Arise

Chapter 6

"I call shotgun!" Jace shouts, I'm secretly disappointed but I know it's necessary. The rest of the ride home was in silence. The only noise in the car was the groceries rocking about in the boot and the soft hum of the radio. 

We make it back in five minutes flat. Smiling at my accomplishment I get out the car and mount the front steps. I beckon for Matthew and Jace to follow me. We get to the door, I unlock it and step over the threshold.

"Jay!" I shout, Matthew jumps out of his skin. A bit startled I think. Jamie comes downstairs and he practically flies over to look into Matthew's eyes, he's reading his mind, seeing if he would stay or flee. He must have come to a good conclusion because he beckons Matthew to sit on the leather couch. Matthew makes his way over and takes a seat.

"I'm Jamie." He says waiting for Matthew to reply.

"I'm Matthew, Bryony said that you'll explain what's going on. Will you?" He asks quickly.

"Yes I will, Bry are you going to help me?" He turns to me and gives me a weak smile, I return the gesture and bring over a chair and sit down. Jace takes a seat at the breakfast bar next to Penny, they converse quietly, trying not to disturb us. We turn to look at Matthew and begin to tell our story. "We are going to tell you something, something hardly anyone knows. And we are trusting you, after we tell you everything. You can either stay as my sister's Imprint and become part of our family, or I wipe your memory taking the Imprint with it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so." Matthew replies bluntly and makes the gesture of 'hurry up I want to know'. Jay takes a deep breath and starts from the beginning.

"Later generations were born on this planet but our kind is believed to have originated from another planet. When our parents died we became the last of our clan, we've been searching for our Imprints ever since we could walk. Since we were children Bry and I have had the ability to read people's minds, something we inherited from our parents. When we turned fifteen I found Penny, my Imprint and we Arose a few days after, gaining physical abilities too."

"Which is that girl over there, I'm guessing." Matthew says gesturing to Penny who sat on the stall in her tight blue jeans and flannel top, her raven hair brushed to perfection.

"Yes, that's her," He smiles sweetly at her before turning back to Matthew. "Anyway our clan angered another one who are now after Bryony and I, as we are the last. We have been running from them for ages, he found us yesterday. He wants to use our powers for his own gain as do many other people. We took out six men and they were all from the same clan which is what we call them. We are still on the run and we are holed up here for the foreseeable future. My sister needs you to help her Arise, an Imprint gives you immeasurable power. If you are willing to do this, you will need to be with each other often to keep each other happy, calm and energised. An Imprint's touch alone will make you feel better, we can also heal each other without even knowing it so we never get ill. But there is a difference in your case."

"What do you mean?" Matthew asks.

"Because Bry is a healer, one of the most powerful of us you cannot heal her so she must suffer through pain but not illness."

"Wait, if you're a healer. Why don't you just heal yourself?" He directs the question at me.

"My powers don't work on myself they didn't want us to be too powerful."

Jamie takes a deep breath and carries on, "Matthew there is one more catch..."

"And what would that be?"

"You will be immortal like the rest of us. So age does not affect you but if you get shot or something and Bry isn't there you will die."

"Wow...."