The Naturals Trilogy

by Madeline Freeman

  Morgan was confused. Lucas had said he’d told Greg about his visions; she just assumed Greg would have shared the information with the other Watchers. “I’m not exactly jumping into something with Lucas—”

  “Really? I didn’t think you were the type to hook up.”

  “We’re not hooking up—”

  “Then I’m confused.” He held up his hand. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Whatever’s going on with you and Lucas is going on. But think about your actions, Morgan. It’s not just you the consequences fall on.” He watched her for a moment before sighing. “Since we got here, you’ve been acting more and more like a leader—you’re training hard, you’re not making excuses, you’re supporting the others. But you’re still not thinking like a leader.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Morgan, every choice you make has repercussions for you, sure, but also for Lucas and Corbin, for Joss and Lia. Hell, for me and Ellie and Greg. For all the Watchers, and for the Veneret. And also for all the common people in the world.”

  Morgan’s mind spun with the weight of Wen’s words. “How… How can all that be on me? It’s too much, Wen.”

  He patted her knee in what he must have thought was a consoling way. “I know it seems like that. But it’s not. It’s not too much.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because it’s you. And whether by birth or by choice or by some mix of the two, I know that if anyone can handle it, it’s you.”

  The look on Wen’s face was so earnest that Morgan couldn’t help believing him. She nodded. “Okay.”

  Suddenly businesslike, Wen patted Morgan’s knee again and stood. “Alright. First things first: you’ve gotta square things with Corbin.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Morgan stopped at Corbin’s bedroom door and stared at it. Mere weeks ago, she had come and gone through that door as easily as if the room had belonged to her. Now she hesitated to even knock. She brought her fist up but it just hung in the air, unmoving. Bringing her arm back down to her side, she turned away from the door. Tomorrow would be just as good a time to get this over with.

  Three steps down the hall, she stopped again. Wen asked her to do it now. Not giving herself the chance to chicken out again, Morgan strode straight to the door and rapped on it firmly. A groan issued from the other side and Morgan took that as her cue to enter.

  Corbin lay atop his bed, his eyes on the ceiling. He didn’t look toward Morgan as she approached. “I’m really not interested right now.”

  She looked at his face. He looked even worse off than Lucas had, with a gash beneath his right eye in addition to bruising around his left. Even his jaw looked puffy. “If you want,” she ventured tentatively, “I could try to… you know… fix you up.”

  Corbin let out a humorless laugh. “So he’s already taught you how to Heal? How sweet. Maybe next he’ll show you how to mix drinks for everyone.”

  Morgan closed her eyes and sighed. She hadn’t expected he’d make this easy on her. “Look, Corbin. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Lucas and I… We weren’t trying to hurt you by hiding anything. I mean, I guess I could’ve handled it better—I could’ve told you to your face—but things just happened—”

  “They did not. Morgan, give me a little credit. There’s been something between you for a while. I could see it when you two were together. Don’t tell me you never felt it.”

  She didn’t answer. She realized confirming or denying it would just upset Corbin more. Instead, she just stared at him.

  He pulled his eyes from the ceiling and looked at her. “Aren’t you even gonna say it?”

  “What?”

  “You know what. The reason you’re here. To make sure I’m still gonna do what I have to do to help you, to help the Watchers.”

  Morgan stared at the floor in front of Corbin’s bed. She couldn’t bring herself to ask. She was afraid to know the answer. After a few moments, she took in a breath. “I’m just sorry if you’re hurt. I never wanted to hurt you.”

  Corbin snorted.

  Suddenly, indignation filled Morgan. Memories floated to the surface of her mind and quelled any feelings of guilt or pity that were swimming around within her. “You know what? I take it back. I’m not sorry. Maybe—maybe this is just what you get.”

  Corbin sat up, a confused expression crossing his marred face. “What are you—”

  “I seem to remember a time not too long ago when it was you who was playing with my emotions. When you were quasi-dating Ris but still wanting to make out with me when no one was around? At least I wasn’t trying to start something up before you and I were over. It never even crossed my mind until he and I were talking last night—”

  “Please, spare me the gory details.”

  Morgan placed her fists firmly on her hips. “I’m sorry, but you don’t get to be pissed. You know what you get to do? Deal with it.”

  “Deal with it?”

  “Yeah. Deal with it. Look, I’m sorry that for once—once—things aren’t going your way. I’m sorry that things aren’t as easy for you as you’re used to them being.”

  “Come on, Morgan. You know my life’s not really like that—”

  “Then stop acting like a spoiled brat!” She drew a breath and released it slowly, her anger abating. “Corbin… Do you even want to be with me? I mean, really?” She paused, but didn’t really expect an answer. After a moment, she pushed on. “After I activated you, we had such a connection. I mean, I felt like I knew everything about you—even though I didn’t really want to. And you knew me, and you wanted to know me. And when we got here… the nightmares…”

  He nodded. His hand shifted, and for a moment it seemed as if he were considering reaching out to her. But it remained firmly at his side and he let out a breath. “I’m in this.”

  “What?” Morgan asked, confused.

  “The question you came in here to get answered. About whether I’m gonna let this you and Luke thing mess up your destiny or whatever. I’m in this.” He snorted. “Not that I really had a choice in the matter or anything.”

  “Corbin, I’m—”

  “Look, none of us got to choose this. And… and maybe you’re right. Maybe we were never supposed to be together.” He shook his head. “You know what my biggest regret is, actually? Clare.”

  Morgan nodded, smiling at Corbin’s nickname for Ris. There was a time when his use of it actually irritated Morgan a little—though Ris had been known by her full name, Clarissa, during elementary school, she’d dropped it for Ris in middle school. When Corbin reemerged in her life, the fact that he called her by an old nickname, Clare, made Morgan feel like he didn’t know her anymore; but in this moment, Morgan realized Corbin knew Ris in ways Morgan didn’t.

  Morgan looked at Corbin and realized he’d been watching her.

  “I miss her, too,” he said quietly.

  Morgan reached forward and covered Corbin’s hand with hers. “We’ll see her again. And… when we do… maybe you can take care of some regret.” She managed a small smile before removing her hand from his and turning to leave. She was about to open the door when Corbin said her name. “Yeah?” she asked, turning to him.

  Corbin opened his mouth but closed it quickly. A muscle in his jaw jumped, and Morgan could tell he was biting back his words. But for the look in his eyes, she would have assumed he was about to make another rude remark. Just as she convinced herself he was never going to speak, he did.

  “Don’t expect me to be okay with this.” Whatever softness had been in his eyes moments before was gone, replaced by coldness and distance. “Whether we were ever supposed to be together or not, seeing you with him pisses me off. I’ll do my best not to fight him again.”

  A hot wave of anger washed through Morgan and she gritted her teeth. “Don’t do me any favors. I’m fairly certain he’d kick your ass anyway.” Without waiting for a response, she let herself out of the room.

  But as she start
ed back toward Lucas’s room, an idea pressed itself into the back of her mind: There’s a reason. She paused, turning toward Corbin’s door, sure he was the one to send the impression. There’s a reason. A reason for what? His anger? His inability to accept that Morgan was moving on from their relationship?

  She considered reaching out to him, sending her own thoughts to his mind, but she stopped short. Whatever he was thinking, whatever reasons he might have for his behavior, she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear them.

  Chapter Twenty

  The first thing Morgan heard was music, only the sounds that reached her ears were anything but melodic. Harsh and discordant, it was as though instruments had been given to children who proceeded to bang and clang them into a cacophonous riot of noise.

  She saw people and buildings, trees and grass, but something was wrong. The colors were off. People had mottled blue, orange, purple skin. The grass was gray, the trees black. Nothing was as it should be.

  She watched as one person began to rise higher than the rest, floating up above the people, above the trees, above the buildings. A thrill coursed through her as she realized the person was her. Then she saw four others raise up to join her in the sky—Lucas, Lia, Joss, and Corbin. Slowly, the vision shifted. Colors righted themselves, and the noise around her abated, changing into a complicated symphony beauteously arranged. A feeling of peace settled around her, falling like a gentle rain.

  She felt a presence behind her and turned. Standing several feet away was Ris. Morgan started to run toward her but stopped immediately. There was something different about her. She was still Ris, but somehow more than that. Then she Felt the difference: Ris’s energy. No longer was it pale and muted, no longer was it common. It didn’t Feel the way the energy of the Watchers or the Veneret Felt—or even the way the Naturals’ energy Felt. It was something entirely foreign, something new.

  Before Morgan could form a question for Ris, she received a distinct impression.

  You.

  She didn’t understand. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but didn’t get a chance to speak it.

  You did it. It’s what you’re meant to do.

  Morgan stared at Ris, who smiled her megawatt smile and nodded. Only then did she speak.

  “You can wake up now, Morgan.”

  Morgan opened her eyes. The room was dark and she could only make out indistinct shapes. It was late, she knew it without even looking at the time, but she didn’t care. Though she’d never attempted to broadcast a message to everyone in the house the way Ellie did when she sent out alarms, she knew without a doubt she could do it.

  As she sent her message to the others, she made her way to the living room, turning on lights as she went. She didn’t have to wait long before the others began filtering into the room. Lucas and Lia, bleary-eyed, were the first to arrive, followed by Ellie. A solid minute passed before Joss stumbled into the room. As the next minute elapsed, Wen, Greg, and Corbin found their ways into the room.

  “Morgan?” Greg asked as he sat down. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

  “Nope. And I don’t care.” She paused for a moment, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

  “So,” Ellie began, “what’s this—”

  “Sh.” Morgan looked toward the far hallway. “Kellen, go back to your room.”

  A moment later, Kellen poked his head around the corner, looking rumpled. “Is there a problem? Why’s everybody—”

  “Go,” Morgan said firmly.

  At first, it looked as though Kellen wouldn’t comply, but then he stiffened and disappeared around the corner. Morgan followed him in her mind’s eye until he was in his room and closed the door behind him. For good measure, she pushed white noise into his ears so he couldn’t overhear what she was about to say.

  She turned her attention to the others. “I had a vision. I think I know what I’m supposed to do.” She looked around at the other Naturals. “What we’re supposed to do. I mean, maybe not all of it, but I think I know what part of the Prophecy means.”

  “Really?” Lia asked, suddenly looking more awake. “What? What are we supposed to do? Is it about Orrick?”

  Morgan shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. It’s not an immediate thing. I think it’s part of—I don’t know—like, part of our ultimate goal. The Prophecy talks about making our abilities known to the common people, right?” She looked toward Ellie and Wen for verification.

  Ellie glanced at Greg before nodding. “Part of it, yes.”

  Morgan nodded, smiling. “Well, I think that it means we’re supposed to make our abilities known to the common people.” She paused, waiting for the others to catch her meaning.

  Lucas, as ever, seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. However, something in his face wasn’t entirely comforting. “It’s a nice idea, Morgan, but…”

  Joss looked back and forth between Morgan and Lucas, a confused expression on her face. “What idea?” She looked at Lia as if for assistance.

  Lia’s face screwed up in concentration. After a moment, her eyebrows knit. “Ris? What does she have to do with anything?”

  Corbin crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “Seriously, can’t you just leave her alone? Can’t you see she’s better off not knowing about any of this stuff?” He shook his head. “I know we talked about her earlier, so maybe she’s just on your mind. But I can’t believe you wanna drag her into all this.”

  Joss’s face finally cleared with understanding before becoming clouded with concern. “Wait—you think we’re supposed to somehow share our abilities with the common people?”

  “You say that like you think it’s a bad idea,” Morgan said.

  “Well, no,” Joss said quickly. “I mean, I guess it’d be kinda cool, but…”

  “But what?” She looked at her cousin, waiting for a response. When none came, she looked at each of the others in turn.

  After a minute, Lia spoke. “What’ll it accomplish? I mean, even if we could—and I do mean if, because I don’t even know if it’s possible—what good would it do?”

  Morgan stared at her, flabbergasted. “Are you serious? How would it not be a good thing? No more hiding who we are. No more fear about what we can do. If everyone can tap into the abilities we have, then—”

  “Then what?” The look on Ellie’s face was both curious and—Morgan realized angrily—full of pity. “If having abilities somehow solved problems, we wouldn’t be fighting the Veneret. You would all be home with your families and, Morgan, your mom would never’ve had to leave you—”

  Morgan shook her head. “That’s not what I’m saying. I don’t think that giving abilities to everyone in the world is some sort of magic bullet.” Greg and Ellie both opened their mouths to say something, but she spoke over them. “I just think it’s what we’re supposed to do.”

  In the silence that followed, Morgan was aware that an unspoken conversation was passing among the others. Only moments passed before Wen cleared his throat gently.

  “Morgan.” His voice took on the quality it did whenever he was seeking to counsel or advise one of them. “I know the time here’s been tough on everyone. And it’s been especially emotional for you. After Christmas—”

  She shook her head. “Wen.”

  “I’m just saying,” he continued. “I know it probably feels like this dream is something bigger than it is, but, face it, it’s probably just a dream.”

  “No. You’re wrong. It’s not.”

  Lucas reached his hand up tentatively and feathered a touch on Morgan’s shoulder. “How can you be sure? You can’t always tell a Knower dream from a really emotionally-charged dream until you’ve had a few—”

  She pushed his hand away and glowered at him. “I’ll prove it.” She locked eyes with each of them in turn, looking at Greg last of all. “Bring me Ris, and I’ll prove it.”

  “No,” Corbin said sharply. “Out of the question. You leave her out of this.”

  Mor
gan glared at him. “I am not talking to you.”

  “But I’m talking to you.” Corbin moved closer to her, standing so she was facing him. “You can’t do this to her. You can’t bring her into this.” He looked at Greg. “Tell her.”

  Greg closed his eyes briefly before focusing on Morgan’s face. “He’s right. It’s not safe for her here.”

  Morgan felt a twinge of self-doubt at his words. The thought of putting Ris in danger made her stomach drop, but she pressed on. “If it’s not safe for her here, it’s not safe for us here either.” She looked at Greg, daring him to correct her. When he didn’t speak, she continued. “It’s not safe for her out there, either. At least here, we could keep an eye on her—”

  “We’re already keeping an eye on her,” Greg said, his tone placating. “And, whether you want to see it or not, Corbin’s right. It’s true, she’s already on the Veneret’s radar because they know she’s connected to you. But, for the moment, she’s not someone they care too much about. She’s not that important to them. If we make a move on her, though, that changes things. If we send Watchers for her, that puts a target on her back.” He took in a breath and released it slowly. “Besides, is this really what you want for her? You want her to be taken away from her life, her family?”

  “Like you took us?” Morgan shook her head. “Whether you want to believe me or not, she’s part of this. I Know it.”

  Greg sighed. “Look, we’ll look into it. I’ll put the word out to some Knowers to see if they can confirm your vision—”

  “Yeah, because my word’s not good enough,” Morgan muttered.

  Greg continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “And we’ll wait to see if you have any additional dreams to give us a bit more clarity. But until then, Morgan, I’m sorry. We can’t jeopardize your friend—can’t jeopardize us all—by bringing Ris here.”