The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set

by Donnielle Tyner

  “Well that explains things,” Madison broke the silence.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

  “In the past week or so, there were times when you would touch me and I swore your hair flashed orange. I didn’t get sick or feel any differently though.”

  “Is that why you’ve been giving me weird looks?”

  She shrugged your shoulders. “I guess so. Any faces I made at you were unintentional.”

  My brain went into overload thinking back to the last time she had given me a weird look. Underneath my skin, my Talent surged and I remembered feeling heat flow out of Madison.

  “What?” Rebecca asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Your face lit up,” She replied. “Something clicked in your head. Spill it.” Her signature sassiness was bleeding through her fear and my heart flipped at the thought of my best friend coming back around.

  “I was just thinking about the last time Madison gave me a weird look and I remember feeling heat pour out of her and in to me. At the time, I thought she was doing it, but I wonder if I was pulling it out of her.”

  “I don’t think you were pulling at my Talent. I would have felt it,” Madison rubbed her temples. “There must be more to your Talent than just draining.”

  My mouth opened to tell them about the pulse, but then I immediately closed it. Until I understood more about my Talent, I had to keep the weird stuff to myself and Mrs. LaMotte. Especially since there were students here who wanted to work for my grandfather.

  The comfort of my world shattered around me. Any of the people I grew up with could betray me. Madison and Rebecca were planning to commit to the Moreau family, but even if they weren’t, they already knew of my Talent.

  “What’s the matter, Sadie?” Rebecca asked.

  “I just realized that I’m not safe here anymore. Mrs. LaMotte told me there were students who were planning on joining the Koenigs and I can’t let them know about me.” I paused, contemplating whether or not to let them know about my grandfather.

  “Because of your grandfather,” Madison stated. I looked at her and her profile was hardened from her internal dialogue.

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “You told us before you passed out at the mall,” Rebecca whispered. “You don’t get to choose your family. Hell, that is why this orphanage exists. Norms wouldn’t choose to have a Caelian baby, just like you cannot choose who your grandfather is. So what if he’s a sadistic bastard?” Rebecca shrugged her shoulders and offered me a sly grin. She had officially forgiven me.

  “Thanks Rebecca. I needed to hear that, but who my grandfather is doesn’t bother me as much as what he would do if he knew I was alive and knew of my Talent.”

  “He would capture you at all costs,” Madison stated with conviction. “But we won’t let that happen.”

  “Right,” Rebecca added, her animated personality solemn.

  “What would I do without you two? I love you both.”

  For the first time since I had woken up, I had both of my best friends wrap their arms around me without fear of what I could do to them. The fear of losing them lifted its weight from my shoulders, releasing my chest from the pain. A laugh burst from my lips. I squeezed Madison and Rebecca with all the strength I could muster, trying to convey my love for them with brute force.

  We spent the next hour laughing, gossiping, and forgetting about what tomorrow would bring for any of us.

  Chapter 10

  The following afternoon, I found myself alone in the Talent Studies room with Mrs. LaMotte. She was outfitted in her usual attire. An elegant black pencil skirt with matching blazer covered an emerald green blouse. Compared to her, I looked drab in my favorite worn in blue jeans and graphic tee. Her designer heels tapped on the tile floor as she paced the room, waiting on me to describe what I felt when I used my Talent.

  "It's different with each person. When I'm tapping into my Talent, it feels like vibrations throughout my body, but when I touch someone, I can feel their Talents."

  "Like when you felt heat from Madison? And shocks when we touched before the party?"

  "Yes."

  "Excellent. I think your Talent is accessed just like any other. What we need to work on is controlling your Talent, not allowing any leaks as you did with Madison and me, and especially to control the vibrations when you are emotional. This is easy to learn, but requires practice. Each individual copes with their Talent in different ways. Some count, others force their will against their Talent, and others, like myself, take deep breaths and clear the mind. We will try each and see what is best for you." I nodded my head, feeling a little overwhelmed.

  "Of course, once we can control your Talent, we will need to discover if your Talent has any secondary characteristics."

  "Secondary characteristics?" I asked. My heart raced as I thought of the pulse from last night and how I had felt the Talents around me at the mall. It was the one thing I had left out in my summary at the beginning of lessons.

  "Have you forgotten your studies? I know the topic of secondary characteristics was discussed in the classroom. Not in detail as in the practicum part of class, but you should know of it in theory." Her eyes narrowing with each word, her intense scrutiny made me squirm. My fingernail polish all of sudden became awfully interesting.

  "It rings a bell, but honestly I thought I was defective. Learning how to control and use a Talent I didn't have seemed like a waste of time."

  I looked up at her through my lashes, ashamed of my inattentiveness. Mrs. LaMotte's unrelenting stare softened at my admission. She released a sigh and walked over to me, standing awkwardly beside me and alternating between drumming her fingers against her thighs and reaching out. She looked as if she wanted to comfort me somehow, but didn't quite know what to do with her hands.

  "Sadie, I understand what you are saying. If I was in your situation I would have probably done the same thing."

  The silence from her statement stretched on as we both got lost in our thoughts. I was struggling with the nerve to tell her about the pulse from last night and she looked as if she wanted to say something. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she coughed abruptly and continued her speech on secondary characteristics of Talents.

  "Okay, back on topic. The strongest Talents will have a secondary Talent and from what I've seen of yours, you will have a secondary. Secondary characteristics will always complement the Talent. Sometimes it's helpful. For example, Madison's fire Talent’s secondary is that her body is resistant to heat. I am able see electrical currents in everyday objects and other people. In other cases, such as Rebecca's secondary of causing hormonal imbalances in others, which leads to dangerous behavior, the secondary is not helpful to the user."

  "I know what my secondary is," I blurted out, interrupting her. She looked at me, waiting for an elaboration. I took a deep breath and told her the entire story of how I could feel the Talents of those around me at the mall and while I was in the infirmary, I had released a pulse by accident. But to my surprise it returned, and with it, a mental image of the Talents of those around me.

  "Interesting. It sounds like your secondary is like a type of echolocation. Your Talent pulses and when it returns, you can see the Talent of those around you. You were probably pulsing at the mall, but were too overwhelmed to notice. This is fascinating." Her face lit up, softening her usually hard features and causing her to look years younger. Excitement slipped into her voice as she continued, "I wonder how far out you can see, or if you can see norms. Your secondary characteristic will help us understand Talents better. Especially since you can actually see what our Talents look like. Do you think you can make another pulse?"

  "I thought you wanted me to control my Talent first."

  Disappointment clouded her face. "Oh, that's right. Sometimes I forget that you haven't been studying Talents like the rest of your class."

  I nodded in reply. Her excitement about my secondary Talent ignited a spa
rk within my chest. Maybe my Talent wasn’t as dangerous as I originally thought. I was emotional when Jesse touched me and I didn't hurt him, just drained him a little. With control and practice, Mrs. LaMotte and I would discover that my Talent was useful. She had already said that my secondary could contribute to our knowledge of Talents. Suddenly, I felt re-energized.

  Mrs. LaMotte's enthusiastic voice broke into my internal pep-talk. "Let's get to work, then. We need to get your Talent firmly under control so that we can discover what all you are able to do."

  "Yes ma'am."

  "Let's try to excite your Talent. First, take a minute to pick whatever calming technique that calls to you." She paused, allowing me to think, but I had picked out what would be best as soon as she had said it. I had used the deep breathing technique since Liam's death to curb panic attacks. I nodded, letting her know I was ready.

  "Okay, I want you to close your eyes and reach for your Talent. When you feel the vibrations, I want you to stretch them and push them until you feel like your body will not contain your power. Once you feel like you will lose control, employ the calming technique."

  I closed my eyes. My Talent responded to me quick as lightning. The vibrations pulsed throughout my body, ready to do as I asked. I began pushing against my Talent, as if I wanted to evict it from my body. The vibrations increased and spread until my body felt as if it would burst from the energy. I kept pushing and pushing until my breaths became short and my head swam, heady from the power flowing through me.

  The vibrations were demanding to be freed and for a brief moment I almost relented, but Jesse's pale face floated from the darkness of my mind, reminding me why I was here. With immense focus, I forced a deep breath in through my mouth and released it through my nose. Again and again I repeated the process, until my Talent was reduced to a gentle buzz below my skin.

  "Excellent!" Mrs. LaMotte praised. "Do it again."

  Two more times I excited my Talent and then tamped it down with the breathing technique. Each time, it became easier to both excite and control it. Physically, I was exhausted, but my mind burst with excitement. Controlling a Talent was easier than expected. I couldn't wait to move on to understanding my Talent. I didn't want to fear it anymore.

  "I'm going to teach you a trick I use to prevent Talent leakage."

  I groaned. My body couldn't take any more training today. Mrs. LaMotte raised an eyebrow, but otherwise ignored my outburst and continued. "The average Talents usually don't need to employ this method, but stronger Talents have issues with their Talent leaking into others. I had a hard time keeping from shocking anyone who dared to touch me," she laughed and shook her head at the memories. "But I had a professor who taught me how to lock away my Talent."

  "Lock it away?"

  "It's a visualization technique that you can work on in your room, since it will not harm those around you. Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and then visualize either a room or a chest. A room if you want to be able to see or feel your Talent, a chest if you want it locked tight. Then imagine your vibrations filling the room and emptying from your body. Shut and lock the door. When you want access to your Talent, open the door and it will spill out. You will have to remember to lock it away again once you are finished."

  "That sounds like a hassle," I replied. My body felt heavy from the previous exercise with my Talent.

  "It is at first, but it will become second nature. Our Talents can have deadly consequences if we do not control them properly. If you were aware of your Talent and had it locked away when Jesse touched you, do you think you would have hurt him?"

  I shook my head no.

  "I agree." She stood and stretched. "I think this was a splendid first lesson. Practice your locking technique and we will continue using calming techniques to calm your Talent. As soon as you are ready, we will first study your secondary characteristic and then with extreme caution explore your Talent."

  My head jerked up and I caught her face fill with sorrow before she schooled it back into her emotionless mask. Fear and excitement warred within me as I tried to force my face to remain neutral.

  "We will only start when you're ready." Mrs. LaMotte, with her hawk-like eyes, saw right in to my heart on the matter.

  "I'm excited that controlling my Talent is easier than I thought, but my Talent scares me. I don't want to hurt anyone. If my Talent can be helpful, then I want to explore everything about it, but what if it only causes illness and death? What good is that? I will only be useful to those who want to use me. That's no life." Each word was filled with the sorrow of the things I refused to say and of those thoughts I pushed down, fearing what they accused me of.

  "You cannot allow fear to control your life. There will always be people who will want to use you and your Talent. However, there are people in your life who will help you through this and who will fight to keep people from using you. Madison. Rebecca. That boy, what was his name? Kian! He was adamant that we keep your Talent secret, you know. He was looking out for you, too. Just like I will."

  She walked up to me, placed her hands on my shoulders, and gave me a gentle squeeze. The muscles in her face tightened in a fierce expression with an emotion I couldn't describe. "Each life is beautiful and has purpose. So what if your Talent does turn out to only cause illness and death? Your life has purpose even if it seems as if your Talent does not. You are not defined by your Talent."

  Mrs. LaMotte removed her hands and crossed them over chest. She turned to look toward the window, as if she was ashamed for her emotional outburst. "Besides, I believe all Talents have a purpose. Just like each person on this planet. Norm or Caelian." She released a shaky breath. Her voice cracked. "Even if they are only here for a short time."

  She coughed and shook her head, locking away whatever memory was causing her eyes to fill with unshed tears.

  My heart resonated with her statement. Liam was here for only a wink in time and he touched so many lives. He had loved me since we were kids, through the awkward pre-teen years and through my bitterness at being an orphan.

  It was he who had encouraged me to truly embrace my friendships with Madison and Rebecca. He had encouraged me to break out of my shell and was patient with me when I refused to leave my room or the orphanage.

  I wouldn't be who I was today without him.

  "You're right, Mrs. LaMotte."

  "Yes. Well, tomorrow at the same time." She spun on one foot and the clickity-clack of her heels echoed throughout the room until the door slammed behind her.

  Alone, I released a breath. This Talent lesson was ranked in the top ten weirdest things to have happened to me. In all the years I had interacted with Mrs. LaMotte, I had never seen any emotion but indifference and annoyance. Shaking off the experience, I gathered my things.

  All I wanted right now was a warm meal, hot shower, and my bed.

  Learning to control my Talent was draining. By the time evening rolled around, my body cried out from the strain of forcing my Talent to submit, but that was nothing compared to the stress of worrying whether I was going to harm someone by accident. My stomach gurgled with apprehension that made food unappealing.

  Mrs. LaMotte must have decided she had overshared with me in the first lesson because at the next class, she was just as distant as before. She challenged me each day to push my Talent further and calm it down faster. If I didn't immediately lock it away back behind its door, she would lecture me on the danger of leaving my Talent unchecked.

  By the end of the second week, I was done. I was confident in my ability to control my Talent and was ready for a break. The next day was Friday and Madison wanted me to go out with her. Usually, going to a party with Madison sounded just as good as swallowing boiling water, but since Mrs. LaMotte's training schedule from hell had begun, I wanted to escape the walls of Saint Vincent's more each day.

  Mrs. LaMotte had been especially brutal during that day’s training. She had pushed me past my limits, both known and unknown, and through i
t all I was able to keep my Talent in check. Exhausted, I fell to the floor of the training room. Sweat poured from every inch of my body, soaking through my jeans and thin t-shirt. The cool floor bled through the wet fabric, cooling my body and releasing the tension held in my muscles.

  “Wonderful, Sadie!” Mrs. LaMotte praised. “You have done exceptionally well in these last two weeks. It seems you have been paying attention in your Talent classes after all.” She raised her eyebrow at the end of her statement. Her praise filled me. I was vibrating from my accomplishment.

  “Thanks,” I breathed. The smile I was holding back burst forth, followed closely by joyful laughter. I knew what I had done. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to control their Talent as quickly as I had, but it certainly wasn’t common.

  “You’ve earned a reprieve. Tomorrow you may take the evening off, but we will resume training on your secondary on Saturday morning, bright and early.”

  “Oh thank God!” I moaned in pleasure while rolling up to sit and face Mrs. LaMotte. “I was actually going to ask for tomorrow off. So glad I don’t have to actually use the speech I rehearsed.”

  “What do you have planned for tomorrow? Hopefully nothing that would prevent you from being alert and ready for training.”

  “Just a bit of drugs, sex, and violence,” I replied nonchalantly as I stood up.

  Mrs. LaMotte’s eyebrow rose. “If you were any other student, I would be inclined to believe you, but you’re not. You have never even had a detention.”

  “Well, I will be going out with Madison, so there’s no telling what we will end up doing.” I shrugged. Madison was wild and Mrs. LaMotte knew that, but she also knew I wouldn’t follow her down the rabbit hole.

  Mrs. LaMotte’s mouth opened and closed a few times with no sound. She fidgeted with the hem of her sapphire blouse. “Are you going out to meet that boy, Kian?”

  It was my turn to lift my eyebrow. Since when did Mrs. LaMotte care about what I did or who I did it with? I crossed my arms and stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate.