Uprising

Chapter 8

  "What're you going to do, Brooklyn?" Wyatt questions with a knowing smirk. I rip myself from his grasp and walk to Emery.

  "Emery." I plead with her. She takes one last glance at Nathan.

  "Will this encounter solve Brooklyn's troubles she's been having?" She asks.

  Nathan and Wyatt share a look. "Yep." They say together.

  She smiles, blows a kiss at me, and then walks out the door shutting it behind her. 

 "Argh!" I collapse on my bed, frustrated with Emery and myself. I should've known they'd ambush me here. "How did you get to the stairs so fast?" I ask stupidly, stalling whatever they intended to confront me about.

  "Vampire, duh." Wyatt replies.

  "Brooklyn, you can't avoid us forever. We're going to talk about this." Nathan insists.

  "Fine." I sit up and look at the floor. "What do you want to know?"

  "What did you do to Nathan?" Wyatt demands in an angry tone.

  "Shh. I got this." Nathan says sternly to Wyatt. He clears his throat and looks at me. "What did you do to me?" He asks in the same level of anger as Wyatt.

  I look from the floor to the two idiots standing before me. What were they trying to do, pressure me into answering?

  "If you'd calm down maybe I'd answer."

  "Calm down? At least we aren't bolting at each moment we see each other." Nathan retorts.

  With a sigh I continue, "I drained your energy."

  "Well we kind of figured that." Wyatt says. "But how?"

  "Why can't you ask Payson?" I complain.

 "Brooklyn." A glare.

  Hesitantly I explain, "Banshees don't just predict death. We can drain energy from other beings." I glance to Nathan. "I didn't mean to. I'm just a beginner and I don't know how to control my powers and you were being rude and I just- I just-" I stop rambling and take a huge breath, attempting not to burst into tears. I didn't need to cry in front of them.

  There's a moment of silence. I put my head in my hands, afraid to meet their gazes.

  Suddenly the bed sinks down towards my right. A hand is placed on my back. "It's okay Brooklyn." Nathan's voice, deep and intimidating, yet gentle and comforting at the same time. "I'm not really mad anymore. I just didn't understand. I-" He breaks off, unsure. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

 More silence.

  "Why doesn't anyone know banshees can do this?" Wyatt breaks the awkwardness that had settled. I finally look up.

  "I don't know. It's just something Banshees have kept a secret, just in case they needed that extra surprise power." The hairs on the back of my neck are still standing on end as I try not to pay attention Nathan's hand still on my back.

  "And this only happens when you’re angry?"

  "Well for now. But I should be able to control it and use it whenever I need to." Now Nathan stands again and starts to pace the room. I feel like I can breath now.

  "What happens exactly?" He asks me now, scratching the back of his neck.

  "When I feel a course of anger through me and I touch someone's bare skin, I begin to take their energy. If I hold on for too long, it can suck away their entire life an they can die." I choke on the last word, but keep going. "The energy is transferred to me, and I get a sort of high from it."