Morgan inserted herself into the group between Lia and Wen. “Okay, what are you talking about?”
Wen’s eyes flicked toward the hallway opposite the one Morgan had come from. “Look, I shouldn’t even’ve told these two. I really need to tell Ellie and Greg—”
Morgan grabbed Wen’s arm when he made a move to leave. “Come on, Wen. Don’t be like that.” She turned him so he was facing her and pushed forward with her abilities just enough to make her point: If he didn’t tell her, she could find out on her own.
“That’s not very nice,” Wen said, sounding tired.
“Well, neither is keeping secrets,” Morgan said.
After a moment’s debate, Wen sighed. “Okay. I’ve got news. It’s not particularly good.”
“Talk about an understatement,” Lia muttered under her breath.
Wen ignored her. “It’s the Veneret. I think they’re trying to draw you out.” He glanced at Lia and Joss. “All of you.”
A thrill of dread coursed through Morgan’s body. It wasn’t the first time Orrick Williams, head of the Veneret, had attempted to draw Morgan out so he could capture her and turn her to his will. Last time, his plan included leaking false information to Morgan that her mother, who had been missing for a decade, had been found by his organization, betting correctly that Morgan would attempt to rescue her.
“At first, we thought maybe they were all coincidences,” Wen said, cutting into Morgan’s thoughts. “But, there’ve just been too many…”
“Too many what?”
Wen cocked his head from sided to side, searching for the right word. “Incidents,” he said finally. “First, it was a dozen-car pile-up on the highway. It didn’t even register with us at the time, because, you know, accidents happen. But then…” He closed his eyes momentarily, exhaling. “Then there was the shooting at the mall. A rash of suicides on a college campus. A small riot at a hockey game. All these things happened within a fifty-mile radius of your house, Morgan. It’s too localized to be coincidence. And then there was the earthquake—”
Morgan felt her pulse quicken. “Like a legit earthquake? By my house? This isn’t California—it’s the Midwest, for crying out loud.”
“It wasn’t a big one,” Wen said. “We think it was more a test-run. To my knowledge, it’s not something that’s ever been done before—causing an earthquake, I mean.”
Morgan gaped at him. “How do you cause an earthquake?”
“Since it’s the Veneret, it’d have to be a Mover who’d drained dozens of common people of their energy. Then he’d direct all that energy—”
“To Move the Earth?” Morgan was incredulous.
Wen closed his eyes, looking more exhausted than he had moments before. “I have to go talk to Ellie and Greg.”
No one stopped him as he made his way toward the far hallway. It was only after he disappeared that anyone spoke.
“I don’t get it,” Joss said, walking over to a nearby couch and collapsing onto it. “Why would the Veneret be doing all that stuff?”
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Lia walked to an adjacent couch and sat upon it.
“To draw us out,” Morgan said, echoing Wen’s words.
Joss’s brow knit. “Yeah, but—”
“He’s daring us to stop him,” Lia said. “Clearly, the Veneret aren’t having any luck finding us, so Orrick’s decided to try to bring us to him.”
Morgan shook her head. “We can’t,” she said automatically. “If the Watchers wanted us to be doing something about it…”
“I’m just worried,” Lia said quietly. “I mean, if they keep this up, eventually they might get to our families. Wen says the Watchers are doing everything they can to keep them safe, but, sooner or later, it might not be enough.”
Morgan’s heart lurched at the thought of the family members they’d all left behind. The five had been whisked off into hiding so quickly, no one had been able to say goodbye. A cover story had been instituted by the Watchers: Morgan, Joss, Lia, Corbin, and Lucas had all been accepted into a study abroad program. Pushers visited their parents and convinced them that their child had applied for the program with the family’s blessing. Morgan knew this was all done to keep their families safe, but she hated the idea of her father, Dylan, rambling around their house alone. Not for the first time, she hoped that he was spending as much time with Joss’s parents as possible. Though, strictly speaking, her father was not related to them—Aunt Ashleigh was the sister of Morgan’s mother—the three had always been close.
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. The first few days at the cabin, Morgan had driven herself crazy thinking about the people she’d left behind—mostly her dad and her best friend, Ris Perry. But she realized worrying about them wouldn’t help anything; instead, she threw herself into training, believing that the one thing that could help the people she cared about was fulfilling her destiny.
With a sigh, Morgan made her way to the kitchen to find herself something for breakfast. Cereal was a staple at the cabin, though often, between supply drops, they were left with nothing but oatmeal. Supplies had been replenished two days before, so Morgan found the cereal cupboard full of new boxes. It was strange, she reflected as she took inventory of her choices, how something as routine as selecting a breakfast cereal had become something to look forward to.
She selected the open box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch—a luxury item she knew would be gone in the next day. Tomorrow she would be eating something more serious—granola, most likely—but today she allowed herself the frivolity of what her father would call a “candy cereal.”
By the time she poured her milk—another rare commodity that would likely be replaced with the powdered variety by week’s end—Lia and Joss made their way into the kitchen. Lia selected her cereal—raisin bran; Lia never ate sugary cereals—while Joss set up the coffee pot. She measured out the water and poured it into the reservoir, put the filter in the basket, and set the fresh bag of coffee beans beside the grinder. She didn’t go further than that, however: Everyone knew it was Lucas’s job to make the coffee. In their lives before the cabin, Lucas was a barista, and his skills with coffee beans were unrivaled by any of the rest of them.
Morgan and Lia made their way to the large table while Joss selected her cereal. Lia sat in the near chair that faced the back door and wall of windows that displayed the deck and the forest’s waning fall colors. Morgan sat across from her. By the time Joss sat down beside Lia, Lucas had made his way to the kitchen, his black hair shiny, wet, and lying flat—for once. He smiled at the girls and set to work at the coffee maker, whistling. The scent of roasted beans and Lucas’s shampoo drifted to the table and Morgan smiled, finding something comforting in the aroma.
Lucas was just setting Lia’s and Joss’s drinks down in front of them when Corbin finally made his way into the kitchen. His blond hair was tousled, but artfully so. Morgan knew for a fact he styled his hair every morning before coming down for breakfast. He winked at Morgan as he walked to the cereal cupboard. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch box was on the counter and he picked it up, shaking it hopefully. “Aw, man.”
“That’s what you get for sleeping in,” Joss called as she scooped up a spoonful of cinnamon squares.
Lucas, who was busying himself with another mug of coffee, slid a bowl full of the cereal across the counter to Corbin. “You can have mine.”
Corbin shook his head. “No, it’s okay—”
“Really,” Lucas said, cutting him off. “Besides, raisin bran’s better for me anyway, right Lia?”
Lia raised her spoon in a salute.
He set a mug in front of Corbin. “There’s your coffee.”
Corbin shrugged and smiled, giving Lucas a good-natured slap on the shoulder. “Thanks, Luke,” he said, applying to Lucas the nickname he’d started using since their stay at the cabin. After adding milk to his cereal, Corbin walked to the table, taking a seat beside Morgan.
Lucas joined them soon, carry
ing his bowl of raisin bran in one hand and two mugs in the other. He sat at the head of the table, between Morgan and Lia.
Morgan smiled when he slid one of the mugs in front of her. While it was strange to be living in isolation like this, Morgan found she was comforted by simple routines—like Lucas making her a drink every day. Though her cereal was long gone, she had waited at the table, knowing the beverage was coming. Besides, she looked forward to sitting at the table with her friends each morning: it was almost like they were family.
When she was nearly finished with her hot chocolate, Ellie Scotford and Greg Kment entered the room. Though they’d spent countless days living together in the cabin, Morgan still felt a wave of something like embarrassment when her former teachers walked around in their pajamas.
Lucas glanced up from his bowl of raisin bran and, catching the expressions on the adults’ faces, stood and headed toward the kitchen. “Coffee. Got it.”
Ellie sat down beside Joss and immediately rested her elbow on the table, propping her face in her hand. Greg sat across from Ellie, beside Corbin, and surveyed the faces around the table.
“I suppose you all want to know what Wen’s learned,” Greg said, sounding tired.
“Wen already told us,” Morgan said.
Joss glanced at her cousin, her eyes accusing mutiny. “To be fair, we kind of made him tell us,” she added quickly.
“Wait—I haven’t heard it,” Lucas called from the kitchen.
Sighing, Morgan pushed the information she had to Lucas and Corbin, including Greg and Ellie in the wave.
Greg nodded. “That’s the big stuff.”
Lucas arrived at the table then, setting mugs of coffee in front of Ellie and Greg. He took the seat between them, across from where he had been seated before. “What’s the not-so-big stuff?”
Ellie’s lips formed a tight line and she cast a reproachful look in Greg’s direction.
“It’s probably nothing—at least we hope it’s nothing.” Greg took a long sip from his coffee mug before continuing. “You guys know that Orrick’s been in hiding basically since we got here, right? Well, slowly, other members of his inner circle have also been disappearing. They’re probably hiding out in Veneret safe houses: they don’t want the Watchers to get ahold of anyone with intimate knowledge of Orrick’s comings and goings.” He paused to take another sip. “The most recent one to go missing is Tesin.”
The hairs on the back of Morgan’s neck stood up. Tesin. Thinking of him still made her stomach clench. It was through Tesin that Morgan had been manipulated to think her missing mother had been found and abducted by the Veneret. It was because of him that she, Corbin, and Lia had nearly been captured by the Veneret, and that the Watchers had to move Morgan and the others to the safe house without allowing them to say goodbye to their families. “But he’s a Watcher,” she managed to say.
Greg’s mouth twitched. “Yes… But after Orrick was able to manipulate him to get to you…”
“We’re still keeping an eye on him,” Ellie said. “But Tesin never came back to us. We’re not sure—”
“What? So they’ve turned him?” Corbin asked.
“More likely, they’re Pushing him. We already knew they figured out he was a Watcher. That can’t have looked good, not on the heels of learning Wen was a Watcher too. Two people working so closely with Orrick being spies? I’m sure that caused some ripples in the Veneret community. What better way to silence rumors than to turn a spy into an example?”
“And now he’s disappeared.” Lia’s voice was quiet.
“Wait—like, sleep with the fishes disappeared?” Joss asked, sounding alarmed.
The corners of Ellie’s mouth twitched. “No. We have no reason to think he’s not alive. My guess is he’s still working in the organization, being Pushed to stay there, to keep up appearances. Think of the PR Orrick could get out of something like that. Tesin was outed as a Watcher spy and now he looks like he’s turned to Orrick’s side. It’s brilliant, actually. A great plan if you’re noticing people wavering away from your cause.”
A kind of indignation surged in Morgan. Despite his having tried to deliver her into Orrick’s hands, Tesin was still a Watcher. Now he was missing and it seemed as though no one was doing anything about it. She opened her mouth to express her concerns, but Greg started talking.
“Morgan.” His tone was soft. The look on his face told her that he’d Felt her emotions. “The most important thing is the Prophecy. The most important thing is you. If Tesin were here now, he’d tell you the same thing.”
Morgan thought that Greg was clearly incorrect in that, given that mere months ago Tesin had tried to sell her out for the sake of his girlfriend, but she kept the words to herself. Instead, she took in a deep breath and nodded. “Of course.”
Lia shook her head. “I don’t like this—I don’t like any of it.” She pushed her half-empty bowl away from her.
Lucas stood, taking up both his bowl and Lia’s and walking them to the kitchen sink. “To be fair, I don’t think any of us like this.”
Lia cast an acerbic look in his direction before standing. “I feel like we’re cooped up in here doing nothing while Orrick’s out there destroying the world. It makes me feel helpless, and I don’t like feeling helpless.”
Greg sighed. “I understand it can feel that way, but we’re not doing nothing here. You’re all preparing. And when the time is right, we’ll move on Orrick. You just have to be patient.”
This wasn’t the first time Greg had broken out the p-word. Morgan exchanged glances with Lia, pressing into her mind her own frustration with the situation, but also her faith that the Watchers knew what they were doing.
They had to.
Chapter Three
At ten o’clock, Morgan made her way to the living room. Lia, predictably, was already there, as was Lucas. Greg was in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Since the day after their arrival at the cabin, training happened every day at ten. Besides dinner time, it was the only structure they were provided. Morgan found she appreciated the consistency of it.
By the time Greg made his way into the living room, coffee mug in hand, Corbin and Joss had arrived.
“So, what’re we doing today, Mr. K?” Lia asked.
He smiled as he sat down on a couch beside Lucas. “Lia, it’s been two months. How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Greg. I’m not your teacher anymore.”
Lia blushed the way she did whenever he or Ellie reminded her to call them by their first names. “Okay,” she murmured.
Greg just shook his head, still smiling. “Today. Jocelyn, I’ll have you working with Moving larger objects.”
Joss made a face. “Bane of my existence.”
“It’s gotta be a mental block,” Morgan said soothingly. “I mean, you can Move smaller things no problem, and you can Move complex things. Remember, the size and weight of stuff doesn’t matter.”
“Do or do not, there is no try.” Lucas smiled and caught Morgan’s eye. She smiled back, though she felt a stab of sadness: Ris was obsessed with the Star Wars movies.
Sighing, Joss nodded. “Mental block,” she agreed reluctantly.
“Speaking of mental blocks,” Greg continued, “Morgan, you’ll be working with Lucas again.”
Morgan groaned inwardly but forced her face to remain passive. It wasn’t that she didn’t like working with Lucas. In fact, she genuinely enjoyed his company. However, her task lately had been to Push Lucas to do something. The fact that she wasn’t a Pusher by nature paired with Lucas’s ability to thoroughly block himself off made the task exponentially more difficult. But she didn’t—wouldn’t—complain about it. Instead, she smiled and turned to Lucas. “You’re going down.”
“Bring it,” Lucas said, clearly unimpressed by her threat.
“Lia,” Greg continued, “you’re working with Corbin.”
“Feeling exercises again?” she asked.
He nodded. “And i
f you have a successful time, maybe you and he could pair up for some Moving exercises.”
Having their tasks for the day, the group separated to get to work. Morgan crossed the room to Lucas. “Where do you wanna set up?”
“Outside? It’s not bad out.”
“Okay. Let me go get a hoodie and shoes and I’ll meet you out there in five.” Without waiting for a response, Morgan headed toward the room she shared with Joss. The bottom drawer of the dresser contained a simple blue pull-over hooded sweatshirt. It was not hers—not really. All of the clothes at the cabin had been purchased for them, as they hadn’t exactly had time to pack for this extended stay away from their homes. Most of the belongings at the cabin were generic—plain tee shirts, simply cut jeans—but the Watchers had been sure to provide each of them with something personal: a comfort from home. For Morgan, it was plenty of drawing materials at the craft station in the corner of the living room. For Corbin, it was a guitar. Lucas, on the other hand, was provided with a variety of barista supplies: flavor shots, spices, teas, and coffee—while it lasted.
Once Morgan was ready, she headed back through the living room and dining room toward the back door. As she touched the knob, she saw Greg approach Corbin and place his hand on the latter’s shoulder. Greg leaned toward Corbin and, after a moment, Corbin nodded and followed Greg down the hallway that led to the library and the adults’ bedrooms. Morgan wondered what was going on but made herself tamp down the curiosity. Rolling her shoulders, she turned the doorknob and headed outside.
Lucas was already there, wearing a gray hoodie and no shoes. She looked at his bare feet and raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s not that warm.”
He shrugged. “I like going without shoes when I can. It’s the hobbit in me.”
Morgan smiled, crossing to one of the wooden Adirondack chairs on the large deck. As she sat, she inhaled the sharp autumn air. When she exhaled, her breath was only just visible. She decided that Lucas was crazy for going without shoes.
“Am not,” Lucas murmured, taking a seat across from her.
The Naturals Trilogy Page 41
