A smile spread across our faces and soon we were laughing, although Dean didn't find it quite as amusing as we did.
"You're having a shower after me right?" Dean asked, "That means you'll be having the cold water as well, so don't laugh."
"Yeah," I replied, "But there is a difference… I don't mind cold showers."
Laura and I cracked up again as Dean returned muttering to the bathroom. I could have sworn he said something about us being insane. I suppose it was the nerves wearing off. All of us were emotionally exhausted from our ordeal with planning an attack against an Eraser patrol. Birds don't go hunting wolves; it goes against nature, so why did we do it? To protect our kind, that's why. A knock at the door had us instantly quiet and alert. No-one knew we were here, so who was it outside the door? I slipped silently over to the wall next to the door, a pistol forming in my hand. I know not bright, I never had tried making a gun out of Darkness, didn't even know if it would work or not, but whoever was at the door wouldn't know that.
I slipped to the door. It had started raining lightly outside since we arrived, but now it was starting to fall faster, more heavily. I could hear it on the roof now. My hand reached for the door handle, the gun held in my right hand pointing up towards the roof. I turned the handle of the door, expecting a blow to slam it inwards, but nothing came. I swung the door open and bought the gun up to bear on a familiar face… It was Cass. I didn't lower the weapon until I was sure she was alone and hadn't been followed. I spread the darkness around the building out into the bushes like a mist to search for any watcher, but had come up with nothing. She was alone.
"What do you want, Cass?" I asked, "And be thankful I asked that question. There are other things I could have done."
"Like kill me?" She asked back, "I wouldn't blame you if you did. It probably would be best, but before you decide, please let me explain why. Will you let me do that?"
I looked at Laura, and just picked up on the barest movement of her head. She nodded. Dean stood in the bathroom doorway, clothed thankfully, but keeping an eye out for trouble, or should I say a mind out for trouble. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he was keeping his mind blank so he would pick up on anyone coming our way. After a while I nodded.
"Go ahead," I replied, "we're listening."
"First, you need to know I have a brother," Cass said, "He was kept at Haven with us. Andrew made me an offer soon after you left, that if I can bring you back, he would let my brother and I go free, no Eraser hunting us, so long as we made sure the world didn't find out about us. He let us escape, although blowing up the wall wasn't the way he expected, he let us go, the other experiments could be rounded up, although he wasn't happy about it. My brother is being held hostage by the friends of the team you attacked. Nathan, I know Jake is your brother, I heard your conversation in the house; I was outside at the time."
"Jake has made some new family members in the pack," Cass continued, "The team that's holding my brother hostage; Jake considers one or two of them his brothers. They are a group of the flying Erasers. All I know is that I have to bring all three of you back in and they would let me and my brother go free. I guess after the conversation we had when we first met, about why you were on the loose kind of unnerved me. I wanted to get it over before the doubts I had made me want to back out, so I knocked Dean out and tied him up, but he regained consciousness when I was carrying him back. The Erasers weren't happy that I only brought back one and that's when they hit me. No doubt you saw the fight."
"Anything else?" I asked her, not showing whether I believed the story or not, "Is there anything you might have left out?"
Cass shook her head. I indicated to the others that we should talk out of earshot and lead them to the other side of the room to whisper. She wouldn't be able to pick up on it if we whispered so even we could barely hear it.
"What do you think, Dean?" I asked him, "Telling the truth?"
"Its hard to tell," Dean replied, "There's too much emotion to read her properly, but the basic story it true, they are holding her brother captive and your father did offer a deal to get you back."
"I say we keep her here," Laura said, "With us, but keep an eye on her. She lost our trust when she betrayed us; she'll have a hard time gaining it again."
"Agreed," I replied, "Now we better get some sleep if we want to find any of the escapees before they all get caught and returned to Haven."
We went back and Laura lay on the bed, but lay there staring at the ceiling. Dean lay down on the bed next to her and fell asleep. I walked over to Cass and told her that we believed her, that somehow we would get her brother back. She nodded, but she knew there was a catch, she wasn't dumb. She curled up on the chair and went to sleep, leaving me to sleep on the floor. I didn't mind, that's another flaw of mine, I care more about other people's safety and survival more than my own. Soon I was drifting off to sleep as well, not realizing how tired I really was until the darkness of sleep engulfed me, making me feel comfortable.
Chapter 36
Laura lay awake on the bed. She couldn't get to sleep. Dean lay next to her on the bed, but she had made sure there was enough room between them. Dean's a nice guy, She thought, but he's a bit, how to put it… forward. Nathan likes to care for everyone before himself. That and he likes to make a challenge of everything, I have a hard time reading him, but man he's gorgeous. Laura realized what she was thinking and quickly changed the subject of her thoughts, but no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always turned back to his smile. It was a charming smile, full and sincere.
She closed her eyes to get some sleep, but couldn't. She was distracted. What is wrong with me? She thought, what is it that I'm feeling towards him? I never felt this way before, it's frustrating. She turned onto her side and watched Nathan sleep on the floor next to the bed. She traced the lines of his lips, his eyes, the slight curls on the bangs of his hair, the small bits that hung framing his face. She couldn't help it, she just wanted to reach out and tuck the strand of hair behind his ear, but restrained her self.
I'm infatuated with him, she thought, He gave up so much of his life just to save mine. He still gives up parts of his old life to keep us safe. I wish I could just give something back. I…I think I love him, but I'm afraid to tell him, incase he doesn't feel the same way. After a while of her mind chasing her thought round in a circle she fell asleep, only to dream something happening hundreds of miles away.
She was running through the forest, leaves slapping at her face, branches whipping along her cheeks. A guy ran next to her, on her right, a girl on her left. There were two younger kids with wings running ahead of her, trying to lift off the ground, but the trees prevented them from gaining flight. She could hear the howling of the Eraser on her tail, she could feel the vibrations of their heavy weight crashing into the ground as they ran along, hunting their prey. She could feel the heat of warm breath on her neck and was afraid to turn around and take a look. She ran faster.
Light up ahead! She ran towards it, seeing the younger kids run into the clearing and lift off. The girl on her left spread her wings, the guy also spreading his. She spread her wings as they crashed through the trees into sunlight and launched themselves into the air. Eraser snapped at her, she could feel the hot breath as they tried to catch her, but missed. Soon they were out of reach of the Erasers. She looked back at the Eraser that had chased her, looked into its amber eyes, saw her reflection…
"Laura," Nathan urged, calmly shaking her awake, "Laura wake up. You were thrashing about in your sleep."
"I was her," She replied, "I saw Keira. Eraser are chasing her. They get closer everyday to capturing her. We have to get moving soon. If we want to find her before they get her, we need all the help we can get."
"I agree there, Laura," Nathan said, "but we need to get moving fast. You sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine," She replied, then pointed out the window, "But they don't look happy to see us in this room. I think we outstayed our welcome."
Nathan looked out the window at what she saw. Three guys were walking towards the room they had stayed in overnight. Each guy had a sour look on his face and they were not happy they had freeloaders camping out in their motel. It was time to leave. Laura moved out the back door carrying her bag and followed Dean, Cass and Nathan into the trees as the men burst through the door into the room. That was too close for comfort, she thought