I'm Your Leader | Barns Courtney [Completed]

Chapter Ten | Dangerous

August began with extreme heat, but today we finally got a break. The break was in the form of a severe thunderstorm. I was awakened by a loud clap of thunder. I practically jumped out of the bed. When I rubbed the sleep from my eyes I realized Barns wasn't next to me. Some nights I spend with him, and tonight was one of them. I wondered where he had went. So I grabbed a flashlight and walked out of the room.

I could hear chanting coming from the cellar. 'He's down there.' I said inside of my head. I stood there in the darkness wondering what to do. The occasional lightning flash lit up the hall temporarily. Beyond my better judgement, I opened the cellar door. I walked down the spiral staircase quietly and carefully. I turned my flashlight off so I wouldn't be seen. So I was being extra careful. The lower I went the louder the chants.

I couldn't make out what was being said. It was in a language I didn't recognize. At the bottom I peeked around the corner. What I saw made my jaw drop in shock. People dressed in the velvet robes were standing around the pentagram. The same robes the staff members wear. Candles that were at each star point we're lit. But that wasn't what shocked me the most. Suspended in midair was Barns's body.

He was floating above the pentagram as if he were laying on an invisible table. I stood and watched as something started to happen. Barns's body started moving. A few minutes passed before it looked like he was standing in midair. His arms were to his sides, but they were sticking out slightly. A breeze began to blow as if there was an open window. The candle flames flickered, but didn't go out. And Barns's platinum blonde hair rustled slightly. He looked peaceful with his eyes closed.

The thunderstorm raged outside, yet the chanting seemed louder than the thunder. I wasn't sure what the hell was happening. But I knew better than to interrupt what they were doing. I didn't want Barns to get hurt, and I didn't want to be killed or tortured. So I stood and watched, frozen where I stood. The chants became almost deafening. The robed people slowly raised thier hands in unison. They reached up to the heavens as a white ray of light descended. It showered Barns in the light that came from nowhere.

Barns slowly lifted his right hand to chest level. His hand slowly moved to cross his forefinger and middle finger. Once he had done that his eyes snapped open. His entire eye sockets glowed golden. The light in the room was almost blinding. Then he turned his head and looked directly at me. I wasn't sure if he could see me, but I didn't stick around to find out. I hurried up the stairs as fast and as quietly as I could. I closed the cellar door behind me. As I ran to the bedroom I skidded on the hardwood floor slightly.

When I reached the bedroom I locked the door behind me. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to burst. I got into the bed and covered my head with the blankets. I was scared and worried that I had been seen. The fear that consumed me and the storm kept me awake. It felt like hours had passed. The sound of knocking on the bedroom door made me jump. "Lilly, it's me. Barns. Let me in... please." I heard him say. I slowly got out of bed and walked over to the door.

I turned the main lights on before slowly opening the door. He was standing in the hallway and studied me a moment before walking inside. "Are you alright?" He asked curiously as he closed and locked the door behind him. "Yeah, the storm woke me up." I replied shyly. My heart was beating frantically in my chest. "I'm sorry the storm woke you up, sweetheart. Why did you lock the door though?" He replied as he took my and and lead me over to the bed. He was wearing his smile graffiti jacket and baseball pants.

Clothes he wasn't wearing when we went to bed, but he was wearing them during the ritual. "I heard people talking. It sounded like they were speaking a different language. It... it scared me." I said, hoping he would believe me. The look in his blue eyes softened. "Baby, come here." He said as he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back and snuggled into his chest. "You know you'll always be safe with me." He said softly as he played with my hair a little. "Let's go back to bed." He said softly after a few minutes.