Empath

Chapter 5 - Moving In

[Lucas's Point of View]

The cars wheels spun as I exited the parking lot despite trying to calmly leave and not make a scene. I cringed seeing that weird lady Stephanie in the rear view mirror, worry etched across her face. I'd definitely have to deal with that later. She was a too interested and her kid was a threat.

Liv's exhausted body lay next to me in the passenger's seat and I couldn't sense any of her feelings or thoughts even as she slept. Either she was still blocking them (which seemed impossible in her state) or she was completely unconscious. I know I wasn't supposed to call Jeremy but I really didn't know what to do for her. Wracking my brain for answers, the only other phone number I knew by heart was Nick's. That fucking asshole never told me he was with Liv. I could kill him.

Nick was like a brother to me. We grew up together being outcasts. When my dad died and my mother abandoned me as a child, Nick's parents took me in and raised me as their own. About 4 years ago, I left to venture out on my own but Nick was angry at me for leaving. He was just 14 or 15 at the time, he didn't want me to leave but I had to go. It was my destiny.

When I saw him at the frat house, I was too shocked to react. He immediately messaged me not to say anything to Liv or Jason. I'd have to get to the bottom of this situation as Jeremy would sniff it out sooner or later.  I wasn't really angry at Nick until he told me what he did to Liv. I felt her pain too, it was unbearable. She didn't deserve to be treated that way and my protective nature got the better of me. I almost feel bad for what transpired in the frat house. Almost.

Nick being part of Jeremy's crew wasn't really a surprise. Most everyone who has been cast aside by the Collective has now aligned with Jeremy. There weren't many rogue empaths walking around. Most of us wanted to find each other. It's in our nature. I had lied to Liv when we met that little boy today. He was a rarity and likely his father is in the Collective. I'd need to get in touch with Jeremy soon. First though, I'd have to deal with Liv and her current state.

Clearing my mind of all the chaos and sucking up my pride a bit, I grabbed Liv's phone from her backpack on the floor and dialed Nick's number.

"Yep," he answered.
"Yo fucktard, put Jason on the line, it's urgent," I barked out. I needed him to know who was in charge.

"Holy shit Lucas, dude why are you such an ass and what's with you and Liv and we need to talk now man. By the way, it was good to see you. I missed you man," Nick rambled out.

Frustrated I growled at him and yelled "Jason, Now!".

Jason came to the phone in a few seconds probably hearing my command through the line.

"What wrong?" he exclaimed. I quickly explained the situation and told him where to meet me. He told me to just let her rest and he'd be there in a few minutes. I hung up the line and opened the GPS, practically swerving across the road in the process.

Righting the car, I looked at the map realizing I was about 10 minutes from the house. Liv's skin looked pale and she felt like she was burning up. I thought back to the attacks I had suffered as a child. Most of the time they just made me pass out but I could have sworn there was a time where I became feverish. Unfortunately, the effort to remember was futile. My mind couldn't bring back those nightmarish times without terrible repercussions.

The GPS signaled we were just 100 feet from the entrance on our right but I couldn't see any indication of a driveway or road ahead. Slowing down a bit, I spied a small alcove on the side of the road covered with thick, overgrown bushes. The only indication of a possible entry was an unassuming and almost dingy looking mailbox. Presuming that was the entryway, I peeled off the road. My tires let out a loud complaint as they slid sideways and then gripped quickly onto the surprisingly paved driveway. In that moment, I was thankful for the Jaguar's responsiveness to my erratic driving as I don't think I could have pulled that off with another set of wheels.