ADAM
I still can't believe what gramps has told me. Could it really be true? All those scary stories that the gifted hear when their little of the cleansers that come for them.
"Dude what's going on? Why did we leave campus it's my first day I wanted to eat lunch with everyone."
"Gavin there are more important things than that right now." I tell him.
"Well are you going to tell me what that important thing is or what?"
"I don't think you would believe me." I admit.
"Okay? Can you at least tell me where we are going?"
"We're going to meet up with grandpa at Wesley's job now stop asking questions that we're almost there."
"Alright alright sheesh." He says.
We arrive at the national park where Wes works and drive up to the park ranger building. It's pretty lonely this time of year so he's the only ranger working. Gavin and I step out of the car and walk into the building where Wes, grandpa, Makar, Nash, and Dean are standing.
"Good you're here." Says grandad.
"Will, now can you tell us what's going on?" Asks Nash.
"Yea and why didn't Helen and the girls come?" Adds Dean
"Do you know how hard it was to keep this secret meeting from my sister?" Says Makar.
Grandpa Will strokes his white beard and sighs deeply.
"Grandad just tell them." Says Wes.
"Wait. You know?" Says Nash.
"Yea he knows?" Wonders Gavin.
"Gramps told Adam and I." Says Wes. Everyone turns to look at me.
"How come you told him?!" Asks Dean and we all start to bicker.
"That's enough! Boys this is a serious matter." Grandad snaps.
"Okay what the heck is going on?" Makar finally says.
"We received a message from an old friend down in Georgia. They said that there have been some random killings down there." He says.
"Okay well what does that have to do with us?" Wonders Gavin.
"Those killings weren't random. They were all gifted." He adds.
Everyone looks at each other with a confused look.
He continues. "Most of then had the birthmark. They've been popping up all across the country and apparently it's been happening forever but these last ten years have been the worst."
"I don't understand. Who is killing all of these gifted humans? We're taught at a young age to never reveal ourselves." Says Dean.
"He's right Will. Who is doing this?" Makar says and Nash nods.
"Isn't it obvious." I say.
They look at each other for an answer while Wes and I look at each other knowingly.
"Boys, what is the one thing that knows about the gifted? What is the one thing against us? The one thing that is out to exterminate gifted humans?"
They all hold a disbelieving look in their eyes when they catch on.
"It can't be." Whispers Dean.
"Cleansers." I say and everyone turns to look at me.
EMMA
I'm still stunned from Ethan's kiss. That was our first kiss! It was a bit random I'll admit, but definitely magical. For a second I didn't care about anything or anyone, all I cared about was him holding me close and feeling his soft lips against my own.
"So what did you want to talk about?" I try and sound casual as even though I'm still a mess inside.
"Emma I like you, like I really really like you. I've liked you for some time now and it just took me a while to catch on. I need to know that you feel the same way." The last part comes out almost like he's begging and it tugs at my heart strings. I look down at him holding my small hands on his large warm hands.
"Ethan I like you too." I finally look up at him. "More than you can imagine." The worried expression on his face immediately vanishes as a happy one takes its place. He steps closer and takes one of my hands and places it over his heart. I feel the warmth of his skin through his flannel and notice the rapid thumping of his heart.
"This is what you do to me." He smiles. "You make my heart beat faster than ever before." He leans down and gently kisses the corner of my smiling mouth.
"So what now?" I wonder. Am I like his girlfriend now or something?
"That's the other thing." His smile drops. "You can't tell anyone about us."
I pull my hands out of his and push against his strong chest. "Excuse me?"
He reached out to me but I take another step back with my bum leg and wince at the pain.
"Be careful!" He helps me over to a stone bench and I sit down after I slap his hands away.
"How dare you? You think you can keep me a secret so you can still mess around with other girls?"
"No it's not because of that." He argues.
"S- so you're em- embarrassed of me?" My heart sinks at the thought of Ethan being ashamed to tell people about us. I look down at my hands as my shoulders slump.
I feel him sit down next to me and he gently takes my chin making me look up at him. "Never." He says in a very soft voice.
"Then I don't understand."
"Baby there's so much going on in my life right now that needs to be resolved before I can tell anyone we're together." My body surged with electricity when he called me baby.
"What can possibly be going on that you can't tell anyone how you feel about me?"
"It's extremely complicated and I wish I could explain it more but I can't. Just know that my life is to much of a mess and I don't want to drag you in it. I just couldn't bare the thought of never kissing you or holding you close. I had to tell you how I felt."
"I trust you Ethan. I don't know why but I do." We gently smile at each other. "I just have one question... can I tell Adam?" His eyes show anger until they change to triumph.
"Maybe you should keep it to yourself for a while. But as soon as I clear some stuff up, I'll tell him myself."
"That won't be necessary." I tell him not wanting problems between two very important boys in my life.
I spend the rest of lunch with Ethan until the bell rings and we walk together to art except he leaves some distance so it doesn't raise questions. What could possibly be going on in his life that is so crazy? He looks around like a paranoid person. Who does he think he's going to see?
All I know is that something strange is going on with him. And I'm going to get to the bottom of it.
