~22~ Click

(Nelly’s POV)

“You,” I addressed when Zac was inside for once, looking around the portraits foyer alone. He turned to face me and held a very mellow look on his face. It was as if he was looking straight through me and no one had addressed him in the first place. “What’s up with you and my roommate?”

“Mia?” he asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Mia is my sister,” I reminded. “I’m talking about Angel.”

His face changed at her name. He reluctantly looked down, playing with the glass of probably wine in his hand.

“Well what about her. She’s your roommate, apparently,” he restated. I narrowed my eyes at him as all he was doing was avoiding eye contact with me.

“What’s between you two?” I asked. “She’s talked about you before. I don’t know what about, considering I’ve only known her for about a month or so, but—”

He started walking away from me.

“Hey!” I called after him, hearing my voice echo in the area. He turned around to me as if he hadn’t done the rudest thing by bluntly walking away while I was talking to him.

“What?” he asked modestly.

“You never answered me,” I reasoned. Was he stupid or something? No. Because I was sure that Archer was the only stupid person Grace would bring because she’s known him since high school and that’s surely all the stupid she could manage.

“Well I’m not comfortable with that topic,” he shrugged and continued to walk off.

“Fine. I’ll ask Grace!” I yelled. He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at me. Was he going to finally tell me?

“Alright,” he said. Yay. “Have fun.”

UGH.

“Hey, beautiful,” a voice said by my ear and a pair of arms were wrapped around my waist. I knew it was Callaghan, but right now, I was too confused and mad about Zac’s rude replies that I pushed him away from me lightly.

“Look. I think we should just be—”

“We’re not friends,” he interrupted. “I’m not going to be friends with you—”

“Well you can’t expect to be some touchy-feeling person with me that also assumes I’ll shag you tonight after just now meeting you,” I added. He grabbed my waist and placed me against the wall.

“You didn’t let me finish,” he whispered. “I’m not going to be friends with you, but I’ll be here, patiently waiting until you accept my invitation to go on a date with me.”

“Well you haven’t asked,” I reminded, breaking his grasp.

“Will you go out with me?” he asked with a crooked smile.

“Yes,” I hissed seductively. I reached up to his ear. “But don’t expect me to shag you then, either.”

“Fine by me,” he scoffed. Should I be offended? He smirked at me once more before kissing the hand that he somehow got a hold of and then walked off. He got to the exit of the foyer before looking over his shoulder and waiting up for me with his hand held out.

“Callaghan,” someone called for him. We turned and saw Zac, who had conveniently showed up again.

“What?” Callaghan asked.

“Tell Grace that I’m just going to go and I’ll see her tomorrow for our lunch plans,” he ordered.

“Alright,” Callaghan replied before watching Zac leave through the front door.

“He’s so weird. He’s cool and all, but so, so weird,” I commented.

“Tyler? Nah,” he dismissed. Yeah right.

“If anyone in their right mind would go to lunch with Grace then they’re crazy,” I added.

“They have this weird friendship,” he informed. “They talk and hang out and sh!t. Makes the rest of us think what’s really up.”

I knew it. There was definitely something different about Zac Tyler. And to my advantage, I can just easily ask Gracie what it was.

***

“I suppose I should get going,” I said to everyone. It was now midnight, nearly.

“You sure?” Grace asked.

“Mum said you can sleep here. Brian, Lulu, and Angel are probably asleep by now. You wouldn’t want to wake them,” Mia added.

“I thought Lulu was your roommate,” Archer said, pointing to Mia.

“She is, but Angel’s her best friend and I just assume that she’s spending the night with her again,” Mia replied. “Besides, my room is downstairs. If I wake them, then it’ll be a long shot.”

“If Angel was so tired as to leave early, she probably won’t even hear you,” Streeter joked.

“Maybe,” I shrugged. I gave Callaghan one last hug. “I’ll see you all later then.”

“Of course,” Callaghan, especially, assured with a nod. He even walked me out with everyone tossing their “goodbyes” around towards me.

(Brian’s POV)

It made no sense. Why would Zac’s DNA change that fast. The fact that it changed with the Drug in the first place is shocking, let alone adapting to…I don’t know. Military life? No. His change challenged the laws of evolution.

I looked down to Lulu, who was asleep on the couch to make sure she was still asleep. I got up from the couch and turned the TV off, but when I did, I heard someone’s key slide through the lock and open the front door. I didn’t worry though. One, because I knew it was Nelly—of course—but the other reason was because the trees blowing in the wind allowed me to picture her standing at the stairs, flipping her keys until she found the right one.

Something was changing with my powers just as Zac’s were. But how was it a change if Devin or Joey couldn’t see it in my blood? It was obvious that my powers were expanding and I didn’t do anything for that to happen.

“Holy—” Nelly exclaimed when she turned on the living room light to see me standing in the middle of the floor. “What the h3ll are you doing, standing in the dark like that?”

“I was just ready to go up to bed,” I informed. I looked back over to Lulu, who mumbled something in her sleep. “I can’t say the same about Lulu.”

Nelly smirked and let out a breathy laugh, but then looked around towards the stairs.

“And Angel?” she asked. I produced a caring smile.

“She’s asleep,” I informed. Nelly bit her lip and it reminded me of what Angel usually did when she worried…or had something to tell someone…

“So…” she started. “What exactly is wrong with her and Zac?”

“When I can comprehend it myself, I’ll tell you,” I promised as I started to back up and then eventually leave.

When I reached my room, someone was calling Angel’s phone. I just stared at the New York number, knowing that I wasn’t going to answer it. Why was Zac calling her after all this time? He’s put her through enough. When the call went to voicemail, he didn’t leave one. So then my phone started ringing and I saw the same number.

“Stop calling here,” I ordered when I answered. “Don’t call me, or Lulu, and not even Angel. EVER again.”

“Brian, I—” Click.