PCENTERH3 The Thirteenth Floor: Chapter One /H3/CENTER/P
CENTERPAuthor's Note: This story is the second in my series and takes place directly after the events in One Last Hope. Let me know what you think, if people seem to like it I'll finish up the remaining chapters a little faster than I was planning on and maybe write a few more, so please R&R!!/P/CENTER


CHAPTER ONE
Fiona blinked, trying in vain to make the string of words printed on the page before her make sense. A quick glance at the clock told her it was 7:40 p.m. With a resigned grumble she closed her history text book. There was no point in trying to concentrate on that when her mind was elsewhere.

Since her little encounter with Bricriu last week her new abilities had been seeing fit to make themselves known. Usually at the worst possible moments and always when emotions were running high.

For example, the day after she found out about her new gifts her Mom had canceled their scheduled trip home in order to play a benefit concert. She was angry, to say the least. But the fact that it was for charity and she was still angry only made her feel worse. When she stormed off towards her room, every drawer and cabinet door she walked by swung open.

Luckily for her, the only people on the bus at the time were Carey, her mother, and herself. Unfortunately the outburst was so unexpected that Fi could only look around at the aftermath, her jaw slack and at a complete loss for words. Carey managed to come up with some unlikely explanation involving built up air pressure and heat which her Mom somehow bought. Come to think of it, Carey seemed to be covering up for her a lot lately. She'd have to remember to thank him for it later.

Telekinesis was definitely not something that was coming easy for her. Carey had been trying to help her practice, but after eight days the best she could do was levitate small items. She couldn't even hold them for very long without dropping it.

She spotted a pencil sitting on her desk and quirked a brow. Now would be as good a time as any to practice. She'd call Carey in, but from the sound of it he was really working hard on learning the song her Mom had just finished. He was a real sweetheart most of the time, but he could get grumpy when he was stuck on a song. No, she'd be on her own this time.

Fi raised her hand and smiled as a pencil lifted from her desk on the other side of the room. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she attempted to bring it towards her. Only three more feet, almost... almost...

"Yo, Fi!" Clu called as he knocked on her open door and walked into her room.

"Ack!" caught by surprise, Fi jumped. With the lack of concentration the pencil fell to the floor. Fi's expression resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights. 'Note to self,' she thought dryly, 'Next time, make sure the door is *closed* before practicing my TK.'

Clu looked at her expression strangely for a moment. "What? Am I interrupting something?"

Obviously he hadn't seen the pencil. Fiona had the urge to breathe a sigh of relief, but swallowed it and gave a relieved smile instead. "Nah. I was just, um- studying."

"Ah, that's cool. Your mom told me to come tell you that we're almost at the hotel," Clu looked around her room as he spoke.

"Right, I'll be out in a minute," Fi stood up and set her history book on her desk, turning again to face Clu.

"Um, Fi?"

'Uh-oh. I know that expression. He must want something.'

"Yeah, Clu?"

"I was wondering... Your Mom told me to tell Carey also, but he's not exactly in the best of moods and I thought well.. since you seem to be able to calm him down and all.."

"If I would tell him?" Fi finished and he nodded. She couldn't help but smile a little. "Sure."

Clu grinned, "Excellent, thanks."

Fi followed Clu out of her room and made her way to the boys room. She waited until the sounds of the guitar stopped for a moment before knocking. She heard him give an annoyed "What?" and timidly walked in, closing the door to a crack behind her.

"Oh, it's you," Carey gave a small smile and set down his guitar. He moved over a little to make room for her on the bed.

"Clu sent me to tell you that we're almost to the hotel," Fi sprawled out next to him, getting comfortable.

"Why didn't Clu just tell me himself?" Carey asked.

Fi laughed, "He was afraid you were in a bad mood so he asked me to. Something about my 'being able to calm you down'. Whatever that's about."

Carey looked to the side. Fiona couldn't tell, but he might have been blushing. Nah, he didn't feel that way about her, did he?

"So," Fi changed the subject. "How's the song coming?"

"Slowly," he turned his attention back to her.

'See? His face is it's normal shade of tan. No red in sight. You're imagining things.'

Fi began to laugh.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that when Clu came to talk to me I was in the middle of using my T.K. to levitate a pencil from my desk to where I was sitting on my bed," she noticed his worried expression and finished quickly. "He didn't see anything, don't worry. But it scared the heck out of me."

"Why didn't you come get me if you were going to practice?" his voice was monotone, not hurt, but not thrilled either.

"Truth?"

"Truth."

"I was about as scared to talk to you as Clu was," she grinned.

Carey laughed, "What? Do I have some reputation of being this foul-tempered guy when I practice or something?"

"Basically," Fi smiled and nudged his side.

Carey reached over and tickled her stomach and before they knew it, an all out tickle war was in progress. They were so involved in the tickle-match that neither of them heard the knock on the door or Jack enter the room.

"Hey, don't mind me, just coming to grab my overnight pa-" Jack cut himself short and raised an eyebrow at Carey and Fi, who sat up once they heard his voice. `"Pack," he finished. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, just a friendly tickle war," Fi fought down the giggle which was starting to form deep in her throat.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, anyways, I got my pack," he held it up. "So I'll just be going now."

As soon as he was out of the room Carey and Fi both erupted into a fit of laughter. The bus pulled to a stop and Fi managed to stand up, "I'm gonna go grab my stuff. I'll meet you outside in a few okay?"

Carey smiled and Fi left the room.



Fiona rolled her eyes in spite of herself. It's not like she and Carey were together or anything. She didn't have the right to complain when Carey felt the need to flirt with the best looking girl in the room. Though he could at least be a little more subtle about it.

And why should she care? Since when did she think of Carey as anything more than just a big-brother type? When did it become something else? Something more?

She leaned back into one of the more comfortable plush chairs in the lobby of the hotel, waiting for her mother and Irene to get the room keys and check them in. Fixing a glare on Carey and the blond girl who were sitting on the other side of the lobby, she fought back the urge to use her powers to pick her up and toss her out of the hotel. The thought made her smile a little.

"Hey Fi," Jack said as he took the seat next to her.

"Hey Bro," Fi sighed and looked down at her lap then up at her older brother. Was he nervous? Why was he fidgeting?

"Sis, I was wondering.. I mean I know the only guys you really spend time with around your age are Clu and Carey.. and um, well I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

"Jack, if this is about Carey, we're just friends," Fi frowned. "Trust me."

Jack looked relieved, but didn't say anything more.

Fiona cast a glance towards Carey and felt her insides clinch when she noticed that the girls hand was laying shamelessly on his knee. The fact that Carey didn't seem too interested in moving it only made it worse. She couldn't keep sitting here.

"I'm gonna get some air," Fi stood up and looked across the room at the check-in desk where her mother was arguing with the hotel manager. "Come get me if Mom ever gets the room crisis sorted out."

Before Jack had time to object, Fiona was out the doors and heading towards the outside pool in the back of the hotel. The cool air assaulted her skin and she remembered too late that she had left her jacket on the chair in the lobby. Oh well, she certainly wasn't going back for it right now.

She sat on one of the vacant patio chairs and gazed up at the cloudless sky, nearly mesmerized by the full moon which shone brightly.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Fiona looked up and into the hazel eyes of a boy she didn't recognize. "Yeah, it is," she smiled and he returned the gesture.

The boy's sandy brown hair fell into his eyes as he looked down at her. "My name's Logan. Logan McLachlan."

"Fi Phillips," she reached out her hand to shake his. His skin was cool to the touch and she shivered.

"Cold?" Logan took off his brown leather jacket and handed it to her, taking the seat next to her.

"Thanks. I left mine in the lobby," Fi took a closer look at him as she draped it around her bare shoulders. He was a little shorter than Carey, but taller than her brother, probably around seventeen or so. He was dressed in a pair of khaki pants with a loose white button-up shirt and an open vest. Not exactly the most up-to-date outfit, but it had it's own style.

"So, to what do we owe the honor of your visit to Chicago, Fi Phillips?" There was a faint Australian accent in his voice which had an almost lilting quality.

"My mom," Fi smiled blandly. "She's a singer. Chicago's our stop for the next week or so."

Logan nodded, looking out across the blue-green waters of the pool, lit by the lights which were plastered into the wall at both ends. Nobody would be using the pool for a while, now that fall was settling in. Even though it was heated, the guests would probably be more inclined to use the inside pool.

"Don't resent your mother, Fi Phillips," Logan said quietly, keeping his eyes on the waters. "Or Carey for that matter," this time he looked straight at her, his eyes searching hers, waiting for a response.

"How did you.." she stopped herself and smiled. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"What? Read minds?" He chuckled a little. "Since I was little. I try not to read the mind's of people unless it's necessary, but you were practically broadcasting your thoughts."

Fi realized another thought which she had been concentrating on when he had approached her. "So you know then?"

"Yeah," he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward slightly, looking towards the ground. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. As long as mine's the same with you."

She smiled and relaxed a little, copying his posture. "So do you live around here?"

"Yeah," his accent got a little stronger. "I live here, in the hotel. My dad owns it."

Fi felt a strange feeling surge through her. Logan looked up quickly, noticing it.

"Someone's watching us," Logan commented. He scanned the bushes on the other side of the pool and stopped when he noticed a section of them rustling. It stopped after a moment and the feeling passed.

"What was that?" Fi asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

Logan turned his attention to her and smiled lightly. "Nothing to worry about I'm sure."

"Hey Fi!" Carey's voice called from the doorway. "You out here?" the voice was getting closer.

"Great, he's about that last person I want to see right now," Fi mumbled, leaning back into her chair and folding her arms.

"Give him a chance, Fi," Logan smiled and stood up.

"There you are," Carey came around the corner and spotted her sitting in a chair, glaring at her feet.

Fi didn't move to greet him.

"Why are you out here by yourself? And who's jacket is that?" he questioned. He held up her jacket which she had left in the lobby.

Fi sighed, then his first question finally registered. By herself? She looked to the spot where Logan had been sitting, but found it empty. She reached up to take off the jacket, then paused and pulled her arms through the sleeves. "It's a friend's."

Carey looked at her quizzically a moment, then held out her jacket which she took. "Um. Okay... Well your Mom got our room numbers. Turns out they only had two rooms left, because of a conference even though she had reserved four. So your Mom and my parents are sharing one and then the rest of us share one."

"I have to share a room with three guys?" Fiona looked at him in disbelief. "For a WEEK?"

Carey nodded.

"Well this day just keeps getting better and better," Fi mumbled. She felt mentally exhausted, what she really needed was a good nights sleep and now that didn't look too promising.

"C'mon," Carey held out a hand and helped her to her feet, putting an arm around her shoulders and guiding her inside. "So who's jacket is this anyway?"

"Logan's," Fi smiled. "I met him while I was outside, he left before I could give it back to him."

She dug her hands into the pockets and narrowed her eyes when she pulled out a business card for the hotel manager. They stopped in front of the elevator and Clu ran up to them. Fi flipped the card over and noticed scrawled writing on the back.

'2 p.m. Thursday at the pool. P.S.: Don't worry about the jacket!'

Fi smiled. Today was Wednesday. Was this a note from Logan? Of course it was. He did say not to worry about the jacket didn't he? But how did he know?

"Coming, Fi?" Clu asked from inside the elevator. Fi looked up and stepped in.

"Wait! Hold the elevator!" a female voice called from a few feet away. Fiona held out a hand, stopping the doors from closing, but soon regretted it. Should've let the doors close, she thought, annoyed. The girl from earlier stepped onto the elevator and Carey smiled.

"Oh, it's you!" Carey smiled and she stood next to him.

'Oh it's you!' Fiona mimicked to herself. She remembered him saying that to her earlier, but with a little less enthusiasm. She glared at the closed elevator doors in front of her, trying not to look at the reflection of the two chatting behind her.

"That's weird," Clu commented, gesturing to the floor numbers which were lighting up at every new floor.

"What's that?" Fi looked at them.

"There's no floor thirteen," he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, that. A lot of hotels don't have a thirteenth floor," Fi explained. "Bad luck."