Whispers

Chapter fourteen

Dom is able to calm me down and talk to me about the process we would go through at the meeting on Monday. Dom, Kitty and I would drive to the Council building and go into the meeting. Dom said that I didn't have to speak unless I was spoken to, but if I felt they were getting something wrong in the trial that I could interrupt them. I have never been to a Council meeting or hearing before, so I found it odd that I speak without being spoken to. After both sides has presented their case, they Council would take a moment, out of the room, to speak to each other, before coming to a decision. We would then know that decision the same day, or later in the week--it depends on how difficult the meeting is.

By the time Dom finishes going over everything with me, the pack started to come back from the woods. I stare after them in envy--what I wouldn't give to just go on a good run right now. 

"Are you still up for a tour of our training facilities?" I look to Dom and shrug. Today couldn't get much worse or better. That and Dom really made it sound like I had a chance on staying here and not going home, so I should familiarize myself with the property. 

We walk down into the yard and down the right side of the house, where two big, gym looking building came into view, "This is the main training facility, where we practice abilities and fighting. We will probably start you off with an individual trainer to see how developed your fighting skill is. We already know your abilities are not well developed, but without any idea what ability type you have, we can't put you with a group," Dom looks at me with a smile and I nod. 

"Who will you put me with?" I asked, suddenly terrified that he would put me with Ray--I just got here, I didn't need another episode of what happened with Sarah. 

"Probably Jason. He can't go on missions right now, and he's been asking to be a trainer for a while. He's a good fighter, and a fairly good teacher with people who aren't his brother," I chuckle at that.

"Any other questions before we continue?" Dom asks, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah," I sigh, "Ability types. What are the and when will I know what type I have?" I ask, stretching my arms over my head, doing my best to release the rest of my pent up anxiety from earlier. 

"Good question," Dom says as the other pack members start dividing themselves up to go into the buildings for further training. I caught sight of Ray, laughing and joking around with the other pack members, completely unaware that I was here and felt a pang of jealousy. All I want is to feel welcome here, and to belong. I look away from the group and focus on Dom. 

"There are three different types of abilities: Physical, Mental and Combination. Physical abilities usually do with the body, such as speed or strength. Your roommate, Bane, has a speed ability. Mental abilities are what they sound as well, dealing with the mind. Usually a type of telekinesis or manipulation of the mind. Jason, has a manipulation ability unlike any other I have seen. The Combination ability is more difficult to describe, because it's more of a wild card--No one can predict what a person with a Combination ability will have. They can, theoretically, have as many or few abilities as possible. There is, to date, only one person to come through this facility with a Combination ability," 

I nod along with Dom's explanation, "Now, you'll find out what ability you have after you have been through some training. I talked to Doc first thing this morning, and as long as you're okay with it, I think you are good to start with light training. And I mean light--if I do put you with Jason, I will have to tell him to take it easy. He tends to go overboard when he does his own training, and I don't need him doing that to you," 

I smiled at Dom, happy that I am going to start training sooner than I thought, "I was going to make you wait a week, but after Doc said that you should be good so long as you're easy on yourself to allow the strength to come back further, I see no problem with having you start. Because we have the meeting Monday, you probably won't start until Tuesday though, okay?" 

I nod, my stomach knotting up at the mention of Monday's meeting, but do my best to ignore it. 

"Do you have any other questions?" Dom asks and I shake my head at him. He motions me to follow him back to the porch, "Back there, in the woods, there are three or four running trails and a lake. During the warmer days, after training, a lot of the members will go there to swim. There are also fields back there that some people like to go to to relax," Dom looks at me before continuing, "Please feel free to explore. No doors are locked here, so you can use the training facilities whenever you want and can go off on your own. You are free to do what you want to do, so long as you're not hurting anyone else, okay?"

I smile and nod at Dom, to which he asks one last time if I had any further questions. I shake my head, my body feeling tired. Dom takes this chance to tell me to find him if I have any questions, and takes his leave. 

In the entryway of the house, I decide I am going to explore the inside of the training buildings because I've only seen the outside. I walk around the building, ready to go look inside the buildings, but realize that everyone was still inside training, and I don't want to get into the middle of what they were doing. I turn on my heel and walk towards the woods, to find the running trails Dom was telling me about. 

After a good five minutes of looking, I find the Lake, which is something out of a movie--completely clean and clear, I can see right down to the bottom. From the surface it looks deceiving--it's probably a lot deeper than it looks. 

Down by the bank is a small dock with a chest overflowing with pool floats that the others probably use to relax while out in the water. I smile at the thought of hanging out and relaxing while swimming and try not to think about the possibility of getting shipped off back home. I smile, and turn back to the trail that lead me here, and explore more of the trails. 

By the time I finish exploring and getting comfortable with the trails and where they lead, I decide to head back towards the training facilities. When I get there, people are walking out from the buildings, so I go and wait for them all to go on their way before going into the buildings. I sat on the back porch for about a half hour, and then go to check out the buildings.

The first building is dark and empty, releasing some of the tension I was feeling. I turn on the light and find a huge, open floor covered in mats. Equipment was pressed against the walls, and one wall is covered in mirrors, kind of like in a normal gym. On the other side of the gym there is a door, which I decide to go through, leading me somewhere on the other side of the building. I am met with another door, and when I try the handle, I find that it is locked. So much for 'no door is locked'.

Then, I heard the lock on the door slide. I stepped back, letting go of the handle, and stared at it for a second. Did the door just unlock itself, or did I unlock it somehow? I grab the handle, quickly and turn it, allowing me into another room that was barely lit.

My eyes are adjusting to the dimness of the room, when I realize that I am not alone. I duck into a dark corner, not wanting to be seen by whoever was in the room with me.

"I cannot believe you brought that girl here. We aren't a charity service, Jason," I roll my eyes at the sound of Ray's voice.

"Then why are you here, Ray?" Jason said with a sigh. I put my hand over my mouth to stop my gasp and laugh at his words. From where I am standing, in my dark corner, I can feel the anger flowing off of Ray in waves.

"Seriously? I'm the best fighter here," She says. Something heavy hits the floor as Jason grunts. 

"This place is for people with mutant abilities, and as far as I know, you are not a mutant. You are literally the very thing you hate--a charity case," Jason's voice stays steady as he speaks, a slight laugh playing at the back of his throat. 

"But at least I can hold my own--," 

"Who cares if she can't? You seem to be the only one," I can hear Jason roll his eyes at Ray, his voice playing at how done he was with this conversation--it had to of start way before I came in here.

"I care because I know she wouldn't last a second here if you, Angel or Bane weren't here to protect her," Ray says, her voice dripping with venom. 

"Yeah, because of you. 90% of the issues we have between pack members that we have here is because of you. You don't know how to shut up, not start fights, and are always confrontational no matter the situation," The room is silent--Ray doesn't have anything to say, "Why are you like this? No one here treats you badly, and you have, essentially, had a silver spoon in your mouth the second you were born. You think you would be grateful--Dom could have turned you out to the street, but instead he let you stay here, gave you something to do, and tries to be a decent guardian. And you repay him by being a massive b***h," Jason finishes off with a heavy sigh. 

"Whatever," Ray mumbles before stalking out of the room. I catch a glimpse of her retreating figure as she slams the door behind her. I sigh, the overall energy of the room becoming lighter. I slide down the wall and sit on the floor, allowing the relief of not being caught my Ray today wash over me. 

"Gill, I know you're there," I tense against the wall, "I heard the door open." I get up from the floor and come out of the corner to see Jason standing by the gym equipment he was using when the conversation with Ray started. 

This room, unlike the other room, looked more like a typical gym, with machines and free weights, and also doubled as a storage place for extra equipment. I turn my attention back to Jason and watch as he starts putting up his weights. 

Jason is a lot more muscled than I thought--through his t-shirt I can see his muscles contract and relax as he lifts and puts things back where they belong. I shake my head, and advert my eyes.

"Did she know I heard the whole thing?" I ask, slightly worried.  

"I don't think so," He sighs, "She's oblivious to everything unless the object is right in front of her or if she's fighting," Jason puts back the last of his weights and looks at me with a small smile, "What brings you in here?" 

I look at him and shrug, "Dom showed me around a little, and said I could go anywhere I want. I thought the place was empty when I came in," Jason nods, "Oh, he said he talked to Doc! I can start training on Tuesday!" I said, excited.

"That's good. Did he tell you who was going to train you?" He looks at me, expectedly. I smile and shrug, playing off the information I had. 

"He said something about you training me, but I don't know for sure," Jason looks at me with a broad smile. 

"I have been asking him for a trainers position forever. Hopefully he will tell me later if I have it," He walks towards me, sending my nerves into overdrive, "I'm going back to the house. You coming?" I take in a shaky breath, trying to figure out what happened to my body, and nod. I follow Jason out of the building and towards the house.

"I am assuming you're excited to start training then?" Jason asked, wiping more sweat away from his brow while on our way back. I smile and nod.

"I'm not looking forward to going to online school, though" I say, rubbing my face free of my slight burst of anxiety. The idea of going to school stresses me out. At least I won't have to worry about switching classes or carting around books from class to class. 

"It's not that bad. It's actually better than going to a public school, in my opinion," We reach the back porch and both reach for the knob at the same time, the brush of our hands together sending small tingles through my hand. 

Jason looks over at me, confused, but I ignore it and open the door, not willing to question the feeling in this moment. We walk together to the main living area and as soon as I walk in everyone goes quiet.  Jason looked around at everyone, trying to figure out why everyone was so quiet, and he soon found his answer. I stood next to him, frozen in my place. 

No one has to tell me that the person in front of me is a Council member, I already knew by looking at him. I swallow the lump that found itself in the base of my throat and do my best to control the shaking that began to take over my body.

"Nice to see you, Gill. Let me introduce myself. I'm Mr. Chrome. I have been assigned to your case,"

"What are you doing here?" I try to act calm, not wanting to show anyone that this man had an effect on me. 

"The meeting can be avoided on Monday if you come with me now." I laugh.

I realize, in that second, I sound and look like a crazy person. I do my best to stop laughing, and look at Mr. Chrome.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere with you," I take a deep breath, a sudden wave of confidence washing over me. I stand tall in the face of the Council member, who is looking at me like I am crazy.

"How could you do that to your mate, Gill? You know, the people here will be lucky to find their mate, and here you are letting yours go." I roll my eyes and sigh in frustration.

"Bullshit," Everyone gasped at me, and Chrome's eyes grew huge.

"What did you say to me?!" Chrome took a step toward me, but I stand my ground. I stand taller, square my shoulders, and look him right in the eye. 

"I'll see you in the Council on Monday, because I'm not going with you back to that place without a fight," I say, a sudden wave of strength filling my body. I close my eyes for a second--the last time I felt this I almost killed someone. I need to keep it in check.

Chrome stood there for a minute, his face getting redder and redder as we stare each other down. The room was electric with emotion, one wrong move, one bump from the wrong atom could've set the house ablaze. Everyone stared at us, waiting for something to happen. Chrome, eventually took in a deep breath and straightened his jacket.

"Your pack wants you to come home," Chrome said through clenched teeth. I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"No they don't," I whisper, not caring if he heard. He knew my answer, he just doesn't want to accept it.

"Gillian---," 

"No," It is getting harder to hold in the total anger that I feel, "You can arrest me, drag me, pull me, tie me up and take me back, but I will not stay. I will keep running and will take the risk of death because I know what life looks like for me if I go back. I will continue to fight you. I won't give up, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind. Any thing else, Mr. Chrome?" I said, my throat burning. I was still fighting with myself. I wanted to throw Chrome across the room and break him in half. 

My vision starts to blur along the sides, and I feel myself start to slip. The anger I feel towards this man and towards the idea of going back to what I ran from is starting to seep into my bones. I refuse to close my eyes out of fear that I will black out and attack a Council member. 

"I believe that is your cue to leave, sir. I told you she wasn't going to leave," Chrome looks at Dom amazed that he was siding with me. I take my eyes to the floor, trying to gain back some kind of control, and smile at Dom's words. He already told me he was going to fight with me--He really wasn't going down without a fight.

"You're not going to make her go back? I thought you said---,"

"She's one of us now. Now, please Councilman, take your leave," Dom says, his tone threatening. I swallow the rising panic in my throat, the anger and power that flowed through me before starting to dissipate. Next thing I hear was a door slamming behind Chrome as he left. 

I let go of a huge breath that I was holding, and covered my face with my hands. My head spins and as my stomach becomes more and more like a knot. I close my eyes, finally, and unclench my fists--which I didn't know were clenched to begin with. I look down at my palms to see the already healing crescent moons that my nails left behind. 

"Hey," I felt a warm hand on my elbow. The warmth spread up my arm, calming my nerves back down to where they were when before walking in the room, "Gill, it's okay, come on. Let's get some water." I recognize the voice as Jason's. I look up at him and nod to see him flinch slightly. 

"Your eyes are really purple. The deepest shade of purple I have ever seen," Jason says calmly as he leads me into the kitchen. I sit on a stool and Jason grabs me a glass to fill with water. I almost didn't notice Angel when he walks into the kitchen after us. 

"Are you okay? That was pretty intense," Jason hands me my water and I take a long, grateful gulp before looking at Angel.

"I'm fine, I guess. My head feels like it's going to explode, but nothing too terrible." Jason looks at Angel who nods and goes to a cabinet to get some aspirin for my headache. 

"What Chrome said, that wasn't okay," Angel presses two aspirin into my hand, which I throw back and swallow with another gulp of water.

"Yeah well, I figured that if I did what I wanted to him that I would kill him, and that wouldn't have been good," Angel chuckles. 

"I would have loved to see you put Chrome through a wall. That would make my year," Jason says with a scoff. I look up at him with a smile.

"Jason--," Angel groans, slightly, with a smile, trying to scold his brother without actually meaning it. 

"What, Chrome's an ass," Jason laughs, trying to lighten the mood, "He doesn't like any of us, for no other reason other than we are mutants, and you know it," Angel rolls his eyes as Jason leans down in front of me on the counter, "He would rather see us all dead than able to control the abilities we are born with. He told me so himself."

Angel sighs, "You sure you're good?" I nod at him, asserting that I am, in fact, okay. Angel smiles softly at me before waving at his brother before leaving the kitchen, leaving Jason and I alone. 

In the silence I thought about what Chrome said--My pack wants me back. Do they actually want me back for me, or because of another reason? None of them like me, and never have liked me. Alpha Collins was the only one who tried to care, and eventually he was fed up with the crap that came along with me. Luke might want me back, but now that our bond is nonexistent, I doubt that he actually wants me. He would want me to save face, because he said I am his mate over Sarah. 

If I were to go back, Sarah would try to rip me to shreds, which would end me back in the same place I started--trapped in a dark room, waiting for a Council verdict on what to do with me. 

"What are you thinking about?" I look over at Jason, surprised. No one's ever asked me what I am thinking. I look away, a small blush running up my neck and into my cheeks. I try to play it off, clear my throat with another drink of water, and swipe my hair through my fingers. 

Why does he make me so nervous?

I sigh, "I was just thinking about my old pack," I shake my head with a laugh. 

"Old memories, I assume," He says making his way around the counter to stand in front of me. I shake my head. 

"Yeah, but none of them are good memories. I was mostly thinking about why they would want me back, if at all," I place the glass on the counter and cross my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling exposed and insecure in front of Jason. 

"I don't think they actually want you back, no offense," He says, taking the stool beside me. I nod, knowing that what he says is the truth. They don't want me, they just don't like that I was able to get away from them. 

"I know, I was telling myself that there's no way they would want me back. If I go back I would just end up in the same place as before," I rub my eyes, suddenly tired and drained. 

"Shot in the middle of the woods?" I laugh at Jason's joke and shake my head. 

"Well I hope you wouldn't shoot me a second time," I laugh out. Jason looks at me, his eyes full of kindness and sincerity. 

"I would save you again and again if I had to. Although, I have to say, you didn't really need saving in the first place," I stop laughing and look into his slightly purple eyes, unable to think of anything to say, "Your eyes have gone back to the bluish-grey color they were before, though now they have more purple in it." 

I blink a couple of times, regaining some of the dignity that just fell out of me and on the floor, "That's good. At least I won't scare anyone with the super purple eyes," I look down at my feet. 

"You wouldn't go back to them would you?" I scoff at Jason's question, "Seriously, Chrome will do everything in his power to make that happen," I look at Jason, who is now staring ahead. I can't read the emotion that he is holding in his face, but it almost looks like fear mixed with something else. 

I take a deep breath, "I'm never going back there," I whisper, putting my hand on his arm. Jason looks at me, the unknown emotion now gone from his features. The fear turns to relief and happiness. 

"Good."