Master of the Storm

Chapter Eight: Dead to Me

We turned back to Beatrix. "Your turn," I told her.

She looked at me cooly, before looking down at her paper. I wondered if she would take my bait. "I'm not that powerful," she admitted.

Was she addicted to lying? It seemed to be all she ever did.

"I can feel people's emotions, and occasionally their desires. I can also sense their presence, like I can tell if someone's near me, and who they are if I know them."

"You'll probably be able to use that," Valerie assured her. "I mean, you never know how helpful it would be. If you could sense someone's emotions or desires you could sense when someone's lying. And if you can sense someone's presence you would know if someone's sneaking up on you, and who it is."

"You're actually pretty powerful now that I think about it," Evianna agreed.

Beatrix just shrugged. "I suppose. What were the powers they gave Cashlin again?" she asked me.

"Some kind of weird telekinetic metal manipulation."

She wrote that down as well. "I've been on the lookout for other kinds of powers. "Apparently someone is pyrokinetic and they really like using that."

"Wait, didn't we hear about some arson in our area on the radio a few days ago?" I asked.

Evianna nodded. "Yeah, we did. You don't think that was...." She trailed off.

Valerie shivered slightly. "Kinda scary to think some crazy person is running around, using their powers for purposeful destruction."

"Well you can just freeze the fire," Pluto said with a shrug.

Beatrix continued to write things down as we discussed where we thought they were keeping Olivia.

"It has to be the underground place right? I mean they kept you and Beatrix there, it seems to be the ideal place for prisoners," Evianna said.

"They know we know about that place though. So they could have taken her somewhere else. They probably have more then one base," I insisted.

"What if they took her to the orphanage? Thomas spends a lot of his time there. He has this weird office at the very top of the building, he could easily be keeping her there," Beatrix suggested.

We debated about it for a while, until it was one in the morning. Some of the others were clearly getting tired, but I was still fully awake. Maybe it was the caffeine coursing through my veins, or maybe it was just my anger at the blonde devil sitting across from me.

"Okay, so we can agree she's either at the underground place, or the orphanage," Beatrix said. We all nodded.

"We should probably call it a night," Valerie finally said. "It's getting pretty late."

"Where should we go? The car?" I asked.

"There isn't really room for more then three people to sleep, and we can't exactly pitch the tent in the middle of the street," Evianna said.

"We're way too far from my place. I guess we just keep driving. Go to the less crowded areas of the city and try and find a place to sleep," Pluto said.

Everyone seemed to think this was a good idea, and we started packing up. Before I could register it, Pluto and Valerie had stepped outside, and Evianna was carrying our cups over to the counter. Suddenly, I was alone with Beatrix.

She did not avoid my gaze, picking up her papers from the table and putting them in her bag, her eyes never leaving mine as she did, her head tilting slightly in curiosity as she saw my expression.

"What's wrong, love?" she asked, tone mocking enough to irritate me, but not enough to call her out for it. She was good at finding that balance.

"Can you influence people's thoughts?" I asked her, tired of beating around the bush.

She shook her head. "No, and I'm not a mind reader either. I can only feel and influence other's emotions."

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for my next question. "Did you do that to me?"

She looked up at me. Her eyes were blank, emotionless. "I know it was wrong of me. But I would have done anything to get what Thomas promised me."

I felt tears build in my eyes at her words, as I realized what they meant. I had never trusted her, or fallen in love with her on my own. She had made that happen, just so she could manipulate me.

"You can't use Thomas as an excuse anymore," I said, my voice tight. "You stopped reporting back to him after I told you about Alyssa. Your actions are your own."

She pulled her bag over her shoulder. "I know. Was there anything else?"

"Yeah. I'll work together with you for this, not because I want to, but because it's for the greater good. But after this whole, mission, is over, I never wanna see you again. You're dead to me."

She picked up her cup, which was still at our table, and lifted it, gesturing towards me. "Here's to death, then."

Beatrix walked past me, and I watched her open the door and leave. And all I could think about, was that about a week ago, she had watched me do the same.