Only Shadows

Chapter 36, Part 2

Caleb

So Izzy could hear those damn monsters in her head. She hadn't told Caleb that bit, though he understood why. "You don't see auras like Brie?"

"No." Izzy continued nibbling on the seed.

"But that pulsing thing you did in the woods–"

"Wasn't on purpose. I don't know how that happened." She swallowed and reached for her drink.

"Do you remember what the air felt like before we got there?" Caleb asked.

She met his eyes. "Electric. Like a gathering storm."

Dara's face lit up. "You think you harnessed that somehow?"

"Not quite." She toyed with her straw. "You know what it's like when you get a static charge? Or when Ren stuck a fork in a socket?"

"Yo!" Ren flung one of the markers at Izzy.

"Don't deny it. You totally did that," Dara said.

The marker missed its target, and Ren never missed her mark. Izzy smirked before continuing. "Anyway, it felt similar but different. I can't explain it."

"Mad useful," Ren muttered, popping the cap off a new marker.

"You think you can do that pulsing thing, Brie?" Leo asked.

"No idea, and I'm not trying it." Brie grabbed another handful of seeds.

"You say that now, but when we were in the woods in Tennessee, it's like I couldn't resist." Izzy shuddered. "I knew it was stupid and dangerous, and I did it anyway. I keep wondering if that's what happened to Austin and James." She leaned forward and curled her arms around her body.

Terrifying thought. Like no matter what they did, the end result was inevitable. Even without the night terrors and missing friends, Caleb still felt compelled to figure this out. But if Izzy couldn't stop herself... he shook his head and crossed the room to her. "I understand how you feel that way, but I want to take it back to solvable problems for now." She looked up at him as he perched on the arm of the couch, bumping his knee against hers. "And maybe we just keep you away from the woods."

She nodded silently, leaving her leg next to his.

"And me, too." Brie added. "Because I don't need to know if I'm a strobe light." She launched a handful of seeds into her mouth.

"So any other secret superpowers? Now is the time." Ren cocked her hip.

No one else spoke up. Too bad. The more superpowers, the better.

"Do these auras look like bands of light? And are they all different?" Caleb asked, angling himself toward Brie.

She nodded. "Usually, they're light bands that blend into each other, all unique. I didn't see them until after I was scratched."

"Then they gotta be connected." Leo finally stepped away from the fire, leaning back against the wall. "And it sounds like energy to me, which is in line with what you've been describing, Izzy. Just... you seem to be experiencing it differently?"

Izzy shrugged. "Could be. I wish I knew more about what James had experienced. I wish I could ask him." She swallowed hard.

Caleb touched Izzy's shoulder. "Maybe he's still out there. We don't know anything for certain yet." If they had disappeared into a portal, it was possible. Unlikely, but still possible.

"Askin' again, how can we take 'em down?" Ren tapped the marker against the whiteboard. "So far we got energy bursts, bright lights, or wakin' Izzy during a nightmare." She made a list on the board. "Everything else's been useless."