Chapter 6 Resolve
Late the next morning, a government car pulled next to the rubble, and Charles nearly leapt out the door, closely followed by Arik. Raven raced to meet him. They embraced tightly, Charles trying to comfort the young woman.
When they finally pulled apart, he demanded, "Where's Jenny?"
She gestured toward a stone bench surrounding a planter where Jenny was stretched out on her back, unmoving.
"Over there. She hasn't moved since last night." She quickly described what Jenny had done, finishing, "She told us not to let anyone touch her, then fell asleep I guess..."
Charles' face paled with worry as he clarified, "She told you not to touch her?"
Raven briefly explained the events leading up to Darwin's death as they walked over to her, Arik trailing behind, listening carefully. Charles knelt beside his twin, resisting the urge to take her hand, or offer comfort in some small way. But her hands—her hands! They were scabbed and contorted in some stiff position, looking as though they had been severely burned. Arik stood over them, face contorted in anger.
"What's wrong with her?"
Charles sighed deeply. "If I understand Raven rightly, Jenny absorbed Darwin's death and gave him every good emotion she could muster. My guess is she can't quite sort out what's hers, what's Darwin's, and what's Death."
"So, she's battling death right now?"
"In a way, yes. And it could easily cost her her sanity." He stared hard at his sister's face and murmured, "Oh Jenny...why did you have to be so good?"
He reached a hand toward her but kept it about a foot away from her body. Even then, he could feel the fear and emptiness creeping into his skin.
"Here," he gestured toward Arik. "Put your hand near her, but don't touch her."
He did so and, after only a few seconds, jerked his hand away, eyes wide.
Charles grimaced, murmuring, "And that's just a faint echo of what she's fighting to contain, what's 'leaking out' if you will."
"So if someone were to actually touch her..."
"They'll get a full dosage of what it feels like to die."
"So what do we do? Wait here until she sorts herself out?"
"No," said Charles slowly. "I'm going to help her. And I need you to make sure no one interferes." More softly, he added, "And if you care about her at all, you will reign in your anger and clear your mind."
Arik glared but nodded resolutely. Taking a deep breath, Charles placed a hand on either one of her shoulders. Immediately, two things happened—his chest went icy cold, and terror filled him. And second, Jenny's entire body convulsed.
In a clear panic, eyes still shut, she shrieked, "Don't touch me! I can't-! -Hurt!"
Her body thrashed, but Charles held firm, keeping her from hurting herself.
"Jen! Jen, it's alright! It's Charles!"
She didn't give even the faintest indication she had heard him. Charles mentally kicked himself. Of course she wouldn't respond. Her entire focus was inward. Gathering his strength, he delved into her consciousness. The maddened dark images that instantly assailed him, stopped his breath.
With his mind, he called, Jenny!
A quavering thought answered, You shouldn't be here, Charles. It's too dangerous. I can barely contain it, keep the despair from touching the others' souls. She sounded so tired, so weak.
You have to fight back, Jenny, not just hold it in yourself. You'll go mad!
I have nothing left to fight with. Despair filled her words. I gave everything to Darwin. I couldn't just stand by and watch him suffer. Not when I could still do something.
With those words, Charles realized exactly what she needed. She was slipping away, back into the darkness.
Don't you dare go anywhere, Jennifer-Anne Xavier. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know why you did what you did. It's what's so special about you and your gift. You can help people in so many ways. A person's heart is his most fragile essence, full of grief and anger, joy and love. But you, you Jenny, you take all of the negative and transform it into everything good and wholesome in this world.
The dead weight in their linked minds began to lessen.
Hurriedly, Charles continued, Think of all the people you helped. Remember Robbie Milligan in grade school? Your ability told you he stayed apart because of his fear, so you gave him reasons to be brave. And old lady, Maggie? You helped her come to terms with her grief and find peace in a life without her husband.
On and on he continued. Words and images transferred easily between them, the result of years and years of practice. She had lost herself in the death of the world, amongst the 'what-if's' and 'couldn't's. Charles didn't know how far she'd fallen, but he knew he had to remind her of who she was and the good she had wrought, the lives healed by her touch. Brotherly love, admiration, and affection poured into her, her desperate heart soaking it in like a desert searching for water.
You are the master of all emotion; it does not control you.
Satisfaction filled him as he felt the strength of her will and resolve begin to grow in her mind.
/***\\\
I clung to Charles' voice in my mind, using it to anchor myself to a point outside of the despair tearing at my heart. Each word my brother spoke restored my strength, returned positive emotions to my chest. My heart ached from the tension of restraining death. The positivity growing within me, lanced at the darkness like beams of warm sunlight. Breathing gradually grew easier, and the weight lifted. My eyes snapped open, and I immediately latched onto my twin.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," he breathed into her hair, relief clear in his voice.
A dry laugh escaped my lips. "Like I'd ever want to do that again!"
My eyes roamed over the young people behind him as I pulled away. I rose wearily but strode quickly to Raven, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
"Are you okay?" I whispered.
"Better than you apparently."
I held her slightly away and stared hard into her eyes. "Your grief will heal. I promise. We're going to fix this."
I stepped backward. My feet felt like lead. I was so incredibly tired. I blinked away the dark spots floating in my vision.
Charles addressed the boys, "We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately. This is too dangerous."
Instantly, protests filled the air. My legs buckled as I stumbled toward Charles, nearly finding myself in a face plant. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, steadying my weakened body. Arik pressed me gently yet firmly to his solid side. Leaning heavily against him, we approached the shouting youth.
"Darwin's dead, Charles," Raven stated darkly. "And we can't even bury him."
"We watched his body crumble!"
"What are we supposed to do?!"
"We can avenge him."
Arik's low voice pierced the air. I jerked my head upward to examine his face. His jaw was set, hard lines creased his face as he stared at the group. Charles narrowed his eyes.
"Arik, a word, please," Charles said sharply.
The three of us retreated a few steps away from the kids. I was still relying on Arik to stay standing.
"They're just kids," my brother growled.
"No," Arik retorted. "They were kids. Now look at them."
We both turned to stare at the others. I probed each of their hearts, trying to gauge what they were experiencing.
"Shaw has his army," Arik continued. "We need ours."
"They're determined, angry," I muttered. "They want to do something, Charles."
He glared at me. "Your wards should be up."
Irritated, I snapped back, "They're just cracked. But we can't just leave them to deal with this on their own."
Without warning, Charles whipped around and addressed the youth firmly, "We'll have to train—all of us. Yes?"
"Yeah," Alex said resolutely, perking up a bit.
Hank spoke up. "Well we can't stay here. Even if they reopen the department."
I supported his concern. "He's right. It's not safe."
A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I rested my head against Arik's chest, breathing deeply. The warm emotions filled my weakened barriers. Charles was going to kill me. Luckily, he was too lost in thought to notice. I blinked tiredly, fighting to keep my weariness at bay. My head felt so heavy. After a moment, Charles looked up.
"I have a place we can go. Somewhere off the government's radar."
His eyes met mine, and, without touching my mind, I knew where he was thinking of. I bit my lip thoughtfully.
"It could work. There's plenty of room, area to train."
Charles called out to the group. "Gather your things! We'll leave as soon as possible."
As they rose and dragged themselves back into the compound, Charles turned his attention to me.
"You need sleep."
"I'm fine," I protested weakly, knowing I was fooling no one.
His eyes shifted to Arik's, and before I knew what was happening, he had scooped my legs out from under me.
"Arik!" I yelped, instinctively latching my hands together around his neck.
"Rest, Jenny. We'll take care of things."
I glared daggers at the both of them. Charles pressed two fingers to his temple, and his presence gently surfaced in my mind.
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" I shouted as he waved a hand before my eyes.
"Sleep," he muttered, both out loud and in my mind.
Immediately, exhaustion weighed down my limbs. My hands slipped from around Arik's neck. My head slumped against his chest, and my eyes drooped. Even as Arik cradled me in his arms, I slipped off into a dreamless sleep.
