Broken Past, Good Path

A pause before we make it home

    Bradley Thomas was not pleased. First, the two monsters, Jax and Ryland, had inconvenienced him by assuming Morgan would take up a place in his own wing. Second, anger boiled in him as he watched Morgan and Noah stare at each other. He could tell that Morgan was angry, but there was also something else in her stare, that resembled a protectiveness and a need that Morgan had not expressed towards anyone else. Third, he was angry at himself for letting that look make him upset and that it had made him look away, forcing him to pretend like he did not care and was rather bored with the whole situation, all while standing next to the commander. He balled his hands into fists, staring at a loose part of the flooring while the crowd grew increasingly uneasy about him.

                “I am going to train to become one of them. So that I can protect you, too,” Noah finally spoke, his voice hard and unquestionably strong-willed. Bradley glanced back with another stab of anger. He had let his curiosity get the better of him. He could not deny that he wanted to know how Morgan was taking the news. What he found made his blood boil to a higher degree than it already was. His heart began to beat a little faster in his chest as he suppressed the need to tear the two apart. Morgan was gripping Noah’s arms as tears threatened to fall. He could feel Mr. Dylan stir next to him which forced him to turn his attention away from the duo, hiding his agitation.

                “Please don’t go, Noah! Without you I have no one,” Morgan pleaded, her voice trembling.

                “I have to do this and I want to, Morgan!” Noah responded. “I will come back and you won’t have to worry about my feelings for you,” He added in a lower voice.

                “Ahem…” Mr. Dylan broke up the discussion. “On another note, things have become much too dangerous. I believe for the time being Morgan should take a leave of absence from school or I can hire tutors,” Mr. Dylan changed the subject altogether. Bradley was beyond glad for the change in topics; however, he knew that the statement was going to add fuel to the already burning fire. He turned and frowned as his eyes glanced over at Morgan. Tears had begun to stream down her face.

                “We can escort her to her classes, sir,” Bradley offered, feeling a need and a want to make Morgan feel better about the entire situation. He guessed he pitied her and understood her a little bit more now.

                “No. It is too dangerous. I will take a leave until next semester,” Morgan spoke, her voice colder and harder than previously.

                “Good. That is settled. One more thing. I do not expect any more solo adventures outside,” Mr. Dylan pointed a finger at his daughter, his voice lowering dangerously. Bradley dragged a palm across his face as Mr. Dylan waved at them to move on. He followed him, leaving Noah and Morgan alone in the hallway, vexing him even more. He walked with an agitated gate in his step. Once they were back outside, he felt rather than saw Ryland and Jax slip away, along with Mr. Dylan’s own security team. Bradley set his grey eyes onto his boss. “How did I do?” Mr. Dylan addressed him with a shy smile. Bradley shook his head. He had never understood the need for Mr. Dylan to act mean towards his daughter when it was uncalled for.

                “I thought you were fair but you are not going to win her over by restricting her freedom much more. Can’t you say some nice words to her for once? …I will try to help you while she is here, but no promises!” Bradley announced, taking in the cues of the expressions on his boss’s face, feeling uneasy for the first time with this kind of task Mr. Dylan was silently asking of him. Mr. Dylan patted his shoulder.

                “I know that you have feelings for my daughter. Do not try to deny that you do not in front of me. I have always told you that you would be a good fit for her. You are both so stubborn,” Mr. Dylan winked in his direction. “Noah may be a good friend to her but he does not suit her as you do, I assure you. Now that he will be out of the way for a while maybe you want to try your own hand?” Mr. Dylan waved with a smirk, disappearing into a backseat of one of the man black SUVs aligned in front of the building. Bradley shook his head with a look of disbelief gracing his facial features, unable to believe that Morgan’s dad had given him the go ahead to woo his daughter. He walked back into the house once more, walking through the small cottage house to the larger, and newer building. He ignored Jax and Ryland who had rejoined him and flanked him on either side. They walked silently back to the Hall of Letters. Bradley was disappointed when he realized that Noah and Morgan were no longer in the hallway.

                “Find them,” Bradley ordered. Jax and Ryland separated, leaving him in the Hall of Letters by himself. He remained motionless for some time, thinking over all that had happened today, what Mr. Dylan had told him, and the options for the future. When he finally did move it was to stand in front of the desk in the hallway. His fingertips barely glided over the worn wood. The static of his radio made him jump slightly which made him glad that he was alone and no one had witnessed his embarrassment.

                “Noah is in the medical cube with Olivia,” Ryland’s voice hissed. Bradley turned away from the desk.

                “And Morgan” Bradley questioned into the radio.

                “Noah said she went into her room,” Ryland replied. Bradley rolled his eyes over to the door of the room that Morgan had chosen, or at least the one he assumed she had chosen. The last time they had been alone in a room together she had asked him to leave and questioned why he was still there at all. He tried to push himself towards the door and fill himself with enough patience. Before he reached the door, it opened, revealing Morgan’s red face. Their eyes met with an electric current running through their connected gaze as the hallway filled with an eerie silence.

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                Morgan Dylan finally looked away from the uncanny grey eyes, her cheeks becoming slightly flushed. She was almost positive that her eyes were red from crying and who knew what she looked like after everything that had happened so far today. She was ready to withdraw into her bedroom for the rest of the day, or eternity, especially now that she had run into Bradley once again. The silence between them was affecting her more than was necessary. It was apparent that they had nothing to say to each other, at least in Morgan’s head that is what she believed.

                “Will you show me to a different wing?” Morgan broke the silence, turning her eyes to Bradley. If she had known that Ryland and Jax had put her in the same wing as him, she would have refused from the beginning. She did not want to have to deal with the silence and the feelings she was feeling now every day that she stayed here.

                “Why?”

                “Is this not your wing? I would not wish to disturb you,” Morgan recalled his earlier words over the radio. She watched as Bradley shuffled from one foot to the other, obviously struggling to come up with an excuse for his words.

                “I apologize. I am not accustomed to having anyone in my wing, let alone next door. But, if you like that room, you may stay,” Bradley swiveled his eyes from her to the door she was standing in front of. Morgan did her best to hide the shock from his apology and from hearing that his room was right next door to the room she had chosen.

                “Please, show me another wing,” Morgan said, her voice lower and shyer than previously. Bradley nodded, leading the way down the hall silently. He moved slowly, and Morgan guessed that he was being slow for her benefit. She was thankful that he had not asked her about her puffy, crying face and it seemed he was not in the mood to fight with her either. Bradley turned down another hallway and Morgan followed at a distance, taking in a vase of flowers standing neatly in an alcove against the wall.

                “Welcome to the Hall of Flowers. Feel free to pick any room,” Bradley said, stepping to the side. Morgan felt his grey eyes on her as she began to explore each room, entering one and then another, finding each one less suitable than the last. At the last room, Morgan stopped in the hallway, not feeling excited about anything she had just seen. She turned to Bradley with a mixture of feelings.

                “I will take the first room,” Morgan pointed towards the far side of the hallway. Her icy, blue eyes took in Bradley’s uncaring nod and he followed her down the hall. Morgan stopped in front of the door of the room, turning to find Bradley trying hard not to smile. He eyed him suspiciously but the smile disappeared instantly.

                “I am sure that you will enjoy your stay here. Dinner will be in a short while. Should I send someone to collect you?” Bradley asked, his eyes taking her in. Morgan hated the feeling of uneasiness that ran through her.

                “No... I… I will manage, thank you,” Morgan stated, her voice sounding sadder than it had previously. She watched Bradley turn, ready to leave her in an instant. She closed her eyes, wetting her lips. “Um… Bradley!” Morgan called his name. She opened her eyes but turned them to the floor, feeling embarrassment creep up her neck and cheeks once again. Once again, she could feel his cold, grey eyes on her, questioning her. “I am sorry to ask you this… but would you have anything that I could change in to?” Morgan finished her question, embarrassment taking over her entire complexion. She did not want to see the look that Bradley was giving her so she looked at her torn and bloodied clothing that she had been wearing since the morning. Her mortification only increased, if that was even possible.

                “Of course! I apologize. I forgot that you do not have any clothes here. Follow me!” Bradley turned again, continuing to walk slowly towards another part of the house. Morgan was quite sure he was only moving so slow for her benefit.

                “Where are you taking me?” Morgan questioned from behind him. She had gathered that they were leaving the bedrooms, where normally clothes were kept, for a totally different part of the house.

                “Shopping,” Bradley replied.

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                Olivia Hodgens leaned back on her pillows, a smile gracing her lips. The doctor had disappeared to another part of the house, but Noah had rejoined her in the small medical cube. She was grateful that someone was there that she could talk to. Her green eyes looked over Noah’s tall, athletic build once again. She could not deny that his looks hit a chord with her that she found pleasing. That was not the only thing either. He was kind, funny, and willing to engage in long conversations that Olivia enjoyed beyond anything else in the world.

                “What did you think of the commander?” Olivia questioned him, curious as to what he thought about their boss now. Noah was sitting across from her on a separate gurney, swinging his good leg restlessly. He looked happy but Olivia could also tell that something was bugging him underneath the surface.

                “He seems very different from the picture that Morgan painted of him… but I also noticed that he seems to act a little differently when Morgan is around… Why is that?”

                “It is hard to explain, not to mention a long story. I will fill you in during our recovery period.”

                “Where will we go?”

                “We can go wherever we would like to go. Is there any place that you would like to visit, or see?” Olivia questioned, wondering herself where a good place to recover and to train would be. Her green eyes trained on his face that was now scrunched up. He must be thinking, she assumed, covering a smile with the hand on her good arm.

                “Can we go to the mountains? I want to be out of the city for a while.” Noah replied, his gravelly brown eyes meeting hers. Olivia nodded, agreeing with his idea. “It will make for an interesting time. To have you be training me,” Noah added, his laugh echoing around the medical cube.

                “Don’t think I will take it easy on you. Once you are fully healed you will think you will be going through hell,” Olivia said, a devilish grin adorning her lips. “We will leave tomorrow morning. You should say your farewells to Morgan tonight at dinner,” Olivia added, frowning when Noah’s face took on a wounded expression when she mentioned Morgan. “I’m sorry…” She added quickly, looking down and away from Noah.

                “No, it is ok. I…” Noah paused, laughing disdainfully. His voice pulled Olivia’s eyes back up to look at him. “I can’t even remember a time when I wasn’t always with Morgan, or thinking about her… Perhaps some separation will be good for us. However, she is my best friend. I’m going to miss her…” Noah sighed, going still on the gurney across from her.

                “Then we will just have to work hard, so we can come back as soon as possible,” Olivia said, setting her pitying eyes on the man across from her with determination. She found it so refreshing to talk to him, and yet the topic of the conversation made a full circle back to Morgan Dylan.

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                Morgan Dylan did her best to keep her interest hidden. She had never before seen a room so large, inside a house, that held as many clothes as the current room she was looking into did. Rack upon rack of clothes lined the large room, separated by colors and then again by fabric type. Fluorescent lights shone down from the ceiling, basking the whole room in a white light and bringing out the vibrant colors. Morgan had never been a big shopper but she looked around the room as it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She slowly stepped up to one rack, finding the clothes to be a mixture of old and new. She looked back to Bradley, her mouth agape.

                “Please take whatever you would like,” He smiled, clasping his hands behind his back as he waited. Morgan shook her head.

                “Why do you have these many clothes?” She questioned.

                “In case we need to do a little detective work and need to change our appearance… or if we just run out of clothes. We keep it well stocked. It doesn’t hurt to have Olivia around who is a shopaholic,” Bradley added the last part with a roll of his eyes, keeping a smile planted on his lips. Morgan turned back to the racks, flipping through a few of the items in front of her. She felt a little awkward, shopping for clothes in front of her high school bully. She glanced back and forth between the clothes and Bradley a few times, feeling her cheeks warm slightly. She was also unsure of how many outfits she should take with her. She stopped a few more feet down the first rack, letting the silence settle around them uncomfortably. “Just pretend that I am not here. Also, the next semester will not start until after the holidays. Please feel free to take as many items as you need until that time,” Bradley spoke up again. Morgan didn’t turn to look at him but listened to the tap of his feet on the linoleum floors that sparkled. Her mind took another detour, wondering who was around to clean the massive building. For the moment, she forgot about Bradley and who cleaned as she walked down each rack, pulling out a few items here and there. Before she knew it, her hands were full of items, mostly of dark-colored pants and shirts that Morgan preferred to wear. She was intercepted a few moments later by Bradley pushing a shopping cart.

                “You even have one of these?” Morgan asked, still incredulous to the fact that there was a shopping center in the middle of the house. She looked up into Bradley’s face, finding a smirk placed there.

                “Of course, we do. Just in case we come across any princesses such as yourself,” Bradley said. Morgan dropped the smile from her face and she would have crossed her arms if they weren’t full of the clothing she picked out. She decided not to respond, throwing the clothes into the shopping cart, and swung herself in control of it, pushing Bradley out of the way. “Although, I’m not sure I’ve seen any princess wear the dark colors you do.” Morgan turned on her heel, confronting Bradley with a point of her finger.

                “You know nothing about me. Don’t accuse me of being a princess,” Morgan seethed through clenched teeth. She turned, walking a little faster through the aisles with the cart, trying her best to escape from him.

                “Wait! I was just joking!”

                “Leave me alone!” Morgan called back, her ears picking up the sound of his stomps right behind her. She tried to move faster but it seemed no matter how she moved, he was always right behind her.

                “Come on, Morgan!” He spoke again, his voice coming from right behind her. Morgan saw a turn up ahead that went in between two different racks of blue clothing. She vied for the turn, hoping it would throw Bradley off her trail a little bit. Plus, it led towards the exit of the shopping center. However, once she reached the turn, she realized she had been going too fast and was going to lose control of her cart. She let out a small cry as she was thrown to the side as the cart went in the opposite direction as her. She felt herself thrown against the rack as her eyes noticed a large amount of blue clothing fly up around her. She closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the rough landing. However, as she came to a full stop, she realized that the landing was not as rough as she was expecting it to be. She peeked one eye open before opening up both eyes widely. Her face was comfortably placed into the chest of Bradley, and as she turned her eyes upward, they met with his steel grey ones. One moment of silence lasted awfully long, at least to Morgan, before she tried to pull herself away and off of the toned body but she was pulled back again with a determined tug. “Wait…” Bradley ordered her sternly, keeping a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from trying to leave. “I was only joking. Why do you keep trying to avoid me?” Bradley asked and the silence returned. To be honest, Morgan didn’t have an answer to his question either. Perhaps, she still considered him to be the bad guy when he had more than proven himself to be the opposite.

                “…L-listen… I appreciate you saving my life earlier. I am sorry for the way I acted and for not thanking you earlier. One thing I do not appreciate is the insinuation that I am some type of princess. I have worked so hard to not be perceived that way over the last ten years,” Morgan finally answered. After another long silence, Bradley finally gave her a nod.

                “I will do my best not to put that bias on you any longer,” Bradley spoke, his voice so low and gentle that it took Morgan by surprise.

                “What are the two of you doing here?”