She arrived at the school earlier than usual and paced until Lia arrived.
“What’s up?” Lia asked, brow furrowed.
Morgan offered a smile and stopped pacing. “Let’s wait till the guys get here.”
Lia nodded and took up a spot against the wall.
Lucas was next to arrive. “Hey, Lia,” he greeted casually, tipping his fedora in her direction. “I assume we’re waiting for Corbin before she’ll tell us anything.”
Lia nodded.
“Not even a hint?” he asked, directing his question toward Morgan. “The text was pretty vague.”
Morgan smiled. “Purposefully.”
Lucas and Lia made small talk for a few minutes before Corbin appeared. Seeing everyone already there, he smiled apologetically. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“Okay,” Morgan said, beckoning for everyone to come closer to her. “I’ve got news.” When Corbin, Lucas, and Lia were mere feet from her, she smiled triumphantly. “I found the fourth Natural.”
“How?”
“Who is it?”
Corbin smiled. “It’s Lynna.”
Morgan stared at him, bemused. “How’d you know?”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry—I couldn’t help it. Sometimes you’re just really easy to read.”
Morgan made a face at him.
“This is great,” said Lia.
“Is it?” Lucas regarded Morgan closely. “I mean, I know you and Lynna aren’t, like, best friends or anything.”
Morgan shrugged. “Maybe not, but… She’s growing on me again. It is actually pretty cool.”
“So, she knows about… you know… everything?” Lia asked.
Morgan nodded. “We met with Wen and he explained things.”
“What is she?” Corbin asked.
“Seems to be a Mover.”
“Good,” said Lucas. “Maybe they’ll stop trying to make me be one.” He offered a wry smile.
For a moment, they all just stared at one another. The first bell of the day rang, indicating they had fifteen minutes before first hour started. As one, the four of them started down the hallway.
As they walked, Lia spoke. “So, what do we do now?”
“My guess is we keep training,” Morgan said as they merged into the swell of students in the main hallway.
Lia sighed. “I just wish we knew for what.”
***
During JY second hour, Morgan and Lia got word that there would be training today. Morgan wasn’t at all surprised by the revelation. Now that Joss had been found, she wondered if there would be days off from training at all. When Wen spoke the previous night, it seemed to Morgan that he and the Watchers expected for Orrick to be more likely to make a move now that all four Naturals were located.
Morgan found she was distracted all day, thinking about what Orrick might try. If he were really to come after her and the others, would the Watchers really be able to stop him?
After school, Lucas offered to drive Morgan to training, as usual. Morgan agreed with the stipulation that Lucas also pick up Joss. Lucas had the good grace not to mention that just days ago, Morgan would have considered riding in a car with her cousin an acute form of torture.
As Lucas pulled into the parking lot of a doctor’s office—the day’s training location—Morgan could Feel the apprehension and excitement radiating off Joss, who sat in the back seat. Morgan turned around as she undid her seatbelt, smiling at her cousin. “Don’t worry.”
“I’m not,” Joss said automatically as she undid her own seatbelt.
“Yeah, right,” muttered Lucas as he climbed out of the driver’s seat.
Joss cast a dubious glance in his direction. “What, can everyone sense what I’m feeling or something?”
Morgan shrugged. “Lucas and I are a little more attuned to emotions, I think. Besides, you’re still a little amped up, I think, from being activated, so you’re easier to read than normal.”
“Are you making this up as you go along or something?” Joss asked as they got out of the car.
“Why?” Morgan laughed as she followed Lucas to the main entrance. “Were you under the impression I had any idea what was actually going on here?”
Wen opened the front door as they approached, and Morgan Felt a distinct change in the emotions coming from Joss: her apprehension evaporated and was replaced by a completely different type of nervousness.
Morgan rolled her eyes and exchanged glances with Lucas. He offered a small smile in response. Wen cleared his throat gently as they passed him and Morgan Felt a wave of disapproval coming from him. She offered a shrug in her defense as she walked into the office.
Lucas stopped short and Morgan bumped into him. She gave him a little shove and muttered good-naturedly, “Move it, jerk!” But then she noticed why he stopped. Seated in the set of chairs directly opposite the door was Mr. K.
Mr. K never attended training sessions outside of school. Morgan looked instinctively to Wen for an explanation, but none came.
Joss, whose newness to training sessions precluded her from understanding the oddness of the situation, continued into the building and took a seat one chair away from Mr. K. She offered her hand formally. “I’m Jocelyn,” she said with a confident smile. “We’ve never formally met.”
Mr. K took Joss’s hand and shook it. “It’s nice to formally meet you,” he said pleasantly. “Greg Kment.”
Lucas appeared to have regained his senses after the initial surprise of seeing Mr. K in the room. “So, Mr. K, what brings you to training today?” he asked as he crossed the room to another set of chairs and sat down.
Mr. K stood. “I actually came to talk to Morgan.”
Morgan exchanged a quick oh-crap glance with Lucas before turning her attention back to Mr. K. “Really?”
Mr. K nodded, extending his hand toward the doorway that led to the examination rooms. “Shall we?”
After a beat, Morgan nodded and started toward the door. She paused a moment when she reached it, but a nod from Mr. K when he met her there pushed her to turn the doorknob and walk into the hallway. She walked toward the nearest exam room, but Mr. K stopped her.
“Let’s move back here a bit.” He walked past her, following the hallway until it met a second one. Taking a left, he led her to where the second hallway dead ended at a third. Here he took a right, leading Morgan to the last exam room on the left. He indicated she should sit in the chair beside the cabinet of medical supplies. He took a seat on the doctor’s stool. For a long moment, he just watched her.
Morgan attempted to brace herself for what was coming.
At length, Mr. K spoke. “Morgan,” he said, his voice gentler than Morgan had expected, “Ellie and I—Wen—we’ve all mentioned the safeguards the Watchers have put into place for you, right?”
Morgan just stared at him, unsure where this might be going. “Well, yeah. You guys mention it all the time.”
Mr. K nodded. “And you’re fully aware that Orrick Williams wants you? He’s convinced that with you on his side, he can control the world. You know that he wants to destroy the Watchers, because we’ll oppose him, and turn the common into snacks and slave labor, right?”
“Yeah,” Morgan said slowly.
A muscle in Mr. K’s face twitched. “Then, why, Morgan…” He paused momentarily, his jaw clenching. “Why the hell do you keep doing things that could endanger yourself?” His voice raised to a yell as he spoke, and he got to his feet. “No matter what we tell you, you seem to want to do the opposite! We’ve asked you to stop pushing out with your abilities and making yourself vulnerable, but you keep doing it. And when someone calls you on it, what do you do? Run away? Morgan, do you understand what could’ve happened to you when you left training Friday? We’re doing everything we can to watch over you, but there are more Veneret than Watchers. Don’t you realize what we’re all giving up to keep you safe? And it’s all going to be for nothing if you keep acting like a child!”
Morgan’s eyes widened in shock. She’d never seen Mr. K so upset before—especially not at her. She opened her mouth but quickly closed it, realizing she wasn’t sure what to say. His concerns were valid, weren’t they? The day she left training, someone like Aurelia could have found Morgan as easily as Tesin had. Still, she didn’t think she entirely deserved his anger.
Mr. K seemed to master himself again. His face relaxed and he sat on the stool once more. “Morgan, you have to trust us.”
Morgan looked down at the linoleum between them. If he was trying to guilt her by using that card, it wouldn’t work. “Trust you? It’s hard to trust someone who keeps secrets. And, let’s face it, there’s a lot you and Miss Scotford aren’t telling me.” When Mr. K looked confused, Morgan continued. “I heard you and her talking after we trained in your room last week. You were talking about my mom.”
Mr. K closed his eyes for a moment. “Ah.” Opening his eyes, he fixed his gaze on Morgan. “Well, if you heard us talking, you know she’s safe.”
“A fact that would have been great to hear from you directly. How can I trust you when you can’t even tell me something simple?”
“You know as well as I do that it wouldn’t have stopped there. If I told you she was safe, you’d want to know how I knew—”
“Well, yeah—”
“And even if I could tell you that, you wouldn’t be satisfied. If we know she’s safe, why can’t we figure out where she is? If we can figure out where she is, why can’t we bring her back? See, it wouldn’t end—”
“Do you know where she is?”
Mr. K rubbed his forehead. “Morgan even if we did—even if we could—it wouldn’t change things. You mother must have her reasons for staying away. And I have to say, it’s probably for the best—”
Morgan stood, stomping her foot. “How can you say that? I need her. How do you know it won’t be good if she comes back?” she asked, Tesin’s words spinning in her mind. “How do you know she won’t—she won’t fight beside me? That we won’t take down Orrick together? What if the only danger is that Orrick will find her first?”
Mr. K looked at her quizzically. “First of all, the Prophecy says it all comes down to the One and her Naturals—not the One and her mother. And secondly, Morgan, the moment she comes back, she becomes a liability.”
Morgan stared at him, aghast, her mouth open. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? Morgan, you can’t see it, but it is true. If she’s back in your life, she becomes a target automatically. If Orrick can’t get to you, he’ll get to her.”
She shook her head. “No. No. If Orrick really wanted to get to me, he could do it right now—he could do something to my dad.” She clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words passed her lips, afraid that by even mentioning the possibility it might come to pass. “He… he wouldn’t do that, would he?”
Mr. K stood as well and placed a hand on her shoulder. “No. If Orrick was going to do anything to your dad, he’d’ve done it already. It seems there’s at least one benefit to the fact that Orrick places absolutely no value on the common: he can’t seem to understand that other people do.”
A sigh of relief escaped Morgan’s lips. “But that just makes him even more desperate to find my mom, doesn’t it?”
“He’s been desperate for years. According to our sources in his organization, he’s had a task force dedicated to finding her since she disappeared.”
“All the more reason for us to be looking for her.”
Mr. K released her shoulder and sat down again. “I can’t blame you for wanting her back. But, Morgan, you’ve gotta believe me: The last thing your mom would want is for you to put yourself in danger.”
She bristled. “How would you know?”
“Morgan, I know. What parent would want their child in danger?” He offered a small smile. “You’re not even my kid and I don’t want you in danger.”
Morgan snorted. “You don’t want me in danger because I’m your precious One.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you in danger because I care about you as my student, as an individual. Unfortunately, because you’re the One, you’re automatically in tremendous danger.”
“Awesome,” she grumbled.
He managed a short laugh. “Look, just… promise me you’ll trust me, Morgan. Promise me you’ll trust that the Watchers have your best interests at heart.”
Morgan looked into Mr. K’s eyes. He seemed so sincere, but then again, Morgan reasoned, he always seemed sincere. That hadn’t kept him from keeping things from her. But in this moment, she realized only one answer would suffice, despite the fact that it wasn’t entirely true.
She offered a small smile and said the only thing she could say. “Of course, Mr. K.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“So, Lynna, how’d it go?” Corbin asked two hours later as he, Joss, Lia, Lucas, and Morgan walked out of the doctor’s office.
“Really awesome.” Joss was grinning. “Everything was so easy…. Wen had me Move some things, and I could do that. Then he had me try to figure out how he was feeling, and I could do that. Then he had me try to make him do something, so I made him wash his hands.” She laughed. “It was a lot of fun!”
“Ah, to be newly activated,” Lucas said wistfully.
Joss looked at him. “You mean it’s not always like this?”
“No.” Lia smiled. “But it does get easier with practice.”
Morgan smiled, too. After her conversation with Mr. K, she’d been directed to work with Lia, who had been quite successful in Pushing Morgan to do several things. Clearly the group training the previous week had helped Lia figure out how to use her ability.
“So,” Lucas said as he approached his car, “Daily Grind, anyone?”
“Sure!” Lia said brightly.
Morgan shook her head. “I’m not feeling it.”
Lucas stuck his tongue out at Morgan before glancing at Corbin.
Corbin just shook his head. “I think I’d rather stay in tonight.”
Morgan realized he didn’t have to say what he really meant: He didn’t want to run into Ris there.
“Joss?” Lucas asked.
Joss looked slightly surprised to be addressed this way by someone other than Morgan. “Nah. I kinda want to keep practicing, you know—especially if it won’t always be this easy.”
“I guess that’s that, then,” Lia said, sounding a little sad.
Lucas looked at her, confused. “What, you’re not going out now either?”
“Well, I just thought—”
“What? That I wouldn’t want to go out if these losers weren’t going?” Lucas shook his head. “I’m still game if you are. I just have to drop off these punks first—”
“I could take them home,” Corbin offered. “It’s out of the way from here for you to do it.”
“Sure,” Lucas said. “If it’s okay with you, ladies.”
Joss eyed Corbin for a moment before turning to Morgan. “What d’ya think? We gonna trust this guy?”
Morgan shrugged. “Why not? He’s got an honest face.”
They all said their goodbyes and then Joss and Morgan followed Corbin to his car.
“Shotgun,” Morgan said.
No one spoke as Corbin started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Morgan replayed the conversation with Mr. K in her head. His request seemed so simple—to trust him and the Watchers. And she did trust them—overall. But that didn’t mean they always knew what was best.
They’d been driving nearly ten minutes when Morgan took note of their surroundings. They weren’t in Morgan’s neighborhood, nor Joss’s. Instead, Morgan recognized the large houses around them as belonging to Corbin’s neighborhood. “Corbin, why—”
Corbin pulled into his driveway and turned to Morgan, his face alight. “Come on, Morgan,” he said, smiling. “Tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind already.”
Morgan stared at him blankly.
“What’
s he talking about?” Joss asked from the back seat.
Morgan glanced back at her cousin. “I have no—”
Corbin cut her off. “Your mom. If Lynna’s really still got all that excess energy from being activated, maybe that’s the extra push we need.”
“Morgan,” Joss said, her voice firmer now. “Morgan, what’s he talking about? Is he talking about Aunt Chelsea?”
“It’s like I’ve been telling you.” She didn’t quite meet her cousin’s eyes. “My mom’s alive.”
“Not just that,” Corbin added. “She had a dream about her last week. We tried to find her this weekend, but we didn’t have any luck. But with you…” He grinned. “I think our luck’s about to change.”
“Well, what’re we waiting for?” Joss asked, undoing her seatbelt. “Let’s find her!”
A sudden chill coursed through Morgan. Indeed, what were they waiting for? “Okay. But we’ve gotta be really careful.”
“I’ll protect you,” Corbin said firmly. “I’ve been practicing keeping up a wall like we were doing this weekend. With Lynna’s help, it’ll be impenetrable.” He nodded encouragingly. “We can do this.”
Morgan smiled, her fingers going to her seatbelt buckle. “Then let’s do this.”
***
Even though no one else was home, they chose to set up in Corbin’s bedroom. They sat in a triangle, knee to knee, on the plush carpet. After sharing with Joss about her dream of Chelsea and the visit from Tesin, Morgan and Joss teamed up for several attempts to penetrate Corbin’s mental wall. When Morgan was satisfied that it was strong enough, they shifted gears.
“So, what exactly do I have to do?” asked Joss, not for the first time.
Morgan took a breath, reminding herself how new her cousin was to all this. “Joss, I told you: Let Corbin use your energy to strengthen the wall and concentrate on my mom. I’ll do the rest.”
The Naturals Trilogy Page 34
