“Sorry, just kinda zoned out for a sec,” she said, trying to calm her red cheeks as best she could. “it was nice meeting you, Sebastian, regardless of whom you might be.” She nodded, cracking a smile.
Sebastian smirked and nodded in turn, moving backwards towards the door a few steps. “Pleasure was mine, Cassidy,” he said, flicking a few fingers into the air as a quick wave before departing the bar.
A few steps out of the bar and Sebastian pulled out his phone, getting down a few contacts before he could hear the soft scuffle of shoes behind him. The noise was clear, a tell that someone was eagerly tailing him right when he left the bar.
“It's not nice to stalk, you know…Brother.”
Chapter 8
Chase leaned out of the shadows where he was walking behind Sebastian, catching the few paces they had between one another. It was obvious that the men were close in age, perhaps even twins if that were possible. Characteristics were similar: brown hair in various lengths, similar heights and builds but the biggest difference were Sebastian’s emerald green eyes and Chase’s deep pools of blue. Chase seemed to be more put together, a bad boy edge that had been cleaned and quaffed to perfection whereas Sebastian just screamed bad. The distinction became more apparent as the pair walked side by side, Chase standing upright and alert and Sebastian more relaxed and nonchalant. For brothers, they were world's apart.
“Is that the best way to welcome a brother you haven't seen in some time, Bas?” Chase questioned, glancing over to his brother but his body seemed tense, almost ready to strike should the opportunity present itself. Sebastian chuckled, rolling his shoulders until the muscles felt loose and met Chase’s gaze.
“It's not like you're exactly inviting me over when you have a free minute,” Sebastian said, shrugging his shoulders. It was obvious that the two were estranged however, it wasn't obvious why.
Chase sighed, continuing to walk next to his brother as he pushed through his connection with Cassidy to check on her. When he was settled that she was fine, he continued his conversation.
“That's not my fault and you know it,” he remarked, watching Sebastian process his words.
“-Listen, if you followed me to give me a stern talking to, you can save it. I'm not drinkin’ the koolaide.” Sebastian used his right arm away from Chase to finish his text message from earlier without his brother seeing it.
“There's nothing to drink, Bas. You're being ridiculous. All you have to do is admit that you were misled, that Geneva twisted your thoughts and beg for forgiveness. I can put in a good word with the Chancellor to let you back in,” he said, trying to reason with him, if only for a moment. Their relationship had grown volatile over the years but he was still his brother and family mattered to him, regardless of what Sebastian thought.
“I already told you to save it, Chase. Believe what you want to believe but the evidence I presented was true. Whether you want to believe me or not is your call. I didn't seek you out, you followed after me. And, if I recall correctly, the last time you saw me, you tried to kill me.” Sebastian snarled but the sound didn't affect his posture. He still appeared relaxed.
“You broke the laws. Not me. You turned your back on the Exodus, on the Chancellor, on me. So, don't you go start playing the victim card.” Chase clenched his fists that were hidden in his jacket, trying to keep the anger brimming under his skin as best he could. He didn't need Cassidy feeling that he was worked up and he definitely didn't need Sebastian to notice.
“You've got to….you've got to be kidding me! You still blame me? After all this time?! You're blind! You are a sheep who's being led to mother fucking slaughter and you have absolutely no idea! Because, you won't listen! And you know what? That shit ain't on me. I tried to get you to follow me and instead you ratted to the Chancellor and got Holly killed. She was our sister, Chase!” His voice was booming and thankfully they'd taken enough space away from the busy street so that onlookers didn't get wind of their conversation. At the mention of Holly, Chase’s hand ignited a bright red and soared energy into Sebastian’s chest, lifting him up and tossing him roughly fifty feet away from him against a light pole. Sebastian groaned when his body collapsed against it, forcing himself up to his feet with a laugh.
“So that's how this goes, huh? Origin over blood?” Sebastian asked, brow arched towards his brother at his question. “Guess by now, I shouldn't be surprised. You picked the Exodus over me before, why would I think it would be any different now?” he spat out, taking a few steps to close the distance between the two of them. “I just have one question for ya... did you ever even believe me? Or, did you know from the beginning you were going to side with the Chancellor’s story of how the story played out?” Sebastian stood roughly twenty feet in front of Chase, hands at the ready to attack should he need to.
“You're my baby brother, of course I wanted to believe you but... you weren't yourself. You were letting the Origin consume you and when the Chancellor walked in on you with Holly dead... what else was I supposed to believe?!” Chase was yelling now, confronting his brother once and for all about what happened that night.
“Fucking believe me! That's what you're supposed to do! You don't just assume what you hear to be true! Listen to all the fucking rumors that spread about you! I didn't kill Holly. She meant more to me than anything. We were supposed to protect her, how could you say that I killed her!” Sebastian’s voice was hurt, the anger waning only for the brief minute of listening to his brother admit that he thought that he killed Holly. They'd been so heated in fighting the past few months that they hadn't had this argument yet.
“Because you got addicted to it. You needed more of it and what better way than creating someone to be joined to that you already loved! You wanted her triggered so you took her life, hoped to revive her but you couldn't bring her back. You couldn't save her. And when the Chancellor found you out, you were exiled and you started to run with the leeches. What else am I supposed to think?!” Chase was fuming at this point, trying desperately to keep his anger in check long enough to get through the conversation with his brother.
“I told you then... when I came in, Holly was already dead and the Chancellor was standing over her. He framed me! And the League aren't leeches. They're trying to expose the Exodus for what they truly are. You're just too blind to accept it,” Sebastian growled, the red sparking over his hand, closing his eyes as he tried to focus through the addiction to the magic and focus on Chase. It was seconds before his hand was wrapped around Chase’s throat, hoisting him into the air. “Grow a damn pair and wake up,” he said, squeezing his hand harder against Chase’s windpipe. “And remember, I did this for you,” he finished, letting the red magic envelope his body as he disappeared, leaving Chase on the ground. His hand went to his throat, rubbing away the raw feeling against his trachea as he attempted to breathe. Now that Sebastian was gone, his anger seemed to settle and he could feel the one thing he was ignoring the entire time Sebastian was there. Cassidy's fear.
It was nearly crippling now, Chase’s heart racing at the emotions that began to cascade around him. It took him every fiber of his being to breathe as he tried to figure out where she might be. He could picture through her mind that she was outside of Charlie's, walking towards a safe distance away so that she could call on a Chi guard to send her back to the Exodus. When he was comfortable that no regular human could see him teleport to her, he did.
Within a second, Chase appeared within an arm’s distance of Cassidy, the bright red fading away right when he went to speak.
“Cass?” he questioned, grabbing her arm to have her look at him. He didn't see anyone circling her or following her. For all he knew, she was just scared for another reason. Regardless, it was strong enough to be filtered through their bond. “Cassidy!”
Cassidy glanced up at Chase, as if she were in a daze. It took her a moment before she could connect her eyes to his and Chase could tell that something was wrong. Something big.
“Wha
t's wrong?” he demanded, grabbing hold of both her shoulders and staring down at her. “Damnit, Cass, answer me!” Chase couldn't hide the fear in his voice as their link connection began to fade, the fear waning from the bond until all Chase could feel was himself.
“You're brother is one amazing Chi,” Cassidy said, her expressionless face turning into a grin as the base of her hair slowly transformed into a bright silvery blonde, revealing Geneva standing in front of him. “Even managed to trick your bond into thinking I was her,” she mused, leaning forward and snapping her jaw at him with a playful growl. “Don't look so down, we'll take care of her. We promise.” Geneva’s grin turned frightening as Chase’s eyes narrowed, grabbing her and tossing her to the ground with his human strength instead of his Chi abilities.
“Where is she?!” Chase yelled, the red swirling around his skin and practically begging to be released. “You tell me where she is right now, Geneva, and I’ll make sure your death is quick,” he spat out, quickly picking her up and pinning her against the wall.
Geneva laughed at his feeble excuse of being terrifying. It really didn’t phase her at all; the way Chase reacted. She would gladly die for the League. It was a cause that she believed in with every fiber of her being and she would gladly take down one of the Chancellor’s favorite players. “Don’t wear your emotions so on your sleeve, Chase,” she croaked out from the pressure against her windpipe. “It isn’t like you to get so wrapped up so quickly.”
Geneva looked over Chase. It was obvious that there was some kind of history that was shared between the two of them. It didn’t seem romantic but it was clear that they were once close. Most importantly, they were initiated into their origins at the same ceremony. They didn’t pick the same homes but that didn’t mean that they didn’t have a bond. It wasn’t as close as Chase and Cassidy’s happened to be but it was there nonetheless.
“That’s funny, coming from you.” Chase pressed into her, ready for her to try and use her Origin against him. If Cassidy was help in any sort of way, it helped him learn what most Epsilons would start off with in an attack. “Just tell me where your took her, Gen. She has no part of this.”
“All of this has to do with her. Don’t you get that? Don’t you see? If we can’t get Sebastian to convince you, you better believe I’ll find a way to get the doe eyed brunette to snap you out of this.” Geneva’s hands finally turned a bright emerald green, but instead of the heat that he had become accustomed to from Cassidy, the parts of his body that were touching Geneva started to become ice cold to frozen within miliseconds. It was clear that the two Epsilons he knew varied greatly in strength.
Chase was forced to let her go, the red seeping his hands and passing through her head, sending sharp pains telekinetically which caused Geneva to cry out. Her hands went up into her hair, gripping her head to try and rid the pain as she screamed. The green erupted from her body as the wind lifted Chase off of the ground and hurled him away from her, breaking connection enough for the pain to subside in her head.
“You’d have to kill me to give her up,” Geneva said, managing to get to her feet and wipe away the blood that started to fall freely from her nose—both an indication of intense Origin use and the damage Chase caused to her brain.
“Gladly,” Chase said, conjuring a wave of psychotic attacks to her, Geneva managing to parry each of his attacks as they came her way. Before Chase could go again, Geneva had him wrapped up in the Earth, the ground having hold of him and constricting him every which way.
“Be mindful of your attacks. Your girl is gonna need her strength and she’s connected to you... for now.” Geneva winked, egging on the rocks that had hold of Chase to strengthen their grip. “Until next time, Chase,” she whispered, leaning up and locking eyes with him for a moment, the hatred reflected in his and the desperation lurking deep in her own.
And, like she was never even there, Chase was by himself once more. The Earth was hardened around him, binding him to it like he had always been there. He felt suffocated and with each breath, he felt more and more confined. While the bond to Cassidy was masked—primarily in part to whatever the League was trying to do to her—she managed to push out snippets of feelings. Fear. Anger. Aggression. She was too preoccupied to pass along anything of true importance but Chase could care less at the exact moment. The fact that he could still feel her meant that the League hadn’t severed their connection and that was what mattered.
Chase groaned out in pain, trying to free himself just enough to be able to use his Origin to get him completely out of the ground that nearly ate him whole. Because of his very active night in using his Origin, he needed to calm his breathing and heart rate before he could teleport anywhere of great distance.
Minutes later, he was out of the ground, several cuts bleeding down his arms but he was alive and that was enough for him. It was as if his body was on autopilot at that moment, transporting him back to the Exodus to inform the Chancellor and the rest of the people what had happened. The first night of Cassidy leaving the Exodus—on recommendations of Chase himself—and she managed to get kidnapped by the enemy. It was going to be a wonderful report.
“Cassidy was taken,” Chase blurted out when he reached the Chancellor’s study, pushing the doors open. He was covered in dust, blood, sweat and the Chancellor didn’t appear to share pity in his appearance.
“What?” he asked, peering at the man who was standing in front of him, almost holding back a laugh.
“She went to work tonight, I told her she should go. Have a normal night out. I was watching her the entire time... until I saw Sebastian and I—”
“So, what you’re telling me is the first night your charge left our protective walls and you didn’t think it was weird that Sebastian was there?” the Chancellor snapped off, his voice steady but it was obvious he didn’t approve of Chase’s handling of the case.
Chase swallowed hard, clasping his hands in front of himself with a nod. “He distracted me long enough for Geneva to step in and grab her and place herself in Cassidy’s stead. My bond brought me to her instead of Cassidy when I reached out through it,” he said, his tone defeated but still full of anger.
“That means Sebastian’s abilities have simply grown stronger since the last time we saw him, perhaps even stronger than your own.”
The Chancellor welcomed the chiding remark against Chase. At this point, he deserved to be punished like a father would to a son. He took a few steps to stand in front of Chase, his gaze unwavering.
“I do not care what you have to do. Find the girl, retrieve her and kill whomever you have to to get it done. Another minute she is there and there is no telling what they may try to brainwash her against,” the Chancellor reminded him.
The second the words left the Chancellor’s mouth, Chase’s gaze fell. Sebastian, Cassidy, hell, even Geneva was changed by the League. Exile changed a person enough but when they formed a coalition to ensure the death and the destruction of the Exodus, it had changed them.
The only thing he could hope for was that he could find Cassidy before it was too late. God, he hoped so.
Chapter 9
The metallic taste spread within her mouth like wildfire. At first it was simply a taste and before she knew it, it had filled her entire mouth. Cassidy didn’t even remember getting hit, if she were honest but the taste was a blatant sign. Her wrists were bound in front of her, the bindings digging into her wrists with each twist and move that she tried to escape. Her hair was matted against her forehead, congealed to her sweat and the trail of blood that had happened from when Geneva captured her. She hated herself for falling for such an obvious trick to begin with.
It happened so quickly and she couldn’t explain why she felt so compelled to help. A woman was being pushed around in an alley outside of Charlie’s. Cassidy wouldn’t have even noticed if the young girl hadn’t called out in agony to help her. Her nerves were on edge and she was on pins and needles, terrified and outraged that a young woman was g
etting attacked near her work.
“Hey! Leave her alone!” Cassidy yelled, moving down the alley towards the girl and the hooded figure that was accosting her. She didn’t think about why the figure was cloaked other than the fact that it was obvious something nefarious was about to go down. If only Cassidy knew how right her thought process was.
“Please, help me!” the female voice from the alley rang out, the woman sinking to the ground and Cassidy swallowed back the green magic that was begging to break the surface. If Chase was good for anything, it was the fact that he had been teaching her how to hold her own in a fight.
“Buddy, you heard the girl!” Cassidy's voice rang, running to pull the guy off of her but when her hand touched the hooded figure, the man vanished under her touch. Cassidy took in a quick breath, gazing to the woman who was yelling. The minute her eyes connected with her, she vanished just the same as the hooded figure and now Cassidy was deep in the alleyway all by herself.
“This is not good,” she mumbled, running her hand over her hair to get it out of her face, turning around in the alley to confirm she was actually alone. “Maybe I'm going nuts,” she added, fiddling with her keys as she walked to get out of the alley. It was at that point where a dark male, approximately six foot tall stood at the entryway, hands glowing a bright orange color. “Sigma,” she whispered to herself, her mind running through all the possible attack options she had with a member of the necromancy Origin. It was the first time she'd ever even met a Sigma Origin member, let alone face it. There was a big difference between what a book taught her to do and real life.
Before a word could leave her mouth, Cassidy felt the wave of despair cross over her, her hairs standing on end. The alley appeared darker, black entities encircling around her and they were terrifying enough to keep her grounded in place.
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