Faithless

Chapter Twenty Three

 It didn't take long for Ewan to get ready to confront Jasmina's father. Cam and Aiden were going to go with them just in case. Jasmina called ahead, promising her father that she could explain everything, but he wasn't willing to listen. He demanded that she came home immediately, so eventually that was what she agreed to do. She just left out the part where she wouldn't be staying. The drive back to her aunt's house was a long and quiet one. Jasmina could feel the nerves bubbling away in her stomach, making her feel sick. Cam tried to be supportive, but this situation was new for all of them.

They pulled up outside the house and Jasmina got out first, taking a deep breath, before she faced the house. Before she could even start walking up the drive, her father stepped out and he looked furious. He was heading straight for her when Jasmina heard the car door open once more and her father stopped in his tracks.

“No, no… It can’t…” He murmured to himself. He looked horrified, as he glanced between Jasmina and Ewan. “You can’t be…” He carried on. It was like he had gone into shock. Cam got out and put a hand on Jasmina's back, rubbing it gently to offer at least some kind of comfort. Jasmina didn’t realise just how upset she was feeling until he did that. It was like he felt it before she did. Jasmina finally had the confirmation she had been looking for. The whole time her father had known about magic, and she had still ended up in a psych ward.

“I think we need to talk.” Ewan said. At this point William could no longer bring himself to look at his own daughter. Jasmina could feel so much guilt radiating off him, it was like she was being hit by waves of the ocean in the middle of winter. They all stepped inside, but Cam, Aiden and Jasmina stepped into the kitchen, while William and Ewan went into the living room. Jasmina lent on the sink, looking out the window, refusing to face anyone. Cam just rubbed her back, while Aiden waited impatiently.

“He’s going to explain to your dad about your powers, and what would’ve been happening to you while you were in… hospital. He’ll just try and help him understand in general.” Cam explained. Jasmina didn’t say anything. She just carried on looking out the window.

After about ten minutes they were called into the living room. Jasmina sat down and her father kept staring at her like she was some kind of alien to him now. Jasmina kept her eyes down, refusing to face anyone.

“Jasmina. I… I didn’t…” He trailed off, running his hand through his hair.

“You didn’t what? Know? Well you should have.” Jasmina said quietly. The bitterness in her tone even shocked her, but she didn't care. She had been through a lot and Jasmina couldn't help but think about how much of it could have been avoided.

“I was expecting you to start making things float, or to accidentally set the curtains on fire, not screaming about someone about to die because you saw it in a dream.”

“Mum was a witch. Of course I would be too.” Jasmina muttered. She felt as if pressure was just building in her mind, and it would just snap any second, like when she blew up the window in school. Cam rubbed her back, while she fought for her control.

“I think it would be best if Jasmina came with us now.” Ewan said, watching Jasmina. She nodded, which made Cam happy for about a second, then he carried on worrying about her. William looked at Jasmina, with pain in his eyes, then nodded in agreement. Jasmina just breathed a sigh of relief.

“Go and get your things Jasmina, we’ll leave now.” Ewan said. Jasmina nodded and got up. Cam was going to go with her at first but Jasmina stopped him from getting up.

“If they tell my dad something I don’t know, I want you to at least know about it.” She thought, aiming it at Cam. He didn’t say anything but Jasmina could tell he agreed. She went upstairs and grabbed her bags, which she had never unpacked in the first place. Jasmina grabbed what stuff she had taken out of them then headed back down stairs, putting them by the door then she lent against the door frame of the living room William went to get up, but she raised her hand.

“Don’t bother.” Jasmina muttered. Cam just felt saddened by the whole situation, but he didn’t show it. He got up and led Jasmina towards the door. He grabbed Jasmina's bags and they went to the car. It was only then that she stopped to think “This is really happening.” She murmured. She could feel tears in her eyes but she tried to blink them back, but when Cam hugged her, she couldn’t do it any longer. Jasmina buried her head into the crook of his neck and sobbed uncontrollably. She was very conscious of the fact that they were standing in the middle of the street still, with her crying like there was no tomorrow. She bit her lip and did everything she could to block everything out.

She thought of the training Ewan had given her. Picturing herself building a wall in her mind, blocking out everyone else's thoughts, but this time she blocked out her own feelings. Slowly Jasmina started to feel better, until she got to the point where she just felt nothing at all. Her tears finally stopped and Jasmina pulled back to wipe her eyes. It was only now that she could see the look on Cam’s face. He looked both worried and hurt.

“I can’t feel you anymore.” He said, frowning. “Jas are you blocking everything?”

“Well… Yeah I guess.”

“Including emotions?” He asked. She nodded, just staring blankly.

“Jas that’s dangerous.”

“Get me to your home and then we can talk about there.” She shrugged, but Jasmina wasn't sure if she would listen to anything Cam wanted to say. Standing here now, Jasmina hadn't felt so care free in months. Cam just nodded, opening the car door for Jasmina to get in. She sat there in silence while he went inside. It wasn’t long before he came back, with Ewan and Aiden behind him. William stood at the door, staring at Jasmina, but she refused to look at him directly. Once everyone was in the car Cam drove away. The atmosphere in the car was grim to say the least. Jasmina could tell Cam was anxious to get back because he didn’t like the idea of her blocking everything, while for Aiden and Ewan, they were just plain stressed. She wondered what it was like in their shoes, telling people they wanted to basically take their kids away. That was all they were really doing after all. Cam parked up in the garage and they all got out. He took Jasmina's stuff and led her inside.

“You’ll be in the same room as before. We had a shuffle around and stuff.” Cam explained as they walked up the stairs. Jasmina just nodded, staying quiet while she took her time to think. As soon as they were inside Cam sat Jasmina on the bed and knelt down in front of her. “You need to stop blocking everything.” He said quietly.

“I don’t even know how.” Jasmina sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Just imagine taking the bricks away from that wall that you’ve built. Take your time, but you need to do it soon.” He urged. Jasmina sighed deeply.

“Fine.” She mumbled, shutting her eyes and picturing the wall. She started to chip at it, little by little, but the more that broke away, the louder it got to the point where it was painful.

“I can’t do it anymore.” She frowned, trying to cover her ears, not that it did her any good.

“I know it’s hard, but you need to do this Jas, please.” Cam begged. He got onto the bed beside Jasmina and hugged her tightly. She buried her head in his chest, trying to concentrate on him. The more she did, the less of everyone else she could hear. The wall in her mind collapsed, and she clung to Cam from relief. She was pushing herself into him, trying to use him as a shield from everything else. But the more she concentrated on him, the more she saw. Jasmina didn’t know whether he could feel what was happening, and see what she was seeing, but she couldn’t stop.

Jasmina saw Cam and Aiden when they were kids, playing cops and robbers in some park. Their mother called them, and when Cam looked to her Jasmina could see how much she meant to him. She had the same dark hair and green eyes as Cam, and Jasmina could tell that even then he was his mother’s son.

Next she saw them when they were about nine. It was the day of their mothers funeral and both of them were distraught. Their father had a hand rested on both their shoulders while the coffin was being lowered into the ground. Before Jasmina could see anymore, Cam blocked her, stopping her from seeing the memory. Jasmina gripped him tightly, trying to rebuild a wall that would block out the noise from everyone else. Slowly, but surely she succeeded, to the point where she no longer needed to cling to Cam.

Now that she was actually able to relax, Jasmina realised she managed to end up sitting on Cam’s lap, pushing herself into him, to the point where there was zero space between them. Jasmina went to move away, but Cam was holding her in place. Jasmina tried to figure out what he was thinking, but it wasn’t as easy as it had been.

“The link…” She frowned.

“It broke under the strain I guess.” He mused. Jasmina could tell he was distraught, not just because of the link going, but he was reliving his mother’s funeral too.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do any of this.” She said quietly. Cam was still holding onto her tightly, but any second now she was expecting him to push her away.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I just… I got used to it I guess.” Cam shrugged. Jasmina hated that she was causing him pain. She was even tempted to try and create the link once more, but she didn’t fully understand how she managed it the first time. Cam was fidgeting in his seat so Jasmina stood up. Cam laid down on the bed and she curled up, into his side. It bothered her that she couldn’t hear his thoughts anymore, or feel what he was feeling. It was nice being able to share that with someone. “Are you okay?” He asked after a while.

“Hm?” Jasmina mumbled.

“Are you okay? I've been trying to figure it out, but I can’t now. Guess I was kind of taking the whole link thing for granted.”

“I’m okay." She said quietly. Jasmina sat up resting on her elbow so she could look at Cam, but he was just facing the ceiling. She crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on them, waiting for him to say something. “I’m really sorry I dragged up that memory. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even realise I was doing anything.”

“It’s okay. I think it was more me anyway. You were somehow going through my memories and that one just happens to be the most significant or something I guess.” He said, still not looking at her.

“Cam please look at me.” Jasmina begged. She put an arm either side of him, lifting herself up, so she could see him clearly, slowly his glaze began to drift from the ceiling, until it finally met hers. He put a hand to Jasmina's cheek, then used his thumb to trace her lips. It made Jasmina blush, so she pushed his hand away, then laid her head on his chest. He chuckled slightly as she did so.

“You asked me to look at you.”

“Not in that way.” She smiled, lifting her head to look at Cam.

“I don’t know how to look at you a different way.” He grinned, tracing her lips again. “Come here.” He said quietly, putting a hand on her waist, to encourage her to move closer. Jasmina blushed deeply and shook her head slightly. Cam just grinned even more. “Why not?”

“Because.” She grinned, looking down Cam moved so he was on his side too, facing her. Jasmina moved so that they were the same height.

“Why?” He pushed, moving even closer, so Jasmina could feel his breath on her neck. He rolled them gently, so he was half on top of her. Jasmina swallowed her nerves and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slowly moved closer, so their lips almost touched, then he just stopped. He kept looking at her eyes, and then her lips. It felt like an eternity, before Jasmina decided to close the gap herself. It was only when she felt his smile against her lips, that she realised that was what he was waiting for in the first place. He ran his hands up and down my sides, playing with the hem of my shirt. Jasmina tangled her legs in his, and he ran his hand up her thigh. He pulled away for a second, then planted small, gentle kisses down her neck and along her collar bone. He kissed along her jawline, until his lips found hers again. Jasmina pulled away, gasping for breath. Cam just grinned, planting light kisses on her neck again. He pulled away from her a little, putting space between them once more.

“I…” She tried to speak, but didn’t know what to say. Jasmina looked in his eyes and she knew she could feel what Cam was feeling again, which made her blush, but she still wasn’t sure if the link was back again.

“What is it?” He asked, still smiling.

“I can feel what you're feeling right now. I just wondered if you could feel the same thing.” Jasmina replied.

“I’m not sure right now.”

“Why?”

“Because even if I could, I’m not sure what part is you and what part is me.” He smirked. Jasmina just blushed deeply, hiding her face. Cam laughed, rolling on to his back. Jasmina moved closer, curling up in his side once more.

“I should be unpacking.” Jasmina sighed.

“You should, but you’re not going to.” Cam shrugged.

“And why not?”

“Because you only just got here and I’m too comfortable to let you move.” He grinned. Jasmina just smiled, resting her head on his chest, while he traced patterns up and down her back. Jasmina closed her eyes while he did so, smiling to herself.

They stayed in Jasmina's room for another hour, with Jasmina being in and out of sleep for most of it. Eventually they both unpacked her things. The room she was in had cream walls and a dark red carpet. The bed was a double bed made from oak wood and had cream sheets. The nightstand, wardrobe and dresser were all made from oak too, which reminded her of an old cottage. Once all Jasmina's stuff was put away, they headed downstairs and joined everyone else in the living room. They had a comedy film on, but once Jasmina walked in, all eyes landed on her, making her cringe in discomfort.

“The link is definitely back.” Cam thought, directing it to Jasmina. She smiled at that, but she knew it meant he could tell how uncomfortable she was. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the others to carry on how they were. Ruby was sitting on the end of the three seater sofa, reading. Sarah got up and left pretty much as soon as Cam and Jasmina sat down, while Dylan just carried on his conversation with Tyler. Ashleigh smiled at Jasmina then carried on watching the film, while Aiden did the same.

Jasmina tried to watch the film but she was too busy thinking about how glad she was that the link was still there. It felt comforting to her, to be able to reach Cam so easily. With everything they had going on, it was good to know she had someone on a magical speed dial.