Shaking, his eyes focused on Ollie, whose head was hanging; she was snoozing. Granger didn't want to pry further, but that darkness had grabbed hold of him, pulling him to learn more. After his mind was settled, Granger closed his eyes and focused his mind on her, going back into the darkness again. He felt the hunger stabbing at her stomach from days without food. Exhaustion was in her whole body from clawing at the door. As she rocked back and forth, the pleas of her brother came through the door, offering her a glimmer of hope. She cried with him as he struggled with the door. Someone yelled at him to get away from it. Then a door closed, leaving her to the endless darkness once again. She was cold and motionless, and her shivers were the only sign of life. Traces of light came from under the door--her only indication of daylight. A splinter of hope.
Then light came, but it came with pain in her eyes, and the hands grabbed for her again--not to take her anywhere, but to strip her, violate her, creating a new wave of confusion and horror. She was too weak to struggle; a stream of tears burned her cheek. Her mind slowly crumbled as her limp body was bruised, raped, fondled. The splinter of hope was disintegrating.
Granger pulled out of Ollie's mind and headed for the bathroom. He had seen horrible sights before, and still he couldn't come to terms with such disgust. He leaned over the sink and splashed his face with cold water. It made no sense. Why? Why would anyone do that to a child? To Ollie? And Ellis? But he had been spared. Why was he spared? This was the reason he was so protective. It had to be. Was it guilt?
After focusing his mind and taking several cleansing breaths, he went back into the room. Ollie was lying comfortably asleep on the bed. After what he had just seen, how could she be so comfortable? But there was more. Taking a seat on the floor, Granger forced himself to finish it. He shoved his mind back to that place, that room, the abuse and the torture. There was about two days of it, and still no food or water was given to her. Her body and mind became no more than a shell.
Then something snapped.
A change came, with searing pain that shot through her foot and leg as the man began to scream. The young woman came into the room, grabbed the girl, and locked her in the closet.
There were screams, the most horrifying screams, and … she found peace in the noise. For the next few days, slices of bread and saucers of water came through the slit under the door. Her twin was trying to feed her even though she was too weak to feed herself. But the young woman caught him, and she didn't hear from him again. Now the dark was tangible, as real as her heavy body and the pain strangling her. Not even light passed through the cracks. Just the dark, caressing her. Caring for her as she let it take her completely.
Warmth?
A warm glow washed over her, caring for her, taking over where the darkness had left off. Her mind was whole and her body became light as the warmth filled her and the glow became her. The pain was gone, as if it never had been. Peace was hers. True peace.
But gravity came back, slamming her on the cold ground, sucking air into her lungs. Seeing tubes and machinery hooked to her, she tried to understand, but she didn't. Nothing made sense--not the closet, the cruelty, or the darkness. But her twin, he lay beside her, curled up in slumber. And there was a new face, the one she would later call Mama.
"As far as the authorities know, she and the boy died of neglect," a voice she would later identify as Geo said.
"And her guardian?"
"In jail. Child abuse and murder charges. The man was institutionalized. Clinical insanity. I'm not quite sure how that happened. But now the kids will need new names."
"Good. I didn't like the names they were given anyway." The woman smiled down at the girl. "Hello, sweetie." The woman held her own hands, as if trying to keep herself from touching the little girl. "You have had a rough week, but you made it." The woman reached out, but the girl jerked away. The woman just smiled with sad eyes, dropping her hands. "I knew better. Forgive me. It's a mother's impulse." The woman sighed and stared at her, transfixed. "You have such beautiful eyes, little one. So … beautiful …"
Hearing a yawn, Granger opened his eyes.
"Sorry, didn't mean to go to sleep on you." She sat up and looked around, then down at him. "So, did you figure it out yet?"
She had changed again. The flow of information was cut off.
"Not yet." The information was so vast that it would take a while before he could gather enough to understand how he was going to help her. But something kept nagging at him. How could her mind hold so much knowledge, and how was she able to recall it so readily? A normal mind gathered information and stored it but could hardly retrieve even a tenth of it. She had the potential to retrieve more than half. That was the type of mental development a higher-level enlightened would have. But if Ollie was that developed, he would have picked up on it from their first meeting. Or even now.
"Go ahead and get something to eat," he said, feeling her hunger. "I will continue from here."
"You can do that?" She glowed. Why did she find him so fascinating?
"The deeper I go, the easier it gets." He breathed, closing his eyes.
"Tell me more when I get back. Oh, did you want anything? I'm going to get E to cook!"
"He's that good a cook, huh?" he laughed, reading her thoughts.
"Damn, that is so awesome." She laughed with him.
"Whatever you get him to fix is fine." He let his smile die, not interested in getting acquainted with her. And though she couldn't read him like he could read her, she read his face well enough to know not to think they were forming any kind of bond.
She poked her head out the door. "Y'all finished yet?" she asked.
"I'll have him in five moves," Geo answered, and a curse came from Ellis.
"Good. E, could you make dinner?"
"Hell, yeah!" Wolfe's shout shook the building. "If ya need a hand, say the word."
Ellis chuckled. "What would you like?" Ellis's heavy voice held concern. And it wasn't concern for her meal request.
"Make your magic, man." A smile danced in her voice. She lingered by the door.
"Everything okay?" Geo asked, walking up to her.
"Fine. He just needs to relax," Ollie answered. "He acts like I'm going to jump him any moment."
"Maybe he's worried Ellis will."
Actually, Granger was more concerned about Ellis than ever. After what he had seen, Granger might also kill for any sister of his that was ever touched. If he had a sister.
"I'll behave myself, if you promise to occupy E," she said. There was a long pause, and then she closed the door.
"He has every right to be protective of you," Granger said, staring at the wall.
"Really? So you saw some things about me. Big deal." She sat back on the bed. Her legs dangled in front of him. "But you are good at not sharing, so …"
"Nothing leaves this room," he assured her.
"Thank you."
"That's why he's such a good cook. Because he never wants you to go hungry again." Granger watched as she rubbed her arms.
"You saw that, did you?" She shrugged off his words, but he felt the sliver of regret before she quickly eliminated it from her mind.
"No, something I figured. Am I right?"
"You know, I've never asked," she mocked.
Whether she did or not, she didn't have to ask Ellis. She already knew.
"You don't seem concerned. Not even a little," he said, following her eyes. There was something misguiding about them. He'd never looked at her long enough to notice before, but her big, brown eyes looked … empty.
"Concerned? For my brother? Of course I'm concerned about him--"
"Concerned about your past. As if it means nothing. And yet it is the very center of your being."
She didn't answer as she looked down at him. He couldn't see her thoughts, her emotions, or her soul as he looked her in the eyes. She was guarded again. Yet she seemed so relaxed. What was this guard she used? Was it her abilities?
"What is
your question?" she finally asked. He looked away from her at the blank wall behind her.
He had a million questions. Which was odd, because normally to get an answer, all he had to do was look. Not with her; the more he learned, the more questions that cropped up. He looked up at her again. For a moment he saw the oddest glimpse of something--a shifting in her face. Were his eyes playing tricks on him?
"Why you and not him?" Granger asked seriously. But by the expression that formed on her face, he wasn't going to get a serious answer.
"The man was a pervert, but a picky perv. So my guess would be he likes girls instead of boys. Or he wanted dessert before the main course."
As disgusting as her words were, there was coldness in them. Not pain, but hate. And only a small grain of truth.
"Why?" Granger asked again, studying her face, her eyes. Though brown, they were as blank as the wall behind her.
She slid off the bed onto the floor and winced from pain before focusing on him. "You tell me your deepest, darkest secret, and I'll tell mine." Her tone had grown low and settled.
"I could keep looking,"
"Then you do that." Complete resolve.
"I could end up liking what I see and possess you."
"If you wish." Her voice hummed with seductive.
"So you know it's a possibility." There was no fear. Just resolution. Such strength.
"I've been tortured. Raped. Starved. Dead. Possibilities. Endless." The darkness coming from her was consuming, and her very presence seemed to shift. It was a blurry but very real change in her appearance. But whatever it was, it was gone in the blink of an eye.
"Show me." He leaned closer.
She snapped back and shot off the ground as if he had slapped her.
That darkness, the sea he had seen in her, was real and was rising inside of her. He saw it become clearer with every word she spoke. But he wasn't scared. He felt like diving in and finding out where it would take him.
"Sit." Granger grabbed her hand and pulled her back down just as she was about to walk away.
"Excuse--"
He put up his hand to stop her protest. "Let's finish this, and we can both go our own ways." He took in a breath before closing his eyes.
"There's nothing to finish." Her husky voice had grown hostile.
"So you do know what is wrong with you."
()()()
10
Ollie sat looking at him as he opened his eyes slowly. The smile coming from Granger was absolute satisfaction. Like he'd known the whole time. He was playing along with her, even though he didn't know precisely what was wrong with her.
"What makes you think that?" she asked.
"Ollie, from the moment I met you five years ago, I noticed how very aware you are. And though I don't know the extent of your problem, I know if you needed help, you wouldn't hesitate to find it. Even if it meant disregarding your own brother to get it. Your resolve is too profound. So why play this game?"
"Game?" She had to laugh. How the hell could she put it? "They want answers that I can't give them. The answers I have, they won't like. I'm hoping you can come up with better ones. Though the truth … She is a bitch and necessary, no matter how evil she maybe." Ollie breathed in air as if it were a drug intoxicating her. Damn it all, she wanted the truth to be something else. Anything to help her family ease their worry of her. She was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
"I'm sure whatever it is, they can deal with it."
No. They couldn't. She would be caged like an animal. Watched like a freak, for her own safety. Like she was now, only worse. Damn these walls.
"Food!" The loud country call came through the door.
He stood up with her. "So are we going to continue after we eat?"
Nothing he did would change anything. But Geo would want answers. He would want an explanation. She needed to buy time. "Yes," she said, walking to the door. Hearing a chuckle, she turned around and looked at him.
"Nothing." He waved off her question.
Clearly he thought she was nuts. And frankly, Ollie agreed.
During dinner, Ollie conducted a thorough investigation and learned that Geo was engaged to his longtime college friend who was a real good friend of the family. Geo hated that she had found out, but she enjoyed rubbing it in his face, as she planned to do on their wedding.
After spreading the news to half of the western hemisphere, Ollie crashed on the bed back in the room. Granger was already seated in the chair, arm propped up on the armrest, head leaning into his fist, waiting patiently; he looked serene. Though he always looked strong, extremely disciplined, and self-contained, it was in that moment that she felt how powerful he was just sitting there. It was intoxicating.
She said, "You know, you could easily slide into the Oracle position."
He didn't move a muscle, completely ignoring her like he was king and she was beneath his notice. It was bad enough that she grew up in a house full of arrogant asses.
"Can you finish while I sleep?" Ollie asked, ignoring the superior air about him.
"Yes, but I would like to get some sleep as well," he answered.
"Of course. You can sleep here." She pointed to the other side of the bed. "It's king-size, so I won't kick you," she explained.
His posture tensed slightly. "I'll sleep on the floor."
"Fine." She got up and went out into the living area. "E, pump up an air mattress for Granger," she yelled.
Ellis, who was at the sink, stopped washing dishes and turned around with a scowl on his face.
"That or he sleeps with me." She grinned.
"Ollie--"
"Damn. Unknot your panties," she yelled before closing the door. Leaning her weight into the door, her forehead rested against it. Even with good news, he couldn't stay happy long. Why did she have to be his twin? Why couldn't he have a twin like Cee? Never causing trouble, never giving him pain. Maybe she could sit still and not give him anything to worry about.
"Then he'd think something's really wrong with you." Granger said reading her thoughts.
She had almost forgotten he was in the room. So, what is it you think I should do?
Granger chuckled, obviously not expecting that. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I don't know how this works," he said out loud, knowing she didn't have the ability to read his mind.
But you have all that damn knowledge stored up in that beautiful, enlightened brain of yours. You must have something I can use.
As if stunned by her thoughts, he sat quiet for a while. She had to turn and look at him to make sure he was still with her.
"I could give you some advice, but I'd prefer not to interfere," he said finally, leaning back his head and closing his eyes.
What good are you, then? Just a damn voyeur.
Laughing, he looked at her, with glitter in his eyes. Then he shook his head, not letting himself enjoy the moment.
"You're so strict with yourself, aren't you?" Ollie sighed. "Enlightenment for you all must suck."
"You all?"
Hearing Granger repeat the words made Ollie stiffen. Why had she said that?
"Nothing." She waved her hand, shaking it off.
He cocked an eyebrow. "You say it like you are not a part of the Structure."
"I just don't strive for enlightenment, that's all."
"I find that hard to believe. You clearly have some level of enlightenment."
Some level or no level at all was all the same to her.
She crawled over the bed and lay quietly, looking at the wall opposite the side Granger was sitting on. She had painted the walls white to get them ready for some real color if Troy decided to buy the place, but now she wished she had something more than white to look at. Maybe when all was said and done, she would just paint them and decorate the place how she saw fit. But she had enough places to call home; there was no need for another.
She could feel it again. As he read her, the deeper he got, the more it drained her. She didn
't know what he saw, but she felt the fatigue. His reading had put her to sleep the first time, and now again she was falling.
()()()
Granger had thought it was the sedatives that remained in her system that had made her fall asleep the first time, but now he was starting to wonder. There weren't many people who had the skill or the will to feel the intrusion. Most people didn't feel a thing until he started claiming their souls. Continuing, he copied memory after memory. It was time to just take and sort it out later instead of sifting through it piece by piece. This way he could go through all of her knowledge without bothering her further. The volume of information she held and recalled was hindering his normal process, and that bothered him.
At Level Four, he could take information from a whole club of people in minutes--or seconds, depending on how simpleminded they were. But one woman was giving him a headache. She always had been a problem.
A knock at the door brought Granger back into the room. He rose to open it.
Ellis stood there, looking down at Granger with dark eyes. The twin wouldn't try anything, for fear of angering Ollie. And then there was a layer of respect radiating from the man's energy.
"She's asleep." Granger stepped aside, letting him in the room with the air mattress.
"Can't you do this outside of her room?" Ellis's voice was hard.
"Yes, but Geo preferred that I do it in privacy. And your sister doesn't seem to object. Hopefully, I won't be much longer."
"Hopefully." Ellis placed the twin mattress in the space on the floor between the bed and the bathroom.
"Nothing bigger?" Granger could see his feet hanging over the thing.
"Joc's monopolizing it," Ellis answered. "Thank you for not accepting the bed. I know she offered it." Ellis looked everywhere but at Granger.
Granger didn't answer, which was a confirmation to Ellis. He just laughed, looking down at his sister. No inhibitions. Granger picked up a grain of the man's thoughts.
Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy) Page 15
