by J. E. Swift
Garrett found a weathered bench, and motioned for the both of them to sit down. He did not fail to notice how close she was next to him, her thigh touching his, her hand barely grazing his. It was distracting to say the least. He wondered if she really did not realize the impact she had on him. He turned to her, noting that her eyes were wide and inquiring. He stared into those depths, taking her hands gently in his.
“Did you have a good time tonight?”
She nodded happily. “Beyond the grand inquisition, it was a very nice evening. Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome. It’s not every student that gets to attend one of these things.”
“I could tell. You must have pull.”
He shook his head. “Not really, but my reports on you made various people want to meet you.”
Even though Garrett could not tell in the moonlight, he was pretty sure that she was blushing. “I really liked Isla and Caleb.”
Garrett was grateful for the friendship he had developed with both of them over the years. “I’m glad. I am sure you will get to know them better as time goes on.”
“Good. You know, it sounded as if you never see them anymore though, even when Isla is in town. You should see them more often.”
Garrett tucked a stray hair behind Caitlyn’s ear. “I’m busy with you.”
“That just makes me feel guilty.”
Garrett was surprised. “You shouldn’t feel that way at all. I enjoy spending my time with you. It’s been an honor to teach you.”
Caitlyn blushed again, looking down before meeting his gaze again. “Thank you. I enjoy spending time with you too.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither sure exactly what to say from there. It was not lost on Garrett that he still held her hand. He began to caress her fingers with his, the movement slow and deliberate, relishing the simple act of feeling each finger as they interlaced eventually with his own. He gave her soft hand a gentle squeeze as he worked up the courage to say what he wanted to say.
“Garrett…” she started, but he placed a finger on her beautiful lips, silencing her. If he did not say this now, he was not sure he could ever complete it.
“Caitlyn, I’ve been holding something back from you.”
She pushed his finger away from her mouth. “What are you talking about?”
He took a large breath and continued. “I can’t pretend anymore. For months, I’ve been fighting my feelings for you. Every time I’m in your presence, I feel a complete and utter attraction to you. It’s more than physical; it’s emotional. There is something special between us and it’s killing me. Every time I see you, all I want to do is take you in my arms and kiss you. I know it’s inappropriate, with my mentoring you, but my feelings have been getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. What I am trying to say…” he paused, wanting the words to be right. “What I am trying to say is that I-”
His speech was broken off from her lips on his. The kiss was soft at first, almost as if asking for permission. He was caught off guard and it was as if his heart stopped, not really believing the fact that Caitlyn had feelings for him. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. She eagerly reciprocated, pressing his lips tighter to hers. He couldn’t think. All he knew in this moment is the woman he cared about was in his arms kissing him back, giving him everything he had hoped for. He made himself pull away from her to catch his breath.
His eyes evaluated hers, making sure what happened was really okay. She answered his unspoken question. “Garrett, I was hoping that you might do that.”
He kissed her again, initiating the kiss this time, enjoying the feel of her lips against his. He was happily drowning in her. If he was honest with himself, he wanted a lot more than her mouth against his at the moment, but he was content where he was. There would be plenty of time for other things later. When they finally pulled away from one another, they resumed staring out to the ocean, enjoying the comfort of knowing they each wanted each other.
She was quiet with her next statement. “This changes everything, you know.”
“I know. It’s why I waited so long to make my feelings known.”
She gave his cheek a quick peck before snuggling into the crook of his neck. “I’m glad you did finally tell me. But what happens now?”
“Well, your training still needs to continue. That will not change. I won’t lie when I say it is not going be challenging sometimes distinguishing the line between mentor and boyfriend. But that is something that you and I’ll need to work through together.”
“Alright.”
“Caitlyn, I want you to know that it is very hard for me to put myself out there like I just did with you. I know that you have seen me on many occasions be flirtatious, but it’s been a long time since I have had serious feelings for anyone. I guess I just want to assure you that this is not a casual fling for me. My feelings for you are anything but casual.”
Caitlyn nuzzled closer at those words. He wanted desperately to know what she was thinking at the moment. Despite that, he shielded his thoughts from her as he thought to himself. “I think I am coming dangerously close to falling in love with you.”
Chapter 11
“Declan, for the tenth time, I said no.” Jonathan McPherson rubbed his eyes wearily. “We don’t have new Actuals change mentors midway through training.”
Declan glared at his father. “But an exception must be made in this case. It’s not like it has never happened before.”
His father rolled his eyes, clasping his hands together before placing them down on the desk in front of him. “Declan, you were the exception. Lionel was the only one who had the proper capacity to train you.”
Declan returned his father’s exasperated expression. “I can tell now, Father, that she is just like me. An exception needs to be made. You know as well as I that the Trust is weakening significantly. We are not the power that we used to be. Actuals are defecting all of the time and the Cine Tofa is not adhering to the recruiting treaty that we had established. They are locating Potentials on our land and taking them for their own. That alone should be enough for us to break the treaty and fight; yet, here we sit and renegotiate and renegotiate.”
“There is still hope that we can come to some sort of peaceful conclusion, Declan. You sound like you are ready for a war.”
He shook his head. “No, I am not saying that I want to resort to war. But with each passing day, the hope for peace between our two groups appears slimmer and slimmer. Those that have the ability need to be trained to my level. There is a war brewing, and I’ll be damned if we all perish because we are going to stick to a few antiquated training methods that the Trust has established over the decades. I will not stand by and watch my people get destroyed.”
Declan had been surprised when he looked up during the party and saw Caitlyn Young staring at him. All the rumors about her were quite amazing. From what he had heard from his father and other random Council members, she learned exceptionally fast and the potential for her abilities were impressive. He had also heard that she was unparalleled in her ambition to learn and was quite stubborn. Declan’s father had laughed when he heard Declan mention that in passing at the party. Jonathan stated that brilliant Actuals must all have that stubborn streak in them, arching his eyebrows very highly at Declan. Declan had then huffed back that he was not stubborn, just determined. He had not been able to prevent his scowl from deepening when his dad laughed even harder.
For a week since the Gala, Declan had been mulling over the idea of taking over Caitlyn Young’s training. He had weighed the pros and cons, but decided there was too much at risk for him not to pursue this.
Jonathan shook his head and grinned. “Declan, I knew the moment you laid eyes on Caitlyn, you would want to take her on as a project.”
Declan crossed his arms. “And what is wrong with that?”
The Councilman smirked at him. “Nothing. Nothing. But only you could take a
beautiful woman like her and think only about training and what she would mean to the Trust. I sometimes think I really should have encouraged Lionel to train you differently.”
“So are you saying yes or no?”
His father stood up. “I am not saying either at the moment. I am asking you to humor me and give me the reasons that you want to take over the training. Garrett has been a wonderful mentor and it is a grave insult to take the mentoring away from him. She will easily pass the Threshold already from what I’ve gathered.”
Declan couldn’t help but glower at his father slightly. He did not want to admit it, but his father was right for wanting more information, better reasons.
“Caitlyn’s capacity to learn from Garrett is limited. While Garrett is obviously an asset to the Trust with his capacity to perform Projectile Telepathy, and he is above average with his other skills, her potential is far greater than that. From what I know of Garrett Stevens, he is very laid back when it comes to methods of learning.”
“What is wrong with that Declan?”
He paced by the door. “Nothing in most cases. But with someone of her drive, it is only holding her back. She needs to be challenged; she needs to have someone who is at the level she strives to be at.”
“But she is only one Actual. I do not think that she would make a significant impact if things were to go badly between our two organizations.”
“No, you are right. Just like you or I would not have a significant impact alone. But collectively, we will. I think that the way we will grow as a people is to make new Actuals open their minds. Within the next few years, there will be a population explosion. Inevitably, there are going to be native Actuals who have no training, no guidance, and they will cause havoc in the world.”
“Your point, Declan. You are veering off your argument.” Declan knew his father was well aware of the arguments but wanted to hear how Declan presented them.
“I believe that when the explosion does occur, these natives will not have the limitations that we do with our talents. They won’t be taught that there are limitations, and as a result, they will take our talents to new levels, or even discover abilities that we never knew existed. We are limited because we made ourselves that way. How will we fight against that? Sure we have experience on our side, but that will only take us so far because of the sheer numbers involved.”
Declan paused, meeting his father’s eyes. “If I can take someone who is strong, and show what they could be just by opening their mind and adding a more rigorous and abstract training, I could perhaps change the mind of the council. If I can convince the Council that this is the product of a revised training method, we may be able to save the Trust, not only from the war with the Cine Tofa, but also from the Inception.”
“And you think this girl is the key?”
“I think that she has the most potential to make a lasting impression on the Council and have them realize what an arsenal we could have on our hands if we just change our archaic ways.”
Jonathan leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. “If I go to the Council and get their approval, and that is a big if, I cannot guarantee that the Tribunal will agree. While I may head the Council and have significant pull, with the Descendants, I am no more special over any of them and it will be based purely on the strength of your argument.”
A broad smile graced Declan’s face. “But you will ask the Council.”
“I’ll need reports on how the training is progressing, and then we can develop a plan for an innovative training revamp.”
Declan walked over and embraced his father tightly. “Thank you, Dad. You will not regret this.”
His father returned his smile. “You will still have your other duties, Declan. Don’t forget that. Lucky for you, as of late where things are getting more hostile, I need Garrett’s special skills, and the sooner we proceed, the better.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve not forgotten my role.”
His father and he talked about various training techniques, what worked for the both of them when they were learning, and what did not. Declan outlined his plan for the future, large training camps that could hold the influx of potentials that were on the precipice. He hoped that they were not too late in their planning.
The latest theory was when the Inception happened, it would happen quickly. There would be mass confusion and panic among the world’s population. There would be people who believed that this “disease” was a pandemic, while religious zealots would claim that the world was coming to an end.
The Trust had been preparing by strategically placing Actuals in various positions of power. They had placed their people in positions not only politically, but within groups such as the World Health Organization, in hopes to help stem off the fear that ensued with the public.
Declan hoped that when the new evolution of the human race, these people in power would be influential in making the training facilities safe havens. Heavy military presence would also be needed he feared for protection, as the Trust would not have the resources available. But they could not count on that.
Trust Corporation would also be exposed for what it truly was, a front for the Actuals. Declan was not sure yet if the corporations business aspect would actually survive the media onslaught it was sure to endure.
Declan hated the fact that so many questions were left up in the air, so many unknown factors that he could not account for. But he knew that if he could convince the Council that a radical revamping of the training methods and facilities were needed, the Trust might have a chance of survival. Declan just prayed it was not too late.
Chapter 12
Caitlyn could tell that Garrett was in a foul mood from the moment he disconnected the phone. The cell clicked with a resounding snap when he shut it forcefully. He let a large sigh fall from his lips.
“What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t help but notice that his brow furrowed. “Councilman Riley and McPherson have called a special session with you and me this afternoon at one o’clock. That was the administrative assistant calling to confirm.”
Caitlyn guessed that this was unusual from his reaction, but could not understand immediately what would irritate him so. “Is there something bad about that?”
He rubbed his temple, before running his hand over his face. “That is just it. Not necessarily, but something is definitely up. I don’t know what, but I know that this is not typical with a mentorship. I set up frequent meetings with a council member to advise on your progress, but the student is never brought in during those sessions.”
“Have you reported anything unusual lately?”
Garrett smiled at her question and walked around the kitchen island, placing a kiss on the temple of her forehead. She easily returned his affections. “Caitlyn, everything about your training is unusual. You are not the topic of a lot of high-ranking Actuals for nothing you know. Most students at this point are just barely grasping the concept of mental blocks and attacks, never mind being almost more proficient at it than their mentors.”
Caitlyn lips curled up into a small grin. She knew she had Garrett where she wanted him in this discussion. “Well then Garrett, don’t you think that if everything is unusual about my training, it might stand that the Council is going to treat the review sessions a bit different themselves? If I was a Councilman, I know I would want to see first-hand what this Actual is capable of so far.”
“You’re probably right.” He kissed her again. “Unless…”
“Unless?”
He pulled her at an arm’s length and pointed between himself and her. “Unless they are unhappy about this.” He pointed in between the two of them.
“This.”
“You know…the current state of our relationship.”
She had known what he meant. “Why should they care? You have said yourself that Mentors have become involved with their students before.”
“It’s not exactly common, Kit Kat.”
“I sti
ll don’t see the big deal. It has not impacted out training. Besides, the change in our relationship just recently occurred. How would they know already?”
“Never think that the Trust does not have eyes and ears everywhere. I figured I would get talked to about this, but not in front of you. As it is, I am not completely convinced that the relationship is what is prompting this meeting.”
Caitlyn squeezed his hands. “Well, whatever it is, we will get through it together as a united front.”
He nodded, but she could tell that his frustration was still mounting. Caitlyn knew Garrett well enough to know that despite how laid back he could usually be, there were certain things he would not let go. Caitlyn stepped away from him and walked towards the door.
He looked at her. “Where are you going?”
She called out to him as she walked through the door. “Training. It’s nine am. I would prefer not to spend the morning around the kitchen coming up with all these conspiracy theories on what the meeting is about. Instead, I would like to fit in a training and work on some of my skills. Are you coming to join me?”
The morning training they did was particularly grueling. Caitlyn demanded the best of herself. They worked on her levitation. She could levitate multiple large objects at once, a feat that would normally take a large amount discipline and concentration, but Caitlyn handled it like it was second nature.
It was not lost on Caitlyn that she was quickly outpacing her mentor. Garrett had advised her that when she passed the Threshold, she would have the opportunity to study with a specialist in their particular expertise. Caitlyn was excited for that, but wanted to study all the specialties, not just one.
When the training ended, Garrett and Caitlyn made their way to the main hall where the administrative assistant waited. Katie greeted them with her usual warmth. “They are waiting for you in the Councilman chamber. You have both been given temporary clearance to floor 9.”
Garrett’s jaw clenched. “The Councilman Chambers. And they are here already? It is not even quarter of one.”
