Blue Without You

Oh Blue Agony

Clarence strides over, his mouth in a wide smile.

"Well Luke, I need to talk to my little girl for a little." Luke's eyes dart to mine.

"Little girl?" He says staring at me in confusion.

"He's my grandfather." I say as Clarence grabs my arms and drags me up until I'm standing.

"And what a sweet little granddaughter I have." Clarence says bopping my nose with his finger.

"Don't touch me." I snarl. His eyes blink out of focus and he stares at me up and down in confusion.

"Um anyway....goodbye Luke!" Then Clarence pulls me up the steep staircase.

The door at the top is covered in mold and dirt. The stairs creak with every step. I cringe when the door opens, expecting to see weapons and filth. But when the door swings open, I squint to see bright white light floating through a huge glass sliding door. To the right a giant kitchen with marble counter tops and stainless steel appliances. My mouth hangs down when he leads me past a living room with a tv the size of my bedroom.

"Just sneak a peek around this corner." He says motioning to the door to his right.

He opens the door and the floor opens up to a huge dinning room table pressed against the wall, china shattered on the floor and a bloody trail leading to a small square of tiles with a single chair. And in that chair is a bloody person, their hands clench the arm rests and their head drops on their shoulder. I'm almost positive whom ever this is has to be dead, but a small lift in the chest gives me a sigh of relief.

"Does he look familair?" Clarence says nudging me closer to the poor man. I kneel down and look up at his face. I keep blinking the black-blue shade from his skin.

"I can't tell..." I say frustratedly. He brings over a wet towel and cuts me loose. I give him a weird look and lift the mans chin. He doesn't look older than 20. I rub his face gently to rid it of blood and dirt. His jaw is visible now, strong and brooding.

When I finally clean him up I blink the black away. I stumble back.

"Ash!" I scream. I try to run back but Clarence pins my hands behind my back.

"Oh darling that took forever." He hisses in my ear. "Why do you care? You don't need to keep taking care of him."

"Let him go." I say trying to fight back the tears. "I don't know what you want but I know I need Ash to live."

"I'm a business man, not a murderer." He says pushing me on the ground away from Ash. He flicks his wrist and is go sliding against the wall.

"Ergh," I say touching my arm that now has a long gash down it. "How did you do that?"

"The same way you got me to stop downstairs," He says getting in my face. "With my mind."

"I didn't do anything to you." I spit back.

"Oh but you did. See you're here because of your talent. You healed this boy in less than a week. The board was surprised and decided to put you up for mention. Maybe get you a high spot in the reader government."

"Reader government?" I interrupt.

"Shut up. Don't act innocent."

"I'm not acting innocent. What is a reader government?"

"I'm positive your father would've told you-"

"What? You're my fathers father?" I forgot this beast was related to me. My father is a bigger pain then my mother, at least recently. They came home last night and went straight to their rooms, not a word to us.

"Yes so how do I explain the reader government...so in the beginning, where readers where just now coming out, the American government used them as tools. They would sit a few in on a meeting with other countries and they would figure out their tactics. We made our own government in the 60's when a reader was persecuted for having president JFK was killed, and for having miss read his killer."

I stare at Ash while he goes off on his spiel.

"They never found his killer." I say numbly trying to figure out how to move closer to Ash. Whenever he begins talking, the force holding me here weakens. Maybe I could shuffle away when he's distracted.

"They did but that's not of the matter. So why are you here you may ask? I need you to heal Ash." My head snaps up at the sound of his name.

"Why would you want me to do that?"

"So I can find out how powerful your powers really are, and whether or not I should take you out now, or later." My hands start shaking. Take me out like kill me?

"W-Why would you need to take m-me out?" I say sitting on my hands to stop them from shaking. He gets in my face again but I try to do what I did earlier and he stops about a foot from my face looking frustrated.

"I am a healer and you will not take my spot on the board."

The look he gives me makes my heart pound. He will kill me. I need to heal Ash but not now, we can escape if I can't heal him.

"I'll try." I whimper moving my face from his piercing gaze.

"Okay!" He says clapping his hands once. "Let's begin."

I feel the pressure on me release and I crawl over to Ash. I touch his face and try to block the good thoughts. I pull up the arguments, and the pain he put me through. His eyes snap open and I jump back.

"Sky!" He screams in pain. "No I love you!"

I cringe at the pain in his voice. Clarence stares in awe and then starts clapping and dancing around.

"You can project images! That's how you do it!" He cuts Ash out of his binds and leads us both back down to the basement. Luke's face comes in to view as the door swings open.

"Have fun!" Clarence says slamming the door. I bring Ash over to Luke, who has Trent leaning on him. I press Ash against the wall as he groans in pain.

"I can heal people." I whisper. My head still trying to wrap everything together.

"What?" Luke says giving me a weird look. "Healing is a reader of high status power."

I ignore his comment and press my hands against Ash's face. I press my lips against his and start thinking. I think about our first kiss by the shoe store, then the one pressed against his car. I feel more and more warmth come to his cheeks and mouth moves slightly with mine. I finally think of the beach, how awkward he was about sunscreen and I feel myself blush feeling his hands on my back.

"Sky..." I feel his lips mumble against mine.

"Ash." I say giving him a big hug. "I'm so sorry I got you into this."

I pull away from his to see a few scars lining his jaw and on his forehead. He looks so much older and his eyes are so tired and in pain.

"People are fine with pain, as long as they get to love in the end." I feel my face flush.

"Tell me next time you two are going to make out so I can keep my decency." Luke says groaning. I smile at Ash and sit in his lap.

"I love you Ash."

"I love you Sky."

I think I've chosen.