When Lightning Ignites [COMPLETED]

Chapter 20: Dream or Nightmare

"Julie, don't freak out, but I'm here," a voice whispered into her ear. She shivered.

Julie jolted out of her sleep, her eyes wide open in the pitch dark. A warm hand touched her face, and her whole body relaxed as warmth from the slight touch spread over her. The scream that had been working its way up her throat turned to a sigh.

The hand was replaced by lips a second later, and Julie wrapped automatically around Rory's neck. Any other thoughts than kissing him went away for several minutes. Nothing else mattered. Dimly, in the back of her head, a voice screamed at her that this was not what she wanted. But, it had been weeks, and she was like a starving person eating a first bite of food after weeks of famine. Except it wasn't just food—it was all her favorite food in one bite.

Something shifted in the bed next to them. Kara. She was making out with Rory in the bed next to Kara. She went cold and pushed him off.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, but—" he started.

"I know. I know what the connection feels like." She couldn't believe that he was here. This wasn't a dream though—a dream didn't feel this good. Julie squeezed the tears back. She didn't want to hear him apologize or hear his voice. It hurt still. She didn't like him this close. She alternately wanted to hit him and wanted him to pull her back in for a kiss.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. What if they had microphones or something?

"Rescuing you. Did you think I wouldn't be able to find you?"

"But how?" She was glad he couldn't see her face. Was he a part of this? Or did he have some kind of scary, stalker, homing thing with her?

"My dad caught one of the men, and your dad read him. We had to wait to figure out how to get in here. Sorry it took so long."

"They're here too?" She let out a breath. She needed a buffer with Rory here.

Julie felt like laughing. All day her family and others had stood outside here plotting how to get her out. She pushed at him again and sat up. She knew Rory. He would take advantage if she didn't push back.

"Yeah and Luke." He admitted after a pause.

Luke. She shivered. His name was enough to make her all gooey inside. She stilled as she realized something. With Rory she had to be touching him to go all crazy, but with Luke it was just the thought of him. She shook her head. It didn't mean anything—except that she needed to stay away from Luke. She realized that he might be more dangerous to her peace of mind than Rory.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was when we walked up from the beach a few minutes later and found all of your stuff scattered everywhere?" He stood next to the bed somewhere in the dark. She wondered why he didn't set off the motion sensors.

"Are Mandy and Darcy okay?" She had been worried sick about them. What if they were taken somewhere else? Or killed?

"Yeah, they left them behind. They got a little sick from the tranqs but are perfectly fine now. They weren't the targets. Only you and Kara."

"Crap." Julie sighed. "But how did they know about Kara? How did they know where to find me? So fast?" Something felt off about all of this.

Someone may have tipped them off. But who and why? Was it the person who attacked her on the island? But how would they be connected to this agency? Why her and Kara? Surely no one from the island communicated with these people. That wouldn't make any sense.

"I don't know, Jules. But I'm going to kill them. All of them," Rory said. She believed him. Was it wrong that part of her wanted him to flatten this place?