Author's Note #1: Sorry guys I meant to have this up sooner but I had to pack and then with today being the last day of exams I was whisked off to IHOP to celebrate.

Author's Note #2: Be one the look out for a story by LizzieLionheart titled I Love You. It's a short story about Mike and Maddie and there escape from the Centre.

LJP- Alex's grandfathers are both Sydney and Charles but in this case I'm talking about Sydney.

And sorry but no insight in to Catherine Parker's last days.

loveroffanfics- Don't worry the boys will be found eventually. Soon in fact. As for Benny...well we'll find out eventually just what happened to him and Steve. I can tell you the Steve is alive and well.

phi4858- got your e-mail but this is one essay I can answer here with out giving much of anything away. Benny and Kaine are bout five to six months younger than Pete. Pete is almost eleven and Benny and Kaine are like 10 ½. Perhaps they're related.

Now Will and Alley won't be the next ones to have a dream but four other kids are and that will help lead them to the boys.

As for my exams I finished today. Bio went lovely as did everything else save for statistics. Thanks for asking.

CHAPTER 16

JEALOUSY

November 19, 2010

11:14pm

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

"Hi Grampa," Alex said into the phone. She had been contemplating calling her grandfather for the past week, but had finally mustered up the courage to do so. After returning from the Dragon House a week ago Alex had slumped further into her state of depression. There had been no sign of her brothers at the Dragon House, nor Angel Manor, or Donoterase. It still left the option of Blue Cove open but there had yet to be any sign of the boys or Parker there either. Alex sighed.

"Alexandra, what's wrong?" Sydney asked his granddaughter, he was one of the only people who ever used Alex's full first name.

"You mean besides the obvious?" Alex said bitterly. Sydney inwardly sighed. The boys abduction had taken a toll on Alex, and subconsciously the girl had gone and built a wall around herself. 'It appears as though Alex inherited more than just her mother's eyes,' Sydney thought to himself.

"You can talk to me chérie. Tell me what's troubling you," Sydney begged Alex. Alex was quite for a while, Sydney knew that Alex was just trying to gather her emotions.

"I- me and the other's have these abilities. At the Centre they made us use them to-to hurt people. What good are they if we can't use them to find my brothers. The voices aren't telling me anything. Mike and Maddie aren't getting any visions off of the letters that were sent to Bobby. No one is sensing anything.'

"Why aren't our abilities helping us find them, Grampa? Where we just meant to use them to hurt people?"

"Alexandra you know that's not true," Sydney said. "You and the others have used you gifts to do so much good. You all helped to bring the Centre down. You've put in time at the Jamieson Foundation each month to help find cures for illnesses. And don't think I haven't noticed that your group has taken a leaf out of your father's book. You all have been going on pretends to help people. You have done so much good. Don't even think that you were meant not to," Sydney told his granddaughter.

"But why aren't our abilities working?"

"Maybe you all are pushing yourselves to hard. Exhausting yourselves. You said that the voices aren't speaking to you."

"No, they are I just can't make anything out. I've tried listening to them."

"Why don't I come to the house, maybe I can help you and the others with your abilities," Sydney suggested.

"I-I'd like that," Alex said, and Sydney could sense the relief coming from the girl.

"Now it's late chérie why don't you get some sleep. I'll be there by tomorrow."

"Kay. Bye Grampa. I love you," Alex spoke.

"I love you too," Sydney replied and hung up.

Alex sighed, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of her chest. She only had one more call to place before she went to bed.

Alex hit the fifth number on her speed dial.

"Hi," Alex said it had been a while since she had last talked to him. Unable -as well as unwilling- to share her feeling, and troubles with her brothers and sister, he was the next obvious choice.

"Hey, shouldn't you be sleeping," Jeremiah said, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you," Alex apologized.

"Who said I was asleep?" Jeremiah yawned. Alex chuckled. "It's been a while since we've talked."

"I know. I haven't really been in the mood for much talking recently," Alex admitted. Jeremiah was one of the few people in her family that Alex never had any problems talking to. Out of all of the Black Files Alex and Jeremiah had gone through the horrors of the Centre more than the others. When they were younger the only other people Alex had been truly close to save her brothers were Mike and Maddie. But Jeremiah and Alex had bonded during the year they had escaped the Centre, and after Aaron and Andros, there was no one else that Alex was closer too.

"So you ready to talk now?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yeah. Grampa Syd's coming home tomorrow to help me with my inner sense. It's been talking to me a lot but I can't make anything out. Not to mention the killer headaches"

"Same here. Will as well. What about Air and Andy?"

"Them too, Daddy went out and bought the whole house one of those giant bottles of Tylenol. There is one thing I know for a fact that will dull the voice down but Momma and Daddy won't go for it," Alex said and Jeremiah could sense his younger cousin grinning

"What?" Jeremiah asked.

"Alcohol, Uncle Ethan told me. That's why when ever the voices were buggin' him and Momma, they' start doing tequila shots. Much to Daddy and Aunt Sara's annoyance," Alex replied. Jeremiah laughed, his first one in days.

"Jer, maybe you should come home that way Grampa could help with your inner sense too," Alex suggested. Jeremiah knew that there was another reason Alex wanted him home.

"Do you want me to come home?" Jeremiah asked.

"No. I mean only if you want to. I was just suggesting it cause Grampa's coming and you might want some help with your inner sense. Will, might want to come too if his inner sense is acting up. And you know you two can come together. Alley too 'cause Alley and Will rarely go anywhere with out each other. But if you don't want to then..."

"Alexandra, do you want me to come home?" Jeremiah asked interrupting Alex's babble.

"Please," Alex said softly.

"Okay then. I'll be home tomorrow. Kay?"

"Kay," Alex echoed.

"Are you getting any sleep?" Jeremiah asked his cousin.

"A little. I kinda get awaken due to bad dreams," Alex admitted.

"Which ones?"

"Can I tell you when you come home? I don't really want to talk about them now," Alex said.

"Sure. I'll see you in the morning. Night little cousin,"

"Hey you're only three months older than me," Alex pointed out.

"So like I said goodnight little cousin," Jeremiah replied.

"Night, Jerry," Alex yawned.

"Get some sleep," Jeremiah said.

"I promise," Alex replied and hung up. She then decided to do as Jeremiah said and returned to the room she shared with the other Black Files.

Aaron and Andros were the only two there. They were sitting on Aaron's bed talking.

"Where's everyone else?" Alex asked.

"We asked for privacy for a couple of minutes," Aaron spoke.

"We wanted to talk to you," Andros continued.

"I just wanna get some sleep," Alex said going over to her bed. Aaron, and Andros walked over to their sister.

"Alex we know you've been having bad drams. We have too," Andros said.

"Air, Andy, I called Grampa Syd. He's coming tomorrow to help, me -us- with our abilities. Jerry's coming too, 'cause his inner sense is a bit off to." Alex said setting her alarm clock.

"Why is it that it's so much easier for you to talk to Jeremiah than it is for you to talk to us? We're your brothers. We're a part of you, just as you are a part of us. Every since we got out you and Jerry have grown closer where as you've distanced yourself from me and Andy," Aaron said somewhat angrily.

"You two are jealous because me and Jerry are close? Christ he's our cousin, his dad -both Uncle Sam and Bobby- is Momma's brother. And Jer and I have gone through a lot of stuff that we can relate to," Alex said, her temper rising.

"Me and Air have been through the same things you have. And Greg and Lissa, have endured the same things as Jeremiah," Andros protested.

"Bullshit!" Alex yelled. "You two weren't their when Lyle beat the shit out of me. You two, and Mike, and Maddie, felt it, but you weren't there! You felt the physical pain but not the emotional. Each blow that he dealt me, I prayed that it would kill me so that it would be over with! And the whole time I kept wondering why no one was there! Why I was alone!"

"You two saw me get branded. And yeah you got the brands, but they faded away, mine didn't! You weren't humiliated as Lyle placed that hot iron to my back fourteen times! You two got to move on, you got to forget. I can't, lucky you. Lyle picked on me more than anyone in our group, 'cause he saw me as Momma and Daddy!'

"So don't you dare tell me that you two went through the same shit as I did! And as for Jerry. He watched his mother get killed. Do you know what that does to a person. Let me tell you it might refresh your memory, it can send them into a cationic shock! He was a prisoner of his own mind for three days! And out of him, Greg, and Lissa, it was Jerry that Raines took for that week. You have no idea what Raines did to him! Oh and lets not forget what happened after we got out. Greg and Lissa attacked him, because he didn't tell them who their biological father was. After everything he was put through they turned on him!'

"So damn it be jealous all you want. You two want to be able to share the bond Jeremiah and I do, fine! Take it! Normal cousins, don't bond because of the torture they endured during their childhood. But it you two want it take it, 'cause I don't want it!" And with that Alex stormed out of the room practically bowling over Jake the other Black Files, Jarod, Morgan, Ethan, Lex and Julia who stood in the doorway shocked at Alex's outburst. The group had arrived upon hearing Alex yelling. Any time a pyrokinetic was angry was never a good thing in the Russell household.

Andros, and Aaron exchanged guilty looks, realizing what idiots they had been. The two then went to go after their sister.

"Don't," Jarod said stopping the boys.

"Dad we did this," Aaron said.

"Yes and as much as your sister loves the both of you, you two are the last people she want's to see right now," Jarod told his sons.

"We screwed up big time," Andros said hanging his head in shame.

"Yeah you two did," Jake stated.

"So who's going after Alex?" Marc sighed.

"The only people who Alex wouldn't get too upset with seeing aren't here," Tobias pointed out.

"I think Alex is already so upset it doesn't matter who we send," Rachael stated.

"Will, Alley, and Jeremiah aren't the only people in this family who can calm Alex down," Lex said.

"We could send the person Alex is least likely to hit," Mike suggested.

"Lucky you Jake, you aren't being sent to find the angry pyrokinetic," Cassie said, and Jake scowled.

"We need someone nurtural. Someone Alex hasn't hit, or threaten to set on fire," Maddie said. The Black files exchanged a look and then turned their eyes to the adults.

"So it's up to one of you guys to fetch Alex," Marc grinned.

"Mom, Dad I don't think either one of you should go. Next to me and Air, you two might be the last people she want's to see," Andros said.

"I'll go," Lex volunteered. Jarod looked at the man. Lex and Alex weren't particularly close. Of all of her uncle's, Alex was closer to Sam. 'But Lex is the best choice,' Jarod thought. Alex didn't want to be bothered with someone she was close to.

Jarod nodded his head, and Lex set off to find his niece.

Reviews: the best thing that happened to this college kid since Easy Mac and Ramen noodles.

Up Next: A look into Lex's past and Alex, Andy, and Air make up. And we get to spend a little time with Jeff