It felt good to be able to open up for once. Now I just had to get to the point where I was confident enough that I didn’t regret putting my walls down. I knew I was going in the right direction, though. Before Will, I could have never imagined putting my walls down completely. Watching him rub his chin as he observed the legal action made me hope that I was able to keep it down, for him.
During a lull in the trial, I glanced around the courtroom, curious at who would be attending one of these. Would it just be students? There seemed to be a few with backpacks, none that I recognized, though. I was about to turn my attention back to Will when I met the eyes of a man in the front on the opposite side of the courtroom. His gaze remained for a second before he turned and faced forward. His head bent as if he was taking notes or texting. My stomach churned.
“We probably should have skipped this,” I said, turning my head back to Will.
“Why do you say that?”
“I think PISP’s here.” My voice was a whisper, knowing how resourceful PISP was, they probably could hear me no matter how softly I whispered.
“Where?” he asked. To his credit, he remained calm and didn’t flinch.
“Front of the courtroom, on the right. In the suit.”
“How do you know?” he asked.
“We met eyes and my gut tells me so.”
He nodded. “Okay. Your gut got us out of the fire so what now?”
“Besides wonder what we were thinking going out in public when we’ve almost died three times between the two of us in the past couple of days alone?”
“Yes,” he said, “besides that.” Somehow despite the gravity of the situation he wore a smile. “Plus, they would have found us whether we were indoors, outdoors, or on the moon. They found Alejandro and he wasn’t registered anywhere.”
“Well,” I said, “that’s true. As for what we do about it, give me a moment.” I kept my eyes forward on the front of the courtroom, doing my best to keep the suit in my peripheral vision. Maybe there was no need to worry. What could they do to us in public?
The man stood up and I fixed my eyes on him. He gathered his briefcase and walked out of his row, leaving him several feet from us. We met eyes and he gave me a fabricated smile. He didn’t seem enthused to be here. I felt the same way.
“Looks like we have our answer,” Will said. “He can’t do anything to us here, can he?”
“I don’t know.” I kept my eyes on the approaching man. “Poison dart? Leave us convulsing on the floor?” I shrugged, smiling despite the panic sending my heart into overdrive. The man finally reached us and bent down, placing one hand on the front row and the other on the back.
“Kristen?” He looked to me. “And . . . Will?” His eyes moved to Will. My date’s hand landed on my thigh and tightened. “Oh guys, relax,” the man said. “I’m on your team.” He paused, looking to my notebook. “Do you have enough notes to finish your assignment?”
“Oh.” Flipping through the pages I thought, I should. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay.” The man straightening up and rubbed his temples. “Follow me anyway. I’ll finish your assignment for you or something. That means nothing in the grand scheme of things. You are no longer just a student.” He spoke in a dry tone, despite saying life changing things, if true. “And you are no longer . . . an ice cream truck worker.” A genuine smile crossed the man’s face. “Come on,” he said, turning and walking toward the doors of the courtroom.
I frowned, making eye contact with Will. He shrugged. We were both at a loss.
The man’s voice then whispered into my ear. “My name is Chandler by the way. Please hurry.” I looked back from Will but the man was already holding the doors for us. How did I hear him from halfway across the room?
I reflexively whispered, “What?”
“Oh dear,” the man whispered back. He rubbed his temples again. “I always forget you people aren’t used to anything ‘magical.’ I’ll explain once we are safely in private, or at least the lobby.”
“If we trusted Alejandro,” Will said, “then I feel like we have to trust this guy.”
I realized Will and I were standing in the middle of the courtroom aisle as a lady squeezed by. “Okay,” I said. It wouldn’t hurt to be in the lobby with the mysterious Chandler. It’s not like we had much of a choice. If he was PISP then they would have the resources to make this meeting happen whether we wanted to follow or not. Chandler sat down on a bench, as far away from the lobby desk as possible. He crossed his legs and stared ahead, almost as if he shut off to save power until we got there.
“Okay,” I said, as we reached Chandler. Will and I both chose to stand. “Who are you?”
Chandler’s eyes left his trance-like stare. “As I told you before, I’m Chandler.”
“Is that your real name or a throwaway?” I asked.
“I’ve gone by many names over the years, but Chandler is actually my birth name.”
“Who do you work for?” Will asked.
He hesitated, pulling at his lip. “For now, you can call him Guardian. I’ll have to ask him if he’d like to disclose any more details.” He took a breath in through his nose slowly expelling it from his mouth. “Anyway, do you want to know what I have to say?”
Will and I both nodded.
“I’d like to have a more private setting for the bulk of what I’m about to say, but Guardian and I have similar motivations to Alejandro, in fact, I was going to pay him a visit before he met his end.”
“He died?” Will asked, frowning.
Chandler shrugged. “I’m not sure, but you two are much better candidates.” He paused, as if to see if we had anything to say. We didn’t so he continued. “PISP has been concealing powers for a while, taking them out in untraceable ways. We would like to open your world’s eyes to the abilities that sit within special people.” Chandler uncrossed and re-crossed his legs in the opposite direction. “Will, what did Alejandro teach you?”
“Mostly . . .” He stopped to think. I watched him narrow his eyes, probably debating the credibility of this man. Wouldn’t PISP want to know what we figured out before disposing of us? I didn’t speak up, leaving Will to make the decision. I couldn’t decide what to make of Chandler, and even worse, I couldn’t figure out how to determine if he was friend or foe. Suddenly Will’s eyes grew large and a smile lit up his face. I felt a slight tug at my heartstrings. For a brief moment my heart felt constricted before bursting with feeling of relaxation and trust between friends. Before Will opened his mouth, I knew we would be able to trust Chandler.
Will
I have no idea why I agreed to go to a private place with Chandler so suddenly. One moment, I was hesitant, torn—true fifty-fifty. The next I was readily agreeing and we ended up back at our place. Kristen didn’t seem to question my decision and as a result, I have to suspect I was charmed or something. Oddly enough, I had no desire to question him about it either.
Forty-five minutes later, the three of us sat in the living room—the infamous massage room.
“Now, we would prefer if magic didn’t get out and it could be kept a secret,” Chandler said. “However, PISP is going about it the wrong way, so we have settled for allowing it to become public knowledge if it can’t be kept a secret through non-violent ways.”
“Why are you so opposed to the knowledge getting out?” I asked.
“Guardian and I have experience with magic and the problems that come with it. A society with that kind of firepower always develop ways to hurt each other.” He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “I mean, just look at the self-destruction your world has managed without powers.” Chandler looked between both of us, as if to confirm that we were both okay with what he was saying. When we didn’t object, he waved me off the couch. “Let’s teach you what your real powers are.” I stood in front of him, peeking at Kristen to the side. “I’m going to give you a memory which will seem like déjà vu. Ready?” Hardly waiting for me to nod, Chandler put one finger on m
y forehead.
The room remained there, I could see Kristen and Chandler standing in the same spot, but I had a vision of a little girl in my head. It was almost as if I had double vision, except one sight was completely foreign even while familiar at the same time. The girl was about ten years old. She had tight black curls that came down to her shoulders and her skin was a rich brown. Her face was frozen in concentration as she struck a pose. On one knee, she rested one hand on the ground and the other stretched out in front of her. I closed my eyes, with both sights putting me on the fast track to a headache.
The visual was not the only thing being relayed to me. I could feel her intent and an explanation that she had received. She drew energy from the grass and routed it through her body, turning it into a destructive energy—a beam that flashed out of her palm and hit a tree, leaving a steaming indent. That was the first third of the power—destruction. Next, she again drew from the ground, sucking the life from the grass. The energy routed through her body this time came out in the form of a transformation. She was able to take that energy and change it into a dagger. It took half a minute, but she had created a fully formed dagger, metallic green. This was manipulation of the energy, a transformation, the second avenue of the power. The third and final power saw her draw once again, but this time she created a shield of sorts. It was nearly invisible, but it covered her hand. A translucent film covered up to her elbow which allowed her to catch the blade of a knife in her hand with no bleeding or pain. She flipped the dagger in her hand and smirked, dismissing the protective energy. The third avenue—protection.
I tried to hold onto the vision, to continue watching the girl practice the three aspects of this magic. Unfortunately, the more I attempted to grab on, the quicker it faded. Eventually I was only left with my thoughts. I opened my eyes. Chandler was still standing in front of me, while Kristen was giving me a look of cautious curiosity with a quirked eyebrow.
“Do I have those powers?” I asked. “Who was that girl?” Chandler held up his hand to curb the million question onslaught.
“You should have all three,” he said, his dry tone counteracting my excitement. “The vision should have given you the ability to utilize the powers without any further instruction. Unfortunately, I was not gifted with such abilities so I could not pass on any knowledge firsthand. Can I have a glass of water before I go?”
“That’s it?” I asked, watching as Kristen stood and went into the kitchen.
“Yes,” he said, following Kristen. “The girl is Guardian’s daughter. I will put in a word that you would like further instruction. He’s a busy man, very busy. But I will let him know.” He looked at me over the counter separating the kitchen and the living room. “Is that sufficient?” Kristen handed him a glass of water and he smiled, giving her a thankful nod.
“Yes,” I said, “I think.” I knew I’d be settled in bed with a thousand more questions. “Is there some way we can contact you? Like, if we get into trouble?”
Chandler didn’t stop drinking to respond. A few seconds of silence later, he finished the glass and put it in the sink. “Oh, you absolutely will get into trouble. But there’s nothing I would be able to do. I know very low level magic. You’ve already seen my most impressive tricks.” He tilted his head as he shrugged. “Thank you for the water,” he said, turning and walking out the other end of the kitchen. Kristen and I followed.
“So, all you were supposed to do is give me that vision?”
He paused on the middle step to the landing in front of the door. “Essentially.” He started to turn back to the door before he sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Sorry.” He mumbled something to himself. He turned to face us completely before speaking again. “I can’t tell you how to deal with PISP. But you will have to eventually. We’ll be watching. I’ll try to find a way for you to contact me, but you and Kristen will have to walk this path alone for the most part.”
“Well,” she said, “any suggestions?”
“Are we supposed to sneak in and steal some documents? Expose them to the media? Contact the government?”
Chandler shook his head. “No, they’ve covered their tracks too well. I honestly do not know what needs to be done. I am truly sorry I can’t help you more. Trust me, I am more like you than you realize. I can sympathize with facing an impossible task alone.” He gave us a sad smile as his eyes unfocused. Was he remembering something? “I will see what I can do,” he said before turning and leaving through the front door.
Twenty-Two
Will
The next week was uneventful—if you didn’t count the practice I put in with my newfound powers. If I wasn’t practicing, Kristen and I tried to stay together the best we could. We didn’t want to present an opening for PISP.
I was getting good with my powers. I didn’t have much practice with the destruction bit, just because there wasn’t much room to practice without breaking things, but the other two I was becoming fairly confident with.
I practiced with different energy sources, beginning with grass like the girl in my vision. I moved on to other objects and found things that were alive worked better as sources. By the end of the week I could use the transformation power without straining too hard. My favorite thing was turning water into wine.
Toward the end of the week, I even used Kristen as a source. She said she felt the energy drain from her so I was careful not to take too much, but it was one of the better energy sources I used. She took a nap afterward.
Unrelated to that she did burn her hand cooking and I bet she was happy I had been practicing because I was able to heal her using the third power of protection. It was then I discovered it was both protection and restoration. It seemed the sky was the limit for these powers. I had practiced a week and felt confident with my abilities, but I had a feeling I could use them for a year and still not scratch the surface of my potential.
Twenty-Three
Kristen
A week later, waking up continued to be pleasant. After a couple of days with no signs of PISP, I began to relax. Not to mention that I had things to look forward to. Will, of course, but also a renewed passion to write. I loved writing, but for some reason, I didn’t give myself the time to do it. He encouraged me to write every day. Will mentioned that it was his goal to help me feel happy, and he knew that writing helped me feel more content.
With his continued encouragement and support, I had enjoyed his company this past week immensely. We had gone out for dinner, we had walked, and we had talked. We even practiced with his powers, although I wasn’t sure if we were making enough progress to take down PISP. We still hadn’t decided how we would act. That and the fact that I was starting to regret knowing that he potentially only had one year left kept our relationship from being ideal. I hoped I could help him find a solution to PISP—I’d keep working on it. I wanted to make him happy—and safe.
Because time doesn’t wait for anyone, tonight was my pre-birthday party. Chris and Tracy, another one of my closest friends, had planned everything to make tonight amazing. Even though we were going to go out for dinner the next day, she had said one party was never enough, so I ended up with two events. It was supposed to just be us girls, but boyfriends were eventually invited. I didn’t know whether I should invite Will, so of course I asked Chris.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Chris asked.
That was a good question. Why was I hesitant?
“He’s coming on Saturday. Don’t you think partying with you guys two nights in a row might be a bit much?”
“It probably is,” Tracy agreed. “But no better way to introduce him to us than to throw him to the sharks.”
I didn’t want Will to be uncomfortable. I knew how he felt about group settings, much like myself. I’d be drowning in anxiety if the roles were reversed.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“Why don’t you just give him the option? That way he can decide,” Tracy suggested.
“Yeah, girl. That could
n’t hurt,” Chris added.
I preferred not to inconvenience him with the possibility of having to say no, but I would text him to confirm. After all, my girlfriends wouldn’t get off my back until I did. I sent him a text saying that he could meet us at the bar if he wanted. I hoped I had stressed enough that there were no worries if he couldn’t make it.
Twenty-Four
Will
I had gone a whole hour without thinking of Kristen. I was snuggled under my covers, reading my book, and enjoying the solitude. A night of reading and reflecting would be a wonderful thing to distract me from the fact I didn’t have Kristen to kiss for a few hours.
My phone buzzed a few short minutes into my reading session. It was Kristen inviting me out. On one hand, I was thrilled she had thought of me and wanted to see me. There was no better feeling than Kristen wanting to spend time together. On the other hand, I was terrible in groups. I resorted right back to my seventh-grade mindset.
I promised myself that I would put myself first this last year, but did that apply here? Were the One Year Left rules still in play, or had I tossed them off the roof when I met Kristen? I wanted to see her happy, and most of all I wanted to see her happy because of me, but I knew what would happen if I agreed to go out. I had already resigned myself to being weird and awkward for her Saturday party, but to go through it twice . . . I didn’t know if I had it in me. I texted her back, letting her know I had an appointment in the morning, but really, I knew it was just an excuse.
I had these debates every time I got an invitation like this, especially when it was on short notice. Kristen probably thought I was decent with spontaneity after the tattoo and the truck date, but to tell the truth, with most social outings I was plain awful. Nine times out of ten, these debates ended up in me politely declining and bracing for the disappointment. I didn’t think this time would be any different. Saturday would be enough, right?
Transfer_An Urban Fantasy Romance Page 11
