Alpha Obsession

Chapter 26

It was a trap of course

Nicholas led me to one of the few parks in Viridian. The town was surrounded by open space and peaceful forest, so the need for a public park was naturally low. As a result, it was even empty during the day. I had expected us to take his car, but Nick took off running as soon as we left the school. I guess he knew I'd follow and wanted to see if I could keep up. Either way, it was just the two of us now. My nerves were in overdrive and I stared daggers into his back as he strolled deeper into the park. I didn't look around me though, the cold feeling in my chest was a reminder that no one was watching me at all.

He stopped before we entered the main part of the park. "Keep your voice down, and come here." He whispered and crouched low. Before us was a sight I didn't expect to find in a public place. Doves and Canaries- along with a few other birds that I couldn't name- rested upon a large watering pond. It was like something straight out of a nature documentary. There were no wild city noises to break the peace, and all of the birds drank from the clear water of the marble fountain. I moved closer to Nick, trying to follow his lead without disturbing the peace. "So that time stop. It only happens. When the setting is right. Just like this. When my heart is pounding. And the pressure is high." He sounded almost breathless, which was crazy considering he ran a mile without breaking a sweat.

"Ok, but what do you actually do?" I barely managed to get out the words before my heart stopped beating. All color drained out of the world and I froze stiff. Beside me, Nick rose to his feet and smiled. He reached over and turned my head to face the pond so I could watch him. I was literally paralyzed in some sort of twilight zone and forced to watch him stride over to the pond. I expect the birds to react, but they never did. Nick jumped over the edge of the fountain and fell into the center of the pond with a splash. After doing a few poses, he threw his arms wide and released the spell that he'd cast on the world.

Instantly, the birds detected him and tried taking off in a mass panic. He waved both of his hands and something unbelievable happened. They circled around him for a moment and then settled back on the edges as if nothing happened. I got to my feet and approached him cautiously. Nick just smiled and watched me as a few doves flew onto his arms and shoulders. God, he looked unreal. I couldn't believe my eyes when he snapped his fingers and they took off into the sky once again. This time they flew in harmony and formed a cloud of yellow and white feathers above us.

The cloud descended and opened up into a wide ring. The birds flew around the park in a massive circle that seemed to cut us off from the rest of the world. I surprised myself by laughing out loud. It came out like a wave that I'd been holding back since the start. They were amazing. Every bird flew in perfect harmony with the rest and the wind picked up ever so slightly.

"Sing for my guy," Nicholas commanded, and they did. If you've ever heard a bird song in a Disney movie, maybe you can imagine what I heard in that moment. A hundred songbirds releasing their voices in a tune that Nick orchestrated with the motions of his fingers. He played the part of the maestro and this was his concert.

He almost won too. I felt tears forming and almost let them fall before I shut my eyes and waved them off. This was exactly what I wanted to see, it was what I needed. Something magical. I took a seat and let him continue his performance. After five minutes, the singing and flying ended, and the birds took off into the sky. Nick sat next to me by the pond and smiled like a school kid.

"Well?" he asked, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Well, what?"

"Well, what did you think? I call it my solitary field! My aura goes wild and hijacks everything in the area. Time pretty much freeze for everyone and they can't even tell it happened. Birds are easy to control because of how simple they are. I know they want to fly and make noise, so I just give them a reason to do that. I hope that's enough explanation for you."

"It is. That was really cool, honestly. That was the first strange thing I've seen that didn't leave any scratches or bruises." I didn't mean for it to sound bitter, but I couldn't help it. I thought about the first time I saw Hunter transform. It was terrifying and amazing at the same time, but we were never close enough for me to see it again. From the look on Nick's face, I could tell he guessed what I was thinking of.

"Tell me. Why are you wasting your time crying over him." Those words struck me hard. Was my sadness over Hunter that transparent to him.

"I never cried over anyone." Did I?

"I'm serious, Jake. I know he's not right for you. The fact that you're still here means that he didn't take you with him. And anyone that's willing to leave-." My stomach tightened and I tried to look away, but he moved in front of me. "I'd freeze the entire world if you asked me to."

"Why do you even care? We just met a little while ago. You don't even know me yet!" his eyebrows raised in a silent question, and I realized that was a lie. Nicholas had been by me for weeks, almost every day. He'd buried me in hundreds of questions over that time and probably knew me better than anyone at school. He wasn't new anymore, it wasn't like the first time he took my lunch. With a start, I realized that I knew him almost as well at this point too. He was open with literally everything about himself and what he wanted. He never lied, but there were times he had faked a smile to make someone smile back. When did he become important?

"Jake...I know that I can treat you better than he can. And I want you to let me. Just tell me what you want me to do." The sun was going down and it was getting colder outside. He was so close that I could see his breath heating the air. Those amber eyes didn't let me look away this time, so I knew he was serious. This trip wasn't as casual as I thought. He'd probably been waiting for a chance to put me on the spot for some time now. It was a trap of course...but a damn good one.

Yes, I know this is pretty much filler, but I want you to know what happens. Tell me what you think of these past few chapters. I think at this point we all know what's happening. Nicholas is coming in hard for Jake at this point and it's having an effect. Should Jake let Nick be the one to fill the void Hunter left?