“I thought I heard you wrong. You said you wanted to look at apartments for rent,” said Damian incredulously.

“No, you heard me right. I'm in a bit of a bind. I need to move out of my current place by this weekend, so I don’t have much time to go house hunting. That's why I'm turning to you,” I explained, my eyes fixed on him.

With all that had happened over the last few days, I would be an idiot if I stayed in the same place as Brandon and his mom. If I did that, I would serve myself on a silver platter to them.

So no, I had to leave as soon as possible.

Damian just shook his head and pressed the accelerator on the vehicle.

“You’re the boss, so let's go,” he said as we sped off.

As we drove, we passed some decent neighborhoods and some that were not so decent. We kept going toward the southwest; in the far distance, a mountainous landscape started rising on the horizon.

“Damian, what’s that mountain area called,” I asked, intrigued by what I saw.

“That right there is Mount Ethos,” he said.

“That’s our destination; all the houses and apartment complexes are very private on Mt. Ethos, so if we can get you one there, it would be a very good thing,” he followed up.

“What about the price range?” I asked, even though I knew I could probably afford it, but I wasn’t willing to dish out a butt load of cash for it.

He smirked, “I know what you're thinking, prime, but don’t worry, this housing issue is mine to resolve. I owe it to you for what happened yesterday.”

I was a little surprised; I would have thought he would have been more upset that I killed all his crew yesterday, and today, I was using him as a chauffeur to drive me around the city.

Also, what was this “Prime” BS?

“Well, I guess I have to thank you for that,” I said.

“Also, I’m curious about why you keep calling me Prime,” I asked with a questioning look.

He chuckled for a bit, “You really don’t know why I call you prime?”

“Are you that unaware?” he followed up, seeing my bewildered look.

He looked at me and waited for an answer, but I did not have one for what he asked.

He shook his head in defeat.

“Man, you are an ignorant brat if you don’t realize what you are,” he said, looking drained.

“Hear me out kit. I have been around many private and pro strike team circuits; I also have done a lot of not-so-savory jobs for some not-so-good people, and in all of these, I can say without a doubt that I have never come across someone like you,” he said with a gleam with determination.

“You're on a whole new level that I’ve never seen. Maybe someone else like you is out there, but they are keeping themselves very hidden,” he said as he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

I knew what he was saying made sense. I had known I was different since I was small, but I had never done anything to act on it until now. I had never wanted to do so, but circumstances changed over the last few years.

The part about other people hiding like me also made sense. Seeing how I kept myself hidden for years, I could see other Alphas doing the same, especially if we were only a few.

Keeping my abilities hidden was something I considered extremely important up until months ago. Now, it is not my top priority, but I still don’t want others to find out so quickly.

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The discovery that I could make enchanted gear recently made it a little easier. This gave me an out when I had to use my abilities in front of the general public or private matters like yesterday.

“Well, about that, there is a reason I can display those types of powers, and believe me, it's not as dramatic as you make it sound,” I said calmly.

“Oh Really, please do tell, as I would like to know what makes you think these abilities of yours are just average,” said Damian sarcastically.

“I never said they were average; I guess what I meant to say was the way I got them was not so spectacular; it was kind of getting a lucky break,” I said.

As we talked, the Mt. Ethos Mountain chain rose higher and higher into the sky. We were getting close and could even distinguish some of the housing districts from far away.

This was the perfect opportunity because I wanted to change the conversation away from my powers.

“Mt. Ethos is coming up fast. Are you familiar with the area?” I said loud enough so Damian could hear me.

“Yeah, I’m quite familiar as I used to leave here before.”

“Use to? If it is that great, why did you leave?”

His face changed to one of embarrassment and regret. He glanced my way for a bit and then turned his sight back on the road.

“Let's just say I made a stupid mistake and must atone for it.”

His demeanor changed, and I felt he didn’t want to speak about it anymore, so I didn’t push the issue further.

Instead, I just looked at the scenery as we drove closer and closer to Mt. Ethos.

We had been driving for about one hour when a message from EVA came into my CAD.

“Babe, I just wanted to let you know I’m thinking about you. Let me know when you are in your new house, ok? Bye.”

“This girl,” I thought, unknowingly, a smile appeared on my face.

Damian looked at me, and one of the corners of his mouth rose a bit as if saying aw, to be in love.

“Who’s the girl?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, a bit defensive.

“Ah, forbidden love? Ok. I get you now; the I need my own place, thing is coming into focus now,” he said with a smirk.

“I don’t want to go into this with you,” I said more seriously.

I only knew Damian since yesterday, and that was only after he tried to kill me with his gang. So I didn’t feel like speaking about my love life if that is what I could call it right now with him.

“Don’t get defensive, prime; I’m just saying, be careful, as the more forbidden the fruit, the more challenges you will encounter. It's like that in life and love, believe me, I know,” he said.

I didn’t respond, but his words echoed in my head the rest of the way.

Encountering challenges was a given for Eva and me. Our situation merited it; I knew it, and so did she. The question was how we would deal with them as they arose.

“I have to fix this problem with my housing first, and then I need to make some charmed gear for Eva. This will at least keep her safe and allow me to feel better over the whole thing,” I thought.

I kept thinking about what gear I could enchant and what skills to use when Damian called out.

“Prime, we are here,” he said.

I looked up, and the most beautiful scenery was before us. The trees were giant; they seemed to reach into the sky. Their trunks, a rustic red/brownish color, made them look majestic.

The housing districts were neatly organized on the mountainside. Shopping centers were spread out between the districts, allowing the people living here to live carefree lives. They did not have to worry about entering the city and dealing with the day-to-day.

The botanical gardens and parks were magnificent. Flowers adorned the scenery, and many people walked and exercised in these areas. There was even a waterfall on the mountainside, giving the scenery a picturesque feel of ancient times.

“Everything is so beautiful here,” I said, mesmerized by the scenery.

“Yeah, it is; here, let's go up to housing district 6, the Charmed Wilds subdivision. That is where your new apartment will be,” said Damian regretfully.

I nodded, and we continued to drive up the mountainside until we got to this entrance that read District 6. We went inside and passed through a huge opening with trees on both sides. Exiting the tree line, we entered this subdivision with houses and buildings on both sides. Some looked like mansions, while others looked like housing complexes.

“The housing complex is just around the corner here,” said Damian.

We continued to drive until we arrived at this 10-story housing complex. It looked very modern and had all the amenities one could need.

“Are you sure this is it?” I asked, awed by the building.

“Yes, I’m very sure. I even double-checked while you were zoned out on our drive here,” said Damian.

“Let's go inside. We'll go up to the sixth floor, which will be your floor,” he said calmly.

“Floor?” I said flabbergasted.

He looked at me and smiled.

“Yes, it's one tenant per floor!”

Hearing that, I almost fell from the shock.

"How could it be one tenant per floor? That was ridiculous, but we still walked in.

We went to the sixth floor and looked around the apartment.

"What do you think, prime? Is this to your liking?" said Damian with a hint of envy.

"This is over the top. I'm not sure I can afford it; the rent must be astronomical," I said.

But I had more than enough to pay for the rent. I didn't want to put myself in a place that would attract the attention of everyone. How would I explain to someone else how I'm living in a place like this? I'm only 15, so I can't work, and my skills are supposed to be dormant still, so how do I explain all this?

"Damian, I don't think this apartment is for me. I don't think I can afford this, and I would also like something a little more private and less conspicuous," I said.