Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry... I think you get the point. I haven't updated in forever. Sorry! I've been super busy with school and...various other tedious tasks. But it's here now so no worries. Hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 6

I leaned in, pulling Jamie's head closer. Our faces were barely a centimeter apart. I closed my eyes, readily awaiting the blissful heat.

Garrett choose that exact moment to walk in our, now mutual, room. "Hey, guys. Are you going to-" He stopped when he saw us.

We jumped apart, the blush covering my face most likely inhabiting his as well. I averted my eyes from either of them while my cheeks cooled.

"Get some breakfast?" He finished rather uncomfortably.

"S-sure." Jamie said, pulling me up onto my feet. I followed him through the entrance, heading toward the kitchen.

I avoided looking toward Garrett until the embarrassment had abated, replaced with comfort and love. I smiled at Jamie. He flashed me his infectious smile back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother looking at us with a tortured look on his face. I frowned in confusion.

"Are you alright?" I asked, worriedly.

He stopped suddenly, causing me to take a few more steps forward before stopping myself. He just stood there, staring off.

"Regan?" Jamie asked hesitantly.

I didn't look away from Garrett while I spoke. "Go on without me. I'll be there in a minute."

I waited until his footsteps faded into the distance before advancing on my brother. "Garrett." I stated in the most comforting voice I could muster. "What's wrong?" I placed my hand gently on his arm.

He didn't meet my gaze. "Nothing. I'm just tired." It was quiet for a few seconds, then he muttered something that sounded like: "I just miss Karen." But it could've been: "I need to kiss Laren." How was I supposed to know?

I shook my head, grabbing hold of his arm before he could walk off. "I know it's something, Garrett. You can't hide anything from me."

He sighed. Finally, looking into my eyes. "I'll have to tell you eventually." He didn't speak for the longest time after. We just stared at each other.

"Well?" I asked, my voice cutting through the silence that had built up around us.

He bit his lip, contemplating something unknown to me. "Okay. Follow me."

He led me down the swirling hallways purposefully. I didn't have a clue where we could possibly be going(I'd only familiarized myself with the pathways I used daily).

He lengthened his stride, picking up speed. I had to jog to catch up with my long-legged brother. Is there a time limit or something?, I wondered. Why is he walking so fast?

He stopped abruptly and-because of Newton's Law of Inertia-I ran into Garrett's hard muscular form. It was almost the equivalent of running into a wall.

I stepped backward, rubbing my throbbing nose. I hoped it wasn't broken. Becoming a semi-clone of Ian was not on my list of priorities.

"Sorry. I should've warned you." Garrett said softly. He gently pulled my hand away from my face. "Let me see..." He examined my nose, gently touching it. I winced. "It's not broken. But it'll be tender for awhile." He nodded as if to confirm his own words and turned away from me.

I frowned. He seemed so sure like...he actually was a doctor, but then again it couldn't be that hard to diagnose a sore nose...

I suddenly flashed back to our confused reunion. My brother had opened the ambulance doors...wearing scrubs. Did he work at the hospital? It seemed unlikely that he'd work with the souls, even if he knew they didn't understand the damage they were causing. But...he did seem like a totally new person... What had happened to him?

"This way." Garrett ordered, stepping through a narrow arch way. I shook my head to clear it and followed him.

A brilliant blue-green sea stretched out into the horizon, seeming to go on forever. I stared at the giant mural in awe. Every detail was accounted for. Cargo ships and quaint little boats floated on the water. Birds of all kinds soared through the cloudless sky. Couples walked on the beach, leaving footprints in their wake. There was so much detail that I couldn't possibly suck it all up right at that moment.

"Wow..." I breathed, still staring at the wall.

Garrett glanced back at me. "It's pretty amazing, isn't it? He used five boxes of chalk for that. But he says it's still not done."

I blinked, looking at my brother, clueless. But before I could ask for specifications, a voice sounded from somewhere to the left: "It's a work in progress."

I swiveled toward the sound, looking for the speaker. My gaze fell on Brennan, kneeling by a box of sidewalk chalk.

I stared at him in almost as much astonishment as I had at the mural. "You did that?" I pointed to the vibrant ocean.

He nodded. "Yeah. I add little details every once in a while when I get inspiration." He dropped a piece of chalk into the plastic box, snapping the lid closed.

He backed away from the wall, revealing a half-finished sketch of-it looked like-himself. Now, that the shock of the huge mural had worn off, I noticed that the whole cave(which was about twice the size of the one Garrett and I call home) was covered with mini sketches and drawings. Some depicted innocent things: a landscape of dry desert, a lone oak tree, a grassy plain. And others were more...harsh: a burning house, a woman drowning in her flooded basement, seekers freeing a girl caught in an animal trap...

I stepped closer to the drawing, studying the girl in particular. She had dark hair like I did, complete with red highlights. I couldn't see her(my?) face, so I couldn't really determine if it really was me. How did he know to draw this before- I halted that train of thought. There was no reason to accuse him of... I wasn't even sure what. He could've drawn this based on what I'd told Jeb, Garrett, Melanie, Jamie...and pretty much anyone who asked. My story was almost as well known as Wanda's and Melanie's.

I looked away from the drawing, mentally kicking myself for getting distracted. I turned to my brother. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Brennan's a witness." He answered.

"For what?"

He sighed. "Just let me tell you."

His eyes held a certain pain that stroke up the same feeling in myself. I swallowed uncertainly, nodding my head.

He licked lips, preparing himself for only God knew. "When I was...taken-" He set his jaw, taking sudden interest in the cave floor. This was a touchy subject.

"Okay, Garrett." I reached out to rest my hand comfortingly on his arm. "It's okay. I know you and Brennan-", I nodded toward the radical chalk artist, "-escaped from the hospital you were sent to. Then, you came here. Right?"

He looked up, staring intensely into my eyes. "Yes, Regan." He said tightly. "That's- true." He took in a breath. "But that isn't all of it."

I regarded him curiously. "'That isn't all of it'?" I quoted, flabbergasted. "Wh- what else is there?"

"We didn't exactly...make it out...by...ourselves." He choked.

I raised an eyebrow, my grip unconsciously tightening. "You had help?" I looked at Brennan questioningly.

"It wasn't him." My gaze snapped back to Garrett, my eyes widening at his words.

"Who? Stop prolonging it. Just. Tell. Me." He mumbled something I couldn't decipher. "What?"

"It was DAD!" He said, just a touch below yelling. "It was Dad." He spoke softly, just a tad above a whisper.

My hand dropped down to my side, my ears buzzing. I took a breath to try and steady my racing heart. "Was he..." I swallowed. "Was there..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

Brennan, unexpectedly, answered my unspoken question. "Yes. He was inhabited."

The world wobbled around me. I knew that a soul had probably been inserted into our loving father. But to have a confirmation... I was treading in uncharted water.

Suddenly, I was engulfed in warm arms. I looked up to find that they were Brennan's. I stared into his brilliant green eyes, feeling electricity shoot through my veins. I could stay in his arms for- No. You love Jamie, remember?, I scolded myself. Jamie, Jamie, Jamie...