Chapter Eighteen - The Island
RECAP:
"I'm just kidding," he muttered, pushing his face into my hair as we relaxed once more. "I can't wait until this is all over."
"One more day," I replied, feeling my eyes droop closed.
"Yeah, one more day."
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"Stay left," I ordered while we continued our march through the ocean.
Today was the day. We didn't have long before we reached Katherine and the weight of it all was sitting heavily on the six of us. Talk was quiet and short, even from Cole and Mackenzie. The only conversation came from me telling the others where to navigate our movement towards.
It has been a few hours since we got this morning, packed our things, ate a bit more fish, and set out for more bubble-travel. I had woken up alone, Cole seemingly nowhere to be found until I sat up and saw him and Alex sitting along the edge of the water, deep in a conversation with one another. I didn't bother them, the two most likely talking about what we're getting ourselves into later. They needed their best friend time and I had no right to stop them from getting that.
We were all dressed in our ability gear, meaning our specific colors and emblems were all printed on our shirts and shorts as they had been at Supernatural Abilities. Each of our Markings showed through the thin material of the shirt and out the edge of the tank tops and I couldn't help but notice how different everyone's was.
Will's was full of swirls that went every which way down his back while Leona's was set with a lot of squares in a strict formation. Mackenzie's had a ton of edges and harsh lines, stopping and going at various points along her side. Alex's the opposite, a ton of waves all flowing the same direction fit with little, random circles. Cole's was like Alex's but rather than going to the right, it came from the bottom and went up towards his shoulder blade, some stopping short but continuing a little ways up.
Mine was the only one that seemed to be a jumble of nothingness. While, yes, I would agree with Cole when he said mine was the most intricate and detailed, there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Regardless, all of our Markings had become a part of us and seemed like they were meant to be there even if Katherine had forced them onto us to deem us as those in the Big Six. It seemed like these have been there for years and that moment at the party when Cole, Alex, and I all blacked out from the pain must've happened so long ago. In reality, it hadn't. Only a few months ago were these people all strangers, myself living thousands of miles away from any of them completely unaware of all that was to happen to me.
"You okay, Taylor?" I looked down and saw Mackenzie staring up at me with concern written into her yellow eyes.
I gave her a little smile and ruffled her hair. "Just fine. Don't worry about me."
We continued walking in our silence that was so overcast by fear. I just wanted this whole thing to be over already. I wanted to be by Cole with all of our friends on our sides. The promise of a normal, actual relationship after this was enough to keep me going knowing that the end of our nightmare and our beginning of us was so near.
"We're getting close now," I mumbled when the pull of Katherine became much stronger. Leona was able to detect movement along the land not too far from where we were stationed under the waves. It was just a matter of getting there without causing a major disturbance that was going to be a real issue.
We didn't want to alert any Catchers until we got to Katherine, but because the island, according to Sophia, was a decent size, we would need some help finding her. We devised a plan which included a whole story and me changing our appearances, face, body, clothes, and voice, then blocking our minds in order to get to her. Just as Sophia had said before, I was definitely included in the group when it came down to the real thing. I might've not been able to combine my powers with someone else's but I was able to do all the behind-the-scenes work.
"Are we ready to head up now?" Alex asked as we got a little closer.
"It's now or never," replied Will. The tension in his voice was clear to all of us.
We all looked at each other but Mackenzie was the first person to draw everyone in for a large group hug. I was smushed between her and Alex, all of us getting our last embrace as a team in before the big event.
"I'm happy I'm doing this with all of you," Leona mumbled. "I couldn't have asked for a better team."
"I agree," Cole answered, locking eyes with me. "Now, let's get out there and do what we've been preparing to do. We go out of this with a fight and if we don't give it our all, then what are we even doing here?"
With one last squeeze, we all pulled away from each other, small smiles on our faces before turning serious once more. "You ready to disguise us, Taylor?" Alex asked and I nodded, twisting out my wrists.
"You got it," I told him, closing my eyes to focus on the group body manipulation. "Just make sure you stay close to me or else it will drop.
When my eyes opened again, I almost had a heart attack when I was staring at a bunch of unfamiliar Catchers in front of me. It took me a moment to relax and almost laugh at the face that I was the one who created them as their black eyes stared at me in confusion.
"Okay," Cole stretched out his arm and looking at his whole body change. "This is weird. I don't even feel like myself."
"Well, I don't want you to like being a Catcher, man," Disguised Alex bumped hips with his best friend. "We can't have you going to the dark side."
Cole scrunched up his nose. "Of course not. I never said I liked being this thing."
We continue going a little bit more, growing even closer to the beach. "Okay, remember that Catchers are evil things," Will told us as we got even closer to the island. "They're not normal. Act like a demonic version of a human and you'll be good."
"So basically be like the Brain when she doesn't get her food for the hour," Cole replied, making me glare at him in response.
Alex was the first to poke his head out of the water, making sure the coast was clear for us to walk up onto the land without causing any unwanted attention on ourselves. From there, we were following Leona's commands to where the center was and then ask around to find Katherine. I felt the draw of her all around me, almost suffocating me because her presence seemed everywhere. It was chilling, the whole atmosphere of the island just disorientating.
We walked through the trees until we began hearing chatter and snickers growing closer and closer. The second we pushed away some bushes in front of us, I was blown away to see a completely industrialized common area with dozens of Catchers chatting and sitting at various areas as if they didn't have a care in the world. I felt myself panicking, like I was seconds away from getting attacked until I realized that I didn't stick out like a sore thumb here. I wasn't Taylor Buckley, the Mind of the Big Six that all of these things knew about, but rather one of them.
I saw Cole look at me from the corner of his eyes and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab his hand for comfort. But I couldn't do that: Catchers didn't show love or care.
Instead he reached forward, grabbing one by the shoulder and turning it around. In an angry and strict voice, Cole asked, "Do you know where Katherine is?"
The Catcher eyed him up and down before looking at the rest of us. "What's it to you--"
Cole grabbed him by the front of the shirt, pulling him closer and slightly above the ground so that he could look it in the eye. "I said... do you know where she is?"
He didn't look scared but rather suspicious. "Who are you--"
This time I stepped forward, bumping Cole out of the way and peeking around to make sure no one else was watching.
"Where is Katherine?" I asked, my compulsion weighing heavily on my words. I watched as his face went slack, his eyes empty, and even though he was a monster, I still hated doing this to people.
"Straight to building 20," he answered in his low monotone. "We got a new shipment in."
I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of shipment?"
"Supernaturals. She got some more."
I looked at the others before dropping my compulsion, Cole pushing him to the side while he stumbled in his disoriented state. I immediately began heading in the direction I was told while the others followed. Even on the day of our arrival, she was still building her army.
I marched through the swarms of Catchers, some getting angry at me if I pushed them too roughly to one side but I didn't care. Katherine needed to be stopped. Turning innocent Supernaturals into such a demonic thing was evil. In more ways than just stopping her long war against us, I needed to allow Supernaturals the freedom to live out their lives without the fear of being turned bringing them down.
This war was bigger than just my own personal vendetta against Katherine, but rather it was for every single Supernatural out there that the Big Six represented.
After leaving the common area did we find a sufficiently less amount of Catchers and little pathways that led to many buildings, some large and others small, on the island. They were all marked with numbers above the doors, but the one we were looking for had a 20 on it.
We finally found it on the outskirts, all of us stopping outside of it to look at each other.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked, my hand resting on the door handle.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Alex muttered as I pulled it open.
Now, I expected something big when I opened. You know, like in the movies. I didn't know exactly what, but I definitely believed I would find a lot more than an empty room.
Creeping in, I looked around and saw some cells lining the walls as they were a place for holding those Supernaturals she took in. However, they were each vacant and I couldn't help but notice the burned walls and holes in the ground that were signs of struggle.
"No one's here," Leona confirmed, her fingertips resting on the floor. "Maybe she already left?"
I couldn't help but feel wrong in this situation, a bad feeling washing over me. "Are you sure?" I asked, standing up a bit straighter.
She nodded. "Definitely. There's no one in the building except us."
"Let's just go back to the center and ask another one," Will started. "Your compulsion can only give you what they know. Maybe Katherine was here hours ago and that's the only answer he knew?"
I didn't say anything as we headed back out. All of us were silent in our trek, following the familiar path that we had taken only a few minutes earlier. That feeling still stayed with me, making me have to look over my shoulder more than once to ensure we weren't being followed or watched.
But it only heightened when we reached the common area, now completely cleared of the dozens of Supernaturals that were just relaxing together. The Six of us looked around, confused as to what had happened in the very short time we were gone.
"Where are they--" Mackenzie started until she stopped and dropped to the ground, clutching at her Marking as a scream went through her.
"Mackenzie!" Leona yelled before she buckled down just as the little girl had.
I looked at the boys in panic as we looked around for any signs of Catchers before Alex was the next one down, all three of them screaming in ways that would haunt me for as long as I lived and who knows? Maybe that was in minutes.
"You need to get out of here!" Cole yelled at me as we watched Will drop just as the others did.
"I can't leave you all here!" I answered back, my panic rising. I didn't know what to do, this wasn't expected. I didn't even know what was going on.
"Taylor, go--" He stopped mid-sentence, his disguised Catcher eyes widening as that shrill cry erupted from his throat.
"Cole!" I grabbed at him, helping him to the ground. He clutched at his Marking, scratching his skin raw as if trying to dig it out.
I looked up, watching as Katherine appeared in front of me, giving me a sickening smile as my own pain began starting from Marking until spreading every corner, every inch, of my body with fire and pain.
"Miss Buckley..." I heard her say as if she was whispering in my ear. "Did you honestly think I didn't know your plan?"
Eventually the pain grew to be too much and just like the time we received our Markings, I felt the world disappear from around me as I blacked out.
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I just want to take the time to say thank you so much to each and every person who reads my story. All of you guys are so sweet and amazing to both each other and myself. I just reached 8000 fans and I couldn't be more overwhelmed by how great you all are. I hope me writing this story for all of you is enough :)
Question of the chapter: What is your opinion of Taylor/Cole (Caylor!)? I saw an interesting comment thread last chapter about how one person didn't support them, WHICH IS A-OKAY I LIKE EVERYONES VIEWS, and others saying they do. I'm just curious to see how the majority falls on their relationship/friendship!
As I said before, I cannot thank you all enough for all the love you guys show me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it!
:)
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