The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 34

- Mid June, 2045 - (Eleven months ago)

Psssst, I'm 21 now :)

Missed you all a lot. I'm also back in college now, so I'll to upload when I can. Writing this story is insane, because the more you read, the more messed up things you learn about our lovely main character, Jamie. But I'm happy you guys are reading along. Can't wait to wrap things up for you all. 

Love you. -Rae

Jamie knew that after their talk, Aniya would be on her best behavior. When he was at the facility late at night having a meeting with the rest of the team, he kept an eye on her as she led. Every now and then, she would sneak hopeful glances at him or even ask for his input.

All for his approval. All to make sure that Kunross didn't know her secret. Jamie would've laughed each time if he didn't want to reveal the new power imbalance between them to the others. He needed to keep it between them. But still, he couldn't help but remind her of it. An eyebrow lift here, a smirk there or small phrases with hidden meaning of just how incredibly useless she was to the team.

If Jamie didn't hate her so fucking much, he'd be disgusted with himself for liking the new, subtle control he now possessed.

He kept track of how often the team yawned, then gave a friendly smile before suggesting that he gave them a quick energy booster. One of his side projects was ready, and he couldn't wait to see how it worked. Justin -- still wanting his brother's attention -- jumped up and said that he'd test it.

Jamie was equally as excited.

He told Justin and the rest of the team that the juice -- his name for it -- would give them a burst of energy that would last for a few hours, but if they were to drink more of it, it would be important to limit themselves to three doses per day.

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Jamie didn't know if it was anxiety or excitement that had him checking his phone for a response. There was a small shift, which meant that Daija's second Minor ability had manifested. Since there weren't any new messages from her, he assumed that she was sleeping.

It was close to six in the morning when he had the juice all prepped into bottles, and he called Justin so he could drop off his share. "Hey," he started once the line connected. "Where can I meet you?"

"I'm at the deserted railyard just outside of downtown," Justin said.

Jamie's face scrunched up in confusion. "What are you doing there?"

"Clearing out some things I left here. Can you meet me? There's a light on in one of the train cars. You won't be able to miss it."

"Alright," he said before hanging up. He tossed on a jacket, put his shoes on and left his apartment.

He remembered walking to the railyard a lot when he was a kid. Every now and then, Justin would join, but it was mostly a spot for him to relax and tune out everything and everyone, distracting himself from the constant rushing of his brain due to his abilities and enjoying the silence.

When he arrived at the railyard, he walked a small distance towards a train car where a light was, and the closer he got, the music that was playing from inside got louder. Finally, he saw Justin, dressed in comfortable clothing and going through what was inside.

"Hey!" He greeted him with the same smile as before when he dropped off the treats. Though he was smiling, the tension in his body was visible. He was nervous.

"Morning," Jamie said coolly. "What's all this?"

"Oh, just moving some things out," he said as he continued stuffing some old trinkets into a bag. "Kind of left a whole bunch of random shit here from when I lived here."