Aon

Chapter Two

The weekend rolled around again, with the days repeating like a broken record player. I awoke before six with nightmares, got to work by six-thirty, came home at five, napped or watched T.V. until ten O’clock, then began the process over again. The only difference on Wednesday, was having to go to the pharmacy after work for my prescription refill. I could hardly remember anything spectacular happening. If anything at all, the days were so similar, I was shocked when I woke up and found out it was Friday on the work calendar.

I couldn’t tell you who I talked to or who I served on Friday morning. There was a constant rush throughout the day and every face was a blur by the end of the shift.

I clocked out at five and sat on the bench at the bus stop as the norm. I didn’t bother reading and left my lunch bag at my heels in weary. I was trying to plan my weekend, so I was out of the apartment, somewhere a little less lonely during those two days. At least a park had chatting couples, playing children, and families out on picnic. I could read a book, go on a walk, maybe even just sit on a bench and doodle in a tablet with pen. It would be better if I were out and about, rather than stuck in my apartment with my past swirling around me constantly.

I didn’t care of what the activity was, only that I was out and away from the silence the weekend brought with it.

As I thought and rethought over my plans, I suddenly stiffened as the sense of déjà vu struck me. Fear crawled up my spine and pricked until goosebumps formed on my arms. I didn’t know why, but I began to look around in alarm of my surroundings. It was as if something gripped my chest, forcing my chin up to look for the danger that suddenly revealed itself. It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt, as if I felt someone else’s hatred so strongly, it practically surrounded me.

I caught gaze with a pair of dark eyes across the street, familiar, yet unfamiliar. It was a dark-skinned woman, with eyes that peered into mine with murderous intentions. She was tall and thin, with bleached white hair that fell to her shoulders in flat waves. She was thinned face, with a pouted mouth that pursed and pulled back over her white gleaming teeth. A dark storm cloud seemed to surround her, pulsing out from her body in short spurts like flames as her eyes glowed. The mere sight of her terrorized me in a way I never thought I could be, as if my nightmare was somehow brought to life.

It was the same black fire –the black fire that had pulsed out of his palms in my nightmare. Only this time, it was suddenly brought to life and surrounded her like a black hole.

It was as if something controlled my body, as if an ancient instinct had kicked in and brought me to move. An electric wave sent a shock to my system that filled my body from my fingers to my toes. It was like trying to put two North Poles of a magnet together, the odds are they’ll reflect, and bounce off each other.

In seconds I was on my feet as she began to stalk across the street in my direction. I don’t know why, but I began running as if my life depended on it. I felt the urge to keep running, to hide in the closest corner I could find, and to oddly… find something or someone.

She was behind me –running now, I could sense it, even if I didn’t hear it. It was as if her footsteps were vibrating against the pavement –as if I could feel each footstep in my chest in a taunting manner. I could feel her anger and triumph radiate off her, just like she was the predator chasing down her prey.

Cat and Mouse, the only problem… she was the feline whereas I was the rodent.

I didn’t look back as I rushed down the sidewalk, with my heart pounding and my body tingling with adrenaline. Fear still pumped through my blood with the frantic beat of my heart, and my mind swam with her anger and irritation rising to smother my fear. A sudden force grasped me and led me down an invisible line, like a cable wrapping around my chest and yanking me in a certain direction. It felt like instinct when I turned down an alley, but in my proper mind, I would have yelled at myself for doing this. At the time, it was as if I were drawn into here –and of all places, a dark dingy alley that was lined with dumpsters.

I ran into something, or someone instantly –half knocking me off my feet and punching the wind from my lungs. In that bump, it released many things I couldn’t explain. It was as if I were blinded by a wave of emotions and it paralyzed me, like a flash-bang, my ears rang, and I froze. I didn’t get a chance to see the persons face, when it yanked and spun me to have my back against its chest. An arm clamped around me, pinning my arms to my sides as a hand covered my mouth to silence me. A shock hit me, as if I touched an electric fence and it stunned me still. –And then the aftereffect… it was like a tranquilizer, freezing me still as warmth enveloped me, smothering my fear and drawing my mind to a complete blank.

I didn’t try to scream. I just suddenly stopped, and my heart calmed to a steady beat. I didn’t know what I was doing, or remotely why I stopped struggling and became eerily calm. If it were any other scenario. I would have tried to get away and I would have had flashbacks, but instead I stilled. It was the most comforting thing I’ve ever felt, not even my pills could touch the sudden security that surrounded me. An electric current seemed to seep between our bodies, as if I were the conductor and the other was the source, it made my mind numb and my body relax in its grip. My body had shut down, yet my eyes still watched what happened around me.

Another form suddenly emerged from the shadows and flung itself passed me, but I didn’t catch a glimpse of who he was or who held me still.

“Hide her, Marcus. She’s coming!” The figure barked as it raced for the mouth of the alleyway.

It was like I was trapped in my own body, beneath a different command where I was forced to do to the will of another. I was pulled backward and suddenly flung behind a dumpster as if I were a rag-doll by ‘Marcus’. My back hit the cold metal and left me wincing as I tried to straighten.

Did he really have to do that?

The man fell to his knees in front of me and clamped a hand over my mouth as I stilled in sudden shock. The current still ran through his palms and he seemed to stiffen at the sight of me.

I’ve seen him before! But where?

A pair of emerald hostile eyes peered back at me as his jaw clenched and he waited. His golden bangs fell in front of his brows, the perspiration running down his temples and collecting at his throat. His long slender fingers cupped my mouth and cheeks, remaining still as his unwavering gaze held mine. He had to feel it, too –I could see it in his eyes. The look of horror crossed his features before smoothing and glowering at me.

“Don’t make a sound.” He growled huskily.

His voice made me stiffen, the way his eyes were glossed over and gleaming wasn’t like his menacing voice. He seemed to glower at me, to hide something that was hesitating to smolder inside our chests.

My attention was immediately drawn away from him, my ears adjusting to the silence being suddenly broken. I heard her coming, just like I had sensed it in the chase. I felt her feet pulsing against the ground when she was chasing me, but now, I heard it with my own ears.

She stopped suddenly, and I knew she was surprised by the sudden figure standing at the mouth of the alley. She hissed in frustration and I could almost feel her rage absorb into my body and dissolve. It was an odd sensation that left me confused and suddenly curious as I shuddered. My wits weren’t with me and neither were my emotions. If I were in my right mind, I would have been trying to get free, or at least fighting. Instead, I wanted to understand why her frustration seemed to soak into my skin, then dissolved into energy that boiled my blood. Electricity was in the air, flowing between all our bodies like a constant currant.

“Where is she?” She hissed between her teeth.

I shuddered from her tone and broke eye contact with the man as her voice echoed off the walls. I wasn’t in suspicion of her tone, or of her emotions, because I felt them before she could speak or radiate it physically. Her emotions affected my own, I was beginning to mirror her irritation and her anger without meaning to.

“You’re on our turf, Porter.” The figure, an oddly familiar voice, responded calmly. “Go now, and we might forget about this meeting.”

“She’s mine and you know it!” She shrieked. “Hand her over and I might just not kill you.”

I felt a wave of anger, but it wasn’t hers, it left me shuddering in shock and impulse.

“You know why we can’t do that.” He hissed, adding a name to the new emotion.

“Why? Because she’s one of you? You didn’t seem to mind when we killed Liam, now did you?” She mocked.

It hit like a dagger and I stiffened as my fingers curled to fists. A wave of anger and the desire of blood lust came over me, making me tremble and fist the ground in sudden blind rage. I wanted to move, to get up and strangle her. She killed him! Liam’s dead because of her! She will die –even if it means I have to strangle her with my bare hands.

Stop! Something snarled inside of me. Not yet.

The hand over my mouth tightened and jolted, almost to gain my attention. If that was the case, it worked. I met his gaze with a glare and snorted through my nostrils as I fisted the dirt beneath me. His eyes were furious, but I couldn’t wince or be frightened, instead, it made my rage build in strength until I was practically grinding my teeth.

Why? I wanted to say. Why can’t I?

He shook his head at me. That’s all he did. I wanted to bite his hand, to get up and rush for her throat. It was as if he could sense it and applied a hand to my shoulder to keep me still.

“You know that’s not true, Porter.” He growled in fury and I felt his fury, it fed my own. “Go, and we will forget about this little meeting.”

Her anger erupted, and it made me jolt, shoving against his shoulders with my nails digging into his flesh. He leaned against my shove, grabbing my wrist and yanking them to my sides as he glowered at me. I pushed harder, trying to get onto my feet as I twisted myself until his arms were just as twisted as my own. I was almost free, almost out of his grip, and almost free enough to grasp the dumpster to pull myself up, when he suddenly dropped his body on top of me, leaving me both baffled and furious as I fought to get free from his grip. I don't know how or why. But their anger fed my own, and it left me feeling as if I were going mad. I no longer felt the electric current flowing between us, it was barely noticeable with all this rage collecting and soaking into my bones.

“Forget? She’s mine and you know why!” She shrieked.

The man holding me suddenly released me and leaped to his feet. I slumped to the ground, startled by the sudden freedom at first before scrambling onto my knees. I almost got up as well, if it weren’t for the sudden glance he shot before he vanished. It was a warning, to keep still and mute. For some reason, I abide the command and remained quiet. I fumed and grit my teeth as he stalked away. How the hell does he have that power over me?

What’s wrong with me? Why am I sitting here like some dog under command?

Move, you i***t!

“Get out of here before I shred you to pieces!” Marcus snarled in fury.

His voice sent a current down my spine, and I slunk back against the dumpster as if the command was for me. Her fury dwindled rapidly, instead it reversed into fear as she cursed and wavered at the sight of the other man. Her fear subdued my rage for half a second, but the two men kept it simmering beneath my sudden awareness. She retreated, with fear that gripped my chest until she left.

Then everything soothed, my heart calmed –yet, for some reason, I still bubbled with anger inside of my blood and bones. What’s wrong with me? Why wasn’t I afraid? Why am I feeling all of this? What’s happening?

I had no one to ask.

“Come on, we need to get going before Paul shows up.” One of them growled.

“Oh, calm down, Jacob. He’s too lazy to get off his throne. Do you think he’d actually travel all the way up from North Carolina for her?”

“Exactly, for her. It won’t be the first time he came to finish old business.”

I stood up quickly just as they came towards the dumpster I was tucked behind. The one kept walking, but the other stopped and grabbed me by the arm.

“Come on, we got to get going.” The man growled.

It was the same man who had pinned me, I could tell by the irritation he radiated and the electric shock he gave me. But oddly enough, I didn’t question why I felt anything, instead, I walked with him towing me down the alley without a stumble or hesitation. I screamed mentally to run. Something just wasn’t right about these two. I no longer trusted them as he drug me on, yet I couldn’t seem to get my feet to stop.

When we reached the intersection of alleys, a black SUV suddenly pulled up. It didn’t even stop fully when he pulled open the back door and half picked me up and pushed me inside. I stumbled between two bucket seats and looked up in horror just as he slid in and slammed the door shut. The SUV was moving before I could get properly seated, and I almost lost footing when he grabbed my elbow and jerked me to sit.

“How is she?” The driver asked.

“Alive.”

The driver seemed to grunt in disapproval of his choice of words as the car swerved quickly onto the open road. As soon as the light hit the drivers face; it clicked. I quickly looked to the one seated beside me, then back.

“Oh God, -” I began.

“Surprised?” The one muttered beside me. “Took you long enough to remember. What other freakishly similar twins have you met?”

The driver flashed him a sharp glance and pinched his mouth in disapproval.

“Anne,” the driver said softly. “You need to listen to us.”

“If you want to live, it would be best.” The man at my side added with a twinge of satisfaction.

I didn’t know whether to be fearful of him or angered by his mockery. It felt like mocking at least. I trembled as rage seeped through my bones and the fire ignited once more. I could slap him right about now, he left her get away unscathed.

“Knock it off, Marcus. You’ll scare her.”

“As if she’s not already scared. She’s practically shivering like a leaf back here, Jacob.” He said his name like a sore.

My mouth snapped shut with an audible click that drew both of their attentions.

“It’s not in fear.” I muttered.

“Anne?” Jacob said evenly. “We need you to listen to us, it will only be in your best interest if you do.”

I couldn’t understand him, even though I heard him. I simmered and smoldered on the inside, to the point his voice irritated me. How did he know my name? Who are these people? How did they know I would be there? And how did I know they would be there?

“How do you know my name?”

“That’s classified.”

“Classified!” I cried. “How do you know me? How did you know I’d be there?”

“Just like you knew we’d be there, you felt us. And just like you felt we were familiar to you.”

His answers were worthless and the more he spoke, the more I felt the urge to fling myself forward and wrap my fingers around his pale throat. This wasn’t my normal instinct, I didn’t know why these thoughts suddenly swirled around my thoughts. This wasn’t me, the sudden rage and urge to hurt him.

“Who was she? What’s going on?” I demanded.

“That was Penny Porter, she has orders to kill you.”

“Why?” I hissed. “Was killing my brother not enough? Why didn’t she just kill me in the first place instead of dragging him into whatever mess I’m in now?”

“Anne,” he began again, a tone lower. “Liam… Liam wasn’t your brother.”

“What?” I thundered as I sat up straight with a jolt. Marcus tried to grab me in case I were to strangle his brother, but I shook him off with a growl. “What does that mean? Of course, he was!”

Jacob peered at me, seemingly trying to coax me with his gaze. Instead I jerked my face from him and glared at his all too willing brother. At least he is willing to stir my anger!

“You are not who you think you are, Anne Bennett.” He began gently. “Liam was assigned to you, as was his family when you were three years old. You were and still are under protection, you see. Your real name is not Anne Bennett, but Eleanor Foster. You, and I and my brother, are what we call: an Aon.”

“A what?” I said startled and furious. Where did I hear that word before? “Am I supposed to believe that garbage? You’re about as insane as that Penny. Take me home now.”

“We can’t do that. You are now under extensive protection.” Jacob said firmly.

“I have work Monday. This is ludicrous!”

“Not anymore, we already called in and quit for you before Penny showed up. Whatever plans you had this weekend. Cancel them. We have to keep moving if you want to stay alive.”

“What?” I roared. “Let me out now!”

“We can’t do that.” Marcus muttered in irritation. “You don’t seem to understand what importance you hold to our kind.”

“Our kind? Are we in some sort of Sci-Fi movie now?”

“Eleanor,” Jacob pleaded with a groan. “You just need to trust us. We will explain everything when we get to the motel. But right now, you need to calm down and have an open mind about this. I know this is a lot to take in, but it is best if you just let us do what we need to.”

“Don’t call me that! My name is Anne, not Eleanor. –And trust you?” I muttered beneath my breath. “Do I have a choice? It’s making me trust you.”

“It?” They said in sync.

“Nothing.” I snapped.

“No, no, no… this is good.” Jacob sighed in relief, sending Marcus a smug glance. “Then we won’t have to go through Phase Three, we can just skip to Phase Four.”

“Phase Three? Phase Four? What the hell?”

“Again, we’ll explain later, sweetie.” Marcus mocked.

My skin crawled at the nickname he selected. I leaned away with a glare and curled my lip. He seemed to like my reaction and grinned eerily as if he enjoyed my repulse to him.

“Calm it down, Marcus. You know she won’t calm down if you’re acting like this. The first few hours of an Aon’s realization to their powers are very fragile.” Jacob growled.

“You expect me to calm down?” I said baffled. “You’re insane if you believe I will calm down when some lunatic that killed my brother is still out there. And then I’m with two numskulls, trapped in an SUV, with nothing better to do than think myself mad for listening to whatever it is in my head.” I spat.

“Listen, sweetie. We’re not all that thrilled with you, either.” Marcus muttered between a tight-lipped grin. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“How am I supposed to-?”

He pulled a silver tube out from his pocket, only the width of my finger, with a needle that seemed transparent. Before I could say a word further, he jerked my arm away from myself and stabbed me with the needle.

“What did you do?” I gasped in horror.

“You’ll sleep fine. Don’t worry.” He grinned.

“Sleep?”

My arm felt numb instantly as I clutched it to myself and watched everything sway in horror. Sleep? What did he do? Why? He can’t send me there! The horrors –the nightmares –I shook my head, trying and failing to get up as something gripped my chest and crawled up my throat. It was slow, I could feel it pull my eyes shut and make my words come out in slurs as I forced myself to move. Everything was fuzzy, the voices, the hum of the jeep, and my sight seemed to fail all together. I couldn’t find the right words as everything scrambled and suddenly fell black.