by Mikayla Lane
“Like me? How?” Emily asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
The thought of there being others like her out in the world somewhere made her feel better than she had in a long time. It was one thing to feel like it was you against the world and another to know you weren’t alone, that there were others who could understand what you were going through.
Koda tried to hide his grin at her tentative hope.
“Let’s see . . . True can create and throw fire. Dare can move objects with her mind. Jess can pull gems and metal from the earth and create amazing things; there are psychics, healers, precogs . . .” he explained before Emily interrupted him.
“Wait . . . you know people who can do all that? Are you jerking my chain?” she accused, thinking he was mocking her.
Koda shook his head emphatically and smiled at her.
“I’m dead serious . . .” he said then looked a little horror struck. “Bad choice of words. But I do know them. I work with a group of people who all have gifts of some sort, like yours. They hide from the governments and people who would use their gifts for bad things.”
Emily threw her head back and laughed so hard she had to stop and breath through the stitch she got in her side from it.
“Look, I love a good story like anyone, but I’m no longer amused by it,” she warned, angry that he would mock her. She’d thought better of him than that.
“I swear I am telling the truth. Considering the position I’m in,” he said pointing at his ethereal form. “I’m damn sure not going to lie to you.”
Something her mother once told her niggled at the back of Emily’s mind, but she couldn’t seem to remember what it was so she let it go.
“True or not, doesn’t matter,” she admitted with a sigh. “It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t be in populated areas. At least out here, it’s not so bad.”
Koda looked around at the six people who’d been following them since the cabin and the two they’d picked up along the way and shook his head.
If this isn’t so bad, I’d hate to see what bad is, he thought with a frown.
“Do you have a gift too? Is that why you know so many?” the young man who’d been at the cabin first thing that morning asked.
Koda glared at the man until he ducked behind a tree.
“I think that’s a fair question,” Emily said, turning to glare back at Koda for scaring the other spirit.
She knew she needed to get rid of them and send them on their way, but they weren’t exactly inclined to go right now with all the drama going on between her and Koda. With exhaustion quickly setting in, Emily knew she wouldn’t have the energy to force them all into the corridor and still continue trying to find Koda’s body.
It’d already been at least 24 hours since he’d come to her, and she had no idea how long he’d been out there injured before he slipped into a coma and came to her. For all she knew he could have been out here for days. The one thing she did know was that time was running out for him.
“This way, Emily,” Gran said, appearing up ahead of Emily and to her right.
Emily automatically veered in the direction of Gran; she had no doubt the woman was leading her to Koda’s body. She sent the woman a grateful smile and nodded her head in thanks before turning back to Koda.
“Well? Do you have a gift as well?”
Koda shook his head sadly and kept his eyes averted from hers.
“No, I don’t have any gifts. I’m just lucky enough to know a lot of really special people,” he admitted.
“You are only another few miles away. Can you make it?” Gran asked an exhausted Emily.
Emily stole a glance at the beautiful man now walking behind her since she’d veered off.
“Can doesn’t matter. I need to make it,” she whispered to herself as she pushed forward.
“What?” Koda asked, irritated that he couldn’t hear like he normally could.
“I said, how does a group, with those kind of gifts, hide anywhere?” she lied.
“In plain sight, actually,” Koda said with a grin as he thought of Dillon, Texas, and the secured compounds Grai had all over the planet.
“You’re serious, aren’t you? How is that possible? Are we all mutants or something?” Emily asked, truly curious now.
“Not at all,” Koda said, shaking his head. “You are all born of special people. Like your father, maybe. Your mom said you got your gift from him?”
“Yeah, she said I was a real ‘Daddy’s girl,’” Emily admitted.
“What about your brother? Did he have a gift too?” Koda moved back beside her so he could watch her expressions as they spoke.
It was really beginning to bother him that he was without the extra senses from the beast. He’d never realized just how heavily he relied on those senses until he couldn’t sift Emily’s energy or hear her whispers.
Emily shook her head and sighed.
“I don’t know. We were both so little when he and Dad died, and Mom never talked about them.” She looked around for her mother and wasn’t surprised that the one time she wanted Sally there, she wasn’t.
“What happens in your sleep?” Koda suddenly asked, surprising himself.
Emily whipped her head around and glared at him.
“That’s none of your business. Don’t ask again,” she warned as she stomped a few steps ahead of him.
That was a topic she wasn’t willing to discuss with anyone. Indrid was the only person she’d ever told about what happened to her in the night. No one else would ever be able to understand.
Koda wasn’t going to lose the progress he’d made with her so far, and he caught back up to her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried like that. Your strength and resilience amaze me. Most of the gifted I’ve met have gone through extremely tough situations as well. You have a lot in common with them,” he said.
He wanted to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. That there were others like her who could understand what she’s been going through. He hoped it would help her accept Grai and his assistance when his brother eventually came to find his body.
Emily snorted then chuckled dryly.
“That’s where you’re wrong. No one’s path is common; everyone is different. Although certain aspects may appear the same on the surface, the deeper things going on inside that you can’t see make each person completely different.”
Her oddly wise words shook Koda for a moment.
“That’s an interesting perspective for someone so young. Where did you learn that?” he asked, wondering how someone so isolated could perceive things so differently.
“People,” Emily said as she huffed through a particularly rough area. “Aren’t meant to be the same. Our fingerprints are unique and so are our personalities. The death of a father will be handled differently by each relative because no matter the DNA they have in common, what’s inside their hearts, their personalities, what they each felt for the father, is different.”
“So you think because your abilities are unique that you really have nothing in common?” he asked, trying to understand what she meant.
Emily stopped and leaned against a tree to catch her breath.
“What I’m saying is you can’t think that even if someone else had the exact same gift that it gives us anything in common. I could see a curse while they see a gift. My emotional state could be more fragile or stronger. The biggest mistake people make is assuming they have anything in common with anyone else. Everything is superficial and no one ever bothers to look deeper,” she said with such bitterness that Koda was momentarily taken aback.
“That’s a real . . . interesting observation,” Koda said for lack of anything better to say.
Emily snorted and began pulling the sled again.
“It’s jaded, I know. But most of the people I see have never looked deeper. They were so busy looking at the superficial things all around them and in others they never bothered to learn who they were. They w
ent from lover to lover, friend and friend claiming something in common and never realizing they never knew enough about themselves to have a clue,” she said without judgement.
Koda’s brow furrowed as he replayed her words in his mind.
“Wait . . . what are you saying? I know it’s directed at me, but you’re losing me in the static,” he accused as he threw his hands up.
Emily stopped and turned angry green eyes to his.
“You’re lying to yourself, and because you’re lying to yourself, you’re lying to me. I hate that!” Emily yelled at him before she stormed off, dragging the annoyingly loud sled behind her with renewed energy.
“What the hell are you talking about? We’ve barely spoken about anything! What do you think I’m lying about?” he asked in frustration.
Emily stopped again and faced him.
“You’re pretending to think you’re OK with leaving. You’re making no effort to help me find your damn body. You’ve got some serious baggage going on in that head of yours, and if you don’t start explaining why you’ve given up, I’m going to stop talking to you and I’ll never help you out of here,” she threatened.
Koda was stunned at her observation and wondered how much of her perception came naturally to her and how much was honed from years of dealing with her gift. He toyed with the idea of lying to her or telling only partial truths, but he didn’t want to do that. Not with her.
Besides, I no longer have anything to lose, he thought. I’m almost dead, I’ve already lost everything.
“I’m one of four brothers. The oldest, Grai, is the best man you’ll ever meet. On any world. He endured years of unimaginable abuse at the hands of our father, and never once did he betray his brothers in order to lessen the beatings. In fact, he saved our lives,” Koda said with a smile as he thought of Grai.
“He is the best of us,” Koda continued. “Then there’s Dagog; he’s the bastard. You couldn’t find a more evil piece of filth. He is the worst of us. Traze, is the baby brother.”
Koda paused and smiled sadly at the picture of Traze in his mind.
“Traze will one day be an exact copy of Grai, only where Grai is so serious, Traze is full of joy and playfulness. I . . . I wouldn’t say I could ever be an exact copy of Dagog,” Koda admitted.
Emily shook her head in understanding. Now she knew why Gran had been so insistent that she aid him if he came. He’d conquered part of the first step towards healing himself from the inside, and Emily knew she’d have to help him towards the next step.
“I get it,” she said, continuing to pull the sled through the forest. “You think you’ve done unforgivable things and don’t deserve a second chance. That’s why you want to move on.”
Koda nodded his head and tried to force a smile.
“Some people are worth the extraordinary effort; I am not one of them.”
Emily sucked in a sharp breath at the resignation in his words and knew she didn’t have much time before he willed himself into a position she could never pull him back from. She stopped short and narrowed her eyes at him.
“So, you’re saying you’re the coward brother,” she accused, standing firm when Koda looked as if she’d slapped him.
“What the hell? How do you get coward from that? I think it’s pretty damn brave to ask to move on instead of fighting and causing my brothers so much pain!” he argued, his pride and his ego bruised from her harsh accusation.
Emily snorted and rolled her eyes before returning to pulling the sled.
“Yeah, because it’s so much easier than putting in the effort to fight. How convenient. Tell me, would Grai or Traze give up so easily? Or even Dagog?”
When Koda only remained silent, Emily snorted again.
“So, even the bad brother has more courage than you. Yeah, I can see why you wouldn’t want to put in the effort when you can’t even compete with the bad one,” she said, her words laced in sarcasm.
Koda was getting pissed off and he stomped up beside her.
“I’m not a damn coward! I may not be like Grai or Traze, but I’m not a fucking coward,” Koda growled out.
Emily tried to hide her grin. She was getting to him. She stopped and faced him.
“Really? Prove it. At least prove you’ve got the guts to try and hang on long enough to say goodbye when they come for you,” she challenged.
“That would prove nothing. Besides, it would only prolong their grieving. Grai just had a new daughter . . . he needs to get over me and move on to his family. So does Traze,” Koda said, believing it was the right thing to do.
Emily laughed bitterly and allowed her frustration with him to give her the extra energy to keep pulling the sled.
“So not only are you the coward brother, you’re the narcissist who thinks you are the only one who knows what is best for your brothers. Wow . . .” Emily shook her head in dramatic disapproval.
“Wait . . . how the hell did you twist what I said into that?” Koda demanded.
“I twisted nothing. It was you that weaved a dramatic tale of woe. I only cut through the bullshit to the heart of it,” she countered.
“The hell you did!” Koda said as he turned to her. “You mocked my sincere thoughts!”
Emily stopped again and turned angry green eyes to his.
“Do you really believe that’s what I did? Or are you pissed off that I called you out on the truth? Face it: you’re lying to yourself, and if you think you can move on with an airline full of lost baggage attached, you’re only delaying what you claim to wish for,” she accused.
“What are you talking about?” Koda asked.
Emily huffed and stopped to turn to him.
“We can add dense to coward, I see. Fine. You can’t move on until you unload some of that emotional baggage. Right now, the reason you’re stuck in between is because of you. You have issues you need to resolve,” she explained then resumed walking.
Koda stood there speechless for a moment before he shook his head and ran to catch back up to Emily.
“You’re lying! You can send me on my way, and you know it. Why don’t you tell me why you won’t? Or is it your narcissistic god complex that makes you want to keep us all following you around like a pack of slavering dogs!” he accused, throwing his arms wide to gesture to the now dozen spirits following them in the forest, all glued to the spectacle of the soul executioner and Koda hurling insults.
Emily sucked in an offended breath and faced Koda, ignoring the sweat pouring from her face.
“You really are a bastard. But the truth is, I can’t send anyone if they aren’t ready, so you can rest at ease that you aren’t the least bit special. As far as they are concerned,” Emily said as she nodded to the others watching her and Koda intently. “They will be released the very moment I have asked a favor of them. A favor which surprisingly enough, isn’t for me. So go screw yourself, you coward, and stop throwing your issues on me.”
Even with his heightened senses, Koda could see the deep hurt in her eyes, and he felt like an ass for doing that to her. He watched her struggle with the sled and shook his head at his own behavior. He’d lashed out because she’d gotten too close to the truth, and he didn’t want to admit it.
“She’s right,” a young man said from beside him. “She can’t do anything until you let go of some of the chains holding you here. It took me a long time to figure out what was holding me here. I’m Tom Slade.”
“I’m Koda. How long did it take you?”
“I’m not real sure, but it’s had to have been a while since planes are now common and can carry more than two people,” Tom said with a grin.
Koda shook his head in horror. There was no way in hell he was staying in this realm for years. Or even another hour if he could prevent it.
Chapter Five
Emily did her best to ignore Gran, but the woman’s non-stop screaming at her was wearing thin on her already exhausted emotional and physical energy. She could well understand Gran’s fear for Koda, b
ut the yelling wasn’t helping anything.
“Enough! I can’t take any more of your screaming. If you got a better way of making him fight, then by all means, implement it your damn self! If not, then shut the hell up! I’ve been doing this a long time, and I know what I’m doing,” Emily whispered angrily at her.
“What did you say?”
Emily jumped when she heard Koda’s voice so close to her. She’d been so distracted by Gran she hadn’t seen him come up beside her.
“I was speaking to someone else,” she said without looking at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, drawing her eyes to his. “I shouldn’t have been cruel to you.
“Me either,” Emily admitted. “But I honestly can’t help you unless you face the truth.”
Koda sighed and nodded his head. He was getting ready to say more when Emily crested a small hill first and sucked in a sharp breath before disappearing, the sled quickly followed. He heard a few expletives from the other spirits who’d made it to the top of the hill first, and he wondered if they’d found the crash.
Koda ran to the top of the hill and was stunned at the amount of debris strewn along the ground among the trees. He strode towards Emily, who was kneeling on the ground surrounded by several of the other spirits.
“Damn, don’t let him see that,” one of the women said before running back up the small hill.
Emily stood and turned to face Koda, her face crestfallen and tears making streaks through the dirt on her cheeks.
“Koda . . . go back to the hill,” she whispered.
Koda turned when Tom looked at him, his head shaking.
“Let’s go back up the hill,” Tom said, putting his arm up in front of Koda to try and get him to turn around.
Koda shook his head, wondering how bad it could be. Now that he was here, he had to know. He easily maneuvered around Tom and the others until Emily was the only one standing in his way. As tall as he was, he could see around her to where part of the pod was turned over on its side.
