by S M Olivier
“They sound like great people, your Ma and Pa,” I said as I rifled through Lincoln’s cabinets. I felt weird for doing it, but Anna was his guest, and besides, he hadn’t kicked me out.
I was surprised to see that he had a vast array of kitchen gadgets. Gathering what I needed, I got right into browning sausage and rinsing vegetables.
“They were. They were a Godsend after dealing with the bios,” she stated as she drew in her sketchpad. “What about you? Who finally saved you from hell?”
I contemplated telling her the truth for a moment. “My music teacher, and later his friends and father,” I answered truthfully.
“Where’s your sister?” she asked. “You said you couldn’t leave without her.”
Even though her questions were invasive, it didn’t feel intrusive. I even felt a little bit of kinship with her. “My stepmother tried to sell her, and Pops was able to intervene and got her before she went to parts unknown. He knows a judge that was able to put her in Pop’s temporary custody until I reached eighteen. She’s now with me, us.”
Anna gasped. “How old is she?”
I smiled as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled until I found the picture of Ella, Alex, Micah, and Kade. “She’s the little blonde, she’s seven.” I turned the phone towards her. “Those are my other siblings.”
Anna smiled and looked at my siblings. “Umm you and the little boy look a lot alike but the other ones, not so much. Did they go through what you did?”
I vacillated. “It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” she stated as she handed me my phone back.
“Long story short, my biological mom spread her love a lot, and I didn’t find out about my other siblings until recently. They all have…unique stories, but we’re all together now,” I said as I sautéed the vegetables and sausage in a saucepan.
“I’m glad my bios didn’t have any more children, but a sibling or two that shared my blood would have been nice.” Anna sighed wistfully. “Ma and Pa have two bios and four adoptees. We all treat each other like siblings, but it’s not quite the same, you know. Two of my siblings never outgrew the system mentality, and the only time I hear from them is if they want money. I set up bank accounts for them in the beginning, but they drained them too quickly, and I realized I only enabled their bad habits. So, now I only give them money on occasion. I told them I could even get them jobs, but they aren’t interested in working.”
I snorted as I whisked some eggs. “If they want money, then they should work for it.”
She laughed. “Right? I even offered to get them an apartment and fly them out here, but they want to live with me, and I know how that’ll turn out. It’s bad enough Mutt and Jeff work for me and mooch off of me, but at least they are somewhat organized and useful, every now and then. Jeeves will have a fit if they are as messy, though. He’s already forced me to keep my mess contained to the inspiration room. So how are your siblings? How do they get along with your man meat? How often do you see them?”
I giggled and shook my head. I wasn’t going to tell them about my other unique situation. “They carry their own baggage, but they are amazingly resilient. Troy is amazing with them. They are with me permanently actually. In a way, I found a family, a tribe.”
“I want to come to visit,” she said impetuously.
I laughed uneasily. “I’m not sure when we’re going back. I’m sure we can work something out where you can meet them.”
There was no way I could tell her I lived in a top-secret government facility. That they would probably frown upon me having visitors.
I pulled out some of the sautéed vegetables and sausage.
“Do you have another job coming up?” she asked with a frown.
I shook my head as I poured the egg into the pan. “Not really. More like trying to finish a job we came out here for.”
Lincoln came into the kitchen with a guarded look on his face. “I’m going to get going, Anna.”
“Why?” she cried out plaintively. “You don’t have to see him until noon and Blake’s making us breakfast. I even got the coffee you liked.”
She hopped up and went to the coffee pot and grabbed a few cups down. “Blake, how do you take your coffee?” she asked.
“Sweet and light,” I answered feeling awkward as I continued to make an omelet. I could feel Lincoln scrutinizing me.
“I like it the same way too!” she cried out in enthusiasm. “Are you staying, Linc?”
“I guess I can,” he mumbled as he took a seat at the bar. “Now that I know I won’t get food poisoned by you. I won’t have to stop on my way in now either.”
Anna gasped. “One time. It was just once. How was I supposed to know that chicken wasn’t supposed to be pink? Pink is fine in steaks.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips.
“What?” she looked at me in innocence as she batted her eyes. “Who taught you how to cook?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
I looked towards Lincoln tentatively. I shrugged. “I read a lot. I had to take care of my sister, and we really couldn’t afford to eat out all the time. One of my friends is a great cook, too, so he’s been teaching me to expand on what I can cook.”
“One of your friends or one of your boyfriends?” Lincoln asked dryly.
I shot him an annoyed look. I wasn’t sure how much he would tell his friend about our conversation later on, so I decided to put it out in the open. Especially since he felt the need to call me out.
“Boyfriend, actually,” I said with an eye roll as I dropped some bread into a toaster.
Anna gaped at me. “You have more than one?”
Lincoln chuckled derisively.
I gave him another glare. “I have six actually.”
“You’re bull shitting me,” Anna snorted as she handed me my coffee, then Lincoln his.
“Nope,” I said matter-of-factly.
Anna looked at Lincoln, then me suspiciously. “Do they know about each other? Is this like one of those hippy commune things? Because I want in on that!”
I laughed self-consciously and shook my head. “No, it’s not like a hippy commune or anything like that, and yes, they all know about each other.”
“No explanations other than that?” Lincoln asked with simulated casualty.
I buttered the toast that just popped up and turned to look at him with a withering look. I really wish I could push my thoughts to him. I wish I could say. Do you really want to go there? Does she know about the secret you’ve been hiding from her?
His eyes widened for a moment before he said. “She’s well aware of what I am and what I’m capable of doing. She’s gifted too.”
My eyes opened in surprise as Anna gaped at me once more. “You heard me?” I asked in astonishment.
“You’re gifted?” Anna asked simultaneously.
He nodded. His eyes still narrowed on me. “I thought you said you were unable to use your gifts.”
“Yes,” I looked over at Anna before turning back to Lincoln. “I haven’t been able to, and I haven’t tried in a while honestly. Not after I’ve been getting sick.”
“You’ve been getting sick?” Anna asked with genuine concern. “What did you do? Did I miss something?”
“She’s been stealing my gift, and she just talked to me in my head,” Lincoln said, still giving me suspicious looks.
I sighed as I placed the omelet and toast in front of Anna before I started another one in the pan. I wasn’t hungry, but I pretty much already volunteered to cook for Lincoln. “I never stole his gift…” I paused, trying to figure out the best way to navigate the rest of the conversation. I turned and showed her the mark at the nape of my neck hoping she knew what it meant.
Anna gasped. “Shut the front door! She’s your connection,” Anna stated as she looked at Lincoln with accusation in her eyes.
“Don’t tell me you believe her?” he asked in disbelief.
“Why would she lie about something like that?”
Anna snorted.
He gave her a deadpan expression.
Anna sighed. “Okay, okay you’ve encountered some lunatics for sure, but this is Silvermist. I believe her. That’s a mark. I know it.” She slipped up behind me and lifted my hair. Her cold fingers traced the outline of my tattoo. She said with conviction, “She’s your connection.”
Chapter 11
“He still doesn’t believe me,” I stated dejectedly as I climbed into bed between Drake and Jaxson.
“How’d the visit go?” Troy asked as he handed me something that looked like soup and another sealed container.
“Well, I found out Anna is gifted, too. She’s capable of manipulating people’s dreams,” I said as I poked at the thin noodles and beef strips in the soup. “What is this?”
“It’s Pho,” Drake said with amusement. He leaned over toward the nightstand and started adding bean sprouts, green vegetables, sriracha, and some other sauces I couldn’t identify and a squeeze of lime. “It’s a Vietnamese soup.”
I opened my other container and saw the same exact combinations of condiments. I imitated what he just did before taking a tentative bite. I was not disappointed. Not that I expected to be—the guys always introduced me to good food.
“I don’t know what else to say or do,” I muttered miserably. “Anna made him take my number, but I don’t think he’ll be using it. He’s just so…hateful towards me.”
“Did he say or do something to you?” Remy nearly growled.
I thought about him asking me if I wanted a quickie. I shook my head. Remy didn’t need to know that.
I picked up a piece of meat with my chopsticks. “Nothing that you need to rip his head off for, just his attitude towards me.”
There was no way I was going to tell Remy about his proposition towards me. Remy would be thrown in jail tonight for assault; that I had no doubt of. He wouldn’t allow any man to disrespect me, connection or not.
“What do we do now?” Jaxson asked before taking a large bite of his soup.
“We can go home and be around the people we need to be around, just in case these physical ailments continue to plague us, or we can wait around here and hope Lincoln Hudgens comes around,” Jace said thoughtfully.
I sat there deep in thought for a moment. “We should take a vote,” I finally said. “If we all continue down this path, I think we would all prefer to be around our family and friends. I pleaded my case with Lincoln. The ball is in his court.”
“I want to go home,” Noah stated.
“Me too,” Jaxson agreed.
“The jet is on standby,” Remy added.
“I need to quickly touch base with Leo, but I’ll support whatever Blake feels is right,” Troy informed me as he handed me a summer roll.
“Home sounds good,” Drake admitted.
“Then majority has voted.” I nodded my head. “When can you talk to Leo? Can we get all the preflight ready by tomorrow morning?”
“I’ll call Leo and the crew tonight.” Troy nodded.
My phone started ringing, and Drake leaned over to look at it. “It’s Jemmy.” He sighed.
I groaned. “Has she been trying to call you guys as much as she was calling me?”
“More,” Drake said wryly. “I haven’t been answering her. You know how dramatic she can be.”
I reluctantly answered it. Might as well get it over with. “Yes, Jemmy.” I stuck her on speaker, so I wasn’t the only one to have to suffer through her dramatics.
“Why hasn’t anyone been answering me all day long?!” she cried plaintively.
“We’ve been kind of busy,” I said wryly.
“Too busy for me?!” she whined.
“Jemmy,” I sighed wearily. “Noah, Drake, Jaxson and I aren’t feeling the greatest right now, and I’m struggling with a lot.”
She harrumphed loudly. “I just wanted to let you know that we found out something. Something big!”
I set my food on the nightstand and leaned into Jaxson. He set his own bowl down and embraced me. He kissed the top of my head and placed one of his hands under my shirt. I loved his need to feel my skin. He was rarely content to just hold me when we were cuddling. He always had this thing with finding somewhere where his hands could touch my bare skin. I didn’t think he was even aware of it, and it wasn’t always done sexually.
“What’s that?” I asked knowing she was hoping for a more enthusiastic response.
She let out a loud sound of frustration once more. “Maybe I don’t want to tell you now.”
“Fine, then don’t,” I replied in monotone. Today had been mentally and emotionally exhausting. I didn’t feel like playing her games.
“You’re no fun,” she howled once more. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Cora was going through some old boxes of Steven’s. She ran across some interesting things, like his relationship with a girl when he was fifteen. She got pregnant. Her parents took her away to have the child. Steven signed the birth certificate, but he also signed over his rights. They found a whole bunch of photos of the child. Can you imagine being practically married to a man and he never even bothered telling you that he had a child and was still in contact with the mother? So now Cora and Beth know that’s why Cora couldn’t have any children. Steven already had one out there, so it lowered Cora and Beth’s odds of any future children with Steven. But he never told them any of this. Can you believe that?!”
I looked around the room and saw the guys seemed just as uninterested in her gossip as I was. It was mind-blowing for sure, and I felt terrible that Beth and Cora loved a man that had a secret love child, but at the end of the day, I had more pressing things to worry about. Like the loss of our gifts. This could have waited until we got home. It wasn’t vital for her to blow up our phones all day long.
I made some kind of noncommittal noise, and she saw it as an opportunity to continue her monologue. “The kicker is, his high school fling was Imala Hudgens.” She paused dramatically. “She was one of the girls that were produced in your grandmother’s experiments.”
Maybe I was too tired to think straight, but I knew I was missing something.
“Lincoln Hudgens’ mom. So, Lincoln Hudgens is Imala’s and Steven’s child?” Drake asked into the silence.
I gasped as everything connected. “He referred to his father as a sperm donor today, so I don’t think he knew anything about Steven keeping in touch with Lincoln’s mom.”
My stomach sunk. I still hadn’t forgiven myself over Steven’s death. I knew I hadn’t been directly responsible for it, but I still feel like I should have spoken up. I should have trusted my instincts. Maybe if I had, we could have prevented his death.
The day that we lost Steven, I hadn’t felt right. None of us had. All of us felt like something was off. If I had spoken up, maybe we would have all been more prepared.
“Why would he sign over his rights if he still held onto the pictures and kept in touch?” Jaxson asked mystified.
“I imagine their parents had a huge say in the matter. They were little more than kids, themselves,” Jace stated. “Steven knew she wasn’t his connected, and he wasn’t going to risk his own gifts for a decision he made as a teen.”
“How’s Beth and Cora taking it?” I asked with a frown. She wasn’t kidding when she told me it was a small world. What were the odds that both of our parents were the product of experiments?
“Beth is taking it decently, but Cora doesn’t seem too happy about it. She’s angry at him. Then she feels guilty for being angry at him. However, she seems to be clicking really well with Mr. Moore. They even went out on a date together,” Jemmy said in a scandalized tone.
“Well, they’re both single,” Drake said as he rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t it too soon?” Jemmy gasped. “Rachel doesn’t even seem to care.”
“Everyone heals differently,” Jace said dryly. “Is there any other pertinent information you have?”
“Cora said she will hold onto the box just in case Lincoln
wants the letters and emails his parents sent to each other,” Jemmy added drolly. She probably expected a more substantial reaction from us.
“I don’t know how that may help me convince him to make a connection,” I stated. “Other than the reminder him that his father wasn’t really a part of his life.”
“Have you talked to him?” Jemmy squealed. “What’s he’s like?”
“Let’s just say it didn’t go well. We’ll be home tomorrow.” I had to refrain from snorting.
“Is he coming back here?” Jemmy asked expectantly.
“Seriously, Jem,” Remy said dryly. “Your obsession is a bit concerning. Those lists are supposed to be a fantasy and a joke. You should be focusing more on your relationship with Gavin instead of a list of celebrities.”
Jemmy let out a loud groan. “Seriously, it’s just a joke. What has gotten into you guys lately?”
“Umm… I don’t know, maybe the fact that we’re all losing our gifts?” Jaxson said almost bitingly. “Thanks for your info, Jem. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Fine. Bye,” Jemmy grumbled.
“Do you think she’s happy?” I asked after she hung up. “Do you think she and Gavin will last?”
“I think she loves him, she just needs to grow up a little bit,” Drake stated as he set his own bowl down.
Troy stood up and clapped his hands. “So, what do we all want to do for the rest of the day? Do we want to go down to the boardwalk? Get some corndogs, boardwalk fries, frozen yogurt?”
“Could you have made that suggestion before I ate this whole bowl of pho?” Remy asked sardonically.
“Who are you kidding?” Jaxson asked as he jumped up with excitement. “That was only an appetizer for you. Let’s go.”
I looked down at my pajamas, the temptation to stay inside was strong. “Yeah, let’s go,” I said with determination. We needed to get out. We needed to take in a little bit of the sights before we headed back home tomorrow.
