Elementals

Chapter 12 - Abandoned

I am numb.

I don't think I've ever experienced this feeling before.

When I had woke up, Derek asked if I was alright, but all I did was sob. That was all I could do. But now, after an hour of bawling my eyes out, I just stopped. Maybe some people would still be crying. Some might be mad about how things turned out. Some might not even care anymore. But I didn't feel any of these. I didn't feel anything at all. And I honestly didn't know if I ever would again.

Probably not.

"Kaylee, please talk to me." Derek pleaded. He searched my eyes as he drove, but I didn't give anything away. I just sat there, watching the empty, barren road. I didn't even know where we were going. Normally I would bombard him with questions, but not this time.

We sit in silence for another hour, the only sign of us being alive being our quiet breaths.

Derek turned the car into a gas station, parking next to a gas tank. He got out and began to fill the car with the oil. The stench was intruding the car. I couldn't bring myself to care.

Derek entered the car, and we just sat there in the car, completely silent, for a couple of minutes. Then he turned to me, concern filling his eyes.

"Please tell me what happened. I know it must be bad, but I can't help without you telling me." Derek begs. I would have ignored him, but the way he was looking into my eyes made me finally surrender.

"Someone murder my foster mom, foster dad, and foster brother." I say with no emotion.

"How do you know?" Derek asked, speaking softly.

As much as I tried to fight it, the memory of the voice mail enters my mind. Instantly I feel my eyes tear up.

"I-I heard them, Derek. Ethan was calling me, and they came in and... They took them and..." I sob, my voice breaking. I wish I was numb. I wish I didn't feel this pain. Maybe I was selfish to wish that, but I don't care.

"Come on, come on." Derek soothes, leaning over and hugging me. I cry into his shirt, but he doesn't seem to mind. "You're alright. You will be alright."

We drive away from the gas station, and I fall asleep again.

When I wake up, I realize it is morning. I look over to Derek, who is driving.

"What? Did you ever sleep?" I asked him. He looks surprised for about two seconds, then goes back to his normal, confident face.

"Yeah, I pulled over last night. You were out cold." He says, smirking.

Normally I would have blushed, but not now. Not after I remember what happened.

"Where are we going?" I ask, trying to get myself to forget about them.

"It's a surprise." Derek states, as he continues to stare out the window. "You should probably go to sleep. I'll wake you when we get there."

I nod my head in agreement, then rest my head against the door. I instantly escape to sleep.

"Kaylee, wake up, we're here." I hear Derek say as he shakes my arms.

I groan, but open my eyes. I am curious to where he brought me. Maybe we came to Sea World, maybe Disneyland, or even- My heart stops. It's almost like it breaks again. Is that possible? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it just cracked into a million pieces.

We're at my house. My empty, lonely house.

"Why did you bring us here?" I ask, in a whisper.

Derek immediately comes over to me and leads me to the door. "You can heal, if you face your fear. It'll be fine, trust me." He says, trying to make me feel better. It doesn't work.

I don't even remember walking to my room. All I can remember is Derek holding my hand, leading me.

We sit down on my fluffy, blue carpet. Derek is still holding my hand, though I don't know why.

"Are you alright?" He asks. I nod. "No, be honest."

"I'm sad. That's what I am. I'm broken. I don't remember what it feels like to be happy." I blurt out.

Derek leans closer to me. "I'll help you." As he leans over, I notice more about him. His nose was not too big, nor too small. His cheekbones were perfect. His perfectly shaped eyes, though they were black, were beautiful. His lips- His lips were getting closer. Everything about him was perfect. Unlike normal teenage girls, I wasn't sure if I liked that. It made me uncomfortable, the perfection. I hated it.

Our lips were less than a centimeter. They were coming closer. We were about to- Derek's phone rang, making us each jump back.

Derek looks at me apologetically. "Sorry, I'll be right back." He says as he exits, putting his phone up to his ear.

I'm nodding, even though he left the room. I'm breathing fast, my heart is beating fast. He almost kissed me. I was not sure how I felt about that.

Derek enters the room. "I'm leaving."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I said, 'I'm leaving'." Derek responds.

"Where are we going?" I question.

"No, I said I'm leaving." He states.

"What do you mean?" I whisper, my voice breaking.

Derek sighs, as if I'm annoying him.

"I tried to get you to use your powers, I did, but now it is obvious that you don't have any. You were of age. I tried every emotion with you. I gave you answers, giving you happiness, nothing happened. We had them kill your family, causing sorrow, and nothing happened. I tried kissing you, causing excitement or whatever, and still, nothing happened." He says.

"What?" I cry. "You're leaving me because I don't have powers! Who is 'we'? You killed my family? You were kissing me to find my powers!" I screech.

"Yes. 'We' is me and the scientists who work at the place I brought you to. Yes, and yes. Trust me, I don't cheat. I didn't want to kiss you." He explains.

"What do you mean? You have a girlfriend?" I ask, close to tears. Derek nods. "Who?"

"Your mother." He responds, followed by silence.

My mother? Out of all people? And he murdered my family just to get an emotion out of me?

"Now, thank you so much for your time, but I need to go back to my girlfriend. You're no use to us anymore." Derek says as he leaves.

I wait until I hear the shut off the door. Once I hear it, I fall to the floor, sobbing. I have no one. My only best friend I ever had left me when we got to middle school. She liked dating, I didn't. After than, I never really got other friends. Sure, I had people that I sat with at lunch, talked to at school. I even had the people on the swim team. But I never got any true friends. Now that my family is gone, I have no one.

I curl into a ball on the carpet and sob.

After about an hour, I crawl up to my bed, go underneath the covers, and go to sleep.