From the detritus of debris on the floor, a shiny silver cell phone floated two feet into the air.
“Morgan, what are you—”
“Not me. You’re doing it.”
Jocelyn stared at the phone as it hovered in midair. “I’m… not. I… can’t be…”
Morgan placed a hand on her cousin’s forearm. “You are. And I can call someone who can explain it to you.” She grabbed her own cell phone from the end table beside her, scrolled through the contact list, and placed a call. After the second ring, someone on the other line answered.
“Wen? I need to see you.”
“What’s up?” Wen asked.
“I just found the fourth Natural.”
Chapter Nineteen
Morgan found a parking space in front of Wen’s apartment building. She got out of her car and, silently, Jocelyn followed. Wen held open the main door to the unit and led them upstairs to his apartment. Morgan and Jocelyn sat down on the couch, but Wen remained standing for a moment, eying Jocelyn cautiously.
“How about I get you two some water?” Without waiting for agreement, he walked into the kitchen.
“I recognize him,” Jocelyn said quietly—the first words she had uttered since before they left Morgan’s house.
“Really?” Morgan asked.
“Yeah—from the Daily Grind. During one of Corbin’s band’s shows over the summer—you were sitting with him and two other guys.”
Morgan nodded. “Yeah.”
Wen returned carrying a glass of water in each hand. After handing a glass to each girl, he sat down. “So, what happened?”
Morgan launched into an explanation of the reading and the occurrences of Moving afterward. Wen listened intently, asking clarifying questions.
After Wen was satisfied with Morgan’s explanation, he turned his attention to Jocelyn. “So, how you feeling?”
“Like this is an elaborate joke.”
Morgan gave a half smile. “I felt the same way the night I found out the stuff Wen’s about to tell you. Actually, I wondered if you were pulling some kind of prank on me.”
Jocelyn’s mouth twisted in an attempt to smile, but the corners quickly fell again. She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands.
Unsure what to do, Morgan placed a hand on Jocelyn’s back and patted it gently. She looked up at Wen, who just shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention back to Jocelyn.
With a soft sigh, Wen closed his eyes and Morgan knew he was using his ability to calm Jocelyn. After about a minute, Jocelyn took in a deep breath and straightened, the panic absent from her face.
“So, it’s not a joke.” It wasn’t a question.
“No,” said Wen. “It’s very real and, unfortunately, probably dangerous.”
Morgan watched as Jocelyn stiffened and shot Wen a dirty look. “Yeah, thanks for that. You’re freaking her out.”
Wen shrugged. “She has to know, Morgan. She’s part of this.”
Jocelyn rolled her shoulders and patted Morgan on the leg. “It’s okay. I want to know.”
“Good,” Wen said. “I’m going to tell you a story about a time when people with abilities lived alongside people without them.” With a glance at Morgan, Wen launched into the story of the Veneret.
Jocelyn was quiet as she listened. Morgan couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind, but she could Feel her emotions: fear and disbelief giving way to a sort of curiosity and wonder. And though Jocelyn seemed calm before, it had been a forced calm. As she listened to Wen’s words, Morgan could tell Jocelyn was beginning to find peace within herself, instead of relying on it to come from an outside source.
It wasn’t until Wen began talking about the Prophecy that Jocelyn said anything.
“Morgan’s the One, isn’t she?” Though she was asking the question to Wen, Jocelyn’s eyes were on her cousin as she spoke. “And Corbin and Lucas and Lia, they’re involved too, right?”
Morgan gave a half smile. “Yeah.”
“And Ris?”
Morgan shook her head, looking down.
Jocelyn reached over and patted Morgan’s knee. “I’m sorry. That’s gotta be hard.”
“It is,” Morgan said. “I actually… I actually hoped she was the last Natural. I did a reading for her the other day and everything.”
Jocelyn removed her hand and looked down. “Are you sad it’s not her?”
“Yeah,” Morgan said. “But I’m glad it’s you.”
After a moment, Wen cleared his throat—a polite reminder the girls weren’t alone in the room. “I should contact Greg and Ellie. They’ll want to know.” He stood. “I’ll be back.”
Morgan watched as Wen disappeared down a hallway.
“Who are Greg and Ellie?” Jocelyn asked.
“Mr. Kment and Miss Scotford.”
Jocelyn gaped at her. “From school? There are Veneret teachers at our school?”
“Not exactly. They’re Watchers. Kind of an offshoot of the Veneret. They’re a little more… friendly.”
“I can’t believe it,” Jocelyn said, shaking her head slowly. “I never would’ve guessed. Miss Scotford is my English teacher!”
“Yeah. She and Mr. K work at our school because of me. The Watchers have been keeping an eye on me for years, apparently.”
“How come they knew about you but not about me?”
Morgan took in a breath and released it slowly. “Because of Mom.”
“Aunt Chelsea?” Jocelyn’s brow furrowed. “What does she have—”
“My mom was a Natural, too. And it might be part of why she disappeared.”
“Is she alive? Do the Watchers know where she is?”
“Yes, she’s alive.” Morgan paused. Part of her wanted to tell Jocelyn about everything—about what she’d overheard, about her dream, about what Tesin had told her. She wanted to tell Jocelyn about how Orrick claimed to be Morgan’s father. But something deep inside her stilled her tongue. She couldn’t. Not yet. So she gave the version of the truth she was supposed to know. “Mr. K said the Watchers haven’t been able to locate her.”
“Do the Veneret have her?” Jocelyn’s voice was barely a whisper.
Morgan squeezed her cousin’s knee. “No.”
Jocelyn just stared off into a corner of the room. After a long silence, she spoke. “I don’t know how you’re dealing with all this, Morgan. If it were me, I’d be a wreck, but you—” She paused, a sad smiled touching her lips. “Then again, you’ve always been the strong one.”
Morgan was spared having to reply by the reappearance of Wen. “Morgan, is it true your dad’s not home?”
Taken aback by the question, it took a moment for Morgan to answer. “He wasn’t there when we left. He was out celebrating a friend’s birthday.”
“Go to Jocelyn’s house.” He glanced at Jocelyn. “I assume at least one of your parents is home?”
“Y-yeah. My mom, for sure. My dad probably is now, too.”
“Wen, what’s all this—”
“Greg’s worried. He thinks now that the last Natural’s been found, Orrick might be more inclined to make a move. Our sources say he’s growing stronger by the day.”
Morgan shivered, understanding Wen’s meaning. Orrick was growing stronger by feeding off the energy of common people. She wondered how many people he went through a day, and she wondered what the long-term effects might be if he took energy from the same few people over and over. Kellen had fed on Ris twice and Morgan hadn’t noticed any problems, but what if he had done it every day for weeks?
“We still have teams of Watchers looking after you, Morgan, of course. And, Jocelyn, Ellie is making the arrangements as we speak to have you looked after, too. Still, there are more Veneret than there are Watchers. I need you two to tell me immediately if you ever feel unsafe or if anything out of the ordinary occurs.”
Morgan’s mind flashed to the black sedan she’d noticed when she’d gone to study at Lia’s, to the dream she’d had a
bout Chelsea, to Tesin showing up at the park.
“Wait—are we in, like, danger?” Jocelyn asked, a note of panic in her voice.
“In immediate danger? Not likely. But do you need to be careful? Absolutely. Orrick’s not the kind of guy who gives up on things he wants, and he wants Morgan. And since the Prophecy talks about the One and the four Naturals, he wants you, too.”
“And if you’re wondering,” Morgan said, “yes, he is talking about Orrick Williams.”
Jocelyn stared at her. “What could Orrick Williams want with you? With us?”
“World domination, not to put too fine a point on it.” Wen’s voice was devoid of humor. “Jocelyn, give me your phone, please.” He held his phone out to her.
Obediently, Jocelyn traded phones.
“Put your number in, in case I need to contact you. And I’m putting my number in…” He paused, pressing buttons on Jocelyn’s phone. “Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need to. Or if you think you need to. Okay?” He held the phone out to her.
Jocelyn nodded and exchanged Wen’s phone for hers.
Wen led the way toward the door and opened it. After Morgan exited the apartment building, she turned, expecting to say goodbye, but Wen was in the hallway, too, locking the door behind him.
“I’m following you to Jocelyn’s house,” Wen said, answering Morgan’s unvoiced question. “It’s probably safest if you stay the night tonight. Greg said he’d rather not have you on the streets alone after dark.” He began ushering the girls down the stairs.
“But—I need to stop off at my place,” Morgan said. “I don’t have pajamas or a toothbrush—”
“I’m sure you can borrow anything you’ll need.” Wen’s tone closed the matter.
Morgan huffed but said nothing. Instead, she led the way to her car and she and Jocelyn got in. Wen strode across the parking lot and sat astride a motorcycle. As soon as it rumbled to life, Morgan started her car and headed toward Jocelyn’s house.
Jocelyn glanced over her shoulder as they got onto the road. “I’d love to ride on a motorcycle.”
“Glad you’re focused on what’s important,” Morgan muttered, hiding a smirk. She handed her purse to Jocelyn. “Do me a favor: dig my phone out and send my dad a text saying I’m staying at your place tonight.”
Jocelyn laughed as she fished through the purse. “He’s gonna think you’re lying.”
“I almost think I’m lying.”
“Not quite the way you saw your night going, is it?”
“Not quite the way I saw my life going.” She glanced at Jocelyn. “I’m kinda glad you’re in it with me, though.”
“Yeah?”
“Kinda.”
***
Aunt Ashleigh was surprised, but pleased, when Morgan followed Jocelyn into the house and announced she’d be spending the night. She was tactful enough not to ask what had brought on the sudden change, and for that Morgan was glad. She wasn’t sure what sort of lie she could come up with on short notice.
Though the girls insisted they were still full from their earlier meal, Aunt Ashleigh was adamant about making a pan of brownies. Morgan and Jocelyn sat in the kitchen while she mixed them, and once she poured the batter into the pan, she handed the bowl to them to lick clean.
“I feel like I’m five,” Morgan said quietly to Jocelyn as Aunt Ashleigh put the brownies in the oven.
“You kidding? I do this, like, once a week!” The corners of Jocelyn’s mouth were smeared with batter. “Never with Marya or Shayna, of course.”
Aunt Ashleigh sat down at the table and stuck her finger into the bowl, scooping out a glob of batter. “I worry about those friends of yours. In all the time I’ve known them, I don’t think I’ve seen either of them eat a whole meal.”
“No fun at sleepovers,” Jocelyn agreed.
The three chatted as they cleaned out the batter bowl. Once it was empty, Jocelyn excused herself and Morgan from the room, requesting her mother alert them when the brownies were ready.
As Jocelyn led the way to her bedroom, Morgan tried to remember when the last time was that she’d been to this house. The living room furniture looked different, and she could have sworn the carpet used to be a different color. Even Jocelyn’s bedroom was unfamiliar: the last time Morgan had been in the room, it had been all light purple and lace. Now the walls and comforter were soft blue, and the lace had been traded in for a desk and electronics. As Morgan closed the door behind her, Jocelyn went to her iPod dock and turned on some music—not loud enough to hinder conversation, but loud enough to muffle their words from outside ears.
Jocelyn lay down on her bed and patted the spot beside her. With a smile, Morgan lay down too, head-to-foot, the way they always had in their youth.
“So, how do you feel?”
Jocelyn sighed. “Different.”
“You should try to do something. The night Lucas was activated, he did all sorts of crazy things. So did I, come to that.”
“Like what?”
“Like… you know that fedora he wears?”
“Mm-hm.”
“He made some guy give it to him. On accident, of course, but still. And then he kept making people compliment it. And I Moved some stuff—a glass, Lucas’s fedora.”
“So, you’re a… Mover, did Wen call it?”
“Nah. I’m a Feeler, so I’m aware of other people’s emotions. I’m supposed to be able to influence moods, too, but I haven’t done that yet.”
“Then how come you could Move stuff?”
“Dunno. It was like… It was like I had all this excess energy to use—and Lucas felt the same way. And I guess we could channel it in different ways. Wen says Lucas is a Feeler, too, but at training, they keep making him practice being a Mover.” Correctly interpreting the question to come, she added, “I’ll tell you about training later.”
“Okay,” Jocelyn agreed. “What about the others, then? What are they?”
“Corbin’s apparently a Seer—so he could actually know what you’re thinking, or he could See something that’s happening somewhere else.”
Jocelyn shifted. “So, if he wanted to, he could, like, See us here, now?”
“I guess. I mean, if he could control it that well. God, I hope that idea hasn’t come to him.”
“Please.” Jocelyn laughed. “How about Lia?”
“She’s a Pusher. She can convince people to do what she wants.”
“Makes sense.”
“Why’s that?”
“In English the other day, Chante was going on and on about how she finally got a solo for the fall choir concert.”
“So?”
“She’s never had a solo before,” Jocelyn said with an air of isn’t-it-obvious. “I’ve heard her sing. I mean, she’s got a nice voice, I guess, but nothing spectacular. Every year, she gets passed over for a solo in favor of someone with more of a powerhouse kind of voice. And now, suddenly, she gets a solo?”
“So, you think Lia Pushed the teacher to choose Chante?”
“I’d lay money on it.”
“Hm. Sneaky little devil.”
“So… What do you think I am?”
“My gut says Mover. I mean, you made the door swing open, you made your phone float. Go ahead—try to Move something.”
“How?”
Morgan shrugged. “When I do fortunes for people, I always slow down my breathing and kind of quiet my thoughts. Maybe try that?”
“Okay.”
Jocelyn fell quiet, and Morgan heard the steady cadence of her breaths. Morgan turned so she was facing the room and propped herself up on her elbow, waiting for something to stir, slide, or levitate.
There was a knock at the door.
Morgan and Jocelyn both jumped.
“Brownies are done,” Aunt Ashleigh said, pushing the door open. “I brought a plate for you.” She held out the plate, stacked high with the chocolaty squares.
Morgan got off the bed and relieved her aunt of the plate. “Thanks,
Aunt Ashleigh. They smell awesome.”
Her aunt just smiled. “You girls have fun, okay? But remember, it is a school night.” With a happy-sounding sigh, she exited the room and closed the door behind her.
“Give me one,” Jocelyn said, still lying on her bed.
Morgan raised an eyebrow at her. “Get it yourself.”
With a groan, Jocelyn shifted on the bed.
“No—from there.”
“What? No. That’s crazy—”
“Joss, just try, okay?”
Exhaling noisily through her nostrils, Jocelyn lay back down on the bed and steadied her breathing. Morgan’s eyes traveled back and forth between her cousin and the brownies. Just when Morgan started to think that nothing was going to happen, she saw one brownie tremble slightly. A moment later, it was in the air, sailing toward Joss. Joss opened her eyes just before the brownie reached her and caught it in her hand.
“Joss, that was awesome!”
“No,” Jocelyn said, taking a bite of the brownie, “that was trouble. What’s gonna happen to me if I never have to get out of bed to get something to eat?” She grinned, showing off teeth smeared with chocolate. Another brownie came sailing through the air and Morgan laughed as Jocelyn caught it in her mouth.
With a smile, Morgan rejoined her on the bed, the plate of brownies resting on her stomach. She took a brownie and, as she began to eat it, she saw various objects in the room begin zooming around, seemingly of their own accord. A pair of pants danced; a desk lamp floated near the ceiling, its light flashing on and off; two pencils chased each other around the perimeter of the room. In this moment, it was difficult to believe that anything bad could happen. As Jocelyn laughed gleefully, Morgan was almost able to forget the real reason she was staying the night. She could almost convince herself that she and her cousin were just spending time together. It almost felt like it did back when Morgan and Joss were best friends.
Almost.
Chapter Twenty
Tuesday morning, after Joss dropped Morgan off at her house so she could get dressed for the day, Morgan sent a text to Corbin, Lucas, and Lia, asking them to meet her by the boiler room before school began. She didn’t want to share that she had found the fourth Natural via text message. Though she realized that school might not be the most private place to tell them, she figured that since there were no lockers or classrooms by the boiler room, it was likely they would not be overheard by others.
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