"Garrett!" I shouted into the phone to no one. "Oh my god, Garrett!"

There were tears streaming from my eyes and my fingers shook as I tried three different times to dial 9-1-1 before I stopped myself.

That wouldn't do any good, I had to keep reminding myself. The people I am dealing with are not the type who can be taken down by the police. I stood up and began pacing the small area, holding Garrett's photo in my hand. I tried not to look at it, but I kept doing it anyway.

I never should have left things with him the way that I had. Sure we have some issues, but he was a friend...more than a friend...I can't believe I just left without even telling him goodbye. You'd think after everything I have been through, including my regrets over my last moments with Stephen, that I would hold onto the people who are important to me a little better, but obviously I've learned nothing.

My chest was aching for him. "It's ok, Garrett...It's going to be ok, Garrett." I repeated in my head over and over. I haven't ever been able to send a thought further than another room before, but I willed it with all my heart and soul to reach him. I never should have left.

I was trying to draw strength from deep within my core. I need to figure something out. I quickly dialed Wes's number and paced impatiently for him to answer. "Hello?" His voice filled my ear finally.

"Oh my god, Wes, thank god they don't have you too." I said.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I don't understand."

"It's Garrett!" I shouted urgently. "They have him!"

"Just try to calm down." Wes said calmly.

"I can't be calm! Those people have Garrett! Who knows what they will, or have already done, to him? You have to tell me what to do!"

I heard him take an exasperated breath. "Cadence, darling." He said slowly. "I don't understand what you are saying." He paused again. "Garrett is right here with me, dear. Nobody has him or has done anything to him."

I was dumbfounded by his words. "No." I whispered in confusion. "No, someone called and told me that they have him."

"Well, I am telling you he is right here."

"I want to hear his voice."

I let out the breath I'd been holding and my anxiety lightened when I heard his warm light voice come on. "Cade, what's going on? I am fine. I was so confused when I got your message."

"You could hear me?" Even in the middle of all this chaos, I was a little proud of myself for having done that at such a distance.

"Yes, now you're on speaker, tell us what happened exactly." Garrett told me.

"A man called," I began to explain. "He was one of the men who was in my house the other night. I recognized his voice, and he told me that he had taken Garrett." I told them. "Garrett, I am so sorry we fought and that I left without saying goodbye. Please forgive me for that." I needed him to know, just in case something did happen.

"Cade, don't even worry about it. You were right and I-." Garrett's words were cut off by Wes's urgent warning.

"Cadence! Leave the phone there and go! Now!" He yelled. "They only said those things to keep you on the phone long enough to track you. They'll be coming for you there. They must have known you left. Get out of there. Go!"

I dropped my phone where it was, grabbed my converse from beside the bed and took off running out of my room. I got to the elevator and saw that it said it was on it's way up already. I ditched the elevator and hightailed it to the stairs and ran as fast as I could to get to Derrek's room. When I reached his floor, I started to turn the corner when I saw two big guys, dressed very sharply, coming from Derrek's room. I cut back around the corner and waited until I heard them get onto the elevator and I was sure they were gone.

I crept down to his room and tried the door to find it was locked. I unlocked it with my mind, silently praying that Derrek was ok, and alone.

The door popped open and I slowly slid my head into the crack. As soon as I saw Derrek, I flung the door open and started to rush to him.

He was sitting in a desk chair, tied with rope to keep him from moving, and duct tape over his mouth. When the door hit the wall he snapped his head up, eyes wide, and he was shaking his head furiously at me. I stopped in my tracks sensing he was trying to tell me something.

I found out what that something was when a big brawny guy came stomping out of the bathroom and rushed toward me with his big meaty hands reaching for me.

Out of instinct I shot my hand out in his direction and then up.

The man's body jolted off of the ground and I help him suspended near the ceiling. It had happened so fast that I hadn't even had a chance to think about doing it, it just happened. I looked over to Derrek's wild eyes.

Well, he knows now.

With a twitch of my eyes the tape ripped from his mouth and the knot in the rope loosened enough for him to free himself. Derrek was still looking at my crazily as he came to my side. "Are you ok?" I asked him. "Did they hurt you?" It took him a moment before he finally answered with only the shake of his head. "Go get the rope, we need to tie him up and get out of here. There are more of them."

Derrek quickly went back to the chair, untangling the rope and holding it in his hands while he waited for me. "There are four more." He said in a strange voice.

I nodded to him and lowered the man to the chair, while Derrek wrapped him tightly to it. "You're quite impressive." The big man said, breaking his silence. "Very impressive." He said again. "Too bad we are going to kill you." He said with an acidy voice.

Derrek slapped some tape over his mouth and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the door. "We've got to go."

I followed him down the stairs and out to the front of the hotel. We both kept glancing over our shoulders at every second. We ran up the strip until we were both too out of breath to go any further, then Derrek pulled out his phone and called for a cab to pick us up from one of the most popular restaurants. He felt safer being in a place with lots of people. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the kind of people that we are dealing with are not ones who would be deterred by such a thing.

We took a cab to the bus stop and bought our two tickets in cash. While we waited in silence I used Derrek's phone to buy two airline tickets in my own name to Santa Barbra. I hoped that they would see that I had taken that flight, and it might throw them off of my trail for at least a little while.

When we finally settled into our seats in the back of the dark, nearly empty bus, I started to relax a little. I had been stupid to believe I could run from who I am. I've got to face this head on, there is no other option. We need to get back to Swanford. Wes will know what to do.

"So..." Derrek's voice broke my thoughts.

I looked away from the window and over to him. The darkness casting shadows over his handsome features. "Yeah...so..."

"Should I be afraid?" He asked gently.

I reached over to hold his hand. "No, Derrek. I promise, I will protect you."

He laughed lightly. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?" He joked. "Are you going to explain?"

"I'm not sure if I really can." I told him. "Do you think I am a freak?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No."

He leaned over to kiss me lightly once. "I won't lie and say I don't think this is crazy. I have no way to explain what I saw you do. But I would never think you were a freak. Unless..." He said seriously. "You don't like... Brussel sprouts, do you?" He made a fake grossed out face and chuckled at himself.

I couldn't help but smile. I leaned my head over and rested it on his broad shoulder and breathed in his scent. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into this." I whispered.

"Seriously, Cade. I'm alright. I do wish I knew what this was that I've been dragged into though. Can't you explain a little? Are you like...I don't know, a witch or vampire?"

I actually snorted I laughed so hard at his serious voice asking such a ridiculous question. I sat up and smacked his arm. "Of course I'm not!" I laughed.

"So a werewolf, then?" This time he was obviously joking.

"No, I am not a werewolf, Derrek. None of those things exist." I said.

"But you do." He countered.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Garrett and Carrianne?" I cut my eyes to him then nodded. "Makes sense." He said lightly. "Well, actually it doesn't make sense, but it has always been rumored something was up with them...But you? You don't even act the way they do. You're pretty open with everyone, and they are so reclusive."

"I only recently found out." I tried to explain.

"Is that common? To not know?"

"Unheard of in my case."

"Oh."

I turned to him and looked deeply into his eyes, trying to decide if I was positive that I could trust him. The smile that stretched across my face just from looking at him was the answer I needed. "I'm called a Potente." I told him. "I never knew because my mother was killed and so my brother and I were adopted, but I just recently found out that my adoptive parents are not who I thought they were either. Anyway, I never knew anything about myself or the others, but Garrett helped me discover the truth, and he brought me to his Great Uncle Wes who has been helping me to discover even more about myself."

I felt incredibly strange telling another person all of this, but Derrek took it all in stride. "So what do Potentes do?" He asked. "What are they exactly?"

"Well, different ones can do different things. But the way Garrett explained it to me was that Potentes are just as much human as any other human, just for some reason, that isn't really known, we have these abilities. Along with the abilities we have longer lifespans, and immunity against illnesses and diseases."

"That's incredible." Derrek said. "What can you do? If you don't mind me asking of course."

I smiled at him shyly. This is all just as strange explaining it to someone as it was having it explained to me. "Well, you already saw some of it. I am still learning my abilities, but I can use telepathy and telekinesis, I have some power over elements, and I can breathe under water. There really is a bunch of things I've been able to master. I can also protect myself from other's abilities."

"That's...wow...I don't even know what to say."

"I'm freaking you out, aren't I?" I asked him.

He pulled me to him reassuringly. "I've always known you were an amazing girl, Cade. I just didn't know how amazing until now."

"You're the amazing one, Derrek." I said to him in my mind.

Derrek's eyes looked surprised and he looked down on me. "You've done that to me before, haven't you?"

"On accident, yeah."

"Do it again."

We spent the next couple of hours talking all about me and my abilities, and the history I had been able to learn so far. Derrek took it all in without ever acting like it made me weird or different. He treated me the exact same as before.

After a while we finally got quiet. The excitement of the day, and the terror of the night finally catching up to us.

I fell asleep wrapped in his arms, and feeling hopeful for what was to come now.

I'm not running from my destiny anymore. I am going to get back to Swanford and learn everything I can from Wes so that I can take down whoever these people are that are after me.

They better be watching their backs, because I am coming for them now.