-Starting Over-

Saturday 6:14 a.m. Ipswich

To say he was tired would be a massive understatement. Glancing at the clock beside him told he'd slept for over twelve hours. He shut his eyes again. Funny how his body was telling him he hadn't gotten even half that. Wait, a clock? Last thing he recalled was dropping onto hard ground, a result of dredging up the memories that made up his nightmares all at once. He felt his hand clutch sheets. His eyes opened. He was in a bed, not his own at the Gordons' he'd become accustomed to over the past few months.

"You okay?"

When he heard the voice, he sat himself upright. The voice was definitely known to him but it was sounding a tad hoarse and strained. Caleb looked paler than usual, eyes puffy and rimmed red from either crying or a lack of sleep.

"Am I? Are you?"

Caleb didn't answer, shifting in his seat beside the bed restlessly. There was something he wanted to say. Either he didn't know how to say it or he didn't really want to. Guess he was doing the talking.

"You look like crap run over twice."

"Are you okay?"

The second time his health had been inquired upon.

"Is everything alright? Something going on I should know about?"

"Been having nightmares since we, you know, did the soul stare. Can't sleep. How the heck do you?"

"Changing the subject," Chase observed, "But okay. I guess my body just gave out this time. Not sure when I last ate or slept, so, not good. And the nightmares? They're always there, just varying in degrees of awfulness and how often they show."

"Sounds shitty."

That didn't sound much like Caleb. Maybe what an exhausted Caleb sounded like. He wouldn't know. He didn't know any of the Sons that well. The last time he'd had a motive, an agenda the entire time he pretended to be a good guy, a friend. Now he was directionless, without a clue of what he was doing.

He tried to play at humor. "Not as shitty as getting my ass kicked near every day."

Caleb didn't find it funny, so he went on, growing more solemn as he did.

"Not as shitty as having this magical power I couldn't even begin to understand. Not as shitty as finally meeting my real father, albeit ghost form, only to find out way later that he lied to me, screwed with me, so I would try and get his revenge against the covenant. My dad's the bad one though, isn't he? Bad blood. I don't get why you let me into your coven."

"Because I'm coming around to the idea you're not bad at all. You found someone you believed was family, someone who actually cared about you. He used that belief to manipulate you."

"I had Helen and Arthur. I had Selene."

"You found blood and you trusted it and it betrayed you. My dad was a dick. A selfish asshole who cared for my mom long enough to get her pregnant. He was sort of there when I was growing up, but he might as well have been dead. He lived for the magic, used and used, and his body aged way faster for it. Ended up a young, old man hidden away from the world."

"But he did love you, in the end. That was his power passed over to you the night you ascended, wasn't it?"

Caleb nodded. "Yeah."

"And that's why you won. You had love of family, friends, and Sarah to power you up. All I had was a hate I didn't understand."

He managed to subdue the bitterness leaking into his voice.

"That was before. This is your clean slate, okay?"

Chase sighed. His body felt tired and his mind was joining him there. Caleb fidgeted with the chair some more.

"What's wrong? You're apprehensive about something."

"Someone came to my house asking after you. Seemed concerned about your well-being and wanted to check on you. We told Selene where you were staying when Tyler and Reid ran into her in town. She's the only one who could have told this guy your condition. I didn't know him, so I sent him away."

"Did he happen to leave his name?"

"Jason."

"Aw, crap. I've got to go see Selene."

Caleb perked up in his seat, livening his exhausted appearance substantially. "What? Why? Who is this guy?"

"Trouble."

/

10:15 a.m.

Ever consider what it would feel like to have no purpose? Nine times out of ten, there is someone who has no meaning. This someone will pass out of the world as they entered it, insignificant and alone. In the grand scheme of the universe, we exist in a tiny bubble of time, people, places, and things. He was just one person out of billions. He shouldn't matter. But he did.

Chase knew he was being hunted, knew he shouldn't stay in the area if he wanted to keep him and the people he cared about safe. Someone that driven to break apart the covenant, claim all that power, wasn't going to stop. He was barely considered an adult by the world's standards. Still a teenager. Still struggling to make and keep the few real connections he managed so far in this life. He guessed it was why he didn't run when Sarah and Kate forced a meal down his throat. Trying to find a place for himself for once was probably why he'd joined the Ipswich coven in the end. He guessed it was why he was on his way to the inn to see Selene.

If his life so far could tell anything, it would tell he was anything but lucky. The power of a warlock he'd been born with had the ability to keep him and others safe, yes. It also meant a whole lot of responsibility to keep himself in control, and ensuring he didn't draw unwanted attention. He had gotten this unwanted attention from an uncle he never knew existed, and now from this guy who was giving him a dirty look as soon as he entered the lobby area of the small inn.

The guy didn't know about his power, but it didn't make him less worse than Austin or his dad, or his adoptive parents. Sheesh, it had most definitely been high time he found new company. It simply wasn't as easy to change one's self as he'd like it to be.

"Hey, Jason," he mumbled in a neutral tone, not looking to stir up anything.

"Chase."

So much for that hope. He was greeted rather short and unreceptive. It would be next to impossible with Selene in the building. If he was going to be treated like gum sticking to the bottom of Jason's shoe, fine, he'd act like it.

"Still pining after a girl who appreciates you nice and secure in that zone... What was it called again? Oh yeah, the friend zone."

"Way I see it, I'm moving up. You did abandon her. Didn't even say goodbye."

Jason shook his head slowly from side to side in a mockingly sympathetic gesture. When he stopped, a smirk began to appear on his face. What the hell was he smiling about? Chase decided he was going to try and take the higher ground here.

"She cried on my shoulder last night. Crying all about how she didn't know what to do when it came to you. Said maybe she was making a mistake. Don't worry. I held her real nice and tight, late into the night."

"Friend zone," Chase spat, giving up his momentary desire to be the mature one.

"Yes, I do believe that's where you're headed."

Ugh, okay. Enough of this high school drama. "Tell you what, why don't we both act like adults and not speak about Selene."

"Hm. Fine by me. What would you like to talk about, Chase?"

The other said it with a dark humor, causing his eyes to narrow.

"How about what you're doing here?"

"Selene came here."

"And?"

"And I answered your question. My turn to ask one."

"What? Are you stalking her or something?"

He flashed him a tight, humorless smile. "My turn."

Okay, things were never comfortable when they were in the same general vicinity, but this was an entirely new level of discomfort. Jason had always been obsessively in love with Selene Rogers as her eternal childhood friend. The guy tried to gang up with Selene's parents to try and get her to break up with him when they first started seeing each other.

This was something else though. This was different than what was familiar. It wasn't crazy in love or crazy "I'll be your enemy over a girl". It was just plain crazy.

Jason moved unbearably close and Chase had to back it up to avoid having lips brush against his ear. When he whispered, it was done slow and measured. He had definitely been waiting for him in the lobby. His words sounded planned out and especially sinister.

"How long do you calculate you'll live? That's my question for you, Chase. Stay away from Selene after today. Never see her again and you don't have to answer my question. If you don't listen to me, I'll answer it for you."

To say he was incredulous when he felt the knife press against his stomach would be generous. Shit, Jason was crazy stalker material. His initial urge was to repel the bastard back with a sharp blast of energy. Instead, he used the two very adept hands God gave him to wrench those curly blonde locks back until it hurt. The knife pressed harder against the thin fabric of his t-shirt in response, threatening to cut through and into skin.

As quickly as this escalated to potential violence, the moment was gone in an instant. It was like Chase had taken a deep breath and come to realize it was his imagination. Jason took two steps away, no pocket knife in sight, and twirled around to greet the girl walking in through the front entrance.

"Trisha! I didn't know you were in Ipswich."

"Just outside, actually. But my purposes are for this town. I'm onto a story I think." She spoke with such certainty and it was inevitable she was going to regale them with her exploits of late, whether they wished to hear them or not. "There's something strange about this town. The whole area. Maybe even criminal. Criminal stuff always makes the headlines."

"Criminal?" Chase inquired, now truly curious where she was going with such thinking.

"That's right," Trisha proudly confirmed. "A few days ago some night club had to shut down early when guys with guns came in, terrorizing the place."

"That sounds like a crime, but how is it strange?" he dared ask.

"This whole area has a high rate of accidents, including unexplained incidents and deaths."

She seemed happy, excited even, at the idea.

"Deaths? I've lived here for a good while and haven't heard about any strange deaths."

"You just don't know where to look. I've read autopsy files for four different young men, three who didn't live in this area anymore, but all originally from Ipswich."

"That's a weak connection to mean there's foul play," Chase pointed out.

"Weak?" Trisha disagreed. "These four deaths occurred in the span of two months, five months ago. There's a heck of a coincidence."

Jason added to the conversation for the first time since his initial greeting. "What do you think could be going on?"

She positively beamed, journal clutched lovingly to her chest. "Could be a serial killer! I could be on the trail of a genuine psychopath. Maybe I could even be the one to name him if I get the first story on it published."

"Were they all killed the same way?" asked Jason.

Chase glanced at him. Why was he so curious? Jason and Trisha were friends, but he'd never cared for her stories. "Gossip for grown-ups," he always would say.

The avidly up and coming reporter crinkled her nose at the question. It was a clear signal she didn't have the answer she wanted to give on that. At least Trisha was about reporting the truthful facts, not embellishing or creating things as she researched and wrote.

"Well, two died from blunt force trauma. Apparently it was like their bodies repeatedly hit a wall or ground or something. As for the other two, the cause of death was listed as inconclusive. Still, similar enough for me to go looking."

"And how did you happen upon these autopsy reports?" Chase interrogated, concerned for the legality there.

"I know somebody."

"Trish."

"I know somebody who knows somebody, okay? Nothing to it."

"Breaking the law," Jason teased.

No sign of crazy. Only nice, sweet, fun Jason Mathers. What a friend. Chase fought the urge to roll his eyes. Meanwhile, Trisha was woefully unaware of his other side and grinned wide at his words to her.

"I must find the truth by whatever means necessary."

/

Selene was crying into her pillow completely frustrated she was crying into her pillow. She stared at the phone which she'd thrown far away from herself after hanging up on her parents. Betrayal was what she was to do. But now that she found Chase and was with him again, talking again...

The cell rang and she hurried to check. It was her mom. No way. She wouldn't answer. She would leave and protect him. This couldn't happen.

Pocketing the phone, she went to the mirror and used tissue to wipe her face dry. Her eyes were rimmed red but it wasn't too obvious she'd been crying. Satisfied enough, she scanned the room for the backpack still packed and grabbed it and her jacket. The door swung shut behind her and she headed downstairs.

A little startled to see Chase in the lobby, she was more caught off guard seeing Trisha and Jason also here.

"Hey, you guys," she greeted with a smile. "What's up? What are you doing here?"

Chase hung in the background while Trisha and Jason easily made themselves the center of attention.

"Hello! We heard you were staying here," said Trisha. "How much school are you planning to miss?"

"None. I'm heading home." That opened the topic to breach for her. Convenient.

"What do you mean you're going home?" Jason demanded, puzzled.

Chase's expression gave away he was thinking the same question. Selene looked at her friend, avoiding the other man.

"I spent the night making up my mind. I've decided I'm wasting my time hanging around. I have to move on."

"What are you saying?" sought Chase, confused and hurt.

She forced herself to look at him, smiling softly while holding in fresh tears. "Our break up. It's official, okay? I'm going back to Haversfield and if you're wondering why, you shouldn't be. You lied to me. We're done. There's just no point."

"No point?"

He sounded so hurt and she was definitely breaking his heart. When did she become this person? When did Chase become the person he was today? Why wasn't anything easy anymore?

"You don't know what you're saying," he began to insist.

"Really, Chase? I don't know?" She folded her arms across her chest and stiffened her stance. "We both know I shouldn't be here."

It didn't seem he would decipher her falseness. He was too hurt and her lying making her feel like crap sold the break up better. She was a shit person.

Chase jabbed a thumb in Jason's direction. "Stay or go, make sure you watch yourself with that guy. He's obsessed with you! He's dangerous. You have to be careful."

Okay, the anger was becoming genuine. "Are you jealous? I've known Jason since we were kids. He's my friend!"

Jason reached for her shoulder to reassure but she jerked out of his space, too annoyed to receive an attempt at comfort. He recovered from the rejection fast and offered her a gentle smile.

"Do you want me to take you home? You shouldn't be alone."

Selene shook her head immediately. "No, I'm fine. I'll get home on my own."

Her friend looked openly disappointed this time, scowling a moment before cooling off. "Okay. See you later."

She watched him leave and opted to go herself. Glancing between Trisha and Chase, she avoided direct eye contact and pasted a smile on.

"I'm gonna get going. I hope things are okay with you guys but I need to feel normal. Stay safe, alright?" Selene walked to the exit door and turned to see Chase a final few seconds. "Goodbye, guys."

He didn't say goodbye although Trisha did, somewhat both confused and cheerful sounding in her voice. Their eyes did meet by chance and he averted his gaze so she copied the move. She was a high school kid. Things shouldn't be this complicated. She left the inn, figuring out in her head how she would be getting home.