Coveted {FINISHED}

|Chapter Seven |

What the hell did he see?!

Did that even matter now? He saw something! I stood completely frozen in the middle of the room, my brain coming to a halt as I felt the droplets of water dry off from my shoulders every minute that passed.

I need to get out of here!

A few moments later and Jeremy knocked on the door letting me know Regan was ready to go. Me on the other hand? I was still dressed in my towel staring wide-eyed at the ground. The embarrassment was pumping through me. They probably all knew by now! How was I supposed to look at them without turning into a tomato?!

Finally forcing my legs towards the bed, I reached out for the grey top neatly folded by a pair of overly large blue jeans and a black belt that I'm guessing Regan had left behind. To say I was lost in the sea of denim and cotton was an understatement but after tucking in the seemingly bland top and yanking the belt as tightly as possible, I managed to keep it all from slipping down my legs with a single step. The final image? A slab of bunched up material. Whatever he saw definitely cannot be as sexy as this!

But this could be it, this could be my chance to get out of here! When he's not looking . . . I could escape-

Since when were you ever kidnapped? Just go. Right out the front door. 

Whilst that was completely true they hadn't exactly shown me the front door the first time I asked to leave. But then what? Where do I go? The whole situation was still too much to swallow. They'd proven beyond a doubt they're not crazy but I'm still here thinking there's a chance this is all just some crazy nightmare . . . Nightmare with perks that is.

No. This was it. When I have the chance, I'll take my shot and . . . And go to Paula! She'll know exactly what to do.

Giving myself a few more seconds, I tried to towel dry my hair as much as possible but after noticing how much more frizzy it was becoming I gave up. I hurried down the stairs trying to keep my knees from buckling against each other and sending me right down to the bottom step. Regan was leaning against the small marble table near the stairs, his phone flipped up to his ear as he mumbled a response and shut it, his green orbs finding my eyes immediately. My cheeks burned under the dull glow of the chandelier, a few curly strands of hair, fortunately, fell across my face and I made no attempt to correct it as I finally reached him.

"Are you ready?" He asked, nodding I took a small step to the side waiting for him to lead us out when a tight fist formed in my chest, my stomach flipping around as he walked towards the front door. His words settled over my mind again and I had to gulp down the strange mix of fear and excitement before following him to the black cab waiting just to the side of the mansion.

He didn't say anything else after giving the cab driver the address, instead, he focused his eyes out the window at the blurred trees racing past us. Even with the radio playing from the front, I could feel the electric silence between us build. My legs instinctively tensing as I tried keeping my breathing clam but not knowing was too much. Feeling so embarrassed and not even knowing what the hell he saw was straining my mind way too much. All this tension and I don't even know why!

"What did you see?" I finally forced, my voice cracking as I licked my dry lips wishing I had kept my mouth shut the minute it opened.

"Patience is a virtue." He replied, his eyes still focused on the sites outside the window but I could make out the corner of his lips tugging upwards.

"Not when someone knows something about you that you don't."

"So you don't know yourself?" He questioned leaving me a little more annoyed then tense now.

"You know what I mean. You saw something about my . . . Future," I started, letting my eyes fall on him watching for any sign to see if what he'd seen was Ian related or something that's still to happen. When he didn't react I kept on. "Surely I should know? You had no problem telling me about Danny." I huffed the last part letting my arms cross my chest as I leaned back against the scratchy leather seat.

"Danny was life and death this . . .is not." Oh god! What was it?! This is killing me! My whole body heating up as my chest tightened more, yup another wave of shame. I felt like he was somehow standing right in my bathroom watching me shower with some invisible cloak. "Besides, curiosity killed the cat."

I couldn't help the small smile that broke free across my lips at how true that was in my situation with Danny. Before I knew it, I replied sucking the little bit of ease right out the car. "Yeah but satisfaction brought it back."

His head slowly turned to face me, his green eyes glistening brighter under the grey clouded light from outside. Smirking, he winked before clearing his voice, steering the conversation this time.

"We should be there soon," I let my eyes fall on the window noticing small houses appearing in the distance, each with large gaps of land between each before I got that same old uneasy feeling. I hated shopping, anything clothes-wise was a nightmare. My whole skin erupts with this burning itch the minute I walk in, my being feeling like its under some psychic attack every time I walk the rails with tops. I would always end up fighting bile back down, fighting the urge let it out at the same time with Danny's words echoing in every customers eye. But this time was so much worse, now I had to worry about him finding all that out, about him finding out exactly how damaged I was on the inside, finding out how much of a lost cause I was. Danny had won ages ago.

Now I had to wake it up again, the devil in me was roaring and I could feel my breathing quicken, my forehead breaking into a cold sweat as my eyes darted across the car.

"Are you okay?" Regan's voice mumbled, barley audible in the mess of my mind.

"Uh . . ." I managed to force, letting my body sulk back completely before taking a deep breath closing my eyes.

It's okay Nance! It's okay, you're not even there yet. Deal with it when you're there. You're okay now. You're okay.

"I just . . . Don't like shopping." I groaned, opening my eyes again but keeping them far from his. I was an open book and this chapter was off-limits. Sensing his frown, I smiled weakly, thankful as he let it go and looked away.

"Don't worry. It'll just be you, me and the clerk." My eyes shot wide aiming right at him.

"What?" I should have guessed he could hire the whole place out, he lives in a mansion for gods sake!

"Being a psychic comes with its perks."

"Do you have a special psychic locality card?" I asked, forgetting the panic for a second.

"No," he said chuckling seemingly glad to go along with me.

"Well that sucks. You'd think a thing exists right?" I asked noticing the cabs drivers eyes linger on us in the review mirror. Regan must have seen to because he was keeping it up willingly.

"Defiantly. Especially since the gym offers every psychic a free trainer. You know, if you helped find a body or something." I couldn't help laughing along, grateful for the distraction. "She lost her son a few years back. The police closed the case with a runaway conclusion but she knew he wouldn't do that. She knew my family for many years . . . And so she asked me for help and I helped."

"You found her son?" I asked, a sudden hope filling me but by the way, his face had paled and his hands had collapsed into tight fists I could see my answer.

"You could say that. He was murdered by a neighbour but I managed to bring her boy home for a proper funeral. I brought her closure." He muttered, his jaw tensed. I couldn't help but notice how he seemed to be telling himself rather than me.

"So you saw it happen?" I asked mentally slapping myself. I had way too much of the curiosity chip and not enough of the sensitivity chip, but with Regan, it felt safe to question.

He simply nodded, his eyes focusing on nothing. I couldn't imagine that seeing so much horror knowing sometimes you couldn't stop it or knowing that you could but you just weren't quick enough. The longer I stared at him the more I knew that was exactly his life. But it was true, he was right he brought her closure, he gave her her baby back one last time for her goodbye. I couldn't imagine living my life not knowing what happened to someone I loved.

"You were a miracle to her," I breathed but he didn't waste any time replying.

"A miracle would have been bringing her son back alive." I held my breath, biting down on my bottom lip. This was the most any of them had shown about themselves and I think I get why now.

A few minutes later and we had pulled up beside a decently large sized brick building. The Windows were large covering most of the wall at the front with the red bricks covered by ivy dripping across every possible surface. We walked up towards the large wooden doors and Regan knocked once before holding it open for me to step inside. It was simple, four walls with a bathroom at the bottom and a small wooden door to the bottom right with a cardboard cut out reading changing rooms. But the walls were scattered with clothes, the middle packed with neat rows of various rails hanging with various items. It may not be dripping with expensive furniture but even I could tell the labels in here were far too pricey for a normal working-class girl like me. The counter was barely visible from the side with a small grey-haired lady folding a few shirts. Her blue eyes looked distant behind her square green glasses but then again she had lost a part of herself. She didn't get halfway towards us before my mind started racing from the tops to the jeans to the underwear and finally to my reflection across the room just insight besides the racks of jackets. That was it. My skin exploded and my hands raced to the back of my neck scratching as I walked backwards into Regan.

"Nancy . . ."

"I need a second." I splattered out spinning around and shutting the door closed behind me as I slowly slid down to the cobbled ground. I took a large gulp of air trying to calm myself down refusing to open my eyes knowing that if I saw everything spin again I would be fighting the urge to throw up.

Breathe. You've done this before. You can do this Nance. I know you can. Besides this time is different. This time it's just you. They won't be able to see you through all those clothes. You'll be completely alone. It's different. It's okay. It's okay. You're okay.

I let the words rehearse themselves in my mind before finally opening my eyes finally feeling the cool wind whip across my face. The sky was still cast over threatening to pour but right now I loved that idea. It was calming and that's what I needed.

Just go in there and be a fighter!

I couldn't remember the last time my own insecurities didn't eat me up.

Listening to the soothing boost, I stood up leaning back until my legs stopped shaking enough for me to fully stand. I could do this . . . Or I could run.

My eyes focused on the opening right in front of me but it was completely isolated, a small barn in the distance. See, this is where lack of planning gets you. There was nowhere to go. Right now my best bet was to stick with Regan. That's when it hit me, this is when I get crowned i***t of the century as the blood drains from my face. I planned to run away from a psychic. You planned to run away from a psychic. Still, wondering what he saw? Oh. My. God.

No! He acted so cool though . . . There was no hint! All the hints pointed to something totally different! Something totally inappropriate!

Guess what?

What?

Now's your time to found out. You can run, ask someone else for help and get to Paula no need for Danny. Or . . . Or you could go in. Find out EXACTLY what he saw.

I pushed away from the door turning to face it before my eyes lingered to the barn peering out at me and back to the door.

You know what they say Nance, curiosity killed the cat,

My hand wrapped around the door and I pulled it open biting down on my bottom lip, the prospect of something else entirely from Ian had my feet moving in and my escape plan limp.

But satisfaction brought it back. 

When the door finally closed and I had taken another gulp of air I finally turned around noticing the clerk had disappeared and the more I stepped into the main shop the more I noticed so had Regan, well this isn't screaming danger at all.

"I take it this is the part where you died." I jumped a foot in the air almost tripping up as I faced him, hand on my drumming heart as his voice boomed from behind me.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to sneak up on people! This isn't twilight, it's not sexy." I shot back straightening my back from the slightly crouched half dead stance. I noticed the corner of his lips twitch and piped up before he could. "And what the hell are you on about?! You jumping out of nowhere killed me more than the mysteriously empty clothing shop you took me to in the middle of nowhere."

He didn't reply, instead, he stood with his hands tucked into the side pockets of his jeans hanging loosely around his hips. His eyes glistening darker as a strand of black hair flew across his eyebrows. He was staring right at me his eyes sucking the air out of the room as I struggled uneasily on the spot, my teeth naturally taking my bottom lip hostage as if I'd forgotten before exactly how that had driven Ian.

He took slow strides towards me, my feet stumbling backwards until I was pressed up to a bunch of cotton blouses entrapped by skirts on each side.

"Well wasn't that the part where you died? So surely this should be the part where satisfaction brings you back." My breath caught catching onto his meaning almost immediately, I was the cat in all this. My mind completely frozen as every nerve on my body became alert, the air knocked completely from my lungs as my teeth dug deeper into my lip, his eyes latching on and never moving. "I've heard there is a delicate time limit for resuscitation so we should start straight away."