45 Flying

Everyone in and on the truck becomes weightless as we glide through the air like gravity doesn't exist. The little monkey holds onto my hair as his wide pink eyes take in everything with shock and fear. His little body floats up as he and I both threaten to come straight off the top of the truck but I hold on!

Sweat trickles down the side of my face as I strain to use my wind power to help lessen the blow. As soon as we start to descend, I use all my strength to hold on and use the wind at the same time. The truck lands hard as I come crashing back down on the hood but it only bounces a few times before Cruz regains control and straightens the wheel.

Troy and Conner turn around to see the Ragers still watching us with disbelief as the leader starts yelling. Conner yells out and starts laughing, instantly followed by Cruz's screams of joy from the front.

I smirk in relief and lay my head down on the top, too tired to climb back down. Cruz picks up speed again and before you know it, we're sliding into the compound. Titus quickly hobbles over as Cruz and Troy quickly follow suit.

When I feel the pull of the rope tied around my waist, I lay there and let him pull me. Less work for me. When he finally pulls me down, Thane quickly looks me over in concern but when his eyes land on my cheek, they narrow in concern and anger?

Conner pats my back and says "That was awesome Valen! I had no idea you were so strong!" I give him a lopsided smile and nod my head before he quickly jumps down and runs off to the others. Thane turns to look behind us before saying "Let's go in. They shouldn't follow us in here. Fear of being shot down by the security systems located around the base but that doesn't mean they can't shoot at us."

When he looks back to me, he does a double-take on the monkey still on top of my head. He slightly smirks as he says "Looks like your furry little friend got a little scared." He helps me down and we quickly go into the base, locking the door behind us.

As I pass one of the glass walls, I do a double-take. The poor little guy was frozen! He still clings to my hair with all four paws while his eyes are three times their normal size. I lightly giggle and poke at him but he still doesn't move.

I grow slightly concerned and start trying to pull him off. He suddenly comes back to life and starts screaming! Scaring everyone in the base! I reach up and struggle to get him to let go but once I do, I cradle him to my chest and start making soothing noises.

He makes whining noises as I rock him back and forth but when he finally calms down, I pull a sucker out of my pocket and quickly unwrap it with my teeth. I stick the sucker in my mouth before putting in front of the little monkey.

He looks up at me with teary eyes before gently taking the sucker and popping it into his mouth. When I see him finally looking better, I look up to find the others all watching me with mixed reactions.

I awkwardly clear my throat and say "I'm tired... I'm going to go sit down." None of them say a word as I walk over to the commons couch and sit down. The little monkey tries to stay close to my chest so I leave him there as I lean my head back and close my eyes.

Even though I'm tired, I don't feel like I'm going to pass out or anything... that should be a good sign, right? Growth.

~~~~~~~~

Thane watches Valen's every move with sharp eyes as Titus argues with headquarters. As Titus yells about needing more time and talking about the Ragers, Thane signals the others to clear the rest of the building.

Once everyone was either too busy or gone, he looks back over to Valen's small figure. Just how many things can he control? He can't let the others back in the city know... he can't allow the others to say anything either.

If the city found out about Valen and all his abilities... they would use him as a weapon. His hand tightens on his gun as he starts thinking of what to do and how to keep him safe. He quickly glances back to Titus before walking over and cutting the audio.

Titus looks up in confusion but when he sees the look on Thane's face, he instantly knows. He nods and says "I know boy, I know." He reaches up and unmutes it, going back to his report as the others come back to announce everything's clear.

They leave once again to pick rooms and look for food as Thane moves back over to Valen. Thane steps up and places his large black boots on both sides of Valen's. Again, noticing the sheer size difference.

His ice-blue eyes lock onto the little monkey cradled to Valen's chest. He's sucking on the sucker like a baby drinking a bottle. He can't get the image of Valen soothing the little monkey out of his head... it looked... maternal.

He straddles Valen's legs as he stands over him and looks down at his sleeping face. Such long eyelashes... smooth skin and lips that... His eyes narrow at his train of thought before he starts looking at Valen's jawline.

His eyes trace down Valen's jaw until he's looking at his adam's apple... or where it should be. No... that can't be right. Suddenly, Thane starts thinking back to the very first time he met Valen. The time they showered... that's right! They showered together!

His eyes darken when he tries to recall ever seeing him naked. He can't... suddenly, his mind goes to the time he went to his house and when he met his parents. They called him 'son'. His mind races as he tries to think of something but when he remembers their behavior, he takes a small step back.

He looks back down at... Valen? Before walking back to the truck and pulling out his bag. He unzips the bag and reaches into his secret pocket before pulling out a crumpled picture that had been folded.

He unfolds the picture and looks down at the two smiling girls with disbelief. It can't be... He lifts a hand up to his mouth in silent shock but when he hears footsteps, he quickly folds the picture up and slips it into his vest.