Gifted Ones

Chapter 4 Haven

My eyes open to a wide expanse of white. I frown for a second as I blink the sleep from my eyes. My body feels heavy and fatigued. Something warm and soft surrounds me. A blanket. It takes me a second to realize that I am lying in bed, staring at the ceiling of a hotel room.

Immediately I sit up and look around myself. The room's only light source is the pale glow omitted by a set of closed curtains on my right. The surrounding walls are a baby blue that seems to reflect that light. I am lying in the rightmost of two beds, the other one being unoccupied. I also see a small dresser with a TV on top and a closet with a cot folded up inside. Directly across from me is a short hall ending in two doors; one set directly at the end, one on the right wall of the corridor. I assume that the second one leads to the bathroom because I can hear running water. But who's there?

I look down to see that I'm still wearing How did I get here? What's the last thing I remember? It was about six o'clock and I was getting ready to meet date with Ben. I took a shower, got dressed, and started my homework, right? Then. . . Nothing. The next thing I recall is waking up.

I check the digital clock by my bed. It's four in the afternoon. I was unconscious for at least 23 hours. Did someone drug me? I've heard of club and date rape drugs that can affect your memory, but I didn't go to any parties. Still, it's the only thing I can come up with. I put my head in my hands and try to remember.

A minute later I hear the sound of a door opening. "Haven?" Someone asks. I look up to see my mother standing at the end of the hall, damp brown hair hanging loose down her back.

"Mom?" I ask. What's going on?! Where are we?!"

"Haven, I need you to calm down. This may be hard to understand, but you have to trust me."

Trust me. Something clicks in my mind. "Where's Dad? How. . . I don't understand," I tell her. "How did. . . Mom, what is going on?"

"I know that this is confusing. Your father and I never expected it to get this far-"

"What," I cut her off, swinging my legs around to stand and face her. This whole thing about Gabriel?" She is struck silent by my words. "I heard you talking with that woman, Katherine. I also heard you talking in the kitchen with Dad. I knew that something was going on, but I didn't expect to lose nearly a day of my memory in consequence!!! What are you lying to me about, Mom? Where are we?!"

She looks at me for a long while before finally saying,"Charleston. Charleston, West Virginia. We drove here overnight. Today we're heading to Wisconsin to stay with my parents."

I bite my lip and look down. West Virginia. My grandparents. I haven't seen them since I was a little kid.

"Why?" I ask cooly.

"Huh?"

"Why did we leave home and drive to Charleston?" I feel anger rise inside my chest.

"Honey, I can't tell you. It's. . ."

"It's what, Mom?" I snap. "I think I deserve an explanation for this!"

She purses her lips. "You don't need to be a part of Gabriel's world. It's to dangerous."

"Clearly I'm already involved! I know that something is going on and you know what it is. So tell me!"

She stares at the floor for a minute, her eyes downcast. I realize that I've practically been screaming at her. I try to calm down, carefully sitting back down on the bed.

Finally Mom whispers to herself, "it was all supposed to be ancient history. We ran from that world a long time ago, back I was pregnant." She sounds defeated, more tired than I've ever seen her.