Aqua

  Chapter 8

  When we looked at him in shock he nodded. "Where's headquarters?" I asked. I realized that we actually had no idea where it even was. We were lucky they found us.

  "In the A at the beginning of Angeles." Skye answered for Austin. "Well, that’s what Austin told me. I've never been." Austin nodded and let go of my hand.

  "You guys ready for some climbing?" He joked. We started our trek up the hillside.

  As we approached the huge A my heart almost stopped again. I looked up at the giant letter. Austin stepped over to the wall and hit a small crack seven times. "Powera!" he yelled. A hidden door popped open and we all took a look inside. It looked more like an evil layer than the way I had imagined it.

  A man in a dark cloak stepped out of the shadows. I jumped back, and almost tumbled off of the bluff. Austin grabbed my arm and steadied me. "Austin. Welcome. I see you have brought them to me." The man in the cloak said to Austin. The man's stare gave me the chills. My hand groped around blindly for Austin's. His hand found mine and we healed them. I looked over to see that Emily and Dylan were doing the same, and on the other side of them so were Skye and Mallory. Jessie, Brooke, Ethan, and Mikey were in a small huddle a few feet from Mallory.

  "Austin. Uh. Are you sure this is Powera central? I mean I've seen pictures of the leader, and I can't see him from here." Skye asked Austin.

  "Skye?" Austin asked.

  "Yes?"

  "This is Rolega." Austin answered. I looked over at Austin with a deep fear in my eyes. He stared at me blankly. Then his eyes widened. "Dad I don't think you should do this." Austin said to Rolega. Dad? Rolega was Austin's dad? He was a tall fifteen-year-old boy. I gulped.

  "Oh really son? You want me to spare these idiots? I told you I might make an exception with Skye, but the rest have to come with me." Rolega replied to Austin. I almost cried at that moment. I slung his hand away from mine. I ignored him when he tried to grab my hand again. I also ignored the searing pain in my shoulder as he jerked my hand.

  "Okay Dad. OK. But not her." Austin said to his father. Austin pointed at me as he said her. My jaw dropped once more, but it quickly closed.

  "Not my friends either. Look Austin. It's them and me, we're a package deal, and you can't do anything to change that." I told him. What was he thinking? Did he think that I would abandon my friends for him? Well he was wrong.

  "Haley it can't be a package deal. You'll die if you don't stay with me!" He objected.

  “Then I guess I’ll die.”

  Austin turned to Rolega. "Dad we need some time to talk." Rolega nodded and he flung my friends in the building. I cried out for them, but the door was already closing. Skye was still standing there, his mouth wide open. He walked over to us.

  "Haley, I'm sorry. I had no idea my friend was such an ass." Skye said to me. He turned to Austin. "Come on bro! My girlfriend's in there! And so are our friends. "Look man," Skye grabbed Austin's shoulders and began to shake them. "You have to make your dad stop. You said he was a cool guy who loved you!" Austin looked away.

  "Skye. If you wouldn't mind, I’d like to speak to Austin." I said. Skye nodded and followed our friends into the A. I could hear Mallory screaming at him, and my other friends were making no noise. I turned to Austin. I took a deep breath. "Austin those are my friends in there! You have to let them go!"

  "Look Haley, my dad’s a really caring person. He loves me and he would love you, if you would just let him take your friends." Austin said to me.

  "NO! You look Austin! He doesn't love you! He uses you Austin!" I screamed at him. "The only person he’s EVER loved was your mom, and she could have stopped his madness but she didn't. Now it's your turn. Are you going to make the same foolish mistake as your mom?" I continued to scream. Austin shrugged and muttered something about how all I had to do was let his dad torture and kill my friends.

  I reached up and slapped him as hard as I possibly could. "Good bye Austin, I'm going to go tell my friends we're leaving to find help for Brooke. Oh, and you could still stop your dad." I told him. He just stared at me and watched me go. He was an idiot; a complete idiot. How stupid does a person have to be to think an evil guy loved them? Very. I marched into the room and screamed when Rolega flung me against a brick wall next to my friends. I looked up at Mallory and Skye.

  I was eyeing Austin as he fussed with his father. I couldn't believe Austin would do something like this. My Austin. I loved him even now. Was I the monster? I was so unhappy. So confused. I continued to let the tears flow.

  I sat with my arms crossed and watched Austin. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, even though he was a traitor. I watched as they fussed, and watched Rolega spit a few cusswords. Everyone around me was whispering about who knows what. I admit my brain wasn't working quite right at the moment, after affect of Austin.

  When Rolega finally walked over to us I sat when he commanded us to stand. My friends looked at me like I was crazy, but I just sat there and looked up at them with a blank face. "Wait Dad." Austin ran over to Rolega, and pulled him aside. He motioned with his hand for us to run. Mikey, Jessie, Ethan and Brooke ran immediately. I noted with a smile that Ethan and Brooke were standing really close together. Emily and Dylan followed no more than two feet behind them. I watched them go, and then turned and watched Mallory and Skye`s exit, though the former glanced back at me worriedly. Skye pulled her out the door, though she was reluctant.

  I, however, leaned against a wall and watched Austin and his father. They were murmuring in low voices, and when Austin saw me he paused. "Hey dad can you go get me a glass of Coke?" he asked. Rolega walked away, muttering something about lazy teenagers.

  He turned to me. "Come on we have to get out of here, Haley!" he muttered. He stood no more than a foot away from me, so close I could feel his breath. I took a cautious step back, and didn’t like that he took a step and a half closer to me.

  "I'm not going anywhere with you! You can stay right here with your precious daddy dearest. I have a friend to help. Was it part of your disgusting plan to kiss me and then have your dad torture me?" I hissed, my frustration seeping through.

  He seemed to take that in like a bullet to his heart. "No! I would never do that to you on purpose. I swear." he tried to assure me. He grabbed my arm "Come on!"

  "You don't touch me." I jerked my arm away from his strong grasp. "Fuck off Austin, just fuck off." I said as casually as you’d tell someone your favorite color. He stopped speaking then, his eyes wide. I smirked and stomped off toward the door after my friends. I could hear him following me, but he didn't say anything.

  I stepped into the wide hall, my face heavy with the smirk that Austin had just received. One of my hands was in my pocket, but my other one was covering my gaping mouth. No more than two feet in front of me stood Mallory making out with Skye, his hands looped around her waist and her fingers knitted in his hair.

  I cleared my throat loudly and stood with my smirk still on display. I watched as Mallory jumped backwards, but smoothly regained her composure.

  Skye calmly put his arm around her shoulders and said, "You knew we were together, so what’s the big deal?" I could feel nothing put happiness for her, but I heard my stalker behind me. With tear filled eyes I stepped forward and hugged Mallory briefly. I shrugged an answer to Skye`s question; I knew my voice would crack if I tried to use it. I walked over to Skye and gave him a pat on the shoulder as an apology for my rudeness and stepped around them.

  I fled out the front door as my many tears erupted. I began to follow the rest of my friends down the steep hill. On my way down Austin stopped and handed me a piece of paper. He left. While I was going down the hill I read it:

  Haley,

  I'm sorry for what I put you through. I hope you can forgive me, because I don't think my life will be whole without you in it. You can always come and find me, please don't forget that. I will try to stop my father, but you should know what a father-child connection feels like. Haley, I truly am
sorry! Please remember that I love you very much, and I'm sure I'll miss you. Once again, I love you.

  With lots of Love,

  Austin ♥

  I thought about how his handwriting was so beautiful. After all he had out me through, I had to fight against my instincts to turn around and stay with him.