18 Chapter 18

What happened at the four seasons tree was the least of Clara's problems right now. She had finals coming up and the classes she had outside of her ability training were extremely hard. She wouldn't pass without some help, the only one she maybe had was history. Everything else was so unlike what she learned like bottling a storm?! It was just crazy.. she really didn't want to ask anyone for more help though, they've all been going out of their way to help her and they've got their own exams.

She'd just have to learn on her own. She only knew that one of the exams required her to bottle some sort of element or something along the lines of a storm, otherwise she had no idea.

She went to school the next day without actually thinking about it the day before and the scratch on her arm that appeared over the night. It was from her shoulder to the middle of the upper arm but it wasn't deep, just kinds there.

"Hey Emmett!" she smiled as she saw him and walked over.

"Hey, sorry for leaving you with Councilman Brento but we must listen to them," he gave me a smile too.

"No worries. Everything was fine and it was just a chat. He saw us looking at the tree and actually told me about it growing to become how large it was," she wasn't exactly lying but she wasn't telling the truth either.

"Where'd you get that scratch?" Emmett pointed to her outer arm, just out of her site so she couldn't see it.

"I don't really know," she went to heal it but it wouldn't heal.

"You gonna heal it?" he said after a silent pause.

"Um well... I can't but that's fine, shouldn't heal little cuts anyways. It's pointless to use up the power."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Exactly what I said.. I can't heal it but that's alright. It'll heal naturally whatever."

"Not whatever. Let's get Elijah to look at it before you can decide it's nothing," he was determined and really wanted Clara to go.

"No it's fine. Elijah will say the same thing, I know when something is wrong. It doesn't even hurt so it's fine," she gave him a confident smile that seemed to wipe away whatever fear he had. Brento didn't want Clara to talk about anything that happened since it could raise some weird questions.

"Fine but if it gets any worse then I'm gonna have Sachell drag you down there for me," he was serious about it but honestly he wouldn't truly know if it had gotten worse.

"Don't bring me into it Emmett," Sachell said from behind Clara which got her laughing. Clara had gotten used to the whispers and the stares that people gave with Sachell or Galor being around that it no longer bothered her. Actually she enjoyed them being there now after the attack, even if Sachell couldn't help Clara.

"She likes me better anyways Emmett so she wouldn't force that," Clara laughed and Emmett just smiled.

"Not wrong," Sachell added but pulled Clara back. "You need to get that checked after school okay? It is probably from those guys doing something," Sachell whispered into her ear so only she could hear.

"I don't know how I would have gotten hit by anything. I was in the box the entire time and nothing can get through really. I don't think I'll keep it up like that again though, it doesn't let me realize how much I can actually do" Clara whispered back before she stepped back beside Emmett.

"So excited for telepath lessons," Emmett know the answer to that honestly.

"Always. Maybe I'll scare you while you are in empath lessons. That's always fun," Clara joked and he elbowed her lightly.

They parted after that and Clara headed to her telepath lessons. "Hey professor," she said as she walked in.

"Hey Clara. Today I wanted to work more on your in depth tracking like going far enough to see what they see in that moment okay?"

"Sounds alright. Who do I get to scare today?" Clara laughed and so did the Professor. She was very nice and actually really good.

"Well who do you want to scare?"

"Maddox definitely," Clara was excited. "I haven't really gotten to scare him.. he always seems to know when I'm tracking him."

"Yeah it does seem that way huh? Well we will give it a try," she laughed a little and sat down next to Clara.

Clara went and tracked Maddox for a second but had trouble doing it. "I can't find him for tracking.. some things not right," Clara tried harder though.

"Oh yeah that's not right. Galor is at your home today and I'm sure he wouldn't let anything happen," the professor tried to ease Clara. Even she thought it was bad which Clara could tell.

"I'll try Katryn. Maybe she knows where he is or something. If he's not at home, well I don't really know I guess," Clara trailed off and closed her eyes searching for Katryn, easily finding her. As the time went on Clara found those she used for learning telepathic faster and faster.

"Katryn is Maddox home today?" Clara asked and accidentally gave her a fright. She didn't want to do that but Clara also didn't want to wait.

"No he's out on council work today. Why?" Katryn answered rather calm and easy. It didn't sound like anything had happened.

"Oh I was just wondering so I knew if I could track him or not. If he's on some council work I should track him. Thank you!" Clara spoke a little fast and before Katryn could say okay or bye, Clara cut the connection. "He's not at home, he's on some work for the council today but obviously she wouldn't know where."

"Well he should be fine, the council typically sends two people just in case. They never suspect anything to happen though honestly Clara. Just relax and use someone else for today okay?"

"I don't know.. I don't like that I couldn't even hear him and it worries me. I've tracked him so many times, I can find him so easy but there was absolutely nothing."

"Maybe he is out of range today? You never truly know," the professor said that so casually but Clara could reach around the world, she just had.

"But I can reach around the world. My home isn't anywhere nearby it's all the way on the other side of the world so there really isn't anywhere out of reach," Clara wasn't offended by the statement but she did know how powerful her telepath was.

"Oh I'm sure he's fine Clara," she was pushing it aside which angered Clara.

"I am gonna try again," and so she did except this time she heard Maddox's voice faintly. It was weak, raspy and thick. "Found him, well his voice. It is so weak no wonder I couldn't hear it."

"You found it?" the professor automatically jumped in without questioning it. "I don't hear anything Clara," the professor said after a moment.

"Go deeper, you'll hear it." but in the end the professor couldn't go deeper. She was as far as she could go. "He's there professor, I can hear him."

"I believe you. Try talking to him and I'll give a mental boost to you," so she did but hers was a lot stronger than Avery's.

"Maddox!" Clara yelled through the empty space that was there. She felt her professor flinch, she must have been listening in to see what Clara was doing. "Maddox please I know I heard you!" and then a light appeared, a little ball and with it Maddox's voice. Clara's never seen anything like that when transmitting, it was just a small little light. "Are you seeing this?" Clara wasn't talking out loud

"Yeah. I am just as confused Clara," and the professor was. Clara could tell in her voice and also that she was worried what it could mean.

"It looks like what I find when someone's mind is broken," Clara let the thought float in her mind. "That can't be good. I am gonna see though... Maddox! over here. I am worried about you, I couldn't track you. I know you wouldn't mind if I did for school but now I'm worried. "

Suddenly the light brightened and Maddox was there, like a figure in Clara's mind. "Clara it isn't safe around me. You need to pull back before they pick up on your presents," he was scared. His voice quivered as he spoke and that worried Clara more.

"Who's they Maddox? Where are you?" Clara pressed. "If you shut me out I'll keep coming back until I find you. Something is wrong I know it."

"Clara, I don't matter right now. They are trying to get to you so you need to leave now. I don't know how long it'll go unnoticed. I shut my mind down and this is how I am. I'll be fine please just leave," his voice broke with worry and that hurt Clara.

"I'll come back okay? I'll have Annabeth boost me and I'll track you on this. I'm gonna help you okay?"

"Don't come here Clara! Just don't return home and stay at the school, you'll be safest there." Maddox started to fade but Clara pulled on him

"I am going to get you even if you tell me not to.'

"Clara they have a way to disable your abilities. You can't help me. I don't know if anyone can.." and his bright light faded away leaving Clara in an empty darkness.

When she pulled out she stood up immediately and called Brento, not saying a word to the professor. "Brento! It's Maddox, someone kidnapped him because of me. I was gonna track him and when I couldn't find him I went harder than usual. He was quieting his mind entirely which is why it was so far. He said they have a way to disable my abilities though," Clara rushed out before he could even say anything.

"Okay Clara let's meet at your home and we will figure it out," Brento said calmly but there was a panic look on his face.

"No going home. He said to stay at the school so I'm gonna have Galor bring Katryn here too. We should all be here to stay safe," Clara saw Brento nod.

Clara nor Brento hung up as Clara made a mental link to Galor. "Galor, you need to bring Katryn to the school immediately. Grab something and ask her to come with you to bring it. I will explain everything once you are here," Clara said briefly and got a grunt noise as an okay. She look would have laughed if she wasn't so worried. "Brento I'm gonna get Philip here and we'll be ready once you are here."

"Alright Clara. Don't worry about your father, he will be home in no time and this threat will be handled." Brento had a serious voice as he hung up.

Another mental link to Philip now. "Philip can you come over to the 3rd level wing. The professor wants me to learn how to work with other people and I've worked with Avery a lot already."

"Yeah sure I'll be right over, " was the quick reply and the mental link gone.

"I know this is a bad time to ask but how do you have the ability to call Councilman Brento and then also just call him Brento? Honestly didn't know he let anyone do that," the professor asked kinda quietly.

"Because he relates to me. We are the only inflictors after all," Clara was speaking like it was nothing but this professor didn't know all of Clara's abilities.

"You are an inflictor?"

"A telepath, inflictor, healer, and another ability. I'm freaky I know," Clara blurted and then Philip walked in.

"So what training are we going?" he asked causally.

"That was a lie Philip... it's Maddox, I was gonna work on tracking some, make it better and quicker but I couldn't find him. When I checked with Katryn she said he was out on council errands. I knew something was wrong so I searched again and found a nook, like he'd shut himself in. He was there and he told me that someone had taken him to get to me and that it was dangerous, to not leave the school and to not try and reach him again because they could sense me and they can disable my power." She rushed it and once Clara was done, she watched as Philip's face dropped.

"He thought this would happen. For years he worked with the people who have telepath to shut his mind down and make sure no one can read it... it was to protect you," Philip can a hand threw his head and a tear fell down his face. "If they found out how to disable your powers, you aren't going anywhere near them okay? Who knows what they want."

"Maddox would. He is still there just not like he knows what's going on around him. It was weird but I couldn't get any closer, he came like a light. It was nothing I've seen so honestly I didn't understand it," Clara sat down and bounced her leg. She didn't cry because she was so used to hiding everything.

"Well you gotta reach him again then!" Philip clearly didn't listen to anything.

"He probably won't let me Philip. He's trying to protect me which means not letting me help. Look Katryn and Brento will be here soon and will figure something out," Clara slumped back into the chair and stared at the ceiling.