-Reasons-
Friday 1:03 p.m. Gordon residence
Chase felt like he was back to being a kid again, keeping out of sight from the man and woman in a bad mood who would hurt him if they so much as saw him. There he was hiding in the guest bedroom the Gordons had given him when he first showed up at their doorstep in need of a place to shelter. Hiding for other reasons of course. He knew no one in this house would ever even think to lay a hand on him. Trisha was downstairs with the Gordons having lunch. He avoided the family meal by saying he had something to do. A total lie but he knew Emily would never let him miss a meal if all he said was that he wasn't hungry, which he wasn't. After everything happening lately, his mind was elsewhere.
His past seemed to be catching up with him at a startling rate. First he'd learned about an uncle he never knew existed and Trisha showed. The other teenager was born and raised in Haversfield. Chase remembered meeting her three years ago. Some guys at school thought it would be a good idea to start something with him and she stepped in, listing off interesting information which would be better left unknown by anyone else. That was the first inkling of suspicion he had of her possibly being a reporter or something. Trisha turned out to be a reporter for the school newspaper but she preferred to be called a journalist. It sounded more professional she'd always tell him with a smile. They'd been friends ever since.
His thoughts trailed back to the events in the bar and the warehouse. There had been so much pain. Chase couldn't recall experiencing agony like that. He was close to dead and the Sons saved him. Now he found himself wondering if it would have been better if they just let him die. What right did he have to live when innocent people were dying?
He wanted to belong his whole life. To feel like there were people who cared and could watch his back should he ever need it. He made a couple friends in high school such as Trish and Mark. Right before junior year began though, Mark's parents had separated and as a nasty divorce was in the works, Mark came to live with Chase and his..legal guardians for a while. When his "mother" smashed an empty bottle of liquor over his head after he refused to go out and get her more alcohol, Mark didn't understand why he wouldn't call the police on her. He'd snapped at his friend even as he laid bleeding on the floor, telling him he should stay out of things he didn't understand.
Because Mark didn't understand. His friend couldn't understand the desperate need to survive. There'd been an officer. Officer Schilles. The son of a bitch knew full well what was going on in that household and he did nothing. Worse yet, he made sure no one else responded to 911 calls. Told every officer he was a trouble-maker and lived to make his parents lives miserable. If only they'd known it was the other way around in reality.
Chase supposed he didn't help matters by appearing like the typical rebel teenager Officer Schilles made him out to be to everyone. It was his way to hide his pain, pretending to not give a damn what anyone else thought about him. He didn't know if he could have survived without his public facade. Mark moved out that same night. He ended up moving out of town to go live with his dad soon after, far away. So much for having friends.
There had still been Trisha with him at school. And of course, a special girl was with him too. He was more his real self around her than around anyone. Even more so than when he spent time with Trisha or Mark. She brought out the best in him and he'd love her always for that. Chase regretted leaving her behind but he had to. Or he thought he had to. His father, his real father, had done a good job messing with his head. He truly believed going after the members of the covenant and acquiring their power in retaliation for turning their backs on his lineage was what he was supposed to do. It had begun to feel like the wrong thing to do as he got to know the Sons and Kate, even Sarah... But the more he used his power and the additional power his father willed to him not long after they'd met and talked, the more he liked it. He'd liked it a lot.
Chase formed a promise to himself. No using his power. Ever. The power was an addiction. It let him feel good, powerful. It let him feel like he was capable of anything. But he wasn't. Thinking like that could get him killed. It could get other people killed. He learned the lesson the hard way after fighting Caleb at that barn, using Sarah as a hostage, hurting Kate and Pogue...
He kicked the wall absently with a booted foot. He killed that kid... Christian Baron. There hadn't been a choice. The guy had seen him using his power. He was going to tell people about it. He had to stop him. He had no choice. That was what Chase kept telling himself anyway. He knew better about that too though. Murder was murder.
Chase turned his gaze upward, to the window and the afternoon sky outside. Never once had he entertained the possibility of the existence of God. He spent his childhood abused and terrified. When this power had first come upon him as a teenager, he had seen it as a curse, something else setting him apart from other people. People who got to live normal, safe lives. And so he'd mostly hated it. He never thought in a million years the day would arrive when he realized it was liking the power that was when things got really scary.
So now he vowed to never use. It was an addiction and he was forcing himself to go cold turkey. It was far from pleasant and he thought about using every single day. Each day awful because he couldn't just be happy or content. No, he had to think and bargain and deal with his own declining insanity. It was the least he deserved to have happen to him, this withdrawal and misery, after everything he did.
"Hey. Hey, you, big guy. God or whatever... I don't know. I'm no good at this. I've never done this before. Look, if you're there, I know I don't deserve the time of day from someone like you. But if you could just listen for a sec. That's all I'm asking for here," Chase begged the unresponsive blue sky outside the window of his room. "If you could just..help me. Help me not to use. I want to so badly, god I do, but..I can't. If I use, I could lose control and people..people could get hurt. I won't let that happen again. So please, keep an eye on me, alright?"
He stared another few seconds and shook his head with a small laugh. "Ah, I can't do this."
Chase climbed to his feet and tapped the window beside him with a closed fist. "Well okay then."
"You talking to yourself?"
He spun to find Mr. Gordon standing in the doorway watching him. "Ah, no... Well..sorta," Chase stammered.
"Relax, Chase. I'm not here to give you a hard time."
"Oh..okay."
"But you are having a hard time, aren't you, Chase?" Mr. Gordon said it knowingly, no doubt behind the words.
"Mr. Gordon. There isn't really anything-" he halted mid-sentence when the older man raised a hand up to motion for him to stop talking.
"It's Frank. You don't need to lie. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. When I offered you a home, I meant it. You may stay as long as you need. I ask only one thing."
The husband and father of two waited until Chase met and held his gaze before finishing what he had to say. "Whatever is going on that has you looking so exhausted, whatever kept you away for three days, I don't need to know any of that. You keep your troubles far away from my family though, are we clear?"
"Yes, of course," Chase immediately agreed. "I would never let anything happen to you or your family. Never."
Frank looked at him for a moment, taking stock of his appearance once again perhaps. "You're a good kid, Chase. You are."
The words surprised him. He hadn't expected to hear that from Mr. Gordon. The surprise must have shown on his face because the other man chuckled. "That wasn't meant to be shocking."
"Oh, right..."
With a sigh, Frank backed into the hallway still smiling. "Your friend seems like a good kid too. She's not in any trouble, is she?"
"What, Trisha? Nah, not her. She's level-headed..well, mostly."
The two smiled at one another and Mr. Gordon jerked his thumb randomly over his shoulder. "Are you coming down to eat something? You look like you could use food in you."
"I'll eat, but later. I think I'll take a walk."
He appeared as if he wanted to say something about that. He didn't. "Alright, well, the girls adore your friend so I'm sure the three will be fine for a time with your absence." He started to go, only to pause and look back. "Oh, but, Chase, let's not make it a three day hike, okay?"
Chase had to laugh. He wished he had Mr. Gordon for a father.
/
Friday 2:17 p.m.
He didn't know why, but his mind was on his recently deceased father. Caleb never liked the man much. He had had many bad habits. His father was selfish and greedy. A narcissistic bastard who liked to be in command at all times. The man welcomed the power that came in his line of ancestors with open arms. He used his magic on a regular basis and never for anything that could be considered good. His father paid for his addiction to the power by aging far faster than was natural. When the man was buried, he appeared more likely be Caleb's great-grandfather rather than his father. At the funeral, it was Caleb and his mom. There was no one else who cared to say goodbye to a man who only ever cared for himself. Even still, Caleb's mother shed many tears when the casket was lowered into the ground. He understood why. His father had been the habit his mother just couldn't shake.
Habits were a funny thing. Sometimes they could be perfectly harmless. Tying knots a certain way or taking the same path home no matter the other paths that could be taken. Those things wouldn't harm anyone. Then there were those things that did harm. Times when habits could be perfectly deadly.
Caleb thought there were two roads in life to choose from. The right one and the wrong one. Good or bad. For him, he had always seen things in black or white. Then he came along, walking into Caleb's life, not once but twice, making him realize there were possible gray areas among the black and white. His father had clearly been on the wrong road his entire life until that one last deed of willing his beloved power to his son, which ended his own life and saved Caleb from probable death. But when considering Chase Collins, everything seemed to get complicated.
That whole gray area came into being whenever Caleb's thoughts mulled over the fifth Son of Ipswich. Good, bad, good. He supposed it did make sense a person could be both good and bad. Surely one dominated over the other though, right? With his own father the bad won out over good nearly every time. Addiction to the power had done him in at a young age. It was the way Chase Collins was going.
When he fought Chase at the Putnam barn, he'd easily seen it. The pleasure the other man had taken in using his power, using it to do violence against Caleb. He loved the strength and sheer force that came with having magical power, there was little doubt about that. What wasn't so clear to Caleb... The question he still needed answered... It concerned the concept of there being good and bad in people. Which one dominated Chase?
A sharp elbow digging into his ribs snapped him out of his thoughts. Reid reverted his attention back to the front of the classroom, his mission seemingly accomplished. What mission that was became abundantly evident when Caleb searched the room and sought the location of the instructor. The instructor who had halted the entire lecture in order to fix what could be considered a death glare, onto him.
"I asked if you found history interesting, Mr. Danvers?"
His response was to blink once.
"Well, Mr. Danvers? Do you?"
He didn't have to look to know Pogue and Tyler were eyeing him from their respective seats around the room. Tyler was a tad concerned and worried but otherwise unreadable and quiet. Pogue, on the other hand, was likely attempting to keep his grin from getting noticed by anyone else with a hand blocking his mouth. Usually he would go ahead and tell the teacher what he wanted to hear. But after what happened with Chase, visiting the man's home where he was raised, Caleb couldn't bring himself to think about anything else. He couldn't get himself to care about anything else either. He couldn't go on with his daily life when he knew someone could be in trouble. It wasn't the kind of person he was. He looked at the teacher.
"Depends on whose history it is," he told the instructor. The answer was honest, even if it wasn't what the teacher meant by his question.
"Excuse me?" The glare became genuine frustration at his student's response he hadn't anticipated hearing.
Caleb met his teacher's stare. "Is there a problem with your hearing?"
"Caleb!" Reid hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "Shut up, man. What are you doing?"
He paid his friend no attention as he continued to meet the gaze of the older man looking at him. "I think the problem lies with you, young man! I think-"
He interrupted. Caleb was in no mood to be reprimanded. "I don't really care what you think. There's something I've got to do so I'm out of here."
As he began to gather his books and things, Reid gaped at him open-mouthed. Tyler and Pogue were probably having the same reaction but he couldn't bring himself to care. It didn't matter the entire class including his teacher and friends thought he was experiencing temporary insanity. Instead he focused on what mattered to him. He had to find Chase because his curiosity and constant concern for everyone around him was getting the better of him. According to the people who had known Chase Collins his entire life, the ones who essentially raised him since he was two years old in place of his adoptive parents, the guy would need a reason to do the things he had done. Something must have happened to make Chase do what he had, to go out and target Caleb and the other Sons.
After he finished shoving his books in his bag, he slung the strap over his shoulder and left, ignoring the instructor was still talking at him. It didn't take long to pick up on three sets of footsteps trailing behind him down the hallway. When he turned the second corner from the classroom, he waited for them to catch up. When they did they looked just as he suspected them to be looking, confused and worried.
"Caleb, what was that?" Pogue demanded, getting right in his face.
He controlled himself though, and backed off to give Caleb some space.
"I had other things on my mind."
"No kidding," Reid muttered, sarcasm evident in his voice.
"Wow," murmured Tyler.
Caleb, Pogue, and Reid all turned to stare at Tyler with his unexpected comment, spoken in what could be described as awe and wonder. The youngest covenant member was staring in a very different direction, over Caleb's shoulder. They followed his gaze to see what the fuss was about.
"Wow is right..." Reid said to the others quietly as the object of fascination was drawing closer.
It was a girl. She appeared around the same age as they were and she was gorgeous. The girl had long, wavy brown hair cascading past her shoulders and down her back. Her dark brown eyes somehow seemed to shine bright. She had smooth, slightly pale skin. Her gaze was one of someone lost and when roving eyes landed on the four standing in the hall, she looked relieved.
"Oh, hi. Glad I finally ran into somebody. Could you help me?"
Reid managed to get to her in record time and he gave her a broad smile. Caleb rolled his eyes but had to admit, the guy was smooth when it came to the ladies. Heck, he'd even heard of the man grabbing the attention of other guys on several occasions.
"We'd be glad to help you out, beautiful. What seems to be the problem?
She looked him up and down, unimpressed. "You say that to all the ladies." Her tone was knowing, not questioning.
"Only the ones as amazing as you," Reid told her, grinning.
Now would have been the perfect time for Caleb to slap his own head in exasperation. Better yet, now would be the time to slap his ever horny friend on the head. The woman could hold her own, however.
"Wow, yeah?" she exclaimed, sounding pleased at Reid's words to her. She leaned in real close to him, her hair practically brushing against his cheek as she murmured low into his ear. It was a murmur loud enough for everyone to hear exactly what she was saying.
"Well, we shouldn't waste any more time then. Let's have sex right now."
He pulled back, eyes wide, and she laughed, smiling. "Yeah..that's what I thought. No idea about real women." She turned to Caleb and the others with her amused smile still in place. "So, is somebody going to actually help me out here or should I find someone with a little more self-respect?"
"Believe me, some of us are capable of thinking above the waist," Tyler informed her, smiling too.
"Glad to hear it. My name is Selene Rogers. I'm looking for somebody. Last I heard, this is where he's been going to school."
Caleb shook himself out of his continued thoughts of smacking respectable behavior into Reid through the use of brute force. He turned his attention to the woman. He had to admit, Reid was right about her being a pretty girl, no doubt about that.
"Selene, I'm Caleb. This is Pogue, Tyler, and you've already been acquainted with Reid."
She laughed again. "Yes, yes I have."
"You say you're looking for someone?" Pogue asked. "Where are you from?"
The question was unexpected for her but she answered regardless. "Haversfield. Why?"
They knew why Pogue asked then.
"You're looking for Chase Collins, aren't you?"
"Yes. Yes, I am." Her smile became happier. "You know who he is. Do you know where he is?"
"I might," Caleb replied. "Actually, we were on our way to go see him."
Pogue frowned at him. "We were?"
He ignored his good friend and smiled politely at the woman waiting excitedly for whatever he had to say.
"Come on. We'll take you to him."