The Covenant 2: Retribution
1.
Caleb was right, Reid thought bitterly.
His blonde hair was soaked and his breathing was labored. He couldn't remember any other time when 'using' had been so painful. His skin burned so badly that he swore he was on fire. Using his powers wasn't supposed to kill him. Although Caleb frequently warned him that 'using' was going to make him, eventually, turn into the same sorry, lifeless state that overtook Mr. Danvers, he refused to believe that his kind of using was fatal.
Caleb knows when I've been using, Reid thought nervously.
The summer was around the corner. Caleb had plans to follow in his father's footsteps and attend Harvard—while Sarah opted to stay in Massachusetts. Reid wasn't very thrilled with that idea. He knew that Sarah's ultimate decision to stay behind was because of Caleb. He wanted her to watch over him, Pogue, and Tyler.
Everything, regarding ulterior motives, always came back to Ipswich and The Covenant. Caleb had become obsessed after Chase disappeared. Everyone thought that Chase was dead, but Caleb refused to believe it. He became obsessed with proving that Chase was alive, and the truth was that everyone was growing rather sick of Caleb's ridiculous theories about how Chase was saved by the spirit of Goody Pope or that Ipswich was cursed and any one of the direct descendants were unable to die.
Caleb and I will use our powers against one another, Reid thought cautiously.
Reid realized that no good was going to come out of it. He showered, got dressed, and headed to Nicky's. One of his friends was bound to be there.
- - -
"I think Caleb's finally cracked," Tyler said suddenly. He placed two quarters into the pool table. Reid sidestepped him and started to rack up the balls, pretending that he hadn't heard Tyler. "Reid? What do you think?"
Reid picked up the chalk cubed, and chalked up the end of his stick. He placed the pool stick against the table as he dug into his pockets. Throwing random change onto the table, he turned to Tyler and smiled, "Where's Pogue?"
Tyler blinked, looking at Reid as if he had grown two heads. But he quickly replaced his look of bewilderment with a look of pure amusement. The last time they had played this game—of guessing girls undergarments at Nicky's—was longer than Reid could recall. After Chase, the four of them didn't really have that much fun.
Pogue told Kate about them. Of course Sarah knew. And Pogue and Caleb were too busy with their girls. So, for the most part, it was just Tyler and Reid. Reid got along fine with Tyler, but Tyler was a big softie. He was nice, polite, and generally a pleasant person to be around. But Reid wasn't. He knew it and was rather proud of it. Being an asshole gave him edge and edge got him girls—falling at his feet. And girls, well, they got Reid sex. It was his very own vicious cycle, but a good vicious cycle.
"Pogue's with Kate. They went out on a date. Somewhere fancy," Tyler said. "Ever since Chase, they've been different. But who cares?" Tyler smiled genuinely. "It's Pogue's own loss."
Reid frowned. He ran a hair through his blond hair, tiredly. "That takes all the fun out of betting if Pogue isn't here."
Tyler shrugged helplessly. He grabbed a pool stick from the rack and chalked the ending. "Well, I'm sure she's not going anywhere. We could wait for Pogue or we could do it without him." Tyler leaned over the edge of the table, lining his stick up with the cue ball. He took his shot, giving just enough force to knock three of the striped balls into various pockets. "I'm high," Tyler proclaimed smugly.
Reid sighed, stealing a quick look at the busty blonde, leaning over the table. She had long, fake tanned legs that looked incredibly smooth. He licked his lips and let a sadistic smile form. "You know what," Reid started, "forget Pogue. Let's do this."
He slammed twenty bucks onto the table. Tyler, after a missed shot, laid the stick against the table and threw a wrinkled twenty on top of Reid's. "I say she's wearing a white lace bra."
Reid placed a hand on the table, studying the blonde carefully. She was flirting with the bartender—a new guy, of course, that was hardly twenty one. He was really lapping up her attention, too. Reid noticed just how much she was trying to sell herself to this guy. Hell, he believed in sex and one-night stands, but the girl had no taste. She was somewhat tacky, and not to mention, too artificial for his taste.
"I say she's wearing a water bra."
Tyler snorted. "Okay, let's find out."
Reid turned towards the blonde, his eyes intently trained on hers. He could've blown up her shirt, but that was child's play. He wanted the blonde to be remembered for what she truly was. Focusing on her, the back of her shirt suddenly ripped right down the middle. Gasping, she turned around, her arms flailing nervously. Unbeknownst to her, her shirt slid right off her back. The bartender smiled along with every other guy that was horny at Nicky's.
"A water bra it is," Tyler confirmed. "I'm beginning to realize I'm not so hot as this game."
Reid managed to snort while he grabbed the money from the table. He was grinning, grinning like he knew the answer before her shirt fell off. And maybe he did, but there wasn't any point in telling the truth to Tyler. It meant that Reid was twenty dollars richer and that he was a cheater. "You just realized that, Ty?" Reid teased.
Defensively, Tyler crossed his arms across his chest. His face was set in a permanent scowl. "Garwin, you are one sneaky bastard. Do you know that?"
He laughed derisively. "Of course I do."
Tyler shook his head. "I thought you'd say that." He grabbed his pool stick and poked Reid with the tip. The blue dot stained Reid's white t-shirt. "So, we should finish this game before you get bored of it."
A smirk appeared on Reid's face. "Ty, I'm afraid it's too late for that."
Tyler sighed, placing the stick up against the table. "I had a feeling you were going to say that, too."
Reid's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Then why did you ask?"
"I wanted to make sure before..." Tyler let his voice trail off. He looked over at Reid, noticing that he was too caught up in the blonde's moment of embarrassment. Lunging, he reached for Reid's pants and pulled out a pocket full of change.
"Tyler!" Reid yelled. "What was that for?"
He grinned wryly. "You forfeited. Therefore, it is a fact that you owed me fifty cents for wasting my time."
Reid glared at his friend suspiciously. It wasn't a surprise that Tyler was becoming more comfortable in his skin. He was the one that used his powers the least out of everyone in the group. He was also the most shy and inexperienced when it came to women. Every time that Sarah tried to set him up on a blind date, he'd flat out refuse – without even bothering to give a legit excuse.
"That looks like more than fifty cents," Reid pointed to his friends palm. "So, why don't you start explaining that?"
"I'm charging interest." Tyler placed the coins in his pocket. "Thanks for the money, Reid."
"Simms, you are one sneaky bastard."
Tyler laughed, waving his hand in the air as he walked away. Before he stepped out the door, he turned and said, "Hey, friend's are the worst influences. I guess I'm starting to learn from the best."
"Was that a compliment or a diss?"
"Both. None. Whichever way you take it."
And then Tyler walked out the front door.
Damn, Reid thought. Tyler is becoming one hell of a smart ass.
Reid grabbed a seat, using another chair to prop up his legs. Nicky's was the only place in town he went. Although the same routine was growing mundane, there were some interesting days that made up for it. Like the night that Caleb took Sarah out, for their first date, to Nicky's. They were sitting at the table adjacent to where Reid was currently sitting, laughing together. He remembered looking over at them in longing. The way that Caleb was friendly and outgoing was sickening.
His eyes fell on the foosball table. The last memory he recalled was where Chase kicked Caleb's ass. And then there was Sarah. He wasn't afraid to admit that he had an immediate attraction to her, but he had grown out of that phase. Sarah was quiet and shy and nice. They were three qualities Reid didn't possess. In his case, opposites didn't attract. And they never would. Reid just admired the way she was able to look at Caleb like he was the only person in the world that mattered.
He wanted to be like that. He wanted to be important. He wanted to do something different.
"Reid?"
Reid, who had been balancing the chair on two legs, nearly fell backwards. "Caleb. Sarah."
"Can I ask for a favor?" Caleb suddenly asked.
Reid let out a shaky laugh. Maybe Caleb didn't know about him using earlier. The mere fact that Caleb didn't know, made him excited. The less Caleb reprimanded him, the less fights they got into.
"Maybe."
Sarah sighed, cutting in. "Reid, my little sister is here to visit. We don't want her to do anything about the four of you. And I was hoping, since you're a pretty upstanding guy, that you could give her a grand tour of the town?"
Reid blinked. Then he blinked again. "Isn't Tyler more suitable for this job?" He asked Caleb.
Sarah retreated behind Caleb. This was hardly the end of the conversation. "Tyler's has other obligations he can't get out off." Caleb paused momentarily. "
"Caleb, I'm sure I'm busy."
"Busy using!" Caleb hissed at Reid. "Don't think I don't know. And if you want to end up like my father, that is your choice. But you're not bringing all of us down for this."
Reid laughed hollowly. "Yeah, because if word gets out, they'll hang us just like the Salem Witch Trials."
"What about the Salem Witch Trials?" an innocent voice cut in.
He swallowed nervously, staring at the girl. She was shorter than Sarah – standing at about five foot one or two. Her age was the one thing that Reid wasn't expecting. She was only a year or two younger than Sarah – judging from looks alone.
Placing his hands in his lap, he stared at the girls intense blue eyes.
"I'm Rain," she declared confidently, "Who're you?"
"Reid Garwin."
She raised her eyebrow, studying him critically.
Reid wasn't sure if he liked the way that Rain was staring at him. She hardly blinked and her intense blue eyes were trained on him. It was as if she knew him and was trying to remember who he was. If that was the case, he was hoping that she wasn't a childhood friend.
"I've heard your name somewhere before," she whispered, diverting her attention to Caleb. He was squirming in his seat badly enough for Sarah to intervene. He looked at the both of them bitterly. Her hand was on Caleb's thigh.
"Really?" He tried to break the awkward silence, but Rain acted as if she hadn't heard him in the first place.
"Wait, I think I remember." She paused, staring into Reid's eyes. "You're a Sons of Ipswich, aren't you?"
Reid froze. How could she possibly know? Sure, the word about "them" spread quickly enough, but Reid was nervous – so nervous that he was sweating. There was something about the way that she confirmed who he was that made him that much more nervous. Most outsiders, all the ones that Reid met, were unaware of Ipswich's legend unless they were into witchcraft.
"Yes," Reid confirmed, jabbing his finger in Caleb's direction. "And so is he."