Hannah
She stood still, unable to react as his lips pressed fiercely against hers, the pent-up passion that neither of them had been able to release bleeding through his touch, infusing her with its power.
Against her better judgment, Hannah felt her head begin to tilt, her resistance to his touch fading.
It was all but over once her eyes started to close. Her body melting into his grasp was an afterthought by then, resistance futile at that point as she allowed herself to be swept up in his calming touch.
Odd, she thought as their lips locked furiously. The last few times he’s touched me, it’s driven me wild.
Not that I’m not this time, but different wild.
She was confused, but delighted at the delicious surprise of being able to have bodily contact with him without needing to flee. That was reassuring on a level she couldn’t begin to describe.
Maybe I have been going at this all wrong.
They stood there, not caring about their surroundings as he kissed her with a frenzy that would have done any cheesy romance movie proud. An arm slid around the small of her back and lifted Hannah from the ground as he twirled her around, never once letting go over her.
To her ridiculous delight, her leg bent up as he did, fulfilling every stereotype of the perfect kiss her eleven-year-old self would have been able to come up with.
Hannah giggled through the press of their lips.
Oh no.
Josh pulled back slightly, his eyes slowly opening to look at her as he processed the sound.
“Everything okay?” he murmured through brief pecks.
“Only if you shut up and kiss me some more,” she ordered.
The only response was a slight tightening of his muscular arms as he pulled her close. Hannah let herself fall into him, relaxing her guard, if only for a moment.
That proved to be her undoing, however, as it welled up within her, punching through her weakened barriers and struggling mightily to take hold.
NO! Please, not right now. Not after everything that’s happened.
Her body stiffened in his embrace, and she felt Josh’s body language change as well. He pulled back, his eyes looking at her carefully, before he set her down.
It took most of her remaining concentration to ensure that she didn’t fall.
Above them, the sky cracked with thunder, and she felt the first droplet hit her skin. It was followed swiftly by another, and then another. Inside ten seconds the pair were well on their way to becoming drenched.
“You can tell me your secret,” he said. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Hannah took a step back, her hand lingering on his powerful chest for as long as she could hold it, before she stepped away from him again. The rain was plastering her hair to her face, so she wiped it away, giving him the best look at her, knowing it might be his last.
“Yes, you will,” she said sadly. “You’ll have to.”
She blew him a kiss, then turned and ran for the welcome embrace of the shadows of nearby buildings as the power continued to exert more and more control over her.
Behind her Josh cried out, but she didn’t hear him coming after her this time, much to her extreme relief.
An alleyway loomed up in front of her and Hannah all but threw her body into it, stumbling over loose detritus that was strewn everywhere.
“You want to play?” she snarled at herself, feeling it begin to overwhelm her resistance. “Come and play. Let’s see what you have when it’s you trying to resist.”
Abruptly she dropped her defenses and let it overcome her. There was a wash of joy from inside, a feeling of success, and then suddenly a howl of frustration as Hannah dropped a mental cage around it, holding it there.
You never learn, do you? I always win this battle.
With a roll of her eyes, she surveyed the alleyway again, her sharp eyes picking out the various bits of garbage and the tipped-over bin from which it had come. With a snarl of anger she took off into the depths, emerging on the other side as rain continued to soak her sides and hair, prompting her to shake some of it off her head as best she could.
Moving back toward the site of the explosion, Hannah slunk through the dark, noting that the rain was putting a serious dent in the fire raging around. It was also making it harder for her to find any trace of her brother. The first police car finally reached the scene, its flashing lights making it harder for her to stay hidden.
She finally picked up a hint of his escape with elation, following it from the stage and between two buildings in the opposite direction of where she had come from. Moving along quickly she looked around, but this alley was a dead end. If he was here, he had to have moved on by now. The rain was too strong, preventing her from figuring that out. She surveyed the two large dumpsters along the back wall, feeling like she was missing something.
A can went skittering across the pavement behind her from the opening of the alley. Hannah spun, ducking behind a normal-sized trash bin.
It was Josh! How did he get here already? Was he following Chad too?
She couldn’t let him see her. Not now. She needed to present her best face to him.
With only a few dozen steps between them, it was now or never. She needed to win this fight, or else everything might be over.
Including her life.
With a fierce determination, Hannah threw herself back into the struggle, determined to emerge the victor.