The Eccentric

18

Before anyone can register what had just happened, I pass Emmie to Tate who throws her over his shoulders as if she weighs nothing. He gives me a tight grin and a thumbs up and we break out into a run toward the woodlands hoping the thick vegetation will provide a decent cover for the rest of the group. As I sprint past the first tree line, I listen to the sounds of gun fire and fighting in the distance and pray those who are still behind find a way out. I crane my neck to get a better look at the hundreds who run out of the compound in multiple different directions, some toward the roads while others run through paddocks. Most attempt to escape behind the tree line but a few stragglers stay behind to fight those of the soldiers that haven't followed us into the forest. Tate and I slow down the pace to allow our small group of misfits to catch up but in doing so we miss the smallest of movements in the distance, movements that turn out to be exactly what we are trying to avoid. Two guards jump out from behind a tree and order us to stop and before we can react one of the guards whips out his gun adding to our already growing fears. Whether they had been positioned there the whole time or had passed us earlier we will never know but what we do know is we need to overtake them if we want to get any further. We didn't come this far to be blocked by two presumably hopeless guards.

I stop dead in my tracks and throw my hands above my head in false surrender before the others even realise what has happened. With Emmie still unconscious on his shoulders, Tate manages to get one hand in the air while Sydney and Eddie stand frozen a few meters back with Aunt Trish who continues to look utterly confused at the whole situation.

"We're not looking for any trouble," starts Tate but a glare from the guard shuts him down before he gets a chance to show his clever negotiation skills.

"Don't care, you're coming with us," states the second guard as he swings his rifle over his shoulder casually but the other guard doesn't budge. He stands with his gun still positioned at the six of us as the two of them exchange a look and a few hurried comments, much too quiet for me to interoperate. They then turn their full attention to the closest Eccentric which just happens to be me.

The first guard takes a step toward me and grabs my wrist, reading the tattooed coding on my arm but it doesn't take long for him to realise what the numbers mean.

"Holy shit," he mumbles under his breath when the realisation hits. "She's the ten," he exclaims and throws me to the ground without a second thought. He then begins to reach for the hand cuffs clipped to his waist, right next to his hand gun when he is stopped by a shout.

"Get of her!" Tate roars and practically drops Emmie to the ground as he makes his way toward us with both fists surrounded by angry flames.

"Tate stop!" I shout but it's too late. The second guard whips out his rifle and lets one shot loose before Sydney sends him flying back under a huge gust of the wind. He flies over the tree tops landing in what I can assume are the paddocks on the other side. The guard on top of me jumps of at the first sight of eccentric powers and reaches for his rifle but before he gets a hand on it, Eddie rips it out of his hand and smashes the butt of the gun into his forehead. The guard falls to the ground in a heap, losing both the cuffs and hand gun in the process yet the blow wasn't enough to completely knock him out. The hit doesn't stop him from reaching for the weapons again but before he gets the chance Sydney blows the mans in the opposite direction as the last guard then reaches for the pistol that lays unused in the grass.

I push myself up from my position on the floor and turn around to face Tate who hasn't moved since the first gunshot went off.

"Tate, you good?" I ask casually before noticing the small amount blood seeping through the arm of his uniform and the pained look that plays on his face.

"Tate?" I exclaim and run toward him as he slides to the base of the tree he had been leaning on in exhaustion.

"I'm fine," he mumbles, trying his best to cover the wound with his hand.

"No you're not, let me see," I whisper and pull his hand away to reveal the gunshot wound in his upper arm. This is not good. I think outload, forgetting Tate is able to hear certain thoughts.

"You think?" Tate says, rolling his eyes. "Is there anything you could do?" He asks, hinting at my completely hopeless healing powers. If I struggled to heal my own Auntie during the tests, then I doubt I will do much good now but I guess I could try. Tate notices my hesitation and groans from both the pain and frustration.

"Fine, I will try. Stay still ok?" I say and grab his arm that has begun to bleed more heavily now. He hisses at my touch but bites his tongue knowing I will be needing full concentration. I close my eyes and take a deep breath then slowly place my hand over the wound. I imagine the wound healing over as I had many weeks ago in the observation room but this time the powers come easily. The healing powers overtake my Sage abilities with little struggle and kick in as easy as any other power had. Slowly but steadily the skin around the hole begins to grow and completely covers over wound yet something doesn't feel right. I look down at now clear skin and notice a small, hard lump under the skin that had healed over.

"What the-" I start but am interrupted by a small hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Emmie staring down at Tate's arm in puzzlement. She then bends down and places her hand a few centimetres above the bump and flicks her fingers up brining a small piece of metal from under his skin with it. The bullet. How did I forget about the bullet? Blood pours out of the new wound but this time there is nothing under his skin when I attempt to heal his arm.

"Thank you. Both of you," Tate mumbles as I finish healing the fresh wound until there is nothing but a small scar left.

I smile back at Tate and help him up as Emmie gleams beside me, clearly proud of her effects.

"Had a nice nap?" I joke and receive a mock scowl from Emmie. Then I think back to her little scene before. What she did back there, was not right but I know it wasn't her fault.

"We can't let that happen again, can we?" I whisper to Emmie as the group begins to scheme behind us.

"Let what happen?" Asks Emmie in fake innocence and I sigh in annoyance. "I don't know, sometimes I can't control them, sometimes the urges take over..." She trails off as she stares off into the distance.

"We can't let your powers get the best of you, can't let them control you like that." I start, "We just need to learn how to control our emotions to start with," Emmie nods and contemplates arguing but decides to keep her mouth shut, for now.

"Come on," I say grabbing her hand then turn to the others, "We've got a lot of walking ahead of us."

Hey dudes,

I am so, so sorry I haven't uploaded in ages! I have actually gone back and re-edited all of the last 18 chapters to fix the plot holes and other errors. It is completely fine if you want to continue reading on from here but I do recommend going back if you have the time as the story not only reads better but will make more sense in the long run. The schedule will go back to normal now and will upload weekly.

Thanks again for all the support, love you guys xx