Claustrophobia
claus - tro - pho - bi - a (klaw-struh-foh-be-uh)
-noun
an abnormal fear of being in enclosed or narrow places
(Origin: 1875-1880; L Claustr(um) bolt)
i'm like a rookie parademic to a siren
praying for an accident...
--
To: Izsak Kendrenski
From: Caitlyn Sage
Time Sent: 9:11 pm.
Sorry cant make it saturday. i got detention.
-
To: Caitlyn Sage
From: Izsak Kendrenski
Time Sent: 9:15 pm.
No problem. maybe ill see you on sunday?
-
To: Izsak Kendrenski
From: Caitlyn Sage
Time Sent: 10:01 pm.
Sure.
--
The tension in the room was stifling. Tancred Torsson was sitting on the red (sorry, burgundy) sofa. Lysander was seated bside him, and both of them were watching Charlie strangely. The hedge-haired man was pacing back and forth, his dark eyes flashing. Every once in awhile he would stop as if he was about to say something, but then he would shake his head and go back to pacing.
Tancred and Lysander were slightly curious, if not scared. Lysander had the feeling this wasn't as much about him as it was about Tancred. He tapped his feet on the ground, shooting furtive glances at both of them. Charlie had better start something soon.
Tancred pulled on his tie. He had just come home from work when Charlie had called them on a late night meeting. Tancred worked from 11 to 9, and now it was 10 o' clock. Charlie had never called a meeting this late before, and Tancred was nervous.
He opened his mouth to ask what it was all about at the same time Lysander prepared to ask how Olivia was. Before either of them could say something, Charlie swiveled around and glared at Tancred. "Explain."
"Explain what?" asked Tancred, confused. A sinking feeling was growing in his stomach.
"Tristan," Charlie's tone was chilling.
Lysander looked confused, taking in Charlie's awful expression and the pained look an Tancred's face.
"Tristan..." he murmured.
"Who's Tristan?" asked Lysander, leaning forward from his position on the sofa.
"My son," Tancred said slowly.
Charlie grimaced in triumph. "How come we never knew about him? How come he doesn't look like you or Emma? How come the Bloors have him?"
"Tristan Calling?" Lysander asked, remembering the fiery-haired boy at Bloor's.
Tancred nodded. "It was a time when we were on vacation. Emma had Tristan and everything was fine. We didn't tell you yet, we wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, you were all busy with your own children or plans. When Emma was pregnant with Gem, we noticed that Tristan had a special talent. He could pinpoint the location of any talent. So if a storm occured, he would know if it was me. He would be able to tell. If you went into a picture nearby, he would know. The Bloor's saw this, and they wanted him. We refused to give them Tristan. So they took Emma only a bit after she had given birth to Gemma. They said they would kill her if we didn't give them Tristan. At this time, we weren't talking much to you guys. I had to give in. I gave them Tristan, but they broke their promise and didn't give Emma back. She works for them now, doing whatever they say, scared that they will hurt Tristan."
It was Lysander who broke the silence. "Why didn't you say something earlier? We could have rescued them by now."
"No," said Tancred mournfully. "No, we couldn't."
"Why?" Charlie prodded.
"They're too powerful. If we had even tried anything, Emma would be dead. And now Tristan doesn't even want to come back," Tancred moaned.
"Does Tristan know?" Lysander asked, trying to be the voice of reason.
Tancred shook his head. "He's grown up with the Bloors. He's... content."
"What about his flame red hair, or the beasts that he draws?" Charlie asked.
"They told him his father was Asa Pike. They told him Asa could become a beast, and that he might have that power as well. He draws the beasts so that he has a link to his supposed father, and that he might be able to turn into one. As more hair colour... his natural colour is blond. If he had blond hair and skin like mine, as his is just a little paler, don't you think he might figure it out? They also slip this potion thing into his drinks to colour his eyes... something Ezekiel came up with."
"That's awful," Charlie hissed. "You should do something!"
"He's happy," Tancred shot back. "He likes where he is."
"What about Emma?" Lysander asked him.
"Her memory is gone again. Not hypnotism, but another potion Ezekiel brewed up. I could never convince her to come with me even if I did find her," Tancred explained.
"Sounds like the Bloors kinda screwed you over, mate," Charlie said sadly, anger burning inside of him. How dare they hurt his friend.
Tancred nodded, "Yeah..."
--
"I had the weirdest dream last night," Edward told Liam as the two sat down with their food at a table.
"Mhm?" incited Liam, dutifully forking his sausage over to Edward's plate.
"There were these shadows on the wall sending me messages. Crazy, eh?" Edward said, looking disgustedly at his breakfast.
Liam shrugged as he nibbled at his toast, "I dunno, mate. Are dreams crazy?"
Edward looked at his friend thoughtfully. "Then I thought 'what if this isn't a dream?'. Maybe Naren is trying to send me a message."
"Maybe," Liam said as he smothered the remainder in strawberry jam to hide the stale taste, "Do you remember what the shadows said?"
Shaking his head, Edward sighed, "Only the first bit. They said 'Hello, Edward' and then they said 'Save him'. After that, everything gets blurry."
"Well, it was late," Liam said in an effort to console his friend.
Edward grinned and punched him playfully, "Not to mention that you were snoring!"
--
Music passed by quickly and break wasn't anything special. The sun wasn't shining and the sky was grey. Mostof the kids seemed somewhat dismal, and the ones that weren't dismal were dreary.
"Ruin game tonight," announced Haley cheerful as he sat beside Kai on the stump.
"Bad conditions for it," grumbled Edward, standing beside Gemma.
"It's cold," complained Gemma, and a blush lit up her cheeks as Edward pressed against her in an attempt to keep her warm.
"The ruins can be scary at night," Liam added from his standing position beside Haley.
Kai chuckled, "Scared, Liam?"
"N-No!" Liam babbled at him, "I just don't like the ruins!"
"It's alright," Gemma interjected, "I don't like the ruins either. I get claustrophobic."
"They have pills for that, y'know," Caitlyn said as she flipped her cellphone shut. The action was met by five pointed glares. Caitlyn threw her hands in the air. "Honestly! I was just checking the time!"
Laughs went through the air, echoing around the trees and bouncing off of the crumbling wall near them. Edward was laughing with the rest of them, but out of the corner of his eye, he though he saw disbelief and pain in Kai's eye.
--
The King's Room was quiet as the kids shuffled in. Everyone knew that the balance was tipped in the favour of Patrick, and the good children were trying to stay out of trouble. The Bloors had heard of the escape of Kai and Jacob and they visibly tensed as the two afore-mentioned endowed walked into the room. Kai sat beside Jacob at the top of the table to divide the sides there, and Audrey and Edward sat side by side down at the bottom.
"So, Tilpin, Brown," growled Patrick. "Feel like explaining how you got out of the tunnels?"
Jenna and Dominic looked up curiously. Tristan kept staring at his work. Audrey seemed to perk up a little.
Kai opened his mouth before shutting it quickly. The voice was obviously scared of the Bloors, so Kai wouldn't say anything to get it in trouble.
"I see," Patrick hissed icily, shooting a hateful glare at Kai. He then turned to Jacob. "What about you, Jacob? How did you get out?"
Jacob narrowed his eyes and then did something that made Kai tense. Edward sneaked a glance under the table to see that Jacob had grabbed Kai's hand. The little boy began to speak, "You... You hurt me, Patrick. You don't care about me at all!"
"It was done for your own good," hissed Patrick angrily.
"You put fire in my head and Dom beat me up!" yelled Jacob, still managing to sound intimidating despite his small stature. For a moment, Edward wondered how Jacob knew about that, before realizing Kai had probably told the boy. Would Jacob tell Patrick that Edward had eavesdropped on the conversation?
Patrick's tone became icy, "And how would you know about that?"
Edward sucked in his breath and Kai did the same. He could see Gemma and Caitlyn also tensing as they waited for Jacob to answer. "I have my sources," he growled, and Edward sighed a sigh of relief.
A strange feeling arose in Edward's stomach, like butterflies churning their wings. For a moment, all he wanted to do was lean forward and wretch. First he thought someone's endowment had caused some strange pain, but when he noticed the stricken looks on everyone else's face, he realized it wasn't only him feeling the pian. Then it lessened and a warm rushing feeling came through him, bubbling through his veins. It seemed to harden and lava surged through him. Then the butterflies ceased and the pain was over. It had all taken less than a second.
The power had balanced.
Jacob had switched sides.
Audrey got up angrily, her blond hair floating in the air as if she was in the middle of the ocean. Her voice was icy as she hissed, "I will tell father. Jacob, you are going to be in so much trouble."
"I don't care what Uncle thinks!" Jacob retaliated, and Edward realized the two of them were cousins. So unless Joshua Tilpin had had a hidden sister, Audrey's mother was Inez Branko...
"He'll drown you for leaving us!" Audrey snapped back, confirming Edward's fears. From the look on Gemma's face, she had figured it out as well.
"There's nothing good on your side!" Jacob spat. "At least now I have a friend!"
Kai blanched as he looked from Audrey to Jacob and back again.
"Kai," intoned Audrey sweetly, "Be a good boy and tell Jacob to come back to his family."
Kai growled and clenched Jacob's hand even tighter, an urge to protect the kid coming over him. "No."
"What did you say!?" shrieked Audrey angrily, and a dizzying blue began to enter the room.
Sea green stole over the room. Patrick looked like he wanted to get up and say something, but the words were getting caught in his throat. The black shadows of mollusks formed on the wall and Edward was nervous again. Last time had been scary enough; but what if they actually drowned this time?
"Honestly, Audrey," came Jenna's bored tone. "He's Jacob. He'll come back to his senses in no time."
"Audrey!" Kai yelled, and Edward found it was slightly easier to breathe. He couldn't muster up the energy to talk, and he vaguely wondered how Kai could. "Audrey, stop it!"
Caitlyn closed her eyes and concentrated really hard. Kai appeared- except it wasn't Kai. It was an illusion, though every detail of it was perfect. It walked up to Audrey, grabbed her by the shoulders and murmured something in her ear.
The drowning stopped. Audrey looked flabbergasted. The illusion disappeared. Kai gaped at Caitlyn.
"That was an illusion!?" Audrey yelled. Caitlyn nodded, and Ed couldn't help but notice that even Patrick looked grateful to Caitlyn.
"Calm down, Audrey," Jenna said, still with the same bored tone. "We aren't here to kill anyone... yet," she added, with a sneer.
"What did I- me- it- say?" Kai asked Caitlyn, frowning.
Caitlyn just grinned at him.
"Back to work," said Patrick in a scathing tone. A shot of fire scorched the ceiling, and everyone immediately turned to their work.
--
It was dark out when they were ushered outside for the ruin game. Clouds were still covering the sky, and only a hint of moonlight could be seen. The ruins were like a large black ink blot against the already dark sky. It was cold out, and a few drops of rain pitter-pattered as they hit the pavement.
Gemma clung onto Edward as he wrapped an arm around her, both of them fighting to keep out the cold. Patrick was standing in the middle of a field of lanterns, explaining the game rules. Edward held onto the girl beside him, resting her head against his chest. His arms were around her, the rain beating a mantra in his head. Just friends... just friends... just friends...
To hell with his mantra.
"Hey, Gemma?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, Ed?" she raised her head questioningly to look up at him.
He lost his nerve."You nervous? I know you get claustrophobic..."
"Mmm," Gemma mumbled. "I'm fine..."
Only a few people away from them was Caitlyn. She was chatting with Liam and Haley, all three of them watching Kai and Lydia out of the corner of their eye. Kai was chatting with her, making a few jokes and she laughed with him. The two of them looked like a good couple, and Caitlyn would be happy for him if Lydia wasn't always in her face all the time and if she wasn't such a slut.
"You coming with us to look for the medal then, Caitlyn?" Liam asked, the only emotion in his voice the pure current of friendship.
Caitlyn could have hugged him there and then as she saw no trace of pain in his eyes. A grin drew across her face, "Are we clear now, Liam?"
He grinned back. "Definately."
Gemma had also been spying on the spectacle that was Kai and Lydia. She snorted and looked up at Edward before frowning at the sky. "There's barely any moonlight. The Bloors must be crazy or something."
"You just figured that out?" Edward chuckled, though his voice was bleak. His eyes met hers and they stayed like that until a pattering of feet around them signified the start of the game.
Gemma forced a grin back at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards one of the openings. They dove deep into the twisting maze of ruins, Ed sticking close to Gemma in case she got scared. The moon rose through the sky and time passed quickly; yet each moment was accentuated by a pulsing heartbeat. Terror coursed through them at the same time as excitement; each turn bringing with it the suspense of the chase. Would they find the medal, or would they find themselves heading deeper into the dark maze?
"Edward!"
The cry resounded through the air, and suddenly Edward was aware Gemma was no longer by his side; her warm hand was no longer nestled in his. "Gemma!?"
"Over here! Edward!" her voice came again, and Edward followed it back towards a side tunnel he had skimmed by. He ducked in, fighting his way through the narrow enclosure.
"I'm scared, Edward!" he could see her now, her thin frame trembling. She was in a small room; a dead-end. The roof was complete, with only a slight bit of moonlight trickling in through a crack in the corner. He turned his flashlight on her. Gemma's own light had been dropped on the ground and the impact had caused the light to flutter and die.
"I'm here, Gem!" he called to reassure her.
"The walls are coming closer," she dropped her voice to a whisper since he had arrived, "I'm trapped. The walls are so close."
Edward arroved beside her, his hands slipping around her and pulling her close to him. She whimpered into his thick sweater, tears staining the front. Her hands clutched desperately at his shoulders and the lower strands of his golden locks. It stung, but he did't complain. His hands rubbed her back as he murmured reassurences into her hair. His hands dropped the light, though it stayed on as it hit the stones below. She looked at his face and his concerned eyes before pulling herself up- thankfully using his shoulders as support instead of his hair- and bringing her lips to his.
Edward froze for a moment, but his body relaxed as he returned it. She tasted salty; like tears. Behind that, she had a taste of wind. Her hands were around his neck, and he was just thinking about how soft her lips were when she pulled away.
"Sorry," she mumbled, still wrapped in his arms.
Edward didn't think she had much to apologize for. "Come on," he said gently, "Let's get you out of here."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I liked that chapter. It explains why Tristan looks so much like Asa; as well as containing a healthy dose of EdGem (which I'm sure you all knew was coming.)
So sorry about the lack of KaiCaitlyn xD.
AND ZOMG I LOVE KAI/JACOB FLUFF.
Plushies, no?
Storms- (oh, you get a nickname lolololol.) a Jacob plushie. If you squeeze his tummy, he goes 'asdflkjh' or 'Kai!'
DotCiki- You get a Kai plushie. Squeeze him and he goes on and on about his love for Caitlyn.
Jaredfan- You get two plushies (o:) Firstly, an Izsak plushie which... doesn't do anything but looks pretty, and secondly, an Audrey plushie. Squeeze and the room lights up blueishly.
I updated fast this time. Yay.
Now it's time for -drumroll- Grade Ten!
AND I HAS A CONTEST.
Contest is to make up a non-canon pair (eg. no CaitlynKai, no CaitlynIzsak, no EdGem, no KaiLydia, no KaiJacob...) and write a fluffy oneshot. Min words is 500, max is 1500.
Winner gets a oneshot. Or something else, depending on what they want. A request for the Black Bandit maybe? Something to happen in it? (except for kai killing lydia, Dot)
If you think my prize is fail, then w/e. But you'd also be having fun writing, too. Well, hopefully.
See you guys later!
-Eagleh.
(Chap dedication is Jaredfan)
