章節 14: An Esper Mother's worry for her Guide son

Surprisingly, the Captain was called away while the Woods were leaving. Kellen thought he would have insisted that he take them down to the lobby, but the man stood at the elevators and waved goodbye with a bright smile. Kellen felt that there was something strange about his behaviour, but he couldn't put his finger on it, so he left it alone. He thought Ms. Hill was going to make a comment on it when they were in the elevator, but as the four of them went down in the elevator towards the lobby, they picked up some stragglers. Everyone held their tongue.

Once at the lobby, Ms. Hill directed Kellen towards the front desk and made sure that he had everything he would need to get into the building tomorrow. The clerk was the same one who had listened to his plea earlier in the day, and she seemed a little shocked that now Kellen was getting a full access pass into the Guild tower. No doubt he would be the topic of her gossip later in the evening. Ms. Hill made sure Kellen hadn't left anything behind that she couldn't easily grab, and just before he was about to leave with his parents, she grabbed him, pulling him close.

"I am so excited to finally work with you Kellen. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a slightly too tight squeeze before releasing the Guide, all smiles. She waved excitedly as the trio left the Saturn Guild building, and let out a a small squeal when Kellen gave her a nod in return. It wasn't until Kellen was getting into the back of the sports car his Father had driven like a bat out of hell to the Guild tower that Kellen realised he still had the Captain's jacket tucked around his shoulders. Fuck. He'd left the building clearly marked, and walked around the lobby. He sighed. Well, it didn't matter now. It wasn't like he was going to cheat on the pairing, it was more about the obsession to mark him that worried him. He knew he shouldn't feed into the Captain's delusions about their relationship, and that tabloids would do that for him. But at the same time, he knew that if he denied it too much he could end up in a bad situation, like his Dad had warned.

The sound of the car doors locking shook Kellen from his thoughts.

"So...I had never realised how close you'd gotten to the Saturn Guild, Kellen. I thought you avoided guilds like the plague. So why am I only now finding out that you know almost everyone in the upper levels of the top guild in our country?" His Mom's voice was sickly sweet. Kellen started sweating.

"Uh, well, if I'm honest, I probably know the upper levels of lots of powerful guilds. I only happened to spend more time around the Saturn Guild because Captain Thatcher likes to train his new recruits on the front lines, while other Guilds bring their older members." That and there was a huge difference in attitude between the Saturn Guild's Espers and other Guild's Espers. The others were...well, typical Espers. Slightly crazy, rude, crude, and hard to manage. Because the Captain insisted his newest members went to the front lines early on, they were far more malleable compared to the others, so he liked working with them more.

Kellen worried since his Mother had locked the car that he was in trouble. His Mom sighed, pressing her face into her hands while his Dad, sensing his son's unease, turned around to look at him from the front seat.

"Honey, we're not mad, we are just confused. To have so many connections in the world is a blessing and a curse. You could have a lot of enemies because of your new connection to the Saturn Guild, and we don't know how to protect you from that. Even if Captain Thatcher is capable, you're our only son. You don't have the powers of an Esper to threaten someone to leave you alone." Kellen was confused at what they were trying to say. Enemies? Kellen might have those, but why would he have more now?

"Mom, Dad, what are you saying? Are you saying you're against me joining a guild now? You tried so hard to sell me on a guild before I came back from the front lines, but now you're saying there is a problem with it? I remember you saying that Guiding Centers provide decent security, while Guilds provide better simply from the fact Guiding Centers are cycling drained Espers while Guilds are recharging their own. Why now are you protesting this? Is it because it's the Saturn Guild? Because it's number one?" Kellen asked. His parents shared a look in the front seat at their son's questions.

"It's the Captain. His eyes....They're always yellow Sweetheart. They haven't changed colour since your incident at the Center. We're worried that his powers are going to be too much for you. If you are always guiding someone whose like that, you're going to be drained all the time. We both know that you're strong, and are able to take care of yourself, but that would take a toll on your body." Mom admitted. Kellen blinked, stunned that they hadn't voiced their concern until now. He had a feeling that if the match rate had come out when Kellen was still a solid C Class the Captain wouldn't have been able to see Kellen ever again. His parents would have whisked him away. That was how dangerous the gap between C Class and S Class was.

Even if Kellen was an A Class Guide now, the jump between the Classes was huge. It was basically a doubling effect. Each Class was twice the one before it, but once you hit S Class it became a little murky. On the easier side of understanding, to be classified as an S Class, you had to break a measuring device when they were checking your power levels. You had to have such an overwhelming amount of powers that the machine couldn't measure them. One of the odd things about S Classes was the connection between Elemental Espers and the S Class. Most public facing S Classes were Elemental Espers, with only a few physical strengthening Espers popping up, and maybe one Healer. But the Captain wasn't any of those types, since Kellen had never heard of an Esper with a power to make their eyes glow yellow. The only thing that made Kellen feel safe was the fact that the Captain still had the whites of his eyes while they were yellow, instead of the eerie black of a surging Esper.

"I don't know if I should be telling you this because I don't know if it will calm you, but I learned through our guidance and later, through him telling me that his powers are related to the colour yellow. He's almost always using them. So, as much as it looks like he's always on the edge, he's not." His Dad let out a heavy breath.

"Oh, thank the gods then. I was so worried you were going to be a stick after a month of being paired with him. That still means he's always using his powers and not surging. That is a horrifying thought. How on earth are you going to manage an S Class Esper when you might barely be an A Class Guide? I'm worried, Kellen. Even if your compatibility is 90%, there are some things that just can't be made up for." His words only held concern for his son, and also felt as if they held a tinge of sadness. He knew his parents wanted to celebrate this with him. It was a big deal to finally find a match like his, and yet they were filled with fear for him. If he was honest, he agreed with their fears. How the hell was he going to manage a man who was always using his powers? And if what he had said was true, they also grew every time he stole another's powers. Sure, they assumed that Kellen's powers behaved strangely since he hadn't lost his powers like the others, but that was it. Nothing other than his Class had changed, and no matter how many calories he ate, he could still find himself losing his muscles and weight if he didn't monitor it strictly.

"Well, I'll sit down and have a talk with Taylor tomorrow about what I need to do. I'm also worried about the strain this could have on my body, but I'm sure everyone is. I'm also not one to scare easily. I know you two are worried about me, and I understand why, but trust me, please?" Kellen asked and they stared at their son before shaking their heads in unison.

"We always have faith in you Kellen, but it's that Captain of yours that we don't trust. I don't think you're aware of it but ever since you came back wearing his jacket he's been looking at you like a cat that got the cream. I am also worried about what that Casper fellow implied. An Esper who has never had a personal or exclusive Guide before means they don't know the limits that they should play within. That's scary for us as your parents to think about. We know you work hard, and I don't want that to be the death of you." Kellen's Mom had a rather serious expression on her face. Kellen let her words wash over him, trying to process what she meant. He thought back to the time on the couch, when Kellen's head lulled without his control and how the Captain had easily brushed it off. That might have been a sign of that. But that was small, and he wasn't sure how to soothe the two worriers.

"I won't die because I'm guiding an S Class Esper. I won't let that happen to me. I know you care about me greatly, but you gotta trust that I can and will set my limits as soon as I know how much my power has shifted." Kellen said softly, but firmly. His Dad frowned at his words before sighing.

"You're stubborn, so I guess this is the most we can get through to you right now." Kellen frowned at the gentle insult. "Kellen Honey, if you ever feel overwhelmed, you can come home. Don't worry about what that Captain will say. Your Mom has contacts that can hide you if you need it, alright? Even Captain Rhys Thatcher wouldn't mess with them to get to you." His Dad unlocked the car. Swinging the door open, he grabbed his bag and headed for the front door of the house quietly. His Mom turned in her seat to smile at her son.

"He's right. If you ever feel like it's getting too dangerous, or you want to strike the fear of god into him, you let me know. I'll pull you out without him even noticing." She winked before getting out of the car herself. Kellen sat in the backseat of the car for a moment, trying to process what exactly his parents had ambushed him with, before shaking his head and joining them outside the car. While his parents headed towards the main house, Kellen turned to the right and headed for the door next to the garage. His Father's voice calling out to him made him pause.

"You aren't coming in for dinner?" He asked, sounding hurt. Kellen shook his head.

"No, I'm thinking I'll order something in tonight. Something greasy and heavy in calories that I'd normally avoid." Kellen could feel the smile on his lips. His Father, who had been ready to pout to try and get his way, relaxed immediately. He knew what Kellen would normally order in, and a sense of ease filled him if even his son was saying it was going to be a lot.

"Alright. Let me know if you want a salad or something to go along with your greasy, heavy food." He teased before holding the front door open for his wife, kissing her on the cheek, and with a wave closed the door behind him. Kellen watched them do so, before unlocking his own front door and heading for his safe space.