Gifted

Chapter Thirty-One

I jumped to a knock on my door early in the morning. A red haired woman was standing there. She stood erect and very formal.

"Morgan?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, sleep still filling my voice.

"I'm Joanna Larsen." She shook my hand. "Mr. Dawson is here to see you."

"Mr. Dawson?" I asked confused. "He's here?"

"Yes, he's waiting in the lobby of the main building."

I followed Joanna back to Building A. I glanced over at the boys' dorm on my way. I wanted to get to Chase soon, make sure he was okay and ask about what happened after I passed out. Once we were in the big open lobby, Mr. Dawson came forward to greet me, he shook my hand.

"Hi Morgan. How are you holding up?"

I smiled back at him. "I'm okay," I lied. Mr. Dawson led me to a private room toward the back of the building that had been set aside for him. I filled him in on the entire story from start to finish once we were settled into seats.

"What happened to Raven?" I asked.

"Who? Oh- Well we actually never found her."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She was gone when Chase went back to look for her."

"How?" I asked. "I had her chained!" I exclaimed.

"I'm not sure either," he said. He was our Elder, how did he not have answers?

"But I don't understand," I said. "Max was her soul mate, if he died, then shouldn't she have died? I mean by what you told me, Chase and I were kind of the exceptions."

"We're still learning a lot about this..." His eyebrows pulled together. "This other group," he finished. "Our best guess, and at this point, that's all we have, is that when they choose to live this other lifestyle...their decisions lead to a ripping of their soul. This may already have weakened their bond since it is unnatural. Again at this point all we can do is speculate." We sat in silence for a moment while I processed this. Chase must have filled him in on their unique Gifts.

"One other thing Morgan, in light of recent events, we've decided it may be best to send you a little extra protection." He must have seen the confusion on my face and nodded to the physically fit woman. "Joanna here is going to help out. She's going to act as a body guard for you."

"But-" I started.

Mr. Dawson waved it off. "The Council has already taken care of it, and you won't need to be embarrassed. We're not worried for your safety as much during the day while other students and teachers are around but more for protection at night while you sleep."

"But isn't that why you sent Chase?"

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"Wasn't Chase sent here as my bodyguard?" I asked.

"Bodyguard?" Mr. Dawson laughed. "Heavens no! Chase is just a teenager like yourself. He hasn't had any training, and certainly hasn't come into his full powers. Why would you think that?"

I suddenly felt very foolish. "I don't know; I just assumed since he was so protective."

"Morgan any protection Chase gave you was of his own accord. I can understand he probably did feel protective of you. He cared for you very much." My mind started spinning with all the new information. I felt elated. I suddenly didn't care that Raven was missing, I could only think of Chase. I felt horrible. All the times I hadn't let him explain, I just kept pushing him away to protect my own feelings, and I had been hurting him. I couldn't get out of that meeting fast enough.

Eventually, Mr. Dawson was shaking my hand at the door. Really, for the long trip he had made here we didn't cover much more than him hearing my story. I had a weird suspicion he was checking me for information. To see how much I knew. I also had a feeling it had to do with Gran's letter. I was on my way out when I ran into Laura and Spencer Thomas. How many people had they sent here?

"Oh Morgan!" Laura took me in her arms and gave me a big hug. It felt wonderful.

"How are ya kid?" Uncle Spencer asked.

"I'm okay," I said quietly. "How's Chase?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Laura said, "He's good."

I just nodded and Uncle Spencer patted me on the arm. "Good seeing you Morgan, I hope we see you again soon."

"You will." I smiled back at him.

I booked it to the boys' dorm, a little curious as to why Chase wasn't with his mother and uncle. My stomach did a little twist as my nerves kicked in. I had to go over all the info I had learned from Raven last night, and the stuff she only alluded to. I wanted to hear what may have happened after I had passed out, but more importantly I had to tell Chase my true feelings for him. I felt pure excitement and happiness at hearing Mr. Dawson's words and couldn't wait to tell Chase how much I loved him.

I scaled the side of the building quickly and threw myself in Chase's window. My nerves were immediately gone, and I felt my stomach drop instead.

It was completely bare, even more than normal. His bed was stripped, no laptop... I checked the closet; it was also empty. There was a white envelope propped up on the dresser. It was like slow motion the dread building with every step. My heart sank as I looked at the envelope with my name scrawled on the front. Nausea hit me; I wanted to run from the room and bury the envelope deep without ever reading it. I knew it couldn't be good.

And I was right; the words broke my heart into a million pieces. Where Rylan's death had ripped my soul, Chase's letter broke my heart. As I read it, I had to blink through the tears that were streaming down my face. I didn't even feel them start. I'm not sure I would have noticed until they started falling on the words.

Morgan,

I've been thinking about what you said, and you're right. We aren't soul mates. I'll never be able to replace the hole in my soul, and I was a fool to think I could use you as a substitute. You're better than that and deserve to find the right person that makes you truly fall in love. I'm sorry I didn't say good-bye in person, honestly I wasn't sure I could do it. I've never been in love before, and I wasn't even sure I would ever get the chance to love. You've taught me I do have a chance at happiness, even without my soul mate.

I've decided to try to move on with my own life. Getting away from Manchester is probably the best thing for me right now. Being on my own will be a good thing, give me a chance to find myself. And give you the chance to find your true love. Please understand leaving you was not an easy choice for me. I have important matters that need taking care of.

Good luck in every part of your life. I hope you find what truly makes you happy. Maybe we'll both get a second chance. I will miss you Morgan.

Chase

Chase may not have been my soul mate, but he wasthe closest I was ever going to get, and now he was gone. I collapsed into asobbing mess on the floor.