mind.” Rylan said over to Tex. “Shiloh listen to me, be stronger than this Shiloh, find who it is.”

As I searched I felt my powers completely stop. “What?” I asked. My body sunk back into the chair.

“Collin?” I heard Rylan ask loudly. The images immediately disappeared and my powers snapped back on with a bolt of lightning through my heart. I yelled out in pain and slumped back again into the chair. I closed my eyes and let my body relax for a moment. My powers were once again flowing through me. My strength began to return. Rylan’s thumbs stroked the top of my hands. “Shiloh, it’s okay.”

I took a deep breath. “What the hell was that?” My eyes finally opened and that’s when Rylan gasped.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“That’s not normal,” Tex said almost sarcastically and they were both staring at me. Madeline was standing behind them with her box of tissues.

“I feel fine.” Rylan pulled on my wrists making me stand up. He walked over to the nurses’ station and grabbed a mirror. When he put it in front of me I gasped also. Dark clouds of eyes stared back at me. Inside my irises was a dark cloud like substance. The dark grey liquid moved around like glitter inside a bowl of water. The once bright silver had taken on a dark grey much like Rylan’s. But never in my life have I ever seen this. The iris moved around like a storm brewing deep within them. I pushed the mirror away from me. I needed to change the subject, “Are they alright?”

Rylan watched me carefully as he tried to understand what was going on. I looked behind him at Madeline and he followed my gaze. He grabbed my hand and walked me back into the room. “The surgery went quite well. I felt Zander’s powers already starting to heal him when I gave them back. David has been doing quite well. He’s responded nicely to the organ.” Everyone sighed together. “They should be up in a few hours. Until then they need their rest.” I nodded.

“Madeline we should get you home.” I said to her.

“I don’t want to stay there alone.” I could see the tears rising in her eyes once more.

I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “Call Atticus,” I whispered into her ear. “I trust him with you. You need to get your rest.” She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight once before she walked off and dialed Atticus’ number.

Tex was sitting in his chair texting away on his phone. As I looked up I caught Rylan’s eyes looking at me again. They were filled with a deep fear. A fear that only I could see bubbling deep down inside of him. He quickly walked over to me and held my body close to his. “I thought Collin was gone?” He whispered into my ear.

“He is.” I whispered right back. His hand ran up and down my spine pulling me tighter into him.

“No,” his lips grazed my ear lobe. “Someone’s found him and is using him against you.”

“What?” I gasped.

“I-I don’t know. I’ll figure this out, I promise.” His promise was real. He never made a promise he didn’t keep. Usually he would’ve let go by now but he didn’t. I didn’t protest. I let his warm arms wrap tightly around me and just hold me there close to him. I think he was trying to make sure I was still there. I breathed in slowly in and out and let him feel my chest push against his. His warm breath grazed across my neck and he kissed where it hit.

Something was wrong somewhere in the universe. Whatever it was it was after me and my family. I felt Collin’s mind bubbling around inside of me. The fear poured out of him and out of me. My body shook next to Rylan as I began to realize the severity of the situation. Was something happening to him? Without Collin, Shiloh’s nothing. Without me, there’s nothing. At that point I got really confused, who am I really?

I looked between my arms to look at Rylan. Was he what I really wanted?