Chapter 18

(Come on you bastard, open!)

Tyler groaned and tugged as hard as he could on the doorknob once again. He tightened his grip and tried to use as much of his weight as he could when he leaned back, hoping the force would jar the door open.

(Come on!)

"Dammit." He swore and kicked the wooden door angrily.

"Tyler that's not going to help." Came Gorman's annoyed sigh.

Tyler glared over his shoulder at him.

"Well its better then sitting on my ass doing nothing." Tyler snapped and gave the door one more kick.

Gorman said nothing as he turned his attention back towards the handle of his cane. Tyler kicked the door a few more times and then gave up.

"Damn." He sighed helplessly and walked back towards the bed.

He flopped back down on the edge and once again placed his hand on Reid's sweaty forehead. The blond's skin was still burning underneath his palm and the horrible blue veins were still stretched across his face and neck.

Tyler grimaced from the sight. Reid looked like he was getting worse; as a matter of fact, Tyler could already see the blue line starting to form on Reid's hand. He seriously considering trying to heal him again, maybe this time it'd work.

He was about to raise his hand when Gorman stopped him.

"Don't you even think about it."

Tyler stared at him. "But he's getting worse–"

"Do I have to hit you with my cane boy?" Gorman growled annoyed. "I told you he'd be fine."

"But–Gorman look at him. He's getting worse."

The elder didn't answer him, but Tyler could easily tell he was worried. Fear started balling inside of his throat and Tyler quickly swallowed it down. He raised his hand again, feeling Gorman's sharp eyes boring at him from across the room as he did so, and gently grabbed Reid's hand.

Even though the blond's forehead was burning up, the tips of Reid's fingers were icy cold and Tyler curled his fingers around Reid' palm, trying to get some warmth into the other boy's fingers. He glanced over his shoulder at Gorman and waited until the elder wasn't paying attention and turned his eyes black. The tips of his fingers lit up with a warm red light and he used a small portion of his powers to ease the warmth through Reid's entire body.

The blond moaned softly and curled his fingers around Tyler's hand, seeking the source of the warmth that coursed through him. Tyler smiled weekly, his powers still working through the unconscious boy under him. Suddenly a soft click sounded inside the small bedroom and Tyler withdrew his powers fully. Gorman was on his feet and already halfway towards the door when Tyler turned his head.

"It's unlocked." The elder sighed relieved and pulled the bedroom door open.

Without so much as a second glance, Gorman speed from the room and his footsteps could be heard hobbling down the stairs. Tyler looked back down at Reid and saw the blue lines on his face start to fade away. He sighed relieved and was about to lower his arm when he saw a small brown spider wiggled out from Reid's right ear and crumble into dust on the bedding under him. Reid groaned quietly and his eyes fluttered under their closed eyelids a moment later.

"Reid?" Tyler leaned over him and shook his shoulder gently.

The blond's eyes slowly opened and drifted around the room blankly until they focused. They locked on Tyler a moment later.

"Tyler?"

Tyler's heart swelled from the sound of Reid's voice and threw his arms around Reid's shoulders a quick second later.

"Thank god you're okay."

Reid's body stayed still underneath him but his arm moved up around Tyler's shoulders a moment later. Tyler smiled and dug deeper into Reid's shoulder, enjoying the feel of the other boy's normal warmth against his cheek.

Their moment was soon interrupted by the sound of Gorman's cane striking the ground as the elder hobbled up the staircase. Tyler gently pulled away, a slight blush staining his cheeks pink. He turned his head towards the doorway and watched as Gorman stalked past it the room without a second look and pulled open the door to another other bedroom.

Growing nervous, Tyler turned back towards Reid and cleared his throat.

"I'll be right back, just relax and try to get some rest okay."

Reid silently nodded, his eyes were already drifting closed before Tyler could finish. His head fell back against the pillow underneath him and the room was filled with the sounds of the blond's soft breathing. Tyler quietly slid off the edge of the bed and crossed the room. He glanced over his shoulder at Reid as he left, smiling from the sight of blond finally sleeping normally, and stepped out into the hallway.

Rustling and the sounds of stuff being moved came from the far bedroom and Tyler walked down the hall and stuck his head inside the open doorway. Gorman was tearing through the area by his bed, throwing things over his shoulder and swearing madly.

"Gorman what's wrong?"

"Go check on Pogue!" Gorman yelled, not even turning his head.

Tyler flinched slightly from the elder's tone and wasted no time leaving the room and heading back down the hallway. He glanced in Reid's room one more time before heading down the stairs to the first floor.

The main door to the house was still wide open, the wind blowing wildly inside the house, knocking things over. He stumbled towards the door and slammed it shut before trudging down the hallway towards the bedroom.

He took a deep breath before approaching the open doorway, his eyes scanning the small room for his friend. Pogue was sitting on the floor on the far side of the room, wearing only his jeans and they looked rumpled and thrown on carelessly. Even though he looked fully awake, his eyes were staring at the far wall unfocused.

Tyler swallowed nervously and slowly entered the room.

"Pogue?"

The older boy didn't answer, nor did he even blink.

"Pogue? You alright?" Tyler crouched down next to him.

Still nothing, Pogue looked like he was far away. Tyler's eyes moved around Pogue's body nervously, noticing a large set of scratches across the other boy's shoulders. They looked like they were from someone's fingernails. Entranced, Tyler raised his hand and reached out to touch the scratches. His fingers gently trailed across the broken skin and Pogue startled and turned his head. Coal black eyes stared back at Tyler, ready to lash out if the older boy felt threatened.

"Pogue easy, it's me." Tyler said softly, holding his hands up. "It's Tyler."

Pogue's shoulders were coiled tight as he stared Tyler down. After a long, uncomfortable moment, Pogue relaxed and the older boy turned his dark eyes back towards the far wall again.

"Pogue, what happened?" Tyler asked, his eyes once again looking down at the scratches.

The older boy didn't answer him; he continued staring blankly at the wall, his eyes still black. The soft pounding of Gorman's cane sounded in the hallway and the elder appeared in the doorway a moment later.

"Well, he found it." Gorman swore under his breath as he hobbled inside the room. "Pogue are you alright?"

Once again, Pogue didn't answer. He didn't even blink.

Gorman sighed and leaned over his cane. The elder's eyes bore into Pogue's forehead and Tyler assumed he was using his powers to search Pogue's memories. Their staring match lasted for a while, making Tyler flinch from the feel Gorman's powers circling around him.

Gorman finally blinked and lowered his head. "Tyler, why don't you go check on Reid and make sure he's recovering well."

Tyler frowned and glared at him. Like hell he was going to leave Pogue's side when the other boy was like this.

He shook his head. "No."

"Tyler." Gorman turned his sharp eyes towards him. "I'm not asking you."

Gorman's powers jabbed at his mind sharply, causing him to squirm uncomfortably.

"Fine." He growled, tossing Gorman another glare.

Gorman eyed him closely as he got to his feet and Tyler gave him another glare. He lingered for a small moment, watching Pogue stare at the far wall, before sighing and walking towards the doorway.

He paused outside in the hallway, straining his ear to see if he'd hear anything. He mentally scolded himself after a moment, he knew this was stupid since Gorman could easily sense him standing out there, but at the moment he really didn't care. He wanted answers dammit! He waited, his ears closely listing to all of the sounds that drifted out of the room. He was about ready to give up when he heard Gorman sigh loudly.

"Pogue, its Gorman. I need you to tell me what happened."

Tyler listened for the sound of Pogue's voice but heard nothing but silence.

"Pogue. I know you can hear me. If you won't tell me then for god's sake show me. I need to know what Chase did."

(Chase?)

Tyler felt a cold chill roll down the back of his spine. Chase was still alive?

He waited for anther moment, seeing if Pogue would answer the elder's question. He didn't and Tyler took the opportunity to slip away before Gorman's powers could recognize his presence.

--

(Chase is still alive...?)

Tyler nervously wrung his fingers together as he sat on the edge of Reid's bed, recalling everything he overheard. Chase was still alive...and he was just here?

(But that doesn't make any sense. Gorman said it was Caleb who was prowling through the house, was Chase here too?)

Reid groaned softly behind him and gently rolled on his side. Tyler glanced over his shoulder at the blond, seeing that Reid was still in his deep sleep. Tyler watched him closely for a moment before resuming his train of thought.

(Chase and Caleb? What the hell's going on? Are they together on this?)

Tyler brought a knee close to his chest and rested his chin on it. Hundreds of thoughts were buzzing around inside of his skull but none of them were providing him with any suitable answers.

(But that doesn't make any sense. Caleb would never help Chase, or attack Reid and Pogue. He'd never hurt any of us.)

Fear started clawing away at his resolve and Tyler drew his knee closer towards his chest. None of this made any sense to him and he was growing furious at the fact that Gorman was keeping him in the dark.

(Why doesn't he trust me? I just want to help.)

Maybe he thinks you can't handle it... you can't even handle your own powers.

Tyler swallowed hard. The little voice inside of his head was right. What good would he do, he couldn't even control his own powers sometimes?

Like the night when ascended, he barely had his new powers for a full minute before they went out of control and destroyed his family's home. Or the night at Nicky's when Aaron Abbot cornered him and slammed his fist in Tyler's gut. His powers retaliated even before he fell to the ground and Aaron was sent into the side of a nearby truck. Even though the other boy walked away a few hours later fine and not remembering a single thing Tyler remembered it all vividly.

He glanced down at his hands and saw that his fingers were shaking. He flexed them a few times; trying to force the painful memories back down into their depths. A soft moan grabbed his attention and thankful for the distraction, he turned his head towards Reid. The blond's eyes were open and looking at him curiously.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tyler replied, clearing his throat. "How are you feeling?"

"M' alright. Just tired." The blond said around a yawn, his eyes still fogged over with sleep. "And freezing."

Tyler looked down and sure enough saw small goose bumps starting to form on Reid's arm.

"I'll find you a blanket." Tyler mumbled and was about to slid of the bed when Reid grabbed his arm gently.

"Don't bother. Come 'mere." He said sleepily and tugged on Tyler's arm.

Tyler was surprised but didn't struggle as Reid pulled him down against his chest. Judging from his groggy voice and slurred words, Tyler guess the blond was still half-asleep and complied, resting his head against Reid's shoulder. Sure enough, Tyler felt Reid's skin start to warm up underneath him. The darker-haired boy sighed and hesitantly laid his arm on Reid's stomach. He regretted it a quick moment later and moved his arm away. Reid grumbled a few unknown words sleepily and grabbed Tyler's wrist and moved it back on his chest. The younger boy froze and gazed up at Reid's face nervously, wondering what was going on inside the blonde's head.

Was Reid even aware of what he just did? Did he even know whose hand that was? Tyler's questions were answered a short time later when Reid's eyes fluttered sleepily and looked down at him.

"Why are you hands shaking?"

Tyler stared at his hand and saw that it was still shaking from his memories. He quickly swallowed his fear down.

"Cold I guess."

Reid stared down at their joined hands for a moment before his eyes finally closed and his head sleepily fell back into the pillow under him. Tyler's blue eyes watched him entranced before they too drifted closed. He settled his head into a more comfortable position on Reid's shoulder and let his exhaustion drag him into a peaceful darkness.