Power

Chapter 9

I walk up the steps to my house slowly, not wanting to go inside. When I do, I will be forced to think about what happened, something I am not too keen on after such an eventful day. I fumble with my keys, ready to start preparing my father and I's dinner before diving into my homework, until I hear a rustle in the bushes behind me. I turn to find none other than Collin standing at the edge of my driveway, his shoulders tense as he tentatively glances at me. A chill runs through me when his eyes meet mine, something slightly amiss in the cloudy green.

"I really shouldn't be here right now," Collin says, hand tapping his side, one of his nervous habits I picked up on. "Just so you know, if Eli, Jarred, or any of them knew where I am, they'd throw a fit and bring me back faster than you could say 'turkey.'" I just stare at him, a little dumbstruck about what he is doing rambling in my front yard.

"Turkey?" Yes, I know, brilliant response. I deserve a standing ovation.

"That was not nearly as smooth as I though it would be. Just ignore that, I don't know why I brought up poultry." He winces at himself, and I instantly pity him. It is obvious he is nervous.

"What are you doing here?" I try to redirect the conversation, hoping it has nothing to do with the meeting I just had with Charger. Collin walks up the driveway, stopping at the bottom of the steps. It is highly unlikely he knows anything about my afternoon, especially after all the measures Charger and I took to keep it a secret.

"I just wanted to talk to you. Try and convince you to come back."

"Collin, you know I can't..."

"Just hear me out Talli. You and I both know we had a connection out there in the woods." He takes a few steps towards me, but it does not excite me the same way it had with Charger just an hour ago. In fact, as ridiculous as it sounds, it scares me. I've let the harsh image of the Collin in my dreams overrule the sweet guy I actually know. I have gone from literally flirting with death to fearing my hero.

"I can't come back, you know that," I say, my voice shaking. I am not ready for another confrontation, in fact, it is safe to say I have dealt with enough tough decisions already to last me a lifetime.

"I don't know that, because you won't talk to me. Maybe I can help, do something, whatever it takes. It's not safe to be unprotected with those Rats running around."

"They aren't going to hurt me," I immediately fire back. He looks at me as if I had just said not only that I believed in Santa Claus, but think the jolly man is also a reincarnation of Michael Jackson.

"They won't? Don't get sucked into their trap, they already hurt you!" He bounds up the steps with sudden determination, pulling up my shirt to reveal my almost healed, but still visible bruise on my side. I look at it for a moment before I have to avert my gaze, and I feel him let the fabric go. "They are just trying to draw you in, seem all friendly and nice, but Charger is just going to do to you what he did to all his other followers." Collin is visibly shaken even talking about the group, his eyes narrowed in slits. "He's going to wait until he has his grasp on you, wait until you join him, then crush you. He won't even look at you again as anything but another piece of his sick conquest. Don't fall for his trap, letting him make you feel like he cares for you, like I saw him try to do at lunch the other day. You are an amazing person, more than you can even tell, and all he'll do is break you." His eyes plead with mine to believe him, for me to promise I will never talk to Charger again. At this moment, I can not do such a thing, even after what just happened at the house.

Instead, I pull Collin in for a tight a hug, hoping to squeeze out all of his worry. "You're a great friend, you know? It's because of that that I'm not going to promise you anything aside from my assurance that I will think everything through thoroughly before making a decision. You deserve more than for me to tell you one thing, then in a few days do the opposite." I let him go, moving back, my hand on the doorknob. "Now, I'm going to go inside, and you should go home. Remember, it's not your job to be a hero for someone who isn't ready to be saved."