The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 03

Alex's POV:

"What's your name?" I heard the guy ask. Unwillingly, I opened my eyes to look at him. It was still too dark to see him properly with human eyes, and I was still too tired to focus my energy on my supernatural sight.

"Alex," I replied shortly.

"I'm Cody," he said.

"How did you do that?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Do what?"

"How did you make the ground c***k?" I repeated.

Instead of answering, he grinned. "I could ask you the same about the fire."

I looked away, unable to suppress my own smile.

"Did they hit you?" I looked at Cody who wasn't grinning anymore, but looking intently at me. "The men? Did they hit you?"

The memory of one of the men punching me came to my mind. "Why?"

"There's blood at the side of your lips," he said. I drew in my eyebrows and touched the corner of my lip with my thumb. I winced and, feeling the sudden pain, drew back my thumb, which felt damp with blood. "I got this." Cody took a step forward and put his thumb on the corner of my lip. His touch was soft and warm like he was handling it with precise care.

He stood close enough for me to feel the warmth his body gave off which was welcoming against the coldness of the warehouse. He smelled of soap and light perfume, tangled with a little bit of sweat. I saw his eyes flick to a blazing green color for a moment. When the glow faded, so did the pain at the corner of my lip. "There."

"Thanks," I said. In any other circumstance, meeting someone with gifts like mine would've left me speechless. But I was tired and the only thing on my mind was the men who had attacked us. I stared ahead of me, into the fire. It was nearly extinguished since the warehouse was cold and there was nothing to support the flames.

"What did you mean when you said they wouldn't be dead for long?" I asked, still looking at the fire.

"I'll explain it to you later. Right now, we need to get out of here. It's not safe," he warned. I nodded without question. My instincts told me to trust him, and my instincts were never wrong so I went with that. I walked forward and picked up my bag, swinging it over my shoulder and turning toward Cody.

"How does the woods sound?"

He shrugged. I nodded and, casting the faintly burning fire one last glance, turned to walk out of the warehouse. As soon as I stepped out, the chaos in my surroundings made my eardrums vibrate so hard that it felt painful. I closed my eyes at the sudden contact with loud noise. The warehouse may have been cold but it was quiet in there and the traffic noise had caught my senses off guard.

"Supernatural senses?" I nodded. "Must suck."

"Sometimes," I said and began to walk toward the woods. The rain had started and stopped while I was still in the warehouse and despite the cold weather, I had to admit, I was a little disappointed. The breeze blew past me, pushing my hair back and calming my nerves. Air was my favorite element. Even though I had little control over it, it managed to keep my negative emotions at bay.

As we walked deep into the woods and reached the clearing, the traffic noise became faint and I exhaled in relief, throwing my bag aside tiredly. Cody sat down and leaned against a tree. I joined him, sitting across from him so I could face him.

Now that we were outside, I could see him clearly. His eyes were neither green nor red. They were a deep blue color that reminded me of the way the ocean looked at night. His dirty-blond hair was tousled and nearly fell over his eyes. His skin was fair, matching the blond in his hair and making the blue in his eyes more prominent.

"How did you know where to be?" he asked.

"I had... a feeling," I answered and he raised an eyebrow.

"'A feeling'?" he echoed.

"Yeah," I said. "Supernatural senses don't come alone. Because of the inhuman sharpness in my senses, I have these supernatural instincts. Their response usually depends on the type of person possessing them."

"So, you're the type of person who likes to get herself killed?" I chuckled.

"I'm the type of person who does what's right no matter the consequences," I said.

He clicked his tongue. "Clearly."

"I don't think that's what happened when I was near the warehouse, though," I admitted and he looked at me in silent inquiry. "I think my instincts detected something different around me."

He looked puzzled. "How?"

I moved closer to him. "Cody, you're not entirely human. You have a different scent, a different aura. And among all those humans, that aura stood out and my senses were able to detect it, thus triggering my instincts."

"Well, your gifts are certainly more interesting than mine."

"We don't know that."

"I'm pretty sure having supernatural senses and instincts cancels out healing and gravity control," he said.

My eyes lit up with realization when I remembered my senses had detected something inhuman about Cody's jump. "So, when you jumped off the balcony-"

"I controlled the gravity beneath my feet," he completed.

At that, a childish question came to my mind. I leaned forward with the interest of a seven-year-old, "Does that mean you can fly?"

He burst out laughing. “No. I mean, I don’t know, maybe? I don't exactly have full control."

"Not everyone would if they had these gifts," I said.

"You're one to talk, aren't you?" I chuckled in agreement.

We both stayed silent for a moment, which allowed me to process my thoughts. My mind wandered back off to the men at the warehouse. I frowned. "You still haven't told me about those men."

"Someone just went from sunshine to dead serious," he muttered and I rolled my eyes. "Those were Ryan's men. He's kind of like... us. But he's stronger and he's trained himself to control his gifts to their fullest. He's way too powerful. But he wants more."

"More power?" I asked with my eyebrows furrowed.

Cody nodded. "He wants to drain the power from other Supernaturals – that’s what he calls us. He's been looking all around the globe, and I got the honor to be his first target."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "Have the men attacked you before?"

"No, it was... it was Ryan. He spoke to me... in my head." He seemed miles away now.

"Telepathy?" I offered. He looked up at me and nodded. I sensed gratefulness in that gesture.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it yet. I thought I was going crazy. Till those men attacked me and proved that it all wasn't just in my head. I was lucky, though. My family was moving here, to Toronto, and I thought maybe I could escape him somehow. But those men attacked me again here. I–" he stopped abruptly, inhaling sharply. "I fought them off. Ryan realized he underestimated me. He told me in my mind that if I wanted those attacks to stop, I had to confront him in the warehouse. I knew it was risky to go, but I went anyway. I can't say I'm surprised it was a trap."

I nodded, taking it all in. "You said those men wouldn't be dead for long?"

"And they won't be. They're probably back on their feet now."

I gave him a puzzled look. "How?"

"Those men were once human. I don't know what Ryan did to them or how it happened but somehow, their lives are tied to his. They can't die as long as he lives. The only way to actually kill them–"

"Would be to kill Ryan," I completed, catching on. He nodded. I craned my neck and sighed, exhausted.

"You should go home and rest." I turned to Cody who was looking at me intently. "I think you drew on a lot of fire today."

"Not just fire," I added. "I was training with air before I got to the warehouse."

His eyebrows went up. "That's dangerous."

Despite my exhaustion, I attempted to smirk. "Danger is my middle name."

He chuckled, "If you say so. I honestly thought it would be more... humane." I laughed, seeing a slight tint of gray in my vision as a light breeze rustled the leaves our way. "I should get going too. It's getting late."

I glanced toward the horizon and realized he was right. The sun was already setting, coloring the sky with specks of orange and red blended together.

I nodded as we both got to our feet. The action made my muscles ache slightly. They were sore, probably because of the fight. Picking up my bag again, I walked out of the clearing with Cody. I braced my ears before reaching the sidewalk this time. The chaos was still as loud as before, but it was more uncomfortable than painful.

I bid goodbye to Cody and we parted ways. My thoughts were racing with the newfound information. I sighed, pulling my hood over my head again. I planned on going home, but no matter how exhausted I was I wasn't planning on sleeping just yet. It was Friday – I had to talk to Xander.