More Than an Echo (Echo Branson Series)

by Silva, Linda Kay

  “Yes, dear girl, that’s my mother. She comes to check out the new blood every blue moon. She always knows whenever there’s a new one of us in town. It’s her way. Now don’t let her scare you. That’s her way as well.”

  Zack joined me and Melika on the porch and together the three of us started toward the dock.

  Bishop was the most exotic woman I had ever seen. Her skin had a goldenish hue and her complexion was flawless. No wrinkled old hag, Bishop’s skin seemed to defy time. As she walked across the pier toward us, I beheld a woman of grace and class. She carried herself like she owned the world. Short in stature, she made up for it in attitude.

  “You must be Echo,” Bishop said before I could open my mouth. Like everyone else on this side of the Bayou, she was blocking, so I couldn’t read her at all. “My, my, Melika, what have we here?” Bishop’s low, musical voice mesmerized me but it was her eyes that captured me. Bishop’s eyes were yellow. “Do you know what you have here?” she asked Melika without taking her eyes off mine.

  “I am well aware, mother.”

  Bishop released me from her gaze and looked up at Melika. “Nick of time. Good boy, my Georgie. He’s a gem, that one. How are her lessons going?”

  “She is bright and unafraid.” Melika put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me reassuringly closer. “Eager to learn.”

  “Excellent. Fear is a useless emotion. We need not fear a thing from those who cannot do as we do.” Bishop looked over at Zack. “Ah…a mover. Tell me, boy, can you move my hat from my head?”

  Zack stared at Melika, who, to my surprise, nodded.

  “Take your best shot, boy.” Bishop winked.

  Blinking a few times, Zack hesitated and Bishop held up her hand.

  “Wait,” she said, turning back to me. “Can you see it?”

  I frowned. As far as I knew, my powers were emotional, not visual. I had never seen— “Not true,” Bishop replied, interrupting my thoughts. “You think your powers are merely emotive, but you’re wrong. My daughter will, of course, show you how to better utilize all of your senses, but for the moment, I want you just to look carefully at Zachary.”

  I nodded and did as she said.

  “Now, relax your eyes. Don’t focus on the physical being of Zachary, but on his image. If you see him but don’t really see him, you’ll notice something about him. Like those silly pictures you stare at until you see something else. What is it you see?”

  Sure enough, as I relaxed my eyes, I could see a slight haze all around him, as if outlining him. “A haze…like a blur.”

  “All living things are creatures of energy, Echo, and for those with your gift, it is visible to the naked eye much in the same way night vision goggles zoom in on the heat from our bodies. You have the wonderful skill of being able to read people’s auras. This will help you ascertain the integrity of people. It will help you make your way in the world more safely. Now, tell me what color it is.”

  “Umm…green?”

  “Be specific. Is it olive, lime, emerald, kelly, forest—”

  “Dark green. Like a forest green, yeah.”

  Bishop nodded and patted my shoulder. “Good girl. Dark green means mental stress, which is precisely what Zachary is feeling right about now. He is unsure if he can do what I have asked him to do. Isn’t that right, Zachary?”

  He nodded, but didn’t move. Even with his wild red hair, there was something charming and sweet about him. When he looked at me, I immediately felt a kinship with him I’d only felt with Danica. He felt it, too.

  “Cool,” I murmured, trying my new skill on Bishop.

  “He’s the only one you can read right now because he has not yet learned how to block. But keep your eyes on him and tell me what happens.” To Zack, she said, “My hat, young man.”

  Zack rubbed his hands together before turning his palms toward Bishop. Zack frowned and I felt him press harder, wanting to please her.

  “Color?”

  “Orange.”

  “Meaning?”

  “He’s trying really hard.”

  “Good girl. Orange means strong motivation. Keep trying Zack.”

  I watched him try again.

  “Color?”

  “Pumpkin.”

  “Ah, yes. Self-control. Well done. That’s good, Zachary.”

  “But—”

  “It’s okay, my boy. I asked you to do something I would not let you do.”

  “You stopped me?”

  Bishop smiled. “Of course.” She stepped closer to him and smiled kindly into his face. “You must remember always that no matter how strong you think you are, there’s always someone stronger than yourself. Always. And because you can’t identify other supers, you must never assume the people around you are not. Using your particular abilities in public could very well be the last thing you do.”

  Zack nodded. “Yes, ma’am, but how—”

  Bishop held her hand up. “Not now. Later. Be a dear, Zachary, and get me a glass of Melika’s lemonade, please.”

  Zack bolted into the house.

  “Mother, stop scaring the boy.”

  “I’m not scaring him. The boy is a male, Melika. You know how dangerous male movers tend to be when they come into their powers.” Bishop turned to me. “What you are going to face is much more difficult than anything you’ve experienced these last three weeks. Always stay focused. Always be disciplined. Having a power does not give you carte blanche to use it indiscriminately.”

  I nodded. “You sound so much like Melika.”

  Bishop chuckled. “Of course I do. Who do you think taught her everything she knows?”

  And that was my first meeting with a woman I would come to love as a strict grandmother. I would learn so much about her powers, about mine, about life and my place in it. For a fourteen-year-old girl who had never had a place, this was just about the biggest gift anyone could give me.

  And I wasn’t going to waste it.

  I had been on the Bayou for a little over six months when Melika announced we were finally ready to go into town. I’d only been in that one day when she allowed me to call Danica to let her know I’d arrived safely. Since then, it had been a grueling six months of learning every single day how to read emotions correctly. There was more to it than the learning. Zack, Jacob and I would sit around the firepit with Tip and Melika discussing the moral and ethical issues we faced by being different. There were supers who abused their powers, and when they did, someone from deep within us takes care of them. That was about all Melika was willing to tell us about the ramifications of putting the rest of us at risk. She said when the time was right, she’d tell us.

  Of course, we wanted the time to be right now.

  “I’m pretty sure it’s tough turning down a million dollar Vegas gig,” Zack said afterward while twirling a rock on his index finger.

  “Don’t,” Jacob said. “You heard Mel; it’s totally uncool to use our power for personal gain.”

  “That’s not what she said, homey. She said it’s wrong putting the rest of us at risk. Big difference. Some of us can do shit and get away with it. Like you. Who’d believe that you were talking to the dead?”

  I turned to him. “Did you…did you just call Jacob homey?” I stepped up to him and was a bit surprised when he didn’t back away. Zack never let me invade his personal space.

  “He doesn’t mind.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  For a moment, we stood inches apart eyes locked. He couldn’t maintain his shield and it dropped just enough for me to realize something I should have known all along: Zack liked me.

  “Oh. I…uh…”

  Turning, Zack walked away, leaving me and Jacob Marley to wonder if he was going to be one of us or one of them.

  “Don’t stress it, Echo,” Jacob Marley said. “He’s young and foolish. Once he sees his powers are somewhat limited, he oughtta chill.”

  “Come on, Jacob Marley, it’s time for the cit-ayy.”

&n
bsp; “New Orleans. The Big Easy. The most colorful place in the country. I think you’re both ready for the excesses of such a place. It’s the perfect testing grounds for all of the lessons you have learned so far.”

  New Orleans! I had heard so much about it from Tip whenever she deigned to speak to us. She had an odd role at the cottage. She wasn’t really a student, wasn’t really a teacher, either. She was more like a utility person or substitute teacher/bus driver/school bully. I never got the feeling she liked us; me, in particular. Maybe it was our age difference or maybe she was just a jerk, but she seemed to enjoy teasing if not tormenting me more than anyone else.

  I asked Melika one day after a lesson why Tip stayed with us and she told me that Tip was a very powerful telepath who offered to help her take care of the newbies once she learned how to control her very impressive powers. Tip was a projector telepath meaning she could force her way into the minds of others. Not all telepaths could do so and this was when I learned the many variations of our powers.

  It was with an open mind that I learned Tip was an exceptional telepath, an avid naturalist, a consummate chess player and a royal pain in my ass. I tried everything to be nice to her, but she treated me like a bothersome little sister, and that pissed me off. I was so glad to be getting away from the way her eyes followed me around the room. No matter what I was doing, if I looked up, I was sure to find her staring at me. If she were a teenager, I’d think she was crushin’ on me, but she was too old for shit like that. She was just…invasive.

  “Bishop will pick you and Zack up at Bones’ place,” Tip said, barely looking at me. “This is something the two of you have to do on your own. I’m not always going to be around to help you kids out. You’re ready for this. You make sure you construct a strong shield and keep it up for a prolonged period of time with many people around.”

  “Isn’t Jacob Marley coming?” I asked.

  “We don’t need him,” Zack retorted. “Or are you afraid to be alone with me?”

  “Hardly,” I said. “I just like his company.”

  “His company or him?”

  Shaking my head, I pushed Zack away from me a bit. “Don’t be an idiot.”

  “What will we do?” Zack asked.

  I had come to love Zack like a little annoying brother. He was respectful toward the process, toward Melika, and toward me. He wasn’t at all like the twelve-year-olds I’d grown up with in various foster homes, the kind of boys who pulled wings off butterflies. Zack was kind and gentle, thoughtful before speaking and considerate of everyone’s feelings. He was very bright and well aware of his surroundings. He didn’t care much for Tip, and steered clear of her ever since their initial meeting.

  “Do?” Melika grinned as she handed me a wad of twenties. “What else? Eat! Think of yourselves as two cows and the Big Easy as your pasture. Graze away. In New Orleans the topic of conversation at lunch is where you’re going to eat dinner. In between eating, you can shop, shop, and shop some more. Oh, I’m sure you’ll find quite a bit to do. You’ll love it. I’m sure of it.”

  And, boy, was she right.

  New Orleans was the most amazing place I had ever seen, and now I got the chance to see it up close.

  After picking us up near a gorgeous cathedral, Bishop showed us her place. It was just like the tarot reading parlors in Oakland, only with a far more authentic feel. Hers was in the back of a voodoo shop, and when we arrived at her place there was a line waiting for her.

  “Now, you know where I am. I shall be here until six and then we’ll go grab a bite to eat at the Oyster House. My daughter has a habit of coddling her students, but I don’t share that affliction. The Oyster House is well known. Be there at six. Unless there is a dire emergency, I don’t want to see your faces until then. I trust Melika gave you ample funds for a good time. Go enjoy yourselves.”

  We both nodded and had started out of the voodoo shop when Bishop called me back and hooked me under the chin. “Large crowds like the ones you are going to encounter are filled with intense emotional energy. If you ever feel like your defenses are down, find an alley or a quiet place where you can rebuild. If that fails, you must return quickly to me here. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Her dark gaze was mesmerizing.

  “You are getting stronger every day, and my daughter believes in you…in your gift. She says you have abilities you haven’t even tapped into. Still, you are young and new to handling your powers. Be aware. Always aware.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Now go. Enjoy yourself, and take good care of Zack. It’s always the boys who manage to find a way to screw up on their first time out.”

  I nodded and left.

  “What did she say?” Zack asked when I returned to him on the street. There were hundreds…no, thousands of people milling about, most of them carrying beer or red punch in a plastic cup, and it wasn’t even noon.

  “She told me to make sure I keep my defenses up and to come back if I lose it and can’t get it back up.”

  Zack giggled. “That’s funny.”

  “Don’t be a perv. Now, don’t lose me, okay? We need to stay together.”

  “You’re not scared, are you?”

  Scared wasn’t the right word. Apprehensive was more like it. Six months without a lot of people around was a blessing for me. No hassles, no emotions. No problems with foster parents or foster kids. I think I could have lived the rest of my life on the Bayou.

  “Not scared. Cautious. Let’s do it.”

  And boy did we. We had so much fun looking in all the voodoo shops and tourist shops. There were so many little shops with cool things in them. There were shops selling everything from alligator heads to hot sauce, and we went into them all. Zack’s favorite was the street performers. He couldn’t stop staring at the jugglers and magicians.

  “Come on,” I said, pulling his arm.

  Zack stopped and I released him. “I just think it’s cool, don’t you? It’s something I’ve never been any good at.”

  It wasn’t what he was going to say, but I didn’t want to get into it today. Today was going to be just fun. It felt like forever since I’d had any of that.

  “Think the juggler would be impressed with this?” Zack called from inside the candy store.

  When I looked up from the map I was staring at, I saw him juggling two pieces of candy without either touching his hands. My mouth dropped open and I quickly looked around. “Stop that!” I hissed. Stepping in the store, I scanned the area to see if anyone else had caught it.

  That broke his concentration and the candy fell to the floor. “What?”

  Grabbing his arm, I pulled him out of the store. “What in the hell are you doing?”

  “Nothing! I was just—”

  “I know what you were you doing. Have you lost your mind? If Melika or Bishop ever found out, they’d kill you.”

  “Lighten up, Echo. I was just messin’ around.” He looked at me with wide blue eyes, his freckles heightened in his flushed face.

  “Well, don’t. She’ll send you packing if she so much as suspects—”

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good. Let’s get out of here.” As we turned to go, three twenty-something men stood in our way blocking the exit.

  “Excuse us,” I said, feeling my shield waver.

  “How’d you do that, dude?” The biggest one asked. He was tall, bald and had a tattoo of something on his neck.

  “He didn’t do anything.” I said, trying to maneuver around them. The short one was wider than he was tall, his arms oak branches hanging at his sides.

  “You some sort of freak or something? We saw what you did. How’d you do it?” The shortest one took a step closer. I didn’t need to lower my shield to know that this wasn’t good.

  “He’s into magic, you know?” I said, pulling Zack closer to me. “He’s not very good yet.”

  “Bullshit. I know what I saw and that weren’t no
magic.”

  I could feel Zack beginning to panic, and that meant I was losing my shield. We were in deep dog shit and I had no idea what to do to get us out of it. If Zack panicked and used his powers, we’d really be screwed.

  “I want to see you do it again. I bet Buster here twenty bucks it was real. He says it was a lusion or somethin.’”

  I put my hand on Zack’s shoulder. If he made a move, we were never going to get out of this unscathed. I had to act before he did. “Leave us alone,” I said, squeezing Zack’s shoulder. I even called out for Bishop in my head. Somebody had to get us out of here before Zack did something foolish. He was getting that skittish feeling that said he was getting ready to use his powers, and if I didn’t get him out of there fast, things were going to go south on us.

  “Just show us what you did and you can go.”

  “Don’t,” I uttered to Zack, digging my fingers into his shoulder.

  “Look, you’re really beginning to piss me off,” the larger one said. “Just fuckin’ do it again.”

  I felt her at the base of my skull and released Zack’s shoulder to stand a little straighter. I stopped feeling afraid. We were not alone and this wasn’t going south.

  “So, which is it? The easy way or the hard way?” The short one asked.

  “How about the high way, fellas.”

  Without turning around, I knew it was Tip.

  “Fuck off, Injun Jane. Go find yer own fun.”

  Tip put one arm around my shoulder and one around Zack’s. “That’s just it, boys. These two are my fun. And I don’t share.”

  I frantically worked on rebuilding my shield, but I couldn’t manage. I was feeling their anger, their agitation, their aggression. I couldn’t block them out, but what surprised me was that I couldn’t block out Tip’s ire, either, and she was pissed!

  “This may be hard to believe, but the two kids and I could drop you like that.” Tip snapped her fingers. “And not even get dirty.”

  The three thugs threw their heads back and laughed. “A freakishly tall injun, a little white girl and a redheaded freak take us on? Are you fuckin’ nuts?”