If she didn’t know Caitlin better she would have assumed she had also fallen asleep on the way home. But experience had taught her that Caitlin had boundless energy all the time. She had yet to find something that could wear the girl down. Tired as Eren was, the fresh night air did sound really good. She dragged herself over to the roof access ladder and followed Caitlin up.
The night air smelled and tasted wonderful, so clean in comparison to the city air. But as they walked over to the chairs beneath the pergola Eren felt something strange; no, not something, someone. Stopping, she scanned the area, looking for traces of energy. There it was; a faint trace of red and yellow energy that she didn’t recognize. Chills raced up her spine as she followed the trail.
Someone had jumped from another building, landed on the roof, walked to the access hatch, then left. From the pattern of the energy trail, whoever it was looked like they had been trying to find a way to get into her room. Her throat tightened and she started to shake. The night in December when she had walked Aiden home flashed through her mind. The night she thought she was being followed. And then the day she had encountered the cougar. And the letter, that dreaded letter that she hadn’t told anyone about.
“I see it too,” Caitlin said.
Relief at Caitlin’s words flooded through her. At least that meant she wasn’t imagining it. This energy trail was proof that someone had been here, someone who had intended on entering her room.
Once they checked the roof thoroughly to make sure the intruder was gone, they collapsed beneath the pergola and Eren told Caitlin everything about the letter and being followed.
“No way, you’re not crazy. I can’t believe you didn’t tell Aiden any of this. Luke won’t be the only threat, Eren. There are others who will be really threatened by you, by our Society. We have to be careful. Oh my god, I can’t believe he wrote to you,” Caitlin said.
Eren stood and started to pace. “Why are we such a threat to others?” She decided to ignore the part about Luke’s letter. She really didn’t want to talk about that.
“For one, you are the first person in several hundred years to be able to command both the power of a healer channeler and a warrior channeler. Second, Rectors claim territory and they attract other members to their Society,” Caitlin explained.
“So others are afraid we’ll steal their land and kids,” Eren said.
“Yeah. Stupid, huh? Like we’d want to stay in this podunk town. We’ll be lucky if I make it to graduation without hurting at least one person for talking crap about you and Fane being mixed bloods. I’m tired of living around people with narrow minds,” Caitlin snapped.
It had never occurred to Eren that they would have to leave Spruce Knoll, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. A mixed Society wouldn’t be accepted here. And the four of them were about as mixed as you could get. All they were missing was a Tibetan.
“Fane’s parents belong to a mixed Society in Romania. Maybe they exist in other countries too,” Eren suggested.
She stopped pacing and watched Caitlin’s face as she thought about this. A light went on in Caitlin’s eyes and a smile slowly raised the corners of her red lips. “There’s one in Ireland too. I’m sure there are others.”
Chewing on a fingernail, she scooted forward to the edge of her chair. Eren danced from foot to foot, infected by her enthusiasm.
“My parents will hate it, but I don’t care,” Caitlin said with a sad smile. “After graduation the four of us should do some traveling, decide where we want to live.”
To Eren that sounded like a perfect way to start their lives as a Society. Her imagination started to conjure up all the places they would go. “I love that idea! Then we just need to find a place secluded enough and buy up a bunch of land. My parents left me enough money that it won’t be a problem.”
“Yes. Love it. But before we buy, we should get through college. We can travel during the summers,” Caitlin suggested.
“Brilliant minds think alike,” Eren said as she sat down and kicked back in the chair next to Caitlin.
They talked about all the places they wanted to go until the sky clouded over and a misty rain started to fall. While Caitlin climbed down the ladder Eren took one last look around the roof, her eyes drawn to the intruder’s fading trail. The rain was going to wash away all traces of it, but that didn’t matter. It was burned into her memory. She would find out who it was and when she did, she would do whatever it took to keep her Society safe from them.
“Every channeler has the choice to embrace
their power or turn their back on it and their kind.”
~from Life In A Society
Chapter 12
Rain pounded the sidewalk outside, but curled up in one of the big leather chairs in her grandfather’s bookstore, Eren hardly cared. The sound was soothing background music to accompany the creepy book her nose was buried in. Cool air blew across her as the store door opened, setting the little bell above the threshold to ringing.
Eren jumped, nearly dropping her book. She had become so accustomed to the press of other channeler’s power that the absence of it, from whoever had come through the door, was surprising. Half expecting it to be the wind, she leaned around the bookshelf that blocked her view to the door.
A woman was braced against the door, trying to reposition a large box in her arms. The box started to slide and Eren jumped to her feet and sprinted to the woman’s side, using just a bit of her power to make her faster. She caught the box, but the purse that had been atop it tumbled to the ground, its contents spilling everywhere. The woman let out a little squeal and leaped back which startled Eren so bad she nearly dropped the box. Books flew out as the lid popped open.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Eren said. She set the box down and reached for the escaped books as the woman gathered up the contents of her purse.
Mousy brown locks of hair came free from her bun when the woman shook her head. “Don’t be. I’ve been away for so long that I forgot how fast our kind can move,” she said with a thick Irish accent.
By the repressed feel of her energy, Eren had been sure she wasn’t a channeler. It almost felt like there was a void where her power should be. Deciding it was best not to respond for now, Eren went back to retrieving the books. The first was an old looking leather bound volume titled The Battle of Fion MacCumhaill. When she went to put it back in the box, Eren saw a copy of Life In A Society. That made no sense. Normal people weren’t supposed to know about them and this woman definitely seemed ‘normal.’
Hard soled shoes echoed out a rhythm on the tile floor of the hallway that joined the bookstore to the house. Zolin emerged from around the bookshelf and as his gaze fell on the woman, his steps faltered. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, but he recovered a moment later and hid his surprise with a huge smile.
“Felicia. I haven’t seen you in ages. To what do we owe this visit?” he asked.
That he knew this woman made Eren all the more curious. Things weren’t adding up here. She handed the box of books back to Felicia while trying in vain to get any sort of feel for the woman’s energy. Felicia’s eyes grew wide and wild and she swallowed hard. Casting her gaze down, she gave the box of books to Zolin as if they were a hot pan she couldn’t get rid of fast enough.
“I moved recently and I found these in the attic. I have no right to them anymore and I thought you’d like to have them,” she said in a hushed voice.
Delight filled Zolin’s eyes. “Very much so, thank you for entrusting them to me,” he said.
Felicia’s picked at her pale pink nail polish and her gaze started to dart about the room like a trapped mouse. Even in the woman’s agitated state, Eren couldn’t feel any trace of her power. But if she wasn’t a channeler, then what was she doing with these books?
“Well, I couldn’t think of anywhere more appropriate for them and I know they’ll be in good hands with you,” she said.
Eren thought she saw sympat
hy flash in his eyes. “If you ever change your mind, they’ll be here for you,” he said.
Felicia tried to return the smile but it looked more like a grimace of pain. “You’re very kind, thank you. I’d better go before they run me out of town,” she said with a tittering laugh that was too high-pitched.
She shuffled backward toward the door. The bell rang as she bumped into the glass and she let out a small squeal. Laughter hiccupped from her before she turned and dashed out into the gloomy day.
Not really knowing what to say, Eren turned to her grandfather and gave him a questioning look. Regret filled his eyes and he glanced down. The only thing that broke the silence was the drumming of his fingers along the sides of the box he held. Pressure began to build in the room until Eren realized it was her own power leaking out. Inhaling deeply, she pulled it all back in and locked it down tight. Still her grandfather would not look up.
“Grandfather, tell me,” she said.
A long sigh slid from him and he crumbled into one of the leather chairs, setting the box on the ground. When his gaze met hers, the sadness in his eyes pressed so heavily upon her that she sat down in the chair beside him.
“We didn’t want you to find out like this. We were going to tell you this summer,” he said.
Fingers of concern walked their way up Eren’s back, leaving her chilled. “Tell me what?”
Pain contorted his features and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before getting any words out.
“There are pills we can take that block us from using or feeling our power. It is every channeler’s choice whether to take them or not,” he said.
Eren was very glad she was sitting down because it felt like the world dropped out from under her. The room swayed so much that she grasped the arms of the chair, but even that didn’t steady her. A burning sensation spread through her chest and she realized it was because she had stopped breathing. As soon as she drew in a breath, the world ceased swaying a bit and she was able to focus her gaze on her grandfather. He was slumped in the chair and was looking anywhere but at her.
“Most don’t make the choice until after they graduate high school or even college. It’s not something to decide lightly,” he said to the floor.
Part of her felt guilty for enjoying watching him squirm, but it was a very small part. Recalling what Felicia had said about being run out of town raised a question.
“I take it the others don’t exactly embrace those who choose to take the pills?”
Finally he met her gaze and the hard look in his eyes made her wish he hadn’t. “No, they don’t. Most feel that to take the pills is to turn your back on your nature and your kind.”
Despite her fading strength, she managed to hold his gaze. “And what do you feel?”
The hardness in his eyes melted, leaving sorrow in its place. “Sad, because there are so few of our kind left that it is a huge loss for even one to make that choice.”
The pain in his words was too much. She dropped her gaze. Leather creaked as he stood from the chair. A few soft footsteps sounded and his hand came to rest on her shoulder.
“You’re still young. There is no rush to make the choice,” he said.
Having no words he would want to hear, she nodded. For fear he would see the anger and betrayal that burned her face, she didn’t look up. After a brisk pat on her shoulder, her grandfather’s hand slid away and he retreated from the room.
Though she loved her friends, her family, and Aiden deeply, there was a part of her that still craved a normal life. The reaction of that woman she and Caitlin has saved at the restaurant proved she would never be accepted among regular people again as long as she used her power. But if she didn’t have the power, then there was a chance. And if she could choose her own life…
Worse than that, her family, and Aiden, had kept secrets from her, again. Only with extreme concentration was she able to push her energy down and get it under control. Through the glimmer of her tears, something on the floor caught her eye.
Light filtering through the drops of rain on the glass door played across the silver surface of a lipstick tube. Beside it lay something dull and orange in comparison, but close to the same size. Recognition shot a bolt of energy through Eren and she lunged onto the floor and grabbed the item. Just as she had thought, it was a prescription bottle. She had no experience with medication so the name meant nothing to her, but amidst the instructions she read Felicia’s name and the word ‘inhibitor.’ This had to be the medication that shut off a channeler’s power. Eren started to shake so badly that the pills inside the bottle rattled.
Glancing around to make sure her grandfather was still out of sight, she stood. He was nowhere around. She shoved the pill bottle into her jeans pocket. Now it truly would be her decision, one she could make without the pressure of anyone knowing.
“We channelers are not so different
from normal people. We dream, we feel,
we agonize. We are all human.”
~from Life In A Society
Chapter 13
Every inch of Eren’s skin crawled as if she was being stung millions of times from the inside out. Each step up the stairs leading to school increased the burning sensation. With fury screaming through her every nerve, it wasn’t easy holding back her power. The way kids rushed aside made her think maybe more than a little was leaking out. She couldn’t help it, worse, she didn’t care to.
She was beyond sick of people lying to her and keeping secrets. When she came into her power last summer she thought the time for keeping her in the dark was over. From her family she could take it; had come to expect it in fact. But from Aiden it hurt too much.
The double doors to the school’s main entrance were sucked open by her power the moment she thought about reaching for them. Part of her was astounded that she could do such a thing, but another part was angry because it made her feel like someone other than who she was. The turmoil inside her made her power even harder to control.
Walking into the crowded main hall felt downright biblical. Everyone parted in two great waves, pressing up against the lockers to get out of her way. Those who weren’t paying attention or just didn’t move were shoved aside by the blue aura that preceded Eren.
She knew she should stop herself, try to control her power. But right and reason had fled sometime last night when she had decided she was sick and tired of secrets. It was one thing for her grandfather and Sylvia and Alin to keep this from her, but Aiden should have told her. Just thinking about it made her blood burn through her veins faster.
A girl squealed as Eren’s power shoved her aside and sent her crashing into a group of kids pressed against the lockers. People were scrambling to get away from her now, their faces filled with fear.
One person stepped away from the lockers, right into the onslaught of her power. Familiar hazel eyes cut through her anger and threatened to douse it, but she shrugged off their affect. Letting her power crackle across the handsome body hidden beneath the drab gray sweatshirt was easier than it should have been. By the tightness around his eyes, and the way his jaw clenched, it was obvious her power was hurting him. Still, she did not care, and that kind of made her want to die.
If this was what a channeler really was, why would anyone choose it? It made no sense to her.
“How could you not tell me, Aiden?” Eren demanded.
Confusion clouded his eyes and his brow creased. Her anger flared hotter. How could he not know what she was talking about? Was there something else he was keeping from her? Power surged within her like a wave, ripping through the long sleeves of her jacket, and before she could think about stopping it, it washed over him. A gasp tore from him and he stumbled back a step, but amazingly, withstood the pressure.
“Tell you what?” he asked, a bit breathless.
“That I had a choice, that I don’t have to be this way,” she said, gesturing at the blue glow that leaked from her arms and hands.
Almost everyone
had cleared out of the hallway, but a few lingered around the corner, peering around it to watch. Eren was beyond caring if they had an audience. It had never mattered to her what these kids thought—so she told herself—and it mattered even less now.
Aiden’s shoulders slumped and his gaze fell to the floor. “Oh, you mean the pills,” he said so quietly she could barely hear him even in the silent hallway.
The vulnerable tone of his voice didn’t take the edge off her anger. She advanced on him until there was scarcely a foot of space between them. Chest heaving with the deep, ragged breaths she was sucking in, she waited for him to look at her. When he wouldn’t, she used her power to force his chin up. Anger filled his wide eyes and she realized what she’d done. His adopted father had used his power on Aiden like that. Her anger faded a little beneath a wave of guilt.
“How could you not tell me? And don’t say because it wasn’t your place,” she said.
A thrill of satisfaction shot through her as he flinched. His eyes narrowed and the skin between them pinched together. Hostility flowed off him in waves, biting along her skin.
“How could you even consider it? It isn’t a choice, it’s who you are,” he said in an acidic tone.
The pressure coming off him, combined with his words, shoved her back a step. His face went smooth as glass as the anger drained from it, leaving him looking hurt. She couldn’t stand that look, no matter how mad she was at him. Shaking her head, she took another stumbling step back.
“Who I decide to be is my choice,” she said, hating how her voice broke on the last word.
Sparks shot through Aiden’s power like pulses of lightning. It suddenly became unbearably hot and Eren couldn’t stand to be close to him. She spun and ran back down the hall. The pressure and heat eased with each step she took away from him. He didn’t call out to her, and he didn’t follow, she would have known, she would have felt it.
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