Hey everyone, this is my first Darkest Powers story so be nice!
I have more written but I wanna know what kind of response I'll get first =] Hope you guys like this first chapter, and just to let you know things will be getting a little, lets say, steamy.
Just so there is no confusion, though I really can't imagine someone thinking I actually wrote Darkest Powers, I am in no way affiliated or lay claim to any of the ideas or themes presented by Kelley Armstrong or her associates.
Pulling myself together I looked in the hazy mirror trying to recognize the girl looking back at me. She looked different from usual I thought. Or at least I expected her to look different. My weeks on the run with the other supernatural subjects from Lyell House were finally over. For now at least. We may not have defeated the Edison Group, but the blows we had dealt them would leave them scrambling for hopefully long enough for us to get reasonably comfortable in whatever town we were in.
Sighing I peered into the still fogged mirror wiping away the thick condensation, the result of my longoverdue scrub. Over all I wasn't all that different I decided; the darkish hair, and somewhat tanned skin were new, but the blue eyes, short stature and ability to raise the unwilling dead was still the same. I groaned softly and turned away from the bathroom mirror as Tori hammered on the door.
"Chloe! Hurry up girl! You don't even wear makeup, what could be taking so long!" Her muffled shout echoed through the small bathroom. "Also, Derek's looking for you." She added, almost like a second thought. Which it probably was; all things concerning Derek were an afterthought to Tori.
I'd be lying if my heart didn't skip a beat when she said he was looking for me. It was stupid and juvenile but quite frankly being able to relate to something that wasn't starting to resemble a bad sci-fi movie was a relief. I finished in record time before hurtling out of the bathroom, nearly bowling down Tori in the process. I smacked right into her, rebounding across the small hallway and making a dash for my room. Well, Tori's and mine since we were still sharing even after all this time.
I almost made it too but unfortunately for me I ran straight into what seemed to be a solid wall. My cheeks burned and I looked away, clutching the towel around me like a straight jacket. Peeking up I saw that Derek was looking determinedly over my head, one hand awkwardly scratching the back of his neck which was slowly turning pink. Making sure I was securely covered I reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from his rapidly reddening skin.
"Thanks," He mumbled still looking anywhere but at me. "So I uh..." He glanced down at me quickly and just as rapidly returned his view to somewhere approximately four feet to my left. I glanced in that direction but saw nothing. Stepping around Dereks' hulking six foot frame I tried to manoeuvre my way between him and my room where my clothes and a blessed hair brush were waiting. "I uh... wanted to ask you something." He mumbled again, "Just if you maybe wanted to go out... sometime. Or not, I mean whatever you want is cool. I'll be down stairs. Waiting. You can, um go get dressed then..." I stared as he turned and practically sprinted across the hall to the descending stairs. It was only when Tori's hysterical laugh echoed down the hall that I remembered I was standing practically naked in a very communal hallway. Scurrying to my room I tried to calm my rapidly reddening cheeks but was, alas, unsuccessful.
Once my hair was untangled, which took a surprisingly short time, I headed downstairs and found Mr. Bae and Aunt Lauren arguing over something in the kitchen. They stopped when I walked in, turning to look at me, both sets of eyebrows raised.
"What?" I asked, searching the newly filled pantry for a snack and emerging with a granola bar.
"Nothing. Nothing." She added with finality, glancing at Mr. Bae. "Are you really hungry? I could make you something if you are..." Answered Aunt Lauren.
She was still trying to prove, after everything, that she was on my side. We had had a fight the previous week about the fact that Derek and I were still seeing each other, regardless of the fact she didn't necessarily like it. We were "living" together in the big farm house we had bought in upstate New York and Aunt Lauren was worried about what the neighbours would think if they saw us together. Supposedly they would assume that we were step-siblings since we were all living together, and we wouldn't do anything to correct them in that assumption. I neglected to point out that the nearest neighbours were over half a mile down the road, allowing her to think that she was making a valid point. It wasn't even like we would have to pretend to be siblings at school since we were being homeschooled. Though Aunt Lauren was supposed to be our "teacher" it was more like Derek would teach us and she would just check our work later. Both she and Mr. Bae had managed to find menial jobs in the nearest town, Aunt Laruen as a part-time hairdresser and Mr. Bae as a mechanic at a small automotive repair shop. I was initially surprised by Aunt Laurens' choice of professions considering she was a licensed doctor and all, but her logic was that women gossiped while getting their hair done and it would be a good way to stay ahead of the unpublished news. I wasn't sure how well she would do but I couldn't argue with the fact that she was probably right.
"No I'm fine, just need something to munch on I guess..." I left out the bit where I was stalling but could tell from the ever rising brows that they might have realized my omission. Sighing I moved on so they could continue arguing about... whatever they were arguing about this time.
Stepping from the kitchen I walked, again, smack in to Derek where he was standing just out of sight of the door. I let loose a small shriek before he managed to clap a hand over my mouth stifling it. Listening hard, we heard a pause in conversation but they soon continued; voices rising shrilly as both tried in vain to get their point across. Gently tugging on my arm, Derek led me into the living room where he immediately collapsed on the nearest sofa, leaving me standing awkwardly somewhere between him, the open side of the couch and the door. I grimaced and glanced around, noticing the television was still on from before dinner. With my usual grace I tripped over to the couch and sat a respectable distance beside Derek. Hooking a long arm around my shoulders he effortlessly pulled me towards himself where I settled myself against his shoulder, listening to his heart beat.
"What are they arguing about this time?" I asked after a short time.
"Whether or not to put us in school I think. Something about making us seem more... normal I guess." He paused, "Your aunt is all for it. She just said that we deserved a semblance of normalcy. Dad not so much. He thinks that it would draw even more attention to us. If we are going to go to school he wants us at different schools, but he knows we won't like it. Lauren doesn't like it either.
"I don't see an end to it any time soon." He added, looking down at me and smiling. I knew what he was thinking. They would never come to a conclusion about the school issue. Just like they had never come to a decision about how they felt about Derek and me. Well Aunt Lauren had, mostly, but Mr. Bae was still undecided and they had yet to present us with a unified front; which essentially was an "all clear" for us at this point.
"So what was this about going out?" I questioned. I was confused, we had "gone out" before, like for ice cream and stuff like that; gone to the movies with the others, sitting next to each other holding hands etcetera.
Looking up I noticed his cheeks had reddened slightly, lightly nudged him until he looked up I caught his eye and smiled. This seemed to put him at ease and I noticed his heart beat begin to slow slightly.
"Well I was thinking... I know that we've done stuff together. With the others. But I... wanted to take you out. Just you and have it be just us for once. Like dinner or something" He huffed like he wasn't making any sense and I stared at him. Was he really asking me on a date? An honest to goodness; legitimate; no holds barred; no parents or parental figures present, date?
"What?" He asked, "You think it's a terrible idea. I knew it. Just never mind, forget I ever said anything." Starting to stand I grabbed the back of his baggy sweatshirt and pulled him back down on the couch.
"No Derek, I don't think it's stupid. I think it sounds wonderful" I told him seriously, looking him dead in the eye as I said it. Seeing the pink recede from his cheeks I was happy to see that sparkle take over his green eyes as he pulled me in for a hug.
"Great! You just see, I've got it all planned out." He was grinning now and seeing how happy he was I started to grin too. I felt like there was a flock of butterflies in my chest, making my heart stutter and my stomach roll. In a good way.