Runaway

by Alycia Linwood

  "I have no idea how he can stay with us." Adrian bent his head and nuzzled my neck. "I'd kill us both if I were him." Hell, most people would want to. We were lucky Michael wasn't most people.

  "Is that why you keep taunting him all the time?" I grabbed Adrian's hand before it ended up under my top.

  "Who? Me?" He chuckled. I turned around in his embrace and placed my arms around his neck. His eyes seemed to be more blue than gray under the sun that had already started to descend.

  "No, the blue-eyed prince with a heart made of ice." I grinned, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop worrying about how I was supposed to get back in control of my elements before something bad happened again.

  Chapter 17

  The car my brother's friend had found for us was a black Toyota with tinted windows, and it wasn't exactly inconspicuous. Paula was bummed because she had to leave her Mazda, but I promised her my brother or someone would come for it and leave it closer to her home. We left our phones in the car, and Adrian changed into gray jeans and a black shirt that Paula had bought for him. He was particularly happy with his brand new black sneakers, but we didn't have time to walk around so he could try them out better.

  I rested my head on Adrian's shoulder as I inspected the paper with details on how we were supposed to get to the house Oliver had bought for us. The letter said the owner was Charles Thatcher, and if someone asked, we were his cousins. Of course, Oliver assured us no one would be around to ask, but you never knew. From what I gathered, the house was in the middle of nowhere, which didn't make me happy. After years of going out and living in the center of events, I didn't know how I would live in some remote place. Even if the house wasn't at the end of the world, we still wouldn't be able to go out since someone could recognize us.

  The realization that we could be hiding for the rest of our lives hit me like a brick wall. What the hell had I been thinking? Michael and Paula could always go back to their normal lives when they got tired of their research, but Adrian and I... We would be on the run forever unless the opinion about magic disease carriers changed. Ah, great.

  It took us nine hours to get to our destination because we wanted to shake off any cars that might be following us. Michael had been driving for the last few hours because Paula was way too tired to do it. The house really was in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by endless fields, and the driveway was hidden among the trees. A perfect hideout. As we got out of the car, I noticed that the two-story Victorian style house had an abandoned and dilapidated look to it, and I dreaded going inside. Had anyone even been here in the last few years? Judging by the weeds and tall grass in the yard, I would say not really.

  Paula stopped next to me, eyeing the house with suspicion. "Do you think it used to be white?"

  "Probably." The paint looked grayish, but at least the windows were shut tightly with wooden planks. If we were lucky, we wouldn't get greeted by a bunch of wild animals or rats when we entered.

  "How are we going to get food?" Paula asked, turning to face Michael.

  "A friend will stop by with his truck while transporting groceries to one big market miles away from here." Michael played with the house keys, causing them to jingle. For some reason that sound was unsettling.

  "You mean Oliver's friend," I said, none too happy that I owed my brother so much. Michael walked onto the porch, the boards squeaking under his feet. I almost waited for him to fall through and disappear from view like in horror movies. Someone touched my shoulder and I yelped, which amused the hell out of Adrian, who slid his arms around me.

  "Jumpy, aren't you?" He whispered into my ear.

  "Shut up," I said grumpily, watching Michael unlock the door and go inside. "Why aren't you already inside if you're so brave?"

  "Oh, I'm just making sure you don't spontaneously combust or blow away our house," Adrian said, then took my hand and led me to the porch. Paula stood at the door, peeking inside, but didn't dare to enter. The lights switched on and we leaned forward, trying to see as much of the interior as we could without actually entering. I couldn't hide my surprise as I realized everything looked clean and modern.

  We entered the large hallway that led to various rooms and to an elegant mahogany staircase. A bright blue table stood in the corner, along with four chairs in green, yellow, blue and red color. Michael emerged from a room that had to be a kitchen, because I caught a glimpse of a silver fridge and a black stove before the door closed behind him.

  "It doesn't look bad at all," he said. "I wonder why no one tried to break in."

  "Umm, maybe because it looks like crap from the outside?" I offered. Someone had obviously been here and cleaned up the dust not so long ago, but preferred not to attract any thieves by cleaning up the house's surroundings. Not that anyone would even notice a house here, but it was smart to leave it looking like a horror movie house just in case.

  "So... " Paula said hesitantly, "there are no mice? Cockroaches?"

  "No, as far as I can tell." Michael's lips spread into a smile. "But if you see one, just scream and I'll come to your aid."

  "Thanks." She grinned, blushing slightly.

  "We need to find tools." Adrian nervously licked his lips. "We can't live in this stuffy place. It needs fresh air."

  "Do you think it's smart to get those planks off the windows?" Paula said. "We should put the car in the garage and pretend no one is here. There's no need to attract anyone's attention."

  "Maybe we should leave closed only the windows that can be seen from the street. We can't live like bats in a cave." I said, sure that Adrian would never accept to live in a windowless place, especially not after being closed in one not even a day ago. "But I haven't seen the garage? Are you sure there is one?"

  "Yeah, it's behind the house, but we have to clean the path to it," Michael said.

  "Oh, ok. Can we go upstairs to pick out our rooms?" The only thing I wanted was to make sure Adrian stayed in a room where we could actually open the windows.

  "There are three rooms," Michael said. "One has a double bed."

  "Right." I looked at Adrian, embarrassed. I hadn't planned to share a room with him because I didn't want to make Paula and Michael uncomfortable, but now I didn't have a choice.

  "I can take the one facing north. I don't mind the closed windows," Michael said, turning to Paula, who smiled gratefully. We went upstairs, trying to locate our rooms. Adrian's and mine was right at the end of the hall and it had a white door ornamented with black. I immediately knew I was going to like the room when Adrian switched on the lights. The bed was huge and had purple covers, and the thick bedposts were black. Next to the bed was a simple black nightstand with a white lamp on the wall above it. A black closet with a mirror on it was on my left, along with a desk and a chair. On the right I could see two doors, one leading to the balcony and the other one leading to the bathroom.

  "Wow, we got our own bathroom," Adrian said, impressed.

  "Yeah." I sat on the bed, which was incredibly soft and comfortable, and once again contemplated my bleak future. This house wasn't that horrible, but I couldn't imagine myself living here forever... or even for more than a few years. I wanted to see the world, enjoy my life, meet new people... I didn't want to be stuck forever in one place. Adrian seemed pleased when he opened the closet and found a TV inside.

  "I'm going to find something to open the windows," Adrian said, leaving me alone in the room. I found my new phone in my pocket and saw the blinking sign of a new message. It was my brother wishing me luck in my new home. Home, huh. What a weird word. Did he really think I'd stay here and raise goats or something? I had to come up with a good plan to get all of us out of this and I definitely wasn't going to achieve that by brooding and whining about it. It was too late and I was too tired to think about it immediately, but tomorrow would be a whole new day.

  I looked up at Adrian after I finished putting my things in the closet. He was sitting on the windowsill, his head resting on the glass, his fac
e illuminated by moonlight. I didn't know what he could see aside from the trees and boring fields, but he actually looked peaceful. He'd wanted to go out on the balcony, but I'd stopped him because it was very cold outside and I didn't want him to get sick.

  "Adrian?" I called out quietly as I tried to find a towel. "Do you want to shower first?"

  He shook his head, but his quick intake of breath told me something was wrong. I looked at the bathroom. It wasn't big, but it had a nice shower with a frameless glass door, a sink and a toilet. A mirror hung above the sink, ornamented with fake red roses. The only thing I didn't like about the bathroom was the fact that it had plain white tiles. Oh. I wanted to kick myself for not thinking of it sooner. What I saw as a normal bathroom, Adrian saw as a small, enclosed space with white tiles and no windows. I hadn't seen the bathrooms at the lab, but maybe they resembled this one.

  "Umm, do you want to take a shower with me?" I said shyly. He turned his head to stare at me like he had never seen me before. "You don't have to if you don't want..." He practically jumped off the windowsill. Was that a yes?

  "Are you serious about that?" He inched closer, most of his face hidden in the dark.

  "Of course I'm serious." I swallowed nervously. Maybe I was serious, but I wasn't completely sure about it. He was unbelievably gorgeous and seeing him without any clothes on might just trigger my elements. We couldn't afford to blow up the house, but if it was the only way to make sure Adrian felt comfortable, I was willing to risk it. "Let me see your arm first."

  "It's fine," he said, irritated, but extended his arm to me. I peeled off the bandage and inspected the wound, even though I couldn't see much with only moon as a source of light. Well, at least I could tell it hadn't gotten any worse, so I took that as a good sign and put a waterproof band-aid on Adrian's inner wrist. He caught my hand before I could pull away and brought it to his lips.

  "Thank you." The look he gave me showed me that he was thanking me for more than just taking care of the wound.

  "Who are you and what have you done with Adrian?" I laughed. Interlacing my fingers with his, I led him to the bathroom. Even though he was grinning at me, I could see the anxiety in his gray-blue eyes. He was trying really hard to cover up his fear, but I felt him tremble slightly. We left the door open because the door of our room was locked anyway, so no one could actually barge in on us. Adrian leaned on the sink, his eyes never leaving mine. If he stayed concentrated on me, maybe he'd forget that the bathroom reminded him of the lab.

  "Take off your shirt," I said, tugging on my top. He raised an eyebrow at me, an amused smile on his face.

  "You know, my arm really hurts. I think I need some help." He tilted his head, giving me a look under his eyebrows.

  "Oh, really?" I stepped closer to him, taking the hem of his black shirt and pulling it over his head. Throwing the shirt on the floor, I placed my hand on the hard muscles of his chest, taken aback when I saw the bluish-purple bruises marring his skin. He put his finger under my chin and gently lifted my head up so I would look at him.

  "Don't think about it," he whispered.

  "Will you tell me someday?" I tried to dissipate the anger I felt. My father, Alan and everyone involved in experimenting on magic disease carriers had to pay for what they'd done. "Will you tell me everything about your life before you came to the university?"

  "Maybe one day."

  That was good enough for me, so I nodded, letting him help me take off my top. I wasn't wearing a bra, so I nearly covered myself with my arms as Adrian let out an appreciative whistle.

  "Do you like what you see?" I teased, slowly unzipping his jeans.

  "Very," he breathed.

  "Good," I said, taking a step back. "But do you remember why we got here?"

  "No, not at all."

  I rolled my eyes, slipping out of my jeans and panties and walking into the shower. Letting the water run, I turned my head and smiled at Adrian who was staring at me, completely mesmerized. Ok, this was going to be more difficult than I'd expected.

  "Are you coming or not?" I said, picking up the shower gel that smelled like the ocean and summer. He peeled off his jeans and boxers, slowly approaching the shower, which was big enough for both of us. I pressed my back against the cold tiles, taking slow breaths. It was suddenly so hot in here that I turned the faucet to get more cold water. The smile on Adrian's face faded as I closed the glass door behind him, and his chest was moving up and down more rapidly. He was still looking at me, but it seemed as if he couldn't really see me.

  I should have probably left the door open, but I didn't want to get water everywhere and flood the whole bathroom. Having squeezed a bit of light blue shower gel on my hand, I rubbed it on his chest and stomach, careful not to press too hard on the bruises. Adrian closed his eyes, his whole body tense. I put my arms around him, running soothing circles down his back. Gradually, he began to relax, but his eyes remained tightly shut. I needed to do something to distract him, so I moved us under the stream of tepid water and closed my eyes too.

  "You know, when I was little, I used to be afraid of storms. Whenever I heard thunder or saw lightning, I'd hide under the bed or in the closet," I said, running my fingers through Adrian's wet hair. "My parents or my nanny would always try to get me out, but I wouldn't come out until it was over."

  "When did you stop being afraid?" Adrian asked, and I heard him take the shower gel, so I opened my eyes.

  "One day I was out playing and left my favorite plush bunny in the bushes. I realized he was not with me just as the first drops of rain hit the windows. You couldn't even imagine my panic." I smiled as Adrian ran his warm hands down my arms, sending shivers down my spine. "I ran outside into the pouring rain, and when I reached my bunny, lightning crisscrossed the sky and I screamed. My dad sent someone to find me, and I stood there rooted to the spot, hugging my wet bunny to myself and watching the sky lighting up. And nothing happened. I mean, it was scary and loud and cold, but it didn't hurt me. That surprised me so much that I didn't know what to think. And just like that, I wasn't so scared anymore."

  "Why are you telling me all of this?" He tucked a wet strand of my long hair behind my ear, his touch calm and steady. Because of this, I wanted to say, but he'd been trying so hard to hide his feelings and I didn't want to show that I had a good idea what he was going through. I was glad he was focused on me again and not on the stupid tiles and closed space around us.

  "I don't know," I lied. "Must be that horrible disease I have. You know, the one that turns me into a monster."

  "Didn't anyone tell you monsters are the hottest thing ever?" His fingers ended up tangled in my hair, his lips crushing against mine. He pushed me against the shower door, nuzzling my neck. I let my hands roam down his back, my nails digging into his skin. He didn't seem to mind as he picked me up into his arms, his tongue plunging into my mouth, teasing and exploring.

  "Room," I whispered in between kisses. "Not here. Not safe." I wasn't really coherent when he was sending shivers of delight all over me, calling my elements to life.

  "As you wish," he said, blindly reaching for the glass door to open it. After a few tries, he managed to find the handle and carried me outside. I remembered very well what had happened last time when we were kissing like this, and I didn't want to be explaining to Paula and Michael how the room got singed tomorrow morning, so I imagined pushing my elements down, holding them still. Adrian laid me on the bed, not even a bit worried that we were getting our sheets wet. As his eyes met mine, every thought and doubt flew right out of my mind and I let passion consume me.

  Chapter 18

  I opened my eyes and realized my head was resting on Adrian's chest. He was still asleep, his long black eyelashes giving him sort of vulnerable and innocent look. A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered that what we'd done last night had been anything but innocent. I sat up and checked out the room, now bathed in sunshine. The walls were still clean and I couldn't see pools of water on the floor, whic
h meant the elements had stayed in check this time.

  Something at the back of my mind bothered me, something about elements, but I wasn't sure what. Maybe I should simply ask Paula whether she knew what could have happened back in the lab, but it would be totally uncomfortable to explain what Adrian and I had been doing to cause the element explosion or whatever it was. I could probably invent something, but how would we ever get accurate results then? Trying to remember as much of the details as I could, I closed my eyes.

  What was so different about that day? I'd felt incredibly cold at first, as if Adrian had been using his element on me, and the images in my mind had been very vivid. I would have disregarded this as me seeing Adrian's element like I did with others who didn't have the disease, except magic disease carriers couldn't see each other's elements like that. Was it possible that I'd imagined the whole thing because Adrian had accidentally used his element around me? Of course it was, but how could have Adrian seen fire then? Could it have been a pure coincidence? I didn't think so.

  What other options did I have? Maybe Adrian and I had been too close or our emotions had been too strong, so we'd completely let go of our elements, and they'd been strong enough for us to be able to sense them. But if magic disease carriers could feel each other's elements when they were completely out of control and close to each other, then why it hadn't happened again when I'd set the field on fire and Adrian had touched me? Speaking of fire, I rubbed my neck and looked for the remote. I hoped the fire was out by now, but I wouldn't be able to tell before watching the news. Did we have Internet connection here? I'd have to check with Paula and Michael.

  Adrian stirred beside me as I switched on the TV, turning down the volume. Luckily, he didn't wake up, only turned on his side and made himself more comfortable by tangling his leg in the sheets. The images of a burning house caught my eye and I focused my attention fully on the reporter, straining my ears to hear what he was saying.