Just One Life (Book 1)

Chapter 23

We reached the safe house and entered like normal after that. I settle and begin to work on my usual load of homework for the day.

Then I hear somebody knocking on my door. This time, I don't even bother to get up, because it's too much work. Instead I just reach up and turn the doorknob so that the person can get inside. Unsurprisingly, Lander is the one at my door. He stands, peering over my large array of books, for quite some time.

"What is it?" I ask him, trying to discern his expression.

Then a smile comes to his face. "Come with me. You're too much of a hermit crab for your own good." He suggests. I raise my eyebrows, surprised by the idea, but also curious.

"Where?" I ask him, already grabbing my phone and wallet. This question seems to shock Lander, and he takes awhile to answer.

"We'll see."

On our way out of the complex, Tess seems to give me the evil eye. She definitely seems to think that this is a date, and I'm also not entirely sure that it's not. I'm not sure how I feel about that actually. I give Lander a quick glance and then wonder if what Jennifer said was true. I mean, she was pretty catty, but maybe there's a brain underneath all that bleach in her hair.

I wonder if we're going to take one of the cars parked in the lot for the complex, but Lander lets me know that he doesn't have a car. "I usually don't need one. And if there's ever a situation where I absolutely need to get somewhere, I just ride with Tess." He explains, and I nod along with it.

"How'd you meet Tess?" I ask Lander, suddenly curious about his badly tempered bodyguard. This question, however, seems harder for him to answer.

"How'd you meet Peter?" He responds. I laugh a little bit at his obvious deflection, but let it slide for once. I inform Lander of the old times, when I was popular and noticed Peter on the playground. All he responded with was a smile and "That's adorable."

After a few minutes of silence and walking toward who knows where, Lander finally gives in. "When I was in middle school a rumor went around that I was born with powers too, because of my mom. Even though they knew it wasn't an inheritable thing, it still stuck with them. Tess tried to ward everyone off, cause she's pretty scary. But it never really disappeared and we both found the safe house so that we'd have somewhere to go where nobody would hunt us." He whispers the last part, to make sure that nobody walking by heard.

Then suddenly, Lander stops walking. I look up from my feet to see a huge body of water. "Wow, water. You do know we live on an island?" I joke, trying to get Lander to laugh. But he looks even more serious.

He stares out at the river, seemingly entranced by it. "Do you want to jump in?" He asks me.

"I'd rather die." I respond with a sense of finality.

This makes Lander laugh. "Me too, honestly." he admits, and we both break out in laughter.

A silence fills the air once we are done laughing, and I relish in it. I stare out at the river, and think about how boring I must be to not want to jump in. How much of a homebody and the least adventurous person ever. Lander must be thinking the same thing, because I notice the way he's watching the water.

He wants to jump, but he knows that he never will.

Suddenly, the ring of gunshots brings me back into the moment. I turn around and notice somebody with a gun, repositioning their aim. They must've heard us.

Lander seems to have a reaction speed about the same as mine, and as soon as I've turned around, he has as well. The two of us start running, and I can hear the gunman behind us. There's no chance for us now.

Knowing that I'm most likely about to die, I decide to let instinct take over. Lander is shocked when I grab his arm with as much force as I can, digging my nails into his skin. Then, I take a sudden turn at the nearest intersection and drag him along with me. "What the heck, Delaphine?" He exclaims as my grip begins to draw blood, but I'm already focused on one thing.

In the blink of an eye, the two of us are completely invisible, running for our lives through the streets of New York City. Lander doesn't seem to notice at first, but after a few moments I hear him take a sharp intake of breath.

The person still seems to be following us, so I take a few more unexpected turns at further intersections and then head back in the direction of the safe house. Lander is speechless beside me, keeping good pace even though my hand is digging into his arm.

After a few minutes, we have to take a break. I let go of Lander's arm and fall to my knees, breathing deeply. Lander seems to be in much better shape than me, as he begins to speak immediately.

"You should've told me."