Windy (Manipulators Series Book 1)

by A. Kennedy

  The ceiling was white yet silvery, reminding me of my dress. There was a beautiful angel holding her hands out, and I realized that her hand was holding a tip of the tornado along with the tall jungle trees. On the other hand, the wave and the fire met. The angel looked as if she held the power of all four manipulations. She seemed delicate yet reminded me of a warrior. I felt someone tap my elbow, making me jump.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ryan whispered near my ear.

  “Beyond,” I said in awe.

  Before he could say anything else, Kate had her arms around him and her face in his neck saying, “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Ryan didn’t even look up. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her. Kate's date was Ryan. I couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy. Ryan looked up and smiled at me. I was unable to tell if the upturned corners of his lips were an I’m sorry, or an I’m overjoyed right now. Whichever the emotion was, it did not matter. The scene before me shot daggers at me, and I couldn't understand why. I smiled back at Ryan, but I needed to get away.

  “I'm going to go find Boa,” I told the two still embracing.

  On the table, plates sat within plates within plates at every chair. Different sized spoons, forks, and name cards accompanied them. As I looked for my name, I saw Boa already seated near the head of the table. He was watching my every move as if he were hypnotized.

  “Hi,” I said like a sheepish little girl.

  “Hi,” Boa replied with a huge grin as he looked at me from top to bottom.

  He immediately jumped up and pulled out the chair to his left for me to sit. “You look magnificent, Windy,” he whispered in my ear with a hint of longing.

  “Thank you.” I could feel my cheeks burning.

  I clasped my hands together in my lap. I didn't say anything; I just watched as people continued to pour into the room. From time to time, I heard my name and I would turn my ear into the direction it came from, but I wasn't able to hear anything over the rest of the chatter that filled the room.

  Boa nudged me in the side, “Why are you so quiet?”

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “You can talk here.” He placed his hand on top of my hands to stop me from fiddling with the sequins on my dress. “You're gonna mess up your dress. Are you nervous?”

  “I’m just not in the mood to talk,” I huffed, trying to get him to stop talking.

  He grinned. “Who made you mad?”

  I tried to look shocked. “How did—no one. Why?”

  “Windy,” he laughed. “You did this all the time when we were little. You'd get mad at someone and then sit and seethe about it until the person made you happy or you stopped caring for the person.”

  “I did not.” I was shocked that he remembered me acting in such ways.

  He leaned his head sideways. “I recall a time when you were so mad at me because I didn’t want to play house. You pouted until I finally gave in. Remember?”

  I nodded. That game of house was the first time I was kissed by a boy. He was the husband and I the wife. Before he left for his imaginary job, I made him kiss me on the cheek.

  He laughed again. This time, he made a smile creep up on my face. “There it is,” he said about my smile. “So, who made you mad?”

  I looked down in my lap, where Boa's hand still covered mine. “Me.”

  “Is it because you're too stunning for your own good?”

  I laughed. “I wouldn't say that I'm stunning at all, but thanks for the compliment.” I took a deep breath. “Kate is Ryan's date and I'm mad at myself because, somehow, I've let Ryan work his way into my thoughts and the problem is, I don't even know him. He's like a magnet that I'm drawn to.” I jumbled my thoughts together, not taking a breath as the words left my mouth. I wanted to get it out fast before I had second thoughts about telling Boa.

  Boa's hand tightened and he lifted my hand so that he was holding it. “Tonight, don't think of Ryan.” He leaned his head toward mine so that our foreheads were touching. “Let loose, forget your feelings. Focus on me. Focus on having fun.” He smiled brightly, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  I nodded, returning his smile.

  The chatter came to a stop as Ginger walked into the room. “Good evening,” she said with a smile that made her look more like a goddess than the demon she was. “Please everyone, be seated.”

  As everyone took their seats, I noticed Ryan and Kate getting closer to where Boa and I were sitting. They sat right across from us.

  “Windy, look. They put us together,” Kate squealed across the table. “It’s kind of like a double date.”

  I smiled back because I couldn’t find any words that would sound genuine enough to match her enthusiasm.

  Ginger tapped her fork against her wine glass to get everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am so glad you could make it to our little gathering. We will eat, and after dinner, we will go to the ballroom.”

  Servers brought food in from every direction. Steaks, lamb, shrimp, salmon and other foods I did not recognize. Down at the other end of the table, I was happy to see Jason, Doug, Steve, Renee, Mr. Spence, and my mom. Jason and Doug had ladies with them that I didn’t know. Steve had Renee, and Mr. Spence apparently had my mom as his date.

  I elbowed Boa, “Look, my mom is here.”

  “As she should be,” Boa replied.

  I was shocked she even came, especially after what Ginger did to both of us. The thought made my blood boil.

  “Windy,” Boa said in a concerned whisper as he grabbed my hand.

  I looked at him and realized the wind blowing through the room.

  “Calm down. Whatever you are thinking, please think of something else,” Boa said while caressing my hand in a caring way.

  “Sorry.” Looking down at the other end of the table, I locked eyes with Jason. He knew what just happened, and he knew I was the cause. I hung my head and hoped no one else noticed. I looked up toward the head of the table. Ginger was lost in conversation with one of the council members and didn't notice the wind that whipped through the room.

  “She's had several glasses of wine,” Boa pointed out. “I doubt she noticed anything.”

  I was thankful the dinner continued without incident. We held small talk with others around us. After our plates were almost empty, Ginger began clinking her glass again. “If you have finished eating, let's move the festivities into the ballroom.” For once, she seemed genuinely happy.

  Everyone clapped in response.

  “You ready?” Boa asked me.

  I took a deep breath. “I guess.”

  Boa helped me get up out of my seat and escorted me to the ballroom. The room was magnificent as usual. Dimmed lights and candles were glowing everywhere. It felt magical. A band, placed in one corner of the room, began playing a medium tempo song, and I swayed with the melody.

  “I don't really know how to dance,” I said to Boa.

  He laughed. “Like this,” he took my left hand and placed it on his shoulder, then took my other hand in his. I felt his right hand come around my back. I was looking up at him, “And then you follow my lead.”

  He started to move to the music and I followed. “I know that much.”

  “Good. That means you don't have to know how to dance, just make sure your partner does.” He was smiling, proud of himself with his jest.

  I followed him until he went to dip me and I completely missed it. “You were supposed to dip there.”

  I was laughing. We were making fools of ourselves on the dance floor. The music came to a stop, and, breathlessly, I said, “We need to find my mom. I haven't seen her since Ginger had ahold of her.”

  “Alright.” Boa held my hand as we looked around the massive room trying to find my mom.

  Before we could find my mom, Jason surprised me by wrapping one arm around my shoulder. “Congratulations,” he whispered in my ear.

  I tilted my head so I could look at Jason. “For?”

  “For m
anipulating the wind.”

  “Oh, that.” I blushed. “I didn’t mean to, I just had a thought pass through my mind that made me angry.”

  He laughed and pulled me closer, squeezing my shoulders together.

  “Jason, what happened to my punch you said you would get?” Jason's date stated in a nasty tone.

  He laughed a little and turned to her, “Gwyn, this is Windy. Windy, this is Gwyn.”

  I extended my free hand. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” Gwyn was blonde with blue eyes and had a skinny little figure with boobs popping out of the top of her skin-tight, red dress that could have passed for a pillow case if one end were sewn up. My bathing suit covered more than her dress did. I suppressed a giddy smile. This must be the type of girl Jason liked.

  “You too.” She stated flatly toward me. “Punch.” She glared at Jason.

  Jason jumped, running to find the punch. Once he was gone from earshot, Gwyn leaned in and said to me in a harsh whisper, “He is mine.”

  The smile I tried suppressing came to the surface along with a little giggle as I replied, “Okay.”

  Boa pulled me away from Gwyn. “Jealous much,” he quipped.

  I giggled some more until I spotted my mom across the room. “There she is,” I told Boa, pointing to my mom. I grabbed his hand and crossed the maze of dancing people.

  My mom smiled when she saw us approach. I gave her a squeezing embrace. “I was so scared for you,” I whispered in her ear.

  She laughed then turned serious, “Windy, I am the last one you need to worry about. I can handle myself.”

  I was shocked at how nonchalant my mom was being. “But she drugged you, too.”

  “I know, I allowed her to do it.” Mom must have seen the disbelief on my face. “She told me that you must not be my daughter because you are too strong.”

  “Really?” The thought was absurd, but Ginger didn’t seem the type to put much thought into anything.

  “Yes,” she smiled. “I had no problem agreeing with her because I know you are my daughter. And trust me, nothing here scares me. I’ve been around this place many times. I used to live here once, so I know all its secrets. And I know how the Society works better than anyone else.”

  I was in awe. “You used to live here?”

  “Yes, but that story is for another day. I‘m here to have fun and so are you.” She nodded to someone behind me. “You have a suitor wanting to dance.”

  I turned to see Ryan standing there. I turned back to my mom, but she had walked over to Mr. Spence. Instead of acknowledging Ryan, I walked around and found Boa standing at the punch bowl.

  “Ready to dance some more?” I asked Boa.

  “Sure,” he grinned with his dimples showing. “Have you already danced with Ryan?”

  “Nope. Don’t want to either,” I stated flatly.

  I couldn’t tell if the look on Boa’s face was worry or satisfaction but it didn’t matter. He grabbed my hand and we headed out to the dance floor. I danced for hours and only had two dances with my date. After our second dance, other guys started asking to butt in. Boa didn't hesitate, only handed my hand to the new guy and whispered, good luck to me. Dancing with people I didn't know was foreign to me, but I had a good time. Most of them, older, had me laughing in stitches when I failed to follow their lead. The best part was Ginger didn't bother me at all.

  The last stranger I danced with was tall and lanky. He was a manipulator of water, but according to him, he sucked at it, and that was all he babbled about. I decided that after that dance, I needed to find Boa and rest. My feet were killing me, and I wanted to find my mom again I had a ton of questions for her.

  The song ended and the nod from my dance partner told me someone was behind us, and he would be the next one to dance with me. I sighed as he picked up my hand to hand me off to the next guy.

  I looked up, and two gorgeous blue eyes swallowed me. Ryan was attempting to dance with me again. I tried pulling away but he held tight, squeezing my hand and grabbing my waist, bringing me closer to him. “Not this time,” he said with a determined voice.

  There was nothing I could do. My head was saying run away, but my body was saying hold me. I was a complete mess when Ryan was near, and I hated it. From the first time I laid eyes on him, I lost control of my emotions or thoughts when he was involved. I didn’t know him. All he was to me was a very attractive guy who had helped me beyond what he needed to.

  I laid my head on his strong chest. I felt defeated. “What do you want, Ryan?”

  “You,” I felt his chest hum.

  “Why? You don’t even know me.” I said it as monotonous as possible.

  “I know you well enough to know that you are strong willed, courageous, smart, and beautiful.”

  A tear rolled down my face. “Well, it won’t work out anyway, so don’t even bother.”

  “Windy,” he sighed, seeming frustrated. “You have all the answers. You can change this. I’ve told you, you can.”

  “You never—” He never told me I had the answers except in my dream. I looked up at him.

  “It was really me in your dream,” he whispered, smiling a little.

  “How? That's impossible,” I stated.

  “Impossible, Windy? We are the very impossible. To the real world, we don’t possess powers of any sort, so why would you think that something is impossible when you know anything is actually possible?”

  His words replayed in my head. I couldn’t think of anything else to say until I saw Kate watching us with a look of disdain.

  “What do you have going on with Kate?” I said a little bit more like a jealous girlfriend than a friend.

  “We used to date. Boa introduced us, but then we soon found out we had completely different interests, and our lives didn’t fit together like they should have.”

  “But you look happy together. Why not rearrange your lives to fit each other?”

  He laughed softly, “I would have rearranged my life for her, but she had different plans. She’s the one that called it off. She wanted to see if there was someone else out there more compatible with her. Her words, not mine.”

  “Oh, that sounds like her, always wanting to find something better. She even thought there was a better dress than what I found.”

  Ryan’s smile deepened, making me feel light headed. “It’s magnificent. There is a reason all the guys wanted to dance with you. It’s because tonight, not only do you resemble the wind, but you resemble the fifth element as well.”

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, I woke up with aching pain shooting through my legs and abdomen. Dancing was fun, but my body didn't appreciate it. After I got dressed, I waited for the guards to escort me to Mr. Spence. He was taking me to train again and hopefully see my mom. I had questions, and she had answers.

  In the car with Mr. Spence, we sat in silence, uncomfortably so. Beyond hi, Mr. Spence didn't say anything during the car ride.

  “Let’s go, Windy,” he said, startling me. We had parked outside the beach house and he was urging me to exit the car.

  Walking around the side of the house, still lost in thought, I stopped when I overheard Mr. Spence tell Jason, “Make it quick. I will come get her as soon as I have all the material gathered.”

  “What, are we schooling her now?” Jason replied appearing from the side of the house. I almost collided into him. He looked down at me and laughed a light-hearted laugh.

  “Yes, we are,” Mr. Spence said. “I need to educate her on her past, her ancestors, and the ways of the Society. So make it quick. If she doesn’t learn anything new today, that’s fine.”

  “Yes, sir.” He gave me his normal sly grin and said, “Let’s go. I’ll race you,” and off he went.

  I chased after him. He was fast, but I was slowly gaining. He came to an abrupt halt and I ran into him, taking us both down.

  Jason had a predatory gleam to his eyes. “My, my. You are frisky today. Must have been all that dancing last night. Too bad I
didn’t get a chance to dance with you.”

  I pushed myself off him, “Yeah, keep dreaming. So what are we learning today?”

  “We,” he cleared his throat, “are not learning anything. You are going to do the same thing you have been trying to do—make wind blow without your fingers.”

  “I can’t do that,” I huffed. “We have tried a million times, you know that.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “This is the girl that stopped the wind on the beach from blowing. You can do anything. I will lay my life down on that.”

  He was serious and it almost unnerved me. “Why?”

  “Because, Windy, your manipulation powers are off the charts. I have never seen anyone with your capabilities. I’m gonna be honest with you. You really scared me when you put Ginger’s flame out.”

  I stood there in shock at the revelation. I saw his face when I did that, but I wasn’t quite sure why he was scared and he said the other day that I didn’t intimidate him.

  Seeing that I was not going to reply, he went on. “I have tried doing that, but have never been able to. I can’t even move droplets of water. And believe me, I’ve practiced. I practiced my heart out and still wasn’t able to manipulate anything but wind.”

  “Why not?” To me, manipulating another’s patterns seemed easier than manipulating wind alone.

  “Hell if I know.” Jason said, flustered. “I guess it’s natures way of keeping us different. I mean if we could all manipulate each other’s manipulations and elements, then we would have the same abilities. It’s like giving the entire world the same talents. How would the world be if we could all play the same sport position? Or played an instrument? It would be boring. Our talents would become useless.”