Freaks (Ticci Toby) ((Sequel to Outcasts))

Chapter Twenty-One;

Kerigan

"I ordered your favorite! Breakfast pizza, from Baritone's down the road!" Mom smiled as I slumped down the stairs. Baritone's was a local shop that made the best garlic and breakfast pizza in town. Which was hard, considering those pizzas were what this town was known for. My stomach rumbled once more, and I leapt on the pizza like a tiger, grabbing four large slices. I glanced back at Isaac, wearing a pair of my fuzzy black and pink flannel pajama pants, and the old black "Save the "BOO"-bies!" shirt I'd made for a school event. He rubbed his arm self-consciously, and flinched away when mom walked past, trying to say good morning. She looked at him hurt for a moment, before touching her fingers to her lips and mumbling "Oh, you two are going to be jumpy for a bit, until you get used to normal life again. I'm so sorry."

"I-Its okay, Mr-Mrs. Whitley." He whispered like a child. I had already devoured a piece and a half of pizza, and held out my plate to him. He gingerly took a piece, eating it slowly.

I walk upto him, and press my forehead against his bicep, and he pressed back, before I pulled away to eat more. Ry sat at the table, watching us.

"I like him alot more than Toby."

I flinched at the name, the sound of it settling thick and heavy in my stomach like a stone I had swallowed.

"I'm sure you do. To-Toby... Isaac didnt kill your dad." I whispered in return, and she held steadfast.

"He deserved to die. Toby does too. But Isaac is kind to you. Toby was mean and selfish, just like Dad. But Isaac is gentle. And I can see you two are alot closer. Connected, I dont know. Like a string holds you together." She spoke confidently, and I watched as she looked down at her pizza, frowning. "With Toby, it was like you were fishing, and he was a fish. You were always reeling in, and then hed snap the line, or hed pull back out. You could never quite catch up, and you were always doing the work." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"Ry, I'm not ready to replace Toby--"

"Did I say replace him?" She snapped. "I just said Isacc is nothing like him. You shouldn't replace him, you should remove him completely and find someone better. And you have. That's just my two cents though." She snapped, getting up and walking out of the kitchen. I finally looked at Isaac, who's thoughts were deliberately quiet. His face burned bright red, and he tried not to look at me. I touched his arm gently, and with that physical touch, I slammed back into his head again, just for a moment.

I should have gotten her out sooner, I should have---

I slipped out, and looked away, hoping he didnt notice. He was deliberately hiding his thoughts from me.

"Dont beat yourself up." I said quietly. He glanced at me, and I looked up at him. That same, gorgeous fiery orange, like honey, gazed down at me. Unlike Toby's eyes, Isaac's were filled with emotion, filled with fear and hope and apprehension, and they were warm and inviting. They didnt crackle like lightning, destroying everything in its path, they crackled like a fireplace. "I stayed as much as he kept me."

"I should have --"

"Kerigan! Can you come here please?" Moms voice broke the moment. I stepped past Isaac, turning into the living room. She was sitting on the couch, watching the TV. On it, there was a helicopter view of a smoldering mass of rocks. A sinking feeling in my gut told me it was the earth well.

"-- tunnels, though no tunnels were found. The girl is now safe at home, with a mysterious man that no one has record of ever existing. This story continues to develop, 3 years later, and we will follow it until it finishes." The news spoke, and without realizing it, my fists clenched at my sides.

"Cant they just leave us alone!" I snapped suddenly, more venom than I meant seeping into my words. Angry tears spring to my eyes. "We're safe now. I told the cop they took Isaac when he was a baby!" I yelled, and Mom stared at me in worry. Isaac's hand touched my arm gently, and I close my eyes, releasing some tension. My fists unfurl.

"I'll see what I can do about getting these stories to stop." Mom offered, worry still filing her stone blue eyes.

"I'm going to get dressed." I muttered, and stalked up to my room. Anger was filling my chest, leaving a dark taste in my mouth.

Cant they just let well enough be? My thoughts swirled, and suddenly, I felt my fist connect with the wall, flame singeing the wallpaper around my hand. I stared at the flame, and pulled back my hand.

"So it still works up here." Isaac spoke from the door way. I glanced at him, and shook the flame off.

"So it does. Maybe that place changed me more than I thought it did." I grumbled in disgust. I stared at my hand, now shaking in pain, sinking onto my bed. I felt more than heard Isaac stumble over to me across his blankets and my rug. His fingers reached towards my palm, my fingers touching his palm. The way I taught him how to transfer energy. I felt the warmth spreading deeply across my chest, filling my body with a buzz of adrenaline.

"Dont worry about that place no more, couch witch. Were safe. You're safe. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. And I know I'm safe around you too. We look out for eachother. That's how we work." He rambled, and I finally looked up to meet his eyes, finding him looking scattered and tired again. I broke contact with him, and gave him a second to gain his balance back before I pulled him onto the bed beside me. I gently pressed my shoulder to his, and once more his thoughts swirled alongside mine, like I was reading a book.

I'd lay my life on the line for her. I'd take a hatchet to the throat for her. I'd let myself be ripped limb from limb for her. Why do I feel like this? Why is my heart so loud when I'm around her? Why cant I think straight when I'm around her? Why does she make me feel like everything I've ever done, everyone I've ever hurt, is finally behind me? Am I deserving of her, oh absolutley not, of course not, dont kid yourself. Is she---

"Stop listening to my thoughts." His voice cut through the trance I was being pulled into, and suddenly my head was swirling and I was nauseous.

"Stop thinking so goddamn loud." I whispered, and suddenly, without warning, burst into tears. He jerked back slightly before taking my face in his palm and wiping my tears away once more.

"H-Hey, dont cry Kerigan! It's okay! I'm sorry, I shouldnt have yelled at you I'm so sorry!" He whispered, pulling my head against his chest. I sobbed quietly, soaking the front of his- my -shirt. His fingers stroked my spine gently for a while as he make small cooing noises to calm me.

"What if they find us?" I finally manage to squeak out. He hesitates for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Then you run. And I'll handle it."

"Isaac, no--" I pull back to look at him, and his hands come up to cup my face, making me make eye contact with him. His eyes were filled with emotion again, bright orange and burning.

"Kerigan if they come here, you take your sisters and your mom and you fucking RUN. Do you understand me? You run and you dont stop running and you burn every bridge you cross."

"You cant hold them off by yourself--"

"Goddammit I'm not holding them off! I'm sacrificing myself so you have some time! And you know it. Your life is worth so much more than mine, you have so much--"

"Dont say that!" I snap, jerking my head back, tears streaming down my face. "You deserve to live too, and you're NOT going to sacrifice yourself to prove a fucking point! You dont have to be self righteous to proof your worth!" I yell, and he stares at me in shock. His thoughts slam into me once more, loud and overwhelming-- how does she do that? How does she make everything better with just a few words? How does---

And then I kissed him.