Chapter 11
We developed a routine over the few weeks following the savra attack. I trained with my gifts and in martial arts every day. They believed that I needed to be able to protect myself with or without my gifts. They also taught me about the different types of demons and there were a lot of them. Most we could recognize on sight since they didn’t look human, but some of them looked exactly like humans. Those were usually the smarter and more devious ones. I was still unsure how to tell if they were a demon or a human. Bryce said he could sense them, but none of the others could and that terrified me. In the midst of all that, I still kept up with my classes.
I had also been rotating sleeping in the guys’ beds. Each night, whoever’s room I was sleeping in would lay with me until I fell asleep. Tonight, I was in Bryce’s room. I loved having one-on-one time with them each night. Bryce’s walls were a light blue-gray color and he had a black four-poster bed with a white comforter. All of the color came from what I hoped were replicas of Monet’s paintings and a blood red comfy chair. There was also a desk with a couple of computers and several monitors.
Bryce rolled over in the bed to look at me. “What are you thinking about so hard?” he asked.
“Nothing special, just how different each of you guys are. Each of you is so different from the others, but you get along so well.”
“We have known each other since childhood. I don’t remember a time that they weren’t in my life. We have always been inseparable. We went to school together, we trained for the Stratos Team together, and now we live together. They are as close as brothers to me.”
“I envy that. I am an only child and since I’m strange, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Callie was really my only friend growing up.”
“I’m sorry. But now you have us! We will be your family.” He looked into my eyes with such tenderness when he said it. These guys had taken me in, taught me, and protected me. I felt like such a burden to them sometimes, I wished there was something I could do for them. “Why the long face? I thought you liked being with us.”
I rolled to my back and huffed out a frustrated breath. “I do, I just feel like all I am is a hardship for you guys. You have to train me so I don’t get killed or kidnapped, you have to follow me to all my classes, again so I don’t get killed or kidnapped. Each of you gives up your bed so I have somewhere to sleep; I just feel like such a burden to you.”
Bryce lightly touched my chin to make me face him, “You are not a burden at all. If anything, you have brought us closer together. We don’t want anything to happen to you. All of us care about you. You have brought humor, fun, and a sense of wonder back to us. We take for granted our gifts and use them to defeat the demons, but you remind us how special our gifts are. You show us what a great privilege it is to have these amazing gifts. You even make Chase bearable. No one has been able to do that for ten years. You are the best thing that has ever happened to us.”
I was shocked by his words. He made me feel special and like I was actually contributing to the group. “Bryce, you make me feel special. Thank you.”
“You are special. You’re our girl.”
I blushed at his words. He might have thought what they do for me was no big deal, but for me, it meant the world. I really wanted to find a way to give back to them. We needed a family day and I knew exactly what we should do! Bryce held my hand, rubbing circles with his thumb, and I drifted off knowing what I needed to do.
The next morning, I woke up alone, as usual. The guys never stayed all night with me; they were always gone when I get up the next day. But that works out in my favor this time, because I had a little covert mission I needed to complete. I jumped onto Bryce’s computer and pulled up the perfect website. After I ordered everything, I skipped downstairs to see what fabulousness Harrison had cooked up.
When I reached the kitchen, there were no wonderful smells like I was used to. I looked at Bryce in question.
“Harrison and Chase had to leave last night on a mission, but they should be back in a couple of days,” Bryce answered my silent question. “We have cereal if you want, or I could try to make you something.”
“No, thanks. Cereal is fine. What are you up to today?”
“I get to go to class with you today. It’s Wednesday, so that’s Bio and Algebra?”
“Yep,” I answered just as Mason and Carter walked in. “Morning guys.”
“Hey, Bre,” Carter said and then looked at Bryce. “Harrison on a mission?”
“Yes, he and Chase left around midnight last night. They should be back by Friday, though. It’s a close one,” Bryce answered.
“Soooo, do you guys have any plans for Saturday?” I inquired.
“None that I can think of,” Bryce said.
“Nope, nothing,” Mason answered.
“Me, either. Totally free,” Carter said.
“Well, keep Saturday open. I have plans for us,” I said.
“What are you up to?” Bryce asked through narrowed eyes. “I assume it has something to do with you being on my computer this morning.”
“Oops. Yeah, that was me. I just needed to order a couple of things and used your computer. I hope that’s okay.” I smiled sweetly at him.
“Of course it is, I just wanted to mess with you,” Bryce replied. “So what did you order?”
“It’s a surprise, so don’t look at your history. I want to have a family fun day and it would ruin my surprise you knew ahead of time.”
“Okay, I won’t look.”
We all finished our breakfast and Bryce and I headed to my class. I wondered if the other students thought it was weird that I had different guys with me each day sitting in on my classes. The large lecture classes weren’t a problem since there were at least a hundred people, but they must notice in the smaller classes like biology. Oh, well. I’ve never cared what others thought of me before, so why start now?
Thursday and Friday went by way too slowly for me. I was excited about the family day on Saturday, but the days always moved slower when any of the guys were out on missions. I worried the entire time they were gone. I was sitting outside on the patio alone and reached for my phone. I probably shouldn’t bother them, but I needed to know they were okay. I texted Harrison and Chase separately: Everything okay? Will you be back tonight? I have something planned for tomorrow with the family.
They both replied immediately.
Chase: Yes, we will definitely be back this evening. What do you have planned? It’s not a romance movie marathon, is it?
Harrison: Yep, we’ll be back on Friday. Please tell me you aren’t cooking for us. ;-)
I replied to Chase first: How did you know? You spoiled the surprise. Please don’t tell the others, I don’t want to ruin it for them.
Then, I replied to Harrison: How did you know? You spoiled the surprise. Please don’t tell the others, I don’t want to ruin it for them.
Ha, served them right. Secretly, I loved that they felt comfortable enough to pick on me like they did each other. It made me feel like I was really a part of their family. Plus, it allowed me to mess with them right back.
Chase replied: Awe, come on Bre, I’m out here fighting for your freedom, and you want me to come home to girly cry movies?
Harrison also replied: Well, at least let me help. I saw that burnt grilled cheese you tried to hide the other day. How do you burn grilled cheese?
I again replied to Chase first: But it feels good to have a good cry once in a while. You will thank me for it after, I promise. Now get back to work!
I then replied to Harrison: The grilled cheese was fine after scraping off some of the burnt part, thank you very much. I am cooking and you will like it. Now get back to work!
Chase: You better be glad you are cute!
Harrison: Yes ma’am.
I laid my phone down and thought about how happy I was. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Now, if I could just stay alive and not get kidnapped, things would be great!
I woke up early Saturday morning and gathered all of my deliveries. Amazon was the best – two-day delivery and I was in business. Harrison and Chase made it home safely last night and went straight to their rooms to crash. I stayed in Mason’s room while he slept on the couch. I felt bad for kicking them out of their rooms, but every time I tried to sleep on the couch, they just picked me up and carried me to one of their rooms. I had given up after the fifth time.
I unpacked everything and laid it out in the dining room. We never used this room, so I figured they wouldn’t walk in while I set up. I was so excited I couldn’t stand it. I hoped they loved it as much as I thought they would. Once everything was laid out, I headed to the kitchen and found Harrison frying my favorite – bacon! I walked over to him and hugged him from behind. I had gotten into the habit of it since the first time Bryce and Carter went on a mission. I worried the entire time they were gone and couldn’t hold back when they walked back in after being gone for three days. I knew I surprised them, but I just felt so relieved when they came in that I had to touch them to make sure they were real.
“I’m fine, little one. No need to worry,” Harrison said as I squeezed him tight.
“I know, but I still worry. I can’t help it.” Harrison smiled and started to fill a plate for me. I took it and joined Bryce and Mason at the table.
After a few minutes, Chase walked in and I dropped my fork, walked up to him, and hugged him. He was stiff for just a second and then hugged me back. “I missed you,” I whispered. He squeezed me a little harder and released me. I returned to my place at the table.
“So what horror do you have planned for us today? Harrison seems to think you are cooking for us, but Chase thought we were watching a romance movie marathon. I think you are messing with both of them. At least, I hope so!” Bryce said.
“As soon as Carter gets in here, I will tell you. And you will love it!” I replied.
We had just finished breakfast when Carter came in from outside. “Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes. Chip just wanted to talk and talk and talk. I had to bribe him with treats so I could come in. He kept asking about you, Bre. You should go see him soon,” Carter replied.
“I will!”
“Okay, Bre, tell us what you have planned for today. Chase is about to drive me crazy trying to guess and praying what you told him is not true,” Harrison said.
I was so excited and really hoped they would love it as much as I did. “Okay, come with me into the dining room.” We all got up and made our way there. I waited until they were all in the room and could see the table. I lifted the tablecloth I had covering everything and yelled, “Paintball Tournament!” I looked around at the guys and saw each of their eyes light up with excitement.
“Paintball? Hell, yeah! We haven’t done this in years! Harrison, I am going to cover you head to toe in pink paint!” Chase said, laughing.
“Bring it!” Harrison said.
“Bre, this is amazing!” Carter said.
“Hell, yes!” Mason said.
“You bought all of these?” Bryce asked.
“Yes, I did, and with my own money. Since I eat here, I haven’t spent any money in weeks, so I splurged a little. Do you like it?” I asked.
“Bre, this is great!” Bryce said while picking me up and spinning me around. “Thank you.”
I blushed from his gratitude and smiled. “I’m heading up to put on my Lara Croft attire.” I went upstairs and put on my green military-looking pants and a black tank. My hair went up into a ponytail and I was done.
When I got downstairs, the guys were suiting up. They looked like real military. Each of them had on black cargo pants and a black t-shirt that fit them like a glove. I had to stop and hold myself up in the doorway – they were magnificent. If I was a demon, I would run the other way when I saw them coming. Holy shit, they are hot. Maybe I will let them catch me and make me their prisoner. Bet I would like their kind of torture. Get it together, Bre. These are your friends. I wiped the drool off my chin and tried my best to suit up without getting distracted. It was really hard.
“Okay, boys. First round, no gifts. Second round, anything goes. Sound good? Bryce, Harrison, want to pick teams?” I asked.
I ended up on Bryce’s team along with Chase, and we strategized before getting to the woods in the back. “Okay, Bre. Chase and I will cause distractions and lead them to us and you sniper them. Climb up into a tree with thick foliage and pick them off one at a time,” Bryce said.
“Got it!” I replied.
We ventured into the woods and with a little help from Chase, I climbed a tree and waited for the others to walk by. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about how excited and happy they seemed when they saw the paintball guns. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed Carter walking directly under me, looking for someone to shoot. I aimed and hit him in the center of his chest. “Gotcha!”
He looked up to where I was perched in the tree and huffed. “Dang it, Bre. You are so tiny that no one can see you up there.”
“I think that’s the point, Carter. You are out until the next round” I said, laughing. Carter walked back to the lawn to await the next round and I saw Harrison come around a tree slowly, using it as cover.
“I know you are here somewhere, Bre. I heard you laughing. Guess you got Carter, huh? I won’t be as easy.” He seemed to be looking around trees and bushes for me, so I could tell he had no idea that I was in a tree. I waited for him to expose himself and shot.
“What was that, Harrison? Seemed pretty easy to me!” I laughed at him with blue splattered paint on the front of his shirt.
“Good grief! How did you even get up there? I guess I’m out,” Harrison said, sounding defeated.
In the distance, I heard Chase and Bryce. “Damn it, Mason. It should be considered cheating for you to even have a gun,” Chase said.
Since I no longer had Bryce and Chase to bring Mason to me, I climbed out of the tree and went looking for him. I was not as stealthy as they were and was making all kinds of noise. Suddenly, Mason came at me from behind and wrapped his arm, the one not holding the gun, around my stomach. “Gotcha,” he said softly in my ear. Electricity shot through my body from my ear down to my toes. Was it wrong that I didn’t mind him finding me? I leaned back against him a little and sighed. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I would have loved to stay like that forever, but my competitive side wouldn’t let me. “Actually, I think I sprained my ankle when I jumped down from the tree.” I stepped away from him a little and pretended to limp. “Can you look at it? I think it might be swelling.” I looked at him with a pitiful, puppy dog look and he fell for it.
He placed his gun on the ground and knelt down next to me. “Sure, did it twist when you landed?”
As soon as he knelt down, I shot him in the arm. “Nope, not at all! You’re out! I win!” I yelled.
“You cheated!” Mason said. The rest of the guys walked up to us, laughing.
“Technically, she didn’t. She didn’t use any Elemental gifts, just her female ones,” Bryce said.
Mason laughed and said, “Well, I fell for it hook, line and sinker.”
“Next round, anything goes, gifts, whatever,” I said. “Same teams?”
“Yep,” Chase and Bryce said, beaming over the win.
We all separated into our teams and got ready to start. “So what’s the plan this time, Bryce?” I asked.
“Well, as you can tell, Mason is the stealthiest and the best shot, so I think we need to take him out first this time. We should stay together and use earth for cover and air for distraction. Again, we will be your cover and you can shoot them, but be quick, because they don’t want to lose again,” Bryce said.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Chase said.
We built up the leaves in the trees in our area for better cover, and Chase planned to confuse them with movement in a bush away from us. We heard someone slowly walking our way, so Chase moved the air around the bush. They seemed to be heading toward it, but then out of nowhere, Mason hit Chase and Bryce with a water bubble, knocking them down, and aimed his gun at me. I heard paintballs hurt, so I lifted my hands to cover my head before he shot me. The ball smacked an invisible barrier around me and splattered. I looked to Mason in astonishment. He looked as surprised as I was and lowered his gun. Not one to ignore an opportunity, I lifted my gun and shot him center-chest. Chase and Bryce laughed and then took cover as Harrison came out from behind the bush and shot at them. Carter then came from behind and shot all three of us in quick succession. “We win!” Carter yelled.
Tired and covered in paint, we all strode back to the house to clean up. “That was cool what you did with the protective bubble. Did you use air to stop it?” Mason asked.
“I have no idea, I was afraid that the paintball was going to hurt, so I lifted my arms to shield my face and it just happened. You’ll see that things just happen to me a lot,” I replied.
“We’ll get you trained so that won’t happen again unless you do it on purpose. Don’t worry, I have a feeling you will be a badass once we are done with you,” Mason said.
I could handle being a badass for once.