The corners of Lia’s mouth upturned slightly. “Yeah, it would.”
Morgan nodded. “Okay, settled. We’ll all get together to study tomorrow.”
Lia nodded, too, only her attention was focused on Morgan’s captions. And her red pen was in her hand.
“I think I’ll leave you to that,” Morgan said. “I don’t want to be witness to the carnage.”
Lia waved her away without looking up.
After class, Morgan met up with Ris and Corbin at her locker. Corbin looked slightly put out.
“Morgan,” he said as she approached. “Can I come study with you and Clare?”
Morgan cast a glance at Ris, who rolled her eyes. “Um, no,” she said, pushing past him to her locker.
“See, told you,” Ris said. “It’s girl time. And you, my friend, are not a girl.”
Still turned toward her locker, Morgan made a face. After grabbing what she needed, she slammed the locker closed. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said, turning to face Ris.
“Excellent.”
Ris and Corbin started down the hall, Corbin’s fingers grazing the small of Ris’s back. Morgan followed behind, attempting to ignore them. But when they got to the parking lot and Ris kissed Corbin on the cheek as a goodbye, Morgan felt sick.
“My place?” Ris called, heading toward her car.
Morgan forced a smile. “See you there.”
The drive was a short one, and before Ris had gotten to the front door, Morgan arrived at the house. After a quick raid of the fridge and pantry for snacks, they headed to Ris’s room to set up shop.
They both pulled out their math books and notes, but neither was too interested in starting to study. Instead, they snacked on the food they’d pilfered from the kitchen and discussed the school day. Morgan pulled out some of the drawings she and Lucas had created during Senior Math and Ris lamented, once again, that she wasn’t in the same hour.
As they talked and laughed, Morgan felt some of the weight she’d been carrying around dissipate. It felt like old times, before all of the Naturals stuff began. Morgan was able to just have fun with her best friend.
Morgan got up at one point to get more drinks for herself and Ris, and when she came back, Ris was quiet, the set of her face serious.
“What’s up?” Morgan asked, handing Ris her drink and taking her spot on the bed.
For a moment, Ris didn’t say anything. Then she sighed. “I think—and I can’t believe I’m about to suggest this—but I think maybe you should take a break from telling fortunes.”
“What? Why?”
She shrugged. “It’s just—they seem to be taking more out of you than they did before. You realize this is the first time we’ve laughed like this in weeks? You seem more serious during readings this year than you ever were before. And then it’s like you’re—I don’t know—emotionally drained after lunch every day.” She paused. “And I think I know why.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “You think you know why I’m ‘emotionally drained’ after telling fortunes every day? Oh, please, do tell.” She grinned.
Ris made a face but quickly sobered. “It’s September.”
“News flash.”
“Your mom went missing in September. Ten years is a big anniversary.”
Morgan felt as if the wind were being pressed from her lungs by an invisible hand. “Ris.”
But she didn’t relent. “Senior year’s a big deal, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. I think you’re in denial. And you’re trying to lose yourself in your work.”
Morgan forced a smile. “Lose myself in my work? You’re making me sound like a middle-aged stock broker or something.”
“You wouldn’t be the first person to ignore reality when things get too hard. And no one would blame you if things are a bit hard right now.”
Morgan shook her head at Ris’s complete ignorance of the difficulties in her life. It wasn’t as if her lack of knowledge was her fault: Morgan had deliberately kept things from her. “Believe me, it’s not like that.”
Ris looked mildly exasperated. “Well, what’s it like then?”
She sighed, tipping her head back. What could she even tell Ris? Maybe it was just easier to play along… But she couldn’t find it in her to tell her best friend one more lie. On the other hand, it wasn’t like she could just tell Ris the truth.
Unless Ris was the fourth—the Natural she was looking for.
Bringing her head back to center, she smiled at Ris. “You know, it’s been forever since I’ve done a reading for you.”
Ris looked mildly surprised. “What? Seriously?”
Morgan nodded. “Yeah. Back when I first started, I used to read you all the time.”
She laughed. “Yeah, because I was your guinea pig.”
“Oh, come on. You liked it.”
Ris shrugged.
“But then it got to be all about the business part of it. Come on, let me read you.”
“Morgan—you don’t have to—”
“Ris, I want to. Now, come here.”
Ris just stared at Morgan for a moment before sighing and crossing the room to where Morgan sat. She sat down and offered her palm to Morgan. “Okay. Go for it.”
Morgan smiled, taking her friend’s palm. She ran the pads of her thumbs over the various lines—life, head, heart. She took in a deep breath and released it slowly, bidding her mind to quiet so she could focus on reaching out to Ris. Then a warning bell sounded in her mind. What if this worked? If she activated Ris, Ris might be able to look into Morgan’s mind—she might see everything. She could see the truth about Kellen, about her mom. She might see Orrick’’s assertion that he, not Dylan, was Morgan’s father. She might see what happened between Morgan and Corbin.
For an instant, Morgan panicked. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all. But she took in another calming breath and realized something: She wanted Ris to know. About everything. She wanted to be able to explain things to her best friend, not keep them from her. Even the things about Corbin—even if they made Ris angry. If Ris knew everything, it would be much easier to explain things to her.
With that thought guiding her, Morgan pushed forward into Ris’s mind, the way she had done so many times recently with clients at school. She became aware of Ris’s emotions—curiosity, wonder, anxiety. She pushed in deeper, exploring, attempting to find the one spot in Ris’s mind that would rip open her consciousness and allow her to access the kinds of abilities Morgan possessed.
Slowly, emotions gave way to impressions. Thoughts of Corbin and dates both previous and future. Concern for Morgan—how withdrawn she seemed, how secretive. Worries about the upcoming math test, and worries about college acceptances and finances.
Morgan pushed in farther and made sure to open her own mind, so her thoughts could be readily available to Ris. But as she pressed on, she realized it wasn’t working. She didn’t feel what she had felt before with the others, and Ris didn’t seem to be sensing anything out of the ordinary. In fact, Morgan became aware that Ris was growing concerned that Morgan wasn’t saying anything yet.
Morgan pulled her mind back, took in a breath, and smiled at Ris. “So… we’d better study for that math test, otherwise you’re totally gonna bomb it.”
Ris laughed and removed her hand from Morgan’s. “I could’ve told you that. Maybe I’m psychic.”
Morgan forced a laugh and turned to her math notes. I wish.
Chapter Twelve
Sixth hour the next day, Mr. K handed Morgan one of the captions she’d turned in to Lia the previous day. She sighed but attempted to keep her expression neutral as she read the note scribbled in pencil at the bottom of the paper. Today. This room.
“What’s that?” McKenna asked, glancing at Morgan over her laptop computer.
Morgan shook her head. “Just notes on my captions,” she said. “Apparently Lia doesn’t like this one.” She rolled her eyes for effect.
“Fuehrer,” McKenna muttered, tu
rning her attention back to her computer screen.
Morgan stood up and walked to the front of the room where Lia was sitting. She set the paper down in front of Lia. “I’m not sure what your note here meant,” she said, pointing at Mr. K’s handwriting.
Lia read over the message and nodded toward the chair she kept by her table for conferences with staff members. As Morgan sat, Lia surreptitiously erased the message from the bottom of the page.
“I wonder how long this’ll take,” Lia said quietly.
Morgan shrugged. “Couple hours, probably, like usual.”
Lia sighed. “I really do have to study for calc. You’d think they’d take our academics into consideration when scheduling these meetings. I mean, they are teachers.”
“I think they’d say what they’re teaching us is more important than math.”
Lia looked scandalized by the thought.
“We’re still on for studying later, right?” Morgan asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, we’ll already be getting a late start, and I don’t want to be distracted…”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Fine, be that way. Your loss.”
Lia rolled her eyes. “You sound like Alecia.”
“Ouch,” Morgan said. While she knew Lia’s reference to her friend wasn’t meant as an insult, Morgan had always found the girl to be a bit annoying.
“She gets the same way when I say I can’t hang out.”
“If memory serves, you were the one who wanted to hang out in the first place.”
Lia made a face at Morgan and Morgan made a face in return. Then they both smiled as the bell rang.
“I’ll go get Corbin,” Morgan said, grabbing the caption she’d brought to Lia’s table.
She nodded. “I’ll get Lucas.”
After collecting her belongings from her table, Morgan bid McKenna and Stew farewell and headed out into the hallway. As usual, standing at her locker were Ris and Corbin. She sighed and pushed past them so she could put her JY things away and take out her math book and notes.
“Hey, Morgan.” Ris said. “You wanna study some more for the math test?”
Head still in her locker, Morgan considered the invitation. She would already be studying with Lucas and Lia, so adding Ris into the mix wouldn’t be a bad thing. But before she could answer, Corbin was talking.
“We were gonna meet up at the Daily Grind to go over notes,” he said.
And that made Morgan’s decision for her. She turned around, an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry. I’ve got some JY stuff to take care of. You know how Lia can get. I’ve got a deadline tomorrow, so I’ll probably be spending most my night on that.”
Ris pouted. “Okay, I guess. But if you get done early, text me. Maybe you could still come out.”
Morgan nodded. “Maybe. But actually, right now I’ve gotta head back to the JY room. Impromptu meeting for the group.” She flicked her eyes momentarily to Corbin, hoping he got her message.
As if on cue, Corbin took his phone from his pocket and checked it. “Speaking of impromptu—Dave wants the band to get together for a short practice.”
“When?” Ris asked.
“Right now. But I’ll call as soon as we’re done, and I’ll come pick you up so we can study, okay?”
Ris nodded and Corbin leaned forward to kiss her forehead.
Morgan’s palms and the tips of her ears began to tingle. It was a sweet gesture—an innocent one even—but Morgan found she had to look away. She didn’t want this—didn’t want him… did she? She shook her head. No. She didn’t. She couldn’t.
Biting the inside of her cheeks, Morgan waved at Ris and headed down the hall toward the JY room. By the time she got there, Lucas and Lia were already present, as were Mr. K and Miss Scotford.
“Corbin’s coming,” she announced, taking a seat at her usual sixth hour table.
Lucas left the table he’d been sitting at and took a seat at Morgan’s. “So, where do you wanna meet up to study? Daily Grind?”
Morgan quickly shook her head. “No. I mean, it can get loud there.”
Lucas looked at her skeptically. “Yeah, if there’s a band playing, which there’s not.”
“Come on—the coffee grinder, the little steaming wand thing. Those things make a lot of noise.”
Lucas still didn’t seem convinced.
Lia joined them at the table. “I agree with Morgan. I study better in a more quiet environment. Too many people at the Daily Grind.”
“Yes, but free drinks at the Daily Grind,” Lucas countered.
“Free drinks at my house, too,” Lia said. “I think we should meet there.”
“Sounds good,” Morgan said before Lucas could mount a counter attack.
Lucas sighed, defeated. “Sure.” He glanced toward the door. “What about Corbin?”
“He’s got a date,” Morgan said.
Lucas raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.
Just then, Corbin entered the room and made a beeline for the occupied table.
“Nice of you to join us,” Lia said.
“I had to take the long way,” Corbin said. “I told Clare I was practicing with the band and I had to make sure she was out of the hall before I came here. I think she’d think it was a little suspicious if I followed Morgan in here.”
Before anyone could respond, Mr. K and Miss Scotford approached them. After they had both settled on a nearby table top, Mr. K spoke. “After talking with Wen, we think today we should try something a little different.”
“Good,” Lia breathed.
“We’re splitting up into two groups,” Mr. K continued. “Lucas and Corbin, you’re with me. Lia and Morgan, you’re with Ellie.” He stood and beckoned for the guys to follow him to a table toward the front of the room.
Miss Scotford stood and walked to the table farthest from the one Mr. K had settled at. Morgan and Lia followed her. “Now,” she said once they were seated across from her, “you remember how I told you that the Prophecy talks about how you’ll all work together to be stronger?”
Morgan and Lia nodded, Lia casting a glance in Morgan’s direction. Morgan knew why: the Prophecy specifically spoke of the others working to make her stronger.
Miss Scotford ignored the glance. “Today, Greg and I thought it would be a good idea for you to see how that works. Now, Morgan, you already have a little bit of an idea about it—”
Morgan’s mind immediately went to her interaction with Corbin, when she had Seen into Orrick’s office.
“—at Desideration Tower,” Miss Scotford continued. “When the five of us jumped over to the other rooftop, we all had to set our minds on the same goal. We had to channel our collective energy. When we do that, we can accomplish things that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to accomplish.”
“Okay, so why aren’t we all working together?” Lia asked.
A smile flitted across Miss Scotford’s mouth. “We need to make sure what we’re doing is working. I understand, Lia, that you’ve been having some difficulty Pushing anyone who’s not common.”
Lia looked down at the table. “Yes.”
“Well, I’m thinking that if we all work together, you’ll be able to overcome that.”
Lia glanced up at her. “Do you mean I’ll only ever be able to do it if… if someone’s helping me?”
“No,” Miss Scotford said firmly. “But if you’re able to do it with some help, that might help you figure out how to do it on your own. At least, that’s the plan. So—” She raised an eyebrow. “—what should we do?”
They sat in silence for a few moments before Lia spoke. “What do you think, Morgan?”
Morgan shrugged. “I think you should choose. I mean, you’re the Pusher, not me.”
Lia pursed her lips. “Okay then. Let’s… How about we make Lucas get up on the table?”
Morgan laughed. “That sounds awesome.”
Even Miss Scotford smiled. “Okay. That doesn’t sound too terrible.” She reached her ha
nd across the table toward Lia. “Now, the easiest way to do this is if we’re all touching, so…”
Taking Miss Scotford’s lead, Morgan offered her hand to Lia as well. After a moment’s hesitation, Lia took both of their hands and closed her eyes. Morgan closed hers as well and focused on making herself as open as possible to Lia. She emptied her mind of any thought other than the task at hand: making Lucas stand on the table.
What felt like minutes passed. Morgan could Feel the agitation growing in Lia. She knew they’d never accomplish anything if Lia went into meltdown mode, so she attempted to reach forward with her own mind to share the calmness she felt. And though she’d never successfully calmed someone with her ability, she felt sure she could do it now. She imagined placing a blanket of calm around Lia’s shoulders. Slowly, by degrees, she became aware of Lia’s anxiety levels dropping, and she knew her attempt had worked.
Just then, Morgan heard the scrape of chair legs against linoleum. She opened her eyes just in time to see Lucas stepping onto the table. Corbin wore an expression of shock on his face, but Mr. K just glanced toward the girls knowingly, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Lia opened her eyes. When her gaze fell on Lucas, she broke into the widest smile Morgan had ever seen on her face. Even Miss Scotford seemed mildly amused.
After a moment, Lucas seemed to come to his senses. He looked around, confused. “What am I…?
“Looks like Lia’s having some success,” Mr. K said mildly, looking up at Lucas. “You should probably come down from there.”
Lucas nodded. “Probably a good idea.” He jumped down from the table and took his seat. Then, pointing at Lia, he muttered, “It’s on.”
Ignoring Lucas’s threat, Miss Scotford explained Lia’s next task. Now that she had successfully Pushed someone with assistance, it was time to cut back on the assistance. This time, Lia and Miss Scotford would work together to make Morgan do something.
Morgan raised an eyebrow dubiously. “Really? You think that’s advisable?”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem when the target was Lucas,” Miss Scotford said, offering her hand to Lia. “So,” she said to Lia, “what should we make her do?”
The Naturals Trilogy Page 27
