Rouge

Rouge - Chapter Sixteen

“You’ve reached Hunter, leave a message.”

Joshua snapped his phone shut and felt the urge to throw it across the room. He’d lost count of how many times he’d left Hunter messages. Where the hell was she? It had been three days, and she hadn’t even bothered to call.

Joshua considered going to the police - several times, in fact - but they might ask questions about why Hunter ran away, and maybe even call social services. He couldn’t have the law involved. It would get too messy, especially since he wasn’t at all blood-related to Hunter. Not only that, but it might attract the attention of the Agents. He just had to wait for her to gather herself up.

But then he’d heard about the man who died in the alleyway the night that Hunter ran away. Joey the owner told him that morning. His clothes had been burnt and his skull split open. Joshua’s worst fears were coming to life and he had to find her. Even if he had to search the entire city, he had to find her.

Joshua was just tying his shoelaces when the apartment door hissed open.

He looked up, and there she stood. She carried her overnight bag, wore the same clothes she left in the other night with an added sweater and couldn’t have looked more exhausted. He almost didn’t recognize her.

A million words passed between them. Joshua wanted to shout at her and make her swear never to run off and not call him, but he knew better. Hunter’s eyes filled with tears and she dropped her bag on the floor beside the keys and coats rack.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, but stronger now, and guarded. He couldn’t imagine how the last few days had been for her, to deal with this alone. She was like him in more ways than he expected - he would have done exactly the same thing.

“It’s fine. You needed space, I understand.”

“I know you’ve been worried about me though.”

“Yes I have. But it was a lot to take in, and you handled it far better than I expected.” He didn’t meet her eyes as he said, “as long as no one was hurt.”

Hunter burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands and leant against the door, sinking to the floor. Pure instinct moved Joshua to squat in front of her and pull her against him. A striking sense of déjà vu hit him in the chest as he thought of Liz in the ambulance on the night of the fire.

“Joshua,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, Hunter, it’s me who needs to apologize. I should never have kept it from you. I should have told you the truth when you were ready.”

She twisted her head up and looked into his pale eyes, filled with guilt and anxiousness. Her words came out in a voice that sounded unlike her own. “I killed someone.”

“What?”

“It was an accident,” she said hurriedly. “I was walking through the backstreets, trying to get to the mini-mart, when I was attacked by two homeless men. They … they tried to rape me.”

Joshua’s fists clenched so tightly together that the knuckles were whiter than snow, but he said nothing. The air in the room was suddenly cold.

“I lost control. I was so scared, and then suddenly this surge of heat burst from my skin and the two men were thrown against the wall of the alley. One of them ran away, but the other … he was …” She bit back a sob and took a deep breath. “I left him in the alley and ran to a hotel. I stayed there until it felt safe to come out.”

Joshua’s heart felt as though it was being squeezed agonizingly slow. Joey was right – someone was killed in the alleyway. You let the happen to her, he thought. You fucking idiot. She lost control and it cost someone their life! How could you not protect her, how could you betray Liz like that? The voice in his head was ripping him apart.

“I still haven’t got complete control of the fire, but at least I feel a little bit better about what happened.”

He tried to breathe but found his throat had been blocked.

“Joshua?”

“I’m sorry Hunter,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

Hunter sniffed. “Well I’m here now, and I’m listening.”

“Can you … show me?”

“What?”

“Show me the fire.”

After hesitating, Hunter lifted her left hand, held it before him and concentrated hard. A tiny ball of fire appeared moments later, licking at her fingers, so simple and calm that it almost didn’t scare him. Again, Joshua couldn’t be rid of the memories; Liz with her hand over the flame of the Bunsen burner that day at the shack. How he wished she could be with him to see how incredible her daughter was.

Hunter closed her fingers and the flame was diminished. Joshua looked up into her eyes and could see the pain the past few days had caused her. She shouldn’t have gone through what she did alone.

“I promised your mother I would take care of you, Hunter,” he said. “I want you to have as normal a life as possible, regardless of what special abilities you hold. You’re a bright, strong girl and you deserve every bit of happiness. I’m so proud of you.”

Then Joshua did something he’d almost never done, not since she was a small child at least. He leaned toward her, put his hand behind her head and gently laid a kiss on her forehead. His lips tingled and a rush of something strange and warm passed through him.

Hunter wiped a tear from her cheek. “I killed someone, Joshua. Don’t you know what that means? Everything is different now.”

He shook his head. “What’s done is done. You couldn’t help it, Hunter.” The tone of his voice was more confident and fatherly than he’d ever heard it before. “But I want you to promise me that you won’t run off like that again, at least until you know you can control yourself.”

Her eyes blazed with sureness. “I wouldn’t have come back if I couldn’t.”

Joshua gave her a small smile and nodded. “I believe you.”