Chapter 5

Unbeknownst to Jason, Isabell woke up during their conversation. The first thing Isabell noticed was that she was no longer on the floor but in a bed in the far corner of the room. The sound of harsh whispers drew her attention to Jason and Iris' heated argument. Isabell's curiosity got the best of her and strained to hear what they were saying.

"She's too dangerous to have around," Iris hissed.

"What do you suggest then, that we leave her," Jason whispered harshly, "With her powers awake now and those people out there, with no protection. They'll eat her like wolves."

"It's because of them that I'm arguing with you about this," Iris growled "if they find her they will come. She'll put us all in danger, and my job is to make sure YOU'RE SAFE."

"What do you expect us to do Iris," Jason hissed "Leave her to fend for herself, lock her up because that's what it seems like you're implying here."

"Who's them," Isabell wondered, but continued to listen.

"We can't let them have her, you're acting just like when Kaden first came here," Jason growled at her.

"What if she's a spy," Iris asked.

"Now you are ridiculous, she hasn't been here for a day, and you're already throwing out accusations."

"What if they got to her first and she's just playing Mrs. Innocent."

"They haven't gotten to her. When I found her, she was just as scared and confused as I was."

"There isn't something right about her."

"I've had enough of this," Isabell thought, shifting to get their attention before croaking out "Jason."

The two immediately went silent and snapped to look at her.

"Good, you're awake, how are you feeling," Jason asked.

"Like I just got hit by a truck," Isabell said, rubbing her forehead, "What happened."

"You learn quickly, I've never seen anyone change so quickly their first time," Jason observed.

"Yeah, too quickly," Iris mumbled.

Jason snapped to glare at Iris, but she didn't back down. Isabell pretended not to notice their tension and averted her eyes.

"You can say that to my aching head," Isabell groaned, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"You put too much power into your shifts," Jason said, turning back to Isabell.

"You think," Iris mumbled.

"Iris," Jason warned.

Isabell noticed the darkness in Jason's voice, and it made her shiver. Memories she had suppressed for so long, began to stir and she had to shove them down. Iris shut her mouth and looked away from Jason, finding a new interest in the vines that wrapped around her body.

"Anyway," Jason started, "We'll work on that later, for now, you should go home and rest."

"No, I'm okay, I want to keep going," Isabell insisted.

She hopped from the bed, and immediately, the world started to shift and sway around her. The room spun into different directions, and she stumbled tripping over her own feet. Jason caught her before she could hit the ground. Groggily, Isabell tried to shake her head clear, but the dizziness remained locked in her head.

"For one, the power you put into that change was enough for to do so for four hours straight," Jason said, "Second, trust me when I tell you to do something."

Jason leaned down and picked Isabell up bridal style. Isabell felt her face heat up and tried to resist the urge to fight out of his grasp. Iris followed behind us in silence while internally not liking Isabell being so close to Jason. She was sure Isabell was up to something, she just needed proof.

Outside, it was already dark out, and Isabell could see her bike still leaning against the wall. The purchases Isabell had made earlier stored in the front basket. Jason walked past them as he made his way towards the vehicles parked in the parking lot.

"What about my things," Isabell asked.

"Iris will bring them back," Jason said, opening the door of one of the doors.

"But," Iris started, but one glare from Jason shut her up.

Jason and Iris stare each other down. Iris was the first to look away and stalked off, muttering under her breath. She touched one of the handles and disappeared in a flurry of rose petals along with Isabell's belongings.

"Your parents aren't home right now, so we don't have to worry about them for now," Jason said.

"How do you know that," Isabell asked.

"Think of it as a sixth sense that I have when it comes to dealing with angry parents," Jason said with a wink.

Isabell couldn't help the giggle that escaped from her. Jason took off his cloak and balled it up to make a pillow. He lifted Isabell's head gently and placed it under her head. It was surprisingly soft, even against the hard door frame. Jason closed the door and strolled to the other side and entered the driver's side and started up the car.

The ride was quiet, and Isabell stared out the window as they pulled out of the parking lot and watched the agency faded sight. She didn't quite know how Jason know where she lived but found she was too tired to care. She couldn't help but worry that her parents were going to lay into her for being gone for so long. Isabell could always say that she got lost. Jason pulled up to the front of her house and switched the car off. Just as Jason had said, her parents weren't there, both of the cars absent from the driveway.

"More than likely checking out their new offices," Isabell thought.

Jason stepped out of the car and walked around to her side and opened her door. When Isabell saw his approach, she sat up straighter, so she didn't fall out of the car. Gently he pulled her into his arms and carried her like a child into the house. The doors mysteriously already unlocked. Jason navigated the house smoothly and brought Isabell upstairs to her room. The items she bought from the store already waiting on the dresser and the locks on the doors. Isabell knew that if her things were her, then her bike was waiting for her in the garage in the morning. Jason pulled back the comforter and laid Isabell in her bed. Isabell was smart enough not to sit up, Jason would make her lie back down.

"Get some sleep, we have plenty of work to do when you're ready," Jason said.

"Why didn't we push through, I could have handled it," Isabell asked.

"This isn't something that I want to rush. Honestly, it's something we can't rush it could hurt you in the long run."

"How so?"

"It could distort you in ways you don't want to know."

Isabell found herself blocked by another one of Jason's cryptic messages. She couldn't help but wonder if that was his specialty. Instead of asking, Isabell nodded her head, pretending to understand. Being honest with herself, Isabell didn't want to find out what Jason warned. Jason gave a soft smile and covered her with her soft comforter before exiting the room, closing the door behind him. Isabell stared at the door before turning over onto her side. Thinking about the day she had, it made her head spin. Theis new path she decided to take would bring her to places she could never dream of seeing and meet people she could never create in her imagination. As thrilling as it was, Isabell couldn't also see the danger. There was something that Jason wasn't telling Isabell and was determined to find out what it was. Whoever these people are, if they made Jason concerned for her safety, she was worried too. All of that would be solved later, and sleep claimed Isabell's mind.

Jason and Iris sat quietly in car on their way back to headquarters. He knew Iris was mad at him, but what could he say to her? There was no way this girl could be with them. Maybe it was the lack of activity that was putting Iris on edge. It was making everyone else nervous. Through their bond, Jason could feel everything Iris felt and vise versa. It was impossible for one to have secrets unknown from the other. Jason flicked his eyes away from the road to look at Iris. She knew that he was looking at her, but Iris refused to meet his gaze. There was nothing left for her to say to him. It was Jason that broke the silence first.

"There's no way she's with them."

"How can you know for sure," Iris grumbled.

"There are screenings that we have to perform while in that world, you know that."

"But isn't there any chance she faked them."

"Iris, I know that when I go to recruit, you can't see what I do, but you can feel it. Do you remember what I was feeling?"

"You were amazed for some reason, and I couldn't figure out why."

The world was reacting to her and not in the usual ways. The trees were offering their life force to her, allowing her to feel them. The flowers were following her and wouldn't let harm come to harm. I have never seen anything like it before. It was all so...positive."

"The world reached like that? Even still, if she's not with Phoenix Corp, then they will come for her. With that kind of power, there is no telling what they could do if they win her over."

"I know you're concerned, but this girl has a pure heart. Even when there's darkness in her past, she might be the one to help us end all of this."

"Are you certain," Iris asked, finally looking at her Warrior.

"I hope so," Jason breathed, "For all of our sakes."