Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
12
Now what, she wondered. She couldn’t just go marching down the street. If they saw her, all of this would be for nothing. Rowan crept around the building, cursing herself for every noise she made. When she got to the corner of the building, she was about to step around when she was hit with someone’s emotions- fear, nervousness, worry.
Rowan froze. This wasn’t good. She couldn’t fight anyone on a good day, let alone when she couldn’t see or bring her hands forward.
But then she realized that she recognized the tang of the emotions. Delaney? What was she doing here?
Rowan hadn’t known her for long, so she didn’t know for sure that this was Delaney, but she was sure enough that she risked taking that step into the open, where whoever was there could see her.
“Rowan! Rowan, oh, I’m so relieved!” Delaney exclaimed in a hushed whisper, hurdling herself at Rowan and hugging her tightly. She stepped away awkwardly and examined her. Lane silently removed the blindfold and saw that Rowan’s eyes were dark, dark red, like dried blood- a color that, Lane knew, represented courage.
Goodness knew Rowan had handled this well. Lane didn’t comment, knowing that she’d never be able to explain to Rowan why she wasn’t freaked out by her eyes, instead stepping behind her to untie the rope that bound her hands.
Rowan cautiously brought her hands forward and groaned. Her shoulders fiercely pulled at her. She could feel every muscle in them, and they were burning. “Thanks,” she whispered. “Why are you here? How did you find me?”
Lane looked away, not knowing how to answer. “I… It will all be explained, but not by me. I’m not allowed. But I can tell you that I came here with Evan and Luke, who… Oh, no! They’re in there trying to rescue you right now, and you’re not there anymore! How do we get them out?”
Rowan shook her head, trying to come up with a solution, but she didn’t get much time to. Shouts of “She’s gone!” and “Find her!” were ringing out. Delaney grabbed her arm and tugged Rowan behind her. Rowan winced as her arm tugged at her poor injured shoulder, and followed the pull without question. A moment later, there was a troop of big, brawny men in front of them.
“We’ve got her!” one, obviously the leader, shouted.
“Hold on to me, and hold on tight,” Lane whispered to Rowan. Rowan wrapped her arms around Delaney’s middle, not fully understanding the reason, but going along with it because she had no plan of her own, and Delaney seemed to know what she was doing.
All of a sudden, several small tornados were whirling towards them men, who stepped back. Lightning shot out relentlessly.
“I’m not going to fry them if I can help it. Even if they did kidnap you, I don’t want that on my conscience,” Lane said to Rowan over the winds.
Luckily, the brutes were joined by an army of Evans, and a fight broke out. Rowan did her best to follow the action, but her head was reeling. What was going on? Why were these people, her friends, doing these things?
Luke came around the corner at a sprint, his eyes wild. His gaze found Lane and Rowan where they were backed up against the wall, and he grinned in relief before turning to the nearest brute and beating him up.
It didn’t take too long for the entire group to be taken down, and Luke tugged Rowan away from where she clung to Lane and held her to him. Rowan could feel his heart beating against her cheek. His embrace was warm and comforting. Safe.
All too soon, he pulled away and, holding her hand so that she would follow, started running toward the street. Once they hit the pavement, he turned to Delaney. “Make a wall, would you?”
Rowan didn’t understand what he was asking for, but Lane nodded and when Rowan looked back toward the building, she saw that there was the heaviest rain she’d ever seen blocking it, with lightning flying every which way. It was controlled, and there was a clean line where the storm suddenly stopped.
As if this day couldn’t get any stranger.
They ran up to a van that looked exactly like the one she’d ridden in a couple of weeks ago when Evan and Luke picked her up from the orphanage. They all climbed in and Luke, who was in the driver’s seat, did a u-turn and sped toward the school.
“Well, that was definitely more interesting than physics,” Lane joked weakly. Evan burst out laughing, and Lane and Rowan followed suit. Luke’s face remained stony and expressionless. He was blaming himself for this. He had, after all, left her alone in that recording studio.
If he was fired and banished from their society, it was the least he deserved. He glanced at Rowan, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She looked relived, but under that, he could see nerves. They would all have a lot of explaining to do.
Rowan glanced into the back seat and saw that there was someone there who she hadn’t met yet, a blonde boy. He saw her looking and smiled faintly. “I’m Braden Garlow.”
“Nice meeting you,” Rowan muttered and turned around to face forward. Her head was spinning with questions, and she didn’t think she was in the best condition to be meeting anyone new. Goodness knew those three words had been difficult enough to string together.
Rowan froze. This wasn’t good. She couldn’t fight anyone on a good day, let alone when she couldn’t see or bring her hands forward.
But then she realized that she recognized the tang of the emotions. Delaney? What was she doing here?
Rowan hadn’t known her for long, so she didn’t know for sure that this was Delaney, but she was sure enough that she risked taking that step into the open, where whoever was there could see her.
“Rowan! Rowan, oh, I’m so relieved!” Delaney exclaimed in a hushed whisper, hurdling herself at Rowan and hugging her tightly. She stepped away awkwardly and examined her. Lane silently removed the blindfold and saw that Rowan’s eyes were dark, dark red, like dried blood- a color that, Lane knew, represented courage.
Goodness knew Rowan had handled this well. Lane didn’t comment, knowing that she’d never be able to explain to Rowan why she wasn’t freaked out by her eyes, instead stepping behind her to untie the rope that bound her hands.
Rowan cautiously brought her hands forward and groaned. Her shoulders fiercely pulled at her. She could feel every muscle in them, and they were burning. “Thanks,” she whispered. “Why are you here? How did you find me?”
Lane looked away, not knowing how to answer. “I… It will all be explained, but not by me. I’m not allowed. But I can tell you that I came here with Evan and Luke, who… Oh, no! They’re in there trying to rescue you right now, and you’re not there anymore! How do we get them out?”
Rowan shook her head, trying to come up with a solution, but she didn’t get much time to. Shouts of “She’s gone!” and “Find her!” were ringing out. Delaney grabbed her arm and tugged Rowan behind her. Rowan winced as her arm tugged at her poor injured shoulder, and followed the pull without question. A moment later, there was a troop of big, brawny men in front of them.
“We’ve got her!” one, obviously the leader, shouted.
“Hold on to me, and hold on tight,” Lane whispered to Rowan. Rowan wrapped her arms around Delaney’s middle, not fully understanding the reason, but going along with it because she had no plan of her own, and Delaney seemed to know what she was doing.
All of a sudden, several small tornados were whirling towards them men, who stepped back. Lightning shot out relentlessly.
“I’m not going to fry them if I can help it. Even if they did kidnap you, I don’t want that on my conscience,” Lane said to Rowan over the winds.
Luckily, the brutes were joined by an army of Evans, and a fight broke out. Rowan did her best to follow the action, but her head was reeling. What was going on? Why were these people, her friends, doing these things?
Luke came around the corner at a sprint, his eyes wild. His gaze found Lane and Rowan where they were backed up against the wall, and he grinned in relief before turning to the nearest brute and beating him up.
It didn’t take too long for the entire group to be taken down, and Luke tugged Rowan away from where she clung to Lane and held her to him. Rowan could feel his heart beating against her cheek. His embrace was warm and comforting. Safe.
All too soon, he pulled away and, holding her hand so that she would follow, started running toward the street. Once they hit the pavement, he turned to Delaney. “Make a wall, would you?”
Rowan didn’t understand what he was asking for, but Lane nodded and when Rowan looked back toward the building, she saw that there was the heaviest rain she’d ever seen blocking it, with lightning flying every which way. It was controlled, and there was a clean line where the storm suddenly stopped.
As if this day couldn’t get any stranger.
They ran up to a van that looked exactly like the one she’d ridden in a couple of weeks ago when Evan and Luke picked her up from the orphanage. They all climbed in and Luke, who was in the driver’s seat, did a u-turn and sped toward the school.
“Well, that was definitely more interesting than physics,” Lane joked weakly. Evan burst out laughing, and Lane and Rowan followed suit. Luke’s face remained stony and expressionless. He was blaming himself for this. He had, after all, left her alone in that recording studio.
If he was fired and banished from their society, it was the least he deserved. He glanced at Rowan, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She looked relived, but under that, he could see nerves. They would all have a lot of explaining to do.
Rowan glanced into the back seat and saw that there was someone there who she hadn’t met yet, a blonde boy. He saw her looking and smiled faintly. “I’m Braden Garlow.”
“Nice meeting you,” Rowan muttered and turned around to face forward. Her head was spinning with questions, and she didn’t think she was in the best condition to be meeting anyone new. Goodness knew those three words had been difficult enough to string together.