Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Two

"Are you kidding me?" Noah's booming voice echoed across the meadow as he rushed down the path to Luke's cabin. A line of their friends followed close behind.

Luke stood on the front porch with Scarlett, his face lit up with happiness. "Hello old friend," he said, chuckling as he stepped down to meet Noah on the grass.

They embraced with a crash, smacking each other on the back loudly. Noah lifted Luke off the ground and they laughed.

"How in the hell did you survive that blast, man?" Noah stepped back, still resting his hands on Luke's shoulders.

Luke glanced back at Scarlett before answering. "My parents saved me," he replied.

The others were all arriving now, each one just as surprised to see Luke as the last.

Luke quickly made his way around, hugging them all and exchanging laughter and small talk. He was quickly introduced to the second generation of children, all standing in awe of this strange man who had been living in this world all alone.

"So?" Noah prompted, once everyone had settled down. "What happened?"

Luke looked solemnly back at Noah. "I was here, in this meadow when the blast happened. My parents came to warn me that it was coming, but it was far too late to make it back to the gates by the time they found me."

Scarlett quickly walked over and took his hand.

"Before the power cloud hit, we said our goodbyes and prepared for the worst." He shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of so many people. "I thought I would die with them," he continued, his expression pained, "but my parents had other plans, I guess. They used up all of their power to form a shield around me, long enough for the cloud to pass. When I opened my eyes, the cloud was gone and so were they." He looked down at the ground, wiping a tear from his face.

"I'm so sorry, Luke," Eden said, wiping the tears from her own eyes.

"So, you've been here alone, all these years?" Riley piped up. He shrunk back when everyone turned to look at him.

"Riley, honestly," Poppy chided, "when are you going to learn the meaning of tact?"

Luke almost laughed. "It's alright, Poppy. You can't blame him for being curious." He turned his eyes to Riley. "Yes, I've been here alone. I've kept myself busy trying to get this place back to the way it was, but it's a lot of work for one man."

Riley nodded silently. Lucy could tell there were more questions just itching to come out, but he stayed quiet under the warning gaze of his mother.

"Well, you're not alone anymore," Scarlett replied, wrapping her arms around Luke. He looked down at her with so much love that the air around them shimmered.

"How bad is it up at the city?" Noah asked.

Luke tore his gaze away from Scarlett. "The city held. The blast came from under Arlo's home, just on the outskirts of the north side, but it did enough damage to make a mess of the place."

"Right," Noah said, rubbing his hands together. "Should we go and take a look?"

Luke nodded. "It's probably best. There isn't enough room here in my little cabin for everyone, but the old castle still stands, as sturdy as ever."

"Wait, a castle?" Riley's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he quickly stepped forward, toward Luke.

Lucy and her friends all followed. "Are you serious?" Lilith asked.

Noah chuckled. "As you can see, we have a lot of young ones who are more than eager to see what this place has to offer."

Luke smiled. "Well, let's get going then."