Possessed Soul

Chapter 20

"It's not your fault," I assured him, trying to comfort him as best I could.

"That's why I built this family," Flynn told me. "I can save other children, even if I couldn't save my own."

I didn't say anything. I don't think he needed me to. I had always wondered why Flynn had resorted to a life of crime; now I knew that it was his way of grieving the loss of his only daughter.

"Sage looks like Grace," Flynn confessed. "That's why I was so thrown off."

The words had barely left Flynn's mouth, before a loud crash sounded from the kitchen. The two of us shared a look, before we both darted to the kitchen. We had never had a break-in before. It seemed a bit ironic: thieves being stolen from. I felt sorry for the robbers, they had chosen the wrong people to mess with.

Flynn held the baseball bat high up in the air as he entered the kitchen. He stopped very abruptly, causing me to collide with his rock hard back. I was thrown slightly off balance, but it didn't last for long. Flynn's face was fixed in an expression of complete and utter shock.

I looked over his shoulder at the scene that played out in front of us. A very disgruntled and red-faced Aaron stood behind a broken stool. One of the legs of the stool had broken off and the stool sat at a very weird angle. Aaron was shirtless and his inked tattoos stood out against his pale skin. He looked like something out of a gothic movie. His hands were loosely clasped in front of him and he looked like he was trying to remain inconspicuous when he stole a glance at the front door. Someone was trying to escape. Someone with chestnut coloured skin and black dreadlocks. The stranger had a lean yet buff build. He somehow managed to blend well with the shadows; and he would have continued to do so if Flynn hadn't turned the light on.

"What the hell?" Flynn regarded Aaron and ignored the stranger, who had stopped trying to make his exit. He seemed to be at a crossroad, and looked to Aaron for guidance. Aaron sighed deeply and held out a hand towards the dark-skinned man, beckoning him forward. Aaron dropped his hand and reached across the table for his shirt, on which some on the buttons were missing.

Aaron clutched the other guy's hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. "Flynn," Aaron said in a voice was softer than usual and more vulnerable, "this is Derek, my boyfriend."

Flynn wasn't as baffled as I was. Once the explanation was out he seemed to take it pretty well. "Ok," was Flynn's only word as he left the baseball bat against the wall and went back to bed.

Then it was just the three of us: me, Derek and Aaron. The awkwardness hung in the air, like humidity hung over the ocean. I was about to say something to break the ice, but a tiny voice from behind me stopped my words from flowing.

"Kaden." Sage put a hand on my shoulder. "I thought you were sleeping." Her voice wasn't angry, just confused, like she honestly thought I had been asleep.

"Sage?" Derek stepped away from Aaron. His chestnut skin seemed to light up with the artificial light that flooded the kitchen. "Sage, is that really you?" His thick eyebrows drew together, trying to comprehend what was going on.

Sage stepped around me and I saw her bottom lip quiver as she flung herself at Derek. Her body hit his with such force that I was surprised she didn't knock him off his feet. "It's so good to see you," she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Derek hesitated slightly, before returning her hug. She had to stand on her toes to hug him properly, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. I instantly felt jealous and wondered what it would have been like for her to be so happy to see me, for her to hug me like that. The stolen kisses didn't count as this kind of affection; she had made that clear.

"Ryan's really worried about you," Derek told Sage, when she pulled away from him.

"Really?" I don't know if I had imagined it, but Sage's face seemed to brighten up at the mention of that name.

I balled my hands into fists and shoved them into my pockets. I clenched my jaw, as Sage continued to talk about this Ryan.

"Is he okay?" she questioned, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"He could be better. He stopped eating for a while, but he's doing a little bit better now."

Huh, it was nice to know I wasn't the only one who suffered because of Sage. Ryan had stopped eating and I had stopped sleeping. Next she would cause someone to stop breathing. Wait, she had already done that. I exhaled deeply and mused over why that thought had come into my head. I wasn't sure why I was angry at Sage. I couldn't be angry at her because of her feelings for Ryan. I mean, it's not like she's my girlfriend. Not having a legit reason to be mad at her only made me madder. Was Ryan her boyfriend? He couldn't be. When I had met her at the party, she didn't seem to be seeing anyone. She had never even been kissed. But they could have become an item after that stupid party. Before that thought could anger me further, I left the room and headed back to my bedroom.

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