Chapter 2 - Never Alone

Clara wakes up at home to find her father has been carrying a secret.

“I think she’s waking up.” I managed to catch that sentence as my eyes fluttered open. I was home but how did I get home? I tried to scratch my head but was unable to since apparently they had bound my hands and feet in my sleep. Suddenly feeling very unsafe, I began to thrash in my bed. My eyes darted around in hopes someone was in my room to explain this but no one was around, not even the person whom I’d heard when I awoke. “Damn it, she’s going at it again. Stratus, please help us get through this.” Once again I became aware I wasn’t in my own head but rather that of the person who’s thought I’d just heard. They stood and came up into my room to find me thrashing which apparently was something I had been doing for the last day. “I’ve been asleep for a whole day?” I willed the body I was in to speak my question. Immediately alarmed, they shook me out of their head and regained control. “Clara? Clara!” The intensity in this person’s voice scared me out of my thrashing. I now recognized the person to be my father.

“Dad, have I really been out for a day?” His face lit up with my words. Without another thought he rushed towards me and unbound my limbs. For a moment we simply stared at one another then my father wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so happy you made it through that.” He whispered into my ear. Just as we separated he began to pace my room clearly looking for a place to start a rant. He ran his hand through thinning, auburn hair. I figured I would end his search and ask a question, “Why wouldn’t I have made it through that?” His eyes locked on mine and I was warped into his mind. A small scene appeared before me of a girl I couldn’t quite identify but knew I’d seen before. She was strapped to a bed and thrashing just as I had been when suddenly she stopped. I, or rather my dad, ran towards her and shook her shoulders. He began to scream for his parents. My grandfather, who looked significantly younger than I remembered, burst into the room with my grandmother following behind and placed his ear against the girl’s chest. My grandfather met my grandmother’s gaze and began to weep. My father dropped to his knees and joined them. He shook his head releasing me from his mind. The girl, I now remember was his sister, had died while receiving her powers.

“That’s why I’m happy. Sweetheart, part of me always knew you’d be blessed but I never truly prepared for it. I’d hoped the gods would have kept them from you after seeing how The Superior has tortured and destroyed our world. When Dawn brought you home, I almost died.” His eyes were filled with tears that just couldn’t seem to spill out.

“So what do we do now?” I avoided looking at him for fear of reading his mind again. I knew we couldn’t stay here. The school guards would take me in.

“We have to leave. We have to go to the Safety Net.” His voice was much more grounded now. He had regained is cool. The Safety Net is a hidden society guarded by those with powers making it impossible for anyone to find it. It was created by my grandparent’s generation to teach those with powers.

“How? There’s no way of finding it. It’s hidden for a reason.” My father sighed and walked to the foot of my bed, his tall figure towering over me. He lifted his hand in front of him with his palm facing the ceiling.  A small spark generated from the center of his palm and grew to the size of my head. Instantaneously, the fire died and my father redirected his gaze at me.

“I never wanted you to know. I never wanted this for myself or for you. Your mother, she was so in love with her gift and it got her killed. I only hoped I would be able to protect you and your brother from this life. I see now I can’t.” He took a deep breath and moved toward the window.

“I know where the school is. We’ll leave in the morning. I’ll tell your brother to pack his bags.” I could feel the pain radiating from my father. He turned and left my room shutting the door behind him while leaving me with my thoughts.

 

A few hours later we were packed and ready to leave. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door to our house. My heart stopped at the realization it could be Collectors coming for me. I froze unable to decide whether or not to open the door. Thankfully, my father once again came to my rescue by choosing to open the door. Relieving me of all the stress, Dawn stood in my doorway. She was a mess. Her light brown hair that normally fell straight down to her shoulders was curled and matted while her hazel eyes were a dark red from all her crying.

“Oh thank Stratus, you’re still here.” The words escaped Dawn’s mouth as she gripped me in a deathlock of a hug. “But just because she’s here now doesn’t me she will be for long.” Her thoughts echoed in my head.

“Jeez, Dawn, those are some positive thoughts you’ve got there” were the words I chose in my sorry attempt to lighten this dark moment. We pulled away from each and I could tell she was avoiding eye contact. Her eyes locked on my bags; it became obvious she knew what was going on. She sighed and crossed her arms before finally looking back at me with her disappointed stare that I had come to know all too well over the years.

“Where can you possibly run away to that the Collectors or the Superior can’t find you? You’ll only be making matters worse for yourself, Clara! Stay here, you can play it off as an illness!” Desperation was laced all over Dawn’s voice. How could I explain to Dawn that staying here, living in fear, and possibly going through what Danielle experienced is a much worse fate than running away? I couldn’t. So I did the only thing I thought possible.

“I want to try something but I don’t know if it’s possible,” I began, “I’m going to try to show you what I saw in Danielle’s head and maybe you’ll understand why I can’t stay here.” She was worried and it was with reason. I hadn’t had these powers for a conscious day plus they’re against the law but I’m going to try to put a memory in her head? I’d be scared for my life. I thought of the memory, since I assume Danielle had been when I read it, and stared into Dawn’s eyes. I concentrated deeply hoping it worked and searching for any sign it was. Then her eyes widened and seemed to be looking through me rather than at me. I continued to transfer the memory until I reached the point where Danielle had cut me off. I shook my head to release her as a tear dropped down the side of her face.

“I understand. If that’s what they did to Danielle for talking about a teacher talking about the Protectors I can’t imagine what they would do to someone with powers.” Her expression screamed frightened. We stood there for a moment in silence neither one of us really able to put into words what needed to be said.

My dad entered the room. He didn’t have to utter a word for me to know it was time. I met Dawn’s gaze and decided saying goodbye wasn’t a necessary pain. Putting me in another deadly tight hug was Dawn’s way to part. She held me at me arm’s length and smiled, “If anyone is going to fix this crappy world it’s going to be you isn’t it?” She laughed as her tears finally overflowed. We heard my brother start to complain from the other room about having to pack which caused us to erupt in laughter. Dawn turned to leave and walked towards the door. My eyes dropped the floor, not really wanting to accept this as the last time I’d see my best friend. Then I noticed it. A trail of ice stuck to our carpet leading right to Dawn’s feet. I grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face me. The look of confusion on her face must have matched mine. I looked to my dad who had been waiting for her to leave so he could say something I’d read in his thoughts moments ago. If he was shocked it wasn’t nearly as visible as the two of us.

“Dawn, I’m thinking you’re going to want to go home and tell your parents.” My dad managed to suggest. She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t go home. I can’t do this to my family again.” She thought to herself, unaware I was picking up on it. My hand reached out to grab hers.

“Come with us, now.” If it was anyone else she wouldn’t have even thought about it. But the ideas were resonating within her internal debate and Dawn never liked this life. She wanted to do something about it but knew she never would. No one in her family had ever been a Protector. After a few moments of what was probably silence to everyone who couldn’t read thoughts she responded.

“Okay. I have to say goodbye to my parents first, though. Oh and grab some things.” My dad nodded and then went to inform my brother who had pretty much been complaining on the phone to his best friend for the past hour.  It was settled. My best friend and I were going to save world whether it wanted us to or not.

Author's Note

Again, if you see missing words please let me know! I think faster than I type.