Kings and Queens of Promise

I took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh mountain air. It was so peaceful up here, away from the mansion and its occupants' annoying thoughts. I leaned back against a tree, absently tapping my notebook with my pen. This lake was the best place for writing that I'd ever found. It was beautiful and undisturbed.

Suddenly, there was a change. I got a bad feeling in the back of my mind and, try as I may, it wouldn't go away. I stood up, angry for being disturbed, and walked back toward the cabin. I wanted to stroll leisurely, but the negative feeling was urging my feet to move faster. I made it back fairly quickly and found my cellphone. I called Syn, but he didn't answer. Zacky: no answer. Jack: no answer. Pierre...

"Jared? I thought you were enjoying your getaway."

"I was, until I got this feeling. Is something going on?"

"No, of course not." Yes.

"You know you can't lie to me, Pierre."

"Dammit. Even over the phone." My eyes widened as the story came out. She knew about our powers, and she was angry at everyone.

"Pierre, you moron!" I shouted angrily. "What is wrong with you?"

"I didn't know, man! I thought-"

"Well, you thought wrong, didn't you?" I demanded before angrily hanging up. I threw my phone across the room, smashing it into several pieces. How could Pierre be so stupid?! How could he manipulate Emerson like that?!

Like you would if you could? whispered the voice in my head.

"Shut up," I said out loud. "It's not intentional!" With a frustrated sigh, I sat down on the couch, running a hand through my hair. From what I could see, there was only one thing to do, and that was return home. Who else would be able to help her? Pierre had confessed everything to her, and that was bad. Her being so new meant that she'd probably run away.

Hoping I wouldn't be too late, I grabbed my jacket and set off for home.

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When I arrived at the mansion that evening, everything was alarmingly quiet. As I walked into the foyer, I saw Syn and Zacky in the study, whispering urgently to one another.

What if she contacts the authorities? We would all be put into the freak house. I shouldn't have let her out of my sight last night.

I don't want to give up my life here. What about the guys? What about Frank?

I gathered that Emerson wasn't here, so I hurried back out, knowing where she had probably gone. My hands gripped the steering wheel of my car tightly as I pulled in to Alex's house. This was it, no going back.

I got out of the car and approached the house, not bothering to knock before entering. Jack and Alex were sitting on the couch in complete silence.

"Is she okay?" I asked. They looked up quickly, shocked.

"Jared, what are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"I know the whole story, what Pierre did to Emerson. Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Just in shock and hating herself, I think," Alex sighed. "She already had so much to deal with, she didn't need this.

"Why don't you guys tell me exactly what happened today?" I asked. "It would be nice for someone to actually tell me instead of-"

"Yeah," Jack cut me off. "Well, Zacky's birthday party was last night, as you know. Emerson was with Syn, but then Pierre got him to let her go for awhile...I saw them heading for Pierre's room and I told Alex."

"But he didn't tell me until it was too late. I was so drunk, I couldn't...I didn't even bother to see what was going on..." Alex said, guilt all over his face. "But, he told me again the next morning and I went up there with him."

"She wasn't in his room. She was in yours, crying. Syn was in her room with a girl, so that's why she didn't go. I guess about then was when you got a bad feeling or something?"

"Yeah, I did. I called Pierre and got the whole story from him."

"She wouldn't stop crying, so I got Jack to pack up her stuff and I brought her here. Once we were here, she told me her story and I couldn't believe it. Pierre manipulated her, Jared!"

"I know. He's so used to getting his way."

"We should have known. I should have known when he kissed her."

"He kissed her?" Jack asked. "You mean, they've been messing around?"

"She says they made out a couple times, but that he said he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to."

"That lying asshole," I growled.

"And, once she told me about sleeping with him-" Jack cringed, but Alex continued- "she told me that Pierre had spilled our big secret. He felt guilty."

"I could tell," I nodded. "So, she knows? About all of us?"

"Yup," Jack sighed.

"Now she's up in the spare room, and she won't come out."

"But why did you come back?" Jack asked me. "I thought you were in the mountains all month?"

"I was, but I had to come back. I was worried about her," I confessed.

"You barely know her," Alex said suspiciously.

"I know...I don't understand it either," I said. "Don't worry, Alex. I just want her to be okay. I'm not trying to use her or manipulate her, I promise. May I see her?"

"No one can. She won't let any of us in," Jack groaned.

"Couldn't you wait until she came out to, I dunno, use the bathroom or something, and then sneak in?"

"We were stupid enough to put her in the guest room with an attached bathroom," Alex sighed. I shook my head, beginning to pace. What were we going to do? As mad as I was at everyone, Syn hade been right when he'd thought about her possibly telling our secret: we would be considered freaks by everyone.

"I can find out what's going through her head," I said slowly. "So that we could understand why she won't come out of her room and what it would take to make her feel better. That's...that's not manipulating, is it?"

"Well, it is for a good cause, right Alex?" Alex looked reluctant, but gave in with a sigh.

"We need to talk to her about this." I stood up and slowly ascended the stairs. Before I did this, I would try to simply talk her out.

"Emerson?" I called softly as I knocked on her door. I focused all my attention on the doorknob, so that I wouldn't accidentally invade her thoughts.

"Jared?" her meek reply came. I leaned against the door, pressing my ear against it so I could hear better.

"Come out of there," I called. "Please."

"No, I'm never coming out."

"Em," I sighed. "If you won't come out, let me in." I forgot myself for a moment and allowed myself to listen to her internal battle.

"Are you...are you going to read my mind?" I bit my lip: he'd told her my secret as well.

"Not if I can help it," I promised.

"Promise?" came her voice from directly on the other side.

"I promise to try." Slowly the door opened a crack and she peered out.

"Jack isn't behind you, is he?" Behind me, Jack stepped into her view, so she could see him. Without taking her eyes from him, she opened the door and allowed me in, quickly shutting the door. I chanced a look at her and saw that she looked terrible. Her face was red from crying and she had dark circles under her chocolate brown eyes, but...she was still beautiful. As I thought this, I looked away from her and barred my mind against hers, so I wouldn't unintentionally read her thoughts.

"May I break this awkward silence with an apology?" I proposed.

"An apology for what?" she asked.

"For being vague and frustrating when we first met, and for leaving you when you needed me last time we saw each other. I am sorry I couldn't be the person I should have been." I looked into her eyes as I apologized, but immediately looked away when I was done speaking.

"Apology accepted," she said quietly. Another glance at her told me that she was embarrassed to be talking to me. I longed to know why.

"Why are you embarrassed to be around me?" I asked. "If I cannot read your mind, you have to tell me." She hesitated before looking up at me. I looked at the floor.

"I feel so dirty."

"Because of what Pierre did?"

"Not just that," she sighed. "Because...because I've been acting this way."

"What way?"

"Drinking and partying...it's the way Alex said I behaved before my accident...please don't ask me," she said as I opened my mouth. "I'm not ready to talk about that. But, I vowed to be a better person from then on, and I have been. I thought I was going to give my virginity to someone special, you know? Until I came here. And now I've let this happen..."

"You didn't let this happen," I said sharply. "Pierre did this. Pierre twisted your emotions around and forced you to feel like you had to sleep with him."

"I know, but...maybe if I hadn't been drinking, I could have fought harder."

"Emerson Gaskarth, don't you think that," I said, grabbing her shoulders. Against better judgment, I gazed into her beautiful eyes. "I have seen your mind, and you are a pure soul. You would do anything to make others happy, and you are just a good person. Everyone drinks every now and then, that does not make you a drunk. And no matter how sober you were, Pierre can control your emotions. He's been able to since he was a teenager: he's had a lot of practice."

Emerson looked away from me, at the floor. I slowly relaxed my grip on her shoulders, my hand moving to her chin and making her look at me. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes." Even without reading her mind, I knew she was lying. I let her get away with it.

"Now, why are you not freaking out about finding out our secrets?" I asked. "You should be." A ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

"I guess I've always had a thing for fantasy." I chuckled, letting go of her chin.

"Are you going to contact the press? Tell everyone that you found five guys missing from the newest X-men movie?"

"No," she said slowly. "But...I want to know one thing."

She looked up at me again, but this time, a new emotion replaced the hurt and shock that had been on her face: determination.

"How can I become like you?"