Flight Risk

Description: Adeya Belle Weldon is what she likes to consider a partial person. Part of her life is missing, the first eight years to be exact. Every night she dreams the exact same dream. It's not actually much of a dream at all, it's a feeling. The feeling of flying. Besides that, she's seemingly average. Normal friends, a lovely family, college, and a fascination with words. Okay, so maybe she's a slight bit strange.

Then there's Caiden. He's not the good guy by any means. In fact, Adeya would call him a Hedonist. Don't know what that means? Well, neither does Caiden. In simplest terms, he seeks only self-gratification, believes in nothing but his own self-conception, and has extremely nefarious tendencies. Also, he talks to himself way too much. One of the most important things about Caiden though is that he has the exact opposite problem Adeya does, he remembers far too well. However where he's from she's been declared dead for years.

Prologue:

There’s a place that exists in the world but you’ve never heard of it. It’s a beautiful place, comprised of perfect people. A place from fairytales where no one gets sick and fields of flowers run for miles. Money is in abundance and if you were to look in from the outside you’d only see perfection. That is not the truth. In reality, children are raised in labs and spend their lives being experimented on, trained, and tested. Men are soldiers and the sole purpose of women is to bear children. Perhaps the worst part is that everyone is blindly obedient to the head of the organization. They are property and no one gets into the organization. You’re simply born into it. Worse than that, nobody gets out.

Extravagant houses scatter the land. Those are where people go after they complete training. As soon as you are born you’re taken away from your parents and brought to facility C where you will be raised to exceed humanity. No one talks about the children who are born less than perfect. They never leave the building and they fuel the fires in the cold seasons and feed the dogs when it’s warm. The organization has existed for centuries, carrying out its work until it created the perfect society. A population of genetically perfect individuals who went beyond every expectation of human life. They have better vision and hearing, they are stronger and faster, more agile, and they never get sick.

Another aspect of this society is pairs. In infancy, each male is paired to a female and each female to a male. They are raised together and will be the only family each other will ever have. At the age of five, if both are still alive, they will be branded with a unique symbol that binds them as one entity.

On November 14th, 1992 Caiden Alden Tolen was born and he changed everything. He had transcended the acquired perfection. Before the boy, the organization had believed there was nothing beyond what they had achieved. Caiden excelled in his physical training and mentally he was far beyond his peers. He was never paired with a female as no one reached his level. Caiden was beyond perfect, literally. On March 11th, 1996 Caiden became second best. A newborn female had taken his spot. He despised the girl and hated her, even more, when he found out he was to be paired with her. Her name was Adeya and upon meeting her all Caidens anger vanished. She was his. On his fifth birthday he was branded, she was too young at the time but as soon as she turned five Caiden branded her himself.

July 7th, 2004

Caiden first took note of the smell of fresh paint, then his eyes caught the glistening white walls. The furniture was covered in cloth and the window had been opened to let the air in, that however, had been before the storm started. Thunder clapped as the rain and wind rushed in through the window and tumbled to the floor creating an almost rhythmic tapping. It was dark except for the occasional flash of lightning. In the middle of the room was an eight-year-old Adeya just spinning in circles as if it was the most normal thing she could ever do. Laughter bubbled out of her mouth and bounced off the walls in a enlivened melody as if she had been setting the tune for the storm herself. With every flash of lightning, her grey eyes would ignite until they almost resembled the moon faultlessly. Her wild arrangement of blonde curls whipped around as she spun, illuminating and gleaming with the lightning, and in that moment Caiden couldn't help making a direct comparison to the sun. The dress she wore was a deep emerald color and floated effortlessly around her as she whirled in circles.

"Someday," she said, "I'll spin so fast I'll fly away and even you won't be able to catch me."

"I don't think spinning can make you fly," Caiden responded.

And of course Adeya had an answer, she always did, " tornadoes spin and they fly." Caiden scoffed, but she was, not in fact wrong. He opened his mouth as if he intended to respond but hastily closed it again. Arguing with her was completely, utterly pointless and he was tired already.

Caiden promptly shut and locked the windows putting a damper on Adeya's fun. She would have complained, maybe even have reopened them just to be troublesome, but she just couldn't manage to. There was something quite off about him lately and as much as Adeya loved the storm Caiden had always come first to her. That's why when he latched onto her hand and led her out the door she followed silently.

The hallway was much brighter than the room she had previously been in and she saw the aftermath of glowing orbs even as she blinked. Caiden looked back giving her a twinge of a smile, and it bothered her more than she could explain. Adeya needed to understand what was worrying him. As they walked she noted his usual brisk strides we slow, his movements had gone from sharp and precise to almost slipshod. When she caught a glimpse of his face she noticed his deep brown eyes had dulled over and now accompanied dark shadows. Adeya proudly had a vast knowledge of words, for her age at least, but she couldn't think of one to describe Caiden's current state.

By the time they arrived at his room Adeya had been so deep in thought she failed to stop at all and instead collided with Caiden. No doubt it would've led to quite the dive at the floor had she not been reinforced by his tight grip. As they entered the room Adeya noticed much of the room had been packed.

"Go to bed, Addy," Caiden spoke with almost a sigh. Addy, it was his nickname for her, it was meant to be something endearing but the way he said it as if he was frustrated with her made her cringe.

"Are you going to bed too?" asked Addy.

"I can't," Caiden said as he closed the door leaving behind a distraught Adeya.

That night it was quiet, and all she could do was lie in bed thinking about Caiden. He was a boy who she relied on since she could remember, the only person that she could never leave. In fact, her very first memory was of him. So she stayed awake that night worrying about the only family she had ever known. He was only three years older than her and yet it was like he wasn't even a child himself as if he never was. All the while just down the hall was Caiden in a very similar situation, only his worries stretched beyond his imagination and that was why they absolutely had to leave. There were too many things he couldn't tell Adeya, too many things to protect her from. She, after all, was his responsibility.

No sensible person would consider silence to be loud it's a contradiction in all rights, but tonight it seemed deafening. It was piercing, distinguished, it seemed to draw attention to itself as if it was shouting "hey over here!" obnoxiously loud. Tonight the silence spoke louder than words ever had and because of that Adeya was still haunted by the absence of sound years later. Perhaps silence is the most persistent sound to exist simply because it stays when all else fades.

The accompanying morning Adeya was nowhere to be found. Caiden's heart shattered. He felt it so clearly, the same way you'd feel it beating. Grasping at his chest he tried to hold the pieces together but they were sharp and jagged, they tore him apart. Maybe he could have survived if that had been the worst of it, but it wasn't. His soul ripped at his body tearing itself from his physical being until it seeped through his skin and poured into the ground. That boy, he died that day and whatever was left of him dove into darkness. Searches were constructed and years dedicated to trying to find her but eventually she was declared dead.

Chapter 1:

August 18th 2014

It was official not one of the shops along the beach had an elastic. As Adeya shuffled her way back into the blistering sun she started to give serious consideration to chopping off her long mane of frizzy curls. Staring out at the ocean she couldn't help but drop the corners of her lips into a frown. She hated sizeable crowds and happened to be petrified of large bodies of water. In fact, she wasn't even sure how she was conned into coming today. On the trudge back over to her best friend Jeslyn Adeya began to organize the longest speal on everything wrong with the beach. First she'd explain how books are far better company than anyone in the large mass of people here; secondly she'd have to go into depth on the great dangers of actually swimming in the ocean; lastly, she planned to thoroughly over exaggerate how she is currently dying of heat stroke. With new determination, Adeya stalked towards Jeslyn. Her march back towards the beach would have seemed much more empowering had she not been trampled by a horde of male adolescents. Huffing the hair out of her eyes she continued on.

"Well Jeslyn we have been here for a more than reasonable amount of time and I think it's long past time we leave." declared Adeya

"Umm ... Are you okay?" Jeslyn dragged out the words as if she was afraid to ask.

"No I am certainly not okay, and I'm glad you asked. Here's the thing, people are rude, the ocean is dangerous, I am currently dying of heat stroke, and not one shop sells elastics! Not one." Adeya exclaimed clearly frustrated with her current state.

"Oh, well you can have this one." replied Jeslyn peeling the soggy hair tie from her wrist and holding it out for her friend.

"This would have been nice before I had to hike up and down the length of the beach." fumed Adeya.

"Anyways let's get going, I'm starving." With that being said the two girls gathered their things and headed away from the beach.

On the ride to the restaurant Adeya listened to Jeslyn plan the thank you speech she intended to give after she received an Emmy. Adeya loved words and she happened to know the perfect one for the raven haired girl sitting next to her, nefelibata. The word literally means cloud walker.

"It's important to start memorizing my speech now unless I know it the way I know my name I'll definitely forget it when I go on stage," Jeslyn concluded.

Adeya pretended to listen intently, she even nodded occasionally to seem convincing. She was never jealous of Jeslyn but she had an acute awareness that her friend was just about everything she wasn't. Jeslyn was tall and lissome, bold, gregarious, she had dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. Adeya had a small childlike frame, she was clumsy, demure, she had bright hair, bright eyes, ivory skin and in the winter she paled out, even more, camouflaging with the snow. Eventually, the car lurched to a stop outside a small restaurant and both girls became temporarily distracted as the notion of food breached their minds.

The meal was incredibly satisfying but now the two friends were beyond stuffed.

"I swear food will be the death of my bank account," Jeslyn groaned as she waddled out to the car.

"Kuidaore," joked Adeya jogging paces behind her long legged accomplice.

"Ahh... bless you?" Jeslyn questioned.

"Kuidaore, It literally means to eat oneself bankrupt," Adeya snickered out.

"I don't even want to know how you know that." Jeslyn blatantly avowed.

All the while, a couple state borders over in Chambersburg Pennsylvania was a relatively young man named Caiden who was currently engaged in activities disparate from that of the young women.

Caiden pretended to be incredible engrossed by the magazine he was holding as he kept watch of a short, cushioned women who seemed to be in her early forties. Following after the women, he quickly discarded the magazine and briskly started after her. As he walked he slowly brought his hand up to scratch the back of his neck in what appeared to be a simple gesture but in reality was a signal. A signal that meant the others could approach and that they were in pursuit of the correct subject.

The women turned down a side street, the same side street she did every evening but Caiden didn't follow this time instead he continued on right past and ignored the sounds of her protests as she was unwillingly dragged into a van. Caiden had been searching for that woman for four years nows, she was the women who took Addy from him, his Addy, and you could be sure he would be the one interrogating her when he got back to the compound.

Chapter 2:

Caiden's large frame stood leaning over the sink scrubbing large red blotches out of his gray shirt. He liked to consider himself a very level headed person, actually ever since ten years ago it was more like he was devoid of emotion altogether and yet here he was so overcome by how he was feeling that it could only be defined as Ineffable. He knew it was required of him to write a report on the interrogation but he had no idea what to write. There was no way that truth would ever make it down on paper. Scrubbing harder he let his thoughts drift back to only a couple hours earlier.

"I get the concept of why kill Adeya, she was central to all operations and no better way to ruin the organization than to swipe their prized possession out from under them. And despite knowing your discontent about the hierarchy no one even considered you a contender! I didn't that's for sure. I mean how could I? You adored her. It took six years before we realized it was you and another four to locate you," the longer Caiden spoke the more unhinged he became, with a cruel laughter he continued on. "How long do you think you'll last? Two more hours maybe? My votes on at least five. You'd probably have died of blood loss by now but you see we have a large supply of blood just for you!" Caiden's voice held a sort of deranged excitement to it. "I mean well you can't actually see it, not now that you don't have eyes." At this point he was inhuman. "Would you like them back? Yes? Okay, here you go," he said as he placed both the women's eyes into her bound hands.

Another three hours past and the women still hadn't spoken once, not words at least. She did however continually sob and periodically she tended to scream.

"Shhh it's all okay, if you just talk to me it'll be so much easier," Caiden's words were hushed and soft as if he was comforting a young child.

"I-I saved her," the women stuttered while weeping profusely.

"Oh! Did you now?!" Caiden straightened out and broke out into a twisted grin "So considerate of you, saving her from the agony of living!" With no response, he approached the bloodied female.

"Hmm.. she died," Caiden sighed out loud to himself. Walking to the metal table over on the left he shuffled through her belongings. There wasn't much to go through she didn't even own a cell phone. The only thing that appeared to be slightly interesting was a ripped corner of paper that had an address jotted on it. What was strange about the address was that it wasn't the same one Caiden had followed her home to every day for the past two weeks. Slipping the paper into his pocket he exited the dark confined room.

Letting out a huff of frustration Caiden threw his stained shirt into the wastebasket and dragged himself over to his bed where he immediately plopped down. He thought that finally getting some sort of revenge would quench his anger, and it did while he still had the means to harm the women, but now that she was dead he regretted not drawing it out longer. Caiden pulled out the small piece of paper and read the address again. Standing up Caiden threw on a shirt and started out of the compound. He knew that if he didn't go then it'd be something that would bother him forever.

The small house was incredibly close, too close. Shrugging his shoulders he reached for the door handle and turned it. Unlocked. Caiden was overly aware that this had been far too easy. The women had wanted him to come here. She would have known he'd be the one to question her and she was trained which meant she wouldn't be stupid enough to carry an important piece of information on her person. She wanted him here. Caiden knew that this could quite possibly be a trap meant to kill him. I-I saved her. What if it wasn't though? He couldn't really decide what to do.

"A fifty-fifty chance," Caiden uttered under his breath "I just have to decide. Ok on the count of three...1,2,3" and he was still just standing there. "Well screw it," he mumbled as he tossed the door open only for absolutely nothing to happen. Stepping into the house he switched on the light. Caiden searched every speck of the house and it was empty, there wasn't one piece of furniture and there definitely wasn't anything that had to do with Adeya. Caiden let out a dark chuckle "you almost had me convinced."

Chapter 3:

Despite telling himself that there was nothing in the house for him he still searched again and again and then one more time.

"Yep, still nothing," Caiden growled frustratedly as he slammed the cupboard closed after the third time checking it. He was in a foul mood and the bright yellow flowers in the bright blue pot on the counter just irritated him more. Just looking at them agitated him it was like they were taunting him. Caiden repeatably told himself that they were just flowers, and yet every time he glanced at them his rage flared up a good twenty percent.

"Why do the flowers have to be so bright?!" Caiden snapped starting at the practically neon plant. He was going to burn the house to ashes and he'd start with--. He stopped mid thought. Flowers in a house owned by a woman who hasn't been here in at least three weeks. They should be wilted and yet here they were annoyingly bright and very much alive. Stalking towards them he realized that the pot was overly large for a plant as small as the one in it. Reaching down he rubbed a leaf between his fingers. Plastic! Yanking them out of the soil and throwing them across the room brought him a strange satisfaction, but with other matters at hand, he didn't dwell on it long. Tipping the pot upside down he watched as it's contents spilled out. With a thud, a rectangular object slipped from the pot and dropped onto the counter.

The object was wrapped in a brown paper and Caiden was quick to tear it off. Inside was a bright yellow book.

"Of course, it's yellow," he huffed in annoyance. Peeling it open he saw pictures posted to the pages. Pictures of Adeya. Ever so lightly he brushed his fingers over them, skimming them over her bright hair, her gray eyes, her tear stain birthmark, page after page filled to the brim with her.

When he came to one in particular he snickered. It was a picture of her in a mud-stained white dress. He had told her not wear her fancy clothes when she went outside and just because of that she purposely chose the brightest white dress she could find. He remembered how she had tried to pretend that it didn't bother her that it was ruined but he caught her crying over it that night. He had tried to soothe her by telling her that she could have two more just like it made but she only cried harder. He still remembered what she had said, "It's not the dress I'm sad about, I didn't get to prove my point." She might have been the most stubborn child and he adored her for it. He let out a quivered breath closing his eyes as if that could stop the avalanche of memories.

There was a time he could tell you every last thing about Adeya but now she didn't even exist. Maybe you had wanted to know that she had to sleep with socks on otherwise her feet felt unprotected. Or that mornings were her least favorite part of the day. That she hated ice cream because it was too cold. Or that she preferred spoons to forks because they picked up more food. Maybe you wanted to know that she liked winter better than summer. That her favorite color was a bright red because it reminded her of her favorite food, strawberries. Or that she was entirely convinced that if she could spin fast enough she'd fly. Maybe you had wanted to know those things or maybe not it didn't matter she was dead.

Why had the woman wanted me to see this, was it some form of mental torture? Caiden thought to himself. He was angry, sad, confused, he was feeling emotions he didn't realize he was still capable of having. Each picture was labeled with a date and despite knowing what effect it would have on his mental health he continued to scroll through the pages. He stayed in that kitchen flipping page after page until he stopped suddenly September 8, 2005. This picture was from after she went missing. March 2, 2007; December 29, 2008; April 11, 2010. There were pictures all the way up to July 2013. For a while, he just stared at the pictures not knowing what to do. She was alive. A haunting voice spoke in his head, I-I saved her.

"What did you save her from?" Caiden whispered.

********************

As quietly as possible Adeya crept up the stairs to her bedroom. She had just gotten home from Jeslyn's house and it was incredibly late. She probably would have stayed over but she had to be at work early tomorrow. Adeya loved her job, but she did not however like mornings. She slowed right before her room staring at a cascade of light that trickled its way under the door. Hearing perhaps the cutest giggle in the entire world she beamed brightly and pushed the door open. Sprawled in the middle of her bed was her younger sister Khloe who was five years old as of last month.

"And what would you be doing here?" Adeya inquired obnoxiously arching her eyebrows and placing her hand on her hips for dramatic effect.

"Sleeping over," Khloe said as if it had been blatantly obvious.

"Well I'm exhausted so sleeping over needs to include actually sleeping," Adeya replied as she made her way out of her clothes and into her comfy, blue galaxy PJs and sliding on a pair of anklet socks.

"It will!" Khloe assured nodding her head quite vigorously before continuing, "I'm tired too."

With that, Adeya made her way into the bathroom to scrub her teeth and wipe away any remaining makeup off her face.

"Have you brushed your teeth yet?" Adeya asked stepping back into her room.

"No, but I will extra good in the morning." the five-year-old promised holding out her pinky for her older sister.

"You know what happens when you break a pinky promise?" the older sibling inquired as she wrapped her own pinky around the younger girls'.

"Yep. You get to break my pinky." Khloe answered.

"God No! Who even told you that?!" Adeya half exclaimed half questioned.

" My friend Josh from school." stated Khloe.

"That's not how it works," Assured Adeya "And if anyone tries to break your pinky you break both of theirs." With that, Adeya pulled the chain on the light sending the room into an immense darkness and draped herself over Khloe.

Chapter 4:

Adeya reached up, extended on her toes, placing new book arrivals in their correct places. As she let out another over exaggerated yawn she desperately wondered what made young children so eager to get up absurdly early.

"Up late again reading?" asked Miles the young book shop owner.

"For once that is not the case," Adeya replied with a light laugh. Miles had one of the brightest personalities she had ever known.

"I am truly proud of you." he dramatically responded placing his hands over his heart and giving a meaningful stare before quickly strolling away to assist a customer. Adeya was lucky her boss was as easygoing as he was. Adeya loved reading so much so that she had a constant nagging in the back of her mind telling her that it would be the absolute best idea to buy the book shop out of books and if she had the money to do so she probably would.

By the time she had gotten out of work the sky had darkened considerably and she knew a storm would settle in soon enough. Smiling to herself Adeya made her way towards a small cafe down the street. She didn't like coffee or tea but occasionally she liked a mint hot chocolate. A delicate chime went off as she entered the small coffee shop and the smell of fresh baked pastries invaded her senses. Within seconds of receiving her drink and sitting down, she was assured the storm had become much closer. Adeya had one word on her mind; brontide-the low rumble of distant thunder.

She had casually been watching the rain pelt against the cafe window for so long she practically became entranced. Thus when Tyler, a bright green eyed brunette, dropped down to the seat directly in front of her she jumped. The last time Adeya had seen Tyler was when they graduated from high school, which was actually less than three months ago.

"Do you mind?"Tyler asked as his lips twitched up in amusement by her startled state.

"No, by all means," answered Adeya smiling in a welcoming gesture. The conversation between the two flowed in an awkward manner for a while but Tyler didn't seem to mind.

"I was actually going to head out to the beach for a while but the rain decided to ruin my plans," Tyler explained.

"I'm a pluviophile so I'm rather content,"Adeya expressed glancing out at the rain yet again.

"I had almost forgotten you did that,"Tyler remarked with a grin. Scrunching up her face Adeya gave him a sideways glance. "You know, use words no one understands," he prompted.

"Pluviophile, it means lover of rain," Adeya explained in a humorous tone.

******************

Caiden sat at the wooden desk in his room trying to fill out the interrogation report. He couldn't write the truth in fear that whoever the woman had been projecting Addy from was still lingering around. At the same time, the report needed to seem real enough that Elder Michael would believe it. The report was the least of his worries at this point, he was just to distracted with other matters. What was he supposed to do with the information? Who would he even tell? Who is it safe to tell? Most importantly, where is she? Sighing he pulled the bright yellow book towards him grimacing at the color.

Hours ticked by as Caiden tried to find any indication of where Adeya could be. He noticed that there was only one picture for every month in a year, except for July 2013. It was the last month documented and included three images and three dates. For a woman who spent so much time setting up the pictures precisely, it seemed strange she'd slack off for the last month. Also, the dates were off. First was July 13th then was July 22nd, and lastly was July 20th. If there was a message it'd be here Caiden thought to himself.

He tried to resolve the puzzle in front of him for what seemed like an eternity. He just could grasp what the numbers meant. What if they weren't numbers though? In math, letters are used all the time as representatives for a number well what if the numbers are meant to represent letters. The thirteenth letter of the alphabet is M, the twenty second letter is V, and the twentieth is T. MVT. Caiden had gone from having a sequence of dates that meant nothing to him to now having a three letter code that meant nothing to him.

"Awesome job Caiden." he bitterly remarked sneering at himself. Closing his eyes tightly he rummaged his brain for something that might be helpful.

"If I'm looking for a location and I have three letters what does that suggest?" Caiden spoke out loud but the question was directed towards himself. "MVT, MVT, M-"he cut himself off. Vt-Vermont. Which means the M must be the city and there's only one city that starts with an M in Vermont, Montpelier.

Chapter 5:

Montpelier Vermont seemed like a far stretch for the three dated code. The longer Caiden sat and pondered it the more likely it seemed that there was no code and that the dates were only that, dates. It didn't matter much, though, either way, he was going. It was the only lead he had. Also, he couldn't take the chance of not going and being right. Caiden would have you know that he tends to be right at least 65% of the time. He'd say a hundred percent but he wouldn't want to seem arrogant.

In addition to constructing a road trip to Vermont Caiden still had to worry about keeping things undisclosed. Which led him to burning all the papers that held any mention to Adeya in the metal barrel in his bathroom. He made sure that each paper turned to ash before dumping and flushing the ashes down the toilet. Holding the yellow book in one hand and lighter in the other Caiden pondered the fate of the bright object. Could he burn the only pictures of Adeya's childhood that exist? The answer was no, he couldn't, but maybe he should have because the pictures were also the only evidence she was alive. Wrapping the book up in one of his shirts he tucked it away under his bed- side table.

A sudden rapping was heard from the door only to be followed by the jingling of the locked door knob as it was being forcibly twisted.

"Oh come on Caiden let a friend in," a distinctively grating voice said with a sarcastic grin that Caiden could practically see through the closed door.

"I wouldn't have used the term friend," Caiden replied in a bored tone as he swung the door open staring at the redhead.

"You're right how rude of me! Caiden Tolen having friends? Preposterous!" The rather lanky, bright haired boy mocked.

"Why are you here Thomas?" Caiden asked tiredly.

"How many times have I told you, it's Tommy I insist," Thomas instructed as he eyed Caiden. To put it simply Caiden looked terrible. He was severely sleep deprived, still had splotches of dried blood stuck to his skin from the interrogation, and couldn't remember the last meal he'd eaten.

"Do you plan on telling me the reason for your unwelcomed visit?" Caiden inquired only slightly hostile.

"Wow, you're a bundle of daisies as always," Thomas joked as Caiden arched an eyebrow in a manner that suggested he should get to the point. "Elder Michael requests you see him immediately," Continued the red head.

"Fantastic," Caiden mumbled as he slipped past Thomas and headed to the Elders office.

"Ok I get it, pleasantries later." the now faint voice of Thomas called after him.

By the time Caiden made it to the doors leading into the Elder's office he had already thought of every possible reason he had been summoned. Lifting his knuckles to the door he knocked twice.

"It's unlocked," Elder Michael called in a gravelly voice. Pushing the door open Caiden stepped into the brightly lit office.

"Come. sit." the Elder said as he motioned to the chair opposite of his desk. Caiden followed instruction immediately not wanting to be on the receiving end of any lectures today. Caiden listened attentively as the Elder continued speaking. "I thought I'd have the interrogation report on my desk by now. Don't fret I'm not concerned with knowing the methods of which you tortured the women," The elder said as if he was trying to comfort Caiden. "I understand how this would be hard for you, but I know you will finally be able to erase Adeya now that you've finis-"

"No, I don't intend on forgetting her," Caiden spoke sharply as if he was on the edge of going completely mad. Aware of who he was addressing he briskly added "No offense."

"I can respect that, however, I think you've had plenty of time to grieve and should consider rebinding with someone else," Elder Michael spoke words that made it seem as if Caiden had a choice but his voice was final.

"I'd like reassignment." Caiden's voice was also final.

"I'm not sure we were discussing that Mr. Tolen," the Elder scolded.

"That's what I'd like to discuss," Caiden insisted.

"Why?" Elder Michael snapped.

"There's nothing left here for me anymo--" Caiden was cut off.

"There's nothing for you anywhere! You're a soldier, the best we've got. Your mission finishes you get a new one, Adeya died you rebind, it's simple really," the Elder fumed clearly enraged.

"One year, then I'll be back, I'll even let you decided who I rebind with," Caiden offered. The Elders rage fled from his face and a rather malicious smirk grew instead.

"A rather reasonable offer Mr.Tolen, one that I'll happily accept. Any preferences on where?" Elder Michael questioned.

"Montpelier Vermont," Caiden replied in a definite voice. With a questioning glance from the Elder he continued, "It's lacking operatives, has minimal authority, and I don't work well with others,"

"One year." Elder Michael spoke with a warning tone in his voice as Caiden retreated from the office a smirk plastered to his face, one that he fell asleep with.

Chapter 6:

First, there becomes an acute awareness of how dark it is. Next the temperature drops, and then suddenly the wind picks up. It's not a gentle breeze either it's harsh and powerful sweeping you off your feet, literally. Then you start to move, your flying. It's almost bittersweet, you can't see, but you can feel. Every night Adeya has this dream, this feeling, she craves it. Slowly everything fades until her eyes flutter open and she's grounded once again. Waking up is the anchor that keeps her from flying away. Maybe it's best that way, because if it was up to Adeya her feet would never touch the ground.

Blinking hastily Adeya squinted at the painting on the wall. A dancer in the middle of a stage with red curtains drawn back. For a moment she had forgotten that she spent the night at Jeslyns'. The window was cracked open letting the early morning breeze in. Inhaling deeply Adeya caught the slight whiff of something. Petrichor- the smell of earth after rain. With a creak the door opened and in walked Jeslyn.

"Thank god you're up, I was getting worried," The raven haired girl commented.

"It's not even eleven yet so be impressed," Adeya said still half asleep "However, I refuse to acknowledge my existence until noon."

"Tyler asked about you," Jeslyn casually announced before continuing on. "He texted me last night. He's interested in you."

"He's nice and all but I'm just not interested," Adeya remarked in an almost bored tone.

"That's too bad since I told him you liked him as well and gave him your number," explained Jeslyn.

With a glare and a groan, Adeya threw herself back down onto the bed.

********************

Caiden didn't spend much time packing if you could call it that. More or less he just threw random articles of clothing into a large black suitcase before calling it good. He had already eaten, Caiden wasn't much of a people person so he always went down to the kitchen before the sun came up. Mainly to avoid Thomas.

Caiden had approximately three hours to kill before he left for Vermont so he headed towards the training room. Even at a young age, he was considered a prodigy and that didn't change over time. That had been the reason Caiden was bound to Addy. From the second she was born she was worshiped all she had to do was open her eyes and people bowed to her. Adeya was the only one that was considered to have reached perfection. Caiden wasn't perfect but he was a close second and that made him the only suitable candidate. He had always considered himself lucky to have been paired with her, he treasured her above all else, but she was taken from him.

When Caiden finally arrived at the training room he hastily began. There wasn't a weapon he couldn't use or even a type of fighting he didn't know. In every sense of the word Caiden was a soldier. He was aware of his skill and it went straight to his head. Perhaps the only thing bigger than his ego was his arrogance. Granted Caiden earned his reputation of being the best but even that didn't justify how conceited he was. Suddenly he whipped around at the sound of the door slamming. In walked the personified version of annoyance, Thomas. Trying to pay as little attention to him as possible Caiden returned to throwing knives at the target in front of him.

"I heard you were leaving soon," Thomas' voice interrupted Caiden and suddenly that target in front of him held a strange resemblance to the redhead beside him. Caiden didn't feel compelled to respond so he didn't.

"I was actually wondering about Kaylan," Thomas continued the incredibly one-sided conversation. Caiden still didn't answer. "Will she be going with you?" The vibrant-haired boy asked.

"Why would she?" Caiden inquired finally acknowledging Thomas.

"Well, you two have been bed buddies for about a month so I assumed she would," Thomas answered.

"She's not,"Caiden responded in a dismissive tone hinting that he had no desire to continue a conversation.

Thomas didn't seem to understand however and he once again spoke, "Do you mind if I comfort her after you leave?"

Understanding that the redhead had no intention of leaving Caiden headed for the door. Right before he exited he replied over his shoulder, "By all means."

One thing he definitely wouldn't miss was Thomas.

Chapter 7:

Now that Caiden had arrived at his new apartment in Montpellier Vermont he couldn't help but think that it did not seem like a step forward. There was still the issue that in a city of thousands of people and he needed to find one. Yes, Caiden was closer but he was also a pessimist and closer wasn't quite close enough. The car that dropped him off pulled away from the curb and proceeded to drive away. Walking into the apartment building Caiden immediately headed up the stairs on his right. Once he arrived at the third floor he scanned for room 309. Quickly finding it he pulled the key from his pocket, quickly unlocked the door and gave it a gentle push open. Switching the light on he inspected the apartment before coming to the conclusion that it was sufficient enough. Although the entire building held a musty smell to it.

Leaving his things sprawled in the middle of the floor Caiden made his way to the window and pulled the navy shades to the sides. Not so coincidentally his apartment seemed to be in the middle of just about everything. After that Caiden spent a decent amount of time hiding his weaponry and the yellow book. Then he wasted a generous amount of time trying to decide what he should do but Caiden realized that sitting around wasn't helpful.

Walking down the sidewalk Caiden scanned the buildings and people he passed trying to find anything. Within minutes he became aware that he was being followed. Quickly he entered the closest door. A small chime went off, he happened to have ducked into a coffee shop. Might as well have a coffee Caiden thought to himself.

"A coffee, black," Caiden requested as he handed over a five.

"Certainly," replied an older, slim woman who was equipped with a head of gray hair. After receiving change he watched through one of the large windows as people passed by on the street. Whoever was following hadn't been doing a very good job which eliminated anyone from the organization, or so he thought.

"Here you are." The gray-haired woman announced holding out his coffee. Nodding in acknowledgment Caiden took the cup and sat by the window, just watching. Hearing the shops chime go off he adjusted his gaze to the door. Letting out a string of curses under his breath Caiden glared at a person he hoped to have never seen again. With a wide grin, a particular crimson haired boy made his way towards Caiden. Without even asking Thomas took the seat directly in front of him.

Thomas pushed a small metal object across the table. "You forgot this in your apartment," moving his hand away Caiden realized it was his key.

"You suck at staying in the shadows I've known I was being followed for over an hour now," Caiden huffed in annoyance as he swiped the key from the table. Thomas simply gave a shrug.

"So what, you've been put on babysitting duty?" Asked an overly annoyed Caiden.

"Correct!" Thomas verified. "I'm here while you're here. Orders are final. No point in staying hidden, actually I'll be staying right in your apartment."

"Except you're not," Caiden assured as his mood dropped significantly.

"Wrong. Assuming you don't want a certain yellow book in Elder Michael's hands that is," Thomas explained with a proud smirk. "You know you should probably find a better hiding place for that."

Caiden was enraged. He was going to kill Thomas. His thoughts were temporarily sidetracked as he once again heard the bell above the door go off. In walked a tall Raven haired girl and a much smaller accomplice.

Unconcerned with the girls he refocused his sights on the still smirking Thomas. That was until he heard the older women who had prepared him coffee speak, "Same as usual Adeya?" Adeya. Immediately Caiden's head shot up. The smaller of the two girls was now at the counter and Caiden had the perfect view of her. Suddenly he was overly aware of the blood pumping through his veins. Bright blonde hair, gray eyes, the same tear stain birthmark that dripped from the corner of her left eye. Without realizing it he had stood up. He had no idea what he was about to do, but he still couldn't prevent his feet from moving forward. With more force than Caiden knew Thomas possessed, he was shoved back into his chair.

"What are you going to do?" Thomas whisper yelled. "She doesn't even know who you are! I did some research she was found ten years ago, no memory." Thomas continued in a harsh low tone. "So what's you plan? You can't just kidnap a person in broad daylight." Thomas finally finished his lecture but Caiden was still in a daze and only nodded sharply at Thomas before trying to stand once more. With a second shove, Caiden found himself once again planted in his seat. His thought wandering on their own accord. She's so small, she had always been small, but he thought she might outgrow it. Her hair was so long, too long, it'd have to be trimmed.

"Thomas let me go now," Caiden demanded.

"Fine then, just follow my lead," Thomas ordered as he made his way to the now seated girls. All Thomas could hope for at this point was that Caiden wouldn't just swipe the poor blonde up.

Chapter 8:

Thomas was scared, not only was the girl opposite of Adeya exceedingly enthralling but Caiden was at a point where he couldn't be put above anything. Thomas had heard the stories about the boy behind him and yet he never really believed them. He should have, they were all very true. Reaching the table that the two girls sat Tommy opened his mouth to start an introduction but Caiden had other plans.

"Addy," Caidens voice was strong and determined and it left Tommy momentarily stilled as he wondered what had happened to the Caiden who only seconds ago couldn't form his own thoughts.

"Excuse me?" The raven-haired girl said in a fierce tone.

In a desperate attempt to keep this entire situation from becoming catastrophic Thomas quickly blurted out words in hope it would be convincing enough at least. "Abby, your friend looks like a girl named Abby we used to know," Thomas's gaze was locked on Adeyas friend, however, Jesslyn's gaze quickly turned to Caiden as the boy seated himself next to Adeya.

"Okay no, listen here officer rainbows you can't just join in without even asking first. Should I define manners to you?" Jeslyn fumed despite the harsh glare Caiden sent her way. "Perhaps the problem is you're as dull as your color scheme," Jeslyn continued as she inspected Caidens all black attire. That was it Thomas was in love.

Caiden didn't pay much attention to the girl across the table as his attention was solely on one person, Adeya. He was lost. What should he say? Why didn't she remember? Was this a permanent condition? There was just so many things running through his mind. Adeya was just watching him with wide eyes that assured Caiden that she was completely unaware of who he had been to her. That was enough to cripple most anyone but Caiden had never been just anyone. He knew that if there was any chance of getting Adeya back he'd have to play the part of a stranger.

Trying to diffuse some tension Thomas started introductions, "Well anyways I'm Tommy and this is my brother Caiden."

Thomas had barely finished speaking before Jeslyn let out a bellowing laugh and started to speak. "Obviously not." At this point, even Adeya had started to laugh. So yes Thomas has been made a fool of but he had successfully changed the direction of the conversation.

"Ok, I give in, take a seat and tell me what brings you guys over to our table," Jeslyn said still laughing. Thomas and Jeslyn led their own conversation while both Addy and Caiden were far too preoccupied in their own minds.

"Hi I'm Adeya," Addy spoke softly making direct eye contact with Caiden which felt both vulnerable and invasive. She was careful to keep her voice from shaking. He was different than the people she usually associated with, one word circled her mind. Eesome-pleasing to the eye. Caiden had dark hair and dark eyes while the boy across from him had a bright personality and even brighter hair, it was like looking at the contrast between night and day. Caiden was all dark, about as much so as his attire. Adeya was uncomfortable in his presence, he scared her, but she was fairly certain he'd scare anyone. If eyes are the windows to the soul maybe they're also the windows to the soulless.

Caiden extended his hand towards Addy ignoring that Thomas had only moments ago introduced him, "Caiden." His hand swallowed hers as he gently shook it. Despite the clear differences their personalities, she didn't immediately hate him, which was a bonus since she was definitely not a people person. She could only imagine what Jeslyn would say about it when she told her. Caiden, however, struggled with how she could be Addy but not be at the same time. There wasn't a way to describe how the girl in front of him was both very much alive and dead at the same time.

There was a cluster of memories, of moments, and words spoken. And then there were the un-ushered words that held all Caiden's conviction but his voice had yet to grace. Thoughts piled up in his head, becoming so jumbled and cluttered that they felt as if they were pouring through his veins. Echoes of voices breached Caidens mind erupting flashes of long forgotten firsts and frightful departures. Caiden's anger overshadowed all else. He didn't even know who he was angry at, he just was. It was better that he was angry otherwise he'd be forced to feel the emotions he desperately tried to convince himself he didn't have. To everyone else Caiden wasn't human, in fact, he was looked at as some sort of evil entity that should be avoided at all costs. Too bad Thomas hadn't gotten the memo.

It was sunny that day, more so than it had been all week and it did not go unnoticed by Adeya. Ever so gently she reached her hand up and caught the sunlight that filtered in through the windows. It made her hands seem paler than they were and she was captivated by the idea that she could hold sunlight. She couldn't quite think of the word for it. She was fairly certain there wasn't one.

"Adeya?" Jeslyn inquired as she watched her very unique friend disappear completely into her head.

A faint "Hmm" was heard from Addy as she tore her eyes from the ray of sunlight and focused on Jeslyn. Well, focused to the best of her ability, it was a bit hard with a stranger staring deep into your soul and trying to yank it out. Adeya didn't suppose there was a word for that action either. In all reality, he probably was trying to tear away her soul. She feared if he started much longer she'd go up in a cloud of smoke. Seriously, the nerve of some people! The fact that moments ago Adeya found herself assuming she'd met a decent acquaintance now seemed preposterous.

Jeslyn eyed Adeya suspiciously before continuing, "They're new to town, how about we give them a show around?" she finished with a nod towards both boys. Still, Adeya was very much aware of Caiden's penetrating gaze.

With an unexpected, exasperated sigh Adeya whipped towards Caiden and in a tone that Jeslyn had never heard her use before she scolded the poor boy, "It depends if YOU can keep your eyes in your skull instead of on me!" As Addy desperately tried to stare down Caiden all he could do was let out a deep laugh and twisted grin. She looked like a small kitten trying to impersonate a lion. As a child, she had been completely dreadful to deal with. She was always causing trouble and would fight with everyone and anyone for no reason. Another first that just occurred was Caiden's laugh. Thomas had never even seen a hint of a smile let alone a full on laugh. In that moment the red-haired, freckled face boy wanted nothing more than to disappear. Caidens character had broken and it was the most frightening thing he had ever beheld, which counts for a lot when you grew up in the Institution both Caiden and Thomas had.

Caiden's deep voice echoed loudly in the almost empty coffee shop, "Not a chance." He watched as her face scrunched up and she took a deep intake of air. Even Jeslyn could make the direct comparison to a scorned child.

"Well then let's just get going!" Jeslyn interrupted and gave Adeya a wide-eyed stare that told her to behave. Adeya huffed again, it wasn't like she was acting out of line. Her irritation quickly spread to Jeslyn as well as she couldn't believe she had just sided with the caveman to her left.

"Fine" Adeya blurted out as she stood abruptly and moved to step into line with Thomas, who just happened to be the only person she could stand right now. Turning back she narrowed her eyes at Caiden giving him a look that was intended to be intimidating but was no more fearsome than a ladybug. Which if you ask Adeya is a lot, speaking that she also had a fear of bugs.

"Your very small." Thomas addressed as they made their way to the exit. With a small smile, Adeya nodded in response and once again dark soulless eyes followed her every move.