(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 453

Chapter 453: A safety charm

It was only a short while later that another knock came at the door. Charlie opened it, since he was hanging out with the Espers in the kitchen.

It was Rene.

She looked a little frazzled, a little frantic. When she saw the state of Kellen and his Mom, her expression softened before she met Kellen’s gaze. She moved towards them, hugging them both together but Kellen could see the slight orange tint to her gaze.

"Do you...know where Pam is?" She asked carefully, quietly and Kellen felt a sinking feeling fill his gut. Had Pamela not told her? Uh oh.

"She...left for the front lines yesterday to help drop off equipment, Guides, and to make sure that everyone was calm while we’re dealing with this situation. Did she not tell you?" Kellen asked and watched as Rene’s face went through several changes.

She looked ill, angry, pissed, and then...guilty? Kellen had no idea why she looked like that, but it was also not his concern right now. He already had a lot on his plate. Someone else’s romance drama couldn’t be allowed. He had his own to deal with.

"I...I see. Okay. I guess...I deserved that." She muttered. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before she sat down on Kellen’s Mom’s other side. She took her hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. "Forget my petty shit. How are you holding up?" Rene asked, her voice full of worry.

Kellen’s Mom laughed.

"I’m about to lose both of my children to a fucking gate while they are both in their 20’s. I’m doing great." Rene’s eyes widened as she looked at Kellen and Kellen at least had the decency to flush.

"I’m not going to die." Kellen told her. "And someone else could be going into the gate." Kellen told her. Even if his desire to go into the gate was like a heartbeat in his chest, a deep, unending ache that he didn’t think would be fixed until he actually went into the gate.

He was going to compromise though. He was willing to offer this up to someone else.

His Mom’s harsh laugh brought Kellen back to reality.

"Kellen, you and I both know that that isn’t going to happen. You’re going to go into the gate, whether someone else goes into the gate first or not." She slid her gaze to Kellen, her eyes purple, and Kellen felt like his Mom was staring straight through his chest and into his soul.

Rene looked...awkward. Shocked. Kellen felt a twinge in his chest as he realised that maybe...he should have waited to call Rene here until after he had left.

"I think it’s a little unfair for you to be signing my death certificate in your mind so soon." Kellen said softly, quietly. "I know that this is...this is unprecedented. For everyone. But I don’t think saying that we’re both going to die when Gwen hasn’t even been found yet, or anyone for that matter, is cruel. This isn’t easy for me either." Kellen found it hard to swallow and his Mom, an Esper who forgot sometimes how sensitive her Guide son was, flinched.

She turned to Kellen, reaching out her hand and cradling Kellen’s cheek in her hand, the purple in her gaze softening slightly.

"I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not right of me to put this weight on you when you’re already dealing with a lot." She hesitated. "How...How many were Guides, Kellen?" She asked and Kellen shut his eyes. He took a shaky breath in, turning away from his Mom’s touch in his face. He opened his eyes when he was facing the window, staring out at the city below.

"Half of them." Kellen said. "All of them are from the Saturn Guild." Kellen opened and closed his mouth, before he finally said it out loud. "Brent’s missing." It felt like a numbness spread through his body as he said it, and the horrified gasp from his Mom ripped through him.

"Sweetheart, why didn’t you start with that?!" She asked, horror filling her voice. "Is he-?"

"No one knows." Kellen said. "He wasn’t supposed to be near the gate, and was instead guiding an Esper near the front gates, but the front lines were also hit with a monster rush courtesy of the A.E.G. So, who knows?" Kellen shrugged. He was trying to brush it off. What else could he do?

"Have...the families been notified yet?" She asked and Kellen swallowed.

"I...I don’t know. I should check in with that. I...I think I need to go. I have work to do. Rene is here now, and Dad seems to be sound asleep. I’ll come visit again." Kellen knew he sounded like he was running away, because he was.

Saying it out loud had more of an impact on him then he thought. Being asked about it directly had also had a great impact on him. He could feel his legs trembling, and he had a feeling he didn’t look well from the way that Rene and his Mom were looking at him.

"Do you need help going where you plan to? Take one of the Espers Rhys had put on me to monitor me." His Mom said, waving a hand dismissively as Kellen stood at his full height. He laughed. She thought it was Rhys? He didn’t know her well enough. It wasn’t him.

"I put them on you." Kellen told her, and watched as shocked crossed her face, before she frowned.

"How could you?" She asked, betrayal in her voice, in the way that her eyes narrowed and Kellen felt the laughter being pulled out of him. frёeωebɳovel.com

They were good Espers, not bad ones. Kellen did give them a sharp look, just to scare them a little, and it seemed to work.

"Are you leaving now?" Charlie asked, jittery. Kellen stared at him, meeting Charlie’s gaze and nodding as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Yeah. I have work I need to do." He said and waited. Charlie looked like he had something he wanted to say, but he was struggling to say it. Kellen waited. He was in a rush, but not that much of a rush.

"Is...Is Gwen in a lot of danger?" He asked, and Kellen felt his chest ache. Kellen only really had bits and pieces of what Charlie’s childhood had been like, but that question told him a lot. Kellen would guess that he knew next to nothing about gates, the front lines, or anything like that. He’d probably learned about it when he was sent to Guiding Center C, and that was probably only in passing.

"She...She’s in a lot of danger, Charlie." Kellen confirmed and watched as Charlie looked shattered.

"O-Oh. I thought so, but...no one seemed safe enough to ask." Charlie whispered and Kellen sighed before he reached out, pulling the younger man in for a hug.

"We’ll get her, Charlie. She won’t be in danger for too much longer." Kellen told him and Charlie wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you going to be in danger too?" He asked and Kellen froze.

"I...I don’t know yet." Kellen told him quietly and Charlie squeezed him.

"Can I make you a charm? For safety? I used to make them for my friends at my old home." Charlie whispered and Kellen felt overwhelmed. He just nodded, giving Charlie a squeeze. Charlie held onto him for a little bit longer, before he stepped away, wiping at his eyes. "You have a lot of work to do. I don’t want to take up more of your time. Have...a good rest of your day, Kellen. I’ll get it to you by tomorrow." Charlie said with a soft, sad smile. Kellen nodded.

Kellen glanced back at the apartment, looking at Rene sitting on the couch, Charlie by the door, the two Espers standing guard and the closed door that hid his damaged parents. He sighed, before opening the door and heading out into the hallway.

He headed for his office.

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