The whole campus was whispering about us as word got out about the incident in the arena. Gossip about Mr. Andrews putting us in danger, about us bringing danger to the school, even about what Shane and I got up to when we weren't in class. At the end of the day, I was extremely lucky to be safe and have Shane by my side.
The Café was particularly busy and Catherine was just getting off of her shift when Shane and I sat down at one of the patio tables. Shane was in a good moof, almost certainly still riding off the adrenaline from yesterday's fight. He was giddy even after I stepped out of him and we were brought to administartion. In a rush, his parents were contacted and mine couldn't care less. This whole thing must have felt like an adventure to him.
"They're sending us to something called The Retreat." I said, trying not to make eyes contact with her.
"You're leaving? Why? They can't make you can they?" She was pretty upset. She was one of the only people I had been able to confide in and this hurt me just as much as I could see on her face that it was hurting her.
"Our lives are in danger. They can't make us, no, but they have advised us to go or else they can't control what happens to Grayson." Shane was defending me pretty hard.
"Once this is all over we'll be right back here taking our normal classes, I'm sure." I tried to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, but in reality I had no sense of what might happen after we left.
"Do you see that?" Shane's spirited demeanor drained from his face as he was staring over my shoulder. Both Catherine and I looked in the direction his eyes were looking and standing in the parking lot was Mr. Black and looming behind him was the bubblegum monster.
"I don't see anything." Catherine squinted as the sun started creeping over the awning.
"We have to go." I gave Catherine a tight hug and Shane did the same before we were running away from the intimidating presence of my nightmares. Mr. Andrews met us behind the school, a black SUV quietly humming as someone loaded our bags into the back.
"I will not be going with you. Unfortunately, Mr. Black was able to get to you because of me and I can't continue to put you in danger. You two are something special and don't let anything change that." He turned away from us, his head down. We both climbed into the car, the driver silent as he drove away. Shane's hand tightly wrapped around mine as we drove much longer than I was expecting. The tarmac we pulled onto had one airplane on it that looked like a giant toy. The paint was a brilliant red and a swirl of white wrapped around the tail. Our bags were loaded for us and we buckled in. Out the window, much farther down the line was Mr. Black and Jerry, waiting for us a the plane took off. They passed below us and we left them in the distance as the flying metal toy reached altitude.
We landed in a simple airport, landing with a bump that made Shane squeeze my hand tighter. My fingers almost slipped inside his. We climbed down the stairs and noticed someone approaching us spinning a set of keys around his finger.
"Hello, you two. I'm Jason." He shook our hands and we followed him through the building connected to the parking area. "I'll be taking you to the retreat, which isn't really a retreat. It's more of a secret hideout for people like us. You'll have noticed on your way in that your on an island, so that's the only way off." He pointed back at the airplane. We all piled into the cart, our bags stuffed in the back. It took us a few minutes and quite a few bumps to get to the cabins that were all lined up like it was some kind of summer camp.
"Where are we?" Shane asked, scanning the cabins and eventually the forest behind them.
"Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Anyways, as I said, I'm Jason and I am the student representative from this wonderful island prison." He opened the door to the cabin. There were quite a few people out in front of the other cabins, cluttered around the picnic tables or doing yoga together in the shade of a tree in the center of the clearing. Ours was practically empty except for one bed. The bunk itself had lights intertwined in the wooden panels and blinked on as Jason walked in. A single branch snaked across the ceiling, wrapping around the light in the center and ended just above the bathroom door.
"Is everyone here a connection?" I asked, looking at the people practicing their merge next to one of the cabins. There was a couple that struggled, getting caught half way in before he started grunting loudly and then got tossed out of his back.
"Unfortunately, no. Some of us are severed bonds. Myself being one of them." Jason turned around, slightly embarrassed. He led us towards a path leading through the trees and we could make out a mansion on the other side in the middle of a clearing. The mansion the Dean lived and worked in. "I'll be seeing you around, I'm sure." He looked me over with a smile. Shane was too caught up looking around to have noticed the flirtatious smirk and even missed Jason turning back to check me out as he left us on the steps of the mansion.
"Welcome boys!" The Dean appeared at the top of the front steps in a well tailored suit. The lapel had a beautiful purple flower pinned to the corner and it smelled like cotton candy mixed with popcorn. Her secretary followed closely behind her with a tablet. "I'm Dean Kelley and we are happy you were able to join us." She shook our hands and as I vibrated from her firm hands levering my hand I noticed a chipped tooth and a small cut above her eyebrow.
"Thank you," I collected myself, adjusting my shirt, "we're happy to be here."
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened at Coalesce. This island is, hopefully, the hidden gem you need to grow your powers and remain safe. These flowers are all over the coast and act as a sort of barrier to keep us hidden." She tapped the circus scented flower.
"It's beautiful." Shane piped up, almost startling me. I felt like I had been whisked away and was no longer in the real world. Shane must have felt the same. We walked through the mansion, looking at the Victorian architecture as she spoke. Vines filled the walls and wrapped around the frames showing connections, some of them I recognized from the museum.
"You will be getting what I believe to be a superior education to even the likes of Coalesce Prep. Your core curriculum will be the same, but we will be increasing the physical and mental training to ensure you can defend yourself from Mr. Black." She looked at both of us with a cold stare. "You must tell us if you see him. As far as we know he lives only in your minds and that makes him an either bigger threat." I flashed back to the searing pain I felt when he slashed my shoulder. Mr. Andrews was able to see him and now he was haunting us. A nightmare only visible to those he infects.
"Of course." I nodded, trying to break the tension.
"Great! The rest of your day is getting settled in. Your luggage should already be in your cabin. You have a big first day tomorrow so get some rest and you will meet more of your peers at dinner!" She left us where we started and Shane and I looked at each other like a couple of cartoon characters who had just been spun around a million times.
When we made it back to the bunk, we walked in on Jason changing. I caught a glimps of his abs as he slid his shirt down over him. Of course he caught me staring.
"You guys get to share that bunk and this one is mine." He pointed to the top bunk that had all of the lights in the them. On the wall behind it were some drawings and posters of things I was too overwhelmed to recognize. "Unless you want to be my bottom." He raised his eyes brows as he leaned against the post, the double entendre not lost on me.
"We'll be good here." Shane picked up his back and placed it on the bottom bunk of our double decker. I did the same, tossing my bag on the bunk above and unpacking what I could on level ground. I lined my clothes in neat piles and took them to their temporary home inside of the dresser that creaked open.
"Ready for your tour?" Jason was holding the door open, ready to show us around the island. We visited the maing buildings first, the cafeteria, the nurse's office, the training rooms, the gym, and so on until we had a fuzzy mapped out idea of the important buildings in our heads. The island felt like it was endless and sprinkled around the paths were the same purple flowers on the Dean Kelley's lapel. "I'm sure you know what these do." Jason pointed to the purple blooms. We continued walking, following the path to an open area. The dirt path turned into a green trimmed field with white lines sprawled across it like a series of mini soccer fields. People were training as the sun shined bright above us, combat scenarios watched over by someone with a whistle.
"It's like a video game." Shane said, he wandered away and met with an instructor. He introduced himself like the charismatic charmer he was and inquired about the training.
"So, are you two like a thing?" Jason waited until Shane was out of earshot before asking me the question with his hands in his pockets and his face flushed red.
"Sorry?" I responded.
"Not all connections have to be a couple. I was just asking. Trying to get to know you." Jason smirked. He looked so smug it made my face hot.
"I thought you were giving us a tour instead of interrogating me about my romantic life." I tilted my head and managed to get an amused chuckle from him before we walked around the mini arenas.
"You still didn't answer the question." He said.
"And I don't have to." I didn't know him and I could only assume what his intentions were, but I had never had this much attention.
"Alright." He raised his hands and returned to his tour. "This is where you and Shane will start tomorrow. I look forward to seeing what you can do." Shane caught up with us and we had found ourselves back at the cabin. Dean Kelley stood under the long branch running across the ceiling and waved her hands around. It undulated and grew, spreading out across the wooden beams and sprouting the purple flowers until the room suddenly smelled like a fair ground.
"Ah! I hope Jason has been treating you well!" She turned towards us and her secretary popped out from behind her with a couple pieces of paper. "This will be your schedule, please don't be late." She was looking at the two of us with kind eyes, almost admiring us. "I think you boys should be proud that you found each other. Your parents would be proud." I felt a lump in my throat thinking about my parents, swallowing it to keep from choking up. I noticed Jason's demeanor had changed, the façade of a perfect student hiding the lustful one underneath.
"Why do these flowers smell like this?" Shane asked.
"They are my own creation. It smells different to everyone. To one it's a fresh summer day and to another it's the smell of a fresh rain. It's your happiest memory." She looked in my direction and I looked down.
"We should be getting to dinner." Jason smiled and the four of us walked to the cafeteria.
Dean Kelley went off to dine with her peers while we were left to mingle with the other students on the island. Some of them eating while haugtily debating about the idea of someone having multiple connections. Jason's ears perked up. He left us to join the discussion and we both stood in line for food.
"What do you think of this place? It's incredible right?" Shane picked out a healthy assortment of food, sliding them onto a tray. I followed suit despite not being particularly hungry. The events of the day made my stomach shrink.
"It's pretty incredible." I looked across the room and noticed Jason had moved on to a different group of people, grabbing a guitar and playing it. He was joking around as he strummed, and laughter erupted around him as our eyes met.
Jason smirked, continuing to play. Shane and I sat down at an empty table and I nibbled at my food while Shane inhaled his. Oddly, I felt at home. The food, of what I ate, as delicious and the ambiance felt so un-hostile that I felt like I was dreaming.
"I think I'm going to call it a night." Shane finished off the last of his drink and pulled me into a kiss as we both discarded our trays. His only having crumbs and mine still full. I felt so wasteful.
"I saw that." Jason appeared out of thin air like some horror movie monster.
"Saw what? All we did was kiss." I shrugged, pushing the tray onto a shelf to be taken away and decontaminated.
"Oh, nothing. You just look like someone else is on your mind." He followed me out of the building and continued in silence as I walked along a trail into the trees. The path was well lit with hidden light sources, illuminating the path with aura that made it seem like the pebbles were floating. I could hear him crunching behind me and when I spun around to confront him I felt him grab my waist and pull me into a kiss.
"What the - " I pulled away, wiping my lips.
"You taste like chocolate." His smirk made my face flush hot and I huffed off towards the bunk that I shared with this persistent weirdo.
"I can tell you liked it." He followed, the stones still crunching behind me as I tried to escape him.
"No," I scowled, "I didn't." I felt like the victim in a slasher film, running along the path while the blood thirsty serial killer trailed behind me. The whole day felt like a bubble about to burst and it wasn't until I was staring at Shane getting ready for bed that I felt sane.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, just a lot of feelings." I pressed my hand to my chest and he came over to hug me.
"We're going to be okay." He kissed me, his lips wet and minty. I was pulled away from the door as Jason walked in and I quietly made my way to bed, completing my nightly routine before shielding myself under the blankets and finally sleeping without being haunted by a shadow.
The following morning we were up early enough to watch a bird plucking a worm from in front of our cabin. Our first day of training and I was already drooling over Shane as he trained on one of the fields. His shirtless body glistened as he threw punches, droplets of sweat falling off his his chest. He slid in the dirt and dodged a punch from one of the students, kicking back his leg to knock the aggressor on his back. I was sitting on a bench near the edge of the mini arenas, sketching and scribbling in my notebook diagrams of the possession process and writing notes in the margin. Shane grabbed a water bottle and stuffed his shirt into sweatpants before walking over to me.
"What are you working on?" Shane took a long drink of the water and even poured a little bit on himself to cool down, reminding me of the time Max had used him to seduce me, only this time I felt good about being turned on as the droplets slid over his abs. I tilted my notebook, showing him all of my notes as he joined me.
"Just figured I would take notes of the process. Might be nice to document." I shrugged, looking down at my notes when I felt his fingers pull my chin and we were kissing. He smelled so good as we made out, forgetting we were in a training session.
"Gotta get back at it. Keeping these guns in shape for you." He posed for me with his biceps flexed before returning to the combat scenario. I could hear him grunt as he punched and dodged. Occasionally he would glance over to catch me staring at him.
"How close are you two?" Jason appeared again out of thing air, his track record of being a horror movie villain getting stronger with each appearance. My papers were scattered at my feet and I picked them up as Jason took the spot where Shane kissed me.
"Why does it matter?" I sat back up and was suddenly face to face with Jason, Shane grunting in the background.
"I don't know what it is about you," Jason leaned over the back of the bench and smirked, "but I can't get you out of my head." I know I shouldn't be staring, but I caught myself looking at his pecs as he stretched his arms out, his bicep resting behind me. Was he flexing?
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I put my papers back in order.
"I'm actually escorting you two to a party this evening. Dean Kelley asked me to. So, if you think you're going to escape me, you better thing again." He leaned over and pecked me on the cheek before jumping away from me. When he was far enough away, he turned towards me and mischeviously winked. Shane hadn't noticed at all, too preoccupied with boxing a stranger. The instructor, however, looked at me with his arms crossed and a face scrunched so tightly he looked like a pug.
"Grayson, get over here." He pointed in Shane's direction and he lit up. Shane's excitedly presented his back to me, beads of sweat dripping down the musculature. I was excited too, but I felt so thrown by Jason.
"I'm ready when you are." Shane puffed out his chest and his back tightened. I traced his shoulders and then pushed in, slipping into his body with nothing more than a inhale. The instructor, impressed as he was, pointed to my opponent who was already running at me. I didn't get the chance to access any of Shane's memories and soon felt the punch that sent me to the ground.
"Oh shit. I'm so sorry! I thought - " My opponent immediately assisted me up.
"That's enough." The coach dismissed the other student and helped me up. "If you're going to fight Mr. Black, you need to be on the same page as him all the time. Is there a reason you're just doodling instead of training with your connection? He's pulling all the weight."
"I was just - "
"You were nothing. You could both die, son, and it would be your fault." He grumbled and walked away, leaving me inside of Shane. He wasn't saying anything in my head, but I could tell we were both feeling disappointed. I pulled out of him, exiting just as easily as I entered..
"Shane?" I reached out after him, but my fingers barely grazed his elbow.
"I know guys like Jason." He turned towards me so abruptly I thought I might fall over again. "I just want you to know that I love you. I am head over heels in love with you and I would risk my life to protect yours." He started walking away again.
"I love you too." It felt good saying it out loud. "Jason is just lonely. It actually infuriates me how persistent he is." I grabbed his arm and turned him towards me. "I love you." I kissed him, pushing my hand up and caressing the back of his head.
"Maverick told me about the party happening tonight. I should get cleaned up." Shane smiled at me.
"We can get ready together." I held his hand as we walked, suddenly smelling his musk.
Shane was already almost naked as the hot steam filled the bathroom in our cabin. I watched him slide his shorts off, looking back at me to make sure I could see him tense his ass. The fabric hit the ground and he stepped into the shower, the steam billowing out behind him. I quickly removed my clothes, getting caught on the sleeve and almost falling over. He was already hard when I stepped in front of the door.
"You coming?" Shane smiled, the water rushing down his body. I stepped in, sliding next to him as the water splashed on the both of his. His strong hands slid along my lower back and when I slid my hands onto his chest he kissed me. His warm lips pressed hard into mine and soon we were using our tongues. The tile felt cold on my back as he pushed me into it, fingers slipping down my side until they were walking towards my erect member. His hands gripped the tile as he licked up from my chest to my neck and then made out with me as specks of water flicked down my cheeks.
"I want you inside me." He whispered, slowing down his grinding. I pushed off wall and turned him around. He looked back at me with those beautiful eyes and pushed out his cheeks. They were so perfect is was hard not to slip my cock between those perfect globes.
"Ready?" I asked, holding my shaft as I pushed the tip of my cock head towards his hole. Shane gripped onto the shower tile as much as he could, fingers slipping and whole body tightening as the pressure on his hole grew. I gripped his waist and pushed inside, popping in as I bit my lip. I moaned as I slid inside him, feeling his hole tighten until I was merging with his waist. I pushed my heads up and into his back, my hands slipping down his arms like gloves. My heart beat in my chest as I pressed it against him, skipping a beat as I disappearing into his back with a deep breath that almost made me erupt inside of Shane. I spun around on the wall, my cock bouncing as I started pumping our merged cocks. His skin tingled as I reached up and caressed his muscular chest and I was trying hard to resist the urge to climax, but Shane pushed inside my head, mentally thrusting as I felt my cock erupt a load for two. The hot water washed away the streams of white and it was like he was panting inside my head.
"Holy shit." I was panting too, catching my breath as I looked over the expanse of Shane's body, flexing his hard work. I finished off the shower inside of him, enjoying how he felt.
I toweled off and slipped on an outfit I thought Shane might enjoy, looking in the mirror and saying, "You always look so good." Jason knocked on the door right when I opened it wearing Shane's body and he was dressed up in his own partying ensemble. His hands were in his pockets and his body language screamed how much he disliked Shane.
"He already left." I lied.
"Oh. Then I guess it's just you and me." Jason turned with an eye roll that was just barely visible. I would have missed it if I blinked.
The island itself was oddly mystical. Jason explained how most students never see all of the island with its hidden mysteries and abandoned architecture. This party we were attending was a welcoming party, but most students just wanted a reason to let loose. We arrived at a mantion situated on top of an old hill with small cemetery behind it, tombstones covered in moss and the abandoned looking Victorian home swallowed by ivy and overgrowth. The inside told a whole different story. Some walls had been knocked down to make room foor larger high octane soirees like this one. Music shook the windows as groups of island dwellers strolled up to the entrance and Jason's eyes were searching the crowd.
"I'm right here." I said inside Shane. Jason looked at me, squinting his eyes before blushing.
"I had a hunch, but," He shrugged, "I'll leave you two." He disappeared inside. I stepped out of Shane with an eye roll and he crossed his arms as I appeared next to him. We joined him inside, squeezing into the crowd with our hands locked. A DJ was set up at the top of the second story staircase, his thick headphones pressed against the side of his head as he spun. Shane joined the party, pulling me into him as we bounced our way through the people. We were pushed around the floor and I felt a rush of joy as I stared at Shane, jumping as the bass dropped. Eventually I saw Jason with a group of guys, holding a cup full of liquor as they yelled. The guy in the pig mask had his hand digging deep inside of someone else.
"I'm going to grab us some drinks." Shane interrupted my staring and Jason locked eyes with me. He bounced his pecs and then chugged his drink before watching me shake my head and disappear in the crowd. He came looking, trying to get through as the music shook the baseboards. I was about to get to Shane when I was tugged backwards into the crowd and then resurfacing in a less crowded room.
"Hey, listen to me. Can't you just give me a chance?" The room we found ourselves in was rather small and quickly cleared out when the others saw us enter. I glanced over his shirtless body and tried to ignore the smell of booze and sweat.
"I don't know what makes you think you can try and fuck up what I have with Shane. It's not going to happen. Why do you even care so much about me? We just met and you keep popping up like a stalker." I held my ground. "There is something seriously wrong with you."
"I don't have anyone." He suddenly started to cry, tears pouring out of him. "What you two have is something I will never feel. My connection was taken away from me." He stumbled back onto a coffee table and decided to use it as a seat.
"What do you mean?" I took his cup away from him, guiltily sitting down next to him.
"Mr. Black took him from me," As he slurred the music started to distort as I registered what he said, "and when he killed him I felt so empty. When you showed up something happened. All I can do is think about you. My whole physical being is drawn towards you." He stood up, tripping over an empty cup and I caught him before he could fall over, his chest heaving in front of my eyes. Then he kissed me. His tongue explored as I stood there in shock tasting the alcohol he had already consumed.
"Stop it." I pushed him away to find Shane as a witness.
"Why don't you just leave him alone?" He yelled, rushing towards Jason as he stumbled back towards the coffee table. I stepped between them, holding up a hand to Shane.
"Just let him be drunk." I looked a Jason as he leaned back, no longer looking smug as a single tear fell from his face. Shane, on the other hand, was turning red.
"Don't defend me from him. You don't even like me." Jason tossed his hands in the air and then slumped down onto the ground.
"See? He's harmless." I looked at Shane as the crowd of eavesdroppers dispersed, finding the situation boring and returning to the music.
"Come on." Shane pulled me, but I pulled back.
"We can't leave him like this. Just help me make sure he gets back." I pleaded. As much as he didn't want to he knew it was the right thing to do. I helped Jason up as he continued blabbering and I pitied him.
"You know," Jason pulled himself away from me and fell into Shane's arms, "Dean Kelley keeps saying you two are the one. The two that can be three." He gagged, covered his mouth, and then spit up a bit into a crushed red cup. He smelled terrible.
"What did he say?" Shane asked, looking at me confused and a little worried.
"I hope she's right." Jason mumbled. Shane grabbed him by the shoulders and propped him up on his body, wading through the crowd until we could feel the fresh island air on our faces. We walked in silence, the two of us now holding Jason up as we reached our cabin, tucking him in with his cryptic mumbling in our minds.
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