Feared

Nineteen: Intruders

Dusk had fallen and deep shadows stretched across the warehouse.

Charlotte trudged down the stairs from the loft. Ethan was nowhere closer to formulating a plan to find Matt or James. Matt was in England as far as they knew, all reports pointed to him returning months before. They couldn't go to him. They couldn't even risk phoning him.

And James' location was as much of a mystery to them as it seemed to be to the outside world. Nobody seemed to be any closer to finding him. He had just vanished. Charlotte's throat seemed to close up at the thought. Her thoughts had turned darker as the day drifted by. She hated her thoughts.

Charlotte stepped out into the fresh evening air, her fingers trembling. Helplessness was paralysing her. Grief and frustration ate her from the inside out.

She took a steadying breath, catching sight of Ian. He was supposed to be on guard duty but he was sitting off to one side whistling tunelessly to himself. He furrowed his brow, staring off into the distance.

"What are you doing?" she asked sitting beside him.

"Thinking," he shrugged.

"I didn't know you did that". She tried to smile but it seemed disingenuous.

"Something's bothering me".

Ian looked serious. That never boded well for Charlotte.

"What?"

"Why did they take those five?" he asked.

Charlotte shrugged. She never really thought of all five of them. James was her priority. She felt a hollow pang of guilt at the thought. This wasn't just affecting her. Others had lost their friends too.

"It's just Ethan's right. They are the perfect package. For anybody wanting our powers to lay hands on those five together is like hitting the jackpot".

"Jackpot or not they would have to be willing participants. And we know James and Annakiya are against being used for their powers. Freya and Daiki were on my team in the Games at Kingston. They wouldn't turn against us, or slip back into what we were. Whatever about the younger girl, Alison".

"It just seems too perfect," Ian frowned.

"Maybe it is, but they need to be conscious to use their powers. And conscious they would fight to escape".

Ian's orange eyebrows came together. Charlotte sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, linking her hand with his.

"Iseult would have figured this out already," he breathed, and for the first time in a while Charlotte heard the pain in his voice. She knew she should be doing more to protect him, but she had little energy left even to protect herself.

"Would she?" Charlotte replied. "If she was here they would have taken her too. She was stronger than any of us".

Charlotte closed her eyes. She wished it would all stop. It had been one disaster after another. How much more could they take before they just gave up? How much more until the crumpled under the hatred, pain and grief? How long could they keep fighting?

"Charlotte!"

The yell came like thunder across the yard. Charlotte lifted her head, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Ian!"

The fear that came in the call was palpable. Charlotte could taste the panic in the words. Something was wrong. Ian stood up faster than Charlotte had anticipated, knocking her sideways. The force made stars jump in front of her eyes as she stumbled. She was vaguely aware of Ian's hands steadying her before she hit the ground, but her head continued to throb.