by Leigh Walker
Finn’s eyes glinted. “I’m going to shave the word ‘dick’ into the other side of your stupid hair tonight, so you’ll officially be a dickhead.”
Kyan and Finn squared off, so I stepped between them before one of them threw a punch. “Stop it! I want to know what he’s talking about. He says he doesn’t trust Cranston and the other leaders.”
Finn sighed, finally backing down. “Why did you open your big mouth?” he asked Kyan.
“I thought she should know what she’s getting into.”
I whirled on Finn. “Are you keeping something from me?”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Not about this, I swear. Kyan and some of the others have concerns about leadership. They don’t like how they run things, keeping us in the dark about the upcoming missions and other intelligence. Cranston doesn’t tell us much, and it’s a concern for a lot of us.”
“Do you agree with what he’s saying?”
Finn shrugged, but his eyes stayed intense. “I don’t disagree, but our group needs to stick together. We’re all we have. No one can know about our powers, and we have to protect each other.”
“But there are other things they aren’t telling us,” Kyan spat, “and I know it. We need to get away from them while we can—before we’re deployed. This might be our last chance.”
The muscle in Finn’s jaw jumped. “Riley needs to learn how to use her power. She’s got to understand how to control it. This is still the safest place for her to do that.”
Kyan took a step forward. “They’re going to send us into the war blind. Do you really want that for her?”
“Of course not, but this isn’t the time to talk about it.” Finn looked at his watch, effectively ending the conversation. “We’re late. I don’t want Cranston to come looking for us. Let’s go.”
I fell in line behind Finn, in step only, as Kyan’s words raced through my mind.
16
The Bright Side
A tense silence settled over us as we hustled to the gym. As I could barely keep track of who could read my thoughts at this point, I tried to put the upsetting conversation with Kyan out of my mind.
Finn stopped before we went through the doors. “Game faces, everyone.”
Kyan relaxed the scowl from his face, and I fake-smiled.
Finn shook his head. “Ri, the fake-smile has to go. Just act normal.”
The boys slipped past me to the bleachers as Cranston motioned for me to stop. “You’re late,” Cranston said.
“I overslept. Yesterday was a long day.” I pulled the brim of my baseball hat lower. “Do you want me to join the others?” I motioned toward Rachel and the twins, praying he didn’t send me over there. I didn’t want to deal with Rachel.
“Just take a seat for now. There’s a presentation.” A rare sparkle lit his eyes.
I did as I was told, sliding onto the bleachers next to Emma and Josh. Finn and Kyan sat behind us, quietly watching. At least they weren’t brawling.
I watched the twins and Rachel with interest. As soon as the words ‘Rachel’ and ‘interest’ knitted themselves together in the same sentence in my brain, I could sense Finn listening in on me. I started thinking la la la until we both probably got sick of it, but it served its purpose.
Cranston motioned to the girls. “All right, let’s get started, ladies.”
Morgan and Maya nodded, smiling jovially, and came out to the middle of the room. “We’re going to show you twin combat.” Maya looked directly at me.
These were the first independent words she’d spoken to me since the stress test, and I sighed in relief that she (a) was, in fact, speaking to me and (b) wasn’t showing me twin combat firsthand.
Morgan’s eyes glittered. “You might especially enjoy it, Riley, because we’re fighting Rachel.”
I didn’t say or think anything in response. I did, however, feel my face flame—always a dead giveaway.
I was probably going to suck pretty hard at being a covert agent.
“I plan to enjoy it also,” Rachel called, “because I am going to kick some red-headed ass.”
“Whatever,” Maya said.
“Bring it,” Morgan called.
Rachel smiled at them then sprinted toward their position in the center of the gym. Her dark hair flew behind her as she picked up speed—but then she disappeared.
I watched, mouth agape, as Rachel reappeared two seconds later, on the other side of the gym. Both the twins’ ponytails fluttered in her wake.
“Big deal,” Maya called. “You love to do your run-fast-and-reappear routine, but we know you only do it because it makes your hair look good.”
Rachel shrugged, tossing her hair prettily over one shoulder. “My mother warned me about girls like you—always picking on me because you’re jealous.”
Maya put her hands on her hips. “As if!”
But Rachel ran at them again. I watched carefully as she disappeared into thin air, leaving no sign or trace, no sparkle or ripple in the air around her. She reappeared, laughing, in between the twins.
Maya turned, swinging, and landed an open-handed wallop on Rachel’s cheek. Rachel swayed then disappeared, only to materialize again right in front of Maya. Rachel landed a hard roundhouse kick on the tall redhead’s chest. Rachel disappeared again, materializing with her arms around Morgan’s head, holding her in a headlock and grinning.
“You might want to stop laughing and incapacitate them,” Josh called to Rachel. “They’re going to seek vicious retribution shortly. They’re starting to run a little hot.”
Snorting, Rachel yanked Morgan’s curls and disappeared again.
Josh turned to me as the twins put their backs together in a defensive stance, scanning the room for signs of Rachel. “Finn let you in on our powers, huh Hanover?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t tear my eyes from the gym, searching for Rachel. She suddenly reappeared, lying on the floor. She logrolled through a tangle of twin legs, collapsing them.
“Ouch!” Morgan yelled.
Maya clenched her fists together. “You’re gonna pay for this, hot stuff!”
But Rachel had disappeared again.
“I can tell,” Josh continued, “using my special empath powers, that the twins aren’t going to take much more of this. So Rachel had better watch out. They can be mean when they want.”
“Your special powers are very nice.” I sensed he was looking for a compliment.
Josh shrugged, but he looked pleased. “They’re no telekinesis.”
“What you can do is very important for the cause,” I said, my voice soothing. “You’ll be able to sense if our enemies are tense and about to strike.”
“Shh.” Finn motioned to the gym floor. “This is getting good.”
I refocused on the action, annoyed by Finn. He probably just wanted to watch Rachel embroiled in a catfight with the twins, complete with lots of hair tossing.
“I didn’t say that,” Finn said, “but it wouldn’t suck.”
I resisted the urge to pummel him and did not dignify his statement with a response, the thought-snooping, hormone-riddled lowlife.
“Lowlife’s sort of a cheap shot,” he said under his breath, “but the rest is pretty accurate, I guess.”
“Ugh. Pay attention like you wanted, and leave me alone.”
“Whatever you say, Riley.” He leaned back against the bleachers so his biceps flexed.
I refused to look. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek and concentrated on how badly it hurt so I would neither look at his sculpted muscles nor think about looking at them.
I wasn’t sure, but he might’ve laughed.
Rachel finally appeared again, at the top of the climbing rope.
“Coward!” Morgan yelled.
“Cheater!” Maya said. “Come down here, and fight like a girl!”
“If you say so.” Another Rachel appeared on the mats next to the twins, her hands up and ready to strike.
I looked back up. Rachel Number One still hung at the
top of the rope, smiling mischievously, while Rachel Number Two prepared to strike.
“This is where it gets interesting,” Emma leaned back and whispered. “The twins’ll have to figure out which one is the real Rachel.”
“Is one of them a projection?” I asked, remembering Finn’s explanation.
“Yes. And she could send more. It’s one of her signature moves.”
“Oh. Huh.” Of course, Rachel had to have the absolutely coolest power.
“I beg your pardon,” Finn said.
Get out, and stay out!
He waved me off.
We watched with interest as the twins started after Rachel Number Two. Maya and Morgan seemed to be using their twin telepathy as they circled their opponent, staying low and poised to strike. They moved intuitively, angling toward each other and repositioning themselves around Rachel in tandem.
Rachel held her arms up in defensive position, bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready for them. Morgan struck first and lightning fast, a right hook straight to Rachel’s jaw. But the fist moved right through her.
“I knew it!” Josh yelled.
Morgan turned to Rachel Number One, who sat grinning and unscathed at the top of the rope. “You really are a coward!”
A new Rachel appeared on the floor out of nowhere. “Who’re you calling a coward?” She performed some karate-like moves, jabbing Morgan in the stomach. When Morgan doubled over, Rachel elbowed her in the back, sending her crashing to the floor.
“Can a projection beat the crap out of someone?” I asked.
Emma, Kyan, Finn, and Josh shook their heads. Josh pointed to the Rachel on the floor. “That’s the real Rachel.”
Emma put her hands over her face and peeked at the fight from behind her hands. “Maya’s going to kill her.”
Finn cursed. “I have money on this. She can’t.” He closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate for a moment.
Rachel whipped her head around and nodded at him. Then she turned, doing a high roundhouse kick intended for Maya’s face. But Maya was ready and waiting for her. She captured Rachel’s foot in her hands and twisted, spinning the dark-haired girl around and slamming her to the mat.
“Did you just tell Rachel something, in her head?” I asked Finn.
He nodded but didn’t answer. He was too busy wincing as Maya took Rachel’s head and bashed it against the mat.
“That had to hurt.” Josh smiled and held up his hand toward Finn. “Looks like you owe me. I’m currently accepting payments.”
“Just wait,” Finn muttered. “This isn’t over yet.”
We turned our attention back to the fight. Morgan had managed to get up, and she circled Rachel and Maya. Maya had the other girl flat on the floor and was pulling her arms tightly behind her back.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked Emma, but she shook her head.
“It’s not a big deal. Not unless you hear a crack.”
“Or a crunch,” Kyan offered.
Rachel yelped as Maya flipped her over and drove her elbow into her chest. Morgan went over and grabbed Rachel’s feet so that she couldn’t kick. And then Maya punched Rachel in the head, hard.
The projection at the top of the rope, aka Rachel Number One, disappeared as the real Rachel passed out—or died. I jumped to my feet. “Is she okay?”
Finn grunted and handed Josh a handful of bills. “She’s fine. She’s a loser, but she’s fine.”
I turned to Emma, aghast. “Shouldn’t we go help?”
“She’s okay. We do this, like, five times a week.”
“Why do you hurt each other so badly?”
Kyan’s lip curled in a sneer. “They think it’s funny.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that we know our limits.” Josh ignored Kyan and looked at me. I felt my heart slow from its erratic, worried pounding to normal. “We’re in training. Military training. We have to learn to deal with pain, recovery, and fighting while recovering. The enemy’s not going to care if we feel good enough to keep fighting. They’d be thrilled if we didn’t.”
I put my hand over my heart. “Did you just do something to me? To calm me down?”
Josh shrugged. “It’s like a little love-dose of Xanax, from me to you.”
“Will you please shut up?” Finn sounded sour.
Rachel started to stir. “Oh, thank goodness,” I said. “She’s alive!”
Emma shook her head. “You’re so silly.”
I sighed. “I’m still adjusting to this new reality, if that’s what this is. Speaking of new, Finn, can you please explain how you and Rachel were talking when you weren’t…talking?”
“I can speak inside her mind. Rachel has telepathic talents, too. I can communicate with her silently.”
I suddenly wished Rachel, with her telepathic talents, burnished skin, and gorgeous hair, would pass back out—and possibly slip into a permanent coma.
Finn tsked. “Now, now, Riley. If it makes you feel better, the twins and I are working on the same thing. So are me and Kyan.”
“Ugh,” Kyan said.
Cranston stalked over and nodded at me. “You’re up, soldier.”
“I’m sorry?”
“We’re going to see if we can get you to barbecue something without making you cry first.” Cranston motioned for me to follow him.
I carefully headed down the bleachers, dreading trying to summon my power.
“Don’t be nervous,” Cranston said over his shoulder.
“Please don’t tell me you’re a telepath, too.”
“I’m not. The dread is plain on your face, soldier.”
I tried to compose my features and followed him to the far end of the room. He had a metal cart set up with a lamp, an iPhone, and a sandwich assembled on top. “Is that a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich?”
“Yes. Maybe you have superior powers of perception, too,” he joked.
“Ha-ha.” I watched as he wheeled the cart over to the center of the room. The twins and Rachel joined the others on the bleachers. They laughed and joked, even as Rachel held an icepack jammed against her head.
Not only were these people special, they were especially weird.
“Okay.” Cranston addressed all of us. “Riley here is going to try to harness her nascent telekinetic powers for our entertainment today. We’ve assembled a lamp, a smartphone, and a sandwich.”
“Fry it, Riley!” Josh whooped from the stands.
Cranston looked at him sharply. “That’s enough.” He turned back to me. “I’m trying to ascertain the nature of your power. Yesterday and previously, that episode when you were in school, your power presented itself as fulgurkinesis. That’s a special form of telekinesis that deals specifically with electrical currents. I want to know what else you can do.”
“Uh…” My voice trailed off. “I have no idea what I can do or if I can even do anything. And what the heck was that term, again? Fulgur—wha?”
Cranston ignored me. “Let’s get to work, soldier. I want you to do some breathing exercises and focus on these objects. Try to actively send out energy to them—make them do something.”
“Like what?”
“Like anything. Give it a shot.”
“Okay.” I sat down cross-legged on the floor, staring at the inanimate objects on the cart. I swallowed nervously, but what was the point of being afraid? I probably couldn’t do anything, anyway. If I made a fool of myself, what else was new?
“Hey.” Finn hopped down from the bleachers. “Don’t sell yourself short. Relax your mind, breathe in, and open yourself to all the possibilities inside of you. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. I know everything you need is in there, even if you don’t.”
“Do I have to pay extra for the pep talk?” I asked.
“You can thank me later.” He headed back to the stands. “I’ll be receptive as long as there’s some groveling.”
I rolled my eyes, which even though he couldn’t see, he’d know about.
Telepathy was
so inconvenient.
“I heard that,” Finn said.
I ignored him, focusing instead on the dreaded inanimate objects I was supposed to fry. Or whatever. I blew out a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. Trailing my fingers over Katie’s necklace, I quieted my mind, waiting for my heart to follow. I mentally thanked Josh for giving me the preliminary calming boost because otherwise, I would be a complete mess as I faced this newest challenge.
I concentrated on the objects on the table, mentally turning each one over in my mind. The lamp might be easy. Maybe I could turn it on. Was it even plugged in? Did it need to be in order for me to manipulate it? The iPhone I wasn’t sure about…maybe I could fry it? And the sandwich? What the heck could I do with that?
What to do… What to do…
I tried to push my brainwaves out toward the objects. My mind grabbed, pushed. I tried to visualize the wires inside the lamp. How many were there? What color were they? Who made lamps? How were they made? Why didn’t I know anything useful?
I groaned in frustration and tried to focus. I might not know how the wiring worked, but I was familiar with the end result: light. I imagined the warmth of the light, the heat of it, the positivity of all light. I pictured the light in my mind, wanting to touch it, to hold it…
I forced my mind out toward the lamp. I didn’t know how much time passed. I wanted the light to turn on. I wanted to feel the bright light in my hand, its warmth, its power…
“Yeah, girl!” Josh yelled. “Go get it!”
I squinted one eye open. The light bulb in the lamp flickered. I opened my eyes wide and clapped my hands together. “No way!”
The light immediately went dark.
“Jesus, Riley,” Cranston said, “can you please take this seriously?”
“Yes, sir.” I squinted at the lamp again. Please come back on. Please.
But nothing happened. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes again, blocking out everything around me—Cranston, the people in the stands, the conversation with Kyan, my own disbelief and desires about my power. I focused on the idea of the light again, its warmth and promise.
My mind opened up as I accepted the possibility that I’d been responsible for the light flickering, that I’d been the one to shatter the overhead lights yesterday. Me. Little old me, who’d only ever been good at reading books and taking tests.
