by SM Olivier
“Every time she was pregnant she gave up the drugs. She wanted to keep you. She had a reason to live. It was after she had you and your siblings, save Bridgette, that her past caught up to her and she would stumble again. She did things to try to protect you guys in her own twisted, distorted way. I’m not excusing her behavior or condoning it. She should have been in rehab several times over. She needed to heal, she needed to find a reason.
“It wasn’t until recently that I found out about Micah and Alex. I’m sure she still felt the same way, though. I’m sure she tried. Now? Something must had changed because she looks clean. She looks healthier than I’ve seen her in a long time.”
When he was finished, I stood up. “I understand how carrying pain can make you want to turn to drugs and alcohol, but she’s still weak. I want to make sure she knows how weak she is,” I said bluntly as anger coursed through my body.
I stomped out of the room without a backwards glance.
Since training was cancelled for us, I knew I needed something to release all my pent-up energy. I waited for the guys to go in planning mode before I slipped into some capris yoga pants and a tank top. I slipped on my sneakers and grabbed all of our laundry.
We no longer had to worry about people walking away with our laundry. Now that everyone knew there were cameras in that room, no one was willing to lose their jobs over a joke or prank. I put all our laundry into the machines and then ran back to Will’s apartment to get all of their clothing.
“Whatcha doing?” Kade startled me. He had been sitting on the couch with the lap top Will had gifted him to do his work on.
“Laundry,” I stated as I pulled the wagon inside.
“Need help?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Nah, it’s okay. I’m going to set these in the washer before I go on a run.”
Since the Thanksgiving football game and his revelation, he had become more comfortable around us. His parents had done a really good job with him. He was a natural caretaker and he tagged teamed with Micah every morning to get the younger ones ready before I could.
“Can I come?” he asked. “I feel like I do nothing but catch up, and I haven’t worked out in forever. I’m not used to not playing sports.”
I didn’t want to dissuade him from coming. I needed the solitary run but I also saw how he was trying to create a family bond.
“Sure,” I said with a smile. “Did you have any interest in training with us? It’s not catching a ball or hitting one, but it’s definitely a work out.”
Kade gave me a lopsided smile as he shut down his computer and put it on the little desk in the family room. “Micah raves about lifting weights with Remy, but I was wondering…” he hesitated. “Do you think Troy can teach me martial arts? There’s a bunch of us that want to learn.”
I nodded. “I can talk to him, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind teaching you guys two or three days a week. He started to teach Alex, but Alex lost interest pretty quickly.” I laughed.
He smiled wide. “Thanks. It’s not like we have gym, or the younger kids don’t have recess. They need it.”
I laughed as he walked towards the room he shared with Micah and Alex. “I agree.”
He came out of his room moments later. “My mom always believed if we were kept busy, we couldn’t get into any trouble.” He hesitated once more. “Some of the kids have too much time on their hands and they are getting into stuff they shouldn’t.”
I frowned. “Like what? Are Micah, Ella, Alex, Patrick, and Nadia doing anything I’m not aware of?”
Kade shook his head. “They aren’t…yet, but some of the Non kids are, and they hang out with them.”
“Like what?” I asked again.
“I don’t want to narc on them. They aren’t destroying things or hurting people, but I think it’s only a matter of time,” Kade said as he laced up his shoes.
I didn’t want to push him if he didn’t want to sound like a tattle tale but at the same time, I wanted to prevent anything before it happened—if it happened. “Will you come to me if you think things are getting out of hand? I have to leave on a mission tomorrow, but you can always call or text me. And if it gets too bad, make sure you tell Will,” I said.
He nodded, and I knew he was done talking about it.
We were probably on our fifth lap when Kade finally talked again. “So, you might see our birth mom?”
I looked over at him in surprise. “Umm yeah. How did you find out?”
He gave me a guilty look. “Ella drew a picture of you with two woman that looked a lot like you, plus Vick’s been practicing with her gift.”
“How often does she practice her gift?” I asked in alarm. The idea of a moody teen eavesdropping set me on edge. I was glad that she was starting to embrace her gift and learning to control it, but I didn’t like the idea of her using it for things she shouldn’t.
“It’s the first time she used it inappropriately,” Kade hastily reassured me. “She saw that you guys were going into the war room. She was just trying to see how long she could stay invisible.”
“Well we were in there for at least thirty minutes. I’m impressed that she stayed undetected for so long,” I said grudgingly.
He gave me another look. “She wasn’t there for that long. While she was in there, she noticed another door behind the screen. That girl Adams and a few of her friends were also there. They are upset that they haven’t been tasked for a major mission yet. They’re tired of the minor ones. They left the door open, and Victoria squeezed past them.”
I sighed and didn’t know if I should tell Will and Paul. It was one thing if a teen was just trying to eavesdrop without malicious intent. Adams and her friends, on the other hand, knew the laws of operational security and the need to know rules here. We had been briefed and required to take a class about not sharing missions with other operatives and were discouraged from trying to garner information from other operatives on missions not assigned to us. She knew better. Her friends knew better.
“You can’t trust her,” Kade said doggedly. “I don’t even understand why she’s even here. She doesn’t like gifted people. She doesn’t support the overall mission.”
“I don’t think she dislikes us all. Just certain people,” I stated as I thought about her never-ending pursuit of Troy.
He gave me a look of disbelief, and I had to laugh.
“Did you forget to send out an invite?” Remy asked wryly as he fell into step beside us.
I looked up at him with a small smile. “You guys went into planning mode, and I needed to let off some steam.”
“Can I come?” Kade blurted out.
We both looked at him in surprise.
“I want to go on the mission,” Kade added hastily.
“Well−” I began.
“I want to meet her,” Kade said resolutely. “I didn’t even know she existed until a few months ago, but it explains a lot. I never looked like my parents, but I looked like my dad’s father. Somehow, I knew I wasn’t theirs, not that they treated me any different. They are− were the best parents. I’m glad she chose to give me up, but I want to know where I came from.”
“From the sounds of it, we didn’t miss much,” I couldn’t stop the bitterness from leaking into my voice. “She witnessed a horrible event, and her mother shut her out, but she still didn’t need to turn to drugs. She chose them over us every time.”
“We can ask Pops,” Remy said gruffly. “Just don’t get your hopes up.”
I looked over at Remy in surprise.
He’s a good kid, and he’s doing great in school, Remy explained to me silently. He has the right to know. He’s fifteen years old. Drake went on his first official mission when he was fifteen.
But Micah and Alex might insist on coming, too, I protested.
Let Pops decide, Remy stated with determination in his eyes.
“How long will you be gone?” Ella asked sullenly as she sat on the end of Troy’s bed where I was packing my bags.
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It felt weird packing without any of the uniforms I had become accustomed to wearing. For once, I wished we had time to go shopping for ski appropriate weather. The guys already reassured me that the ski resort had shops attached to it. It was two miles away from the cabin campground but still convenient.
“I don’t know,” I said sympathetically. “We’re going to work really hard to get our Grandma as quickly as possible.”
“And your mom,” Ella added. “She’s really good at hiding,” she said glumly.
I paused as my mind added things up. “Is that her gift?”
Ella nodded. “She can hide a lot of things. Herself. The people around her. The house she’s staying in.”
I frowned. If she could…cloak, why wouldn’t she have cloaked herself out of the situations she had been in before? If she knew CPS was on the way to take me, why wouldn’t she have cloaked us?
“Can I see the pictures you’ve been drawn pertaining to this mission?” I asked.
“She already gave them to Megan and Will,” Alex explained as he came into the room eating some of the cookies Drake had made. “Why does Kade get to go but we can’t? What happens if you’re not home in time for Christmas? This is our first Christmas together as a family.”
I knelt down and hugged him. “Pops says Kade is old enough to make the decision, and he’s caught up on all his school work and then some. You guys still need the one on one teaching and you can’t miss that much school. I’m going to try really hard to come back in time. I was really looking forward to it, too!”
“Why do you even need to get them? They never wanted us,” Alex said morosely.
“Ms. Cornwall might have information we don’t want getting into the wrong hands,” I explained to them.
“It’s so stupid,” Ella muttered as she flopped down on her back dramatically.
“Ella, Alex, the ice cream sandwiches are done,” Jaxson came into the room with one in his hands.
That seemed to snapped them out of their moods somewhat as they stood up and ran out of the room.
“Almost ready?” Jaxson asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and held his ice cream sandwich out to me.
I took a bite of the homemade ice cream sandwich and moaned. “Just about. That is amazing.” I threw the rest of my stuff in the bag and took his hand. “Let’s go. I need one too.”
Jaxson chuckled. “The movie’s in and we’re ready to start it when you are.”
I walked out into the living room and was surprised to see the couches pushed back and air mattresses blown up. Most of the guys were already on the air mattresses. I grabbed my ice cream sandwich from Drake and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Then I went into the living room and climbed in between Remy and Noah.
“Are we ready?” Jace asked as he picked up the remote. Ella was curled into him, playing with the drawstring of his hoodie.
“Yes,” I said enthusiastically.
We decided to have a movie night with just my siblings tonight. They had all taken the news of us leaving with Kade pretty hard. Micah still had a sullen expression on his face. They all wanted to go but we didn’t think it was wise to take all four of them. I still had my reservations with taking Kade, but Pops and Megan thought there was no harm with us accompanying them.
“The boys got to pick,” Ella said in exasperation. “I wanted to watch Moana.”
“You got to pick last time,” I gently reminded her.
The movie started, and I snuggled in closer to Remy as he draped an arm around my middle. I reached out to link my hand with Noah. This was exactly what I needed after the bombshell that had been dropped on me tonight.
Will had to bring in some of his own personal vehicles to the base for our use. They didn’t want to leave those remaining with no means of transport if they needed it for another mission or for their down time.
Remy pulled up in my jeep, and I gaped at it.
“We’re taking it?” I asked in barely concealed excitement. I had been tense all morning, and I hated the thought of not being able to see my siblings for Christmas. It didn’t help that Micah, Alex, and Ella were withdrawn and upset.
“Might as well start learning. We’ll have your license by January,” Remy gave me a lopsided grin as he got out of the jeep. He handed me the keys and a driver’s ed manual.
I slipped the manual into my laptop bag and went to put my bags in trunk. The trunk wasn’t the most spacious but it was enough to fit my bags and Remy’s.
“Can I come with?” Kade asked hopefully as he ran his hands over the vehicle.
“Are you sure you want to risk your life like that?” Noah joked as he came up behind me.
I balled up my fist and hit him on the shoulder. It hurt my hand more than it hurt him, but I wasn’t going to admit it.
He laughed heartily as he danced away.
“We’ll be fine,” I said confidently as I got into the jeep and inhaled the new car smell. Leather, fresh cut grass, brewing coffee, freshly laundered clothing, and new car were some of my favorite smells ever!
“How much do you know and what don’t you know?” Remy smirked at me.
“Gas, brake, turn signals, windshield wipers,” I said self-confidently as I indicated each area.
“Works for me. It’s a six-hour drive, so any time you want to take a break, let me know.” Remy adjusted the seat and leaned it back slightly. His long legs didn’t look the most comfortable and he took up some of my space, so it was a good thing I was petite.
Kade took the seat behind me, otherwise his legs would have been up to his chin due to the amount of room Remy needed. I looked back and gave him a smile before I did my pre-driving checklist. I watched people enough to know the basics.
I adjusted my seat, then my mirrors before fastening my seatbelt. “Will do,” I smiled as I did a little jig.
“You might need these,” Jace leaned into my open window and handed me a little gift bag.
I opened it up and saw a cute pair of aviator sunglasses in them. From the name brand, I knew they weren’t cheap. “Thank you.” I smiled widely. “When did you get these?”
He gave me a crooked grin. “I’ve had them. I just forgot to give them to you. It’s bright outside, and I don’t want the snow blinding you.”
I gave him another smile at his thoughtfulness.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Troy tapped the top of my jeep before he jumped into one of the Land Rovers.
“Snowboarding here we come,” Jemmy hollered as she threw her bags into another vehicle.
“Work first,” Terrance stated with a grin. He had already been grumbling about going from cold weather to even colder weather. He made it no secret that he was more of a sand and surf guy than a snow guy.
“We can’t work until the brains do their jobs,” Jemmy said smugly.
“Which you could probably do,” Gavin gently reminded her. “With your gift growing, you can probably do it in half the time.”
“Why would your gift be growing?” I asked tongue in cheek. “Did something happen that you didn’t share with the class?”
Gavin gave me a mock glare before he rolled up his window and stared intently out of the front windshield. Sierra gave me a small smile. Jemmy gave me a saucy wink before she got into the passenger seat of their vehicle.
I looked over at Remy. He shook his head as he rubbed his eyes. “No, no I didn’t know,” he insisted quickly, knowing what my question was going to be. “And quite frankly, I wish I didn’t know. She’s a brat but I still consider her my sister, and Gavin’s a great guy, but still no. Just no.”
I smiled at him, surprised by his revelation. I didn’t think any of the guys cared that Jemmy wasn’t exactly a saint before Gavin.
The chorus of all the engines starting rang out in the parking garage. I started mine and waited, maybe a little to cautiously, to join the procession out. I glanced up into the review mirror and saw the heavy gates close behind the last vehicle.
; Remy hooked up his phone to the auxiliary cord, and soon his alternative music began pouring from the speakers. He kept it at a low volume so I could concentrate on the road.
“You can go faster than twenty miles per hour,” Remy joked as he leaned forward to look at my speedometer.
“The roads look…slick,” I frowned at him.
“It hasn’t snowed in a few days, the roads should be clear,” Remy reached over and squeezed my thigh. “We can’t guarantee how it’s going to be there, though.”
“How did they even get that many cabins in such short notice?” I asked mystified.
Remy gave me a tolerant smile. “With Pop’s pull and Paul’s connections a lot of things can happen. I thought you’d notice that by now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Logically I understand that, but realistically it still blows my mind.”
Remy chuckled at me.
“Blows your mind,” Kade said wryly from the back seat. “I thought secret facilities hidden in the mountains were only in the movies, and the people with our abilities were only in comic books.”
“I think it was all hard for us to wrap our heads around it, especially if we didn’t grow up with gifted people,” Remy stated. He leaned over and looked at my speedometer once more. “When we get to the freeway, once you get up to the speed limit, we’ll practice with the cruise control,” he gently ribbed me.
“I’m trying,” I cried out in exasperation.
“At least she’s staying in the lane,” Kade joked.
“And she knows how to use her turn signals,” Remy added with a twinkle in his eyes.
Keep it up, I silently goaded Remy ...and I won’t be sharing your bed tonight.
You wouldn’t dare. He looked over at me with a raised brow.
Test me. I teased.
He huffed loudly.
“I thought we said no silent talking,” Kade said impudently.
I gave him a crooked grin and looked at him in the review mirror. “I don’t think promises were exactly made.”
“Some conversations shouldn’t be said in front of young ears,” Remy joked with him.
