The Gifted

by C. C. Lynch

  I could not understand how everyone was busy, carrying on with this grand mission of stopping the bad Replyx people. Maybe they needed to give themselves work so they would not feel the repercussions of the day.

  I sat against a crumbling stone wall nearing the edge of the trees in the stables’ line of sight. My back was numb from the cold, but I kept my body pressed to it. There was something comforting about feeling the cold. Maybe I was in shock. I’m not even sure what the signs of shock are, but I probably could have checked some symptoms off on the list.

  Connor was walking towards me, his head cocked in curiosity.

  “Is everything okay?” He asked me gently as he sat down next to me.

  I exhaled lightly and brought my knees to my chest. “I have never seen anything like what I saw today. It was just…” I stalled, failing to find the correct word to explain myself.

  “Too much? Harrowing? Despondent?” He offered to fill in the blank for me.

  “All of the above,” I nodded.

  I started picking at the fabric on my knee and he put his hand gently on mine, stopping the nervous action. “It would probably make you a sociopath if you did not feel some sort of shock from today. And you did really good. You probably saved a lot of lives, you know.”

  “Thanks,” I gave him a half-hearted smile.

  Connor leaned forward, about to stand up. “Why don’t you come inside. I’ll make you some tea or something.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right in.” As Connor walked away I gathered a ball of light in my hand and sent it to my father, wherever he was, to let him know I was okay. He had no idea what I had gone through, how close I was to a tragic end, or the dangerous situation I had put myself in. I guess I really just needed to send him a light to make myself acknowledge I was okay.

  Connor had a mug on a table for me with a bag in it, ready for hot water. He murmured something about his mom having tea when she was upset and it did well to calm the nerves. I was just looking forward to having something warm to put my fingers on so I could regain sensation in them once again.

  Lena came into the room, the cats from Replyx following closely behind. She sat next to me and gave a wide grin. Connor got her a mug and tea bag as well. Her smile was real, not forced. Something about the genuineness of her demeanor made me feel better.

  “They like you,” she nodded her head at the cats that were now rubbing their bodies against my legs.

  I dropped my arm and let them bump their heads into my hand gently. “Were they hurt there?” I did not know the depth in which her gift allowed her to communicate to the animals.

  “No,” she shook her head. “I mean they weren’t treated very nicely, being trapped in cages and all, but I don’t think they had been used for their purpose quite yet.” She snickered and lowered her head, about to indulge in some mischievous information, “I let the rats out, the cats, and the monkeys. When the monkeys went free, I told them to attack the people that had caged them there. I mean, I don’t know what happened, but I hope they did.”

  “Me too.” I forced myself to chuckle.

  “You know, I heard they got every single person that was trapped out safely.” She smiled down at her mug. “They had someone looking out for them, because that was more than luck. Who knows how long they have been there. I mean, imagine how happy those families will be seeing that their loved ones are safe.”

  That brought a real smile to my face. Despite the terrible things that happened, some good came of it. I had managed to keep those people hidden until there was someone there to teleport them to safety.

  Connor joined us and we sat talking and the trauma of the day melted away. A couple hours had passed and from what I knew, Abrielle was healing people, Vlaine and Draxe were mourning the loss of their father, and the rest were dealing with the rest of the clean-up.

  We had almost forgotten about everything when the doors to the cafeteria slammed open. A guy walked through, someone that I recognized from the building. Connor jumped up, blocking Lena and I from his path.

  “Calm down,” he shook his head in annoyance, “I’m looking for the Josnics.”

  We gave each other a glance, not knowing who or why he was there. Lena eyed him suspiciously before answering. “We haven’t seen them. Abrielle probably knows where they are. She’s in the barn.”

  “Is that some sort of a joke,” he spat. His face grew red. His nostrils flared and I was sure that whatever his gift was, it was going to come out in some sort of rage. Instead he stomped to Lena and put his hand on her arm and asked her very slowly, “Where are the Josnics?”

  Her brows pulled together. “I’m not sure. Someone in the barn would probably know. Abrielle usually knows where Vlaine is and he practically knows where everyone is all the time.”

  He growled and walked away muttered something about dealing with an excessive amount of crap and a long drive. To be honest, he seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

  I looked to the group and twisted my lip. “Should we follow him?”

  Connor nodded and said, “yeah, that guy looks a little unhinged.”

  We walked out together, following the man to the barn. There was a distance between us, but not very much. If he was going to start retaliating, we were close enough to put a stop to it. He opened the door and there was Abrielle working on healing someone. She looked up and froze. We remained on high alert, looking at one another then quickly back to the interaction. Instead of attacking her or something vicious like we assumed, he fell to his knees and pulled her to him, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

  30

  ABRIELLE

  “You died,” Erik gasped, falling to his knees. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into him tightly. “I was wrong,” he said in disbelief, “I was wrong about Replyx.”

  I had been kneeling down healing one of the adolescents held prisoner when Erik burst into the stables. I turned slowly and put my arms around him, reciprocating the hug. “Aiden, Draxe, and Vlaine brought me back.” I leaned back and looked into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know,” Erik shook his head. “Wait? Am I? Are you okay? You died!”

  Something about the way he said it made reality bite hard. I had been gone from this plane, and there was no reason I should be there at all. The fact that the three guys were able to bring me back was miraculous in and of itself; but it proved even more that I was on borrowed time.

  “I guess,” I shrugged. “I’m not sure how okay I should be.”

  He tucked his hands into his pockets and was silent for a moment. He seemed to be in contemplation, perhaps trying to figure out exactly how to respond to what I just said. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

  “Yeah, actually, can you talk to Lacey? Purple hair in the first stall over there.” I pointed to where Lacey was being held. Their relationship was a mystery to me. How much of her he remembered, what she did for Replyx, and what her plans were had been causing chaos on my mind. “I don’t know how much you remember of her, but she was at Replyx and worked there. She won’t talk to me because I’m a monster that locked her in there after she messed with my friend’s memory. She has a thing for you, so she will probably be amicable.”

  “Sure,” Erik nodded, then walked over to Lacey.

  I watched their interaction for a moment. His eyebrows raised quickly when he saw her, then he put on his blasé façade, appearing wholly unfazed by whatever had just gone on in his mind. My respect level for his personal space was impinged by the grudge I was holding against him for the events that took place at Replyx. My self-control was henceforth lacking and I read his mind.

  Erik remembered, albeit slightly, coming into contact with Lacey at Replyx. I could see the memories that had been altered, the ones that were tucked and locked away. The extent to which Lacey had affected his memory seemed almost irreversible. There was a moral obligation to give him his memories back, but another one in place for the potential of creat
ing chaos in his mind.

  After mulling over the consequences, I decided to bring forth the memories I knew that Lacey had hidden from him. If everything worked in his favor, he could draw upon conclusions and fill in the blanks from the memories he received back.

  I did my work on his mind as quickly as possible and strung together the real memories while pushing away the ones she created like I was sorting through puzzle pieces, seeking out only the edges and discarding everything else. I could see the progress I was making when he looked my way with wide eyes. That was when I decided to listen in on his thoughts and their conversation.

  At first, he presented the same anger to her as he did when she was my roommate; the whole banshee in disguise mindset. Lacey then continued to make it completely clear that she had done everything for entirely selfish reasons and some of it just to simply stir the pot. There was something about her unaffected attitude that made my stomach turn. I was done listening at that point and I would just hear that Erik had to say later. That was until Lacey called out loudly, “well, does your little princess know about her Daddy working with Replyx?”

  My stomach went cold and Luther’s head shot up. Just as I was about to confront her, I stopped myself from giving her what she wanted. She wanted to get a rise out of me. Stirring up trouble was her goal and if I gave in to it, it would be giving her power over me.

  I did not need to waste energy on her. There were far more important things to care for. Vlaine and Draxe, for instance.

  When I found Vlaine he was sitting on the floor in a dorm room etching something into wood. I sat next to him quietly, watching him shave the symbol for the gifted that identified the level for the revered at Ernvlik Academy.

  His eyes remained on the task that he was busying himself with. I leaned onto his side, his warmth warming my thigh that I did not realize had become numb from the winter air. Vlaine combed his hand through his dark hair and sighed. “I’m mad. Mad at him, mad he’s gone,” He sniffled, not a crying sniffle, but more of an angry one. “I’m mad that the person who helped teach me how to walk was a monster and I never got to confront him for it.” His voice started out smooth but ended in a growl, like a predator that had its meal stolen.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. I did not know what else to say. I felt responsible. If it was not for me, Osiris would still be alive. So much destruction and tragedy was because of me.

  “Stop,” he snapped, then he calmed his voice, “that kind of thinking isn’t helping.”

  Sometimes I hated that he could read my thoughts so clearly. It felt like anything that crossed my mind came out loudly to him. I would never be able to keep a secret from him.

  Vlaine’s eyes were sunken and concentrating far too hard on the piece of wood in his hand. He was always so strong, unbreakable and untainted, but right then he was vulnerable. If I thought healing him would help, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Pain like that could not be healed in a few minutes, it took months of a natural process. “What can I do to help?”

  “Follow this through,” his blue eyes found mine. “You know,” he tossed the piece of wood away, “she would have been happy to know that he was trying to find some way to make sure other people didn’t suffer like she did, but she would have hated him if she found out that he did it this way.” He clasped his hands together angrily and growled, “I wish I could have told him that.”

  “You guys got me back,” I sat forward, my chest filled with hope. “Maybe we can all work together to bring him back.”

  “Are we going to go get his charred body and bring it back here and have a picnic together afterwards?” His angry words sliced through me. That part was definitely my fault. Vlaine sucked air through his nose, calming himself down. “It was too much strain on Aiden when we got you back. It’s been too long now anyway. I mean, you were almost gone forever. If it wasn’t for Steph…”

  “Okay,” I nodded, “then we will have a memorial for him and follow this through. It won’t be in vain.” I did not want to crowd him anymore than I already was. When he wanted my support, he knew I would be there for him.

  I pecked his cheek quickly before leaving. My to-do list ran through my head and he must have picked up on it because just as I left he shouted, “if Erik is really here, I’ll kill him.”

  I froze. That threat sounded sincere and I did not want to find out how much he meant it. I could not lie to him, he would know. Instead I thought loudly about how much I wanted him to feel better until I left the dormitory hall.

  I went to warn Erik and tell him Vlaine did not want him around but by the time I had gotten to him Liz was already at his throat.

  Liz was red in the face and shouting. “You think that you can suddenly just switch sides and it’s going to be okay with everyone? You get to show up here like you’re a hero after everything is finished? You did this! This is your fault.”

  Erik’s brows were raised and he looked around discretely. “Hello teapot, my name is kettle.” He kept his voice low, trying not to raise suspicion. “I didn’t know.” He was wide-eyed.

  Liz slammed the side of her hand into her palm, “you were there, you saw what was going on. What about it all made you think that it was just another sunny day in the office?”

  I got in between the two, trying to physically separate them. “Because he was raised to think that way.” I turned to Erik and took his hand, go hide out somewhere until this blows over, I thought to him. “Listen Erik, things are kind of tense here and she’s got a point. Maybe you should go.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded, keeping his eyes on Liz, “those that hurt people because of their involvement with Replyx really should not be here right now.” He held her gaze for a few moments longer then turned to me. “I’ll be around if you need me, Abrielle. Sorry about everything.” He started to walk away, but then turned suddenly, “oh, and I’m not sure what you wanted me to get out of Lacey, but they really did a number on her. Guess she’s one of the ones that just went off her rocker. Mentally ill to start off with, a little added madness from her captivity, and some power hungry sprinkled in. There’s no doubt in my mind she’ll erase everyone’s memories if she gets out of there.”

  I both hated and loved hearing that. It was sad that Lacey had been so affected by the cruelty inflicted on her, but it also meant she could heal. I did not think that I could heal her through the door Luka and Frankie put up, but I could give it a try when she was asleep.

  I turned to Liz who had tears brimming her eyelids. She looked up, but her eyes disobeyed and the tears spilled over. “Liz, it’s not your fault.” I put a hand on her gently.

  “Yeah it is,” she sniffed, wiping her cheeks. “Everything I said to him, I should have been looking in a mirror. You don’t know what it’s like to wear this kind of guilt, so don’t even try to show empathy.” She sobbed and stormed off.

  I sucked in a breath and tried to mentally put on a thick skin. I was going to need one if I was going to get through the day.

  There was still one more person that I needed to check on. I was hoping that the third time was the charm and I would not get backlash from Draxe, but the way things were going I would not have been too surprised.

  Draxe was in the gymnasium lying on his back, throwing a tennis ball at the wall. I lain down next to him and folded my hands on my stomach.

  “Hey,” he said so quickly I thought he had just snorted.

  “How are you doing?” My own words sounded so ridiculous.

  “Eh,” he said while tossing the ball at the wall, “I guess I’ve had better days.”

  Draxe was so different, almost the opposite of Vlaine. My thoughts were safe, I did not feel like I was walking on eggshells, and I felt like I could actually help him in some way.

  “Oh, I listen to thoughts too,” he chuckled, “I’m just more discrete. It’s a family habit. We are all nosy. Anger is easier for Vlaine. Don’t take it personally, at least he spoke to you. I probably won’t hear a word until I do som
ething that makes him mad or our birthday, whichever comes first.” He stopped throwing the ball and looked at my seriously. “You ought to know that he plays judge and jury in his own head. Whatever punishment he thinks fits the crime, he’ll deliver. You might want to tell Erik to leave the grounds.”

  “Picked up on his presence, did you?” I took the ball gently from his hand and began throwing it up in the air, spinning it around telekinetically, then dropping it back down slowly into my hand.

  “Yep,” he said flatly, “and after what happened today, he’s going to be even more protective over you.”

  I did not know what to say to that. Should I be happy he was protective or feel some negative emotion because of the reason? Instead, I switched the topic. “Is there anything you need or anything I can do?”

  “Nah,” he shook his head, “my grieving process is done. I know exactly how I feel about it all and it’ll make it that much easier to get over.”

  “Okay,” I said gently, giving him the tennis ball back, “let me know if there is anything I can do.”

  “Actually, Abrielle,” Draxe’s vulnerability seeped through his shaky words, “could you keep me entertained for a few minutes. Tell me something good.”

  “Sure,” I smiled, settling back down where I was just lying. “One time when Steph and I were driving around,” I began one of my favorite memories. I continued telling him stories about Steph. An hour later Vlaine came in and lay down next to me and listened quietly as my soft voice recounted adventures I had with my best friend.

  31

  ABRIELLE

  I woke up with someone’s hand on my mouth. I tried to scream, but there was no air coming into my body to use. I kicked towards the person who was pressing their hand so hard onto my mouth that it felt like my teeth were being pushed back. I thrust them backwards replicating Vlaine’s gift, but it only worked for a few seconds. It was still enough time to scream as loudly as possible to alert everyone there was someone attacking me.