Discovering Synergy, page 13
“Do you dress up?” I asked, not sure I could picture him dressed up in some silly costume.
“I did dress up last year,” Brayden admitted.
He was not going to make this easy, “As?”
“Guess you’ll have to go with me to find out,” Bryden said winking.
I laughed seeing how he’d played me. “Sounds good to me.”
“No fair. I was going to ask her to go with me.” Parker’s voice came from behind me.
I turned and saw him dragging a chair over and sitting next to me. I looked over at Bryden, unsure of what to do about this situation. Brayden’s answer to Parker joining us was to move the small table between us and drag my chair over closer to him.
“Sorry Parker, but Lailah and I were having a private conversation,” Brayden said glaring.
“Sorry but you’re in a public place and I’m allowed to sit where I want,” Parker said scooting to my other side.
“Um, I can go if you need to talk to Brayden about something,” I said trying not to fidget while stuck between them.
“No, Trouble. That’s not the problem. Brayden just needs to learn how to share time with friends,” Parker said patting my hand that was gripping my dress. “So, did I hear correctly that you’re going to the Halloween shindig?”
“Brayden was just telling me about it, I don’t see any reason not to go,” I answered, trying to stay neutral when I saw Hudson walking over to us.
“Hey Lailah, guys. I didn’t know you all knew each other,” Hudson said as he pulled a chair to join our group.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Lailah on her first week here, we bumped into each other in town,” Parker said puffing out his chest.
“If crashing into me and crushing my cookie is what you call bumping into each other,” I snorted.
“Come on, are you ever going to let that go?” he whined.
I ignored him and looked over at Hudson, “Brayden, like Jay, rescued me from wandering around the school grounds lost during the school tour.”
“Wait, when did you meet Jay?” Parker butted in again. “Trouble, you been keeping secrets?”
I laughed, “It’s hardly a secret. I got lost going on a run and Jay found me and brought me back to the school grounds. He is also the one who gave me Hudson’s number to tutor me.”
“Well, it seems you have met all of us now,” Brayden said.
I quickly counted and realized that Hudson was the last of the five guys living in ‘The Manor’. “Huh, you’re right. I didn’t notice that till you just said it.”
After a bit, all the guys seemed to relax, and we all chatted comfortably with each other. I noticed that even though they all lived together, it didn’t seem like they really knew each other. I was laughing at something Parker said when the sprinklers in the coffee shop went off and the blare of a fire alarm filled the room. Parker grabbed my wrist pulling me out of my chair and ushered me out before I even realized what was going on. Brayden followed on our heels and I felt his hand on my low back making sure I didn’t get knocked over by others running out of the cafe.
“You alright?” Hudson asked once we found an open space to stop.
“Yeah, a little damp but no worse for wear,” I said trying to brush the water droplets off my dress. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but I am sure we’ll hear about it later,” Brayden said brushing his damp hair out of his face.
I felt internal heat rise as I noticed the light blue t-shirt, he had on was sticking to his chest showing his well-defined muscles. Trying not to stare, I looked over at Parker whose back was to me as he was taking his shirt all the way off. The muscles that moved along his sculpted back made my mouth water.
“Lailah,” Hudson said putting a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Hmm?” I said turning to look at him after being caught ogling Parker.
“Do you want one of us to walk back to your dorm with you?” Hudson repeated with a knowing glint in his blue eyes.
“Nope. I mean, I’m good it’s not that far honestly,” I said trying to pull my scrambled thoughts together.
“After hearing how often you seem to get lost, I just wanted to make sure.”
“Thanks, Hudson really, but I actually have gotten much better,” I said grinning.
“If you say so, Trouble. Call one of us if you get lost so we can send out the search party,” Parker said and I could feel his body heat from behind me.
I looked up at him smiling, “You got it.”
I waved at them all and made my way back to my dorm grinning at how the evening had turned out.
Chapter 16 Brayden
When I got back to the house, I headed directly to Micah’s room. When I reached it, I didn’t even knock before I walked in. I found Micah laying on his bed with his obnoxious red headphones on and his foot tapping to the beat. Walking over to him, I grabbed his phone and unplugged the headphones. Quickly stepping back out of reach, I watched as he bolted upright with murder in his eyes.
“Who the fuck...” Micah spluttered before his gaze landed on me. “Brayden what the hell man?”
I walked over to his desk and rolled his computer chair over and sat down facing him. “Remember when you told me that you met Synergy and I laughed it off?”
“Yeah...”
“Well I’m listening.”
“What happened? Something must have changed for you to believe me now.”
“I just had a coffee date with Lailah, the one you ran into that night we killed the demon in the bathroom.”
“You’re telling me about your dating life why?”
“Because I ended that date with Parker and Hudson joining us.”
“Okay, that’s awkward but I don’t get the correlation here, Bray.”
“I spent an hour with them after they crashed our date and I wasn’t pleased, but I also didn’t want to chop their dicks off for interfering. We all had a good time and didn’t bicker once after we got settled. Not to mention that Lailah is leaking elemental energy like crazy.”
Micah grinned, “You sure it was energy she was leaking?”
“Shut the fuck up, you know what I’m talking about. I just didn’t connect it, but Lailah is the one you met in the library, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, that’s why I was so thrown off when I ran into her again that same night. It seemed odd that the demon was trying to get in the dorm, but when I thought about it, I think they are going after her.”
After Micah dropped that bomb, I was glad I was sitting. Holy shit, it all made sense. The demons were trying to get to her before we did. I sat up and jumped to my feet.
“Where are you going?” Micah called after me.
“We need a family meeting now,” I said pulling out my phone and scrolling to the group text Beth had created, but we hardly ever used.
‘Meeting in the library in 10 min this is NOT an option, Synergy has been found and in danger.’ That should do the trick.
‘WTF Brayden you’re joking, right?’ Parker was the first to answer.
‘Brayden what is the meaning of calling this meeting. You need to run these things by me.’ Beth texted me privately.
I knew I was going to piss her off doing it, but I was more worried about Lailah and the unknown danger that she was in.
‘Already there.’ Jay sent.
“Brayden, are you trying to get Beth to salt your Wheaties with a stunt like that? You know she takes her role way too seriously,” Micah said jogging up to me.
Shrugging my shoulders, I pushed open the door to the library and came face to face with the woman, her hands on her hips and a look that told me I was in for a tongue lashing.
“Brayden Dolton, what the hell is the meaning of this?”
Beth was our mother while we lived here at school. She ran the house and made sure we had everything we needed. She was also the one person in charge of training the new generation of Elementi Warriors.
“Like I said, we found Synergy and she is in danger. We need to protect her before the demons get to her,” I said cutting to the chase, knowing I couldn’t bullshit Beth.
“How could you possibly know about her?” Beth asked letting out a breath.
“YOU KNEW?” Micah snapped, catching us all off guard.
Micah was one of the loudest to mock Synergy's existence, so for him to be upset about it was something I didn’t see coming. I figured he would have been happy if we never found Synergy and were able to let this task die out.
“I’ll explain when the others get here,” Beth said as she walked over to the couch and took a seat.
I gripped Micah’s shoulder and then walked over to take a seat and wait for the other two. Jay was already in one of the leather armchairs with what looked like files in his lap. He must have been working on something for his dad. We didn’t have to wait long for Parker and Hudson to join us. I knew they were somewhere in the house since we all walked back together after hanging out with Lailah.
“How should we start this?” Beth asked looking at me.
“Did you know that Synergy was human, female, and here, attending school?” I demanded.
Beth nodded her head, looking at all of us before she spoke. “Yes, we found her and brought her to the school on a scholarship.”
“Brayden, what are you guys talking about?” Hudson inquired.
“It would seem that the reason for the rise in demon activity is because Synergy is here at the school trickling elemental energy all over the place,” I explained.
“Talk about dropping a bomb! Hell Beth, why didn’t you say anything?” Parker said running his hands through his hair.
“She has no idea who or what she is. I wanted her here so we could keep her safe and give her a chance to learn about us. I purposely helped make sure that many of her teachers were Elementi and could direct her to finding out about us on her own before we brought her into the fold,” Beth said laying it all out for us.
“Who is it?” Jay demanded.
“Lailah,” I answered.
The room went into chaos at that final piece of the puzzle.
“What the actual fuck, Beth!”
“How could you leave her to fend for herself like that?”
“How long till you were going to tell us?”
“What the hell are we going to do now?”
“ENOUGH,” Beth commanded, silencing everyone. “Keep in mind that she was raised in the states with a normal family and she has no idea that this is even a possibility for her. You were all told about the idea of being an Elementi Warrior from birth. Imagine the shock she would face if we just pulled her in cold turkey.”
“She knows more than you give her credit for,” I said, thinking back on our conversation.
“Phillips has been keeping me apprised of her interest and what she has figured out. I also have Cami as her personal guardian, who is also letting me know her findings,” Beth informed us.
“That’s how you got Cami to come back,” Parker said connecting the dots.
Beth nodded, “I needed the best guardian for her, and Cami is one of our elites.”
“At the rate her power is building, she is going to crack sooner rather than later. How are you going to deal with her coming into her powers now that she is around all of us?” Hudson asked.
“I knew keeping you all away from her wasn’t going to work, but I had to try,” Beth said rubbing the back of her neck.
“That’s why you kept it from us.” Micah stated.
“Yes, the more she is around you, the faster her power will awaken. It’s also causing the demons to come in greater numbers because they can taste her power,” Beth looked at all of us before she continued. “The only way to contain her powers is for her to bond with the group.”
“So, this is what it’s come to,” Micah said bitterly. “I have to give over control of my powers to a directionally challenged, doe eyed, country bumpkin.”
“Shut the hell up, Micah you don’t even know her,” Parker growled.
Micah smirked at him. “Well it seems like you have already become the perfect pet without even getting the benefits.”
Parker jumped to his feet and charged at Micah. I met Jay’s gaze and gave him a nod right before a gust of wind shoved Parker to the other side of the room, pinned to the wall.
“Don’t think you’re safe with your fancy trick, Jay. I would be careful when you fall asleep tonight. No telling who might take control of your body,” Parker taunted.
“Parker Jones, do not make me put you in a void room tonight because, so help me God, I will do it,” Beth barked.
At this threat, he sagged against the wall surrendering, and Jay released his hold. I dropped my head into my hands. Now we had all the information, but we were no better off in understanding how to handle the fact that Synergy was found and had already worked her way into our lives.
“I’m sure it may come as a surprise to you all, but I do have a plan in the works,” Beth said once everyone had calmed back down. “I have been in charge of making sure you all get trained and prepared for the battles to come since you all came into your powers. I know how to handle Lailah.”
“It’s not that we don’t have faith in your abilities, Beth. Lord knows you have been through it with all of us,” Hudson said rubbing his chin thinking. “Synergy is an unknown. We all know what each of the Five is capable of, but we know so little about Synergy. If she is to be the axis that we all pivot from, we need to be around her. That portal attempt almost worked; we need to keep her safe until you decide to bring her here to ‘the Manor’.”
“I agree with Hudson, Lailah is a walking accident,” Parker said. “I think we need to be around her more. If the demons are getting worse then we need to be ready for something bigger to happen.”
I looked around the room wondering if anyone else was aware that this was the first time that we were working toward a common goal. Typically after an outburst like Parker’s, Micah would have stormed off not to be seen for the rest of the night. Now here we all were, trying to hold it together to make sure Lailah was safe.
Beth seemed to contemplate this suggestion a moment before she answered, “How do we do this without making it seem strange? I’ve already had to back Cami off, so she doesn’t think it’s suspicious that her best friend never leaves her alone.”
“I’ll get her to run with me in the morning,” Jay said. The room froze in shock.
Beth coughed surreptitiously before nodding her head. “That would kill two birds with one stone. It will help to burn off some of her energy and not have her sitting in one location for too long.”
“I am already meeting up with her Tuesday and Thursday for tutoring and lab work,” Hudson said.
“I can be around whenever you need me to be, she is used to me popping up at random points,” Parker said with a grin directed at me.
“Coordinating with Cami, I’m sure all of us can be around when she feels like she can’t,” I said, not willing to fall for Parker’s bait.
Then we all turned to Micah, waiting to see what he had to offer.
“Fuck, I’ll look after her, but that doesn’t mean I have to hang out with her. I can be around if she needs help. I will intervene, but I’m not a damn babysitter,” Micah grumbled.
“We can work with that,” Beth said standing up. “I had hoped to give her time to adjust to being in another country and at school before we dropped this all on her. Best laid plans and all. Goodnight boys, let me know if you need me for anything.”
Chapter 17 Lailah
“Lala, we have to strike back!” Cami said, slamming her fist on the cafeteria table.
“How would you suggest we do that? Look, it’s not that big of a deal. So I got a little wet, but it really was a fun night, even if the others ended up joining us,” I said smiling at Cami’s protective streak.
“Nope, we can’t let this slide. Those bitches set the sprinklers off on purpose. How much more are you going to take from them?” Cami badgered.
When Cami found me at our normal spot for lunch, she had been fuming about how some of the girls were telling everyone what happened last night. Apparently, it was another one of their plots to disrupt me hanging out with ‘The Manor’ boys. I smirked at the fact that I’d been not only hanging out with one, but the top three most wanted of the bunch.
“This is how I see it. I’ve already won, they choose to hang out with me and want to be my friend. I didn’t have to do anything to get them to like me, except get lost and suck at Organic Chem. You can’t change someone’s mind when making genuine friendships,” I pointed out.
Cami paused and looked at me for a moment like I had just told her I was going to be president. “Look at this, one group date down and my little Lala is ready to take over the world. Maybe we need to get you more of those dirty books you like about having all those boyfriends.”
“Shut up! You promised not to say anything after you found it in my room. I know I had it hidden under my pillow, but I’m not going to ask what you were doing snooping,” I grumbled narrowing my eyes at Cami.
She laughed so hard I was afraid she was going to fall out of her chair. “Oh man, if that is your pissed off face, we are going to need to work on that. It’s like a bunny trying to bare it’s teeth. It just doesn’t work.”
I picked up my crumpled napkin and chucked it at her hitting her right in the nose.
“Nice shot,” Parker said, sliding in to sit next to me.
Turning to him I beamed, “Thanks.”
“Knock it off you two. The last thing I need is for you to gang up on me together,” Cami pouted.
“Stop making such a good target, Cami, and we won’t,” Parker pointed out.
“You’re one to talk. I heard you let Micah get under your skin last night,” Cami said with a smirk.
“What happened with Micah?” I asked, I knew that they didn’t like each other one bit.
Parker shot Cami a glare before he turned his attention back to me. “Nothing really, all he needs to do is open his mouth and we have a problem. He is just an ass and all he cares about is himself.”
