Dangerous Game

Chapter nineteen: Sweet Dreams...Not

Between the events that took place earlier and my confusing conversation with Seth, my mind was as good as dead. I was running on little fuel as we made our way back to the lakehouse, guided by the rays of the moon. We had to get to Jenna's before she left for work, so I guessed I had about two to three hours of sleep ahead of me at the most.

Seth walked me to my room. We heard the steady breathing of the other girls sleeping peacefully. I'd be lucky if I could even relax enough to go to sleep. I was extremely aware of Seth's presence. Even more than usual. Something changed after we talked by the lake. It felt weird to be around him.

I guess it wasn't a bad sensation, it was just....weird. I walked toward the giant, welcoming bed. Seth grabbed my arm as I passed him and stopped me. Tiny jolts of electricity ran up and down my arm where he was holding me. I fought the urge to pull away at the sudden sensation.

"Hey," He had a serious expression on his face, "Are we okay?"

I smiled at his concern. "Yeah, we're okay. By the way, " I said, suddenly remembering the weird effects I had on those police officers, "I think I developed a new ability..." I said slowly, not sure how he'd react.

"You what?" He said surprised. He lowered his voice when he glanced at the snoring girls. "How'd that happen?"

I shrugged, not knowing for sure, "I'm not entirely positive, but I think it might be a result of that toxin Wes gave me."

Seth pulled a worried expression. "Really?" He almost groaned at the realization that this was a very real possibility.

I yawned suddenly feeling completely over exhausted. "Look, it might be the toxin and it might not. We can talk about it tomorrow-er today...I guess when I'm not about to collapse."

He sighed and said, "Okay. But we aren't just brushing this off. If this toxin is doing something to you..." He trailed off. His fists were clenched and I could tell he was thinking the worst.

I took his hand to comfort him, ignoring the weird tingles that seemed to become a permanent result whenever he touched me. He looked down at our intertwined hands with an unreadable expression. Man, I wished I knew what he was thinking. "Whatever happens, we can work it out together. We always have."

With that said, I gave his hand one last squeeze and silently went over to the bed. Seth stood there for a minute staring at the floor. He then formed a small, genuine smile, causing his dimples to appear. He finally looked up at me and softly said, "Goodnight, Ash," and walked down the hall to his room. I didn't realize just how tired I was until my head hit that pillow and I instantly drifted off to sleep, but this time, my dreams were pleasant.

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Daylight came too soon. I woke up to the sound of bickering downstairs. I squinted at the bright sunlight that flowed in through the windows. I was the only one in the giant bed, so I sat up groggily and reluctantly pulled myself to my feet. I walked over to the balcony where the muffled voices became more distinct.

"Can we even trust Jenny? You think she's just going to accept a bunch of freaks into her home and be okay with helping us?" It was Kason's voice.

"Her name is Jenna, moron. And Ash trusts her." Seth argued back.

"Well, I think it's a waste of time and energy to drive there when we're taking a risk like this."

"Stop being a baby. You can take another nap when we get there." This argument was going no where.

I was about to go downstairs and intervene when I heard a voice behind me say, "Don't bother. They've been at it for almost an hour now." I turned around to see a tired looking Mal leaning against the wall behind me. His arms were crossed and his hair was a tangled mess.

I must've looked surprised because he said, "I tried to talk some sense into those two, but it did nothing. They'll fight about anything. Earlier they were arguing about who woke up first." He rolled his eyes and yawned. "Erin and Cam are out by the lake. I guess they got tired of the noise."

"Why are you still here?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged, "It's entertaining, watching them go at each other like that."

"You have a weird definition of entertainment." I gave him a confused look and crossed my arms, "I'd have thought you'd be the one playing peacemaker."

"It's no use with them. Plus, the only source of amusement I've had in a while was watching the boy in the cell across from me bite the scientists whenever they took him for experiments. This is a step up, I guess." I smiled at his weird sense of humor. He kind of had a brotherly aura about him.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I have a younger brother. He's about five years younger than me." He paused as if the memory had suddenly come back to him, "He was just a toddler when I was taken and he was safe when they took me, thank god." He smiled sadly. "He'll be about eight years old now. I'm hoping one day I can go back to my family and see them all again....if they accept me now that I'm like this."

"I know it's a lot to take in for someone that's not like us, but I'm sure they can look past it. You're such a great, kind person. I can't even see them not accepting you." I said, trying to comfort him. I meant every word, too. "Where'd you live before you were taken?"

"We lived in a small house in Lake Placid, Florida. It was always so warm there and I remember helping my mom pick the lemons and oranges that grew out back. They were huge! Bigger than both of my little fists combined." He smiled at the memory.

I raised my eyebrows, "You lived in Florida? We're only a few states away! You should go to your family!" I couldn't believe he wasn't jumping at the chance to do this.

He shook his head, "No, I'm going to help you find your brother first. Especially since we know he's in the same position we were, if not worse. No one should go through that and we have to stop these people. Otherwise, it'll keep happening and I'll always feel guilty for getting out when I know what these other kids are going through." He shook his head again as if confirming it, "I'm with you guys until the end. When it's all over, I'll see them again."

I admired his bravery, "You really are an amazing person. I'd be proud to have you as a brother. And you're absolutely right. We have to stop them."

I was getting ready to say more but we both startled when we heard a loud CRASH! from downstairs, followed by, "Look what you did! You're going to wake up Ash!"

"That's it! I'm going to kill them." I said angrily as I was already turning to head downstairs.

I heard an amused Mal call from behind me, "Don't hurt them too badly."

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Okay, I know it's a short chapter, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I'll be giving you more soon so please be patient with me. I liked developing the backgrounds for the different characters. I know you don't know everything about all the main characters yet, but all in good time. Goodnight for now! ;)