The Pain Thief

Chapter 24

PAINFUL TRUTHS AND POWERFUL ENEMIES

Jack just stood in the street, watching Zoe's retreating form as she walked away. She had been withdrawing all week, slowly locking herself away like she used to. 

Jack was determined to at least be there for her, even if he couldn't help her. When she had walked right up to him, he had no idea what to expect, but the last thing he was expecting was for Zoe to kiss him. He never knew she felt like that about him and she didn't even give him a chance to respond, physically or verbally. 

Her white hair flowed behind her as her wolves appeared, shadowing her as she walked home alone. Jack kind of just stood there for a while, still not sure if he had really understood what happened. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he found Sarah standing in front of him, waving her hands in front of his face. 

"Hellooo?" she said. "You in there Jack?"

He blinked back to reality and said, "What?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Come on we've gotta get home." She grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him away, but he felt like he was a million miles away at the moment. 

"Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong with you?" asked Sarah as they walked. 

"Nothing," he said, not feeling up to discussing it with her. He was still debating whether he had imagined it or not and didn't need Sarah pestering him about it. 

"Yeah right," said Sarah with a roll of her eyes. "Did Zoe say something to you?"

Jack practically choked on his words, but he said, "W-why would Zoe say anything to me?" He knew his voice was higher than normal and his face was getting red, but he couldn't help it. 

Sarah looked to him like he'd gone crazy. "Well I just felt her with you but she left and you stayed here so I thought I'd pick you up."

Jack sighed. Sarah was an exceptional tracker and had the basics mastered after only a week of real training. Of course the skill of being a tracker got better with age, but for being only fifteen, she was doing a very good job. 

"It's really nothing," he said dejectedly, opening the door for her when they got home. Sarah dropped her bag as they entered, keeping quiet. 

"What's wrong?" whispered Jack. 

Sarah shook her head. "I feel something. Something's wrong..."

"Is it...?" Jack didn't have to finish the sentence. They both knew that he was referring to the final fight. The leader of this whole mess. 

"I'm not sure," said Sarah. "It's only a feeling I have now, not any dark energy."

The two of them walked into the kitchen and tried to work on some homework. They were already close, but had been spending even more time together since discovering Sarah's tracker ability. It was kind of nice, Jack thought, to able to share his ability with someone in the family after so many years of keeping it to himself. 

They ate normally, just the five of them. After dinner, Jack went up to his room and lay down for a while. He just couldn't get Zoe off his mind and no matter how hard he tried couldn't stop thinking about the feel of her lips on his. He only wished he had said something to her instead of staring after her like an idiot.

He was staring at the ceiling when Sarah burst into his room, looking panicked. "They're here."

Jack got up quickly and they rushed down the stairs. Sarah was saying, "Someone is fighting Zoe right now. They feel more powerful than anyone else. They're the strongest and the darkness in them is unfathomable."