Gifted Ones

Chapter 26 Haven

It took us about an hour to make arrangements after everyone agreed with my plan. Morgan explained everything to Chase while Garret and Anne talked to the staff about the latter being the contact in case of emergency and all of the paperwork involving bills and money (this part was particularly cumbersome, considering the fact that all of us were, in fact, Americans). Garret also found a hotel for the three of us to stay in while the Andersons and my Dad to find the Carmine Isle. We're going to leave and go to London two days from now. When Garret determines which continent the island is closest to, we'll meet them there, whether it be in Europe or Africa or wherever. The whole plan is very situation dependent. We don't know what's going to happen until they find the general location of the island. It is two o'clock before they were finally ready to leave.

The Andersons are saying their goodbyes to Chase when my dad approaches me.

"Haven," he starts, a pained look on his face. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do."

"Morgan can take another person, it's not too late."

I sigh. "Please Dad. I'll slow her down. What if you have to fly all the way across the Atlantic? Morgan might not be able to make it." When he was alive, Matthew told me a lot about the distance a Flyer can go before they drop. It's heavily dependent on the number of passengers, and drops by 50% every extra person. I'm sure that Dad knows this.

His eyes soften a bit. "This is about the boy isn't it? Chase? You want to stay with him."

"Dad! C'mon! I. . . I'm not reckless. It will help all of you if I stay behind. The three of us won't be recognized if we don't go around giving out names out. And. . . I do want to make sure Chase is okay."

He pushes a hand back through his thick blond hair. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry," I tell him. "Nothing will. And don't let anything happen to yourself! I love you too, ya know?"

He smiles slightly. "Yeah. Just be careful. And if you even get the tiniest sense that you're being followed, immediately get to Anne and get. Yourself. Out."

I nod, swallowing heavily. Despite my brave front, I really am frightened of Gabriel. And his men.

Just then, the Andersons enter the room, their faces grave. "Alright," Garret says. "We're going to get our things from the room, and relocate Anne and Haven's backpacks to the second hotel. We can drop off Chase's in the way back so he'll have clothes to change into. He will most likely be released tomorrow, at which point you will take him to the hotel. The following day, move to London. By then I think we will have some idea of where the island might be. Then we will give you our coordinates and you shall join us. We shall communicate by cell phone. However, while we actually are over the water, we won't be able to talk. Expect our call roughly 25 hours after we leave England."

No one says anything, automatically assuming that Garret's word is law. The gravity of the parting has started to sink in. I'm just starting to realize that I volunteered to be left behind. I'm going to be alone, again. I trusted the Clan to be able to fight off Gabriel, and now I'll only have the protection of two of them. But I'm not going to give out and slow them down. I can't risk the whole mission. I realize that, at some point, I had started to think of the clan as "us" and their mission as my own. In the Clan members, I'd found a sort of family. I'm very grateful for that.

"What if we get separated?" Anne asks. "Chase, Haven, and I. How will I get in contact with her? Chase has a phone. Haven doesn't." Her gaze falls upon my head, unwavering. But the older woman's expression holds less of the malice it did a few days ago.