Coveted {FINISHED}

|Chapter Eleven |

His lips pulled into a smirk as he winked, "No. But I'm sure tomorrow he'll be the one finding you."

With that he sneaked from my room closing the door slowly as I flopped back on the bed, the vibration around me slowly fading the further he got. All I could do was ignore his words and silence my mind, I just needed to fall asleep before reality came knocking.

Except when it did, it was followed by a way too perky Jeremy. "You've slept in for like three hours, get up!" I pulled the covers higher up covering my ears as I groaned into the pillow. Flashbacks of the hours before quickly flooded back as Jeremy walked right up to the foot of the bed.

"Get out please," I begged, my voice muffled.

"No way. We gotta have a rematch and Regan wants to test out the whole 'is your boyfriend still tryna kill you today' thing. " at the mention of his name I jumped up, my eyes flying to the bedroom door frantically as I kicked the covers from my legs and practically flew out of the bed right up against the door keeping it shut. The panic that had burned through me was so sudden it took me a second to actually realize why I was reacting that way and in front of who. "Um . . . okay . . ."

"Not . . . really in the mood for psychic business today." I chuckled nervously as I turned to face a confused Jeremy.

"It's not like you can exactly avoid it either." Okay, when did he become the voice of reason? And when did he think we got so close this invasion of privacy was okay?

Maybe around about the time you straddled him to win a game.

Fair point.

"I'm not. I'll stand there and let him vision himself away . . . later." Jeremy's eyes narrowed in on me letting the silence fill the room as he searched my face. "I promise. I just wanna . . . get out for a bit or do something normal for an hour."

His face softened and if he was trying to figure out my bizarre reaction before, he seemed to have stopped now as a warm smile spread across his lips. I wasn't lying either, sure I was trying to avoid Regan and Ian but at the same time last night's effects were completely gone and I wanted to just feel normal again without the overthinking and the embarrassment and hell even the guilt! One normal day out of all this madness isn't that much to ask, right?

"I've got the perfect idea." He said as his hands flew right into jean pockets, rocking slightly on the heels of his feet. "Stay here."

I didn't hesitate moving out his way as he disappeared from my room letting out a deep sigh as I closed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair.

All this stuff happening between me and Ian and me and Regan was getting too much. When it was all said and done, when my feelings weren't heightened and neither of them were around it was becoming tiring feeling so many things and not knowing how to sort it all out, not knowing where I stand always going backwards and forwards.

A few minutes later and there was a gentle knock at the door. I sat on the edge of the bed with my legs curled under me and my shirt yanked over the knees. "Come in,"

Slowly the door opened to reveal a head of shaggy blond hair and bright brown eyes with shards of green. My heart eased from that panicked thumping to a light carefree pump as Shane glided into the room leaving the door ajar.

"Jeremy told me you wanted to leave the house for a bit, have some time away from all the crazy." He smiled down at me, one hand hidden in the back pocket of his black trousers. "I'm about to head out care to join me?"

I waited a moment before replying trying to figure out exactly how a normal day was supposed to go down by hanging with the third gifted sibling. Jeremy was the only one with no powers and he disappeared to bring the complete opposite of what I'd said.

But then again, I suppose healing was completely different from Regan and Ian. As long as I didn't touch him it should all be pretty normal. Shane's power seemed to be far calmer than the others. Maybe this was good, maybe Jeremy did know what the hell he was doing.

"Sounds like a plan," I replied as Shane walked back out to wait for me. It didn't take me long to pull on some clothes deciding to stick to simple, I yanked on a pair of black skinny jeans and white tank top. I hurried over to the bathroom reaching for the brush and lazily throwing my hair up into a bun before meeting Shane in the hallway by the stairs. "Let's go."

He led the way outside to the same styled cab that had picked me and Regan up yesterday except for this time the driver was an elderly woman with her eyes fixed permanently on the road.

We sat in silence as the cab pulled away from the mansion, my eyes clinging to the dark oak porch with a relieved smile at how easily I'd gotten out there without seeing either one of them. Unlike the cab right with Regan, Shane kept a warm smile on his face the whole way without saying a word. It was uncomfortable or awkward it was just what I needed.

Roughly fifteen minutes since we started on the road, the cab pulled up by a small pebbled path disappearing into the woods, the clearing just up ahead. Thick trees lined either side of the road, the rest of the small path hidden by dark green leaves and scrawny looking branches. I followed behind Shane as we left the car and stepped into the shelter of the forest.

"Well this isn't creepy at all," I breathed noticing how the further we got from the main road the less light there seemed to be. But even as we got deeper, and the noises of crickets mixed with a low howling of the wind, I never felt panic. It wasn't the same sensation as the first time Shane helped me on the staircase, but it was still something.

"We'll reach a camp pretty soon." He informed, taking a sharp glance over his shoulder at me.

"What kind of a camp?"

"You'll see." Was the last thing he said before we fell back into a silent march down the path. And just like he said we'd reached a camp. At first, it was only one large yellow tent proper up between two willow trees, a firepit carved out with rocks and twigs a few feet in front but the minute we stepped up to it, the rest came into sight.

It was as if the tree's parted the closer we got letting us see this almost secret world. Various coloured tents scoured the forest, some using the actual tree as a frame. They went on for what looked like a mile all-round, hidden by the large hills behind them. As we passed the yellow tent, a group of women hurried out clutching water bottles to their chest. Their eyes danced from me to Shane and to the floor as they passed.

"What is this place?" I breathed, my body automatically moving closer towards him.

"It's safe ground."

"Safe ground from what?" I asked still in awe as we continued walking through this city of tents.

"Some are refugee's, their countries are torn apart by war. Others have nowhere else to go, nothing left for them and so they came here. It's a community of people run by the people. They all have one thing in common. They just want peace without the fear." He stopped walking and turned to face me, that smile that had been glued to his lips since he came into my room seemed to dwindle just a little. "There's over a hundred and fifty men, women and children living here, all hidden away from the rest of the world."

"But . . . food and health care . . ."

"You'd be surprised at how much food you could find in these woods and around these hills. As for the health care . . . well . . . that's why I'm here." My eyes turned wide as his smile returned stronger than it had been.

"You mean . . . you heal every single person here?"

"They're my responsibility. My Aunt used to have the same gift except she was tired of seeing how easily this world tore people apart. First, it started with one family, then it grew. When she passed, they kept living here expanding I guess you could say. I took decided to keep her work going, keep her community at peace-"

"Without the fear," I added.

"You're welcome to come here, whenever you need. This place is your home too when you need it." His words settled over me like a thick warm blanket and I couldn't help but smile up at him as this sensation of calmness rooted itself inside.

"You're pretty cool you know." His chuckle seemed to carry up with the wind throughout the camp, his hand reaching out wrap around my wrist and as his skin touched mine, it happened again. I was lost in a swirl of brown and green, his eyes holding me in this state of blissfulness. Nothing mattered because nothing could hurt me.

Gently pulling me along, he led us into a dark green and purple tent. The darkness closing in around us the second we stepped inside. It wasn't until the smell of pine and burning paper that I was able to really notice anything aside from the perks of Shane.

Letting go my wrist, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, illuminating one of the three candles stationed around the tent. "This tent is one of our spares. It's yours now."

Not that I'd be able to find my way to it again.

"Thank you . . ." I took a step back and looked around. Two single mattresses were placed on top of each other covered by red and silver fabric. A few pillows were scattered on top with an old three-legged bench to the side and two handcrafted wooden drawers. "I don't understand why though-"

"In case you want your space. Just because you can't go back to your old home doesn't mean you have to be stuck somewhere you don't want to be." I couldn't help but let my eyes fall to the ground, my arms wrapping around my shoulders.

"Is that how I act?" I whispered, my cheeks burning red. Sure the situation wasn't ideal and I know I've expressed on more than one occasion how badly I just wanna leave but I never meant it to be ungrateful.

"It's not a bad thing. Even I have my own tent. I know it must be hard, being around my brothers, everything gets a little hectic. When you need to be around normality, this can be your safe ground . . . away from heightened emotions and life-threatening visions."

"Thank you," I said again, this time meaning every single word. Guess Jeremy did get it right. "Can I stay here? Tonight?"

My question seemed to catch him off guard as his eyes ran from me to the zipper of the makeshift door. "I guess but we should probably go back and let Regan know-"

"No! I mean . . . Jeremy knows I left with you and you can just text Regan or something." The idea of going back wasn't an option, not yet.

"Okay well will you let me heal your face?" my hand, as if by instinct brushed across the bruise on my cheek from Ian. I'd completely forgotten it was even there!

"N-not yet." No powers. Just for today, no powers. Apart from that morphine thing he can do. That was pretty cool. Unlike before, Shane didn't seem hurt by the fact I wouldn't let him heal me, instead, a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"In that case, what do you say to dinner?" he took a step closer to me and reached out his hand for me to take. If I hadn't already been smiling then I was definitely beaming now. Dinner. Old fashioned dinner.

Except for the minute I took his hands and felt that blissful calm take over, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that this was only the beginning.