Chapter Twenty - Warning

Anne and Jimmy were following what Jimmy called a lead. He refused to tell her where he had gotten the information regarding the men in black, but insisted on her coming along. In truth it was a feeling he had gotten from the attackers. He held it at bay; he didn’t want Anne to get suspicious of his ability. But for some reason he had an uncontrollable desire for coffee, and only one place seemed to come to mind. He knew it was what he needed.

“Jimmy, where are we going?” Anne demanded.

“Jenkins,” he told her casually. She turned her eyes from the road to stare fiercely at him; she wanted more information. “The coffee place. You know it!” She shook her head. “The place everyone says they leave feel better after.”

“And why are we going there? It’s not true you know. There’s nothing in that coffee that can just make you feel better. It’s just coffee.”

Jimmy let out a laugh. “Jenkins isn’t just a coffee place, Anne! It’s an escape!” She scoffed at his words. “It’s a lead,” he said confidently. “Trust me on this.”

A soft buzzing came from his pocket. Quickly he reached in to pull out his mobile phone. “Be careful,” a hoarse voice said to him. “Where you’re going; it’s not safe. You won’t be able to control it anymore. The two that have gifts contrary cannot be near each other.”

“Who is this?” he hissed into the phone.

“A friend. Just stay away. Your ability will hurt everyone if you go near Jenkins.”

“What do you mean?” he said angrily.

“Look at your friend. You lack control. Jenkins too lacks control. He will absorb that you give out, and eventually change it to hurt others. Stay away from him.”

The phone hung up abruptly. Jimmy stared blankly at it. “What the hell was that?” Anne snapped. Jimmy was silent, taken aback by her. She shook her head. “Sorry about that... don’t know what came over me.”

Control...

Jimmy mused on the words he had heard. He knew they were true. He had done that to Anne.

“Stop the car. We’re going back.”

“What do you mean we’re going back? We’re almost there!”

“Just trust me.”

Stay away from Jenkins? Guess that makes him like us. A mutant. Small world...

***

It seemed Daniel hadn’t gone that far. Two strange people were spotted near the school. Ciarán had asked around rather casually, expecting to find out which direction they had gone. To find they had barely left was a surprise in itself. He guessed Daniel was still injured. Though, he wasn’t sure he had done that much to him.

What would they be doing here, anyway? Could they still be after us?

He kept his hand closed around some coins in his pocket just in case he was ambushed. The last thing he needed was to go down like this; hunting a lead then being picked off by it. But Daniel and the girl were close. He knew it.

You won’t get away this time.

***

The phone rang for what seemed the millionth time without answer. He decided to give up. Edel was simply out of reach. Carl, then, was still alone. He was tired. He had nowhere to stay. He had nothing in this world.

Only Emily...

He recalled again finding her slumped by her car, seemingly lifeless. It was an eternity away. A lifetime of horror and loneliness. A lifetime without Emily. All because he hadn’t made it to her on time. All because he had told her to leave the room.

The room!

He knew where he could go at last. The motel room. The one they had gotten when they were in Black Lake. She had left her credit card there to pay for the room. They still had it. Though it had been weeks, Emily was still paying for it. Which meant Carl had somewhere to sleep for the night. Somewhere else to try contact Edel from too.

He focused hard on the location. It had long ago been burnt into his memory. He closed his eyes from the strain, fatigue making any teleportation difficult. He felt himself jerk uncomfortably. He fell to his knees, opening his eyes to see Emily’s red convertible still parked in the motel parking lot. How it had remained untouched he didn’t know. But the sight of it brought back his memories again.

It hurt to see the place so empty, yet it somehow made sense. Here his love was taken from him. No one would disgrace the land here again. No one would walk this place again or disturb that which was hers.

Here only Carl would get some rest, despite the pain it brought his heart. This was Emily’s gift to him. Freedom.

***

Will was gone. Lisa was alone. It was the first time in weeks she had really been alone. It frightened her. She needed Will. She didn’t even want to see her parents. She didn’t need them like she needed Will. And she knew only one person could help her. She flicked through her phonebook, landing on the number that had been given her in case of emergency. Edel.
It didn’t take long for her to answer. “Edel?” Lisa called into the phone.

“Lisa? That you? Where’d you go?”

“We tried to track down where those guys take people,” Lisa told her. “Will had a hunch about it. He wasn’t the first one taken. But he’s gone, Edel. He had himself taken by them, but I’ve lost my connection with him. I can’t talk to him anymore.”

Edel was silent for a while. “What can I do to help?”

“Well, I need to meet up with you again. I think I know where they’ve taken him.”

“Then I’ll come get you. Tomorrow. Where we first met.” Lisa made to hang up. “I’m sorry about Will, Lisa.”

“Thanks.”

For everything.

***

Edel paced the room slowly. It wasn’t a happy place to be. She missed her old apartment. But it was gone, like everything else in her life. She had to get to the end of this. She had to help Lisa. And Carl. She rang once again. The connection went through quickly, the phone ringing. Her heart raced. She had found him.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice said to her.

“Carl? Is that you?”

“Edel?” he cheered, suddenly seeming awake. “What is it? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you!”

“I need your help. A friend needs me. And I could use you there.”

“But... Emily... she’s been taken.”

Emily too...

Edel knew what this meant. The men in the black suits had her. Like they had Will. “I can get her back. If you help me, Carl.” She let out a deep breath. “I may know someone who can find her. She’s who I need to help, Carl. Her boyfriend was taken. They staged it. She knows where he might be! But I need you to help us get there.”

“You can get Emily back...”

She really is all he can think about...

“I hope so, Carl. I hope so.”