The Naturals Trilogy

by Madeline Freeman

  “I’m sorry,” Corbin said. He looked up at Morgan. To his credit, his gaze was devoid of pity. After a moment, he spoke again. “I invited Clare out to the party tonight.”

  Morgan raised an eyebrow. “What party?”

  “The party Kellen and Tesin and Wen invited you to last night,” Corbin said matter-of-factly. “You’re right—you shouldn’t go alone. And now I’m giving you a way to have Clare there. And me.”

  “Yeah? How do you plan on that happening?”

  Corbin smiled. “That’s easy. When Kellen calls you, you’ll call me with the details. I’ll call Clare and she’ll ask if she can invite you.”

  “What, you think you’ve got me all figured out now or something?”

  “Not even close,” Corbin admitted. “I just wanted to help.” After a minute, he added tentatively, “What did you see?”

  Morgan sighed. “More than I ever wanted to.”

  “Oh, come on,” he pressed.

  Morgan threw her hands up. “You’re… kind of unsure of yourself. You’re not really good in school or basketball, like your older brother was… You don’t mean to flatter everyone… it’s just the way you are. You like making people feel good about themselves.”

  Corbin shrugged. “Well, yeah—”

  Morgan cut him off. “But you also realize that by making people feel good about themselves, you can get away with things more easily.” She closed her eyes. “And… you—thought about kissing me. The night of your party.” She looked at him. “Like, full-on. And that’s nothing compared to what went through your mind about Ris.”

  Corbin shifted uncomfortably but didn’t look away. “Sorry. What can I say? I’m a guy.”

  Morgan rolled her eyes. “What I don’t get,” she said, “is why you don’t do anything about it. I mean, clearly you like her. You’re not dating anyone—even though you totally could be. You know there are at least a half dozen girls into you. You’re most definitely not gay.”

  He shrugged. “I dunno. It’d be kinda weird, me and Clare dating. I mean, she’s got her friends, I’ve got mine.”

  Morgan groaned. “You sound just like Joss.”

  “Joss. It’s weird to hear you call Lynna that.”

  “Not really. Her real name is Jocelyn. She wanted an –a name after she started hanging out with Marya and Shayna. So they’d all match. She said she thought Joss sounded like a boy’s name.” Her lip curled. “Everything she does is to fit in and be popular.”

  Corbin shook his head. “That’s not fair. I’m not like that.”

  Morgan shrugged. “Maybe not entirely. But you’re enough like that.”

  Corbin didn’t seem to have anything to say in his defense. After a few minutes of silence, he cleared his throat. “Well… we should probably get going, then.”

  Morgan couldn’t disagree. She stood up. “My car’s by Ris’s house.”

  “I’ll drive you,” Corbin offered immediately.

  “It’s not far.”

  Corbin nodded. “I know. I’ll drive you.”

  Morgan was about to decline, but the idea of riding instead of walking was appealing. She felt unsteady on her feet. As she started toward the parking lot, she stumbled slightly.

  Corbin was at her side immediately. He put an arm awkwardly around her waist, which he promptly removed when Morgan gave him a death glare. He then proffered his arm, which Morgan took. Though she felt silly, she honestly wasn’t sure if she could make it to the car unaided.

  When they got to his car, Corbin opened the passenger door for Morgan, helped her in, and closed the door for her. All very gentlemanly things to do and Morgan knew—knew—that he would behave similarly even if she weren’t feeling weak. It just wouldn’t occur to him not to. Morgan watched Corbin as he walked around the car to the driver’s side, not sure how she felt about having this insight into his personality.

  Perhaps Ris wasn’t so far off when she’d insisted he was a good guy.

  The drive to Ris’s house was brief and neither of them spoke. Morgan opened the door and got out of Corbin’s car slowly. By the time she stood up, Corbin was beside her, guiding her by the arm.

  “You’re treating me like an invalid,” Morgan muttered, but she didn’t shake off his hand.

  “You look like hell,” Corbin said simply.

  Morgan used the remote to unlock her car door and Corbin helped her into the driver’s seat. He eyed her dubiously as she put the key in the ignition.

  “I can drive,” she said.

  Corbin held his hands up innocently.

  Without waiting for another comment from him, Morgan pulled the door closed. She started the car and drove down the street. The act took more concentration than usual. Morgan felt completely drained, not just physically but mentally. She was lucky, really, that her house was only a few miles away. She pulled up to a stop sign at the end of Ris’s street. When she got home, she decided, she would take a nap. She put her foot on the gas pedal to make a left.

  A horn blared. Morgan looked toward the sound and saw a car stopped mere inches from her passenger side door. The driver of the other car was gesticulating wildly. Morgan felt her heart race. Where had that car come from? She had looked both ways before turning, hadn’t she?

  Morgan completed her turn onto the street—there was nothing else she could do—and immediately pulled to the curb. The other driver pulled past, wheels squealing, horn blaring, and middle finger flying. Morgan cut the ignition and rested her head on the steering wheel. She was wrong. She couldn’t drive. She needed help.

  Morgan pulled out her cell phone. But who could she call? Her first thought was Corbin, but she realized she didn’t have his number. She could call Ris—she was mere blocks from Ris’s house, after all—but Ris would be full of questions that Morgan both couldn’t and didn’t want to answer. She opened her phone’s address book and began scrolling through the entries.

  There was a knock at her window, and Morgan’s first thought was that it was the driver of the other car come to curse her out, or worse. So when she looked up at the knocker, she was actually relieved to see Corbin. She pushed open the door.

  “Okay to drive, huh?” he asked.

  “What, are you stalking me or something?” She attempted to sound irritated.

  Corbin gave her an odd look. “What—you mean…? You called me.”

  Morgan looked at her cell, then back at Corbin. “No… I don’t have your number.”

  Corbin shook his head. “Not like that. I… uh… I heard you in my head.”

  Morgan was too shocked to fully appreciate how ridiculous Corbin’s assertion sounded. “Really?”

  He laughed. “Yeah. It was, uh, pretty freaky, actually.” Then, without warning, he leaned into the car, across Morgan’s body and unlatched her seatbelt. Somehow, he managed to pull Morgan out of the car and set her on her feet. “I’m driving you home,” he said simply. “Lock your car. We can come get it later.”

  Morgan opened her mouth to protest but immediately realized it would be useless. Besides, hadn’t she just been trying to figure out who could do just this for her? She locked her car and Corbin helped her to his.

  Morgan didn’t give directions as Corbin drove and didn’t ask how he knew where she lived. When they got to her house, Corbin helped her to the door and then inside to her room. When Morgan lay down on her bed, Corbin picked up the cell phone she had placed on her bedside table.

  “I’m putting my number in,” he explained, “so when Kellen calls, you can get the party information to me… in a more conventional way.”

  “Ha, ha,” Morgan muttered. She watched Corbin as he entered the information. When he set the phone back on her table, she said, “You know, you’re taking all this pretty well.”

  Corbin shrugged. “I’m trying. What are my options, really? Either freak out or deal with it.” He gave a small smile. “I should probably…”

  “Yeah,” Morgan agreed. “I need to sleep. Speaking of which—why are
n’t you… you know? Completely wiped?”

  “No clue.”

  “Maybe because you’ve got more practice at this whole psychic thing than me.”

  Morgan managed a small laugh. “Maybe.” She sighed.

  “What?”

  She shook her head slightly. “Nothing. Just… I’m thirsty…”

  “I’ll get you something, if you want.”

  “No, it’s okay—”

  But Corbin was already out the door.

  Sighing, Morgan snuggled down into her bed and pulled the blanket over her for good measure. She was exhausted…

  ***

  “Perfect” by Pink—Morgan’s ringtone—startled Morgan out of her sleep. It took her a moment to focus on her phone and another moment to manage to answer it. “Hello?” she asked groggily.

  “Are you asleep?” asked the voice on the other end of the line.

  “If I were asleep, how could I answer a phone?” Morgan replied. Her brain was still fighting the post-nap fog. The voice sounded familiar…

  “I’ve got the address where the party’ll be. Do you have something to write on?”

  “Kellen?”

  “Yes. Now, are you ready for the address?”

  Morgan fumbled around on her bedside table. She found a pen and a crumpled receipt. “Okay, go.”

  Kellen rattled off an address and Morgan transcribed it. She even read it back to check for accuracy.

  “Okay, then,” Kellen said. “Party starts around eight, but I probably won’t get there until nine or so.”

  “Okay,” Morgan said. She suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Kellen?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I… um… was wondering if I could bring someone?”

  “Your friend Ris? Yeah, I said that was fine.”

  “No. Another friend.”

  Kellen sighed. “Morgan… this isn’t really open-invitation.”

  “But you know him,” Morgan said quickly.

  “Him?” Kellen sounded intrigued.

  “It’s Corbin—Corbin Starling. You were at his house party the night we met.”

  Kellen chuckled softly. “Corbin Starling, huh? Well, I guess I’ll get him added to the list.”

  Morgan couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic, so she decided to take his words at face value. “Great. We’ll be there around nine, then.”

  “See you.”

  Morgan ended the call and set the phone back on her dresser. After a moment, she picked it up again. She’d need to call Corbin with the details. She scrolled through her contact list and called Corbin’s number.

  “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey sounded in Morgan’s room, making her jump. She looked toward the source of the music and was shocked to see Corbin curled up and asleep in the papasan Ris usually occupied.

  Morgan ended the call. She got out of her bed, grateful to find she felt steady on her feet, and walked over to where Corbin slept. She shook his shoulder gently. When he didn’t rouse, she shook him a little harder.

  Corbin mumbled incoherently for a moment before opening his eyes. The look of confusion he wore shifted slowly to recognition as he sat up, stretching. He smiled at Morgan. “You’re looking better.”

  “What the hell are you thinking?” Morgan demanded. “If my dad came home and found you here in my room, he’d flip.”

  Corbin waved away her concern. “Don’t worry. He’s working late tonight.”

  Morgan stared at him incredulously. “What are you now, the great and mighty psychic?”

  “No, he left you a note on the fridge.”

  Morgan bristled. “What are you doing wandering through my house?”

  “I went to get you something to drink, remember?” Corbin pointed to Morgan’s bedside table where a full glass of water sat. “You were asleep by the time I got back.”

  Morgan softened, remembering the pre-nap conversation. “Well… why didn’t you leave after that?”

  Corbin shrugged. “You… didn’t want me to.” In response to Morgan’s confused look, he continued. “Every time I went to leave, I heard you.” He tapped his temple. “You kept calling me back.”

  Morgan shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He picked up a book off the papasan that Morgan recognized from her bookshelf. “I got to catch up on my reading.”

  Morgan rolled her eyes. “Well, Kellen called.”

  Corbin sat up a little straighter. “Okay. I should call Clare.”

  “Yeah,” Morgan agreed. “I’ll copy down the address for you.”

  “You could probably just give it to me,” Corbin said. When Morgan raised an eyebrow, he added, “Since I’m inviting Clare, I’ll be picking her up. And since she’ll want to bring you, she’ll insist I pick you up, too.”

  Morgan shrugged. “Fair enough.” She went to the bedside table and picked up the receipt with the address on it. “He says it starts at eight but that he won’t be getting there till around nine.”

  Corbin nodded as he took the receipt from her. His phone was already in his hand, and he punched a couple of buttons before bringing it to his ear. After a moment, he smiled. “Hey, Clare.”

  Deciding she didn’t want to hear the conversation, Morgan made her way to the living room. She sat down on the couch and checked the time. Six o’clock. Her father must be pulling a very late day if he wasn’t home by now. Though uncommon, it wasn’t unheard of for Dylan to be at work until ten o’clock at night.

  A few minutes later, Corbin joined her in the living room. “Clare should be calling you in a few minutes,” he informed her, smiling. “She sounds really excited.”

  Morgan just nodded.

  Corbin shifted from side to side. “Well… I think I’ll get going now.” He paused. “If that’s okay with you.”

  “Why wouldn’t—” Morgan paused, an embarrassed smile touching her lips. “I don’t think I’m going to mentally call out to you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Corbin smiled, too. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Yeah,” Morgan agreed.

  Corbin started toward Morgan’s front door and she followed. When he opened the door, Morgan called his name.

  Corbin turned. “Yeah?”

  Morgan looked at the floor. “Thanks for… you know.” She glanced up at him.

  Corbin nodded. “You’re welcome.” He stepped out the door. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” said Morgan as Corbin closed the door behind him. She stared at the door for a moment before turning toward the kitchen. She was suddenly very hungry. On her way to the kitchen, her phone started ringing. When she answered it, she heard Ris’s excited voice on the other end of the line.

  Chapter Six

  There was a knock at Morgan’s door just after nine o’clock. Left to her own devices in dressing for the party, she opted for jeans and a nicer tank top. When she opened the door, she immediately felt underdressed. Ris wore a tiny jean skirt and a shiny silver top. Bangle bracelets jingled on her wrists. Even Corbin looked exceptionally good in a pair of dark-washed jeans and a dark blue button-up shirt.

  But if Morgan was underdressed, that fact didn’t seem to concern Ris. As they walked out to Corbin’s car, Ris linked her arm through Morgan’s and leaned in conspiratorially. “I can’t believe it,” Ris whispered. “It’s our second party in a week. And we actually have a date to this one!”

  Morgan smiled. “Ris, you have a date. I’m the third wheel.”

  Ris shrugged. “We can share.”

  Morgan laughed. “No thanks! He’s all yours.”

  When Corbin reached his car, he turned back and eyed them suspiciously. “No giggling,” he called, opening the passenger door for Ris.

  Ris got into the car and smiled as Corbin closed the door for her. Corbin then opened the door behind Ris’s for Morgan. Morgan smiled politely and got into the car.

  Within minutes, they were on their way to the party. While Ris chatted animatedly in the fr
ont seat, Morgan allowed her thoughts to wander. She wasn’t even sure what to expect. Tesin had said it was people like him and Kellen and Wen—and, Morgan supposed, like her, too—getting together. And then panic flooded her. What was she even thinking, going to this thing? After what they’d shown her this morning, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know more about their world. But the allure of discovering something about her mother, about her disappearance, was too strong.

  “You okay back there?” Corbin asked suddenly, breaking into Morgan’s thoughts. “You’re awful quiet.”

  Morgan caught Corbin’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He looked concerned and Morgan wondered how much of what she was thinking he may have sensed. She forced a smile. “I’m good. Just a little… nervous.”

  Ris turned in her seat so she could see Morgan. “Don’t be. It’ll be fun…”

  Morgan managed to nod and smile at Ris for the remainder of the trip, but she didn’t hear anything Ris was saying.

  When Corbin pulled his car to a stop, he looked back and forth from the address on the receipt to the building before him several times. Morgan hazarded a glance out the window and was shocked by what she saw. She hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going, so she was surprised to see they were downtown. Corbin was now parked outside a hotel—the Royal Grand, a hotel being built by local billionaire Orrick Williams. It was brand new—so much so that it wasn’t officially open for business. But this fact was belied by the number of people streaming toward the doors.

  Someone knocked at the driver’s side door, and Corbin, Morgan, and Ris all jumped. There was a man in a white button-down shirt standing by Corbin’s door. With an uneasy chuckle, Corbin rolled the window down.

  “Yes?” Corbin asked.

  “Names?” the man asked. He held and pen and a clipboard.

  Corbin glanced back at Morgan uneasily before clearing his throat. “Corbin Starling,” he said, indicating himself. He then pointed at Ris and Morgan, introducing each of them in turn. “Clarissa Perry. And Morgan Abbey.”

  The man made a couple of marks on his clipboard. He then stepped back from Corbin’s door. “If you’ll step out of the vehicle, sir.”

  When Corbin made no move to comply, the man handed Corbin a small square of paper. “Give this ticket to one of the valets when you leave, and we’ll pull the car around for you.”