Chosen

by Lauren Chow

  “The Chosen? I’ve heard rumors go around, but I wasn’t sure if it was true. Why are you so involved?” Troy waved off curiously. I looked down and played with the edge of my dress.

  “Because I’m protecting her. I want you to meet Clara Evans,” Jared said stiffly.

  A look of recognition flashed in his eyes, and he examined me like I was a fascinating substance. He pushed away the girls and got out of his booth to stand in front of me. Tony and Jared stood on either side of me.

  “A Warrior was assigned to protect you? Tell me, Tiny One, what would make me think you are the Chosen? Why should I help you?” he questioned seriously. I stared right back and tried to put all my confidence into my voice.

  “Because Vlad stepped up the plate—he’s bringing Drakkens into this mess. We need you to help us or else we are all dead. I’ve heard you are an expert in your field. I am requesting your help,” I said bluntly.

  Troy raised an eyebrow.

  “I might say... you are way smaller than I imagined you would be,” he chuckled.

  I tried not to take offense to that.

  “I need some proof, like a test you see. I’m not going to waste energy on something with a lost cause,” Troy said seriously.

  “Watch your mouth Troy. You have no idea what this girl is capable of,” Tony warned. Troy just snorted in response.

  “That’s what it’s like being a wild card, Sweet Cheeks. I swing any way,” Troy said with a smirk.

  “That could mean so many things,” I retorted and the guys laughed. Troy glared at me.

  “Troy!” I turned to see a guy rush over to Troy. “He’s here.”

  Troy stiffened and turned to me.

  “I would be careful and try to leave, if I were you. Lloyd can be brutal when he wants to be,” Troy warned before leaving the VIP section. I turned to the guys and raised my hands.

  “So, all of this was for nothing! What are we going to do?” I said, upset.

  “Doesn’t matter. Let’s take Troy’s word for it and get the hell out of here. I knew this was a terrible idea,” Jared muttered before dragging me to everyone else.

  “How did—” Adam started before Tony interrupted.

  “We got to go. We got company if we don’t leave.”

  We all ushered out and started to fight our way through the crowd. Someone bumped into me, and I almost fell to the floor. Luckily I caught my balance and looked up with a gulp.

  I saw a creepy buff man smirking at me. He wore a suit with tattoos and piercings covering his body.

  “Look who we have here. Hello, cutie,” he purred. I tried to fight the bile rising in my throat. This guy was nauseating.

  “Leave her alone. We aren’t looking for trouble,” I heard Jared say. The man glared and stood up straight, along with a group of other guys.

  This wasn’t going to end well.

  I felt men grab me and everyone tried to get to me. I felt something float through the air and turned to see my friends frozen in place, unable to move their bodies. I looked on, horrified, as they tried to move around but couldn’t budge. I gasped as the man pulled me to his chest.

  “My name is Lloyd, darling. Want to have some fun?” Lloyd purred.

  Over my dead body. I shivered in disgust as I shoved him off and almost stumbled back. Curse these wedges.

  “Not in a million years,” I said. I saw his nostrils flare and he whistled with his fingers. I looked and saw knives at everyone’s necks.

  “How about you do a little performance for my club? I’m the manager after all. I can do whatever the hell I please in this place. With your body, I can make some real money in this joint. If you put your cute little ass on stage, I’ll consider letting your friends go. If not, they’re dead either way.”

  I could hear some of them in my head telling me not to do it, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter. If I didn’t do what Lloyd said, they were dead.

  I really don’t feel like pole dancing tonight! Or ever.

  I needed a plan or to improvise somehow.

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” I said. Lloyd nodded and looked at me with his feral smile.

  “That’s my good girl,” he cooed, rubbing my cheek. I swear I was going to bite his hand off.

  I backed away and made my way to the DJ. As I got there I came up with an idea—a reckless idea, but it was still better than nothing. I hadn’t had much practice with my magic, but I hoped Maggie had given me enough advice.

  I picked a random mix and made my way to the stage. The whole club was silent, and I took a deep breath as a spotlight hit me.

  I took off my wedges and pulled my dress up, showing my spandex. Before we left the house, I’d put them on to give me some modesty. Luckily Tanya didn’t notice or she would have forced me to get rid of them. I was pretty sure Tanya wouldn’t have minded at that point.

  So now it looked like I was wearing a top and spandex.

  I looked at my friends, who looked terrified in their statue positions. I gave them a nervous smile before closing my eyes. I took a deep breath and pretended I was alone in the room. If I felt people around me, I would most likely have a panic attack…

  I heard the music come on, and I started to sway to the song, ignoring the pole as I started to summon the magic in my veins, concentrating on it surrounding my body.

  As the beat started to get faster, I let the blue light swirl around me. I pushed it out and saw people stumbling and falling from the force. I put the magic in my arms as I grabbed the pole from the stage, using my new strength to rip it off.

  “Get her!” Lloyd shouted over the music before it stopped.

  Men came after me on the stage, and I used the pole to shove them back. I jumped off the stage and used my light to make people drop unconscious as I passed by.

  I slowly made my way to Lloyd, dodging and hitting people with the metal in my hands. As I got closer to Lloyd, he started backing up as more of his men kept moving forward. I used the pole and swung it under their feet and smacked one in the crotch, causing the man to scream. I knocked the next guy in the head for good measure before running to Lloyd.

  He started to run, but I wrapped my magic around him so he couldn’t escape. He fell over in a chair, and I used that opportunity to use my magic to make the pole malleable. It wrapped around him, holding him tightly in the chair. I pulled back my magic and felt it settle back into my body.

  I stared at him darkly.

  “I hope this taught you that I’m nobody’s puppet. Release my friends. Now,” I said as he looked at me with fear. I turned and saw everyone begin to move again. They stretched their strained muscles, sighing in relief after staying in their frozen positions for so long.

  “You win. Now let me go,” Lloyd demanded. I looked at him with disgust before punching him in the jaw. He slumped over, unconscious.

  I pulled away, trying to look cool until my hand started to throb. I winced and started shaking my hand.

  “Crap that hurt. It worked in the movies!” I cried out.

  I went to everyone and gave them hugs.

  “Don’t do shit like that,” Adam said sternly. “Scared the crap out of us. And by the way, that’s not how pole dancing works.”

  “That’s how I do it,” I shrugged.

  “Let me see your hand,” Luke said, and he began to examine it. “Nice punch by the way.” I beamed at his compliment. As he healed my hand, I look around the now quiet club. Everyone was passed out.

  “Since when could you move like that? It was getting hot in here,” Drake teased before Tanya elbowed him.

  “Watching Dance Moms and training,” I replied with a smile.

  I turned to see Jay look at me in awe. I walked shyly over to him.

  “You were amazing out there.”

  I blushed at his compliment.

  “I don’t know how you did it, but that was awesome. Thank you for saving us again,” Jay said with a sweet smile.r />
  “You’re welcome,” I whispered.

  We heard a booming sound and we turned to see Troy clapping.

  “Now, that was impressive!” Troy praised.

  “Why are you still here? I thought you weren’t interested,” I snapped.

  “But you just did something interesting. Something I’ve never seen before,” he said, exasperated.

  I felt Jay’s arm wrap around me before he pulled me into him. I felt his possessiveness, which confused me. Why would he feel like that?

  Troy turned to Jared with an excited smile. He looked like he’d won the lottery.

  “Count me in!” Troy cheered. He saw Adam and winked at him, causing him to blush a little. I saw Tony wear a furious expression before he calmed himself down.

  “Let’s get going then,” Luke said.

  I couldn’t wait to get out of this outfit.

  What a night.

  26 - Kiss and Tell

  I glared daggers at Troy’s antics.

  I was going to smack this guy soon.

  “Troy! What the hell?” Drake yelled.

  Never mind, I’d let Drake do it.

  “She flirted with me first,” Troy said as he crossed his arms like a little kid.

  “Yes, because looking at you with disgust is flirting,” Tanya retorted.

  It had been couple of weeks since we’d asked for Troy’s help, and I wanted to bang my head against a wall every time he opened his mouth. He got on the nerves of everyone in the household. All of us were ready to strangle him at this point.

  “Sure babe, that’s what you were doing. Denial,” Troy said playfully with a wink. Drake looked ready to beat him up so I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen.

  “Drake, I need you to calm down,” I whispered.

  “Calm down? He’s trying to steal my girl!” Drake growled. My eyes widened at his remark.

  “Your girl?” I smirked and saw him blush at his slip.

  “I—I mean he shouldn’t be flirting with anyone at a time like this. We’re going against someone dangerous, and one of us could get seriously hurt. You can’t just go into a relationship and have it get destroyed in an instant. Do you know how heartbroken I would be? I can’t just flirt and ask her out. I’m too nervous.”

  “I thought this was theoretical,” I said, and I saw his eyes widen. If anything, he’d turned into a ripe tomato.

  “Please don’t tell her!” Drake said frantically.

  “Drake, what if your scenario did happen? What if one of you guys got hurt? You’ll be stuck with what-ifs in your head. You’ll regret not telling her. And I know Tanya likes you too,” I told him honestly.

  He perked up a little bit.

  “She does?” he said, with a hopeful look in his eyes. I nodded slowly. Tanya would kill me if she found out I told him.

  “You just have to risk it, Drake. There’s a chance you guys will come from this unharmed. I want you guys to be happy,” I said softly.

  And I meant it. Drake and Tanya deserved to be happy. I’d seen the way they looked at each other. Sometimes you have to take the risk.

  Drake looked into space and I walked away to leave him to his thoughts.

  I walked upstairs and went to my room. I opened the door when I heard something shatter and a curse follow it. I looked at a sheepish Jay, standing with a broken vase near his feet.

  “Sorry about that,” he muttered. He gave me a shy smile. I felt my lips quirk up. He always made me smile.

  I helped him clean up the vase, making sure my hands didn’t get cut from the glass.

  “What are you doing in here?” I asked curiously.

  Everyone else was either in the training room or downstairs.

  Jay looked at me sheepishly.

  “I just wanted to talk... or hang out, I mean,” Jay admitted.

  “Sure. Have a seat,” I gestured in amusement.

  He took a seat on my bed, and I hopped up to join him. I swung my legs lazily against the bed.

  “I always forget how short you are, Clair,” he teased. I pouted at his short joke.

  “I’m not short—you guys just grew too much and became giants,” I said as I gestured at his long legs.

  Jay chuckled and we started making conversation. There was nothing specific that we talked about. It was all random subjects and stories to learn more about each other. Jay told me some jokes and we laughed at them. It was nice being carefree for once. There was no war. There was no psychopath trying to kill me. It was just us together in our own little world.

  “There is no way Drake is going to ask Tanya out. He’s too much of a wimp.” Jay laughed. I tried to control the shiver that went through my spine. He looked so relaxed and happy that it made me just as happy.

  “Be nice to your older brother. He’s just scared about the future. He really does like her,” I scolded.

  Jay looked at me with a weird expression on his face.

  “I know he does,” he said softly as he lay back on my bed, resting on his arms. “I understand where he’s coming from.”

  There was a silence after that. I tried to find something to talk about.

  “Troy is bothering the crap out of me,” I muttered to fill in the silence. Jay responded by rolling his eyes and sitting up.

  “I hate that guy. He doesn’t know a thing about personal space. Tony, Drake, and I would really love the chance to pound him. I’m learning self-control though.”

  “Why would Tony be angry?” I asked innocently, even though I’d figured it out.

  Jay narrowed his eyes at me. “I think you know exactly why. I’m not spilling anything Clair. It’s against the bro code.”

  I sighed. It was worth a shot. I’d talk to Tony soon. I paused when I thought about his earlier statement.

  “Why do you want to pound him? Sure, everyone else does, but you added yourself to the ‘I want to beat the crap out of him’ list. What did Troy do to you?”

  Jay stared at me. He was always staring at me. My heart began to race. He reached over and pulled a lock of hair away that had fallen out of my ponytail. He twirled it around his finger and looked at it with fascination. I tried to calm my breathing.

  “I don’t like him near you. Whenever he flirts with you, it makes me want to hit something,” he admitted. I felt both of us getting closer to each other, filling in the little space between us. I could feel his heart race as fast as mine.

  “At the club,” I mumbled, “I heard you think that I was beautiful.” I pulled back a little so I could see his face more clearly. “Do you really mean that?”

  I never considered myself beautiful. At school, I was known as the ugly loser of the school. I was never called pretty, beautiful, or gorgeous. When I looked in Jay’s mind, I saw a vision of myself and it took my breath away. Was that how he really saw me?

  “One hundred percent,” he whispered as he began to get closer to me.

  I knew exactly what he was going to do and I panicked. I thought about what I’d said to Drake. Did I want to take the risk? I kept my eyes locked on his piercing grey ones. I was falling for Jay Woods. And that terrified me, but I wouldn’t stop it. My heart raced even faster at the confirmation. He was there for everything. He brought me back on my feet, supported me, and defended me from my past. Was he worth it?

  Yes.

  After my revelation, I finally moved myself closer and connected my lips with his soft ones.

  His lips were warm and butterflies were rampaging in my stomach. My eyes fluttered closed as his lips moved against mine and I followed his movements. I had no idea what I was doing but let him take charge. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and bring me to his lap so that I was straddling him. He then placed his hands on my hips. I finally gave into my urges and ran my fingers through his blonde hair. I heard a groan come from his lips, and his tongue brushed my bottom lip gently. I tentatively opened my lips gently as his tongue glided in. The spar
ks became more intense, the kiss grew deeper, and my legs felt weak. If I had been standing, I would have been a puddle at his feet by now.

  Eventually, I pulled away before I suffocated myself and broke the kiss. We were both breathing heavily as we tried to get our composure together. I shyly looked up to see his reaction.

  This was my first kiss. He probably had way more experience than me. When I saw his face, I couldn’t help but blush. Jay had a wide smile on his face, showing his right dimple. I couldn’t help but smile just as big. I heard a knock and I almost fell until Jay caught me.

  “Girl Scout! I really need to talk to you!” Adam yelled frantically as he kept knocking.

  Curse you, Keller.

  I carefully got off Jay’s lap, not making eye contact with him. I felt his warm fingers on my chin and tilted my head up. He gently placed a warm kiss on my forehead and pulled back. I looked up at him.

  We’ll talk later, he thought and I nodded.

  He got off the bed and started making his way to the door. He opened it and Adam stared at him as Jay turned to wink at me. I grinned a goofy smile before he went down the hallway.

  Adam and I locked eyes with each other.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  “GOATS!” we shouted at the same time. Adam came in and locked the door before we both jumped on my bed.

  “How about we spill the beans at the same time?” Adam suggested as we tried to decide who should go first. I nodded in agreement. We counted to three before speaking at the same time.

  “I kissed Jay,” I blurted out.

  “Tony kissed me,” Adam cried out.

  “Wait WHAT?!” we both yelled at each other.

  We both squealed and hugged each other, falling off the bed in the process.

  ***

  After our little party was over, Adam and I nonchalantly walked downstairs with everyone else. We both decided to remain calm until we talked to them again. We had no idea what to do at this point.

  I sat on the couch between Jared and Luke. Jared turned and whispered in my ear.

  “About time,” he whispered. I elbowed him in embarrassment.

  How did you know?

  Jay’s expression said it all, Clara.