Run To Earth (Power of Four) (9 page)

Chris nodded. “Thanks.” He paused for a moment, his fingers nervously tapping against a glass bottle. “I was thinking...I want to go home first.”

Drake turned to him with a frown. “Why?” he asked.

With great effort, Chris looked up to meet his eyes. Understanding flooded Drake’s expression and he shook his head. “Chris–”

“I know,” Chris said, nodding as he focused his sight on the half empty bottle and not Drake. “I know but...I just...It’s been fourteen years. I
need
to see them, both of them.”

“Did you...” Drake faltered. “Did you ever see Alex in the human realm?”

“No,” Chris replied, his eyes sliding shut and his brow furrowing, as if in pain. “I expected to. I went to the usual places, stayed there for hours at a time, hoping to see him passing but...” He trailed off, swallowing heavily.

Drake nodded before taking a longer gulp of his drink. “If you’re staying in this realm, then you need to first go and meet Neriah.” He looked up at him. “Everything else has to wait.” He swallowed heavily, his eyes dark with grief. “Alex and...and Ben, both have to wait.”

Chris closed his eyes, but gave a small, resigned nod. They lapsed into silence, both men lost in their own troubled thoughts.

***

When Chris came back to the cottage, it was well into the night. Aaron was fast asleep, tucked up in the bed Kate had spent a good two hours cleaning. Chris found his wife standing at the bedroom door, her eyes fixed on their sleeping son.

“We’re leaving, aren’t we?” she asked without turning to him.

“Yes,” Chris replied.

She nodded, her blue-eyed gaze still on Aaron. “We’re not taking him with us?”

Chris paused before forcing the word out. “No.”

Kate turned around at last, meeting his eyes. Slowly, she shook her head. “I don’t know if I can leave him,” she whispered. “I haven’t lived a day without him.”

Chris walked over to his wife, holding her gently by the shoulders.

“Have I?” he asked.

Kate moved into his arms and closed her eyes, breathing out a difficult sigh. Chris stared at his sleeping son. He tightened his hold around Kate. “You stay with him,” he said.

Kate pulled back, looking up at him. “You really think I would do that?” she asked. “Let you and Michael face Neriah and take all the blame?”

“Maybe that would be better–”

“Chris.” Kate stopped him. “All of us made that decision,” she said quietly. “All of us will face the consequences.”

Chris leant down, capturing her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. He pulled away and held her close to his chest. “What about Aaron?” he asked.

“He’ll have to understand,” Kate said. “There’s no other choice.”

“He’s going to be so mad at us for leaving,” Chris said with a heavy heart.

Kate closed her eyes, forcing the burning tears to stay back. “I know,” she breathed, “but I would rather have him angry and alive, than fighting for his life.”

***

The morning rays shone brightly into the room, warming Aaron’s face and stirring him gently from his slumber. Aaron groaned and moved his face away, burying it under the duvet. But it was too late; he was already awake. Lifting his head, Aaron squinted in the daylight, looking around the room. Yawning, he got up and out of bed.

He dug through the bag Michael had brought him and found his toothbrush and a set of his own clothes. A quick shower later, Aaron made his way downstairs. He went into the living room, expecting to see his parents whispering suspiciously with each other again. He was surprised to find the room empty. He frowned.

“Mum?” he called. “Dad? Uncle Mike?”

He went back upstairs, to the third and last bedroom. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Opening the door, Aaron found the room empty. Frowning, Aaron headed to the front door. Maybe they were having breakfast. Aaron stepped outside into the dazzling sunlight. His sweeping gaze didn’t find his parents at the table. Feeling a sense of dread building, Aaron hurried beyond the fence, looking up and down the street, but he couldn’t spot them anywhere. He noticed Jason Burns walking back to his cottage.

“Mr Burns!” he called. “Hey, wait!” Aaron ran towards him.

“Li’l Adams.” Jason grinned, coming to a stop. “How yeh this mornin’?”

“Yeah, fine. Do you know where my mum and dad are?” Aaron asked. “Or Uncle Mike?”

Jason stuck out his bottom lip and shook his head. “No’ a clue.” He grinned again. “They no’ run off again, ’ave they?”

“Run off?” Aaron asked and his heart skipped a beat. “Again?”

Jason chuckled, his small eyes alight with amusement. “I’m jus’ teasin’.” He laughed. “They’ll be around ’ere somewhere.”

Aaron watched as the man turned and disappeared into his cottage. “Around, somewhere,” he repeated under his breath. “Thanks, that helps,” he grumbled, turning around and almost running into someone. He stumbled back. “Oh, sorry!”

“It’s alright.” Drake smiled back. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Aaron replied. “I’m just...I was looking for my mum and dad. Have you seen them?” He figured Drake would know where his dad was at the very least. He had spent the entire day with him yesterday.

“Actually, yeah,” Drake replied, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. “They left, about three hours ago.”

Aaron stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“They left,” Drake replied, his expression morose. “They...they left this for you.” He held out a folded piece of paper.

Feeling like the bottom of his stomach had dropped out, Aaron took it, unfolding the paper quickly. He recognised his mum’s neat writing.

Dear Aaron,

I know this will come as a shock and I apologise for that. I also know you will be very upset with us after reading this letter but unfortunately there is nothing I can do about that. There’s so much we have to tell you – about this realm, about us, about you – but it deserves a proper conversation, not a letter. So you will have to forgive us for leaving you with so little information. Be assured that once we return, we will offer you a full explanation – that is a promise. For now, please accept this brief note.

Aaron, before you were born, your father, uncle and myself had to leave this realm. The reason can’t and shouldn’t be disclosed in a letter. Just understand that the situation was such that we had no choice. But with every decision comes a consequence. We all have to answer for our actions and we can’t do that if you’re with us.

We have left you in the safety of Salvador so no harm can come to you. You are protected as long as you stay in Salvador. If you came with us, your life would be endangered.

We’ve entrusted your care to Drake Logan. He is a good family friend, Aaron. He will look after you until we return. Take care of yourself, and Samuel and Rosalyn. We will see you soon, darling.

We love you.

Mum and Dad

Aaron looked up from the letter, his heart thudding so fast it felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest. He looked up at Drake, a stranger he knew nothing about bar his name. He stared at the letter again, trying to come to grips with what had happened.

His parents were gone.

His uncle was gone.

They had left him.

They had left him completely alone in a world he knew nothing about.

6

Bonds of Friendship

Time passed in a slow, dreary manner, with Aaron doing nothing more than sitting at the front door for most of the day. He watched the happenings of the village with quiet, curious eyes. Every morning, he saw the petite blonde, Mary Collins, carry baskets of either eggs or fruit to the Stove. He saw groups of people, some as young as him, bustle in and out of the kitchen. The table was set and breakfast was served. It was at this point that Drake would stand at the table and look around for Aaron, gesturing to him to join them.

Aaron always got up and sat next to Drake to eat in silence. The rest of the people would chatter, glancing surreptitiously at him every so often, but no one spoke to him. Afterwards, Aaron would fill two plates with food and take them into the cottage for Sam and Rose. Wordlessly, Aaron would open the door and put the plates onto the small dresser and leave. He did the same for lunch and dinner, and so far Sam and Rose hadn’t said anything to him, but quietly ate what was brought for them. Aaron would then go back and sit by the front door, watching the people carry baskets of fruit and vegetables from the fields to the cold room, or come back from the lake with nets full of fish. He watched them for three days.

Three days. That’s how long it had been since his parents and uncle left him in Salvador. Aaron still couldn’t believe they had gone.
His
parents – the same people who couldn’t give him two minutes of privacy. The parents who demanded to know where he was every second of the day. His uncle who doted on him and would always fight on his behalf. The very same people who had been so overly protective of him had left him completely alone.

His mum’s letter was still in his pocket. At various times in the day, Aaron would re-read it, in the hope of gleaning some clue or hint from it. He told himself he would find something; all he had to do was read between the lines. He pulled the letter out, unfolded it and started to read again, pondering over the words.

...before you were born, your father, uncle and myself had to leave this realm...

Leave this realm? Aaron narrowed his eyes at the words. What could possibly have happened that drove all three from their world? It had to be something undoubtedly big, something life-changing. People don’t give up their world, their home, easily. What could have happened to his family to have all of them get up and leave?

The reason can’t and shouldn’t be disclosed in a letter. Just understand that the situation was such that we had no choice
.

Had no choice.
To Aaron, that meant his parents and uncle were driven out. They didn’t want to leave but something or someone had made them. But who would want to get rid of them, and why?

A shadow crossed over him, snapping Aaron out of his thoughts. He looked up from the letter to see the boy with the striking blue eyes and platinum blond hair, the one who picked a fight with his dad on their first morning here. Skyler, that’s what he said his name was. Skyler Avira.

“You on dog duty?” Skyler asked with a smirk. “Guarding the front door?”

Aaron folded the letter and pocketed it. He didn’t fight the accusation. He didn’t trust these people, these
mages.
There was no way he was going to let any of them in, not with his friends in the house.

“Can I help you?” Aaron asked.

Skyler grinned, flashing his teeth in a feral way. “Yeah, you can help me,” he replied. “You can get out.”

Aaron frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Get out,” Skyler repeated. “I need this place vacated.”

“What for?”

“For the Shattered ones,” Skyler replied. “They’ll be coming soon.”

Aaron stood up, staring at Skyler with surprise. “Where am I supposed to go?”

“Do I look like I care?” Skyler asked. “Go wherever you want. Just have this place emptied in under an hour.” He turned to leave.

“Wait,” Aaron called, and Skyler turned with an amused grin. “You can’t just throw me out,” he protested.

“Believe me I can. Quite literally,” Skyler said, his eyes glinting with malice.

“It’s not just me in here,” Aaron said. “My friends–”

“Hey, Adams,” Skyler barked suddenly, “I don’t give a crap who’s with you. Just have this place cleaned out or I will personally drag you and your
friends
out of here.”

Aaron’s hands clenched into fists and he straightened up to stand tall. “Go for it,” he said quietly.

Skyler looked surprised. “Really?” he asked, stepping towards him.

“Really,” Aaron replied, sounding braver than he felt. “Drag me out, ’cause I’m not leaving.”

Skyler grinned. “With pleasure,” he muttered and walked towards him.

“Skyler.” Mary arrived, halting him. “Behave,” she muttered crossly, as she walked closer.

“What?” Skyler asked. “He’s asking for it.”

Mary ignored him and turned to Aaron. “Don’t mind him,” she said, gesturing to Skyler, “but you do have to move. There’s a large number of Shattered ones coming and we need the space. These are Sanctuary cottages. They aren’t meant for long-term use.” She turned and pointed to the cottages at the end of the row. “The ones with the blue doors are for permanent residence.”

Aaron looked at Skyler. If the boy had just explained it like she had, he would have happily moved.

“Okay.” Aaron nodded. “I’ll just let my friends know and gather our things.”

***

Aaron knocked gently before opening the door to find Sam sitting on the floor, back against a wall, and Rose next to the window. Both looked around at him as Aaron walked in, but, just like the last three days, they didn’t speak. Aaron lingered in the doorway.

“They...the people,” he started. “I mean, mages,” he quickly corrected. “They want this place vacated.” He pushed on as alarm crossed the twins’ faces. “They’re moving us into a different cottage.” He looked around the room, an excuse not to meet the red-rimmed, puffy eyes of his friends. “We need to leave within the hour,” Aaron continued, “so if you want to get your stuff together...” He trailed off. Without meeting their eyes, he turned around to leave.

“Aaron?”

He stopped at Rose’s quiet call and turned back. She was staring at him, her usually warm brown eyes looked dull, tired and bloodshot. Rose looked to Sam, just a small, fleeting glance, before turning to Aaron again.

“Is that all you’re going to say?” she asked.

Aaron paused, brow furrowed. “What?”

“Five days,” Sam started in a rough, husky voice. “Five days we’ve been here and this is all you have to say to us?”

Aaron shook his head. “I don’t...I don’t understand. I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”

“Exactly when were we supposed to talk to you?” Sam asked. Annoyance tinged his voice. “When you run in here with plates of food and hurry out like your life depends on it?”

“We thought you didn’t have the time to talk to us,” Rose said quietly.

“Figured you’d be too busy out exploring this new world of yours,” Sam added.

Aaron’s face heated up with anger. “It’s not my world,” he objected.

“Isn’t it?” Sam asked.

“My world is where I’ve lived my whole life,” Aaron replied.

The lines on Sam’s brow disappeared and he smiled a little. “So you’re not jumping onto this mage bandwagon then?”

“I’m still me,” Aaron said. “No matter what anyone says. I’m the same person I always was.”

Sam smiled with relief. “Good to hear it.”

They fell into silence, each just looking at the other.

“Sam,” Aaron said, walking two steps closer. “I...I don’t know what to say.” He shook his head, baring his guilt. “How do I even begin to apologise? What do I say for ruining your lives?” He looked across at Rose, seeing her tears. It made Aaron want to run out, but he forced himself to stay. “It’s my fault,” he said. “I did this to you, to both of you. That...that car...The ground. I did that. It was a reflux or...something.” He shook his head, trying to remember what his dad had said.

Sam’s expression darkened and Aaron could see the grief, thick as a coat, cover his whole being.

“It’s my fault,” Aaron said, so softly he was whispering. “It’s all my fault. It’s my fault you’re stuck in this mess...in this realm...” He pushed the words out, past the bubble of guilt that was growing at the back of his throat, threatening to suffocate him. “Sam, I’m sorry.” He came to kneel next to his friend. “I’m sorry. God, Sam, I’m
so
sorry.” He looked over at Rose, who was furiously wiping her wet cheeks. “Rose, I’m...I’m so sorry.”

Rose sniffed back her tears and looked over at him. “Did you know you were a mage?” she asked.

Aaron slowly shook his head. “No.”

“Did you do that reflux thing on purpose?” Sam asked.

“No.”

“Then how can any of this be your fault?” Rose asked.

Aaron gaped at her. “Wait.” He looked between the twins. “You...How?” he asked in disbelief. “How can you not blame me?”

“We did, at the beginning,” Sam said. “When your uncle told us about you being different and that we were marked because we witnessed you using your...” He paused. “...
power
or magic or whatever it was.” He took in a breath. “God’s honest truth, we blamed you. But then, over the days we’ve been here just sitting and thinking, we realised it’s not your fault.” His eyes glinted with anger. “It’s your parents’ fault.” When Aaron didn’t protest, Sam continued. “They’re the ones to blame. They should have told you about being different. They should have explained what you were capable of. If you knew, you would’ve been able to control yourself. If you knew–”

“I wouldn’t have been friends with you,” Aaron said, interrupting him.

Sam stared at him with surprise. “You’d ditch us?”

“You’d still be in your world, with your family, if I had,” Aaron replied.

Sam didn’t say anything.

Rose took in a deep breath. “Let’s not talk about that,” she said. “We need to figure out what happens now. How long do we stay here? What’s the plan?”

Aaron shrugged. “Dunno.”

“You haven’t asked your parents?” She looked surprised.

“It’s not like they would tell me,” Aaron said. Taking in a breath, he added, “And...they’re gone.”

“Gone?” Sam frowned. “Where?”

Aaron shook his head, trying hard to mask his heartbreak. “They just...left.” He dug out the letter from his pocket and handed it to Sam. “Left that for me.”

Rose got up and crossed the room so she too could read the letter. Quiet minutes passed as the twins read it with furrowed brows, before sharing looks of surprise.

“Your life would be endangered if you went with them?” Rose asked. “Why would they think that? Who would want to hurt you?”

“Those men from that cloud-mist thing,” Sam offered. “Maybe they’re after you?”

“Me?” Aaron asked, his heart leaping painfully. “Why would they be after me?”

“Think about it,” Sam said. “They came right after you cracked open the ground to stop that car.” He paused before meeting Aaron’s gaze. “Almost as if they were waiting for you to use your powers so they could come for you. They were chasing after you,” Sam pointed out. “Your mum and dad were desperate to get you out of the way. They come here,” he gestured to the room, “some mad place in another
realm
, whatever that means.” He rubbed at his chin. “They claim this place is safe for you.” He looked at Aaron. “It makes sense. Those things came for you.”

Aaron’s heart missed several beats. “Why?” he asked. “What do they want from me?”

“Your parents hid the fact that you’re a...That you’re...different.” Rose shifted uncomfortably. “If they can keep a secret that big, what else could they hide from you.”

Aaron swallowed heavily. “I have to find out what going on,” he said. “What it is they’re keeping from me.”

“Sounds like a plan,” came a sarcastic voice, startling the three. Skyler stood at the door, leaning against the frame, arms crossed and cool blue eyes set on Aaron. “My advice? Take your scheming somewhere else. I need this space.”

***

Aaron stepped out into the sun with a smile. He had his best friends by his side. Skyler led the way through the gate and down the long row of houses.

“What did your mum and dad say?” Rose asked. “Did they explain anything about this place?” she asked, staring wide-eyed at the long table that stretched down the road.

“What do you think?” Aaron asked.

“Considering they took fourteen years to tell you what species you are, I’m thinking...no,” Sam said.

Skyler stopped at the first blue-doored cottage. “Here you go.” He waved a hand at the gate. “Your humble abode.”

Aaron noticed a girl, the one with blue streaks in her hair, watching them from across the street. She walked towards them, a quizzical look on her face.

“Skyler,” she called, looking half amused and half annoyed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m moving them to a permanent location,” Skyler replied.