I concentrate on the icy tendrils of air gliding over my body, tossing my hair, and turning my cheeks red. I can see the wind only in the way if effects everything around it. Just like Mason. Even before my family could see or hear Mason, he changed them. He changed me.
The wind around me suddenly alters. Instead of floating past me in scattered whorls, it wraps itself around me. Its icy touch is strangely reassuring. I stop shivering and open myself up to its embrace. I don’t know if this is what I need to happen in order to warn Mason, but it’s something.
I push away my wandering thoughts and focus solely on Mason. As my focus grows stronger, the air wraps in closer around me. I feel it ripple over my skin in tiny waves then press in tightly. I keep thinking about Mason, about how much I miss him and want him to be safe. I don’t try to speak yet, though I’m not entirely sure why. I can feel that it isn’t time yet. Somehow, I’ll know when it is.
The air sweeps over me in a rush, suddenly, and I gasp. When my lips part, the wind rushes into my body. My lungs expand hungrily and more air rushes in. The wind fills me until I’m sure I will burst, and then suddenly it all flows out of me in a long, quiet breath, drawing the words of warning along with it.
“Mason, the Sentinels are coming,” I whisper. “Please be careful.”
As soon as the last syllable passes my lips, the air around me rushes away. The sudden lack of cold air pressing against me leaves me warm. It’s a strange sensation, one that makes me smile. It lasts long after the wind goes back to whipping around me at random. I feel confident that whatever just happened was exactly what Robin’s grandmother meant for me to do, but I still feel like I am in the middle of a bad case of the flu.
The cold air does seem to be helping, though, so I stay put on the bench and breathe it in slowly. I honestly don’t know how long I sit there just breathing and not thinking at all. It’s a miracle I don’t fall asleep. The lingering fear that Sentinels are never far away keeps me from letting my guard down completely.
The shadows have grown long by the time all the tight and aching muscles in my body begin to unwind. I slowly pull my coat around me more tightly and sigh. I know we aren’t anywhere close to being safe yet, but the easing of my physical pain at least promises that Mason heard me.
Feeling drained, but better than I have all day, I know I should get up and go home. A snap from behind me jerks me up to sitting. My heart starts to race even though I don’t see anything. Maybe that’s why.
I search every tree and shrub for signs of a dog scampering through, a squirrel, a bird, anything. Maybe it’s just too cold for any animals to be out and about, but what made the noise? My hands start to quiver as my heart rate skyrockets. Only a moment ago, exhaustion filled every inch of me. Now, I am alert and as still as a held breath. It takes enormous effort to slowly force myself up to standing.
My eyes scan the entire park as I slowly turn in a circle. As I do, my hands dive into my coat pockets in search of my keys. My breathing stutters when I don’t feel them resting in the pocket where I placed them earlier. I can’t stand the thought of looking down and pulling my gaze away from possible dangers, but I have no choice. Knowing they can’t have gone far, my eyes dart down to the grass beneath the bench.
Another shot of panic seizes me. I don’t see them! I am so terrified that a Sentinel is on the verge of grabbing me that I drop to my knees. My eyes snap back up to trees around me while I search blindly with my hands. The crispy grass feels sharp under my fingertips, but I keep searching. The sound of snapping twigs topples me over. I land on my backside, breathing heavily as fear drenches me from head to toe.
The hint of a shadowed movement to my right makes me cry out. I slap a hand over my mouth immediately after and scramble back against the meager protection of the bench. Another snap to my left sends me scrambling again. The view is empty, but a sharp jab piercing my right palm makes me gasp. My fingers close and I slowly drag my hand back through the grass. I nearly break down in tears at the sight of my keys sitting placidly in the palm of my dirty hand.
I want to bolt for my car, but I force myself to stand slowly and scan my surroundings. Nothing moves. Not a single sound breaks the quiet. I take a step back, and another. For the briefest of moments, I think that maybe I imagined the snapping twigs and shadows. I hope I just imagined it. I take another step back.
Black-gloved fingers stretch around the trunk of an old pine tree. My hand clamps down over my mouth, smothering a scream. The fear that I am surrounded keeps me from running. I watch in terror as the fingers turn into a black-clad arm. The face I fear more than anything on this earth emerges from behind the tree and I can’t stop myself from screaming.
All sense of reason abandons me as I turn and make a run for my Jeep. I don’t look back. I can’t. My legs carry me across the little park at a manic speed. I slam into the Jeep door in a panic and struggle to make my gloved fingers unlock the door. Tears are streaming down my face by the time I finally yank it open. I launch myself into the seat and slam the door shut behind me, frantically jamming my finger into the lock button repeatedly.
Fumbling through getting the engine started, I can’t stop myself from looking out the window. The sight of the scarred Sentinel standing silently next to the tree where he first appeared makes me shrink in on myself. He never even moved! Fear settles in permanently as I realize he was just toying me, trying to terrorize me.
I screech away from the park in tears, because it worked. I am trembling when I finally reach my house. I hate the way I bolt out of the Jeep and run for the front door. I know he isn’t following me, but I can’t stop the fear from taking over. I burst through the front door, spin to shut and lock it behind me, and slide down it to the floor in a heap.
“Olivia?” Evie’s voice probes quietly. Her head pokes around the door and her eyes widen in fear. “Hayden!” she screams. “I found Olivia! Get down here!”
Two seconds later, Evie is clobbering me with as big of a hug as she can manage. I throw my arms around her body and cry into her shoulder, nearly hysterical.
“What happened?” Evie’s muffled voice begs.
“Olivia!” Hayden calls out as he drops to his knees beside me. He yanks me out of Evie’s grip in one smooth motion and cradles me in his arms. “What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
My hands curl around Hayden’s jacket as I sob into his chest. I try to breathe, to stop crying and think rationally, but I can’t manage it. I bury myself in Hayden’s embrace and will away the fear seeing that man again inspired. It feels like hours before I am finally able to pull back.
“Olivia, what happened?” Hayden begs.
“He found me,” I manage to say through trembling lips. “He found me at the park.”
Hayden’s and Evie’s eyes widen. “The stalker?” Hayden demands.
Evie’s expression begs the same question, even more fear behind her eyes because she understands what Hayden does not.
When I nod, rage lights up Hayden’s eyes. His words barely slip through his clenched jaw. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” I say as I try to dry my tears. “He just stood there watching me. He didn’t even try to come after me when I ran. He just watched me go.”
Hayden curses under his breath, but pulls me closer to his chest. To Evie, he says, “Go call your parents right now and tell them to contact the police.”
Evie jumps up and scurries into the kitchen. I hear her voice a moment later, hating the panic I hear in every word. Knowing that my mom will want to talk to me, and that the police will be here soon to search the area and get a statement, I try very hard to calm my hysteria and think clearly. Oddly, Hayden’s presence is the first calm thought I can manage.
I want to ask. I’m sure he’ll tell me he was worried and came to check on me, but is that the truth? In this sudden moment of silence, I can’t stop my mind from wandering back to my conversation with Robin’s grandmother. Why was she so concerned about Hayden giving m
e the book? I don’t want to doubt him, but I can’t get rid of the nagging suspicion Robin’s grandmother planted in my mind, either.
Chapter 16
Justify
(Mason)
I hear giggling all around me. Two preteen girls and two little boys being involved in the game makes it impossible for perfect silence, but I smile and try not to let it distract me. As I increase my focus, the sounds of the Parker children slowly fade away.
Breathing slowly, eyes closed, I extend my power out to the air around me. My first instinct is to pull it all to me. I want to hold it, feel it, and keep this extension of myself as close as possible. That isn’t the point of the game. It goes against my instincts, but I forcefully push my power out from my body and let it mix with the chilly wind blowing through the Parker’s backyard.
I am instantly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of sensory information. My mind reels as heights, speeds, and directions slam into my thoughts. I struggle to figure out what all of this information even means, but the onslaught is too much to process. I feel as if I am tumbling along with the wind, completely unable to get my bearings.
“Narrow down your focus,” Conner whispers from behind me. “You can’t try to follow every gust of wind.”
I want to ask him how, but I know I need to be able to troubleshoot on my own. I don’t know where I’ll be in a few days, but I may find myself with a family not as capable at teaching me as the Parker’s are. Taking his words into my center, I attempt to rein my power in. I’m not prepared for its rebellious nature. It doesn’t want to be calmed and focused. It seems pleased to run free and tangle in the trees and grass.
Gaining control takes time, a long time. My brow is beaded with sweat by the time I finally have my power under control. The narrow ribbon of air locked tightly between my hands squirms and struggles to get loose, but I refuse to give it up. The battle between me and my power rages for several long moments before it finally falls compliant.
“Good,” Conner says quietly, “now direct it where you want it to go.”
That is easier said than done. Molly has walked me through picking a lock, but that involves a tiny tendril of air and a very confined space. Guiding my power through the backyard as I search for the younger Parker children is something different altogether. At first, all I can do is push the air out blindly, yanking and pulling on it until it runs into something. Once it makes contact, the challenge is to figure out what it ran into by feeling with the air. I slowly pull back from a tree and refocus on moving the air.
As I work, controlling and directing the air with my power becomes more natural. Instead of lurching and shoving, the gentle movements of my hands guide the stream of air around a plastic play fort.
The longer I hold onto the air, the more I can feel through it. I sweep it along, searching, until I pass by an area that is warmer than the rest of the air. Hoping I’ve found someone, I thin out the stream of air I am controlling so it is barely more than a breeze. It rolls forward slowly, catching every subtle change in the temperature. I pull the air up over the top of the warmth and down the other side, and then circle it and smile.
I can feel the tiny vibrations of laughter as the air under my control tickles Danny, the youngest Parker. With a quick flick of my power, I wrap him up in air. Danny squeals in delight as his toes leave the ground and he starts bobbing back toward me.
Conner chuckles as he steps forward and plucks his little foster brother out of the air. “You’re out, little man.”
Danny giggles again. “That was fun! Do it again!”
“Later,” Conner says. “Mason still has a few more kids to round up.”
Danny plops down on the crinkly grass at our feet, more than willing to wait for another turn. I smile at his enthusiasm and close my eyes. One by one I locate each player. Little Jack is the hardest to find. I almost miss him a second time, but the subtle vibrations of the slow, deep breaths of a sleeping child finally catches my attention. I smile as I gently lift Jack and float him back to the waiting arms of Amber.
Opening my eyes, I look over at the little guy who is still fast asleep. I glance at Conner and laugh. “I guess he got tired of waiting for me to find him.”
Conner shakes his head. “No, that’s his usual tactic. Jack pretty much always wins.”
“Clever little guy,” I laugh.
The question forming on my lips gets cut short when Danny slams into my leg. “Again! Again!” he begs.
Conner eyes him, the reprimand clear in his expression. “Danny, let Mason rest for a few minutes. He’s not doing this just for your entertainment.”
The disappointment in Danny’s pouting lip is just too much. “It’s fine,” I say, “besides, I need as much practice as I can get.”
Shrugging, Conner says, “All right, if you’re up for it.” He turns to the rest of the kids and hitches his thumb over his shoulder. “Round two!”
Squeals and giggles of delight follow the younger children, including Jack, who woke up at the mention of playing again. Conner looks over at me and asks, “Do you need my help again, or are you good?”
“I think I’m good. Thanks, Conner.”
He nods and hurries off to hide with the others.
I close my eyes and begin refocusing my power so I can call it to me. It will take me a few minutes, but that only gives everyone more time to hide. Someone is still giggling by the time I turn around, but I don’t send my power off after them right away. There is a closer presence I want to take care of first. In a rush, I send the air sharply down at me feet. The answering yelp makes me laugh.
Without opening my eyes, I say, “You thought I wouldn’t be able to differentiate between your body heat and mine, didn’t you, Shane?”
He grunts and huffs in irritation. “You’re not supposed to be that good at this yet.”
I laugh and immediately tune out the rest of his complaining. Next, I go straight for the giggler, Danny, and sweep him up into the air. He roars with laughter as I tug him back to me. I can’t help smiling at this happy little boy. I am half tempted to carry him upside down the rest of the way, but a sudden and inexplicable chill runs through my entire body, breaking my concentration.
My eyes snap open to see Danny tumbling to the ground. I cringe as he drops the two feet and smacks down on his backside. I take a step toward him to make sure he’s okay just as a wave of dizziness hits me. I stumble to the side, barely keeping my feet under me. I swear I hear someone say my name, but when I look around no one is close enough to whisper like that. I see Conner and Shane running toward me, but I shake my head and try to clear away the disorientation.
A blast of air hits me square in the chest and I toppled over. The back of my head smacks into the hard ground, but I don’t feel the pain right away. The voice whispering in my ear distracts me from everything else.
Mason, the Sentinels are coming. Please be careful.
Olivia’s voice bounces around in my head, stealing my ability to breathe or think. I lurch up, desperate to find her. I only make it halfway before black spots erupt in front of me and I fall back. I have to find her! I struggle again to get up to my feet, but half a dozen pairs of hands press me back to the ground.
“Olivia!” I shout. My hands push out blindly, trying to get everyone off me. “Olivia, where are you? Olivia!”
Panic rises in me like a black wave. The weight pressing down on my chest seems to double, stealing my ability to breathe. I gasp in hysterical breaths, reaching out blindly with my hands and power alike. I have to find Olivia! I strike out, and suddenly the weight bearing down on me disappears. I spring up from the ground and stumble into a tree. One hand presses against it to steady myself as I search the backyard for some sign of Olivia.
“Olivia!” I call out again.
A clatter of noise spins me back toward the house, but instead of finding Olivia, I see Mr. and Mrs. Parker bolting through the back door in a panic. I scramble away from them on instinct, afraid they w
ill try to stop me from finding Olivia. I only get two steps before a body crashes into me from behind and we both topple to the ground.
“Olivia’s not here!” Conner shouts.
“I heard her voice! She’s here somewhere!”
I struggle against Conner, but Shane adds his weight to the pile and shoots down any chance of escape. “Dude, she’s not here. It’s just her voice. Quit freaking out! You’re scaring the little kids,” Shane says.
I and see Danny sitting in Amber’s lap, rubbing his skinned elbow as tears run down his cheeks, as well as the scratches across Sasha’s cheek. The fight drains out of me instantly. I realize I must have caused the damage when I threw everyone off me. Fear is still running rampant through my mind and body, but I lift my hands from the ground in surrender.
It takes a moment for Shane and Conner to give in and let me up, but after a few slow heartbeats they ease off me and I lurch up to sitting. Mr. and Mrs. Parker crowd in around us expectantly. Everyone looks to me for answers. Unfortunately, I don’t have them.
“I heard Olivia’s voice. She has to be here somewhere,” I say, more hope than ferocity behind my words now.
“She’s not here, man,” Shane says. “You heard her voice on the wind, that’s all.”
My brow furrows. “I heard what?”
Conner rubs his forehead, suddenly looking worried. “Escorts can contact their Aerlings by speaking to the wind. The air delivers the message.” He glances over at his foster parents and they share a look. When he turns back to me, he looks pained. “Normally, this type of communication would only be used if the situation was dire.”
Mrs. Parker places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “What did Olivia tell you?”
The sound of her voice was so powerful inside my head that it was all I could think about. The message was secondary to finding her. I wanted to be near her so badly I let it drown out everything else. Shaking my head, I dredge up the words that set off my panic.
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