Eight and ancients

Chapter 18 Thorne March 18 2026

I stood frozen just staring at Harper. My arm still on Des's left arm. I don't get it I can always get in her head, how the hell was she blocking me out. He mind was blank. I moved my hand down to her wrist so I could take a pulse. She had a steady heartbeat, so why was I not able to get in her head.

The only other person who's mind I can't read was Chuck's. And well he was some supreme over lord, who can give teenagers powers. I let go of Destiny's arm and grabbed Harper's dragging her to the other side of the room

"Thorne. THORNE!" She was whisper-screaming at me by this point.
"Her mind is blocked completely blocked. I can't get in. The whole place is like a white haze."
"What do you mean?" Harper's voice went quite, almost scared.
"There is nothing for me to read. It was just some white light Harp, there's nothing in her head."
"Haven't you read her mind before?" She asked crossing her arms right above her stomach.

"Uhh yeah four times, only one was 'forced entry' though. The other three she was screaming in her head so I would hear."

I thought about the one time I read Destiny's mind without her trying to reach me, and she knew right away. Except then her mind was like highway I traveled the neurons till I got the information I wanted. Even then it was different from everyone else, for everyone else I could just break into their head, no travel needed. So what was so different about Destiny Charman.

"Hey, Thorne when the hell did you here. And why are you guys whispering?" My body went stiff, I could tell so did Harper's.

"Guys is everything okay?" I nodded at Harper and we both turned to look at Destiny now awake and seated in the chair on the other side of the room.

I cleared my throat, " Uhh Des you're awake." Any coloring I had left my body. Could she feel me in her head, is that why she woke up. Wait was she blocking me out?

"What are you looking at, is there something in my hair?" She reaches behind her head as if to take 'something' out of her hair. It was kinda cute honestly. Harper shook her head next to me.

"Nothing, truly everything is fine." Harper's voice was oddly cheery for the situation at hand. We just stood there looking at Destiny, silently pleading for her to talk. Maybe even scream at us, explain why I couldn't read her thoughts, but all she said was...

"Alex, I'm glade you're okay. But I need a shower, I'm going to drive your car back to the clubroom, if you need anything just call."

With that she was out of the room. I 'unfroze' from where I was and began to pace.

"Thorne," I looked over at Alex who had just called my name.
"Hmm."
"You good." He gave me a face of pure confusion
"A man does not pace if he is okay." I stated, trying to remember where the hell I headed it from.

He nodded one eyebrow all the way at his hair line as if to say, 'right'. I gulped, why was he so important all of a sudden. I mean yeah he's Chuck's son, so yeah he can buy us a gun, or a guess Des a gun. Or we can tell him what the hell we did to save the world, but important enough that he goes on a mission with only Destiny. I don't think anyone agreed to that, on the other hand he helped get the arrow of War which was I good thing. Right.

I kept pacing back-and-forth, back-and-forth.

"Thorne, would you stop, I mean really you are shaking the whole room." Harper said while rolling her eyes and leaning, oddly suggestively, against the wall where I once was. Of course giving her best bitchface just to top of the look.

I roll my eyes at her as dramatically as I can and then go sit in the chair. My mind was still racing. Harper looked at her phone, the doctor came in.

"Well Alex ..... Schulz. Did I say that right."
"Uhh yeah what is it Doc." Alex responded hastily.
"Well you need to come back in two weeks to get your stitches removed,  but other than that you're good to go."
"So I can leave?"
"You and the whole party." She said it gesturing to Harper and I. Soon after removing Alex's IV the doc left the room.

"Good thing we can go because Zoey thinks she has a lead on plague." Harper finally looked up from her phone.

I shot up, Alex spinning his head so fast I could feel the whiplash.
"AND YOU'RE JUST TELLING US NOW!" Alex yelled as quietly as he could.

Putting my two cents in I spoke. "I think what Alex means is, Harper why in HELL are we just finding out now." Harper was focused on the glass screen once more obviously texting someone.

"Because, Jackasses, I just found out, NOW."  She said without lifting her head, pushing off the wall she finished her sentence. " I just texted Destiny to meet us at the clubroom, everyone else is  already there."  And with that all three of us were out of the room.

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Authors note/notice
Hey y'all sorry for the short chapter, I just needed to fill in the blanks. Which is easier to do with a normal chapter and a short one rather than a really long chapter.

Hope everyone is well,
Annabeth Kelly. ☺️