Chapter 9

The tests didn't even matter to Tyler. He tried his hardest, not knowing if his studying actually paid off or not. Tyler stayed silent, a lot, even when people asked him direct questions. He would give the simplest of responses, closing out any that could have carried on in any conversation. He didn't even know if anyone was worried for him. He was so wrapped up in keeping his emotions in check that he became oblivious to his surroundings. He was aware that Reid tried talking to him about it, but he just shied from the blonde and hid in the library or the classrooms, even after hours. He didn't want to sleep at all, but he tried to keep a strict schedule of at least an hour and a half to three hours, often times not trying for more simply because of his nightmares. He knew he was exhausted beyond human capabilities, he obviously looked like shit now, he was losing his best friends, and he was going to fail this semester of school.

"Tyler, stop!"

Tyler flinched and quickly turned around, standing straight with his arms tight at his sides. He tried keeping a straight face, but fear continuously was crawling through. He kept his eyes cast downward, not wanting his best friend to truly see how broken he was. "Yes sir?"

Reid caught up to Tyler's side, and he paused for a second before taking a slow step, Tyler barely catching the gesture. Tyler quickly turned back around, keeping quiet. He began analyzing his body, noting how relaxing it was to hold a brisk pace in the cold. With Reid next to him, he was able to calm down a little, knowing Pogue wouldn't try anything while Reid was next to him. He was glad Reid didn't say anything, but his mind was in too much of a haze to really notice his surroundings.

He glanced up and realized he was in front of his dorm room and automatically pulled his keys out, hands shaking. He felt something touch his shoulder and gave a short yell while quickly turning around, dropping his keys. He was pressed tight against the wall, seeing Reid looking surprised, hand still where Tyler's shoulder had been. "Sorry man, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all good." Tyler bent down and picked up his keys, quickly managing to find the right one and even unlock the door. "Did you need something?" Tyler didn't mean to sound snooty, but it was also hard to keep the exhaustion out of his tone as well.

"Really Tyler?" Reid shut the door a little aggressively, Tyler flinching a little at the sound. "I need a lot of things, and this bullshit sure as hell isn't one of them."

Reid began raising his tone, Tyler stabilizing himself by sitting on his bed. He didn't know what brought this on, but he really, really didn't want to be involved in this right now. "Reid, I'm sorry for whatever. How did the government final go? Did you get the questions we went over?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure you did. What the fuck, dude? How the hell are you still moving? Are you trying to dig yourself an even deeper hole when you go home? Your father will be relentless on you when he sees your finals."

Tyler dropped his head a little, frustrated and nervous. Even though he didn't need to be hearing about this from Reid, he knew it was the truth. His father would do everything come short of killing him if he were to get any B's on his report card. The last time Tyler had received a B on a grade had been four years previous, and that was the first and only major time where his father had truly beat him, even well after he had fallen unconscious.

"Tyler, you need to straighten out. You're killing yourself right now, and this is getting out of control. You don't have to worry about school anymore so you can sleep whenever you're tired. It needs to be in long periods of time, but if you can at least manage to get eight hours of sleep in twenty-four hours, that's better than the two hours you've been pulling every night. For me, can you please try to get some sleep until we have to leave? I'll pack your stuff and we can go to my place. You can sleep there for the night, and you can head home in the morning or whenever you wake up. How does that sound?"

Tyler nodded shakily, wondering how well this would actually turn out. His mind was fuzzy and he felt the onset of a migraine. He didn't know how he wasn't constantly tripping from his exhaustion, but he figured the stress of school had been a good enough distraction. "Fine, I'll give it a shot. I'm just worried about the nightmares."

"You can trust me. I'll be here to wake you up when you start moving. You need sleep and you know it. This will only be for a few hours, so it'll be fine for now. You may even be feeling better when I wake you up."

Tyler sighed and nodded, barely having the strength to kick off his shoes. "I can't fight it Reid. You're right."

With that, he slipped into unconsciousness, his mind feeling like a swirling vortex of dark power. He lost all focus, all him knowing is that his body and mind were resting. He was content in his dark pit, able to not feel anything except peace. He didn't know how long he stayed in this mode, but he didn't care. As long as it never went away. The darkness pulsed alongside him, providing the comforting blanket he had been missing for far too long. Almost as comforting as his mother's presence...

The darkness began fading and he felt a tingling sensation along his arms. The comforting pulse that had been running along him suddenly flared and reached out for the tingling, the power dragging his mind from the depths of sleep. Tyler was slow to wake, his power running strong along his skin. He was barely able to move his body, his head and mind feeling thick as he slowly opened his eyes, glancing around a blurry room before landing on Reid.

"Are you awake?" his friend asked, Tyler having a difficult time responding. Reid's image was waving back and forth as if made of smoke, but he could still see a fuzzy figure of the actual Reid.

"Yeah," he breathed out in response, his body only feeling heavier as he closed his eyes and laid his head back down. "Are we set to go?" he asked with a slightly stronger voice, though his tongue felt like molasses.

"Everything I believe is packed. Most of the students are gone, and Caleb and Pogue already told me their good-byes earlier, though Caleb asked if you were around. Are you able to carry anything out or do you need help?"

"I...may need some help." Tyler kept his eyes closed as he carefully pushed himself up, his arms weak as he tested their support.

"Are you that asleep still?" Tyler could only nod, Reid replying with, "All right. I'll run everything out to your hummer and then I'll help you out. Just...don't do anything stupid."

Tyler let out a small chuckle, keeping his eyes closed as he heard Reid collect whatever bags he packed. A door soon opened and shut, Tyler letting out the breath he had been trying to restrain. He felt the dam break as the oxygen left his body, his greatest fears beginning to rise. His body began to feel numb, the tingling sensation returning and causing Tyler to lose control of his limbs. The power took full possession of him, the sudden rush causing Tyler to gasp, his eyes opening wide. Everything was too bright, too pure of a color. The white rushed at him, a solid wall of clouds. The yellow of the lamp caught the white, contaminating it and pushing it back from him. His body was heavy, his mattress trying to consume his full weight. He was suddenly awake and aware of everything, his power making him feel as if he was part of the X-Men crew. He heard Reid walking back to the room, even though he was still a ways away. Flying high from the Euphoria, Tyler tried to calm down.

He sat back up, everything spinning for a moment. He didn't want Reid to worry about him anymore, but if he was still tripping when he got to Reid's, then at least his father and Reid could both try to help Tyler out. I don't know if any of us has ever tripped that long though. We don't normally let it happen longer than five minutes, maybe as long as ten for Pogue two years ago, as well as for me last month... But a half hour, probably even longer? How severe will it get? Or will it mellow out and dissipate?

"Earth to Tyler, are you awake buddy?"

Tyler looked up and saw Reid in front of him, holding out his hand. Tyler grabbed it and Reid helped him off his bed, wrapping an arm around Tyler and helping him walk to the door, both taking careful steps, the majority of Tyler's weight against Reid. His muscles were refusing to fully listen to Tyler's command, but he was pleased with his amount of control holding the power back. When they reached the door, Reid opened it and with his power and turned all of the lights off. Tyler's body stiffened, his power barely breaking through the leash and latching onto Reid. They stepped through the door, Reid shutting it and Using once again to lock it.

Tyler gasped, bringing a hand to his head as Reid caught him falling. He was shaking again, his mind a torrent of energy, electrifying the tissue and nerves through his brain, his entire body feeling electrocuted. He felt warm and twitchy, his muscles having spasms that were difficult to control. "Tyler, what's wrong?"

"Nnot-tthhing," he stuttered, beginning to pick himself up. Reid helped him as well, and they once again began the trek to Tyler's hummer.

Tyler stumbled often, but Reid was able to catch him almost every time he fell. When he did lose his balance, it was on the dreaded stairs Reid and him had fallen on many times. His legs gave out as he took his third step down, and his heel slipped and caught the ice, throwing his balance back. He barely had a grip on Reid's arm as he went to catch himself, lightly hitting his shoulder into the next step up. His legs had gone out from under him, catching on the next step down, his body feeling even more unbalanced as the power threatened to come out once more and take a hold of the situation.

"Are you okay?" Tyler opened his eyes and rolled onto his back, Reid carefully helping him up.

"Yeah, let's go." Reid looked at him skeptically for a moment, but Tyler began taking the next slow step down as he regained his equilibrium.

The rest of the walk wasn't as bad, Tyler even shakier as Reid opened the door and helped him in. Before he knew it, Reid was drifting out of the parking lot through the cars and was on the highway to his parent's house. Tyler relaxed, leaning his chair back and once again attempting to chill out. He knew he needed to tell Reid what was going on, but what if he was stuck in a trip over break and he couldn't call Reid? My father would be furious if he discovered that I was in a trip. He'd be able to sense my powers a lot easier than Reid does. Plus if Pogue caught any word of this trip, he'll ream my neck. I have to see what I can handle.

He was able to relax a tad bit more, with time it becoming easier to control his powers, just as long as he didn't think about anyone else's powers. He wasn't aware of Reid at all, or the smooth grip his tires had to the road. He was flying in his own mind, using a mental map to try to calculate where he was going. He just let himself be, and fell into a very light nap. Because of paranoia, he woke up as soon as Reid began slowing down for his driveway, and began forcing himself to move. By the time he was mostly situated, Reid was parked and getting out.

"How are you feeling? It looked like you were sleeping back there."

"Kinda." Tyler's voice was light and dreamy. "I think I may be able to walk to your room but that's it. Sorry."

"That's better than before. And I only have to worry about my stuff. I made an overnight bag for you though."

Tyler let out a chuckle and couldn't help a small grin. "I can't believe that. Thanks dude."

Carefully, Tyler got out of his hummer and walked slowly behind Reid, his muscles feeling heavy, but willing to cooperate with his commands. He didn't know where this extra energy was coming from, but he was happy for it. Reid unlocked the door, his dogs barking behind it. "Back, back," his friend commanded, the dogs slowly giving them space. Reid took a straight path for his room, Tyler close behind. He watched Reid top the stairs and barely caught himself as his world tilted, threatening to throw his balance behind him back down the stairs. He quickly pulled himself up and rushed to the room, his powers beginning to break free.

Upon entering Reid's messy room, he clumsily made way for the futon, muttering his apologies. He fell on the semi-soft mattress and his powers began running through his nerves, the pain making him feel exhilarated. He clenched his fists and buried his face in the pillow, wanting to scream and cry. He vaguely felt Reid shaking him, but the powers were on the verge of whipping free. He couldn't hear anything around him except a wind, ominous voices beginning to fill his ears.

Suddenly, like a dog's eyes on a squirrel, he tuned into another source of the power, latching onto it tightly, pulling it from the person greedily. He couldn't stop the power from trying to escape, especially when a sense of relief was beginning to fill him. "Come on Tyler, you're stronger than this. Push against me harder."

Tyler's power flared and strapped onto Reid's power, trying to overcome it all. Tyler grunted in pain, wanting to twist away from the crawling sensation. "Reid, stop!"

He opened his eyes and the colors around the room were distorted, but shapes were more becoming more solid. He looked at Reid and saw the blonde's eyes closed, teeth clenched, his hand in a death grip around Tyler's arm. "How're you feeling?" he grunted, his body beginning to shake.

"Still tripping, I guess." Tyler's voice was light, his body feeling like it was on cloud nine. His mind was heavy though, the lights hazy and bright, everything having an angelic tinge to it. Tyler's eyes wandered from Reid to the ceiling light, over the white ceilings and down onto the maroon walls. Reid's dark brown square bedposts stood prominently against the wall, the messy red and black bed sheets flowing into each other, seeming as if it was one continuous curve.

Suddenly Reid released his arm, falling backwards. Tyler quickly sat and up and saw his friend shaking, arms crossed around his chest hugging himself, breathing heavy. His eyes were squeezed tight, Tyler trying to focus on his friend and not let the rest of the room consume his attention. "Reid! What's wrong?"

"I, I don't know. Your power sparked and threatened to burn my mind. Fuck. Everything hurts."

Tyler looked at Reid, not knowing what to say. His powers were a lot more tolerable now, but his attention was still slightly erratic. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't even feel it happen."

Reid stayed silent for a moment, finally drawing in a shaky breath and saying, "I don't know how to explain it. It's kind of like this pressure that was building in my head, but it wasn't very noticeable until now. Then it exploded... But your power was definitely trying to consume everything about me, and was getting tired of me pushing against it."

Tyler nodded, feeling guilty. He didn't know how to help Reid out, and he was getting ready to fall asleep once more. "Are you going to be okay?"

Another moment before Reid nodded, Tyler sighing and collapsing once more back on the futon. Before he knew it, he fell asleep, Reid finally able to stand up, see his fallen friend, and quickly made him more comfortable before becoming engrossed in the comfort of his own bed.

When Tyler awoke next, he wasn't sure what the reason was. It was quiet, he was comfortable, he still felt like he should be sleeping, and... Tyler noticed how light was pressing against his eyelids and quickly opened his eyes and sat up, looking around the room. He began to panic when he realized he wasn't in his room, and there certainly was sunlight trying to flood the room through the curtains. Thankful for the dam the curtains did hold, he began to realize that he was in Reid's room and suddenly realized why he had woken up. I should've been home by now. Fuck. Father's gonna kill me.

He didn't even care how dizzy his mind was as he scrambled off of the futon, trying to find his phone to see if his parents had tried calling him. When he didn't find it in his pocket, he searched the futon, the area around the futon, saw his bags and checked them too, truly beginning to panic now. He didn't know where his cell phone was, and he was sure someone would have called him by now, secretly promising the punishments later that night.

Something shifted and Tyler jumped, catching the edge of the futon and falling back onto it painfully. He looked up and saw Reid, who was looking at him peculiarly. "Reid, please, you have to help me find my phone."

"Your phone? I have it, so don't worry."

"Thank god. I need to make sure my parent's didn't call."

Reid simply looked at him for a few seconds before letting out his breath. "Actually, your father called already, wondering where you were. When he heard it was me, he relaxed a tiny bit, and even more when I explained the 'reasons' why you weren't able to make it home last night."

Tyler began shaking his head when Reid made the quote marks with his finger, knowing he still had a chance at being a dead man. "How pissed did he sound?"

"Not too much. He said he understood at least, and that was that. He hopes you come home tonight, and then I'll come pick you up again after that somehow, and we'll just pretend that your family doesn't exist on this planet."

"That sounds fucking fantastic." Tyler relaxed for a moment, before sitting back up slowly, looking at his stuff. "Well, I guess I better get going then." He looked up at Reid, asking, "So we're on the same page, what 'reasons' did you tell my father?"

Reid smirked. "Simple shit dude. Studying for finals, getting back into the pool to start training for the next season, tutoring some girls for government, stuff like that."

Tyler nodded and stood up, grabbing things and getting ready. Soon he was walking out the door, bidding a short farewell to Reid. "Dude, you'll see me soon. You know you can call me anytime."

"We'll see." Tyler walked out to his hummer, sighing as he tossed his stuff in and got in himself. He was a hell of a lot more functional than the night before, and overall felt more relaxed and rested than he had in a long time. He knew he should be feeling better, but the fear of his father caused his shoulders to remain tight. The drive seemed to take longer than normal, but he wasn't complaining. No matter what, all too soon would he be arriving home. When he pulled into the driveway, he could begin to feel the onset of a headache, knowing his father would be knocking on his bedroom door the moment Tyler set foot through his sliding doors.

Tyler shouldered his bags and his guard, not wanting to fall back into the sleepless nights again. He needed this rest, and he would try to allow it to happen. The one thing I learned from psychology; how to manage your sleep. Tyler slid his door open, set his bags on the ground, and began taking off his shoes when he heard the familiar rap on the door. It then opened, the greasy sweet voice asking, "Is that you Tyler?"

"Yes father, it is."

He met the mud eyes with dead eyes of his own, mentally sighing. This was going to be harder than he expected. "Glad to see that you finally came home. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Hurry up, and we can discuss the reasons why you haven't been sleeping very well."

"Sounds good." Tyler nodded and finished taking off his shoes, finally hearing the door softly shut. He began reinforcing his mental shield, not wanting to let his father sink his disgusting fingers into his emotions anymore. He made sure he looked fine before heading down to the living room, preparing for the worst.

As his eyes caught sight of his mother, he gave a weak smile. She still looked as beautiful as ever, her Italian skin glowing, her long, black hair over one shoulder, hands tucked neatly in the lap of her evening dress. Tyler's eyes slid onto his father next, eyeing the simple polo covering his broad frame. His father simply looked back at him until he took a seat, Tyler then noticing the dishes on the table.

His mother then shifted expectedly and placed her hair down her back. She bowed her head, speaking, "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and for these gifts, let us be blessed. Thank you for bringing Tyler back to our home safely, and we are grateful to have you in our presence. Amen."

Tyler simply stared at her, not even thinking about bowing his head. "Are you serious?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"Is there a problem, Tyler?" his mother asked in a tight voice, her eyes beginning to become heated.

"I'm just asking, why are you saying all that stuff?"

Before Tyler could actually realize what he had just asked aloud, he could feel the glare his father was shooting at him right then. "Maybe you should listen to your mother, Tyler. Maybe then you won't have any excuses to come up with for why you aren't sleeping well. People with religious beliefs tend to live longer, healthier, stress-free lives. Your grades didn't slip at all, did they?"

Tyler stiffened, not at all knowing how good or bad he did on his finals. "No, of course they didn't. I'm better at organizing my life than you give me credit for."

"You better hope so," his father muttered, Tyler leaving the conversation at that. They ate dinner in silence, and right as he finished, he heard the phone ring, his mother racing off. His father turned towards Tyler, looked at him for a moment, before grinning. "So. You haven't been sleeping. Which part of your schedule doesn't permit you a full eight hours of sleep a night?"

"Ah, just extra studying and final calculations. I've been tutoring these two girls for the last two months in government, and Reid has teased me about always having trouble getting back into the pool come season. So, working around pool hours, tutoring hours, class hours, food hours, studying hours come before sleep hours."

His father stayed silent and continued grinning, finally saying, "You sound like you had that all planned out. Pretty little speech. Well, I don't buy it. I think it's something that only I can uncover."

Tyler nodded weakly, then quickly excused himself, clearing his dishes before he went for his room, going to take as long of a nap as he could before the nightmares kicked in. With his father's grin still haunting his mind, he knew it wasn't going to take long.


So? How goes it? What do people think? My story worth reading yet or have I been dragging it out? Hehe, i'm just having fun. I hope people do enjoy reading this and i hope it's not waste of time. I'm super happy I have internet again and i'm trying to post now as much as possible to catch up where i am in the story. I've been gone for far too long and i want to get this thing on the move. Just curious to what people think about this, otherwise, i hope everyone's having a good night. Boo tomorrow's my monday, but so be it. With two babies and a fun-grabbing needy husband, i've come to realize it's hard to find a few minutes for the computer. And if then, sadly, i'm obsessed with facebook and the stalking and that whole silly thing. hehehe :)