At one end of the table, Ellie kept a constant stream of holiday-themed stories going, waving her fork emphatically as she described what the turkey looked and smelled like the year her father had attempted to deep fry it and recounted the time when an aunt named Ingrid had singed off her eyebrows in a candy-making debacle. Wen laughed heartily at these stories, but Morgan noticed a sadness behind his eyes. With a pang, she realized that it had been years since Wen had enjoyed a holiday—or any other day—with his family: He’d once told her that he left home at fourteen to join the Veneret so that he would have the chance to be the one to make first contact with Morgan when her abilities began to manifest. To keep himself and his family safe, he’d had to invent a back story about his life before the Veneret, and he’d had to sever ties with his family.
Wen had told her that he didn’t regret the sacrifices he’d made, but as she watched him listening to Ellie’s stories, she wondered if there wasn’t the tiniest pang of longing there. Morgan glanced around the table, her eyes landing on Lia, who was pushing the food on her plate around, staring at it sullenly. It was still happening. People were still having to give up their families for her. At least Wen and his family had made the choice themselves: Lia and the others hadn’t been so fortunate. They hadn’t asked to be Naturals, to be tied up in a Prophecy, or to leave their loved ones behind.
Morgan’s thoughts strayed to her father, and for a moment, it was as though an invisible hand tightened around her lungs, pressing the air from them. She wondered what he was doing tonight. Was he eating left over pizza and watching football in the darkened living room, alone? Or was he enjoying the night—and perhaps a beer or two—with Joss’s parents? She prayed it was the latter.
“Okay,” said Wen, standing and rubbing his palms together. “Who’s ready for pie?”
Joss groaned, leaning back in her chair. “I forgot about pie.”
Lucas stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. “Woman, how can you forget a thing like pie?”
She made a face at him and stood, following Wen toward the kitchen. “I’ll help you bring it in. That’ll burn off some calories, right?”
Lia stood too. “I’ve got to use the restroom,” she said quietly, excusing herself from the table and heading down the hallway toward her bedroom.
Morgan followed Lia with her eyes until she was out of sight.
Corbin leaned toward her. “She’ll be okay,” he said, just loud enough for her to hear. “I talked with her earlier today and she said she just needs some time ‘to process and pray.’” He employed air quotes with his free hand as he said the last part.
Morgan smiled at him but any response was curtailed by the arrival of the pies.
“I’ve got apple and pumpkin,” Wen announced as he approached the table. He nodded at Joss, indicating she should set her pies down first. After setting his own down, he began to serve the pie to everyone.
“This is fantastic, Wen,” Joss said after taking her first bite of apple pie.
Wen smiled, looking down at his plate. He finished his bite, a thoughtful look on his face. “You know, it’s a funny story about apple pie, actually. I was seventeen when I got my first apartment—before that I was living in these kind of… group homes, I guess you’d call them. They’re where Veneret kids can live once they start working for the organization, before they’re old enough to really have a place of their own. But at seventeen, I got a place and decided for Thanksgiving I wanted to go all out on the food. I ordered all this ridiculous stuff for the actual dinner, but I was convinced that homemade pies were better than store-bought stuff.” He laughed, a faraway look in his eyes. “Kellen kept insisting we needed more spices, and he kept bringing over ridiculous ones that he didn’t know what they were really used for. I think at one time he brought over paprika and cocoa powder. And when Tesin showed up, he brought store bought pies because he figured mine would be inedible.”
“Were they?” Joss asked.
“Oh, yeah. Though, I still contend it wasn’t my fault. I think Kellen would sneak in things when my back was turned.” He smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Clearly my pie-making prowess has increased over the years.”
A gentle tension settled over the room. Though it wasn’t exactly a secret that Wen and Kellen had been roommates, and that he had been friends with both him and Tesin, he usually didn’t talk about them, especially with such familiarity.
Morgan was taking her final bite of pie when something in the air changed. She looked at Greg, knowing the sense of unrest was emanating from him.
“Where’s Lia?” asked Lucas.
Joss glanced at the empty seat beside her. “She said she had to go to the bathroom…”
“Yeah, but how long ago was that?”
“Too long.” Greg stood. “Either she’s sick or—”
“Gone,” said Ellie quietly. Her eyes were closed, and Morgan knew she was using her Seeing abilities. “I’ll let the perimeter guard know.”
Wordlessly, Wen stood and headed down the hallway toward his bedroom.
“But—why would she leave?” Joss asked. “Where’s she gonna go?”
Corbin sighed. “I knew she was lying.” His eyes passed between Ellie and Greg. “I talked with her earlier—after we were done helping in the kitchen. She said she’d be okay, but…” He ran a hand through his hair roughly, disheveling it. “I knew something was still off—”
“Corbin, there’s no time to dwell on that,” Ellie said quietly.
Morgan turned to Greg. “Okay, what do you want us to do?”
For a moment, Greg just looked at her, an expression crossing his face that made Morgan wonder if he thought what she asked was somehow humorous. He touched her shoulder gently. “You guys need to stay here.”
“Why?” asked Joss. “It’ll be a while before the perimeter guard gets here, right? And seven is better than three for a search party.”
Greg shook his head. “We need you four to stay here. You’re safer here.”
“I think we’re smart enough not to get, like, eaten by a bear or something,” Joss insisted.
“It’s not bears we’re worried about,” said Wen, returning to the dining room. He had already donned a pair of heavy hiking boots and his gloved fingers struggled to zip his coat. He let out a frustrated noise and started to pull at his gloved fingertips.
“I got it,” Joss said, crossing the room zipping his zipper for him.
“Thanks,” he murmured. He turned his attention to the rest of them. “Look, I know it’s a long shot, but if the Veneret were somehow behind the accident Lia’s brother was in—or if they weren’t and they just found out about it—they might be trying to capitalize on the potential effect it could have on Lia. We’re safe here in the cabin partially because of location and partially because there are Watchers shielding the cabin so the Veneret can’t find it. Lia’s in real danger outside of these walls—and not from bears. If the Veneret are able to pick up on her energy while she’s out there…”
“All the more reason for more of us to be looking, right?” asked Lucas. “The more people looking for her, the faster she’ll be found—”
“The more of you out there, the bigger the chance the Veneret will find you,” Ellie said, her tone firm. She had walked to the hall closet and was pulling on her own coat and gloves.
Greg, who was likewise engaged in preparing for the outdoors, cast his eyes around the four of them, his gaze resting on Morgan. “Leave this to us. We’ll get her. Stay here—stay safe.”
In the remaining time Ellie and Greg spent getting ready, no one spoke. It wasn’t until after the two of them and Wen exited through the front door that the silence broke.
“Figures,” Lucas grumbled. “Most exciting thing to happen since we got here and we’re benched.”
Morgan couldn’t help feeling that Lucas had a point; however, she tamped down these thoughts and sighed. “Look, I don’t like it either, but Greg’s right. We need
to stay safe. The Watchers are more than capable of finding Lia and bringing her back.”
“Before the bears get her,” Joss added.
“What is it with you and bears?” Corbin asked.
“Joss’s had an unhealthy fascination with bears since we were little,” Morgan explained.
“I have not.”
“Sure you don’t. It’s completely normal to own every Berenstain Bears book ever written.”
Joss pursed her lips. “How is it any different than owning every Harry Potter book?”
“One, there aren’t, like, a billion Potter books. Two, I haven’t memorized every word of every Potter book—”
“Ladies,” Lucas said, holding a hand up, “is this really the best time for this conversation?”
“It just seems ineffective, right? I mean, why send out a real search party when you could search for someone without leaving the cabin?” Corbin asked.
“It’s safer searching in the traditional way,” Morgan said, a sharp, sensory memory surfacing in her mind. Before their being moved to the safe house, Morgan had tried to find her mother using her abilities, and a member of the Veneret—a woman named Aurelia—had been able to access her thoughts. “If they push out too much with their abilities… there could be someone waiting. Besides, I don’t think it’s the finding that they’re headed out there for, it’s the retrieval.”
Lucas shrugged. “We could always check.”
“Weren’t you listening to what I just said? Lucas, it’s dangerous.”
“What can I say? I live for danger.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow at him. He just winked at her before his gaze glazed slightly, and she knew he was reaching out with his abilities. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm and gave it a gentle tug, hoping his eyes would refocus and he would stop his endeavor. Instead, she became aware of just how cloaked his energy was. Even if the Veneret were actively looking for Lucas’s energy at this particular moment, she found it doubtful that they would be able to locate him. Against her better judgment, she reached out as well and joined with his energy, sensing that Corbin and Joss were doing likewise. Their minds linked, they reached out as one into the night to get a sense of what was happening with the Watchers.
They sought out the familiar energies of Greg, Ellie, and Wen and found them easily a few yards from the cabin. They weren’t speaking aloud; rather, they used their abilities to communicate with each other and coordinate with the perimeter guard. Morgan could sense rather than hear what was happening: the perimeter guard had located Lia’s energy about a quarter mile to the south and there was already a plan to catch up with her.
Satisfied—and feeling slightly guilty for spying in the first place—Morgan pulled back with her abilities and settled her focus within the cabin once more.
“At least she hasn’t gotten too far,” Corbin said. “I’m sure they’ll be back with her in no time. An hour tops.”
“What’s she thinking, anyway?” Joss’s voice still held an edge of unease. “How does she have any idea where she’s going? I mean, how can she be so sure she won’t just get lost out there and die of hypothermia? Forget bears. Did she bring any food? Water? And how did she expect to get past the Watchers anyway?”
“Clearly she wasn’t thinking rationally,” Morgan said.
“Or maybe she’s being completely rational right now,” Lucas said, his voice low.
Morgan looked at him and realized that he was still reaching out with his abilities. His gaze was still soft and faraway, his jaw set in concentration.
Joss cast a confused glance in his direction. “What do you—”
“She’s not where the Watchers think she is. She’s… Somehow she’s making it seem like she’s headed south, but… East. She’s to the east.” Lucas closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his face. “Wow.”
“What?” asked Corbin.
Lucas shook his head, fingertips still pressed to his eyelids. “She’s throwing off a lot of ability right now—way more than she’s normally capable of.”
“It’s her emotions,” Morgan said. “If she’s scared and stressed and angry, that’s all helping to amplify her abilities right now.”
“But that’s really not like Lia to let her emotions take over,” Joss said.
“Clearly that’s what the Watchers think.” Lucas surveyed Joss and Corbin, his eyes landing on Morgan. “They’re looking for her in the wrong place.”
They all stared at him for a moment. It was Corbin who broke the silence. “No offense, Luke, but…”
“How do I think I know something the Watchers don’t?” Lucas supplied. “Just—See for yourself.” Without warning, Lucas scooped up Morgan’s abilities with his own, taking Corbin’s and Joss’s as well. He allowed them to See what he was describing. There was the distinct signature of Lia’s energy about a quarter mile to the south, as the Watchers had indicated. However, to the east, there was another presence, or rather a curious lack thereof. There was a small void in the otherwise consistent dim glow of the natural energies in the forest. The variation was so small that Morgan would have overlooked it entirely if Lucas hadn’t directed her to it. Indeed, even when she could sense it, her instinct was to dismiss it, but then she Felt it: there was something about the void that told Morgan, beyond a doubt, that it concealed Lia.
Moments later, Morgan found herself fully back inside the cabin. She looked at Lucas, unsure what to say about this impressively powerful display of his abilities. She was spared thinking of something by Joss.
“So, what can we do about it? Wen and them already left. By the time we get dressed in arctic gear, they’ll be too far away to catch up with.”
“They told us to stay here anyway,” Morgan said. The words came out almost automatically; she’d been trying so hard since they arrived to follow instructions without complaint, to be the responsible leader of the five that she was supposed to be, that it was beginning to become unconscious—her default position, even if she didn’t agree with it one hundred percent.
Corbin sighed. “I’m trying to contact them, but they’re blocking me completely.”
Lucas nodded. “They were doing the same thing to me. But I have a feeling even if we could get through, they still wouldn’t do anything. They seemed pretty sure and I don’t think our say-so will pull much weight.”
“So, what do we do?” Corbin asked. But he seemed to already know the answer to his question: he stood and headed to the hall closet. Though they weren’t exactly encouraged to spend their leisure time tromping through the woods, the Watchers were nothing if not prepared: in the event of an emergency that somehow prevented them from escaping through the underground tunnel, there were heavy winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots for all of them. Corbin rifled through the closet for a moment before pulling out a puffy black coat. He threw it to Lucas, who was approaching him.
“Wait—you’re not doing what I think you’re doing, are you?” Morgan asked, standing and crossing to the boys.
“Only if you think we’ve got a hankering for a game of disc golf,” Lucas muttered, stuffing his arms through coat sleeves.
Morgan turned to Corbin, who was also putting on a coat. He went to zip it, but Morgan covered his hands with hers. “Corbin, you can’t leave. They told us to stay here. It’s not safe—”
“I’m going, Morgan. If it’s not safe for me, it’s not safe for Lia, either. Look, we don’t know what kind of supplies she brought. Is she warm enough? Does she have a flashlight? Maybe she twisted her ankle or got stuck somewhere—”
“I get it,” Morgan insisted. “It’s just—”
“Just what?” Corbin waited for an answer, and when one didn’t come, he cupped Morgan’s face in his palms. “Look, you can stay here—it’s fine. It’s probably better if you do. But Luke and I’re gonna go out and bring Lia back, okay?”
“Don’t forget me,” Joss said, pressing past Corbin and pulling a coat out of the closet.
Corbin glanced at M
organ and then at Lucas. “You really think that’s the best idea?”
Joss glanced at him and rolled her eyes. “Please. If you guys are going, so am I. She’s my friend, too.” She pulled on the coat and zipped it. “And don’t pull any macho crap on me, either.”
Lucas let out a breathy laugh. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Besides,” Joss said, slipping in to a pair of boots, “I have a fantastic sense of direction.”
Morgan watched as the three of them finished getting geared up for their trek, her mind oscillating between her sense of responsibility and her sense of duty: her responsibility said that she had to listen to Greg while her duty told her that Lia was what was most important right now.
As Corbin, Lucas, and Joss started for the back door, Morgan pursed her lips and squared her shoulders. “Wait! I’ll be right there.”
Chapter Five
The wind wailed as it whipped through the treetops. Morgan couldn’t believe just the day before she and Lucas had been out on the back deck in just hoodies for warmth. For at least the dozenth time, Morgan pulled her hat down more firmly around her ears.
The wan light of flashlights held by Joss and Corbin cast a sickly glow over the barren forest floor. Fallen leaves, twigs, and branches rustled and snapped underfoot. The only other sounds were their breathing and the chatter of their teeth.
“She’s close,” Lucas said quietly.
Morgan wasn’t sure how he could tell. She’d been trying to locate the void Lia was creating to hide her presence, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Either Morgan’s abilities were being affected by the cold, or Lia’s were.
“Let’s hurry,” Morgan whispered.
Lucas stopped abruptly and Morgan bumped into him. Her feet struggled to gain purchase on a gnarled tree root and Lucas put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
Their scuffling caught the attention of Corbin and Joss, who were leading the way. They turned casting weak light in their direction.
“What’s up?” Corbin asked.
Lucas caught Morgan’s eye and held it a moment before turning toward Corbin. It wasn’t until after he looked away that she processed the emotion she saw there: fear.
The Naturals Trilogy Page 44
