by Lucy Rains
Kyson shrugged, “We’ve never been in a lake. Only sea water.”
“Sure would open up a lot more options for us,” Alex pointed out.
“I don’t freaking need a mountain,” Gavin barked.
“Lie,” Alex coughed.
Gavin leveled a glare at Alex that told him to keep his mouth shut.
“Lie,” I agreed, looking straight at Alex. “Please continue, I want to hear this.”
Alex stared at Gavin for a few seconds, debating his next words. “All I’m going to say, is that we should definitely consider the idea.”
I twisted in Gavin’s lap so that I could look squarely into his face. “All of our opinions matter,” I whispered fervently. His hazel eyes were hard, unwavering. But I looked past his walls, felt his mind with my senses and pushed my hand against his chest.
Gavin didn’t respond, just wrapped his hand tighter around my waist and thigh. When I turned my head away I felt the light kiss he brushed over my shoulder.
********************
My head pulsed with too many feelings. Too many emotions. Too many people near me. It was becoming impossible to maintain any control over my mental walls to protect myself. I fidget in my plane seat, trying to get comfortable, trying to relax. A throbbing sensation ached through my entire skull.
The guys took turns sitting by me, each one wanting to help me feel more comfortable. They let me lean on their shoulders and stretch my legs into their foot room. Alex tried to distract me with downloaded movies. Kyson made sure I always had water. Gavin would roll his fists over my shoulders and neck to help ease my tension. They were all trying, and I knew they were worried.
We changed planes in Moscow at some point, but everything felt like a blur. Pierce guided me to the next gate and helped me onto the plane. I tried to stay alert, to keep my feet moving. My body was overwhelmed from the travel and I finally fell asleep on the second plane.
Sleep allowed my mind a break from the oncoming emotions around me, but not from my own stresses I carried. I dreamt of empty forest meadows, the trees painted with blood. I began crying in my dream, running aimlessly for someone I couldn’t see, away from a threat I didn’t understand.
A warm hand cupped my face and I felt lips resting on my forehead. Wetness. On my cheek. I had begun crying in reality. I wiped at my face quickly, avoiding the stares from Kyson and Pierce.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, wiping my hands on my thighs. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
Pierce stood up and moved out of the way for me, but I felt his presence following me down the narrow aisle as I avoided stepping on people. When I stepped into the miniscule bathroom, he turned his back to me, feet apart, standing guard in front of my door.
When I sat back down in my seat, I was able to relax enough to build up a strong enough mental wall to give my head a break. My eyes closed and I leaned my head back on Kyson’s broad shoulder.
Not wanting to even consider what my dream meant, I turned my thoughts towards Roman. The hows, and what ifs rolling around in my mind. What will he think of me? What will I seem like to him? A rescuer? A threat? Will his chest vibrate with warmth and help him feel calm?
I knew without a doubt he would be frightened. We had no idea the trauma that he had endured. The guys at least had had each other, while Roman was on his own. What scars would he carry? I had not shared this with the guys, but I desperately wanted to be the first one to see him. I wanted to be the first one he locked eyes with. But with my weakened state, I knew that was not a possibility. My guess was that he was not used to being around other people, and would need time to adjust to our constant presence in his life. Would that comfort him? Or scare him?
My thought process was in the middle of wondering how much he even knew about himself when I drifted off to sleep again.
Chapter 29
“No,” I hissed, weakly pushing Pierce’s arm off of my waist.
“Jade, please-”
“No, damn it!” My toe caught mid step on the concrete floor and I stumbled. Both Pierce and Gavin swore softly.
“You’re not going to m-”
“I will make it just fine.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. We were in the middle of the Yakutsk train station, with our freshly bought train tickets to take us deeper into the Russian country to a remote town called Tomtar. My body wasn’t cooperating, the leaden sensation filling my legs and hips. Pierce had been attempting to pick me up and carry me to the train platform, but I would not allow it. My pride, what little I had left, was already hurting. Unable to walk straight, or even on my own, my once strong body, was now weak and frail.
My mouth was parched and I looked around for a water fountain. “Can someone find me a water bottle?” I had already drained the five we had brought on the airplane.
Alex turned around and began walking without a word.
“Are you hungry?” Kyson asked, his eyes pleading with me to give him the answer he wanted.
Of course, I wasn’t. “I will try to eat something,” I offered. It had been several hours since our take off from Paris and my appetite had not appeared yet. And I knew I didn’t have strength in me for the one thing that would create an appetite.
Both Kyson and Gavin turned and while speaking hushed words, hurried to a nearby food court.
A heavy sigh brought my attention back to Pierce. I turned to look up into his heavy blue eyes. His fear permeated into my mind and I winced. “Please,” I said quietly, “try not to worry so much.”
“We should have come sooner,” he growled.
I winced again. But instead the pain being due to mental pressure, I winced with guilt at my stubborn actions. I nodded in submission. “I wanted to keep us safe. I was scared.” I spied Alex walking back towards us. “I was weak,” I whispered.
A group of people began walking in our direction, young adults in matching athletic sweatsuits. All of them were looking at phones, and not at where they were going. Pierce wrapped his arm around my waist again and pulled me closer to him. One young man barely missed stepping on me.
Alex growled, leveling a glare at the group as they passed by. “I need to learn how to swear in Russian.” He handed me a water bottle and I drank greedily. “Where are the others?”
“Food,” Pierce said.
“Without me?” Alex whined. “Damn it,” he spun on his heel and began walking towards the crowded food court.
Pierce walked with me at my slow pace until we stood by the door that led outside to our platform. I positioned myself to stand in the sun rays as we watched the other guys walk over, all holding some sort of food item.
When Kyson held up a smoothie in offering for me, I smiled. Before giving it to me, he took a sip from the straw. “Strawberries and bananas.”
I took the white cup from him, “How did you even know what to order?” I asked. From what I had seen, all the signs were in Russian.
Kyson cleared his throat, “I just pointed to what another guy had. It looked good.”
Gavin pulled out a familiar looking wrapped item. The paper was yellow and covered in ‘M’s.
“McDonalds?” I asked. “In Russia?”
Gavin opened his mouth to answer but a voice came over the loudspeaker.
The high volume caused me to cringe. The noise bit into my head and the announcement seemed to create an anxious spike in many people standing around us.
Pierce checked his watch, “Let’s head outside.”
Alex jogged over, holding a brown paper bag that had oil spots soaking through, saying he was ready.
The automatic doors slid open for us and we waited our turn to push through the turnstile machine and enter our tickets into the slot machine. As we entered the train compartment the bustle of people overwhelmed my senses and I began to sway. I blinked, shifted my bag on my shoulder and breathed deeply.
I followed Kyson as he led us to a seating area where two chairs faced two other chairs with a table in the middle. I tilted
my head to him, “We need one more seat,” I said.
He set his backpack in a seat, and then slid into the seat by the window. “We can spread out a little,” he said.
Alex and Pierce took up the adjacent sitting area and set their bags in the empty seats. Gavin settled in front of Kyson.
I opened my mouth to ask if I could squeeze into a window seat when I choked on my words and flinched. My head dropped down and I had to set my hands on the table to catch myself.
Gavin grabbed my waist and began to pull me to the seat next to him.
“No!” I almost shouted, bringing my hand up to stop him.
Terror crushed into my mind from someone close to me. It stood out above all the other emotions swirling through the train. It was dark, painful. I pivoted on my feet, turning around to look for the source. People moved in every direction but there was one that was one that stood out. A head of long blonde hair moved quickly down the aisle, carrying a fussy infant.
“Jade?” Kyson said, trying to get my attention.
I took a step forward. My hand raising unconsciously. The young woman sat down and scooted over to the window, disappearing from my line of sight.
My body wanted to move forward, my heavy legs taking a step in her direction. Someone was saying my name. Another person repeated it.
I broke from my trance to look at Pierce. He shook his head slowly from side to side.
“Something’s not right,” I whispered. A person brushed past me and broke my line of sight with Pierce.
My head turned back forward and my eyes locked on the set of seats I needed to go towards. The disturbing sensations of panic still pulsing in my mind. The hair on my neck raised when I felt the desperation around her fear.
“Jade, please no. Not right now,” Alex whimpered.
Kyson added to the pleas being aimed at me but I was lost in my own focus, walking towards the seats.
People bumped into me, as I was too preoccupied to move out of the way in time for anyone, grumbles of irritation coming from their mouths. My head tilted as I came into view of the woman, standing by her row of seats where she bounced her baby girl on her knee to try and calm her.
Her large blue eyes were bloodshot, her pale face clear of any make-up. Her thin body was dressed in loose, nondescript clothing that had the markings of infant drool and spilled snacks.
I stopped, at a loss of what to do, other than to get out of the aisle walkway and sit down across from her. Her head that had been facing the window, snapped in my direction and she jerked in fright.
I held up a hand to signal for her to be calm. She visibly relaxed and settled back into her seat when she saw me, disregarding my presence and looking back out the window. Her fear had not settled, her anxiety still hot with desperation.
Clearing my throat, I slid into the seat that was straight across from her, moving slowly so as to not startle her. She glanced back at me, her mouth pinching into a frown.
“Do you...speak english?” I asked slowly.
She continued bouncing her baby as she stared hard at me, trying to decide what to do. Thick, clear saliva dripped from the baby’s mouth and down her petite arm as she chewed on her fingers.
The woman regarded me for a few more seconds, shrugging silently. Her eyes darting between the window and me.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
At this question she openly glared at me, speaking quickly in Russian.
Kyson walked up and put a hand on the back of my seat. “What is it?”
The woman glanced up at Kyson and shrank back into her seat, turning her head to avoid his eyes.
“She’s scared,” I said softly. “Very scared. Terrified. I think she’s running from someone.”
Kyson made a humming noise in the back of his throat and his eyes scanned over the woman. “She’s in pretty bad shape.”
I looked at the woman, her skin clear of any wounds or markings. “What do you mean?”
“She’s got two broken ribs, a bruised pelvis, and two muscle contusions in her left thigh.”
Suddenly the woman gasped and straightened in her seat, her eyes widening as she stared out the window. There were hushed, urgent words in Russian. She hugged her child close to her, seeming to block her face with the infant.
I turned to look out the window but there were crowds of people going in every direction, and I had no idea who to look for. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and closed my eyes. Searching.
It took all of my power to quiet the swirling emotions running through my head, to pick out the one that would stand out. My temples ached at the effort, my body not appreciating my actions.
I felt Alex approach, heard him whisper to Kyson. The baby began to fuss even more, almost breaking my concentration.
Until I felt it.
Hostility. Infuriated anger. Growing closer with each second.
I opened my eyes and stood up, turning in the direction that the emotion was coming from. The crowds of people on the train had quieted as the train was beginning to depart. A whistle blew outside. So the man I saw board the train, and begin turning his head around as if he was looking for someone, was my target. He turned in my direction and began walking.
“Stay close,” I said to Kyson and Alex.
“Always,” Kyson responded quietly.
“Who’s this asshole?” Alex asked.
The young man matched the young woman’s age range. He was average height, looked like a nice guy with perfectly parted hair, thin rimmed glasses and a pale blue collared shirt, buttoned to the very top button. The man looked unthreatening, not someone you would give a second glance to. When he approached our position, he paid me and the guys no mind, his eyes locking on the young woman, who’s panic was screaming through my mind.
He smiled, said something to her in Russian and her body seized like it had been tasered. I stepped into his line of sight and took a step backwards.
“You need to leave,” I said calmly.
His pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled. “This is my wife,” he explained, his words heavy with a thick accent. As if his explanation would encourage us to leave.
My chin lifted and I pulled myself to my full height, which almost matched his. “I don’t care.” I turned to Alex, “Get Gavin.” He nodded in understanding and turned to walk down the aisle.
The man ignored me and attempted to step around me to gain access to the woman.”
He stopped and sighed, “My wife is ill,” he said.
“Well, yeah.” Kyson agreed. “Because you beat the shit out of her?”
The man’s eyes flashed at Kyson, the polite smile dropping from his face. “Let me talk to my wife, or I will have to call over the authorities. I am completely in my right. ”
An icy chill of threat had spread over the man’s face, his anger rising with every second. His upper lip curled when he opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could say anything, I lifted my hand slightly and aimed at his groin, releasing just enough energy to slow him down for a few minutes.
He gasped, doubling over as he grabbed at himself. His eyes bulged and he coughed at the pain.
“Jade,” Kyson moaned.
With an innocent expression I lifted my hands, “I didn’t touch him!”
A man in a blue train uniform approached us, calling out in Russian. I turned to look for Gavin, and saw him and Alex hurrying down the aisle.
The worker began asking questions in Russian. The abusive husband shook his head, waved towards us and mumbled a response.
Gavin stepped close to me but remained silent. Suddenly the man straightened and said something to the train worker. The worker frowned in confusion, responding in Russian.
The husband shook his head as if to clear his mind, his mouth hanging open for a second before he repeated his words again.
The worker’s eyes went wide with disbelief and I felt a shift of anger within him. He grabbed the husband by the elbow and hauled him down the aisle and away
from us. The train worker pulled out a walkie-talkie and began speaking quickly into it.
Gavin turned to me and smiled. “All done, Princess?”
I let out a sigh and relaxed my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“What did you do?” A soft voice with a Russian accent asked behind us.
We turned to see the woman looking up at us, glancing out the window. I bent down and saw her husband being surrounded by several security guards, two grabbing his arms on both sides of him.
I looked up to Gavin, “What did you do?” I asked.
He worked his jaw from side to side, “I had him confess to a murder and that the body was stashed in his apartment.” A sly grin spread onto his face and he turned to walk back down the aisle to our seats. Alex and Kyson chuckled as they followed after him.
The baby had quieted and was starting to doze on her mother’s chest. The woman had stopped trembling, her mental fear had quieted. She met my eyes and offered a single nod. A sign of her gratitude.
“Don’t go back home,” I said quietly.
She nodded her head, a tear escaping down her cheek. “I go to my brother’s house now.”
I felt that my work was done. Her fear had almost completely disappeared. With nothing else to say, she turned back to look out the window and I walked to my seat with the guys.
********************
Alex sat down next to me and let out a sigh of happiness. He set down his small white plate that held a triangular piece of white frosted cake in front of him and picked up a fork.
I leaned forward on one elbow on the table, propping my head up with a hand, “What you are doing?”
“Eating cake,” he said while licking a smear of frosting off his finger.
“It’s 2:30 in the afternoon, and you’re about to go on a mission that is barely planned for, in a foreign country,” I pointed out, “and you’re eating cake? Why would you be eating cake?”
“This is Alex you’re talking to,” Kyson said, tapping at his phone. “The guy doesn’t need a reason for anything he eats, or when.”