Don't know what to say anymore... (well except Thank You!). So I'll just shut up and let you read chapter 6.
Chapter 6
When Emma woke up the next morning, she was alone in their common sleeping bag. She stretched lightly experiencing for the first time the soreness of a night spent on a cold hard ground. The young woman rubbed her back wearily and took a look at the watch resting on her sweater. They still had one hour before breakfast. She sat up in the tent, looking around her dreamily.
Brennan chose that moment to open the zipper, letting the first ray of light enter the sheltered space. Seeing her awake, he smiled and hastily slid back in the sleeping bag with her. Emma lied back down with him. Instantly his arms found their way around her waist and he kissed her neck lovingly. Emma shivered under his touch and cuddled deeper in his embrace.
"Morning sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
She felt him smile in her neck and couldn't help but also smile. That man always seemed to have a way around her heart.
"Heavenly; despite the cold and the rocks sticking in my back. And you?"
He let out a small laugh.
"Do I have to remember you that you were the one who wanted to come here? And I slept perfectly well."
Another kiss landed on her jaw line and his hand slid under her t-shirt not leaving her the time to answer. He felt her ribcage moving faster with each little pressure or stroke. His lips landed just below her ear, brushing her soft skin. Emma closed her eyes, letting her mind slowly brush against his, taking in his growing hunger and his love. She sighed contentedly, all worries nearly forgotten. He began to softly nibble at her earlobe and she had to suppress a moan. She turned around lying on her back granting him access to her mouth. Too soon for her liking, the murmurs of waking students reminded her they were not alone. She managed to tear her lips from his and locked eyes with him.
"Bren did you call Adam?"
Upon hearing her, the elemental froze. She was definitely too focused on her job. He knew that she was not going to let the subject go like that. He closed his eyes trying to find the right way to tell her what Adam had explained. He knew that Emma was not someone who could be easily frightened. But what their leader had told him barely five minutes ago would certainly shake her a little. Resigned, he knew that he would not be able to protect her any longer.
"Yeah. They were unable to find a single element on the killer. However Adam examined the victims DNA. All the girls were psionic. The autopsies revealed that they died from cerebral attacks."
Emma shuddered. What had happened yesterday was just a quick glimpse of what that monster could do. But what worried her most was that she could not sense him unless he let his guard down. And even if he let his guard down, how was she supposed to destroy or contain it? She let out a small frustrated sigh. They were making progress but it was agonizingly slow. On the other hand, things were going at light speed in her head.
"I don't think that the killer has a body of his own. It travels from one person to the other like some kind of ghost. It can burry itself in the deeper recess of their mind. That's why I can't sense it most of the time. We're not looking for someone."
XXXAs the sun rose behind the black jagged outline of the mountains, giving the sky an amazing reddish color, an ethereal form slid silently away from one of the tents.
The hunger was becoming stronger with each passing minute; it rushed through his veins like potent liquor heading to his brain with each systole. The sensation it created in his soul was like a gigantic black hole threatening to swallow everything in its vicinity. The closeness of his two preys was just adding to the temptation.
But he was a good hunter and he was waiting for the right moment to strike. He breathed deeply, catching a waft of strong feelings coming from one of the tents. It quickly invaded his mind, sped through his veins, making him nearly groan. He knew that he couldn't wait any longer; the days ahead of him would be the most tantalizing he had ever lived. But he knew that it would be worth the wait.
XXXThe road they had taken the first day became a narrow path littered with irregular rocks. It climbed the slope of the mountain steadily and soon enough they left the cool cover of the forest to walk in flower-covered pastures. Some students were already slowing their pace under the already too warm sun and the weight of their equipment.
Patti was walking behind the group with Sam, taking in the beautiful landscape, exchanging comments with her friend about the flowers or arguing about the exact location of the group on the map.
She was watching a marmot playing in the low grass when she felt something entering her mind. Quickly the sensation became a strong overwhelming pain in the right part of her brain. The psionic wanted to scream but her voice was caught in her throat. The pain lasted a few minutes slowly engulfing her brain in a grey haze. It blocked everything, including the continual noise assaulting her mind, and suddenly she was buried in the uncanny depth of the fog. The sensation faded as quickly as it had appeared. She dismissed the incident as if it was a normal side effect of her strange abilities.
Too preoccupied with what had happened, she did not see the rock sticking out of the ground. She stumbled and felt herself falling, sliding on the slope unable to stop her fall. A commotion erupted among the students, stopping their walk. Instantly, Brennan let his backpack down and ran where the young psionic had fallen. He heard Emma shouting his name but he went down the hill without a second thought. The girl was there on a little shoulder, sitting completely shocked among willowherbs, her right hand resting on her arm as if it was broken.
The elemental reached her position and kneeled in front of her. Carefully he moved her hand away from her forearm to examine her wound. A deep gash was going from her wrist to her elbow with blood slowly oozing in the middle, staining her t-shirt. He swore silently praying it was not as serious as it appeared to be. He locked eyes with the shocked teenager and was not surprised to see the fear shining there. Explanations could wait until they got back on the road.
"Beside your arm, are you hurt?"
The girl shook her head no.
"Do you think you can walk back on the road?"
She looked up from her arm and managed to utter a small response. She was still too stunned to realize that she had come really close to death.
"Yeah. I think so."
Brennan extended his hand to help her getting up. Careful not to hurt her arm, he took her backpack, adjusted the straps and put it on his back. After that, he shouted that everything was all right before climbing back on the path where everyone was waiting for them.
Emma had already prepared the first aid kit and told the others to resume their walk. Despite some protests from Charlie, Helena, Sam and Rory the small group went on. Some students were sometimes tuning back, throwing glances at Emma every now and then.
When Patti came into sight, she ran to the girl and made her sit on a nearby rock. She took a look at the gash and instantly understood it would need stitches. She carefully disinfected the wound while sending soothing feelings to the frightened teenager. Before starting, she suppressed any feelings of pain. As she began stitching the wound, Brennan came back on the path. If she had not been so focused on her task, she would have laughed out loud. Several willowherbs and grass strands were stuck on the backpack and on his shirt like some weird camouflage. He got rid of the burden on his back and sat close to the girls.
"What happened Patti?"
The young girl looked up at the elemental, then back at her arm. The needle was pushed in her flesh and she experienced no pain at all. Despite what had happened in the last few minutes, she felt amazingly great. And why didn't she feel any pain from the stitches? She focused on the young woman sitting in front of her, but her mind was still a mess and she was unable to read her thoughts. Then everything fell into place; the woman was like her.
"You are like me. That's the reason I don't feel any pain. Do you work for the police?"
Brennan and Emma looked at each other not really surprised. They had talked about the teenager before and, in one glance, they decided it was time for an explanation.
"We are mutants, just like you. Emma is a psionic, a tele-empath to be precise, and I'm an elemental. We are here because of your two friends disappearance and murder. And no, we don't work for the police. We are part of a group helping mutants."
Patricia dropped her head. She had hopped everything was just a nightmare; that at least they would find Melie alive; that her powers would just go away with time. Brennan put a hand on her shoulder trying to give her some comfort. He knew how hard it was to loose someone that close and know that your own life would never be the same again.
As gently as possible, Emma entered her mind, trying to understand what had happened to her. The same bitter taste she had experienced the day before assaulted her mind and she instantly backed out of the young girl's mind. Brennan barely had the time to catch her before she faltered. They went out of Patti's ear reach and she murmured in his hear.
"He attacked her. I'm not his only target."
The elemental tightened his grip on her. This whole fieldtrip was turning to a total nightmare.
"I checked where she fell. Her wound was not provoked by a rock. That thing can hurt people without touching them."
"We can't tell her what really happened. It would only freak her out. And if the killer has a way to read her mind he will know that we're here."
The psionic looked back at the teenager still sitting on the rock. The choice was tearing her heart apart. But they could not tell her. It was too dangerous. They would have to catch that thing before it could hurt her again. Brennan hugged her a last time before letting go. Emma returned to Patti and bandaged her arm carefully. They resumed their walk quietly, heading for their second base camp.
XXXTheir arrival at the camp was less than triumphant. It took them two supplementary hours to reach it and in the middle Brennan had to take Patti's bag because she was too weak to carry it. The camp had a central wooden house that served as a refectory, two annexes that were dedicated to the showers and toilets; the rest of the place was a soft grass meadow where people could camp.
Upon arriving Brennan and Emma put their things down. The elemental put the tent together while Emma made sure Patti was all right. She gave her some painkillers she had found in the little infirmary of the camp and talked to Charlie to ensure a day of rest the following morning. Meanwhile Rory and Sam took less than ten minutes to put her tent together and install her stuff in it. All along Emma kept scanning the people around her trying to find the killer.
XXXBrennan watched the flames licking at the logs, happily dancing, making the wood creak. Around him students were chatting, joking and in a retired corner some were singing. He smiled to himself. That was how life was supposed to be for them, no worries about the ugliness and hypocrisy of the world and the people around them, no worries about the dangers lurking nearby. His eyes quickly searched the place taking in the happy mood. Instantly they landed on Emma. She was talking with Patti, laughing from time to time while drinking some tea.
He focused his attention on her, forgetting about everything that was surrounding him. Her face seemed to glow with happiness. But beside her beauty there was something about her smile, her character; the kindness she had for everyone despite her knowledge of their biggest flaws. She cared for him. And that in itself was a miracle. Had he believed in angels, he would have said that she had been sent for him.
Sensing that she was being observed, Emma looked up and met Brennan's warm eyes. She stopped her banter with the young student unable to focus on their conversation anymore. Her smile brightened and after a few seconds she silently got up. He quickly took he hint. Muttering a small excuse, he got up and followed her in a far corner of the camp uncaring of the remarks his hasty departure had created.
The psionic was leaning on a tree trunk her arms behind her. The moment he saw her mischievous smile, he knew that she was not there to talk about business. Gently he got closer to her, pressing his body against hers and lifted her chin softly caressing her lips with his fingertips. She closed her eyes basking in the contact. Seeing her shiver, he wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you cold?"
"Yeah a little."
He tightened his embrace, trying to shield her from the coolness of the night. One of his hands entangled in her hair, softly combing them. His other hand rested on her hip bringing her even closer. Before he had the time to pursue the conversation, her lips met his for a long awaited kiss. When they drew apart Bren was grinning from ear to ear.
"Feeling better now?"
The psionic rested her head in the crook of his neck. She didn't need to answer his question. He already knew her answer. A warm silence stretched between them, punctuated every now and then by laughs and songs coming from the camp. Without a noise, the two lovers sat on the ground and the elemental wrapped his arms around her. As they observed the people around the fire, Brennan rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Do you think that he is going to strike while we're here?"
Emma closed her eyes and rested her hand on his, entangling their fingers. He held her hand tightly and his grip became nearly painful as she answered his question.
"I don't think so Bren. It would raise suspicions. On the other hand, we're alone in the middle of nowhere. He could corner Patti quite easily. The incident this morning is a good proof. And it would appear just like another mountain accident."
She didn't add that she was another target; the elemental knew it too well. After a few minutes, she was relaxed enough to watch the students happily dancing around the fire. She put her head on his shoulder and softly kissed his neck.
"Not the best circumstances to start a relationship."
His laughter shook his whole body. His little Emma always had a way to defuse the tension.
"We didn't exactly meet in normal circumstances."
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Hey! We met in a bar like many other couples."
The elemental softly kissed her cheek, going to her ear, while one of his hands began to rub her thigh. His voice became hoarse, low.
"Do you call normal being chased by GSA agents? Or maybe planning your next bank robbery is more normal for you. Face it honey, we're far from being normal."
Small butterfly kisses landed on her neck and reached her collarbone. This time she shivered and not from the cold. A strong feeling of anticipation washed over her, settling in every fibre of her being.
"What about a normal night for two people who are unable to do things 'normally'?"
Hearing him, she turned her head slightly and locked eyes with him.
"Bren as tempting as it sounds, we're not exactly alone here."
He instantly stilled, nearly afraid to have understood her.
"I was talking about sleep Em. But… now that you mention it…"
Feeling the thoughts drifting her way, the young psionic blushed deeply.
"Oh, hmm, well… I"
"Hey, no need to be embarrassed. It already crossed my mind… a few times. Come on. We're going to get some sleep."
TBC