Ungifted

by Kelly Oram

  “No one asked you to!” I shouted after him.

  I plopped down on the couch next to Russ, and Caleb immediately sat on my other side. He threw his arm over my shoulder and gave me a quick hug. “Don’t let him get to you, Grace. I think you’ve done everything perfectly.” He laughed and added, “Except for the part where you asked my brother out after saying no to me. Seriously, if you’re going to give him a chance then you have to give me a shot, too. It’s only fair.”

  I couldn’t deal with any more of this. I rubbed my aching head and let out a long sigh. “Can I ask you a question, Caleb?”

  “Only if it’s personal,” he teased.

  “Why are you so determined to go out with me?”

  I glanced quickly at Cynthia. She was listening very carefully with narrowed eyes. I knew she didn’t like her brothers hitting on me, and I hoped my next question didn’t upset her. “Cynthia said werewolves love a challenge, and also that they like to dominate weaker people. So do you keep hitting on me because you like intimidating me? Or is it because I said no?”

  I heard Russ choke on a laugh and looked around the room. Preston was watching me now with intrigue, and Ethan had come back in the room looking just as curious about the sudden change in conversation. Cynthia’s face was the one that bothered me, though. She was standing tall with her arms folded tightly across her chest, looking very smug while still managing to glare at Caleb. It made me think my guesses weren’t that far off.

  I looked back at Caleb and before I could chicken out said, “Because it makes me very uncomfortable and I’d like you to stop.”

  “Grace.” Caleb gave me a patronizing smile. “It’s because I really like you, and I’m not generally one to give up on what I want.”

  The line was too smooth. He was trying his best to win me over and blind me to his real motives. “Since when?” I asked. “We’ve gone to the same school for over a year and you’ve always treated me the same way everyone else does—like I’m a fly you need to shoo out of your face. You’ve always laughed and called me Disgrace along with everyone else, and suddenly I’m just supposed to believe that you honestly like me?”

  “Good for you, Grace,” Cynthia muttered. “It’s about damn time.”

  Caleb glared at his sister and then turned back to me, his smile long gone. “I never knew you until now. Cyn would never let me get close.”

  “Because I knew Grace was special! I didn’t want you to hurt her!”

  “So that’s why?” I asked Caleb. “Because you found out I’m different? That makes sense, I guess. I mean, you were teasing me and picking on me that day until you touched me. That’s when you changed.”

  “It’s not only that, Grace.”

  It didn’t matter. I had the answer I needed. It was the one I’d assumed all along, anyway. It wasn’t me Caleb liked. It was the fact that I was different. I was special, and winning me would be like winning a prize. He wanted a trophy.

  Caleb started to argue, but I didn’t need to hear any more of his excuses. I’d already lost interest so I changed the subject. “How am I different?” I addressed this question to the entire group. “You all keep saying I’m special—and it’s obvious something’s not normal when I touch people—but what exactly is it? What happens?”

  Apparently this question was the signal for us to have another powwow. Everyone gathered around and took a seat.

  “I’m not exactly sure how to explain it,” Cynthia said. “Being around you is very calming.”

  “You curb the wolf,” Preston said. “You neutralize the animal instincts. Wolves are by nature very high-strung and predatory. Our need to dominate, as you said earlier, doesn’t flare as much when we’re near you. When we touch, it’s practically gone. We’re even cut off from the pack mind.”

  “Pack mind?” I asked.

  “Sure, Grace,” Cynthia said. “I know I’ve made you read enough werewolf books to understand that one. I mean, it’s a little different, but the basic concept is the same. Our minds are all connected through our alpha. We can sense each other, and if we focus we can send specific thoughts. We can always feel and hear our pack.”

  “But when we touch,” Caleb said and pulled my hand into his, “that’s all gone—the pack, the instincts, and even our canine senses. I couldn’t know for sure, of course, but right now I feel almost human.”

  I gently pulled my hand back to my own lap. “Andrew said something like that, too—that I made him feel human. I’m surprised you all like that, though. Shouldn’t you be uncomfortable without all of your senses? Especially being wolves?”

  “It does go against the grain,” Preston said. “I wouldn’t like it for long.”

  “I would,” Cynthia grumbled.

  “But it’s kind of a nice break to be able to think for yourself and not be driven by instincts.”

  “What about you, Ethan?” Cynthia said. “Do you feel something, too?”

  “I’ve always felt connected to Grace, but I’m supposed to.”

  Ethan stopped.

  It got as silent as the grave for a minute, and Ethan expertly avoided Caleb and Preston’s inquisitive stares. “Oh, just tell them,” Cynthia said. “They can keep a secret, and they already know everything else.”

  “Tell us what?” Preston demanded.

  Ethan gave Cynthia a nasty look and then sighed. “I’m bonded to grace. I have a nephilim warrior’s bond.”

  Both of Cynthia’s brothers sat in shock for a minute, and then Caleb let out a long, low whistle.

  “Well, that explains a lot,” Preston said.

  “Does it ever!” Caleb shook away his disbelief and then smirked. “Word around school is that you’ve got it bad for little Gracie St. Claire.”

  When Ethan’s sour look was directed at me I grumbled, “What? It’s not my fault. You’re the one who follows me around all day.”

  “If all those idiots had any clue,” Caleb continued. “You hate each other and you’re bonded? That’s got to suck, man.”

  “How can you be sure it’s a warrior’s bond?” Preston asked. “Those are supposed to be myths. Maybe you’re just feeling what all of us are feeling.”

  Ethan and I both shook our heads.

  “I knew instantly, the moment I saw her for the first time. I was only ten and hadn’t even heard of a warrior’s bond yet, but I knew that’s what it was. I came into my powers overnight, fully developed, able to see auras, flight, angelic healing—all of it. I had natural fighting instincts; I only lacked the skill that comes with practice.”

  “Overnight?” Russ asked. I was surprised when he spoke up. He’d been so quiet since we got home.

  Ethan nodded, and though I couldn’t imagine what that was like, everyone—even Russ—looked very sympathetic.

  Ethan could see their pity and hurried the conversation on. “Anyway, ever since I’ve known her, and even when I’d never spoken to her yet, I felt this drive to protect her. I feel her all the time. I know her feelings. I have to be near her all the time. I have to know where she is and that she’s safe. It makes me…anxious to be away from her.”

  Ethan looked away for a minute and nobody commented on the blush in his cheeks. I’m sure we were both grateful for that.

  “That’s why I was so relieved to get this job. The pull to be there for her has gotten so much stronger lately. So have my powers. When Andrew attacked her, we actually discovered that we could communicate with each other in our minds.”

  “You can talk to each other?” Cynthia gasped. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  She was looking at me accusingly, but I didn’t have an explanation. It wasn’t something I felt much like discussing.

  “What about when you touch her?” Cynthia asked.

  Ethan shrugged. “It does feel different than other people, but how was I supposed to know that’s not normal for me? There’s not some kind of handbook for this. There’s nobody to tell me what’s all involved. I never knew Grace was special the way you
guys are saying. I only knew that there had to be a reason I was chosen to protect her.”

  “That’s the part that’s driving me crazy,” Russ said. “Why, when you have no connection to Dani at all, do you look just like her and do the exact opposite of her power? There has to be a connection, but there was only one prophecy. If Dani was meant to fulfill it, then what’s your purpose?”

  “What did you say?” Preston asked.

  “She has to have a purpose,” Russ repeated. “There’s got to be a reason for all this. I just can’t figure out what it is.”

  “No, I mean about being the opposite of your girlfriend.”

  “Oh.” Russ flinched when Preston said the word girlfriend, and we all noticed.

  “I mean the Chosen One,” Preston said apologetically.

  Russ cringed again. “Just call her Dani.”

  “Right. So what is she? How is Grace her opposite?”

  Russ sighed. “I only think that’s what Grace is doing. It sounds that way. Dani is something that has never existed before. She’s a brand new species of supernatural. Gabe and I called her the Chameleon.”

  “Gabe?” Cynthia asked.

  Russ rolled his eyes. “The Seer. Gabriel.” Russ stopped for a minute and grinned. “I bet the council would kill me for telling you that. Nobody’s supposed to know anything about him. They’re insanely paranoid.”

  Caleb and Preston exchanged a look that made me angry. They were excited to be getting secrets out of Russ. I hated that anything Russ said would go straight back to the resistance without his knowing it.

  “So what were you saying about Dani?” I asked.

  “That she’s a freak,” Russ teased. His response was automatic and a moment later his face turned hard, as if he only just realized that Dani wasn’t there to hear him tease her. “Dani physically becomes whatever type of supernatural she touches.”

  “A shape shifter?” Preston asked.

  “That’s what the council thought at first, too, but no. She doesn’t just take on their appearance; she actually becomes them. She has all the instincts, all the powers. It’s like she has every supernatural species inside her and when you touch her it brings your type to the surface.

  “So far she hasn’t been able to change to whatever she wants except once. She was a seer when the resistance attacked us, and she became a warlock all on her own in order to save my life. But she didn’t know how she did it, and she couldn’t do it again. I imagine someday she’ll be able to be whatever she feels like and the touching won’t matter.”

  It sounded reasonable enough to me, but to everyone else in the room it sounded impossible.

  “So you think that’s the opposite of me?” I asked. “How?”

  “Well, Dani becomes like whatever she touches, and whatever touches you becomes human, like you.”

  “You think we actually become human when we touch her?” Preston sounded skeptical at best.

  “You lose your power, don’t you? That’s what happens to me. Not only does my magic not work on her, but also when I touch her I don’t even have magic anymore. I can’t feel it. I can’t use it.”

  “Is that all you feel when you touch her, that your magic is gone?” Cynthia asked.

  Her question startled me. I’d just been agonizing over the same question because I hoped he felt a lot more. I prayed it wasn’t obvious on my face.

  “Not exactly,” Russ said slowly. “Touching her feels…very natural to me. I would assume it’s just because I was so used to Dani, and holding your hand is a lot like holding hers, except…”

  “Except what?” Ethan asked when Russ’s voice trailed off.

  Russ squirmed in his seat and then grabbed my hand. He sat there for a moment, soaking in whatever he was feeling, and then he took a deep breath. “You take the pain away.”

  “Pain?” I asked. I could hardly focus because I was holding Russ’s hand and it felt so nice.

  Russ looked at everyone else and asked, “Does she understand supernatural bonds?”

  All of us shook our heads.

  “All supernaturals have an energy force,” Russ told me. “We call them auras. This energy is what gives us our strength. We can’t live without it. We depend on this energy, and we’re drawn to it in others. That’s why supernaturals tend to stick together and leave the humans alone. Through this energy we are all connected to each other. We form bonds with those around us because we share our energy with one another. Essentially, by spending time with each other we’re sharing a part of ourselves and we’re gaining a part of someone else. It’s a natural occurrence.”

  “That sounds really nice,” I said. I was relieved to hear something good and happy about the supernatural. “I bet it makes your relationships with each other very strong.”

  Russ nodded. “More than you could probably understand. The bonds we form are permanent, nearly impossible to break.”

  I smirked at the Laytons. “I knew you guys all got along way too well for being brothers and sister.”

  All three of them rolled their eyes in sync, and it made me smile.

  “Most supernaturals,” Russ went on, “form lots of these bonds with lots of different people. But I grew up in a tiny town where my father, Dani, and I were the only supernaturals.”

  “Just you three?” Caleb asked. “How did you stand it?”

  “I’d never known anything different, and I always had Dani. Except now all that that means is that Dani and I have only ever bonded with two people—my dad and each other. It wasn’t a problem for my dad because he was already a fully developed supernatural when we moved, but Dani and I are different. Our bonds are unnatural. They’re too strong. The council said that our bonds are so overpowering that we can’t form any new ones. My body is rejecting all supernatural energy except for Dani’s and my father’s. That’s one of the reasons the Councilor tortured Dani. He dissolved her bonds.”

  Everyone was outraged by that. “They starved her of her energy?” Cynthia cried. “That’s not torture, it’s sadistic!”

  Russ had to take a moment to compose himself. When he spoke, his voice still shook with fury. “In a way, it helped her. She can form new bonds now. But they can’t do that with me. If they tried, it would just kill me. It only worked on her because she had just come into her power, and even then they got lucky.”

  “So wait. You’re saying your body rejects all supernatural energy unless it’s from Dani?” Ethan asked.

  “Or my dad.”

  “But that means if you’re not with them, then it’s like you’re—”

  “Starving to death slowly.”

  “Oh, Russ,” Cynthia whispered. Her eyes were glistening.

  I wished I understood better. I got what he was saying, but I had no idea what it felt like so I couldn’t empathize the way my friends could. This time, I was the outsider—not Russ.

  “So you’re in pain?” I asked.

  Russ shook his head. “Not really. Not yet. It’s only been a few days. We split up early Friday morning. But I feel it. Dani and I have hardly ever spent a day apart since we were three. When the council kidnapped her, we were separated for five weeks. I thought I was going to go crazy, but at least I had my dad. It’s happening a little faster this time, but not much. Right now I mostly feel anxious. I’m really restless. I feel like I should be looking for them.”

  Russ finally stopped talking, and we all just sat there. The mood was bleaker than it probably ever had been between all of us. I could feel the hopelessness of the situation.

  Eventually Russ snapped out of his thoughts and sighed. “But this?” He picked up my hand that was still linked with his and put the back of it to his cheek. “For some reason, you make it stop. Touching you takes the anxiety and the restlessness away. I don’t think I need Dani as long as I’m touching you. I still miss her, and I’ll never stop loving her, but I don’t physically need her. That’s what makes me think you’re turning us all human. It’s as if I don’t need supernat
ural energy. Like I don’t have those bonds.”

  I felt so many emotions right then. I was relieved that he didn’t always have to be miserable, and I was happy that I could be the one to help. I was filled with hope that if I could do that for him when no one else could, it might be reason enough for him to stay in D.C. for a long time. Close to me.

  But I was also confused after hearing how intimately he and Dani were really connected. They had this physical bond that could never be broken. He would always need her. I could never be enough for him.

  It broke my heart to hear him say that he would always love her, and I was angry with myself for feeling that way. I’d only known him for a couple days. I shouldn’t be so emotionally attached to him. It didn’t make sense.

  “It’s funny you describe it that way,” I said, trying not to linger on such a depressing train of thought. “That’s kind of what you do for me, too. All of you, I mean. When I touch any of you I feel something. I feel calmer. It’s just like you said, Russ. It takes away my anxiety and my restlessness. For a while now, I’ve felt really hollow. All of a sudden, my life the way it is isn’t enough. I feel as if something’s missing. I’ve just chalked it up to depression until now, but maybe it’s more than that because when I touch you guys, it goes away. You fill the emptiness.”

  “How long?” Russ asked. There was a look of suspicion in his eyes that didn’t make sense. “How long have you been feeling that way?”

  “I—I don’t know, exactly. A month. Maybe two.”

  “Six weeks,” Ethan said. When he realized he’d said that out loud, he blushed. “I noticed it right around your birthday. I thought maybe your dad had forgotten it or something.”

  “September twenty-third,” Russ said. “That’s your birthday, isn’t it? You turned sixteen.”

  He was right, but I knew we hadn’t had that conversation. “How did you know?”

  “It’s Dani’s birthday. That’s when everything started for her, too.”

  “They have the same birthday, too?” Caleb asked.

  Preston echoed his bewilderment. “What the hell is going on here?”