Asleep *FINISHED!/COMPLETE*

*Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT - JASE

“What the hell do you mean you told her to leave?!” I screamed at Mave, rage rocking through me.

“Woah, bro. You need to take a step back.” Kai stalked towards me, inserting himself between me and Mave. Of course he would take her side in this, as always. She could do no wrong in his eyes, and every last one of us seemed to know exactly why. Except for Mave.

“Look, Jase, I’m sorry about your friend leaving in the middle of the night, but I didn’t tell her she had to leave. That was her choice.” Mave crossed her arms defensively as she stared at me, not even the slightest tinge of guilt on her face.

I ran my hands through my hair and gritted my teeth in frustration. I wanted to yell at her, punch my brother, and then maybe flip some tables and throw some lawn chairs in the swimming pool for good measure. I was in a full blown rage at this point, my stomach totally twisted into knots that I wasn’t sure would ever come undone if I didn’t find Ellie soon. Or at the very least, verify she was alive and breathing. And the worst part was, I knew the level of emotions I was feeling was way off base given the circumstances, but I couldn’t help it and I couldn’t explain why. Not in a way that they would understand, especially as I wasn’t certain I understood it myself quite yet.

Kai and Mave watched me pace back and forth across the living room in front of the glass walls that showcased the courtyard, their eyes tracking my every step, every twitch of my muscles, as I ran my hand through my hair for the hundredth time that morning since waking up to find Ellie had disappeared in the middle of the night.

I had spent most of the morning trying to piece together where she had gone and why. I had searched her room: no note, no goodbye, no nothing. I had replayed over and over in my head every word I had spoken to her, every interaction, trying to decipher if I had done something to spook her, in between wondering why I cared so much myself. I had known the girl less than 24 hours but the ache in my chest at her disappearance was worse than any physical wound I’d ever suffered.

“Dude, I get it. You like this girl, or care about her or whatever, but Jase… she’s 18, right? She’s her own person, free to come and go as she pleases. And you knew her for what? Like a day?” Kai asked as he sat on the arm of the couch, casually crossing his arms. He looked a little more relaxed since I was no longer in Mave’s face and hadn’t thrown any punches yet.

Unfortunately his words only angered me further because he was right and I knew it, but I still couldn't get a handle on myself.

“Kai just shut up if you’re not going to help me figure out where she is. You can think I’m crazy, but you know my illumine, and you know I have a knack for these things. I can feel it, Kai. Something is wrong. She’s hurt or… or something. I don’t know, but it’s not good. Not to mention the fact that I’m fairly certain that was one of Stone’s men behind the wheel of that car yesterday that had Ellie scared and running.” I had stopped pacing to plead with him, but couldn’t stand still any longer than about 5.2 seconds, and promptly started pacing again. Trying to keep from going bald at the ripe age of 19, I tried to keep my hands at my side and started to clench and unclench my fists. I continued racking my brain trying to figure out how she fit into our world and who exactly she’d been running from and why. I had to find her or find a way to make contact with her. I had desperately been trying all morning to think of anything she might have revealed about herself I could use, but kept coming up with nothing useful. She was just gone.

Suddenly I stopped and turned to my brother. “We need a tracker. Do we know anyone?

“Isn’t that one of your brights, bro?” Kai looked at me as if I were truly losing it, one eyebrow arched.

Irritated, I snapped back “First of all, it’s just a bright, not my illumine. Second of all, I can’t see her. I have to be able to see her to use my tracking bright.” I couldn’t help the glare I passed his way, because he knew that already. “Surely dad has someone he can call.” I started to pull out my phone, when Kai snatched it out of my hands before quickly retreating back to the couch, causing my eyes to bulge as I started after him on instinct, ready to take out some of my fury on my God given sparring partner. Fortunately for him, Mave stepped in front of me just before I got close enough to shove him. Unwise for most, but she knew I’d never lay a hand on her unless we were training.

“Jase,” she said calmly, hands held up like I was a rabid animal. My eyes were fixed on my brother behind her and the stupid smirk that I wanted to knock right off his dumb face. “Jase! Look at me!”

I slowly tore my eyes away from my brother, chest heaving, and looked at her, fists tightly clenched at my sides. “What Mave?!” I said, way too loudly, but I was barely keeping myself together.

“Jase, your dad is working that bombing and using all available resources. We can’t call in any more favors right now.” I wanted to yell and break something even more now as the truth of her words resonated within me and I realized that the first solid idea I’d had for a plan of action all morning was promptly extinguished.

“Besides,” Mave went on, “We don’t need a tracker. You have me, and unlike you two idiots, I actually have some street smarts and don’t need to use my illumine, or even my brights, to get by in life. What room was she staying in?”

“You don’t even know what your illumine is for sure yet,” I said, not intending to insult her but also too worried over Ellie to care if I did or not. “And I’ve already been in there, Mave. There’s nothing,” I said, irritated by the obvious suggestion.

A brief moment of hurt passed over her face, but she quickly schooled her features and crossed her arms. “Just take me to her room. Unless you don’t want my help,” she said flatly.

It took Mave approximately 17 seconds to find the silver laptop shoved underneath the bed. I was kicking myself for not checking there already, but in my defense, discovering Ellie was no longer here had sent my emotions into a frenzy and I hadn’t been thinking clearly.

She opened it up and checked the browser search history. I tried sitting on the bed, anxious to see what she would find, but found myself pacing again. I didn’t fully understand how or why just yet, but clearly this girl was going to be the death of me. I had never been so tightly wound in my life. I was normally so light and carefree, at least on the outside. It took a lot for me to show what I was really feeling. To let others see that anyone or anything could affect me negatively, that they could have any sort of power over me. But here I was, pacing like a mad man, attempting to rip my hair out, and snapping at two of the people I loved most in the world. All because I couldn’t get her sea green eyes out of my head.

“What did you find? Anything?” I asked, my words stringed together, coming out in a rush, patience waning. My gut was in knots and I had the most unsettling feeling every time I tried to picture Ellie. I couldn’t see her. Not like I should be able to. I saw only darkness.

Mave didn’t look at me, but I was watching her closely waiting for an answer. Instead, she cut a sideways glance to Kai, her mouth partially opened as if in shock.

“What did you find??” I said, slightly panicked, as I rushed over to the bed where she sat with the computer.

“Don’t panic, Jase. It doesn’t mean anything’s wrong necessarily… It’s just a search. Maybe she’s heard of him or follows his political career or something?” Mave said, trying to sound reassuring, but it only amped up my panic further as I snatched the laptop from her hands.

As I took in what was on the screen in front of me, my breath left my lungs and there was no air to fill them again. This could not be happening. There was no way. Why him? Why Callen O’Dellan of all people in this world?

“There’s no way,” I said aloud, surprising myself. “Why would she be searching him? You don’t think she went to see him, do you?” I turned my panicked eyes towards my brother and Mave.

“I mean, it’s definitely strange,” Kai said, too calmly. I needed him pissed and ready to fight. What good was a warrior’s illumine if you didn’t use it at a time like this? “But even if she did go see him, that doesn’t mean that he would do anything to hurt her, right? I mean isn’t that what he’s all about? The good “P.R.” and making sure everyone thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread? You know, helping old ladies cross the street and kissing babies and all that stuff?” Kai was attempting to sound reassuring.

“Surely he wouldn’t use his shade on Ellie if she just went to see him as a fan or a citizen looking for help or legal advice or something, right?” Kai tried to calm me with his reasoning, but I felt like I was going to vomit.

“I can’t see her, Kai. Everytime I try to find her, all I see is darkness,” I swallowed bile back down my throat at the thoughts of what that could mean. “Plus you didn’t see how scared she was that day I found her. I’m not positive that it was Oren behind the wheel of that car, but it damn sure looked like it. And if that’s who she’s running from, Kai? Come on, man… and now this with Callen O’Dellan, of ALL people? There’s no way that’s a coincidence,” I pleaded with my brother.

Mave’s eyes snapped up to mine then, and something strange resembling fear passed through them. She looked as though she had to swallow something down, and proceeded to steel herself, clenching her jaw along with her fists. Then that fear was suddenly replaced by determination, and I knew she was with me. Even though she was fairly new to this world, she had more faith in the cause than almost anyone I knew, and she trusted in my Illumine. It had helped find her once upon a time.

“Jase you need to consider the thought that your girl could be working with the Shades,” Mave said, not coldly, but with a hard edge in her voice as if to make me realize it was a fact to face, despite my feelings.

“I have,” I lied. I refused to even think it.

“Ok, then.” That was all she needed to hear. “Let’s go,” Mave said, standing up and heading for the door. She didn’t have to tell me twice. I followed her out of the room, passing Kai, who still sat on the bed pinching the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep sigh.

“Now, Kai!” Mave yelled back from the hallway, and my brother’s heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway behind us less than a minute later.

I sent up a silent prayer that we would find her alive, with brights intact.