"Well this is an interesting sight." Garrett said stifling a laugh as he walked in.

I let out a deep breath and Carrianne flopped back on the bed. "Jesus, Garrett." She snapped. "You gave us a freaking heart attack. You're lucky I didn't fry you, or that Cade didn't do whatever it is that she can do on you." She sat up and looked at me. "Well, poo." She said twisting her face up. "I didn't even ask you what your abilities are...or anything else about you, actually." She stood up and straightened her robe, giving Garrett a sideways glance. "I have a habit of monopolizing the conversation, you know, so I'm told." She said pointedly to him. "I will give you some privacy and we will talk later...about you." She tacked on the end as she slipped past Garrett and disappeared.

I pulled back my covers and hopped off the bed. Garrett started laughing immediately. I quickly looked down, scared I had forgotten taking off my shorts or something when I realized why he was laughing.

"You look like Carrianne threw up on you." He snickered, pointing at my ridiculously girl pajamas.

I slapped him on the chest playfully. "Oh shut up." I laughed. "It was a nice thought of Charles to buy some things for me, whether or not they are my style."

Garrett smiled mischievously. I felt like I was getting to see a whole new side to him now. "I don't care what you wear." He said lowly. "I think you're adorable no matter what."

He leaned in to kiss me but I put my finger to his lips, causing him to stop in his tracks and widen his eyes. "I am not adorable." I whispered to him. "Adorable is what you call a little old lady or a puppy...Do you think I look like a puppy, Garrett?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

He slowly shook his head. "You're right." He replied. "You aren't adorable, you are irresistibly..."He leaned in closer as he paused just before his lips touched mine. "Precious." He said quickly, then planted his lips on me before I could stop him again.

This kiss was different, more intense than the others had been. His lips formed to mine and our mouths moved effortlessly together as my hands reached up to tangle in his thick hair, and his wrapped tightly around my waist.

Before I knew what was happening we were making out on the bed. I've kissed guys before, but never like this. I was losing control with Garrett fast. My breathing was escalated and my face grew hotter and hotter the more we kissed. I couldn't hold a single thought and all of a sudden, the room was shaking.

Literally, shaking. Garrett gasped and leaned away from me. "Was that you?" He asked out of breath.

I shielded my face from his eyes by tucking it into his neck. "That's so embarrassing." I mumbled pathetically.

Garrett leaned back so that I had to look at him. "I think it's pretty flattering actually." He laughed. "Just means you can't hold onto your control when you're around me."

I rolled my eyes at him. Cocky Garrett was annoying...but still cute. "I don't think I'd call that a good thing, Garrett."

The banging on the door made us both jump. "Oh my god, guys? Did you feel that?" Carrianne's voice was panicked.

Garrett and I both had to cover our faces with both of our hands to contain our laughter. "Um, yeah, sorry. That was just me, I'm trying to practice my elements ability." I called to her through the door straining my voice to come out even.

There was a pause. "Ok, whatever you say." She said back. "I'm going to go down stairs and get something to eat before you two start practicing again." I could practically hear the air quotes.

I laid back on my back on the bed and Garrett laid beside me on his side with his head propped up, looking down on me. I covered my face with both hands. "I feel so bad about all of this, Garrett."

"What? Carrianne?"

"Yeah." I said annoyed. "Duh."

Garrett pulled my hands down and kissed my forehead sweetly. "She'll come around." He tried to ease my mind.

"This is so shady though."

"I can see why you'd think so, but honestly, I'm so happy about everything right now, I don't even care."

I smiled a little, then quickly dropped it again. "I'm glad you're happy, but I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to hurt anyone." I said turning my face away from him.

Garrett flopped back on his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't think we are talking about Carrianne anymore, are we?" I looked up to him quickly, then looked away again. Sometimes Garrett could read me like a book. "Have you talked to him at all since last night?" I shook my head. "How do you feel about me, Cadence?"

"My name is Cade."

"Don't try to change the subject."

I sighed. "You know how I feel about you, so why are you asking?"

"I've told you I love you, now if that's how you feel about me too, I want you to say it."

I huffed. "Yes, Garrett. I do love you..."

I heard him sigh as he sat up. "You love him, too?"

I sat up next to him and leaned my head against his shoulder. "I do..." I said turning to look him in the eyes. "But not the same way I do you."

His eyes seemed to lighten just a little. "Then why do you seem so sad right now?"

"Because he loves me." I admitted. "I love him back, but it's not the same as when I'm with you. With Derrek, everything is easy and fun...Which sounds great when you say it like that, but with you..." I put my hand on the side of his face and he leaned into it. "When I'm around you, I just feel drawn to you. Even when you're being annoying, or things are dramatic, which with us they mostly are, I still just kind of want to sit with you and make you smile that ridiculously perfect smile. It's not easy, it's really freaking complicated but I just get you and I think you get me. It's always been you. That just makes the feelings I have for him hurt that much more."

I could tell he was trying to hold back his smile out of respect for what I was saying. "I'm really sorry, Cade. I think he will forgive you though. Maybe you could just be friends?"

"Maybe." I agreed. I leaned in to kiss Garrett when he grabbed me by the shoulders, holding me in place and he jumped up from the bed and walked to the door. He leaned against it, his ear to the door.

I stared at him with eyes wide. "What a-."

"Shhhh!" he hissed holding up a hand to silence me. He turned to face me and pulled me over to the closet. "Someone is here, I sense them...I think it's your dad." He whispered quickly. "Get changed." He demanded. "Hurry, we've got to go."

I grabbed the bag from the floor and pulled out the most normal things I could find, which were a white cotton and lace tank top and a pair of bleached blue jeans shorts. I stripped off the pajamas, throwing them down on the floor and pulled on the clothes as quickly as humanly possible. I grabbed my converse from under the bed and shoved my feet in, hardly able to tie them from my shaking fingers. I stood up and walked over to Garrett by the door. "Come on," He whispered urgently, less go through the window." He said tugging me by the wrist that way.

I jerked back. "No." I whispered back. "I'm not leaving Carrianne here alone."

"She's in trouble!" My brother's voice broke through.

Garrett cursed under his breath and put his face in his hands, groaning. "What if he isn't alone, Cade?"

"I don't care, Garrett. I'm not going to just leave her behind." I stomped over to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. I could hear Garrett's soft footsteps falling in line behind me. When we reached the top of the stairs he pulled my arm back, stopping me so that he could walk down the stairs a head of me.

We crept soundlessly down the stairs, and I could see the front door hanging wide open. Garrett quickly over stepped the last two stairs to reach over and quietly shut the door back. I peeked around the corner, looking into the living room, but there was no sign of an intruder, or Carrianne. I was already starting to get nervous, but then I looked across the room and into the kitchen. I could see a plate with a half made sandwich sitting on top of it, and the mustard and mayo still sitting out on the counter with no lids. I snapped my fingers at Garrett and pointed that way.

He nodded his head and tilted his chin for me to follow him into the room. I held my breath as we crossed into the kitchen.

I gasped when I saw her.

She was sitting in a dining room chair with her tiny wrists tied behind her back and she had a gag and a blindfold on. Directly behind her, with a knife at her neck, was my adoptive father. Thankfully, he seemed to be alone. In his other hand he was holding his cell phone to his ear. He smiled sickly as he saw me. "Hello, Cadence." He said calmly. At the mention of my name, Carrianne started fighting against her restraints and trying to speak.

"It's ok, Carrianne. Just stay calm." I tried to ease her mind, but she only thrashed harder, sobs wracking through her small frame. "You're going to let her go." I said evenly to my father.

He laughed at me. "What are you going to do, huh? Have your friend over there come rough me up again?" I could tell by his voice, and the way he bobbled his head that he was drunk. "Go ahead and let him try, you're pretty little friend will just have to die in the process." He taunted, holding the knife even closer to her long neck. Carrianne squealed and sobbed through the rag in her mouth.

I steadied myself and felt my smile spread across my face. I could feel my power pooling within me.

My father began to look very nervous. "What are you doing?" He asked with a shaky voice. "Stop smiling at me, now!" He shouted. "She's at the Montclair house!" He screamed into his phone, then his eyes went crazy and he lifted the knife, ready to plunge it into her neck. Before he could bring the knife back down he let it go, dropping it to clatter loudly on the hard marbled floors. His hands flew up to his neck as I stepped toward him, tilting my head. He gasped for air as I silently and without lifting a finger pulled the oxygen from the air around him. His face was beginning to turn blue, and his eyes bugged. I blinked hard, releasing him from my invisible grasps, and he dropped to the floor loudly gasping and screeching for relief from his burning lungs.

"Tie him up." I said to Garrett as I rushed to Carrianne's side. "It's ok, he's down." I told her as I grabbed the rag out of her mouth and pulled the blindfold away from her eyes. As soon as it was off she shot her gaze over to him and smoke rose from his arm. He screamed a bloodcurdling scream as she burned him. I stepped in front of her. "Stop it, Carrianne. He isn't worth it."

Her eyes were bloodshot and her makeup was smeared down her cheeks. "Just untie me!" She shouted, still panicked. I did as she said and she stood up and walked quickly to the opposite side of the room. I could see her shaking.

I helped Garrett force my father into the chair and secure him to it, with his hands firmly tied behind his back. I couldn't look him in the eyes as I pulled on the blindfold and taped the rag to his mouth. Just the thought of it made me sick.

When we were sure he wasn't moving an inch I directed Garrett to shove him and the chair into a closet and yelled for Carrianne to go grab a couple of things and any cash she knew was in the house.

"But I don't want to leave." She shrieked. "I want to call Daddy."

I rolled my eyes. "Call him while you get your stuff." I told her. "You heard him on the phone, they know we are here now."

"And they know that Charles knows." Garrett added.

"This is so bad." I muttered shaking my head. I looked up and Carrianne was still standing there. "For the love of god, Carrianne, GO!"

She turned and exited the room, running up the stairs.

I followed behind her, helping her only grab what was truly necessary, then we piled into the car and flew away from the house.

The first instinct was to go to Wes's house since we couldn't get Charles to answer his phone, but as we drove past the house we saw Wes being roughly dragged out of his house by three big men in suits.

"No!" Garrett shouted as we passed, and he punched the steering wheel.

"Oh my god." Carrianne whispered from the backseat, tears running down her cheeks. "Where do we go?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, what do we do?"

"I don't know." I said again.

"Ok, well, who can we trust, Cade?" She asked desperately.

"I don't know!" I said agitatedly. "No one. We're on our own now."