A/N: I just had to keep going, this events of this chapter were just eating away at me and I had to write it while I was still inspired! Hope you guys like it!
Title is from Demons by Imagine Dragons, even though it's cliche.
Enjoy!
(Reid's POV)
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE, CALEB?" I yelled loudly as we were all gathered in one of the hotel rooms. My blood was boiling, my face red and my hands were clenched into fists and I was itching to punch something – anything.
Caleb shook his head and put a hand on his forehead. "Reid, I promise I have no idea. I had nothing to do with Callie going missing."
My jaw was clenched tightly shut, my teeth grinding together and my breath was coming out in uneven pants out of my nose. "You put the fucking idea in her head! She probably went looking for Chase thinking she could help!"
It had been about twenty minutes since I had gone back to the room to check on the brunette that was supposed to be in my bed, but instead I found an empty room and no trace of Callie anywhere.
I knew I should have stayed with her, I shouldn't have left her all by herself. Callie may have been quiet and timid, but once she set her mind to something her mind couldn't be changed. And now she had gone looking for Chase, hoping to create some sort of peace between him and the Covenant.
I couldn't help the growl that escaped my throat and I turned and swung my arm out and collided with the lamp that was sitting on the bedside table. It fell to the floor, the bulb shattering into pieces, the light going out instantly.
"Reid, calm down, we'll find her," Sarah tried to sooth me but I just glared at her.
"And just how do you think we're going to do that? We have no idea where she could be!" I yelled, trying to keep my temper at bay. It definitely wasn't Sarah's fault that Callie was gone, but I could definitely put the blame on Caleb.
"I don't think she left by herself," Kate spoke suddenly from a corner.
All eyes went to her and I stood up straight, taking a few steps closer to her and I noticed Pogue tense as he watched me get closer. "What do mean, Kate?"
She sighed. "I was awake, I think, when she…left. She was talking to someone and I could hear them through the wall. I thought it was you, Reid," she said, nodding towards me. "The person asked her to go with them and she said okay and then that was it."
My eyes widened. Chase had been in the room. How had they missed him? That's what they were doing – keeping watch for the scumbag and yet he'd managed to slip right past them and take Callie.
I groaned and hung my head back. "You didn't think it might be useful to share this information a little sooner, Kate?"
"I told you, I thought it was you, Reid!" she said defensively and Pogue put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't until you came barging into the room that I realized it wasn't."
I ignored her and looked at Caleb, pleading for him to come up with an idea.
"Okay, look he couldn't have taken her very far," he suggested and I knew he was only trying to calm me down. "If she left willingly with him, maybe she knew what she was doing."
My eyes narrowed at him. "Or he was threatening her!"
Caleb sighed. "Reid, I know that you care for this girl, but I think that we have to look passed that and at the bigger picture here, like why Chase is so interested in her."
It took me a minute to comprehend what he was saying and when I did, I felt enraged. "Are you trying to say that Callie's working with Chase?"
Caleb closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, think about it, she comes into your life around the same time that Chase does and now she's all of a sudden taking off with him - seems a little suspicious to me."
"Caleb," Sarah scolded him with a harsh look. "She's not working with Chase, she can't stand him." I was thankful that someone wasn't going completely crazy and I nodded at Sarah in thanks.
"Maybe that was just a cover so that we wouldn't figure out that she's been bringing him information about us for weeks now."
"She only just found out about us last night! What could she be telling him?" I barked, clenching my fists and willing myself not to hit Caleb. I tried my hardest not to fight with my brothers but sometimes it was inevitable. "You're just looking for an excuse to make it seem like it's not your fault she's gone!"
Caleb threw his hands up in the air. "She went willingly!"
I clenched my teeth together. "I swear to God, Caleb, I'm going to knock your teeth out of your head."
Caleb rolled his eyes. "You just don't want to take Callie off of the pedestal you've put her on."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I growled. "You're always ranting at me to find a girl and stop fucking around and now that I have, you're trying to get me to turn on her."
Caleb groaned. "I'm not trying to get you to turn on her. I like Callie and I think she's good for you….but what if she's working with Chase? What will you do then, huh?"
I glared at him for a few seconds before I shook my head. "She's not," I said through clenched teeth and then walked over to stare out the window. There really wasn't anything that I could think to do except for wait. We had no idea where they could be and Chase could have taken her anywhere.
I knew Callie wasn't working with him, not by the way she always acted around him. She really didn't like him and Caleb was just trying to find an excuse for everything that's been happening. Callie was the most innocent girl I'd ever met, she would never be able to pull off something like that and I wasn't going to waste time trying to convince other people of it. They'd see soon enough.
It was then that my phone started ringing and I fumbled for it in my pocket. The number was unknown and I turned around to face everyone else as all their eyes were on me. I hit the answer button and brought the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Reid, it's me," Callie's voice came from the other end of the line and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
"Oh my God, Callie, where are you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even and I watched as everyone's eyes lit up at the mention of her.
She sighed and I heard someone speaking near her. "In the woods somewhere, Chase brought me here."
"Are you still with him?"
There was a pause at the other end of the line and some fumbling and then a voice that wasn't Callie's came over the phone.
"Hello Reid," Chase's voice was smug and it made me grit my teeth.
"Where have you taken her, asshole?" I demanded. "If you've hurt her I swear to God I'll kill you."
He laughed. "Don't worry, buddy, everything's all well and good. I just had a few things to discuss with your girl, that's all. I'm sure she'll fill you in later."
"Where is she?"
"We're just outside the town line and Callie will be waiting by the Ipswich welcome sign when you get here."
"Let me talk to her."
He clicked his tongue. "You'll see her soon enough," he said and then clicked off, ending the phone call.
I shoved the phone back into my pocket and grabbed the keys to Tyler's hummer. "I'm going to get her," I announced, pulling open the door.
"He's letting her go?" Caleb asked, standing up.
I nodded. "He just wanted to talk. Maybe she got information like you wanted," I inquired, trying to make him feel like an asshole.
"I'll go with you," Caleb said and stood up to follow me. "Tyler and Pogue stay with the girls."
The other two boys nodded as Caleb and I headed out the door.
(Callie's POV)
When I finally awoke, I realized I was outside, lying on the cold, damp ground. I didn't know what had happened or why I had passed out, remembering that I had taken Chase's hand and that's all.
I looked around. I was in the woods, surrounded by trees on all sides and no idea how far away from the hotel or if we were even in Ipswich anymore. Chase was nowhere to be seen at the moment so I scrambled to my feet, preparing myself to run, despite not having any shoes on.
The only problem with running was that I had no idea where in the hell I was, which could ultimately pose a problem. I racked my brain, trying to think of something to do. I didn't want to just start running - I could get myself even more lost than I already was.
That's when I realized that the woods I was standing in looked vaguely familiar, although I knew I had never been there before. It was like déjà vu but I couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd seen this place before.
"Nice to see you're awake," a voice came from behind me and I turned quickly, not surprised to find Chase standing about ten feet away from me, his face silhouetted in the moonlight and making him all the more creepy. God, I hated him.
"What are we doing here?" I asked and my voice was like ice.
He laughed, more to himself than to me and rocked back on his heels. "I figured this was probably the best place to take you. They'll never be able to find you out here."
My eyes narrowed. "You said you just wanted to talk."
He held his hands up in defense. "Yes, I did say that, but I also didn't want your friends to come barging in on us. But don't worry, I'm going to let you go back to them unharmed, so you can relax."
"I don't believe you," I hissed.
The corner of his mouth turned up into a smug half-grin. "Here," he said and reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "I'll even let you call them when we're done."
I eyed him suspiciously, taking the phone from his hand. "What's this all about?"
He sighed and began pacing around, circling her menacingly. If he was trying to get her to relax, it really wasn't working.
"Don't you think it's amazing how well you can track someone down? I mean nowadays, all you really need is a name and the computer and you can have your answer within five minutes," he said, laughter evident on his face.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, spinning with him as he walked around me. I didn't want my back to be turned to him.
"I'm assuming you know of the five families of the Covenant and the vows that they made to preserve their powers from being discovered by witch hunters, yes?"
I nodded.
Chase brought his fingers up to his chin, rubbing it and making him look like an old character from a storybook. "The fifth family was banished for using their magic too much," he said and there was a smirk on his face. "I mean, how can anyone blame them? It's addicting!" he yelled and fire ignited from the palm of his hand, lighting up his face in hues of orange and yellow, making him look even crazier.
"That was your family," I confirmed, trying to get him to stay on task.
The fire died and he continued circling. "My father and his father before him were all power hungry. The Power consumed them, took over their lives," he said, his voice low. "Of course, I would also inherit the need to use. It's what keeps me from going completely insane."
"It also kills you," I told him.
His eyes narrowed at me. "That's beside the point that I'm trying to make here, Callie."
"What is your point?" I urged. "Please, I'd really like to know."
He sighed. "The reason that I didn't get to grow up here with the rest of my so-called brothers was because my mother gave me up for adoption when I was two, along with my sister."
My breath hitched in my throat. "You had a sister?"
He nodded. "A year younger than me, but we were separated, both adopted by different families. My adoptive parents were so loving and good to me, who would've known that I would kill them in a car crash and make it look like an accident. Those lying pricks didn't deserve to live anyways."
Something in the pit of my stomach was telling me that something wasn't right.
"What about your sister?"
"She was adopted by a different family, although her adoptive mother died when she was young and it was just her and her father. Such a shame, I wish I could have gotten to know her," he said and I could hear the fakeness in his voice as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
Something was definitely not right.
"So I tried to find her, looking up her birth name and I came across a girl who went to this prestigious school in Massachusetts so I decided to come and try to meet her, see what she was like," he continued and I got the sickly feeling that I knew where this was going, something inside of me just said it. "When I got there, I saw that she was just a fragile little thing that could barely get out of her own way, nothing like me, who had to grow up before I even got the chance to be a kid. But then I started to see that she was sort of like me in a way, sent away to a school so her father didn't have to deal with her. In a way, we are just alike, you know?"
My breathing was picking up and I felt him behind me, standing close and I tried to stay calm.
"Come on, Callie, you've had to have figured it out by now," he said loudly with a laugh. "Why your father never truly seemed to be interested in raising a daughter or the fact that you look absolutely nothing like your dead mother. Surely you've had to question it before."
I shook my head. "Never," I whispered but looking back at it now, remembering my mother's face and eyes, she was blonde and had tanned, olive skin and deep, deep blue eyes like ocean. I on the other hand had long brown curls, pale skin and emerald eyes. My father was always working and never seemed to show any real interest in me. It all made sense.
But my mother loved me. She was an amazing mother, even when she was sick. It didn't add up that she wasn't my biological mother.
Chase chuckled from behind me. "Eerie isn't it? Finding out that your whole life has been a lie."
My throat felt like it was closing up and it was getting harder to breathe. He hadn't said it outright yet but deep down, I knew that what he was saying was true.
Chase was right behind me now. I could feel his breath in my ear and his hand came up to rest on my shoulder, sending me unwanted shivers down my spine.
"I've always wanted a sister," he whispered and rested his head against mine and inhaling deeply. I closed my eyes, trying to keep my tears a bay as my whole world came crashing down around me.
I took a deep breath. "So…..our…..our parents…..they're both…..dead?" I asked.
He sighed. "Our mother died when we were young, our father died just recently after I finally found him. He was on his death bed and I forced him to will me his powers, ultimately killing him in the process."
My eyes widened and I turned around to face him. "He willed you his powers? What does that mean?"
"It means that on top of my powers, I now have his as well," he said proudly. "It took some negotiating and persuasion, but he eventually gave in. But once you will away your powers, you die."
My heart ached. "You….you killed our father because you wanted his powers?"
Chase shrugged. "It was the least he could do for me after not being there for eighteen years."
Even though I never knew about him, it still made me upset that my biological father had been alive and within my reach to find him and Chase had just killed him for his own self gain.
I shook my head. "This is insane," I whispered.
"Mm," Chase mumbled, sounding like he was agreeing with me. "But at least now we have each other," he said and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
I pushed his arm away and backed up, wanting to put as much space between us as possible. "Don't touch me."
Chase didn't seem to be hurt by my words and instead, he advanced on me. "Oh come on, Callie, you can't still be afraid of me," he said as I kept backing away from him. "You're my sister. I would never do anything to hurt you."
I shook my head. "Please, just….just let me go home," I said quietly as tears filled my eyes. I wanted Reid. I needed him now.
Chase's eyes narrowed but he didn't advance on her any farther. "Fine, call them."
I let out a breath of relief and I quickly dialed Reid's number on his cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Reid, it's me," I said quickly, trying not to sound too distressed.
"Oh my God, Callie where are you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
I sighed and looked at Chase. "Lover boy to the rescue," he mocked, offering her an evil grin.
"In the woods somewhere, Chase brought me here."
"Are you still with him?"
"Give me the phone," Chase demanded, plucking the phone out of my fingers before I could stop him. He went on talking to Reid, taunting him through the phone until he finally told him where to meet me and I felt relieved that he was still agreeing to let me go.
Once he hung up the phone, he shoved it back into his pocket and looked at me. "You have to meet the asshole at the Ipswich welcome sign," he informed me smugly and I glared at him.
"Don't call him that," I hissed. "You don't have the right to call him that."
He laughed. "Aren't all brother's supposed to hate their sister's boyfriends?"
I bit my lip, wincing at the fact that he had called himself my brother. I still didn't think of him that way and I probably never would. He wasn't my brother.
He sighed. "You'll come around to me eventually, Cal. You'll have to. You won't have a choice."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough," he told me and then grabbed my wrist and before I knew what was happening, we were suddenly standing next to the Ipswich welcome sign.
I smiled in relief, knowing that it was only a matter of minutes before Reid got here.
"See you later, sis," Chase mocked from beside me and then a second later, he was gone.
I put my hand up to my chest to calm my breathing, replaying the events of the night over and over and going through everything that Chase had said.
My whole life had been a lie. One big, well played-out lie and now….I really had no family left. My adoptive father really wanted nothing to do with me and was away overseas eleven months of the year anyways so it wasn't like I saw him much anyways. Both of my mothers, biological and adoptive were dead, as was my biological father and my biological brother was a complete psychopath.
Holy shit, what was happening to my life?
Finally, I saw headlights coming down the road and my heart leapt when the familiar black Hummer pulled onto the side of the road. Reid jumped out of the passenger seat before the car had even come to a full stop, staring at me and rushing towards me. Not able to hide the tears any longer, I full out ran to him, jumping into his arms. He caught me with ease, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to him tightly and I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder as I sobbed uncontrollably.
"Callie," he said, pulling back slightly, his hands on either side of my face, pushing my hair back out of my eyes. "Callie, baby, what's wrong? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
I couldn't talk through the sobbing and I was trying to take breaths in and out but it was just coming out as a strangled noise in my throat.
"Jesus, Cal, what happened?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist again.
"Just get me out of here," I was finally able to say, hugging him tighter. I just wanted to be back inside the confines of a warm room with Reid lying next to me, trying to forget about the events of the night that would plague me for the rest of my life.
