Empath: The Flawed Series Book One

by Becca J. Campbell

  The chanting grew louder. It was something about “no more murder” and “save the animals.” With each step closer, the surrounding feelings intensified. Anger from one protestor. Hate from an onlooker yelling something profane. Fury from all around. Jade fought to keep her face calm but her hands curled into fists at her sides. Emotions swirled within her.

  “Just ignore them,” Chloe said as they approached the front of the store. “I’m not going to let some freaks ruin my search for the perfect coat.”

  Jade tried to force herself forward, but her feet wouldn’t budge.

  A guy with dreads and a beanie blocked the entrance to the store. Chloe stepped forward, glancing back at Jade and Cam. “Come on, guys. It’s just a bunch of animal rights crazies.” Chloe attempted to skirt the guy with the dreadlocks, but he sidestepped, blocking her again.

  “What did you call us?” A tough-looking, brutish female who was almost a head taller stepped up to Chloe, staring her down. A trace of her violent emotions leaked out, tainting the Schuyler tranquility Jade was struggling to cling to. Jade grimaced, her control slipping.

  Chloe ignored the woman, and attempted to push past the guy. When he didn’t back down, she tried to shove him out of the way with her arm.

  “Get your hands off him.”

  Chloe didn’t flinch. “Tell him to get out of my way.”

  “You’re the one who needs to leave.” The woman scowled, and her eyes flashed with hot rage. Fury and a mass of other feelings drowned Jade, and Cam’s peace was ripped away from her like a lifeline yanked out of reach. Black spots dotted the edges of her vision.

  “No—you do,” Chloe said.

  Her head swimming and vision darkening, Jade caught the flash of the woman’s arm lashing out and heard the smack of Chloe getting hit in the face. Jade was fighting for control of her mind when Chloe went down. There was a sickening crack. When Jade tried to blink the haze away, she got glimpses—blonde hair, gray concrete, red blood.

  The writhing, swelling emotions closed in on Jade. Her knees buckled, and she felt herself falling. The world went black.

  Logan thanked the cashier and picked up his camera. He turned to leave the shop and, as he approached the door, saw the crowd of people gathered on the street. The buzz of agitated voices assaulted his ears, some yelling, others cursing.

  What the…? He exited and passed a crowd of gawkers, then he noticed someone lying on the ground. Shoving people aside, Logan rushed through the crowd. It was a young woman—no, it was Jade! She was curled in a poise of pain, eyes rolled back into her skull, convulsing.

  Logan’s mind was a flurry of inexpressible questions and emotions. What had happened? He thought of the angry crowd around them. I have to get her out of here. He barely registered the presence of the blond guy she’d introduced him to a few weeks back. Why was he standing there staring stupidly without concern?

  Logan scooped up Jade’s still-trembling form and hurried her to his truck. Amidst the chaos, no one seemed to notice them leave—the same way they hadn’t noticed her episode, he thought grimly. He placed her inside the cab and fastened the seatbelt around her.

  Now what? Should he take her to the hospital? But what about all the people there? Would merely a change of location help her situation? Distance. She needs distance. He eased the truck onto the street and away from the crowd of people.

  He sped out of town without a specific route in mind, pondering the best course of action. Should he detour around populated areas? Hospital or no hospital? What if it caused her more trauma?

  While driving and sifting through a mess of thoughts, Logan tried to keep his own emotions in check for her sake. He was a master of control normally, but today she’d shaken him. He took a deep breath, fighting the anxiety and fear. Maybe if he could find something positive to cling to it would help him channel his emotions.

  Calm thoughts. He forced himself to think of their long talk and her understanding for his freakish condition. That helped a little. God, he cared about her. She had to be okay.

  A muffled ring jarred him out of his calm. It sounded like a cell phone, and it was coming from the passenger seat. He glanced over at Jade and realized she’d stopped convulsing. He held his breath for a second, banishing every trace of emotion from his mind, willing himself to be completely empty. After a few moments which seemed like an eternity, her eyelids fluttered. Then she moaned softly and rolled her head from one side to the other.

  Logan pulled the truck off the deserted road into a shallow ditch as Jade opened her eyes. He hadn’t realized he was still holding his breath until she spoke.

  ~

  “Logan?” Jade tried to make sense of where she was. Confusion clouded everything that had just happened.

  Logan breathed heavily. “Jade.” His voice was raspy and his wide eyes darted over her face. “Are you all right?” Worry lines wrinkled his brow, but she felt nothing from him. He was keeping his emotions silent, and for once, it was a relief.

  “What are you doing here? And where are we?” They were in his truck, but she saw no landmarks, only an empty stretch of road that disappeared around a bend.

  “I was picking up my camera from the shop and I found you lying in the street, in the middle of an angry mob.” His face grew slightly pale. There was a flicker of anxiety and then it vanished. “I got you into the truck and drove out of town. I was debating whether or not to take you to the hospital. We can be there in ten minutes. How do you feel?”

  “I feel…” She wasn’t sure at first, but she searched until she came up with the truth. “… fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m okay. I’m not hurt or anything.” She looked her limbs over, displaying them as proof. “I think I must have had an empathic episode.”

  “Does this kind of thing happen often?”

  “No. Never. Only that one time in kindergarten.” Although she’d come close after Chloe’s accident.

  “Maybe we should take you to the hospital anyway, just to make sure you’re okay.”

  “No. Really, Logan, I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital. It won’t help, and I really hate being around doctors. Not to mention everyone else. I just need to be alone right now.”

  He gave her a look, and at first she couldn’t interpret it, but then she smiled. “I mean, with you is fine. Just not with anyone else.”

  He was still searching her eyes, and she could tell he was looking for some sign that not taking her was the right thing to do. Finally he seemed to let it go. “So, what happened out there anyway?”

  Jade frowned, trying to remember it all. “There was a crowd of people in front of the leather store. They were all angry about something. Animals. They were animal rights protesters.”

  The memories trailed back to her mind, flashing briefly as she recalled the cause of the incident. “There was a riot. I was with Cam and… Chloe!” The last word escaped in a burst. The image of Chloe and the blood on the street blazed in her mind. “I have to talk to Cam.”

  Her shoulder bag was still slung across her chest. She dug for her phone, fumbled it open, and saw a message waiting. Calling voicemail gave her Cam’s frantic voice.

  “Jade! Where are you? Chloe’s been hurt and I’m going to take her to the hospital. Call me back as soon as you get this!”

  Jade called his cell. It rang four times and she groaned when she got his recording.

  “Cam—Is Chloe all right? Call me when you get this.” She ended the call and sank back into the seat, worry and fear clouding her mind. At least this time it was her own emotions.

  Once she’d put away the phone, Logan spoke up again. “You were with someone else, too? I didn’t see anyone around you. I only saw Cam.” Logan’s voice dripped with venom when he spoke the name. It caught her off guard.

  “It was the three of us. I was fighting the horrible feelings, trying to stay calm, and Chloe wanted to go into the store, but some people were blocking the entrance. I
was fading by that point. I think she got punched in the face, and then she hit the ground—hard.” Her throat burned, and she swallowed hard. “And Cam—”

  “And he just stood there while it all happened? Didn’t lift a finger to help?” His anger flared into her, hot and bright for an instant. Jade gasped at the sudden emotion. Continuing the tirade, Logan left her speechless.

  “He let you be compromised… I mean, what kind of person does that to someone they care about? Didn’t he realize what it might do to you?”

  He must’ve realized his slip up because the anger cut off suddenly, and Jade was able to speak again. “It’s not Cam’s fault.” Though he’d clipped his emotion, she felt her own frustration course through at his assumption.

  “What? Of course he’s to blame. If this is going to be a speech about your rights to make your own decision or something, please, spare me. I know you have a right to go wherever you want to, I know you’re able to, but think safety first. A gentleman would never allow that to happen to you or to Chloe. It’s a man’s responsibility to protect those that are dear to him, whatever the cost, even if that means sacrificing his own desires. Even if it means stepping in front of a bullet for you. Courage means thinking quickly and taking action, at any cost.”

  “But you don’t understand,” she said, when he finally stopped ranting. “Cam is different. He has, well, he has a problem.” She stopped when she realized she might be about to disclose personal information. But Cam hadn’t asked her to keep it a secret. He’d shared it with her the day after they first met. And she couldn’t allow Logan to continue criticizing him when she knew how protective Cam was—especially of Chloe.

  “Cam has a… well, a handicap of sorts, if you can call it that.” She took a breath, trying to figure out how to explain, while Logan waited with a look of doubt still clouding his face. His emotions stayed calm, thankfully, and that helped her focus.

  “Basically, he has his own type of episodes. They aren’t exactly seizures, but he blacks out for a few minutes sometimes, without any warning. When it happens, he has sort of this déjà vu type of experience, but he’s not really conscious.” Logan’s brow creased in a frown. Thankfully, he was at least being reasonable enough to listen.

  “So you see, he couldn’t have done anything to stop the protesters or help us. He was incapacitated, too. Besides, Cam would never let something like that happen if he could help it. He is a caring guy. He’s probably beside himself with worry right now about what happened to his sister.”

  “But you had to see the trouble coming. Why didn’t he get you out of there as soon as possible?”

  “Because he doesn’t know about my empathy. Cam has no idea how sensitive I am or that I’m even… you know, different, at all.”

  “You haven’t told him?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I know it isn’t any of my business, but maybe you should.” He placed his hand on hers, and his voice was fervent when he spoke. “Jade, please. Think of your own safety. If you go out in public, don’t you think you need a backup? If he doesn’t know the dangers that affect you, how will he be able to help?”

  She hated to admit it, but he was right. Going along with the Schuylers’ adventures without warning them of her sixth sense was asking for trouble. All three of them would feel horrible if they knew they were putting her in danger.

  There was one slight problem with Logan’s solution. It wasn’t Cam she wanted to be her backup. She couldn’t stop a deep ache from sinking in and lodging in her core.

  She searched Logan’s emotions for anything, any flicker of passion, any hint of an interest in her. There was none.

  After all the personal wrestling, was she still holding out hope for him? Pain constricted her chest. Yes, she was. And more than ever before, she needed to get over him. She was debating how she could accomplish the feat when her phone rang.

  “Jade? It’s Cam. Where did you disappear to?”

  “Um, I sort of ran into Logan—”

  “Who?”

  “Logan Henry… the professor…”

  “Oh, right. Okay, so where are you?”

  “Just outside town, I think. How’s Chloe?”

  “We don’t know yet. We’re in the ER waiting room. She has a bad nosebleed and her face is scraped up. We’re hoping her nose isn’t broken.”

  “Do you want me to meet you guys there?” Would she be able to handle it?

  “No, it’s fine, Jade. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Do you think you can get a ride back home, though?”

  “Yeah. I think so.” She glanced over at Logan.

  “Listen Jade, I’m really sorry we left without you. When I came to, Chloe was bleeding and there was so much confusion—and people everywhere. We couldn’t find you. Honestly, we searched, but I had to get her to the hospital.”

  “Cam, it’s fine. I understand. It’s my fault for disappearing. Don’t beat yourself up. You have Chloe to worry about.”

  “Okay. They just called her name. I need to go.”

  “All right, Cam. Please call me as soon as you know how she is.”

  “I will.”

  Jade ended the call. “That was Cam, they’re at the hospital.”

  “How is Chloe?” Logan asked.

  “He’s not sure yet. He’s going to call me when they find out. Man, that girl doesn’t get a break. First the head injury, then a dislocated finger, now this.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Accident prone?”

  “I guess you could say that.” Jade didn’t want to get into all the details at the moment. “I wonder if they’ll still go to Carlsbad this weekend.”

  “New Mexico?”

  “Yeah. They asked me to go check out the caverns with them.”

  A frown creased his brow. “Are you going?”

  “I don’t know. If Chloe’s hurt, it changes everything.” More likely her talk with Cam would change everything. If she was able to talk to him. Things kept interfering.

  “But if you go, you’ll tell Cam about your… condition first, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” It was quiet between them for a moment. “Logan, have you ever wondered why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why we’re different? I mean, I guess a lot of people have flaws or handicaps, but yours and mine…,” and Cam’s and Chloe’s…, “they’re extra weird—you know? We’re not the same, but we are.”

  “I’ve always just seen my flaw as sort of an accident. You know, like a genetic mutation or something. A biological anomaly.”

  “My parents say that everything has a purpose. Last week when I went to visit them, my mom told me that everything happens for a reason. But what’s the point of my flaw? I’ve always wondered why I have to struggle with this.”

  Logan was thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe that’s true. I guess if it weren’t for my problem, I wouldn’t have been there to save you from the bear in the woods.”

  Maybe their flaws did have a purpose. But Jade was still no closer to finding the reason behind her own.

  An unnatural silence hung in the air as Cam and Chloe drove back from the hospital. Cam wasn’t sure why she was quiet since she’d assured him she was perfectly fine. Maybe she was afraid of him starting on a long lecture. The truth was, as frustrated as Cam was at the moment, he wasn’t mad at her. Maybe she had been too careless in her actions, but what really bothered him was that he hadn’t been there to stand up for her.

  He had been there physically, but his glitch had hindered his ability to act. This was the third time in a month that she’d been injured. Maybe he couldn’t have stopped her from being harmed the first two times, but today he could have helped—if he hadn’t been incapacitated. The thought drove him mad.

  His stupid glitch was the worst thing ever. Its unexpected side effects could be handy—like memorizing half a text book without even trying—but the fact that he couldn’t control it was absolutely infuriating. And now it had been a factor
in Chloe being hurt. For the first time, he wished he could be normal.

  He suddenly remembered that he’d promised to call Jade and give her an update on Chloe.

  “Hi, Cam, what’s up?” Jade said when she answered her phone.

  “We’re leaving the hospital.”

  “What’s the report?”

  “Not too bad. She needed a few stitches on her cheek, so they took care of that.”

  “Is her nose broken?”

  “No, just a burst blood vessel. It finally stopped bleeding.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Yeah. I’m taking her home now, but I’ll come by to see you later. Will you be home tonight?”

  “Yeah. I don’t have any plans.”

  “I’m sorry our day out was cut short.”

  “It’s no big deal. It wasn’t your fault. Tell Chloe I hope she feels better and I’ll see her soon.”

  “I will.”

  Cam’s thoughts changed course. He couldn’t mope about his problems forever. For now, he pushed them aside and thought about how great it would be to spend time alone with Jade.

  ~

  In her apartment that evening, Jade thought about the day’s fiasco. What had happened to her today was her parents’ worst fears realized. Apparently they were right to have concerns about her being in public. She’d been way too careless. What if Logan hadn’t been there?

  She needed to decide what type of situations would be safe versus which were too risky for compromise and set some boundaries. Part of it was keeping close to people she trusted and avoiding congested public areas, but the most critical step was confiding in her friends.

  The experience had given her one interesting breakthrough. She’d learned to mentally cling to one emotion in the room, specifically the closest one, and will herself to shun the others. It wasn’t that she became immune to the other feelings around her, but more that they faded into the background. It hadn’t been until both Cam and Chloe’s emotions had been compromised that she became vulnerable to outside forces.