M-13

The Lake House

Silas' POV:

The van stops after two hours of driving, and I'm not that scared because I trust Atticus and know he's going to keep us safe. However, nearly every person with Mistacesemia in here has terror living in their eyes and is squeezing the hand of another Mistake beside them.

Leo is sitting on the ground between Jared's legs, and I want nothing more than to be with my boyfriends and have them holding me. Yet, I know that Atticus can't be back here with us because he'd scare the hell out of the Mistakes who are already close to passing out because they're in a vehicle with no windows.

The van's back doors open and Atticus is there with other soldiers, and they wave us out of the car, escorting the long line of us trapped in the chains inside of a big lake house.

There's a pair that approaches us, a woman and a man, and they each have a large box and have the OSIU logo on their sweaters.

"This is Charlie and Daniel," Atticus introduces. "They are our locksmiths, and they'll be getting the chains off your legs. Afterwards, everyone with Mistacesemia will be escorted outside to get the collars off."

I understand that, as when a person with Mistacesmia's powers are restricted for a long period of time, taking off the power restraint can result in a form of power relapse and they can have an outburst that could damage inside of the lake house.

"Start down there," I say, pointing to the back of the group where the people who have been chained for years. "Atticus!"

Atticus turns and raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"Make them start down there," I repeat, and Atticus doesn't question why I want them to start further away from me.

I think he knows that there's a reason, and for me, that reason is that the people at the end have been chained for years and it is unfair to leave them in longer than they have to be. As for me, it's only been five days, so I cannot complain.

Once he's done ordering people around, Atticus sits beside me and puts one of his fingers under my chin, tilting my head back.

I know he's looking at the cuts around my neck that come from trying to pull this damn restraint off my neck. There's also cuts on the tips of my fingers from pulling at the metal.

"Where's Lincoln?" I ask once Atticus has released my chin and decides to look over my hands and ankles where the cuffs are.

Atticus hugs me around the waist and drags my back into his chest. "He's at a hotel. I have people who are part of the OSIU keeping an eye on him."

My heart leaps to my throat. "No, that's not safe for him! Darrel was with the OSIU and he's part of The Onyx!" I exclaim, but Atticus shushes me.

"Beni is a genius and worked to find a list of Oregon members," Atticus soothes me. "The OSIU is already at work arresting them, and I've been calling Lincoln once almost every three hours. He's safe, Silas. Don't worry..."

I relax a little bit, but if they managed to find a list and it was limited to Oregon, that makes me worry that there's a huge list of members nationwide; maybe even global.

"I'm a bit offended you haven't introduced me," I hear Leo say, looking over at me and Atticus. "If that's the police boyfriend, then he work with you, right Jared?"

Atticus chuckles. "He does, so I'm now curios. Who is this, Jared?" he asks, holding my hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs over the back of them.

"This is Leo, my potential murderer," Jared says, ruffling Leo's hair and pulling his hand back when Leo tries to bite him. "Hey!"

"Get your gross fingers away from my beautiful hair," Leo says. "My beautiful, five months since I've showered, greasy hair!"