The Thought Keepers: Ability

Chapter 4: Normals, Unnormals and Shades

I'm not going to describe Nathaniel's head on the ground because that was gruesome enough the first time. Just know that I am still severely traumatized by it.

I jumped out of the path of the rolling head, shrieking and nearly falling onto the dirty asphalt. I slid off the car unsteadily, looking up at the boy holding a ruby sword in his hands.

Carson ignored my reaction, staring pointedly at the head as if it were still a threat to him. He had a hardness to his face that wasn't there before, a harsh edge to the set of his cheeks. With a phantom expression he pulled out a translucent orange lighter, flicked it on and threw it at Nathaniel's body. The corpse went up in bitter flames.

He wiped his hands on the leaf-covered grass, muttering about ectoplasm and towels. He noticed me staring and stopped. "What's wrong?" Carson asked.

I spoke up after staring at him for too long. "You killed Matthew."

He looked at me strangely, as if not comprehending my words. "Matthew?" He echoed. "This demon is named Nathaniel."

"You killed him," I emphasized. "With a sword. In broad daylight."

Carson sighed. "Look, I told you. He's not human. If I had left him, he would have killed you or worse- used you as a skin. That's what happened to this guy."

"Matthew," I reminded him. Carson just nodded in response, like he was used to forgetting the names of those killed by demons. And he probably was.

"Rabbit Shades are vicious and cruel. They skin their victims and use them as coats to walk around in daylight. I couldn't let that happen to you, okay?" Carson told me.

I knew he meant well. But seeing that level of violence was new for me. I didn't know how to take it. "I just- how do you expect me to respond?" I demanded. "After all of that?"

Carson glared at me. "Thank you Carson, for saving my life."

"I didn't ask you to save me. If you wanted to leave me here to die, then you should have."

Carson laughed humorlessly. "I cannot believe this," he said.

He looked around the abandoned parking lot as if searching for answers. The parking lot was still empty, and it would be that way until the last bell rang for class to end. I couldn't believe that while I was getting throttled by a face-stealing demon, kids were sitting in class falling asleep to lectures.

He turned back to me, his eyes dark and unreadable, and I had the fleeting thought that he could kill me. I swallowed, feeling a dry lump in my throat. Surely he wouldn't?

"We should get out of here," he said suddenly. He moved toward me, but I stepped back at the same time. Confusion crossed his face for a split-second before he realized why I was afraid.

"Come on," he said, charcoal eyes searching mine. "Why would I save you only to kill you right after?"

He did have a point. However, it didn't change the fact that he was carrying a weapon disguised as a ring, and that he had openly committed a crime.

I gnawed at my lips, trying to rationalize everything so far. I was having a hard time grasping the situation, even as it unfolded right in front of me. The only thing that was clear to me was that I was in danger, and this boy, killer or not, was the only one willing to help me.

I decided that I would trust him for now, since he did save my life. If he could tell me the truth about what was going on, it would explain everything that my mother and Uncle Ethan would not. The secrets they kept from me my whole life, the reasons for their weird precautions and restrictions- Carson could tell me all of them. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.