Morgan shook her head, clucking her tongue. So that was the source of this sudden interest in Morgan’s life. She should have known. It was no secret that Jocelyn had a crush on Corbin—probably half the upperclassman girls did. Of course she would try to cozy up to Morgan now that she was spending time with him. “Yeah, we’re friends, I guess. But he’s really closer with Ris. They’re almost inseparable recently.” She watched her cousin’s face closely for a flicker of jealousy.
Jocelyn’s expression betrayed nothing. “I noticed they seem pretty close this year. I kinda thought that’d be over once school started, you know?”
“No, I don’t know.”
Jocelyn shrugged. “They’re just… They don’t really run with the same crowds, you know?”
The skin on the back of Morgan’s neck prickled. She did know. Corbin—wealthy, kind, and effortlessly cool—usually ran more with Jocelyn’s popular group. Ris, on the other hand… Ris spent her time with Morgan.
Just as she was about to say something to Jocelyn about her snobbery, something Aunt Ashleigh said caught her attention.
“Are these the paint samples?” Aunt Ashleigh had stood to clear her plate but stopped by a coffee table in the adjoining living room.
Dylan nodded. “Yeah… I’ve been thinking green… or maybe blue.”
Aunt Ashleigh gazed thoughtfully at the samples for a few moments before holding one up as if to see what it would look like on the walls. “Like I said, Dylan, I think it’s good that you’re willing to change something.”
Morgan felt her fingers trembling. Were they talking about what she thought they were talking about? Paint samples? The walls?
“You’re right. It’s been so long… It’s finally time, I think.”
“Are you planning on painting or something, Dad?” Morgan asked, her voice coming out a bit higher than usual.
Dylan turned toward Morgan, but he seemed to look at her ear rather than her eyes. “Yeah. I picked up some options. I was going to talk to you about it…”
A silence permeated the room. A single thought resonated through Morgan’s mind: Her mother had painted those walls. She wanted to speak it aloud, but her mouth wouldn’t form the words.
“Well,” Aunt Ashleigh said, a beat too late, “I think it’s a fantastic idea. I repaint our living room at least once every couple years.”
Uncle Wes laughed. “Yeah, you do.”
Morgan stood, the lasagna churning unpleasantly in her stomach. “I’ve got homework.” Without waiting for formal permission to leave, she took off toward her bedroom.
She sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to calm herself. Why on earth did her father have the sudden urge to paint? And why was Aunt Ashleigh so supportive of the idea? Morgan’s mother had chosen the pale yellow of the walls, had painted them. To repaint was giving up that she would ever come home. It was erasing Chelsea’s memory from the house. Why was Aunt Ashleigh so interested in having Dylan forget about her own sister?
There was a knock at the door. Morgan ignored it.
Jocelyn pushed open the door. “Morgan?”
“Not here.”
Ignoring her, Jocelyn let herself in and closed the door behind her. As she crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to her cousin, Morgan sighed. The last time they’d been alone in this room, to say things didn’t go well would be an understatement.
“Look,” Jocelyn said quietly. “I know you’re gonna get pissed when I say this, but it’s just paint.”
“My mom painted those walls.”
“So?”
“What d’you mean, so?”
“I mean so what? So what, she painted the walls? If you and your dad repaint them, it doesn’t mean you love her or miss her any less. It’s just paint.”
Morgan crossed her arms. “You don’t understand.”
“Maybe not,” she admitted. “But whether you believe it or not, losing Aunt Chelsea was hard on me, too. And I know it’s not the same for you and me, but—there’s a difference between remembering someone and living in a museum dedicated to them.”
“You’re right. It’s not the same for you as it is for me.”
Jocelyn took in a breath and released it slowly. “What if she were to walk in the door right now? Do you really think it’d matter to her that the walls are still the same color they were when she left? Or do you think she’d just be happy to be here with her family again?”
Morgan didn’t respond, but Jocelyn didn’t seem to expect her to.
Minutes passed as they sat in silence.
“Look,” Jocelyn said finally, “I know what I said… before… about her being gone. I just want you to know that I envy you for still believing she’s out there somewhere.”
“She is out there somewhere, Joss.”
Jocelyn gave a watery smile. “I want that to be true. I wish I had your faith.”
Morgan looked into her cousin’s eyes intently. She wanted to tell her it wasn’t just faith that told her Chelsea was still out there somewhere, it was fact. She wanted to tell her that she was going to do all she could to find her mother. But she realized she couldn’t do that: for any of it to make sense, she would have to tell her about the Watchers, the Veneret, everything. Instead, she just nodded. “Thanks, Joss.”
“I think I’ll leave you alone now.” Jocelyn stood and crossed the room. She looked back once to smile before exiting, closing the door behind her.
Morgan’s eyes found the picture in the frame that lived on her bedside table. In it was the image of her mother, he head tipped back in laughter. Morgan’s eyes caressed the curves of her mother’s face, the softness of her wavy brown hair, the sparkle in her brown eyes. Her fingers went to the ends of her own hair and she glanced down at it: the red was fading; it was time to dye it again. Not for the first time, she wondered what her mom would think of her masking her natural blond color. Tugging at the ends, she managed a small smile, content, at least, that her mother would be pleased with its length.
A wave of exhaustion washed over her and Morgan leaned back against her pillows. She had been telling the truth when she said she had homework, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Maybe she could work on it after a nap. All of the reaching out with her abilities earlier had clearly taken more out of her than she realized.
Sleep claimed her quickly, and a dream overtook her. In it, her father and her aunt Ashleigh painted the walls in the living room a deep crimson. When the paint began to drip on the furniture, they began splashing paint onto all the surfaces in the house. Then Uncle Wes arrived with a sledgehammer and began pounding holes in the walls.
The dream shifted and Morgan found herself in the Daily Grind. Instinctively, she looked for Lucas behind the counter, but he was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the entire place was empty.
Morgan stood from the armchair she was sitting in and took a few steps toward the door, her shoes echoing hollowly. A shiver coursed through her body and as she rubbed her arms a realization struck her: This was no ordinary dream.
Something in her periphery caught her attention and she turned. Nothing was there, but she had the distinct impression someone had just passed through. And then she knew. Purposefully, she strode toward the hallway and the door marked Staff Only. It was already open a crack and she could see a light spilling out from inside. Before she could touch it, the door swung open of its own accord, revealing Kellen sitting on one of the couches that had been there at the end of the summer.
He stood and crossed to her, his hands finding her upper arms and squeezing them gently. “We don’t have much time.”
For as unsure as she had been about how she might react upon seeing him again, Morgan found her mind filled with questions. “Are you in trouble? I Saw you with Orrick. Do you know something about my mom?”
Kellen gave her a sharp shake, his hazel eyes hard. “You can’t keep searching for you mom. You’re putting yourself in danger.”
Whatever she was expecting Kellen to say
to her, this wasn’t it. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
“Orrick has an entire task force dedicated to getting to you through your abilities. The energy you encountered the other night? It was the leader of that group, a girl named Aurelia. She’s less than pleasant on her best days, but since you made Orrick look like a fool, you’re her public enemy number one. She’s under orders not to hurt you, but I’m not sure she won’t break them—even if they do come straight from Orrick.” He looked over his shoulder as if he heard a noise.
Morgan looked too but didn’t see anything.
When he turned back to her, the intensity in his eyes had grown. “Have Lucas help you put up a wall. And stop reaching out. Aurelia can do damage without touching you. Don’t give her the chance to get in your head.”
Morgan finally found her voice. “How can I trust you?”
But the dream dissolved around her and her words were lost in a sound like rushing wind. She opened her eyes and found herself back in her room, a sheen of sweat covering her body. Her mind fought to understand what just happened and to make sense of Kellen’s words.
Only one thing was clear: She probably wouldn’t be falling asleep tonight.
Chapter Six
The next day, Morgan did her best to appear normal, as if she were not still shaken by the previous night’s dream.
In fourth hour English, Miss Scotford informed Morgan, Lucas, and Corbin that they would need to see her after school, and Morgan was glad she’d had the foresight to suggest she and Ris drive separately to school that morning.
After lunch—and another day of not finding the fourth Natural—Morgan made her way to Senior Math as quickly as possible. She stood a few doors away from the classroom in the direction she knew Lucas would come from. She hadn’t asked him to help her build a wall during English because Corbin sat too close. But she and Lucas were the only Naturals in Senior Math, so she decided it would be safe to approach him.
“Hey, Morgan,” Lucas greeted easily as he approached. “Afraid to go in without me? Are we having a pop quiz or something?”
Morgan shook her head. “No, I… I need your help with something.”
Lucas leaned against the wall beside her. “Intrigue. What’s up?”
She shifted toward him, casting a furtive glance at passersby before speaking. “I need you to help me build a wall.”
“I’m assuming you’re not talking brick-and-mortar.”
She nodded.
“Does this have something to do with your mom? Looking for her?”
“No.”
Rather than allaying his suspicions, her response only seemed to trigger more. “You hiding something?”
She shook her head. “I’m trying to keep safe.” The warning bell rang and Morgan turned toward the Senior Math room, seeing Ms Halse at her post by the door. “We’re gonna be late.”
“No, we’re not, because we’re not going.”
When she looked at him, he laughed.
“I thought Lia had the market share on that look.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction of their classroom. “Something tells me that whatever’s going on is a little more important than Senior Math.”
Morgan allowed herself to be pulled down the hall, not sure where they were going but not concerned. He led her down an adjacent hallway and pushed open the custodian’s closet. It was dark until he flipped on the light switch.
“Aren’t you afraid he’s gonna be in here?”
“She,” Lucas said as he guided Morgan to a rolling chair. He closed the door behind them. “She cleans the Freshman hallway this period, then she goes out for a smoke.”
“Since when do you have the custodian’s schedule memorized?”
Lucas sat across from her, shrugging. “Since training hasn’t been super beneficial for me so far, I’ve been practicing a little on my own. Focusing more on Feeling and Seeing, since I’m crap at Moving.” He leaned forward, propping his knees on his elbows. “So, you wanna build a wall.”
She nodded. “Yeah. How do I do it?”
He pressed his lips together. “It might be better to show you.” He held out his hands, palms up.
Without hesitation, Morgan took his hands. “Hard to explain how to do something you didn’t even know you were doing, huh?”
“Something like that.”
Lucas closed his eyes and Morgan followed suit. She centered herself the way she always did before a reading and allowed Lucas to take control.
At first, his hold on her energy was tentative, polite. He guided her around the wall he held up and she began to feel what was behind its creation. When she thought she understood how he’d made it, she attempted to build her own. When she got stuck, Lucas would take over, gently moving her energy in the way it needed to go.
It occurred to Morgan that while he was assisting her, Lucas had access to her mind. The thought startled her: what if he Saw her memories about Kellen, or Corbin? What if he found her memory of the encounter with the blinding light the night she searched for her mother?
But if he availed himself to any of that information, he did not let it show. The bell to end fifth hour sounded and Lucas’s eyes betrayed nothing.
He stood, offering his hand to help her to her feet. “Did that help?”
Morgan took a moment to assess the wall she’d built before smiling up at him. “I think so. Thanks, Lucas.”
He smiled back, but his eyes seemed distant. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
An icy drop of unease made its way from the back of Morgan’s neck into her stomach. Did Lucas know something, or was he just concerned? She searched his face but saw no hint of an answer there. “I know.”
***
After the final bell of the day rang, Morgan made her way to her locker. Ris was already there, as was Corbin.
“Hey,” greeted Ris, smiling. “How was JY?”
“Good,” Morgan said. “Lia only made a couple first years cry.”
Corbin laughed. “You’re not serious.”
Morgan raised her eyebrows. “She’s a tad evil with the red pen.” She edged past Ris to get to her locker.
“So, Corbin’s got practice with his band, so he can’t come, but do you wanna come out to the Daily Grind with me?” Ris asked.
“Can’t,” Morgan said, picking through her text books. “I’m staying after for help on that stupid essay for English.” She turned to Ris and offered an apologetic smile. “Maybe later? Or we could meet up at your house or something?”
“Maybe,” Ris agreed. “Text me when you’re done, okay?”
Morgan nodded.
“C’mon, Clare,” Corbin said, invoking Ris’s nickname from elementary school. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Ris nodded and allowed herself to be pulled away. She glanced over her shoulder at Morgan. “Text me!”
Morgan smiled and waved.
Corbin looked back, too. “See you.” He winked.
Morgan headed toward Miss Scotford’s room. Lucas and Lia were already inside, perched on desktops as usual. Morgan sat atop the desk beside Lucas.
“Where’s Corbin?” Miss Scotford asked without looking up.
“Walking Ris to her car,” Morgan said.
“That’s really sweet.” Lia smiled. “You know, for as much as those two are some of the last people I would’ve ever guessed would end up together, they make a really cute pair.”
“That’s nice of you to say. Especially considering you were totally into him.”
Lia’s lips pressed into a tight line but she said nothing.
Miss Scotford ignored them.
No one spoke until Corbin entered the room a few minutes later. He closed the door behind him and took a seat on the desk beside Lia. “You guys didn’t have to wait for me.”
Miss Scotford finally looked up from her desk. “It’s easier not to have to repeat myself.” She stood and walked to her stool. “We weren’t able to secure a location for t
oday, so we’re going to train here.”
Lia looked around the room. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean—anyone could walk in here.”
“Trust me, they won’t. Now, Wen’s told me what he’s been having you work on. Most of you’ll be doing what you normally do, except Morgan. Today, I want you to help Lia with her Pushing exercises.”
Morgan glanced at Lia, whose eyebrow was raised in a high arch on her forehead. She seemed just as surprised at these instructions as Morgan was. Morgan opened her mouth to give a reason why she couldn’t help with Lia’s training, but nothing came to her.
Corbin and Lucas immediately started for opposite back corners of the room. Morgan turned to face Lia. “So.”
Lia moved to the desk beside Morgan and sat cross-legged on it. “Wen’s been having me attempt to Push him to do things.” Her tone was light, but Morgan could Feel a frustration just below the surface of her words.
“I thought you could already do that. I seem to remember you convincing McKenna to take a ridiculously difficult selling route this summer—”
“But, if you’ll remember, I couldn’t convince you to do it.” Lia gave a half-apologetic smile. “Wen says that I can Push the common, but I’m not practiced enough for it to work on the Veneret. So, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Morgan said.
“For you, maybe.” She closed her eyes.
Morgan glanced around the room. Lucas’s attention was focused on a pencil on his desktop, and she assumed his task was to Move it. Corbin was simply sitting at his desk, eyes closed.
Remembering the task at hand, Morgan glanced at Lia. “You doing it yet?”
Lia opened her eyes, irritated. “I’m trying.”
Morgan shrugged. “Maybe try harder? I’m not feeling inclined to do anything yet.”
Lia pursed her lips and closed her eyes again.
Morgan allowed her mind to wander. She went through a mental checklist of her homework. Tried to remember which horoscopes she still had to finish for JY. Remembered the conversation she had with Joss the night before. Wondered if Joss was right about the color of the walls not being that big a deal.
The Naturals Trilogy Page 22
