(MxM) Tales of a Shifter (P4)- The Blood

Chapter 25 - You Never Did

Chapter 25

Planning the escape...came far too easy.

Perhaps because both Hovel and Jacob seemed to fade away. Jacob had taken to distancing himself from Brandon and Nora. And Hovel had taken to ignoring Brandon all together.

It was odd but after the incident with the boy....Hovel, the Alchemists....and Jacob all seemed pleased.

So pleased in fact that Hovel seemed to suspend the Procedures. There were no explanations given for his actions....

Brandon and Nora both knew that something big was happening behind the scenes, but neither of them could take the time to care. Instead and Brandon and Nora decided to plan their escape around these three odd days of relative freedom.

Brandon tried to help Nora...but because he was refined to his room, or the library or the garden....Nora was mostly the mastermind behind everything.

Under the guise of wanting to spruce up Brandon's room she got a few Alchemists to move in a book case....A book case that she used to cover a spot in the floor.

Beneath this spot Nora used her Alchemy to cut a hole in the floor.

Once that was accomplished Nora started gathering items for the escape.

Food. Water. Clothes. And bags to carry the items in, which she created out of thin air with Alchemy.

And every night....while the rest of the Base was sleeping Nora would pull out a giant map. The Map, that she had somehow managed to steal from Hovels office, pointed out all of the exits and hallways.

A part of Brandon felt betrayed when he had first read over the giant map of the Base.

Hundreds of feet. And Thousands of rooms.....And all of his life Brandon had been kept in one tiny room? Only allowed to go to the garden or walk to the library if Jacob or Nora were escorting him?

A small worm of burning emotion began to choke Brandon in those hours when he and Nora tried to formulate plans of escape.

The emotion grew and grew and even though it hurt.....the emotion made him stronger. It made Brandon want to escape more and more.

Later....Brandon would understand that what he was feeling was hatred....and determination.

Hatred and determination to be free. To take back his life.

Sadly it was not meant to be.

Because on the morning of the escape...Nora and Brandon walked into Brandon's bed room....and simultaneously stopped dead in their tracks.

Because there Jacob was sitting beside the door, lounging in a chair, and at his feet were the travel packs. Filled with the water and clothes that Brandon and Nora had hidden away behind the book shelf.

The moment Nora and Brandon saw him sitting in that chair....with the evidence of their plans to escape sitting at his feet....Brandon sensed Jacob go as tight as a spring.

Brandon could sense that Jacob was ready for them to try and run...

Perhaps Jacob even wanted them to try....but both Brandon and Nora were too shocked to do anything but stare at him.

Finally Jacob broke the silence.

"So...What is this all about? Are we taking a trip guys, because I'm sure I wasn't invited." Jacob softly said, but even though his eyes didn't burn with yellow light and he didn't growl when he spoke....the rage....and danger felt all the more real, because Jacob dropped his book into his lap and smiled at them.