I lay awake most of the night contemplating how I am supposed to get Dr. Hemsworth into the recreation area.
I shouldn't help him. I shouldn't do something so reckless and stupid, but I like him. As much as I shouldn't. I do. And more pathetic, I want him to like me. It's not the first time I developed a crush on the biggest asshole around.
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"Come on, Sara." Cameron dragged me up the stoop of his house. "It's the last party of the summer."
The house was huge and more than a little intimidating. It didn't help that I didn't know who the person throwing it was at all.
The door was opened by a smarmy smile and bright green eyes that looked us over unabashedly. I pulled down the short tight skirt Cameron had insisted I wear self-consciously. Those eyes zeroed in on the action making me blush further.
"Come on in, ladies." Those smarmy lips insisted carelessly, stepping aside to let us through.
"Thanks." Cameron replied. I ducked my head and scooted by his broad chest still occupying half the door.
"Let's get you a drink." He offered with a smirk to Cameron that turned to a sneer as he found me huddling in on myself. "You look like you need one." He chortled.
I met his eyes for a moment, inexplicable butterflies filling my chest. He was sexy and deservedly cocky.
"He's so fricken hot." Cameron whisper giggled as we followed him to the refreshments. Cameron liked him so he was off limits. I nodded with a small smile.
"Here we are. So, what's your names?" He asked, handing us each a drink, me nearly dropping mine as our hands brushed.
They're were people all over and music playing but the house was large enough that it wasn't overly crowded and deafening.
"Cameron, this is Sara." Cameron introduced. I waved awkwardly beside her.
"Is she mute?" He mocked.
Cameron laughed. "No." I answered, my face burning.
"You ladies enjoy. I gotta go take care of this." He said, looking over our heads.
Cameron pouted as he made his way back to the door to greet more party guests. I couldn't deny I was a little disappointed to.
"Hey, Sara, Cameron." Kyle smiled, stepping between us and our view of the new guy, who I guessed this party was.
"Hey Kyle." Cameron greeted, looking from him to me meaningfully.
"Hi." I smiled back, meeting his kind brown eyes for a moment before looking around the room nervously. My eyes found green ones taunting me from the other end of the hall. My body flushed before I pulled them away, back to sweet Kyle.
"You want to dance?" Kyle asked with a small unassuming smile.
"You should defiantly dance." Cameron confirmed. Pushing me toward him gently.
"Okay." I nodded, taking a gulp of my drink.
The crowd became thicker as the music grew louder. We joined on the outskirts of this mayhem and looked at each other nervously. I began to sway, the music willing me to move. My body moved to the music like it was supposed to and Kyle joined me. We giggled at ourselves, did funny moves and held hands.
Kyle was staring down at me with big doe eyes, and I had to look away. Green eyes found mine over Cameron's head. He had a hand on her ass, the other on her waist. I pulled down my skirt, noticing it had ridden up while I was dancing and his eyes followed.
"Let's go get a drink." I suggested to Kyle, my throat suddenly parched.
I guzzled down the barley water before filling my cup again.
"You want to go somewhere and talk?" Kyle asked.
"Okay." I agreed. "Um, I should probably go tell Cameron though." I added.
"Alright. I'll wait here." Kyle answered.
I finished my second beer before going to look for Cameron on the dance floor where I saw her last. I spot her across the room, following Jacob up some stairs. I waded through the sea of dancers and began trudging up the stairs after her when I got a little dizzy. I plopped on the stairs and stuck my head between my knees, about to hurl.
A hand landed on my back, making me jump. "You okay there?" A familiar smarmy voice taunted.
I met his green eyes with wide grey ones. "Yeah." I answered quickly, moving to stand but failing.
"You and your friend are lightweights huh?" He mocked, taking my hand to steady me as I plopped back on the step.
"Is Cameron okay?" I asked, swiveling around to look for her passed out on the stairs.
"Yeah, I just tucked her in upstairs to sleep it off." He assured.
"Oh, thank you." I replied, leaning against the wall.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, his hand returned to the small of my back.
I groaned at the effect his touch had on me.
"That bad." He chortled.
"Maybe we should go." I said, my face still pressed against the cool wall.
"I don't think you can even walk at the moment." He remarked, his hand that was still holding mine resting on my thigh.
I moaned this time.
"You know you shouldn't hold your legs open like this in such a small skirt." He breathed into my neck.
"Fuck." I panted, snapping my legs shut less for modesty and more to satisfy the rising ache of need between them.
He laughed at me, his hands leaving my body. "Don't worry I'll take care of Cameron. You take care of your boyfriend."
I lifted my head enough to watch him walk away and found Kyle standing a few stairs down.
"Are you okay?" Kyle asked, sitting beside me, running his palms up and down his thighs nervously. I wanted his palms running up and down my thighs.
I kissed him. I pulled his face to mine, and moved my lips over his urgently. He froze for a moment before kissing me back, his hands moving to my waist.
I wanted him to touch me more. I straddled his lap.
"I'm sorry." He muttered a few moments later. He pulled up his pants shifting me off him gently. I watched in a daze as he ran down the stairs.
I ascended the stairs in search of a restroom to clean my hand. One of the doors were cracked and I figured it was a bathroom, there was only two doors.
I recognized green eyes first then the back of Cameron's head before I fled back out the door, nearly slamming it behind me.
"What was that?" I heard Cameron ask.
"Nothing." Came Jacob's reply.
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By the time the sun rises, I have formulated some semblance of a plan. I drag myself out of bed, heavy with exhaustion. I go to brush my hair and remember I didn't get a chance to ask for my hairbrush or to call my dad. I make a mental note to ask but considering the day I have planned, I doubt my ability to remember. I comb my increasingly frizzy auburn locks the best I can with the small cheap plastic comb.
I teleport into the cafeteria to find I am the first one to arrive. I peruse the table considering my options wondering if Janine will even show up today.
"Good morning." I hear a small, sweet voice say behind me. I jump, beside myself.
"Good morning." I say to enthusiastically. Ambien comes up beside me at the food table, brushing her arm against mine. She doesn't pull away, keeping her soft skin pressed against mine, sending electricity up my arm. I glance over and meet her stunning gaze, unexpectedly. I can feel my cheeks burning. She reaches up and brushes my cheek. There's a cough behind us and I reflexively step away, looking around guiltily.
"Morning." Thomas greets, looking uncomfortable.
"Good morning." I mumble, giving him a sheepish look. Ambien sits at the table in silence. I sit beside her, giving her a nervous awkward smile, but she doesn't acknowledge me. Sasuke walks in, Miguel right behind him, but no Janine.
"Morning." Sasuke says cheerfully, heading over to grab some food.
"Good morning." I greet, happy to see his lovely sincere smile. Miguel is as stoic as ever, preoccupied with thoughts of subterfuge.
"Good morning." Janine greets loudly. I jump, nearly falling out of my seat, craning my neck to see what she may have in store for us this morning.
We go out to the field after breakfast and do some more sparring. We have lunch, then its group. After group its more training and therapy with Dr. Hemsworth. We are all in the recreation area by the time it is my turn to be seen by Dr. Hemsworth. I catch Miguel's eye as I go and he gives me a meaningful look. I nod, feeling as though I am marching to the stockades. Why did I agree to this?
My 'daily' counseling with Dr. Hemsworth, which has turned out to be less then daily. I was hoping today's session might be cancelled too, so that I wouldn't have to make good on my promise to Miguel and go through with my less then genius plan. I tap on the door lightly, still hoping to get out of this.
"Come in." Dr. Hemswoth calls. I curse internally and slowly open the door.
"Good afternoon, Sara. How are you today?" She greets from her normal place, seated in front of her desk. I could do it now. She is within reach as I pass by her, but her intimidating aura is still fresh. I can't even bring myself to glance at her as I pass by to the chair a few feet across from her. I sit, looking up at her reluctantly.
"Okay. Thank you." I respond.
"Good. Have you been feeling depressed or down?" She asks.
"No." I respond, not in much of a talking mood.
"That is encouraging. Glad to hear you are adjusting." She says, scratching something on her clipboard.
"What would you like to talk about? This is your time to vent or tell me about anything that is troubling you." Her dark eyes bore into me.
"I don't really know what to talk about." Truth is I have a lot of thoughts swirling through my mind, but none of it I feel comfortable sharing with her.
"Well, how is training going? You did rather well on my little impromptu evaluation." She prompts.
"Fine, I guess. Janine doesn't really give any feedback, just torments us." I answer.
"Yes. How does it make you feel that she does not give you feed back? That you feel she is just torturing you?" She asks in true psychologist form. Though, I think the subject matter is a little outside the scope of your average therapy session.
"How do I feel?" I contemplate this for a moment. "I feel pissed off." I reply boldly. "Sorry." I apologize feeling guilty for cursing in front of an authority figure. My dad raised me better than that, at least that's what he would say.
"You're angry. That is understandable. Many Nephilim feel this way early on. It is a normal human reaction when a person feels that something is unjust. Perhaps you might feel better if you considered the justification for Janine's actions? Have you considered them?" She asks diplomatically.
"Um... Yeah. Thomas said she is training us. I guess I just don't see how assaulting us, is training." I reply, feeling even more vindicated in my anger.
"Well perhaps you could consider what brought you here. What brought you all here. Your abilities manifested, resulting in all sorts of malfeasants. You were ill- equipped to overcome the adversity of powers that did not fit into your world. The world you have become a part of, the world of the paranormal, is far less forgiving than the human one you know. Violence is an everyday occurrence in this world. If you're unprepared to cope with life among humans, then you certainly aren't ready for what awaits you once you leave here. What Janine is trying to do is, build your resilience. Condition you to the life you will face once you leave The Center. It is up to me to decide if she has succeeded in that job." She explains, reciting another line she's probably said thousands of times. It's a lot to take in. The idea that I am part of a different world now, a world of violence, had not crossed my mind. It's not what I want to hear.
"I don't want to be a part of your world of murderers. You said you'd fix me so I wouldn't hurt people anymore, not so I won't care if I do. As soon as I know how to control my abilities, I'm going back to Twin Falls and never using them again" I demand, irately.
I swear I see the slightest crinkle of concern at the corners of her eyes but in the same moment a look of condescending serenity straitens her expression out, like an iron. "Consider it." She says again, infuriatingly. "Is that really an option? Remember the events that led you here. They were all a result of your angelic abilities. These abilities are what set you outside of the fragile world of humans. Maybe you could go back, be a teacher, but how long before you have another incident or worse... What you are, attracts the supernatural into the delicate human life you have created. Many creatures that lurk in the night can sense a being such as you. Knowing that angels are real, I am sure you can conclude what else may be out there. You would be living between worlds, vulnerable to both and protected by neither." She explains ominously. My blood turns cold at the memory of the demon I saw at school. She is trying to scare me and succeeding.
"My life is over, then." I breath, mostly to myself.
"Not at all. You will have a life in the paranormal world. A good job with a purpose. Friends that are like you. How are you getting along with the other Nephilim?" She asks, conversationally.
"Good." I reply. For the most part. I like them all, even if we have our moments of tension and awkwardness. Even if Miguel is a butt head, I still like him for some reason.
"See. Part of resilience is hunting the good stuff. You have to focus on the good, accept the bad, and make decisions that are good for you. Your time here is brief in the grand scheme of things. Try and enjoy it as much as you can and when things are hard just know that it's only making you stronger. If you keep a good attitude and work hard you will be out of here in no time." She says, cheerfully with that empty smile on her prim perfect face.
"Okay." I respond, resigned to her absolute authority on the subject. She is clearly the expert, and I am just the broken child of an angel.
"Was there anything else you would like to discuss?" She asks.
"No." I answer, standing with my fists clenched, attempting to psych myself up for what I am about to do. "Thank you." I say as she leads me the short distance to the door. I hold out my hand to her as she steps aside to let me through the door. She looks at me quizzically. This is my last-ditch effort to get out of this. If she does not take my hand, then I don't have to go through with it. She takes my hand and I teleport to the recreation area, focusing on the center of the rug in front of the bookshelves.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Hemsworth demands in a deep rumbling terrifying voice, my hand still in hers.
Miguel's voice turns her attention from me, and I use the chance to pull my hand away. He is chanting gibberish in a loud decisive tone. I glance over at him as I back away from Dr. Hemsworth. He is reading something from a book that looks a lot like the one Janine had her nose stuck in yesterday. I trip over my feet as I back away, falling.
Dr. Hemsworth snarls at Miguel, a horrifying low hiss seeping from between her lips. She appears to lunge at him but is stopped by an invisible force. As Miguel's words continue, she begins to convulse. Her head whips around disturbingly, a thick brown smoke begins to rise from the orifice of her face. The smoke comes thicker and faster until a large form has corporealized where Dr. Hemsworth once stood, her body now collapsed within the vaguely translucent figure of the massive beast. It looks just like the one from class. Its empty orifices of eyes bore into Miguel, a horrendous sound boiling from its massive bulky chest. I scream, wordlessly, for a moment, running out of air in my lungs. I suck in more,preparing for another shriek when Janine materializes, chanting something of her own.
The demon rushes back into the body of Dr. Hemsworth. She stands, straightening with a sickening crack. She stalks toward Miguel, looming over him, although they are the same height with her in heels. "You are not as smart as you think you are, Miguel. Trust you will live to regret what you've done." She spits venomously into Miguel's face. "Enjoy hell." She shoots in parting, as she turns to strut out of the room.
"Fix this, Janine." She snaps, disappearing around the corner.
Janine nods, trying to stifle a small smile I see raising the corners of her lips. "Grab your toothbrush, Miguel. You have a mess to clean up." Janine orders.
Miguel shakes the look of terror off his face and turns to Janine. "Sure." He responds, seeming to be in a state of shock.
Miguel gleefully scrubs at the pentagram he painted under the rug. His toothbrush is stained red with whatever paint he used and is just moving the mess around, but he doesn't seem to care.
"What the fuck was that, Miguel? What did you do to Dr. Hemsworth?" Thomas demands. interrupting Miguel's work.
"It was a spell to exercise demons." Miguel responds, still scrubbing away.
"She's not a demon then. You seemed to really hurt her though. That's fucked up." Thomas continues.
Miguel freezes, raising his head slowly to stare at Thomas in utter disbelief.
"You didn't see that thing?" Miguel demands, getting to his feet. "Thomas, it's a demon. If Janine had let me, I would have sent it back to hell. As for the body, if that lady is still alive, I am not the one who is hurting her." He asserts, staring Thomas down, daring him to refute what he has said.
"How did you know that spell?" Sasuke chimes in.
"I found the book in Dr. Hemsworth's office yesterday." Miguel responds, breaking his and Thomas's intense staring contest. "I went in there to find a way out. I figured there must be a way in and out considering I would have seen that thing coming through the main entrance, but I couldn't find any. I decided to snoop around for proof of what they are really up to, when I saw the book. I turned to the marked page and there it was. As if someone had left it for me." He explains, seeming to be getting lost in thought.
"I think that's the book Janine was reading yesterday." I remark
He narrows his eyes at me thoughtfully, then shrugs. "She took it but you're probably right. She wants me out of here. I don't like the idea of going along with what Janine wants, but in this case, we had the same goal." He smiles a genuine grin. It's adorable.
"I'll probably be out of here by tomorrow." He laughs, in the best mood I've ever seen him.
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Thank you for reading.
Why do you think Janine would help Miguel?