Gifted Connections 01

by S M Olivier

  His proposal left me with so many questions. Were there so many people out there gifted that they had created a school for them? Since leaving the institute, I have never met anyone gifted until recently. “My stepmother would never allow it,” I said quietly as I examined my hands. The idea of leaving my life for a new one was exciting, especially since my sister could come with me, but I felt my initial excitement leave me.

  Mr. Jace took my hand reassuringly. “We’ve been working on that. You already planted the seed the other day in her head. Although, I don’t think you intentionally did it. We already had our lawyers fax over the paperwork, and we have an appointment with our judge this afternoon. We can have a car pick up your stepmom and by this afternoon you and your sister will be given care temporarily to my father. When you turn eighteen, you will be given guardianship of Ella.”

  I was speechless as so many feelings warred within. I didn’t know what to think or say. Could it be that easy? Could I leave this world behind so easily?

  “Breakfast is ready,” Drake called.

  I was glad for the time to consider this all.

  We had all filed into the dining room and started to eat the delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and toast. Everyone seemed to realize I needed more time as I quietly ate. I could see them all cast worried and questioning glances every now and then, but they seemed determined to give me the time and space I needed.

  I learned a lot just sitting there listening. It appeared Jemmy and Jax were seniors in high school like me. Drake and Noah were in their junior and senior year of college, respectively, but also worked for Knight’s as well. Remy owned a chain of restaurants throughout the US, and Troy was the head of a private security firm that worked mainly with famous and political clients. On the side, they all worked for the college in ‘recruitment.’ Apparently, they were paid handsomely to go scout and retrieve new gifted students. It explained why they all dressed expensively and traveled in expensive vehicles.

  Mr. Bell created the school and was a member of the board. They had a lot of gifted students attending the school; their parents were well off and were donors that helped fund the recruitment and scholarship program. I learned that sometimes gifted parents could give birth to a nongifted child. I also learned that sometimes non-gifted parents could give birth to a gifted child. Which seemed to be the case for Remy, Drake, Jemmy, Noah, and Troy; they had even been temporary wards of Mr. Bell (who insisted I call him Will) at one point in their lives.

  It made me soften towards him. Maybe his earlier blunders with the institute had taught him some compassion for the orphans. They all seemed to look at him as a father figure and still treated his home in New York as their home away from home. Some of them had living parents, but they couldn’t admit that their children had gifts. In fact, that’s why they had been sent away to the school to begin with.

  They were reminiscing about some of their past escapades as teenagers when I finally spoke up. “When is our appointment with the judge?”

  Will gave me a smile. “Four o’clock.”

  “Can we go by my…place beforehand to pick up some stuff for me and Ella?” I asked.

  “That’s not necessary,” Will said. “We plan to leave by tomorrow evening, so that will give you plenty of time to go shopping with Jemmy.”

  “There are some things we would want that’s irreplaceable,” I stated. “Plus, I really don’t need to go shopping. I have plenty of clothes for us.”

  “Your clothes won’t work at our new school. We wear uniforms, but you need some play clothes and that baggy crap you have won’t work,” Jemmy said without malice.

  “I really don’t have the cash to throw around,” I said belligerently.

  Remy reached out and covered my hands with his large hands. “I know how you feel,” he said quietly. “If it makes you feel better you can work part-time at one of my restaurants. It’s five minutes away from campus so you can catch a bus to it. Work twenty hours a week until you graduate, and I will pay them back.”

  Looking into his blue-grey eyes, I felt like he truly did. He had street smarts about him that none of the others had. A little bit of seriousness that made me believe his life was probably the most like mine.

  I knew twenty hours a week wouldn’t cover the spending Jemmy would more than likely want to do, so I was torn.

  “Once you’re comfortable with your powers, and if you’re interested, you can always come work for Knights as well. I’m sure the guys and Jemmy wouldn’t mind an additional member of the team,” Will suggested.

  I nodded reluctantly. It couldn’t be as bad as working half naked for tips. I told myself it wasn’t complete charity if I would work it off later.

  “I generally go to the restaurant on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,” Drake said quietly from across the table. “You can catch a ride with me if you would like?”

  “I guess that can work,” I said, hesitantly. There were so many things going on in my life all at once.

  “Excellent,” Will clapped his hands. “It’s settled then.” He handed Jemmy a credit card. “Don’t go overboard with your own personal purchases,” he gave her an indulgent smile.

  Jemmy smiled wide. “You know me so well, Pops.” She winked at him then grinned at me. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  “You’re an open book; it’s not that hard to know your actions,” Drake muttered with a small smile.

  “She’s not a doll baby, so take it easy on her,” Noah warned.

  At Jemmy’s expression, all the guys started laughing.

  I leaned back in my chair and realized I had only known these people for a brief period of time—if you didn’t count Mr. Jace being my teacher and my mental connection with Jax—but I felt like I fit in somehow. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Chapter 8

  I felt a churning in my stomach as Mr. Jace, Will, Jax, Remy, and I headed over to my stepmom’s trailer. That feeling of embarrassment engulfed me once more as we pulled into the park. Jax and Mr. Jace had controlled expressions on their faces since they had already seen how we had lived. Remy looked grim, but Will looked positively angered.

  “Is this how Roger had you living? Where he was hiding you?” he asked, his jaw clenched.

  “No,” I said quickly, a little perturbed that he would think my dad…my uncle… would have me living in these conditions. “We moved around a lot, but we always stayed somewhere nice. When he was killed, he had us in a beautiful four bedroom, three bathroom house. We had an inground pool and lived in a respectable neighborhood.” I cleared my throat, fighting the emotions warring in me. “Heidi, my stepmom, stopped paying rent on it and we ended up moving in with her mother.”

  When we pulled up in front of the trailer Jax and Mr. Jace exited the vehicle with me. “You guys can stay here,” I said with a shake of my head.

  “We don’t want you by yourself with her,” Jax said clenching his jaw.

  “I’ve been by myself for years,” I said obstinately. When he looked like he wanted to argue I held my hand up. “Please. Let me do this.”

  Reluctantly, he nodded.

  I took the stairs up to the dilapidated porch and prayed that this would be the last time I ever had to come here. I really didn’t need much; just a few mementos. I needed my notebook full of music I had created over the years, my money, the picture of my dad/uncle, Ella’s first baby blanket, a few snapshots I had of myself and Ella, and a few other things I knew Ella would want.

  I was surprised to see that the house was eerily quiet. There was no television blaring or sounds of any movement. I wrinkled my nose in disdain as I looked around the tiny trailer. I had only been gone for a day and a half, but it looked like it had been a lot longer. The trailer was in total disarray; trash, food, dishes, drugs, alcohol bottles, beer cans, and more paraphernalia was strewn everywhere. Gingerly, I made my way to my room and pulled the trunk out of the closet. Everything I really wanted was in
here. I just needed to add a few items.

  I grabbed my money first and stuffed it down to the bottom. I then started collecting the new items I had just got Ella; she would be hurt if I forgot them.

  If I hadn’t been so self-absorbed and focused, I would have heard the heavy footsteps in the hallway.

  “Well, well, well, look what the cat drug in,” a familiar voice drawled behind me. My skin instantly crawled.

  I hastily turned and took a step back. “Stay away from me,” I hissed with false bravado. “My friends are right outside, and I will scream.”

  He laughed humorously. “I saw, that’s why I parked down the street and came through the back door.”

  “Where’s Heidi?” I tried to look past him.

  He crossed his arms and shrugged. “I sent her to get a pretty little dress, after all, we have to impress the judge so we can convince him you belong here with us.”

  I snorted. “I don’t belong here anymore, neither does Ella,” I said pointedly.

  He gave me a mock look of hurt. “But things were going to get better. A whole lot better.”

  I saw him leering, and I wished I hadn’t let Jemmy convince me into borrowing one of her sundresses for the appointment with the judge. Even with the thick wooly cardigan thrown over it, the dress was a lower cut than I normally wore, showing a significant amount of cleavage, and the skirt of the dress was almost mid-thigh. I had no clue how Jemmy wore it with her extremely long legs. It also hugged me in ways I hadn’t let any outfit fit since I turned twelve, with the exception of my work uniform.

  I was too preoccupied with trying to hide my exposed skin that I didn’t realize Tom had leapt across the room to shorten the distance between us. I felt the back of my head connect hard with the top rail of our bunk bed. One of his hands slammed over my mouth while he roughly embraced me.

  I was seeing white stars behind my eyelids as I tumbled to the ground, his whole body following. The wind was knocked out of my body and I couldn’t move. I tried to desperately draw air into my lungs, but his hand prevented it. His large hand covered my mouth and nose. His entire body weight crushed down on me.

  I was finally able to work my teeth into the meatiness of his palm. I bit down with all my might, tasting the metallic bitterness of his blood in my mouth. I didn’t have long to celebrate the little freedom I thought I may have. Before I could try to dislodge him from me, he struck me hard across the face. My head bounced off the ground once more; the pain in my head was blinding.

  “You stupid bitch,” he hissed at me. “If you would have just given it to me willingly I would have been gentle. I could have taken care of you. I would have moved you into my condo and treated you like a queen.”

  He moved one of his meaty hands around my throat. I could feel myself slowly suffocating.

  I was vaguely aware of feeling the cool air on my thighs and hearing the sound of my panties ripping as he impatiently tried to take them off.

  I tried to buck him off, but his grip on my throat only tightened. I felt the fight leaving me and blackness closing in.

  “Help me,” I gasped from within.

  I don’t know how long I was out. I woke up with something over my nose and mouth, fresh oxygen filtering in. I was gently embraced in strong arms; citrus and leather engulfed my senses, and I immediately relaxed. I slowly blinked and tried to find my bearings. I was in the back of an ambulance, that was for sure. I looked out the doors and saw no less than four police cars. I saw Will talking to a police officer, gesturing angerly toward the ambulance and one of the squad cars. I could see Remy sitting in the rear of the Land Rover. The hatch was up, and he was hunched over; his normally perfect hair was in disarray, and it looked like his knuckles were busted open. I looked over to my right and saw Jax gently resting a hand on my leg. To my left was an EMT.

  She had kind, sympathetic eyes as she attempted to smile at me. “There you are.” She gently placed a stethoscope on my chest, and I tried not to flinch.

  Jax looked up sharply, and I felt a gentle squeeze from behind. Jax attempted to smile at me, but I could see the anger and pain in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  I tried to answer but there was too much pain for me to even attempt it. I shrugged instead as the breathing apparatus was removed from my face.

  “We’re going to take you to the hospital to finish your testing,” the EMT stated. “So, one of you guys need to flip a coin because only one of you can ride along.”

  “What testing?” I finally rasped.

  She looked uncertainly between Mr. Jace and Jax. “We need to make sure there’s no permanent damage to your airways, and make sure you didn’t suffer a concussion because you have some contusions on your head and face. And since your clothes are in disarray and your undergarments are non-existent, a SAK is required.”

  I looked at her raising my eyebrows.

  She understood my unspoken question. “Sexual Assault Kit.”

  I immediately stiffened. Had I been raped?!

  “She wasn’t raped,” Mr. Jace growled. I had never seen or heard him so angry. “Like we have told the police several times, we were able to get to her before the scumbag even removed his pants.”

  “Nevertheless, it’s still standard protocol and you can’t be certain he hadn’t assaulted her in other ways.” She seemed apologetic but was unwilling to risk her job.

  I looked up at Mr. Jace. “Ella? Judge?” I rasped out.

  He looked at me with tenderness. “Drake and Jemmy are getting Ella and are heading over to court right now. Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of it.”

  “Not going back,” I said adamantly.

  Will came over to the rear of the ambulance; his eyes reflecting pain and anger as well. “Don’t worry about that, dear. I just called the judge. He will meet us at the hospital after he meets with your stepmom and Ella. By tonight, you will both be safe.”

  The thing about being a victim is you don’t only feel victimized by the original person that assaulted you. I continued to feel like a victim as I was forced to go through invasive procedures to prove I wasn’t sexually assaulted. Several pictures were taken of the bruises incurred by the assault. Then I had to talk to police officers, followed by child protective services. All I wanted to do was get out of there and take a long, hot shower. I felt like I could still smell and feel him all over me.

  I was glad Will had the forethought to call his lawyer. He was able to get CPS away from me before they set up arrangements for me to be taken from my “unsafe environment.”

  I was relieved when the hospital said I could be released, and the Judge was waiting for me to sign paperwork. Reading over the paperwork, I looked up stunned at Will.

  “You paid her to sign over her rights to me,” I asked, both angered and shocked.

  He gave me a placating pat and a shrug. “Your father’s will had her receiving a monthly allotment of one thousand two hundred dollars until you reached eighteen. She wasn’t going receive it anymore in three months, but she seemed to be under the impression you would continue living with her and helping her out once the rest of the inheritance was given to you. It’s a small price to pay to ensure you are safe.”

  “And Ella,” I mocked. “How much did you pay for her?”

  I didn’t know who I was angrier at: Heidi or Will. Ella and I weren’t cattle to be purchased. I wanted us to get away from Heidi, but I didn’t want to be further in debt to the Bells. Connection or no connection.

  The Judge took a seat next to me and looked at me directly. He reminded me of a kind grandfather with his grey hair, glasses, and kind blue eyes. After Dad passed away, I remembered going to the park by myself and watching the other kids play. I was the smelly kid with the clothes that were threadbare and didn’t fit. No one wanted to play with me.

  Occasionally, there was a kind grandma or grandpa that would come with their grandchildren, and they would encourage their grandkids to play with me. Most of the young parents were afr
aid my smell would wear off on their kids or worried my rat nest hair had lice in it that their kids would catch.

  “Hi, Blake. My name is Judge Myer. It’s great to meet you. I’m sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances. Ella was very happy that you guys were being placed in Will’s care. She didn’t even blink an eye when your stepmother started crying and saying she wanted you guys to stay with her. After today’s events, you wouldn’t be able to return to her. She endangered both of you by bringing,” he cleared his throat as if he had a nasty taste in his mouth, “that man into the house. The police also gathered enough illegal substances in the house to have her tangled up for a while. If you’d like, we can turn you over to CPS until you age out of the system, but either way your sister’s guardianship is final until you reach your majority.” He gave me a sympathetic smile. Then he gave Will a severe expression. “I’m sure in your mind you thought you were doing the right thing, but Blake is old enough that you probably should have given her a little respect and let her know all the details of the paperwork instead of blindsiding her. You always were a steamroller,” he said sternly, but with a small smile on his lips; indicating to me that they had known each other for some time. “A decision needs to be made, Blake.” He looked at me expectantly.

  He handed me the paperwork and I reluctantly signed it. “I’m not getting separated from Ella, and I’m not going back into the system.”