Noah (Raven #2, working title)

Kellam is talking to Emma. Side effects from her abilities are splitting headaches…his ability can make them stop. Noah can find people by touching things they own. Raven takes back her letter so that Noah can’t get to her again. They share an intense love scene. Raven goes to a different school. Does she leave town? The item has to be important, have an imprint of the person’s soul. What are the side effects of the serum? Mr. Wilkes is testing all of these to fix his wife. He also wants to patent the drugs and sell them to the wealthy…to the government for a high price? What about the nurse? What is wrong with the wife? What is wrong with Noah. He spends a lot of the book, trying to figure out what is wrong with him. Why his mother teamed up with Travis Wilkes. Emma is in love with Noah. Tries to convince him to forget Raven. She thinks Raven is a traitor. Wants to find her so Noah can really get over Raven…she can be with Noah. She falls for Kellam in the process. What does the dad want to use them for? To get some sort of drug. For doing heists. What special kind of drug does he need? Can Noah connect with dead people? People in a comma? Mr. Wilkes is going to want Noah to connect with his wife. This could dangerous…maybe put Noah in a comma. Do she and Noah have cancer? What do Noah’s parents do again? What kind of doctor is Richard? Does he get involved? Maybe he’s gone on a trip? What POVs? What is Chase’s power? Minor character. Is Mr. Wilkes still working at Pharmtech? Taking a leave of absence? Make up a disease for them. Look up neurological illnesses. Huntington’s disease, Friedreich’s ataxia…something like that balance problems, movement problems, problems talking and breathing, can’t walk, talk or recognize family members, damage to the nerves in the brain. Travis has left his job. Has gone underground. Kellam is in charge of Pharmtech? Taking time off from school? Kellam pretends he needs Emma’s help…not working with father…serum messed him up…side effect…turned him into a junkie…he would do anything to get the meds that lessened his ability…his father has disappeared…pretends to not know anything about the thefts happening at various pharmaceutical companies…even says Pharmtech has been robbed…Mr. Wilkes is doing it…didn’t press charges because of the serums…don’t want regular doctors looking at them just yet…afraid of what might happen if they found out they’ve been genetically altered. Nurse Caroline wanted to be with Travis…caused problem with serum administered to his wife…jealous of relationship with Noah’s mom. Has her killed. Father got in the way…killed too. Serums have never worked on her…Raven is working with her dad. What is their side effect? She can hear everyone’s thoughts when she gets agitated. Pain inducement…Chase…Telekinesis…Emma. Mind control…Kellam…Wilkes can make illusions…make people see what isn’t there. Wilkes is living with Raven, off the grid. He believes his own illusions…she has to take care of him…mother suffering from psionic inundation…she doesn’t just project this…it has caused problems for her…brain damage, memory loss, he keeps begging for his wife…Raven can’t handle this…Nurse Caroline is with them…trying to take care of Raven’s dad…convinces her to work with Kellam to steal research and drugs, looking for the perfect combination to fix her mother’s state…they think that if they can inject her with the right serum, a new ability will cancel out the side effects of the old. Nurse Caroline is working at the hospital as their mother’s personal nurse…they get her the serums and she administers them.. Mr. Wilkes and Nurse Caroline decided together to stop giving him the drug that keeps his illusions in check to manipulate his kids…Kellam likes the rush he gets from overpowering others…he is addicted to the feeling…he gets the shakes like an addict…Nurse Caroline has a serum that keeps his in check…that is how she manipulates him...what they really want is a business deal…man who learned about their experiments…wants to use the drugs to create a super army to take over the world…maybe not in the US…deal with him in book 3…Raven doesn’t think she is good enough for Noah anymore. Noah wants to find out what is wrong with him and find Raven. Emma wants Noah to forget about Raven but ultimately helps him look for her so he can get over her…Kellam pretends he wants to find his sister too…he knows where she is…he is trying to manipulate Emma into helping them with their heists…Emma and Kellam fall for each other…he keeps her side effects at bay…They need to find Raven, help Kellam break free, realize that their dad is a lost cause…he is too far gone…maybe have mom wake up and experience severe brain damage…maybe die, maybe go into a forever coma…at the end of the book, dad sells off kids to business partner…his included…he blames them for what happened to his wife…book 3, breaking free, destroying the serums, stopping their dad for good…trying to live a normal life…fighting crime a night?

Chapter 1, Emma:

“It’s happening again,” said Emma. She used her newfound gift to float the newspaper toward Noah.

Last year, Noah’d made friends with a girl, Raven, whose father was a psychopath. In his quest to find a cure for her mother’s illness, he’d developed unregulated serums, and he’d used Noah and his friends as the guinea pigs.

The serums haven’t done what he wanted them to yet, fix Raven’s mother’s damaged brain, but they’ve done other things. Now, Emma can move things with her mind. Chase can mentally inflict pain. Noah can see people by touching things that were important to them.

Raven’s dad, Mr.Wilkes, even tested the serums on his kids. Raven can hear other people’s thoughts and Kellam, her demented older brother, can control people’s motor skills with his mind.

Noah looked at Emma disapprovingly. She shrugged.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she said as she tapped the side of her head, “but, since I have it…”

“And the headaches?” asked Noah.

Ugh, she moaned internally. He was right. There were some unwanted side effects to the serums as well. Emma could easily rearrange the living room furniture and make newspapers float across the room, but afterwards her head would feel like it was in a vise grip. They were debilitating, hours of incapacitating pain. Still, it didn’t stop her from using her gift. She didn’t ask for it. Telekinesis wasn’t something she had wanted, but she was damn sure going to use it. There had to be some benefit from being an unwanted test subject.

“Worth it,” she said with a forced smile. She could feel pressure already building behind her eyes. She wanted to rub her temples. Instead, Emma forced herself to focus on the paper now sitting in front of Noah. Noah looked at her disapprovingly, but kept his thoughts about her telekinesis to himself. After all, who was he to judge? Emma couldn’t keep count of the times that she’d found Noah, zoned out, clutching that stupid letter Raven had left him, trying to reconnect with her.

After her father had injected all of them with a serum and turned them into freaks, Raven had bailed. Emma was okay with this. Noah, not so much.

Emma balled her hands into fists. She was angry. Noah had lost both of his parents. The last thing he needed was some girl coming into his life, connecting with him and then disappearing. He needed better than that. He deserved better than that. He deserves me, thought Emma looking up from the newspaper. 

“The paper, really? Who reads these anymore?” asked Noah, waving around what Emma had passed to him. “You’re the one holding it, so I guess people like you,” said Emma with a smirk.

“Ha, ha. Funny,” said Noah, spreading out the paper on the kitchen table. 

“Dad,” said Emma.

“What?” asked Noah, scanning the headlines. Thefts were happening across the city. Someone was breaking into pharmacies, stealing drugs. The attacks were random, and different chemicals were taken each time, but Emma couldn’t help thinking about Mr. Wilkes every time she saw the headlines.

She rubbed her rubbed her arm at the injection site. Emma concentrated on the paper. It flipped open to the page where she’d seen the article. It was a small piece about a break-in on the other side of town.

Noah frowned and shook his head.

“Just read it,” said Emma, tapping the paper.

Noah looked up when he was done. “Emma, you need to let this go,” said Noah.

She gripped the ends of her skirt. “It’s him. I know it is. There’s been break-ins, thieves, looking for drugs, all over town. Who else would want this stuff?”

“I don’t know? Drug dealers?” said Noah.

“Ugh,” se groaned in frustration. If he wasn’t so wrapped up in her he’d see the truth right in front of him.

“Seriously, Emma, why would a guy who owns a pharmaceutical company need to rob…’’ Noah glanced down at the paper. “A Walgreens?”

Emma reached for the paper, snatching it from Noah’s hands. “Okay,” she conceded. “Maybe this time it isn’t him, but not all these break-ins have taken place at small drugstores. Other pharmaceutical companies have been hit too. Plus, how do we even know he’s still there, running PharmTech?”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Because we never reported him, that’s why. He has no reason not to keep going about his life as before.”

It’s true. They had all decided not to report him. If they did, Mr. Wilkes wouldn’t be the only one to suffer. No one could know the five of them were now different. No longer human, thought Emma. Maybe that’s why she was so obsessed with these break-ins, trying to see something that wasn’t there. The man needed to pay.

“He’s dangerous,” said Emma.

A worried look settled on Noah’s face. He moved one of his hands from the table, Emma was sure to finger Raven’s letter. “Believe me. I know.”

Emma ignored the pang of jealousy that shot through her chest, knowing that he was thinking about Raven. “Are you really okay, leaving things like this?” she asked. “Look what this man did to us. Do you want him to do it to others?” Emma pounded her fist on the kitchen table.

“No, of course not. I hate him just as much as you do, but what are we going to do? Storm Pharmtech? It didn’t work so well for me the last time.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He gestured to himself and then to Emma. “This is my fault. It all happened because I, like you, let my emotions lead me, not my head. I won’t do it again. I won’t put the people I love in danger a second time.”

It wasn’t your fault. It was hers, thought Emma, but she’d learned to keep those thoughts to herself. All they did was push Noah further away, and she needed him closer. He was one of only handful of people who truly knew what she was going through. She needed him.

“Okay, so we make a plan,” she said.

“A plan?” asked Noah.

“Yeah, you, me, Chase, we get together and we come up with a way to make it so that Mr. Wilkes never hurts anyone else like he did us.” And we make sure he suffers for what he’s done, thought Emma. Sometimes she wondered if the main side effect of the drug used on her was aggression, not headaches.

Noah studied her face. She was sure that he was going to turn her down. She’d thought he was broken before, when his parents died, she’d been wrong. He was just cracked. Now, after their ordeal with Travis Wilkes and loss of Raven, he was really and truly broken. Hopefully not beyond repair, thought Emma.

“Okay,” he said so quietly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him.

“What?” asked Emma.

“I said, okay. Let’s get together after school. We can meet up at my house. We can figure out where everyone stands and come up with a way to stop him and to find Raven.”

Raven, of course, thought Emma.

“It’s a plan,” said Emma through gritted teeth.

Chapter 2, Noah:

I fingered the paper in my pocket, not caring that it was a little before eight on a school day. It was risky. If I touched something that truly mattered to another person, I could get sucked away, transported to where the were.

I ran my hands through my hair. Cut the crap, I thought to myself. If I was being honest, I didn’t care if I got whisked away. It’s what I was hoping for.

When Emma first brought me the letter, that’s exactly what happened. One minute I was sitting in my room, feeling sorry for myself. The next, I was in Raven’s room, watching her write the very letter I held in my hands. I’ve held the letter a million times since then, it’s practically glued to my palm, but I haven’t been able to make contact again. I don’t know how it works, but I think whatever traces of Raven lingered between the words, have all been used up.

“Hello? Earth to Noah,” said Chase. “Are you coming into class today, or planning to sit out here in the jeep all day, staring off into space?”

Chase was my best friend and one of the few people who really got me. He and I have been through a lot together. He stuck by me when both my parents died and I let finding out the truth about those deaths consume me. He’d been such a good friend, he, just like Emma, got pulled into my mess and now is forever altered.

“No,” said Chase. “You don’t get to do that, okay?”

I shrank back against the seat. After Raven’s dad had injected us each with different serums, we’d all developed some sort of enhanced mental capabilities. Raven was the one with the ability to read minds, but sometimes it seemed like Chase had inherited that ability too. He always seemed to know what I was thinking.

“Look,” said Chase, “I don’t blame you. This is not your fault. Seriously, I’m not even mad about it. I mean, once I get it under control, no one will ever mess with me, right?”

I’d gotten the ability to connect with people through traces of their souls imprinting on objects of importance. Emma could move things with her mind. Raven could read thoughts. Chase, he inherited the ability to inflict pain on others. No, if people knew, they most definitely would not want to mess with him.

“But, I do need you,” said Chase, turning serious, something he seemed to do a lot more ever since being injected. “What if things go badly in there? What if…I hurt someone?” There was a haunted look in his eyes. It was a look three of us shared, me, Chase and Emma, and I hated that I was the one who put it on both of their faces. If only I’d kept them at bay, not let them help, things wouldn’t have ended up this way.

I pulled myself up straighter, shoving those thoughts into a box in the back of my mind, in the same one that housed all my memories and regrets over Raven. I couldn’t go back in time and undo what had already been done, but I could be the friend Chase needs now.

I got out of the car, slung my bag over my shoulder and slapped Chase on the back. “Of course I’m coming,” I said with a forced grin. “You can use your new powers on my English teacher, keep her from assigning our next paper.”

Chase grinned. “Won’t that be awesome? As soon as I get the hang of this, learn how to inflict minimal pain, we can give the rents a migraine, the teachers blurred vision, something minor, with just enough umf to get us out homework, chores all sorts of stuff. This power is going to be golden.”

“Yeah, buddy,” I said with a forced laugh, “this power is going to be awesome.”

We walked together in silence towards the building where we’d have to split up. Our first two classes weren’t together. Chase’s shoulders tensed when we stepped over the threshold and into the hallway. I couldn’t blame him. With a power like his, I’m not even sure I’d attempt showing up. But with it, facing Mr. Wilkes, and demanding he tell me where his daughter is, would be a breeze.

I squeezed his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. Just remember to breathe, try to remain calm, and if you get heated about something, get the heck out of there. Who cares if you get in trouble?”

“Uh, my parents?” said Chase. Things were even more difficult for him than the rest of us. Emma and I lived with her dad; he knew everything about what had happened to us. In fact, every spare moment he had, Dr. Wayne was trying to figure out a way to reverse the effects of the serum. Chase still lived at home with parents and a sister who were clueless about what was going on with him.

“I’m sorry, man. You may have to put up with a few groundings and detention here and there. We’ve got to keep this thing off people’s radar’s. Troubled teen, your parents will understand. Boy with the ability to inflict pain with his mind, not so much,” I said.

Chase still looked nervous. I reached for his back pack and yanked back the zipper.

“Hey, what are you doing?” asked Chase as I started to rummage through his bag.

“I’m looking for something of yours that matters to you, like this hat,” I said, pulling out his Braves hat. Chase was a big Atlanta Braves fan. His dad would pull him out of school and the two of them would drive to Georgia for the weekend to catch games.

“Let me keep this, just through the day. Text me if things are getting bad. I’ll use it to look in on you,”

“Won’t people be able to see you?” asked Chase. “I thought we were keeping a low profile. I don’t think you materializing out of thin air in my history class is really going to accomplish that goal.

I shrugged. “Don’t know. I haven’t really tried it on anyone other than Raven, and when I did, she was the only one around. Hey, got to start somewhere, right?” I asked and then shoved the hat into my back pocket before walking off to class, leaving my friend in the hallway. It was time that we both got more comfortable with our gifts. They didn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

Chapter 3, Emma:

Emma went outside for lunch. Juniors weren’t allowed to leave campus, only the seniors. She walked towards the picnic tables. Her friends were sitting at the one to the right of the door, leading to the cafeteria. They were eating and laughing, enjoying themselves, something she too would have done a few months ago. Nowadays, Emma didn’t feel like smiling, much less like laughing.

“Emma?” called out her friend, Christine. Christine had short, auburn hair and a face full of freckles, and she always smiled. Emma ignored her. She kept on walking past her friends, past the tables, out into the parking lot.

Emma’s phone pinged. She knew it was most likely Christine, wondering why Emma’d just ignored her like that, or maybe Noah? thought Emma. Her fingers twitched. She balled her hands into fists to keep from reaching for it. It was never Noah, not for a social call anyway, and right now that is all she wanted from him. She only wanted to hear from Noah if he was calling to check up on her, if he missed her, but Noah was in love with Raven, not her. Those feeling were reserved for the girl who’d made them like this…different.

 Emma ignored her phone and instead retrieved her keys and headed for her car, a little yellow BMW. Her dad had gone overboard when she’d turned sixteen, the perk of being a motherless, only child. She was spoiled.

Emma’s phone pinged again. She put the key in the ignition, turned over the engine and left the school parking lot. The teacher on duty was staring at his watch, not paying attention to the fact that Emma was a junior, not a senior.

She didn’t really have a plan. She just knew she needed a break from pretending to be normal. So, she started driving, and before she knew it, Emma was parked downtown, in front of PharmTech, Raven’s dad’s company.

Emma leaned against the car, her vision glued to the building in front of her. She imagined Mr. Wilkes walking down the street, alone. Emma reached out with her mind, letting it connect with the cars on the street, the buildings, the glass doors. She could feel her power growing stronger. If Mr. Wilkes was there, all alone, it would be so easy to hurt him, to take him out.

She shook her head, trying to shake free the images of Mr. Wilkes impaled by a piece of glass. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t a violent person. Emma wrapped her arms around herself, wishing, for the umpteenth time, that Noah was around. He would know why she was feeling this way and how she could get ahold of herself.

Ready to head back to school, back to Noah, Emma moved to open the door, but stopped when she saw someone across the street. The lamppost across the street start to rattle. The glass surrounding the bulb shattered, and then, it stopped. She stopped. She was frozen, unable to move, just like when she’d been in Mr. Wilkes’ lab. He’d been able to inject her because she’d been immobilized, because Kellam, Raven’s brother, had used his gift on all of them. Kellam could enter people’s minds and take over their motor functions.

Emma began to panic. She wasn’t dreaming it. Kellam was there, right across the street and he was headed straight for her.

She wanted to run, to get away, but her body wouldn’t obey her. She was trapped just like before.

No, this will not happen again. I will not be a prisoner, ever again, she thought, desperately trying to break free of his hold.

Emma focused on a small tree nearby and pushed with all her might, trying to break free of Kellam’s hold. It was the middle of the day. A tree, flying through the air and landing on top of a boy, would definitely cause alarm. There were people everywhere. They’d sworn to keep their abilities secret. No one wanted to be whisked away by the government or anyone else, curious about their strange abilities, but Emma was too panicked to think about Chase, about Noah. She could only think about the dark-haired boy running towards her.

Emma pushed hard with her mind, harder than she’d ever pushed before. She knew that what she was doing was dangerous, not just because people might discover her abilities, but because using her ability to this extent, usually caused debilitating migraines. She would pay dearly for what she was about to do. But it will be worth it, thought Emma, fighting with everything she had to make the tree move.

Kellam was close, halfway across the street. His dark eyes focused on her. His breathing looked labored and his hair was plastered to his head. He was losing his control. If she could just push a little harder, she’d break free and the Kellam, would finally reap the consequences of his actions.

He put on a burst of speed. Kellam’s foot connected with the curb. He was only a few feet from her, so close she could see make out the two moles on his left check, just below his eye.

Emma closed her eyes and focused all her energy on the tree. She felt it give way, yanked from the earth. I’m free, she thought, realizing that Kellam’s hold on her had finally broke, and then, a pain worse that she’d ever felt, gripped her head.

Chapter 4, Noah:

I went into English class, moved to the back of the room and sat down. There was a time, when my parents were still alive, when I would have sat closer to the front, closer to friends. Now, apart from Chase and Emma, I wasn’t sure I had any. I’d pushed them all away. I quit focusing on soccer, school work, my life became singular—figure out what had happened to my parents. Things weren’t much better now. I was still focused on things that my former friends didn’t have think about—Raven, dealing with newfound powers, and figuring out if Mr. Wilkes was right, if my mother did get involved with him because something was wrong with me.

I dropped my head to my desk and closed my eyes. I knew the teacher wouldn’t say anything. When your parents die, you get a pass, teachers let you take naps, zone out, turn in work late.

My phone buzzed. I glanced at the front of the room, making sure Mrs. Williams, our teacher wasn’t glancing this way, and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I could have been Chase; I couldn’t ignore it.

Mrs. Williams was at the front of the room, writing on board. We had a big assignment due at the end of the week. We were supposed to write a paper about an historical figure who overcame an obstacle or a difficult situation.

The teacher was going over thesis statements and how to write an outline. We were going to have the rest of the class period to work on our projects. I should be working. I haven’t even started, but instead, I slipped my phone inside my desk and clicked the home button, lighting up the screen.

I told myself I had to check my phone because it could be Chase, getting in trouble with his powers, but that wasn’t the truth. Deep down, I was hoping, stupid as it was, that it was a text from Raven. It was neither, just a reminder about soccer practice. Although my heart wasn’t in it, I hadn’t quit the team. Running around and kicking the soccer ball helped. At practice, I could forget about my problems. I could push my body so hard, for an hour and a half, I could forget.

“Noah, have you started this stupid assignment yet?” asked the girl, sitting to my right. I turned and looked at her. She had wavy, light brown hair and tan skin. Her face was familiar, but I couldn’t remember her name, and I didn’t really care to. There was only one girl I cared about.

I shrugged and turned towards the window, reaching my hand into my pocket, feeling for Raven’s letter. It was stupid. In it, she had pretty much ended things with us, but I couldn’t let it go. I kept thinking there was more to it than a change of heart. I kept feeling, in the back of my mind, that she wasn’t okay, that she needed me.

The letter wrinkled under my fingertips, but nothing else happened. I didn’t get magically transported to Raven. Whatever piece of Raven’s soul had been clinging to the paper, clasped between my fingers, wasn’t there. I looked down at the hat on the floor, Chase’s hat. It wouldn’t take me to her, but it was start, a way to start practicing my skill. Since accidentally using my newfound ability and finding Raven, I’d been reluctant to test it out.

The girl next to me nudged my shoulder. “Noah, um, the bell rang. It’s time to leave. Here,” she said, reaching for my phone. Before I could stop her, she was tapping away. “You are in worse shape than I am. Lucky for you, I’ve got a friend coming over to help me with the dreaded paper this weekend. Text me. I’ll send you my address and let you know when we’re meeting up.”

She handed back my phone. “Yeah, thanks,” I said. Normally, I would have blown off the assignment. Homework hasn’t been at the top of my priority list, but something in me clicked. Emma’s words had gotten to me. She was right, maybe not about the revenge thing, but about checking into things. It was time that I got my act together, so that I could do something besides feel sorry for myself.

“Okay, well, I gotta jet. See you this weekend?” she said. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and stood there awkwardly, waiting for me to say more.

I smiled, and for once, it didn’t feel forced. It felt good to once again have a purpose. “Sure, see you later,” I said, shoving my books into my book bag, now eager to get moving. I had things to do.

The girl smiled at me before heading out the door. I glanced down at the phone. The text message she’d sent to herself so she’d have my number too was open. Even though she looked familiar, I couldn’t remember her name. After everything that had happened to me this past year, I couldn’t remember a lot of things.

I looked at the name at the top of the text, Harper. I filed it away and refocused my attention on the hat now laying next to it, Chase’s hat. Not only was I going to start trying in school and on the field, but I was going to work on this gift of mine. I’d never asked for it, but I had it, so I might as well use it.

A few people entered the room. We had ten minutes between classes, not enough time for me to do anything now, but I didn’t want to wait.

I shoved the hat into my back pocket and quickly left the room, making my way for the parking lot. Getting on track at school could start tomorrow. Right now, I was going to see if I could use the hat to find Chase, then, I was going to break into Raven’s locker. There had to be something important to her there, and I was going to use it to find her. I was tired of giving Raven space, waiting on her to come to me.

Chapter 5, Raven:

            Raven sat at her desk, staring off into space. She was thinking about the last time she’d sat there. It was before Caroline and her brother had come back into her life, before they’d pulled her out of school, deciding, with her abilities, that homeschooling was a better option. It was before the side effects of the serum got so bad, her father basically went nutso, more so than he already was.

            She’d sat at this desk, pen in hand, and written the most difficult letter she’d ever written. Noah, she thought, fingering the desk as if the paper she’d scribbled his name on was still in front of her. Raven let her eyes drift over towards the bed. The next day, after handing the letter off to Emma, too much of a coward to hand it to Noah herself, Raven had come home, thrown herself on the bed and cried, something she almost never let herself do. Crying wouldn’t make her mother better. Crying wouldn’t fix her father, or make turn her brother into the boy she’d grown up with. Crying wouldn’t wake her mother from a coma, and it wasn’t going to get her an antidote to the serums used on herself, Noah and his friends. But that day, after writing the letter, and trying find closure, trying to get Noah out of her head once and for all, she’d let herself completely fall apart. The sobbing, the letter, neither worked. While lying on the bed, ugly crying into her pillows, she’d imagined Noah. It had been the most lucid daydream she’d had of him yet. He’d lain with her on the bed, holding her while she cried. He’d felt so real, so solid, she’d thought for sure it was him, but then, just as quickly as he’d materialized, he was gone, mid kiss. Her mission for that day, a complete and utter fail. She had been able to conjure him quite so vividly again, but since that day, he’s been on her mind. She wasn’t over him. She was never going to be over him.

            I have to get that cure, thought Raven, balling her hands into fists. If there even is one, she thought, feeling panicked. Raven’s reasons for coming back here to live at home with her father, and now full-time nurse, Caroline, was strictly to get the cure.

            No, I can’t think like that. There’s a cure and I’m going to find it.

Chapter 6, Emma:

            “Oh, my head,” groaned Emma, placing her hands on either side of her head. The pain had subsided some. Just after fighting through Kellam’s hold, her head had hurt so badly, she’d passed out. Kellam. The tree. Panicked, Emma bolted upright in bed and almost immediately regretted the decision. Her vision blurred, and her stomach dipped, threatening to bring up this morning’s breakfast for a repeat performance.

            Strong arms gripped her shoulders, pushing her back against pillows. “Whoa, easy there,” said a male voice. Emma strained against the blurriness, trying to make out the boy’s face, but the room was dark, and it was true. She’d used up a lot of energy fighting Kellam, and now she was paying the price. It would be a while before the pain subsided enough for her vision to clear.

            “Who are you?” asked Emma, fumbling her pants pockets, searching for your phone.

            The boy chuckled.

            “What?” asked Emma.

            “You,” he said. “You look hilarious, wriggling around like a fish, looking for this.” He held up something in front of her face. She opened her eyes, her stomach dipped again, and she immediately closed them.

            “Can I have that, please?” she asked, holding out her hand. She needed to call Noah, have him come and get her. She was in no shape to get home on her own.  

            “Yeah, maybe, in a few minutes, after you’ve had some of this,” he said, pressing a Styrofoam cup into her hands, “and after we’ve talked.”

            “Listen Buddy,” started Emma. She was weak, but she could still take down some punk, looking to take advantage of a girl in distress. “Thanks for helping me out back there, but I’ve got a bit of a migraine going on right now and need to call a friend to come and get me. Now, please, hand over the phone, before I take it from you.”

            The boy laughed again.

            “What, you think this,” she asked, gesturing to her head, “is going to keep me from kicking your ass?”

            “No, not at all. That’s what I want to talk about. How you were able to almost kick my ass out on the street?” asked the boy.

            Emma’s hands felt clammy, her neck, slick with sweat. It wasn’t just any boy who’s rescued her. It was Kellam, Raven’s brother, the boy would could immobilize her with his mind.

            The room was dark. She couldn’t make out what was in it, but she could feel things starting to lift and move, spinning in the air.

            “Hey, wait. Calm down. You are in no shape to start using your powers again. I saw, and almost felt, what you did outside with the tree, and that was all done, after fighting against me. You used up a lot of super juice. It made you pass out. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to see what happens if you use your powers again too soon,” said Kellam.

            He was right, and Emma knew it. The problem was, she wasn’t really in control of her powers. Things were moving frantically about the room, swirling around the two of them—a comb, a bottle of hair gel, clothes, a lamp. And then, suddenly, everything fell to the floor. She couldn’t move her body. Her arms and legs were like bricks, weighing her down. She opened her mouth to scream, one of both fear and frustration, but nothing came out. Her tongue, too, felt like lead.

            “I’m sorry,” said Kellam. “I don’t want to use my powers on you, but I can’t let you pulverize me with a lamp, or a dresser. I’m going to ease up, let you have back control over your body, but you have to promise not to scream, not to lose control. Really, all I want to do is talk. When we’re done, I’ll help you get back home, okay?”

            No, definitely not okay, thought Emma. This boy was a big reason why she was like this in the first place. If he hadn’t used his ability to immobilize her, she wouldn’t have this ability she couldn’t control. She wouldn’t have the splitting headaches that made her pass out. Still, at the moment, she didn’t really have a lot of options. If he released her and she used her powers on him, she’d probably just pass out again and they’d be right back where they started from. Talking, although not enjoyable, could maybe buy her some time, give her a chance to regain some of her strength, so that when she finally did use her powers, she could get herself out of the room.

            Kellam released his hold over her face and Emma nodded her head. “Okay, we can talk,” she said, hoping she was making the right decision. The feeling over the rest of her body came back. Kellam, sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, legs spread out in front of him. Images of the last time she’d seen him, how he’d taken control over her body, made it easy for Mr. Wilke’s nurse to inject her with the serum. The lamp started to twitch on the floor. Emma took calming breath and forced herself to calm down. If she lost control, Kellam would take over her motor skills again, something she didn’t want to happen.

            Kellam glanced over his shoulder at the moving lamp and clothes on the floor. “You don’t have control yet, do you?” he asked. Emma shrugged. Kellam smiled and then leaned forward, reaching for the Styrofoam cup he’d tried to give her earlier. “Seriously, you need to drink this.” Emma took it from his hands, warily studying its contents.

            “I know you don’t trust me,” said Kellam. He leaned back in his seat. “And you shouldn’t. I’m not exactly trustworthy.”

            Understatement of the year, thought Emma.

            “But,” continued Kellam, “I am trying to change all that.”

            “How?” asked Emma, skeptically.

            “Right here, right now, by helping you,” he said.

            A laugh escaped from the back of Emma’s throat. “I’m sorry,” said Emma, “but I have a hard time believing that.”

            “No, seriously,” he said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Aren’t you feeling a little differently, you know, after being injected?”

            “Um, yeah, I can move things with my mind and then afterwards I get terrible, mind-shattering migraines.”

            “No, I mean, has your personality changed, since being injected?” he asked.

            Emma thought about how angry she’s been lately and how bold. Before the incident, she never would have left school, and definitely wouldn’t have gone off on her own to try and confront Raven’s dad.

            “Just what I thought,” said Kellam.

            “What? I didn’t say anything,” said Emma.

            “You didn’t have to. I can see it written all over your face. Believe it or not, that’s what happened to me to. My dad, he convinced me to try out one of serums. Obviously, I did, and then I changed, and I’m not talking about acquiring the ability to control people’s bodies with mind. My power doesn’t give me headaches, it gives me a euphoric feeling. I became addicted, relishing opportunities to try it out, over and over again. It made me a little crazy,” said Kellam, a sad look in his eyes.

            “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, “for what happened to you, to your friends, to…Raven. I just couldn’t help myself. I was under the spell of my power.”

            “And now?” asked Emma, not sure she truly believed him, but all the same hoping there was some truth to his words. She didn’t like the person she’s become, and would welcome a way to make her the nice, sweet girl she was before.

            Kellam shrugged. “And now,” he said, “I’m working on drugs of my own, like the one in the cup you refuse to drink.”

            Emma picked the cup up from the nightstand where she’d put it when Kellam had passed it to her the last time. She’d been wary to drink something from the boy who’d helped his father inject her with an untested drug. Turns out she’d been right.

            Emma made a face at the cup the cup and its contents.

            “Look,” said Kellam, “I get that you don’t exactly trust me. I don’t deserve it, but things have changed. My father is no longer in charge at PharmTech. I am, of both the legal and the side business. I want what you guys want. I want control over my life again. I want to get rid of these nasty side effects. That’s what I have my people working on, a way to fix the damage done by my father.”

            Emma stared at the yellow liquid in the cup. It didn’t look evil, and it smelled lemony, what she imagined a melted lemon drop would smell like. “So, this stuff, it’s an antidote? It will get rid of my powers?”

            Kellam chuckled. “No, it’s not an antidote. It just works out some of the kinks, lets you use your powers and lessons the side effects. Why would I want to make an antidote? Why would you want one? You and me, Emma,” continued Kellum, “we’re special, better than everyone else. I mean, you can move things with your mind. Why would you ever want to give that up?”

            Yeah, thought Emma, why would I want to give all that up?

Chapter 7, Noah:

            “Thank you,” said Chase pulling his hat free from my back pocket, “now, we can go.” He started walking but stopped halfway down the hallway when he realized I wasn’t right behind him. Chase jogged back to me. “Um, we need to go, as in yesterday.”

            It was lunchtime. There were only three times out of the day that Chase seemed like himself anymore, lunch, dinner and breakfast, but his urgent need to get to the cafeteria would have to wait. I was standing in front of Raven’s locker. I’d skipped last period and broken into while everyone was in class. I wasn’t going to get another chance like this. Nothing was going to stop me from finding what I needed, because tonight, when I was feeling braver, I was going to try and replicate what I had done a few months ago with the letter—I was going to visit Raven.

            “Can’t,” I said, sticking my face into Raven’s locker. There were notebooks and textbooks, stacked neatly in a row, no pictures taped to the back of her locker door. This was going to be harder than I thought.

            “Wait a minute,” said Chase, “this is Raven’s locker.”

            “No shit, Sherlock,” I answered back as I picked up a red spiral notebook and started to flip through it, hoping something personal was tucked away between he pages.

            “I am not even going to ask, but whatever this is you’re doing, it’s going to have to wait. Something’s up with Emma.”

            I yanked my head out of the locker and in the process banged it on the back of the door. “Ugh,” I grunted in frustration. The only thing I’d gotten from this little venture was a bump on the head. My plan to get in touch with Raven was going to be a little more complicated than I thought.

            “What happened?” I asked, rubbing the sore spot on my head. I felt queasy, thinking about Emma, getting angry and losing control of her power, levitating a book, or worse, into the back of some kid’s head.

            “I don’t know exactly. I watched her leave campus for first lunch and she hasn’t come back yet.

            “And you didn’t try and stop her?”

            Chase shrugged. “No. Now, sometimes this place feels like a prison. I get cold sweats every time I walk into a classroom, afraid that something is going to set me off, that I’m going to hurt someone with my uncontrolled powers. I figured she needed some time away from here. I let her have it.”

            I got it. We all needed space, but that was something we couldn’t afford to have anymore, at least not until we all had better control over our powers. It wasn’t safe for any of us to just go off like that, without telling anyone.

            I freed my phone from my back pocket and shut the door to Raven’s locker. There’d been nothing in there that could help me anyway.

            “What are you doing?” asked Chase.

            I held up my phone and shook it in front of his face.

            “If she’d answered her phone, I wouldn’t have come to get you,” said Chase. “She didn’t answer. Now, come on,” he said, walking away from me.

            “Where are you going?”

            “We’re going outside, to the parking lot, so you can use your power and find Emma just like you found Raven,” said Chase.

            I followed him outside, trying not to panic. Ever since we’d all been injected, and our worlds had been turned upside down, I’ve felt responsible for my friends. They were in the mess because of me. It was my job to protect them, to keep them safe…what I should have done for Raven. I shook my head in attempt to free myself of thoughts of her. I didn’t know where Raven was, or how to help her, I needed to focus on the girl I could save—Emma.

            “So, how you found anything?” I asked Chase. The two of us were in my car, searching under the seats. Emma and I had our own cars, but when neither one of us had to stay after school, we usually rode together, more now than before. It was best for the three of us to stay as close, so we could help each other out in case we lost control over our powers, a bigger problem for them than me.

            “Nothing,” said Chase. “You?”

            “Nope,” I said climbing into the front seat and putting my key in the ignition. “Hop up front. Looks like we’re skipping forth period. We’ll have to go by Richard’s and find something.”

            Chase gave me an odd look before sliding into the passenger seat, but he didn’t say anything. I knew what the look was about. I didn’t call Richard’s and Emma’s house home even though I lived there and had lived there for a while now, since my parents died. Even though Richard was great and Emma too, most of the time, it still didn’t feel like home. Maybe that’s why I still haven’t done what Richard has asked me to—put my real home, the one I shared with my parents, up for sale. Sometimes, when my life gets to be too much, I like to go there and get away from it all, pretend that things are different, that my parents are still alive, just at work. If I sold the house, I couldn’t pretend like that anymore. I’d have to accept the fact that they are gone and that they are never coming back. I don’t think I can do that until I know for sure what really happened to them. Their ghosts still haunt me.

            We pulled into the garage and my face fell. A part of me had hoped that Chase had been wrong. I’d hoped that we’d find Emma at home, no such luck. The garage was empty.

            “So, Emma’s room,” asked Chase, pulling open the door to the stairs that led to the second floor. I nodded and the two of us took the stairs two at a time, our panic growing each second that passed. Neither one of us said it, but we were both thinking it. We were both worried that things had gotten out of hand and that Emma had used her powers in public, in front of witnesses.

            Chase made his way to the desk. He fingered the notebooks sitting on top of it and the turquoise pencil holders on the little shelf just above them. I made my way over to the shelf next to her bed. There was a little music box on the middle one, it was a gift from her mother, bought before Emma was even born. When you opened it the little a plastic ballerina inside stood up and started twirling to music. I reached for the ballerina and pulled her off the stand. Suddenly, without warning, the room around me shifted. I’d traded in the brightness of Emma’s bedroom for a much darker one. It was so dark in fact, I could barely make out my surroundings, but I could hear people talking softly. I could make out the forms of two people, one on the bed, the other sitting in a chair next to it.

            As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was able to make out who they were. Emma was laying on the bed. I didn’t think. Seeing her like that, laying on a bed, in strange house, in the dark, sent me into panic mode. I moved towards the bed, towards Emma. I needed her to see me, to talk to me, to tell me where exactly she was so Chase and I could come and get her. A foot away from the bed, I stopped moving. Things were worse than we’d imagined. In the chair beside Emma was Kellam.

             

Chapter 8, Emma:

            Emma took a sip of the liquid. It warmed her as it went down her throat. The throbbing in her head immediately disappeared. “Wow,” she said, marveling at the cup’s contents. None of the pills she’d been prescribed had worked as well as this lemony drink.

            Kellam smiled. “You feel pretty good right now, right?”

            “Amazing,” said Emma unable to hold back her own answering smile. “My dad’s a doctor, and even though it’s not his area of expertise and he probably shouldn’t have, given our situation, he’s been prescribing me antidepressants, medicines to keep my senses dulled. None of them have worked like this though. This stuff,” Emma tipped her cup towards Kellam, “it’s awesome. My head doesn’t hurt anymore at all.”

            “And your smiling,” said Kellam. “Maybe your change in mood, your anger, it all comes from being in pain?”

            “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that,” said Emma, thinking about Raven. The anger was still there, simmering under the surface. Nope, it’s not all just because of pain, she thought, clenching the fist hidden under the covers.

            “Well, okay,” said Emma as she pushed back the covers, “as scintillating as this has been, I’ve got people to see and places to go.”

            Kellam frowned. “Are you sure? We haven’t really had a chance to talk yet, and it’s still pretty early.”

            “Well, considering my friends and family are keeping a tight leash on me, the earlier I head out the better.”

            “Okay, if you’re sure?”

            Emma glanced around at the dark room. According to Kellam, he’d pulled the shades, making it dark for her. He knew the light would aggravate her headache. She couldn’t really make out much of what was in it, the things that would tell her more about Kellam, something she found herself suddenly wanting to know more about. The boy was confusing. When they’d first met, his father had used him as a puppet to help trap Emma and her friends. She’d hated him for the role he’d played in her becoming who she was today. After today though, she wasn’t so sure she could hate him anymore. He was a victim just like the rest of them.

            “Here,” said Kellam, tossing her phone at her. She pressed the home button on her phone to see what time it was. The screen lit up. There were fifteen missed calls and at least a dozen text messages, most from Chase, some from Noah. Noah. Emma glanced around, suddenly feeling as if Noah were in the room.

            Kellam stood up. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and said, “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your car.”

            Emma was surprised. She figured he would have put up more of a fight. Part of her wished that he had. There were things she wanted to know to, like how she could maybe keep her powers and overcome the awful side effects. She’d thought she’d wanted to be rid of her abilities, but after talking with Kellam, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe it was just the side effects she wanted to be rid of. It didn’t matter. It was only a matter of time before Chase or Noah came looking for her, and Emma really didn’t want that. She didn’t want either of them to know what she’d done today. She didn’t want them to know that she’d used her powers in public or that she’d run into Kellam.

            Emma stood up. She looked wistfully at the cup still clutched in her hand, wishing she could take it with her. That stuff was amazing. Her head didn’t hurt all. She felt like she could go run a marathon. She reluctantly placed it on the table beside the bed and moved towards Kellam.

            “So, what now?” asked Emma. “Do you need to blindfold me, so I can’t find my way back?” she playfully teased.

            “Why would I do that,” asked Kellam, “when that is exactly what I want you to do, find your way back.”

            Emma’s stomach did a little somersault. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. To my family and friends, you are public enemy number one. I don’t think they would like the idea of us talking.”

            “So, don’t tell them,” said Kellam.

Chapter 9, Noah:

I wasn’t thinking. If I had, I would have stayed put, come up with a plan. Sure, I too had been injected with a serum, just like them, but unlike the two of them, my power wasn’t one of strength. All I could do was connect with people, find them even when they didn’t want to be found, well sometimes, anyway. The two of them, they were the real deal. Emma could move things with her mind, hurl pieces of heavy furniture whenever she felt threatened. Kellam could get inside a person’s head, take over their bodies. He could turn my own to hands into a weapon against me. I was no match for either one of them. Still, I wasn’t thinking clearly. Seeing him, the boy who’d helped turn us all into freaks, sitting next to Emma, made my blood boil. He’d hurt us once. I wasn’t going to let him do it again, especially not to Emma.

I moved towards the bed and put myself between the two of them, acting like a human shield. “What the hell do think you are doing?” I spat at Kellam. The boy didn’t look up. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t react at all.

“Here,” said Kellam. He pulled a phone out of his back pocket, Emma’s phone, and tossed it over towards the bed, still ignoring me.

I turned to look at Emma. She was sitting there, staring at her phone. I could see the missed calls and texts on its screen, one from me—Are you okay? Where are you?

I frowned. Something wasn’t right. “Emma, what’s going on? Why are you here, with him?” I asked, hooking my finger over my shoulder. She looked up, and glanced around. It seemed like she’d heard me, but she couldn’t find me. She can’t see me. He can’t see me.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, and watched as Emma put away her phone, got to her feet and followed Kellam out of the room, out of the apartment they’d been in.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Someone was shaking me, calling my name. The room became brighter, shifted. I was no longer in the dark room with Emma and Kellam, I was back at Richard’s house, sitting on Emma’s bed, a plastic ballerina cutting into the palm of my hand.

“Okay, so where to?” asked Chase.

“Nowhere,” I said, leaning back against the bed.

“What do you mean? Don’t we need to go and friend her, right? She could lose it and start making things fly around, hurt someone. Right now, just isn’t the time for any of us to be alone, don’t you agree?”

Alone. Just like always, Raven came to mind. What Chase was saying was true. None of us needed to be alone. We didn’t understand our abilities and we didn’t have complete control over them. It was better if we stayed together. That way we could help one another out, keep each other from revealing ourselves to others and from hurting people by accident. But Raven was just that, all alone, and I didn’t like it. Once Emma came home and I knew she was safe, I was going to try again. I was going to Raven’s house, try and find something, anything, that would help me find Raven. No matter what she thought, being apart wasn’t the best. We needed her. I needed her.

“Well, if you agree, then why aren’t we getting back in the are and heading off to find her?” asked Chase.

“Because, I didn’t see exactly where she was.”

“’What do you mean?” asked Chase. “What did you see?”

“Emma, in a dark room, with Kellam.”

“With who?” shouted Chase. My body felt like it was on fire. I felt like a body with veins of live wires, emerged in a bathtub of water, might feel like. A scream erupted from the back of my throat just before the pain became too much and darkness overtook me.

Chapter 10, Emma:

I pulled into my driveway. It was late, well after school let out, yet way before my dad would be home from the hospital. He’d texted me earlier, letting me know he had a delivery. It would be awhile before we’d see him, especially if another one of his patients went into labor. My dad was an Ob-Gyn.

Noah’s car was in the garage already. I could feel my heartbeat quicken, and not for a good reason this time. Kellam had walked me to my car, and once I was safe inside, he’d left, headed back for PharmTech. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. I should hate him for his part he played in hurting all of us, but after today, I just couldn’t bring myself to feel that way. After talking with him, it seemed as if he was as much a victim as we were—just another guinea pig, exploited by his father.

I’d watched him go, and when he was out of sight, I’d pulled out my phone and checked my messages again. I’d expected there to be dozens of texts and missed calls, but the last one sent was around one o’clock in the afternoon, no new ones. I knew Noah. He was going to let me have it, probably Chase too.

Let’s get this over with, I thought to myself and with a deep breath, I turned the door to the kitchen and went inside. I’d expected the two of them to be downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for me like parents do on sitcoms whenever their teenaged child has missed curfew. No one was there.

“Noah?” I called out, making my way upstairs, panic wrapping its icy fingers around my gut. The hairs on my arm stood on end. Something was wrong.

“We’re in here,” called out Chase from my room. His voice cracked.

I ran to my room and flung the door open. My heart beating wildly with fear. Noah was lying on top of my bed, his eyes closed, sweat beading on his forehead, Chase sitting in a chair, next to the bed, his head in his hands.

“What happened? Noah?” I called out his name, moving closer to the bed and brushing his hair out of his face. It was coated in sweat and stood up on his forehead.

“Me,” wailed Chase. “I’m what happened.”

He didn’t have to say more. I knew exactly what he was talking about. He’d happened here, just like I’d happened to the tree downtown—our powers had gotten out of control. Still, I couldn’t be on his side. When mine had gotten the best of me, I’d almost hurt Kellam, our sworn enemy, Chase had hurt Noah.

“Noah, Noah,” I called out his name, pressing my hands to his face. The pillows lifted off the bed. My brush and comb started to rattle. My iPad lifted off the nightstand. Everything started swirling around Chase. He just sat there, looking forlorn.

I was mad at Chase for hurting Noah. I was mad a myself for not being here, for letting this happen. I was mad that I couldn’t control this force within me. I was losing control.

“Chase,” I yelled, “don’t just sit there. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.”

Chase looked up at me. “I know,” he said, his eyes locked with mine. “I deserve whatever happens.”

Chase eyes glistened with tears. “Ugh,” I screamed, and forced myself to stop thinking about Chase. I redirected my anger towards the wall. Everything crashed against the wall, between my shelf and the door. The impact was so great, it caused my shelf to rattle. The things on top of it, my music box, pictures, books, all clattered to the floor. If I’d had hardwoods instead of carpet, everything would now be broke.

I buried my face in Noah’s chest. I didn’t hold back anymore. The tears were flowing freely now. Chase joined in, the two of us sobbing like children over our comatose friend.

“I’m so sorry,” said Chase. I wasn’t sure if he was apologizing to me or to Noah. He needed to be consoled, but right now, I couldn’t be the one to do it. I was angry, at him, at myself, and if I talked about it, I wasn’t sure I could keep my own powers under control. Right now, nothing was moving about the room, and I wanted to keep it that way.

I sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes. Crying wasn’t fixing anything. “For how long has been like this?” I asked Chase, trying to decide what our next move should be.

“I don’t know,” he said sniffling, “half an hour, forty-five minutes. This all happened right before you walked in. Where were you Emma?” he asked. I could see the anger in his eyes, simmering just under the surface.

“Chase,” I said as calmly as possible. He was just like me. If he didn’t get his emotions under control and fast, Noah might never wake up. I might join him. “You need to calm down. I can fix this, but not with your emotions running wild.”

Chase rubbed his hands over his head. His hair was cut close to the scalp. It was more like fuzz than actual hair. He looked at Noah and then at me and then stood up. “Then, I have to get out of here.”

I knew his leaving would help us, but what about him? What about the people outside this house, his family?

“I’ve got a better idea,” I said moving towards my door and making my way to the bathroom I shared with Noah. I riffled through the medicine cabinet and found my pills. My dad had prescribed me anti-anxiety pills. They kept me sort of numb. I knew it wasn’t the best idea to share my prescription with someone else, but this was an emergency.

“Here,” I said, handing Chase a plastic cup of water and a pill. “Take this. My dad got them for me. They seem to help, make me feel flat, dull my emotions, something you need right now.”

“Bottoms up,” said Chase, taking the offered pills. I knew he wasn’t completely okay with taking medicine, especially not my medicine, but that’s how guilty he felt.

“Pass me phone,” I said, holding out my hand. Chase place my phone in my outstretched palm, and scrolled through my contacts, looking for a number I never thought I would use.

“Who are you texting? You dad? Isn’t he at the hospital all day?” It was true. My dad had deliveries all day, and besides, my dad understood modern medicine. This was not a problem modern medicine could solve.

“Nope,” I said, still typing away, hoping he’d answer, and better still, he’d come to my rescue.

“Who then?” asked Chase. I could see the worry in his eyes. Telling him now would be a bad thing. Chase was barely holding on as it was. If I told him that Kellam was on his way over to our house, who knows what would happen? The whole neighborhood might go comatose.

“Raven?” asked Chase. “Are you calling Raven?” Raven. The books on my shelf started to jostle at the mention of her name. I didn’t have her number. After she gave me the infamous letter, the one in which she broke up with Noah, again, she disappeared. She hasn’t been back to school and no one knows what happened to her. Apart from Noah, apparently Raven didn’t have any friends. Still, as much as she made my blood boil, Chase had a point. Raven, who could communicate telepathically, would be very useful now. And I know someone who just might be able to find her.

My phone pinged.

Kellam: What’s the emergency?

            I wasn’t sure I should tell him. I wasn’t sure I should let this boy know where I lived. But we don’t have any other options, I thought, looking at Noah, passed out in my bed. With a sigh, I texted Kellam back, filling him in on Noah’s situation and what we needed from him, a drink like the one he’d given me today.

            Emma: And if you know where your sister is, bring her too.

            Kellam: OK, I’ll try.

             My stomach took a nose dive, thinking about Raven stepping foot back in this house, but it was silly. If I was willing to let Kellam in, to try and understand him, I should be able to do the same for Raven.

            “She might be on the way,” I said, still staring at my screen.

            “Who?” asked Chase. “Raven? You’ve had her number this whole time?”

            I could here the accusatory tone in his voice.

            “No, I don’t have it. I just ran into someone who might be able to get in touch with her.”

            “Who?” asked Chase, looking skeptical.

            “I can’t tell you…not yet, but trust me, help is on the way.”

            Chase was so worried about Noah, he didn’t press me to tell him more about this mysterious friend who just happened to know how to get in touch with Raven, a girl who’d purposefully gone off the grid. We both sat there, in tense silence, waiting on Kellam to show up and save our friend.

           

           

Chapter 11, Raven:

Raven looked down at her phone, willing it not to ping again. She was in her father’s study, snooping around, and like the idiot that she seemed to have become, she’d forgotten to silence it. Before stepping foot in his office, she’d reached out with her mind to make sure, both Caroline and her father weren’t around, but it was still risky leaving it on like that. Who knew what kind of super powers her father had, or Caroline for that matter. For all Raven knew, the two of them could have injected themselves with all of the serums she’d seen that night—pink, yellow, blue, purples—and then some. She was trying to keep a tight lease on them, but she couldn’t trail the all the time and search for the antidote. This is definitely a two people job, maybe three, thought Raven, once again looking for an excuse to reach out to Noah and his friends.

Raven flicked the button on the side of her phone, silencing it, and then reached out with her mind. When she was sure, the coast was clear, no one was home, she glanced down at the screen.

Kellam: Look, I know I am the last person you want to hear from right now, but your little friends are in trouble. Meet me at your boyfriend’s house, now.

Raven’s heart, flew into her throat, Noah. She didn’t have to think. Raven rushed out of her father’s office, leaving drawers open and papers strewn across the room. She grabbed her keys and made her way to the garage as quickly as possible. In the car, she used her Bluetooth to call a number she never thought she’d ever call again.

“Hello, little sis, I guess I know what buttons to push to get you to act,” answered Kellam.

Sadness washed over Raven. There’d been a time when his voice had been the only one she’d wanted to hear, the only one that could bring her peace. Back when their mother had fallen into a coma and their father had lost it, Kellam had become the only stable person in her life. He’d become her comfort zone, her safe-haven, not anymore.

“Cut the crap, Kellam, is this for real? And if so, how do you know about it? Are you spying on them?”

She’d been keeping tabs on her brother too, but it seemed like helping to run dad’s business had been taking up all his time, or so she’d mistakenly thought.

“We don’t have time for this. I’m heading over to doctor Wayne’s house, and I suggest if you care about any of those kids, you’ll do the same. See you in ten.”

Kellam hung up, denying Raven the chance to ask the millions of questions, floating around inside her head. With her heart beating wildly in her chest, she pulled out of the driveway and drove towards a house whose doorstep she never thought she’d darken again.

There was a tap on the window. Raven had cut the engine outside of Emma’s house five minutes ago, but still hadn’t found the strength she needed to pull the handle and make her way towards the house…towards Noah. She’d left for good reasons, to find a cure. She hadn’t planned on coming back into any of their lives without it, but here she was, about to walk into that house, empty handed.

Raven looked up into her brother’s face. She thought he’d look amused, happy even. This is what they’d wanted, her dad and Kellam, a way to control an army of people with super powers? This little crisis, whatever it was, might be enough leverage for the two of them to convince Emma and Chase, and her, to do their bidding.

Kellam didn’t look happy, he looked grim. Raven took a deep breath and opened the door. “What’s going on, Kellam?”

He flipped his head back, trying to get the longer pieces in the front out of his eyes. It didn’t work. It never did. His hair was a lot like their father’s, too fine to stay in place.

“I’m not sure. Emma sent me a quick text, so I don’t have all the details.”

Why is Emma texting my brother? wondered Raven. She pushed the thought aside, promising herself to revisit it later once she knew that Noah and his friends were safe again.

“But,” continued Kellam, “it looks like something happened to Noah. He’s passed out, and the others can’t seem to wake him.”

Passed out? Comma? Panic set in as thoughts of her mother, lying still in a hospital bed, invaded her mind.

Kellam must have seen the fear and anxiety in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, rubbing her shoulder like he used to. She should have pushed him off. If she wasn’t so overcome with fear she would have. He wasn’t the brother he used to be. “Come on, Raven,” said Kellam in a soothing voice, “he’s not mom. This isn’t the same situation, all right? And besides, I can help.”

“How?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.

“Come on,” he said, “I’ll show you.”

Raven warily followed her brother to the door. She had no choice but to put her faith in him.  

Kellam rang the bell. Raven shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans, trying to hide how sweaty and shaky they were. Emma answered the door with Chase looming over her shoulder.

Raven watched Chase’s expression. It morphed from shock into anger after seeing her brother. The normal reaction she would have expected, but what she didn’t expect was the way Emma reacted to her brother. She looked happy to see him.

“What is he doing here?” asked Chase. Raven could hear the venom in his voice and see the pained look on her brother’s face. Chase was using his power on Kellam, but what Raven couldn’t figure out was why Kellam wasn’t trying to stop him. She reached out with her mind, something she loathed doing. Private telepathic conversations were intimate, something she only wanted to share with Noah.

What’s going on? thought Raven at Kellam. Use your power. Subdue him.

I can’t, thought Noah at Raven. I need them to trust me. He will never let me near your boyfriend if I take over his body.

Emma must have noticed the sweat beading on Kellam’s head. “Chase,” she said, slapping him on his arm, “stop it. We need him. He can help Noah.”

“Him? That was your plan? This is what started it all. Noah mentioned his name, said you were with him, and I lost it, took it all out on Noah. No way and hell is he getting inside. I plan to make damn sure of that.”

Chase focused on Kellam. Raven could see her brother shaking. Any second now he was going to collapse.

Please, Kellam, she thought at him, if you don’t do something, you’re going to pass out. Kellam didn’t answer. Raven was sure that he couldn’t, that things had progressed too far for that, but she was too afraid to check for sure. She’d already experienced the pain Chase could inflict, she was not up for a second go at it.

Emma grabbed ahold of Chase. She clung to his arm and begged him to stop, but he wasn’t paying any attention to her. All of his energy, his anger, his rage, it was all directed at Kellam.

Chase, she called out with her mind. Please, I know what he did. I know what he can do, but I know that Noah is in trouble. I don’t like it any more than you do, but he may be our only hope. Please, let it go.

            Raven, he thought back at her. I-I don’t think I can. I don’t know how it works. I can’t control it…I’ll try. But before he even got a chance to do so, suddenly, Chase turned around and went back inside. His movements were jerky, as though he didn’t have control over his body. He doesn’t, realized Raven, looking over at her brother, a determined look on his face.

            I guess you gave up on the whole ‘needing them to trust you thing,’ huh? Thought Raven at Kellam.

            I didn’t really have a choice. We were starting to make a scene. Thanks, by the way, thought Kellam at Raven.

            For what? she thought back.

            I know you talked to him, got him to take the edge off. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to regain control. I’d let it get to far. Without your help, I would have passed out in a matter of minutes.

            “Chase,” said Emma, her voice laced with worry. She ran to his side. Chase didn’t acknowledge her. He remained facing forward, moving farther into the house.

            “So, where is he, Noah?” asked Kellam, speaking the words Raven wanted to ask but to which Raven felt she had no right.

            Emma turned to look at Raven’s brother. Raven saw furry reflected in Emma’s dark eyes. Raven knew it well. Not too long ago that wrath had been direct towards her.

            “Did you have to do this?” she asked gesturing towards Chase. My brother raised an eyebrow at her.

            “Did you want me to help Noah?” he asked.

            “Of course,” she answered back.

            “Well then, yes, I had to use my powers on him. If I didn’t, I would be passed out cold on your front porch, unable able to help with anything, and I’m guessing, I’d have stayed like that. He,” said Raven’s brother, “he’s what happened to Noah, right?”

            Emma nodded her head and didn’t say another word. Raven and Kellam followed Emma up the stairs. Chase trailed behind them.

            Raven expected them to turn left into Noah’s room, but Emma turned right, into her own, and they, lying on the bed, covers pulled up to his chest, was Noah. Raven clenched her hands into fists. Even though she’d given him up and he was free to do whatever he wanted, she didn’t like seeing him in Emma’s room, in her bed. Deep breaths, she told herself. Stay calm.

            “So, what exactly happened?” asked her brother. Emma chewed on her thumbnail. “I-I don’t know,” she said. “When I came home,” she said, sharing a look with Raven’s brother, “he was like this. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to ask him,” she said, pointing to Chase.

            He’d followed us upstairs, like a doll being dragged around by a child, and now Chase was sitting in Emma’s desk chair, staring at the far wall. Raven was sure her brother had made it so that Chase couldn’t see what was going on—his payback for what had happened out on the porch.

            “Okay, Raven,” said Kellam, “you’re up.”

            “What do you mean?” asked Emma, looking worried.

            “I’m not letting your little friend go free, if that’s what you were hoping for,” said Kellam to Emma. “I tried to play nice and look what happened. I can’t afford to let him out to play right now. We need info and Raven can get it while I keep Chase under control. Raven?” she said turning towards his sister.

            “Be careful,” said Emma with a sneer. There was no point peeking inside Emma’s head. Her body language said it all. Emma hated her.

            With a sigh, Raven reached out to Noah with her mind.

Chapter 12, Noah:

The last thing Noah remembered, was being angry, then in pain, in immense pain. All he’d wanted was for it to stop, and then it had. The darkness had come, taking with it the pain, and he never wanted to leave it. Here, he was safe. Here, he didn’t have to think about Chase, and his dangerous ability, or about Raven, and how she’d left them all, how she’d left him.

“Noah.” Raven called out his name. Her voice was just as he remembered it. If he concentrated hard enough on remembering what she’d looked like, smelled like, tasted like, he could probably conjure her up, and if he could, there was definitely no way he was ever waking up and heading back out there, to the real world.

“Noah, are, are you hurt?” she asked. Noah focused on the voice, trying to remember what she’d looked like the last time he’d seen her, ripped hose worn under a pair of cutoff jean shorts, frayed at the edges and a baggy white t-shirt, her hair in a lose braid, draped over her shoulder. She appeared before him, sitting on the bed, a little fuzzy around the edges, looking like a watercolor of herself, not the real version.

Noah, gripped his head. “Not really,” he said. “I just have a killer headache.”

“Do you remember what happened?” asked Raven.

Of course, he remembered what had happened. Chase had lost control of his power. Noah had felt like live wires had been attached to every nerve ending of his body. He’d been on fire, burning from the inside out. Remembering it made him shake. Some fantasy this is turning out to be, Noah thought to himself, but Raven must have heard him anyway. She chuckled.

Noah, she said, you know you’re not dreaming, right? I’m actually here, sitting on your bed a few feet away from you.

Noah’s heart kicked into overdrive. The thought of her being real, of being so close, did that to him. He reached out his hand and brushed it against what felt like her knee. It didn’t feel as he’d imagined it would. He could feel rough denim beneath his fingertips, not the smooth texture of tights. He heard an audible gasp.

Suddenly, the Raven sitting on his bed, inside his dream, became clearer. She wasn’t dressed the same, she was wearing black, fitted jeans, ripped at the knees, and loose-fitting purple t-shirt that just barely reached her waist. He knew that if she stood up and reached for something overhead, he’d catch a glimpse of bare skin.

Noah chuckled. “Now this dream got good.” He moved closer to her and rested his hand on her leg, letting his fingers brush the exposed skin at her knee. He could feel goosebumps forming under the pads of thumbs. Noah smiled.

“What?” she asked, biting her lip uncertainly.

“I miss you. I miss talking to you, touching you, kissing you,” answered Noah. Raven blushed at the mention of kissing, ratcheting up his desire to do just that—to pull her into his lap and kiss her crazy, but something held him back. Although it was a dream, not real, and he should be able to do whatever he wanted, Raven looked really nervous, not at all like a girl who was ready to spend an afternoon making out.

“What is it?” asked Noah. “What’s wrong?”

Raven threw her head back and laughed. “Uh, everything. You know this isn’t a dream, right? Your basically in a coma, a coma I put you in.”

Noah raised an eyebrow at her. “You, really?”

“Well, not me exactly,” said Raven. “It was Chase and his ability that made you like this, but he wouldn’t have these uncontrolled powers if it wasn’t for me.” She pulled her knees underneath and moved forward on the bed, leaning on her hands. If Noah looked, he could see down the front of her shirt. Suddenly, he didn’t want to.

Raven fixed her dark eyes on him. “I’m going to fix this. I swear to you. I am going to find a cure for all of this, and you guys can go back to the way things were.”

Noah, leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her face. Her breath warmed his fingers. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were. I don’t want to go back to a time when I didn’t know you. Sure, I didn’t ask for this, none of us did, but it’s not all bad.” He rubbed his thumbs back and forth over her cheeks, letting one brush against her lips. “It let’s me do this,” he said, and then leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

Chapter 13, Raven:

When Raven agreed to help Kellam, she had no idea what she was getting into. She hadn’t used this part of her gift in a while. She’d used her abilities to map her father’s and nurse Caroline’s movements in the house, and when their guards were down, she’d sometimes try and probe their thoughts, always searching for the elusive cure, but she had to be careful. The two of them knew what she could do, and they had unpleasant ways of keeping her from using her gifts on them.

This part of her gift, telepathy, she didn’t feel a desire to use. It felt to intimate. It always reminded her of Noah.

She expected to be rusty at it, but it came back to her, just like trying to ride a bike or swim after not having done either in a long time. She sat on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes, trying to block everyone else out and just focus on Noah. If it had been anyone else—Chase, Emma, Kellam—using telepathy in front of an audience wouldn’t have been so awkward, but it was Noah, and they had unresolved issues between them, private issues that Raven didn’t really want to share with anyone else.

Things had gone well in the beginning. It had been just as she’d remembered. Even though Noah, was unconscious, his mind was open to her. Starting a conversation had been easy. Before she knew it, she forgot where she was and just focused on his voice, trying to remember what he looked like before, and then, he moved his hand. It brushed against her knee. It was the slightest touch, barely more than fingers dancing over the top of her jeans, but it sent shivers down her spine, and then, all of a sudden, she could see Noah as if her eyes had been open and she’d been looking directly at him. Only he wasn’t passed out cold, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. He was sitting up, facing her, and he looked just as she’d remembered, unruly wavy hair, crystal blue eyes, and that’s not all, she could feel him. She could feel the calluses on his fingers, the smoothness of his lips. His kiss felt real, not like a dream, but as if the two them were sitting on the bed, alone, lips pressed together.

Raven didn’t fight the kiss. She didn’t think she could have even if she’d wanted to. With her lips pressed against Noah’s, for the first time in months, she felt like she was home, she was where she belonged.

“Okay, Raven.” Raven felt a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from Noah, her eyes flew open. The Noah who’d been sitting on the bed, holding her head in his hands was gone, replaced by an unconscious boy, hair plastered to his head with sweat.

“Raven,” said Kellam, “I need you to go back in. Tell Noah to drink the tea, that it’s okay.”

Raven glanced over at Noah. Emma was now standing beside him, a mug in one hand. She was using the other to smooth the hair from Noah’s forehead.

Emma looked at Raven. “Well,” she asked, “what are you waiting for? Every minute we waste just brings us that closer to needing to call my dad, and I’m not convinced even he can help us out here.”

Raven glanced around. Her brother was sweating. Chase was sitting on a chair in the corner, looking furious.

“Please, Raven,” whispered Kellam so only she could hear, “I’m not sure for how much longer I can hold him off. I don’t know what kind of serum dad gave to these guys, but it must be an extra suped up version. They’re wicked strong. If you don’t hurry, he’s going to break through my hold, and then who knows what will happen.”

Raven didn’t want to go back in. It would be a mere shadow of what she’d just experienced, and she definitely didn’t want to share an intimate moment with Noah while Emma had her hands all over him, but she didn’t have a choice. She didn’t know what Chase would do next. If she didn’t go in now and get Noah to drink the tea, get him to wake up, things were going to get ugly.

She closed her eyes and reached out to Noah again. Noah¸ she thought at him.

Thank God, he thought back. His fear was palpable. I didn’t know what happened to you. I-I thought I’d dreamed you.  

You sort of did, she said, trying, and failing, to keep the sadness out of her voice. But, it doesn’t have to be a dream. I’m here, in your house, all you need to do is wake up. Emma is sitting right beside you, ready to help you do just that. All you need to do is open your mouth and drink. She’s got something that will make you better.

Okay, thought Noah at Raven. I’ll try.

Raven smiled at him and then reluctantly pulled herself out of Noah’s mind.

“So, what’s the verdict,” Emma asked Raven. She was sitting on the bed, her bed, with one arm wrapped around Noah.

“Two thumbs up,” said Raven, trying to sound flippant. She didn’t want anyone in the room to know how affected she was, especially not Emma. “He’s good to go.”

Kellam came and stood by Emma. He placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered quietly in her ear. Raven found it odd that Emma, the girl who hated her, seemed chummy with Kellam, the boy who’d helped make their injection a reality. She was too worried to think about it now, so she filed it away in the recesses of her mind, promising herself to have a long chat with Kellam when they left.

Emma took a deep breath and tipped the drink towards Noah’s mouth. At first it didn’t look like he was going to drink it, but then, just as he’s promised, Noah’s mouth opened slightly, and his throat bobbed, as Emma poured the liquid between his lips.

Raven sat there, holding her breath, waiting for Noah to open his eyes. She hoped that he was as happy to see her in real life as he’d been in his dreams.

Chapter 14, Emma:

My hands shook. A little of the liquid inside the cup spilled over onto my fingers, making them sticky and warm.

Kellam, sensing my unease, moved toward the bed. He put his hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

“It’s going to be okay. Just tilt in gently towards his lips. Press the cup right up against them. He’ll open them and drink. He told Raven he would.”

His presence, he words, they reassured me right up until he mentioned her name. My hand tightened around the mug.

Just breathe, I told myself, trying to relax. This isn’t about you, it’s about Noah.

Feeling calmer, pretending that Raven wasn’t in the room, mere inches from Noah, I did what Kellam said. I pressed the cup to Noah’s mouth. Liquid dribbled down his chin, staining my sheets. Panic started to set in. Noah had been unconscious for a while, which wasn’t good. If this didn’t work, if Kellam’s tonic didn’t fix him, we were going to have to call my dad, something none of us wanted to do.

Please Noah, drink the liquid, for me, I thought at him, for once wishing I had Raven’s telepathy, but I didn’t. He couldn’t hear my thoughts.

Still, I wasn’t ready to give up. “Come on, Noah,” I said out loud, tilting the cup back again. This time he opened his mouth and started to swallow. I sat there, patiently holding the cup and letting a little dribble into his mouth every few seconds. It seemed to take forever, but eventually he’d drained the cup.

“Now what?” I asked, turning towards Kellam. He was no longer wearing the suit from earlier. He’d changed into a t-shirt and pair of sweats, tapered at the bottom. Out of the suit, he looked more his age, a nineteen-year old boy home from college, not a young businessman, heading up his dad’s company temporarily.

“Just give it a few. It will work. I promise,” said Kellam.

Kellam was the boy who’d used his powers on us, held us against our wills while his dad, and nurse, injected us with experimental serums. He should have been at the top of my people-not-to-trust list, but he wasn’t. Maybe because I’d seen firsthand what his tonics could do, I trusted him. I knew any minute now, Noah was going to wake up. There was no need for me to worry.

His eyes fluttered and then opened.

“Noah, thank God,” I said, throwing my arms around him and burying my face in his chest. I could smell the lavender fabric softener from my sheets and underneath it, a musky scent—Noah.

His arms encircled me, and Noah patted my back. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

I pulled back to look at him, to see for myself that he was telling the truth, that he really was okay. My pulling away allowed him to see Kellam standing off to the side.

“What’s he doing here?” asked Noah with a scowl.

My face felt warm. Chase’s power had put Noah in a comma, but the situation was my fault. Noah had used his ability and seem me earlier with Kellam. That’s what had set Chase off. I was the reason why Noah got hurt.

“He’s—,” I’d started to say, but Raven cut me off.

“He’s here to help,” said Raven.

I watched as Noah’s gaze settle on her. Seeing her, erased all tension and anger from his face. I fisted my hands in the sheets.

It doesn’t matter, I told myself. All that matters is that he’s okay.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. Kellam was leaning over me. He leaned his head close to mine, and in barely more than a whisper, said, “Come with me. I want to release Chase, but I don’t want to do it in here.” He glanced at Noah and Raven.

I didn’t really want to leave the two of them alone together. The thought of it made me want to rip apart the sheets held between my fingers, but Noah didn’t need this right now. He’d just been through and ordeal. He needed all of us to be on our best behavior, and whether I liked it or not, he probably needed Raven. He hasn’t been the same since she left.

It was hard, but I forced myself to stand and follow Kellam, and a controlled Chase, out of the room. Kellam stopped about halfway down the hallway and gestured for me to walk in front of him, and when I gave him a strange look, said, “It’s your house. You decide where we can go.” Ordinarily, I would have led them both to my room, but that’s where Raven and Noah were. Ugh, I thought, as if it’s not bad enough that they’re together, doing God only knows what, but in my room. So, I took them back downstairs, and into the kitchen. I was hungry, and besides, if things went badly, there were lots of sharp utensils I could make fly through the air. It seemed like a smart choice.

“Okay,” said Kellam, “I’m getting pretty drained over here, so I’m going to let your friend go, but you need to be ready to take him out if he attacks me.”

I hoisted myself up onto the counter and grabbed an apple. “And if I don’t want to?” I asked with a smirk.

Kellam shrugged, “I guess I’ll be your house guest for a while. Just make sure you change the sheets. I definitely don’t want to share the same ones as that guy.” He pointed to towards the ceiling and the upstairs where Noah still lay in my bed…with Raven. I was definitely changing the sheets.

Chase was sitting at the kitchen table, across from Kellam. He was silent, and I wasn’t sure if that was because he was too angry to speak, or if Kellam took control over his mouth. I suspected a little bit of both. I knew Chase was pretty torn up about what had happened to Noah.

I hopped off the counter and went and sat next to my friend. I took his limp hand in mine, wondering if he could feel my touch. “It’s okay,” I said, “Noah’s okay. Kellam is going to release his hold, but you have to promise to keep yourself under control. I’m pretty sure Noah drank all of the tonic. If you attack someone else, we’re all screwed, okay?”

I studied his face, trying to see if he’d understood me. He started back at me, hate reflecting in his eyes. Sweat beaded down Kellam’s face. I knew he couldn’t last much longer. I wasn’t sure what Chase would do. I wasn’t sure if either one of us was safe, but we didn’t have another option at this point. “Go ahead,” I said to Kellam, “let him go.”