The Powerless Series: Complete 5-Book Set

by Jason Letts

  Jeana started setting plates on the table. She lit the candles and brought the cake out from the kitchen. In dimmer light, the beautiful candles illuminated a delicious looking chocolate cake.

  Everyone sang the birthday song, and Mira felt like she was in the company of friends. It wasn’t that long ago she had dreamed of something like this but thought it impossible. She offered everyone her heartfelt appreciation for being there. She made a wish, blew out the candles, and cut the cake into thick slices for everyone to enjoy.

  After basking in the cake’s sugary goodness, it took a while for Mira to return to her senses. She was in the kitchen, speaking casually with Vern and Will in the kitchen, when it occurred to her that someone seemed to be missing. Excusing herself, she went to take a quick head count. When she saw Roselyn and Chucky perusing a bookshelf, she immediately realized who had vanished.

  “Hey, Roselyn, have you seen Mary?” Mira asked.

  “No. I’m sure she’s around,” Roselyn said, unconcerned. Mira wondered if Mary had gone snooping into the bedrooms or something. She was relieved when she found the basement and her own room empty. Mira even looked in her parents’ room. Unable to find the girl, Mira could only reason that Mary had left the house and went home.

  Except Mary’s coat was still there, by the front door. Mira opened the door to see if she was on the porch and then walked into the chilly air. She couldn’t hear or see anything at the front of the house, and she walked around to the back.

  A bright glow emanated through the windows and out into the backyard. She saw something in the garden on the ground. She took a few steps and began to distinguish Mary’s figure from the web faintly embroidering the night’s sky. Seeing only her back and her dark hair, she appeared to be huddled into a ball, shivering. Mira took deliberate steps so as not to scare her.

  “How do you do it?” Mary said without turning around.

  Mira came closer. She spotted a piece of untouched cake. She looked at Mary, who struggled to hold back tears.

  “How do I do what?” Mira asked.

  “How do you live like this without hating yourself every day?”

  “What? I don’t think my house is that bad,” Mira said, confused.

  “No, I mean without a gift. I’m starting to think I’m just like you. In fact, I’ve been afraid of it for much longer than I’ve known you. These senses I get, maybe they’re no more than regular feelings.”

  “Oh.” Mira raced to pull together her own thoughts on the touchiest subject. “In a way, we’re just as lucky. Our only limitation is the depth of our imagination. We can succeed just as well as anyone else.”

  “Yeah, the only problem is when you’ve never accomplished anything,” Mary retorted.

  “Relax. It’s easy to get caught up comparing yourself to everyone else, but the only important thing is the effort you put into doing what’s right. It’s about supporting your friends, fighting for what you believe in, and never giving up. That means more than any flashy tricks.”

  Mary closed her eyes and nodded. Mira could sympathize with her all too well. She wondered if this is how Mary paid for being such great friends with Roselyn, one of the class’s brightest stars.

  “I’ve got something very important to ask you. I’ve been waiting to ask it for a long time. It should get right to the core of the problem and I want you to think deeply about it, and then answer honestly. Can you do that?” Mira asked.

  Mary nodded and watched Mira attentively.

  “Are you going to eat that cake?”

  Mary sputtered laughter and motioned to hand over the cake, but Mira held up her hand.

  “I’m just kidding. It’s yours. Let’s go back inside though.”

  Mary wiped her face and nodded again. They went back inside, and just in time. Others now had bigger plates with mounds of food. Vern, in particular, worked his way through a fully loaded plate. Mira and Mary quickly grabbed their portions.

  Mira thought it was starting to get late, and she was ready to close the book on a successful birthday party when Will spoke up.

  “So when are we going to get to see your room?”

  Others perked up, interested.

  “Yes, you can see my room. Come on,” Mira said, getting up.

  She appreciated their enthusiasm. Groping around in the darkness of her bedroom, she lit one candle, then two, and more until the whole room was bathed in soft light. She waited to hear their first impressions.

  “It’s awful nice of you to let your parents hang around at your party for so long,” Vern said. Confusion struck Mira. She didn’t expect to hear something like that and didn’t know what he meant by it. A rattling sound distracted her and she turned to see Will remove a pouch from his pocket. The others started crowding around him, almost forgetting she was there.

  “What are you doing?” Mira asked.

  “This is a Makara party, isn’t it? Let’s get started,” Will said.

  That’s when she put it together. For her guests, the real party had not yet begun. She remembered the apprehension she felt about the game when she first heard about it, and a wave of anxiety came over her. How could she avoid playing the game when she had put it on her invitations and all of her guests expected to play it?

  Knowing she would have to bear it, she took a seat in the circle on the floor. She tried to stay optimistic, hoping that the game would turn out better than she feared. After all, she didn’t even know the rules.

  “So how do you play?” she asked, looking at the pretty dice as they sprawled out on the uneven wooden floor.

  “You really haven’t played before? I thought you were joking,” Will said. “It’s simple. On your turn, you roll the dice and everyone else reads them. They decide what your challenge will be, and if you accomplish it then you get a point. The winner has to get however many points that we decide on, and since there are so many of us three points will do. Here, you can watch first. Who wants to start?”

  Roselyn raised her hand. She scooped up the dice into the pouch and shook it vigorously.

  “Here we go!” she said with a big smile.

  The dice bounced and rolled to a stop. Everyone looked at the images facing up on the dice; a wheel, a mouth, a pen, a fork, a house, and two blanks. Quickly, Will grabbed the dice with the blanks and the pen and put them back in the bag.

  “Why did you do that?” Mira asked.

  “The blanks don’t count, so you put them and any outliers that don’t fit in with the challenge back in the bag.” Will said.

  Mira watched them ruminate.

  “A house? Cloud Cottage. Eating the house. A house on wheels. A wheel of cheese…‌cottage cheese.”

  Will turned to Roselyn. “OK, your challenge is to eat the cottage cheese mixed with ketchup with a fork!”

  Furrowing her brow, Roselyn got up, walked out of the room, and went downstairs.

  “Excuse me, I’m still hungry. Is there any food left?” she asked, while the others listened by the stairs.

  “Yes, lots. What would you like?” Jeana answered.

  “How about that stuff you gave Mira during the taste test? I want to try it.”

  “Yuck! I wouldn’t eat that stuff if it were the fountain of youth, but do what you like.”

  A minute later Roselyn returned with a small bowl that contained a red, white, and pink mixture inside. Mira couldn’t help but laugh, she could see why they found this game appealing. Roselyn wrapped her mouth around a forkful of putrid grossness. Cringing and shaking her head, she swallowed and put down the bowl.

  “One point! Ha! You’re going to have to do better than that.”

  “Mira, you’re next. Are you ready?” Will said, handing her the bag. She held it for a moment. Everyone’s eyes were on her, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. Swiftly, she turned the bag upside down and dumped the dice on the floor. She watched them settle on a tree, a hand, an arrow, a fish, a star, a book, and a door.

  “Climbing a tree to the s
tars? A book about fishing. A wooden door.”

  “I got it, handing a fish to the stars from the top of a tree.” Chucky said.

  “No. We’re missing an opportunity here to see what Mira’s really made of,” Will said, scooping up dice until only the fish and the arrow remained. “That arrow’s pointing to Vern. You’ve got to kiss him.”

  “No,” Mary protested, quickly glancing at Vern. “She doesn’t understand how to play yet. This is her first time. You can pass if you don’t want to do it,” she said to Mira.

  Vern didn’t look at all opposed to the proposal. Mira looked down at the arrow and the little fish. How did they get kissing out of a fish?

  Her heart beat rapidly.

  Downstairs, Jeana and Kevin had been listening to the rattling through the ceiling as they reclined in a love seat.

  “You know what they’re doing up there, don’t you?” Kevin asked.

  “Yes,” Jeana sighed.

  “And you’re not worried it’ll turn out bad?”

  “Actually, I’m hoping for it,” Jeana whispered, pulling closer to Kevin.

  “What are you scheming now?”

  “She’s going to have to rely on them when we’re not around. She’s got to have a chance with them,” Jeana said, trailing off.

  “She’ll be fine. We’ll keep watch over her,” Kevin said.

  “But it’s not just Mira’s birthday,” Jeana said, and suddenly she broke into tears.

  “I feel the same way sometimes. We’ve got to be strong for her.”

  “I know. Just today. It only gets to me today,” she said.

  “Come on. Let’s go get some rest.”

  For Mira, time had both stopped and raced simultaneously. She never thought this game would give her such a terrifying rush.

  “Either do it or say no so we can move on,” Will said. She heard those words again and again in her head, first coaxing her, then antagonizing. Did everyone else feel the same pressure she did?

  “I’m going to do it,” she said, biting her lip and looking at Vern. In an instant, she leaned forward, snatched Vern’s hand, and pressed her lips to it.

  “One point! Ha!” she said, mimicking Roselyn and gloating with satisfaction. The rest of the group howled.

  “I told you she played this game before!” Will said to the others. “Nobody else would know to twist a challenge like that. Chucky, make it happen.”

  Chucky wore a confident, determined look that Mira had never seen on him before. He rolled a spider, fireworks, a man, a mouth, a nose, and two blanks.

  “Make him eat a spider! Ew. But the fireworks, he should drink his own sweat. No. How about he puts his toes in his mouth?” After a quick consensus, Chucky took off his sock and seconds later had his foot in his mouth. There was much laughter and then disgust at the odious new smell.

  “This guy means business! We should’ve had him eat a spider,” Vern said. He spilled the dice onto the floor, rolling a woman, wind, a chair, a knife, a pen, a star, and the number three. No one immediately voiced any suggestions. They stared at the dice but the connections didn’t come easily. Mira wondered what they would do if no one thought of anything.

  “You have to cut your hair three times,” Mira said. Others gasped as she got up to get the scissors. Noticing dirt on them, she wiped them off with a hand towel and then handed them over to Vern. He didn’t say a word. Fondling the scissors in his hand, he turned to the mirror and took a long look at his stylish hair.

  Then he turned back and set the scissors on the floor.

  “That’s not a good start for you, Vern. Looks like she’s got your number. It’s my turn now, I hope you’ve got something good,” Will said. He rolled a star, lightning, a heart, a woman, a snake, a question mark, and a blank.

  Roselyn spoke up with a sharp tone and a furtive glance.

  “A heart, a woman, and a question mark: tell us, Will, which of the girls in our class do you like the most?” He hesitated, freezing up. “You’re not about to pass, are you? Let’s see, maybe you’re not talking because she is in this room and you’re too afraid to say it. Better just give up.”

  “You,” he said.

  This was obviously not the right answer for Roselyn. She leaned back and sighed, all the enjoyment drained out of her. “Fine. Give him the point. Let’s move on.” She passed her turn even though it was the easiest challenge yet.

  Mira rolled a star, a fish, a question mark, lightning, swans, fireworks, and a blank.

  “What are you going to make me do now, kiss a swan?”

  “No, you’ve got to tell us something. A secret. It better be a good one or it won’t count.”

  Feeling like she had just the thing, she told them to wait and slipped out of the room. When she returned, evidently excited, she snuck through the doorway with her right side first. When her friends could see her plainly, they caught sight of something long and gray around Mira’s left forearm. She showed it off, waving.

  “What is that thing?” Roselyn sounded astonished.

  Mira flipped a tiny switch that started a barely audible whirring. “Who wants to see?” she asked, extending her right index finger for them to touch. Nobody moved. She pointed to all of them, and none of them stood up to her. She had Vern in mind for this demonstration, and she told him to get up.

  “I’m not finished with your hand,” she said.

  Mira looked him straight in the eyes as he put out his hand, wanting to make sure he would not forget it.

  When the blue bolt of static electricity passed from her finger to his, everyone watching jumped as though they themselves had been shocked. Vern, of course, yowled in pain, though Mira knew it couldn’t be that bad. In that instant, they all looked at her in a new light.

  She flipped off the switch and put her knuckle to the window to discharge the rest of the electrons she’d built up. No one said anything when she sat down in her spot. Chucky and Roselyn scooted away. She didn’t mean to freak them out, so she tried to get their minds back on the game.

  “So is that worth a point?” she asked. They all nodded. Mira felt excited about being one point away from winning, and she handed the pouch of dice to Chucky. He looked at it and set it down.

  Something had changed. She felt the tension, but it had nothing to do with the game anymore.

  “Do you know what order you’re going to put us in?” Will asked Roselyn. Sheepishly, she shook her head.

  “Other than putting Jeremy first, I haven’t decided. Maybe I should go next after him,” she said.

  Mary gave Mira a serious nod and turned to Roselyn. “I think I can take him. He’s a little smaller than me, and I’m not afraid of a few bug bites. Let me go next,” she said. Roselyn contemplated it for a moment and consented.

  “Then let me go,” Will spoke up. “Jeremy’s got a lot coming to him.” He grazed the red marks on his face with his hand.

  “If you insist. That means either Gerald or I will round out our group.” Roselyn said.

  Vern snorted and shook his head in disgust. “You’re a fool if you don’t put yourself last. What if you finish in the bottom third? You’d have to live with the stupidity of your mistake for the rest of your life!”

  Roselyn scowled. Her pretty blonde curls looked like they would catch fire from the flush of anger that swept over her.

  “You would do that, wouldn’t you? Put yourself last just so that you can avoid actually having to compete. Being a leader isn’t about sacrificing your friends so that you can protect yourself, it’s about making things happen instead of letting things happen,” she retorted.

  Vern laughed. “How else do you expect to become leader? This isn’t a beauty contest. It’s every man for himself! And that starts with this list, not when we step on the field. Only you would think you have friends in a competition where everyone is out to get you. And here’s a prediction: it’s going to land you on your back faster than Chucky when he’s trying to walk on ice.”

  “A beauty co
ntest?” Furious and insulted, Roselyn rose to her feet. Vern followed suit. The others got up too, hoping to calm them down.

  “That’s it. I’m done with this,” Roselyn said. “Thank you for the party, Mira. I had a nice time.” She turned to leave.

  “I bet the Final will turn out the same way. She quits as soon as it gets tough. Walking off now will be good practice,” Vern said.

  His words stopped her cold. A fury gripped her and absorbed her completely.

  “I’ll make you regret that.” Everyone could tell Roselyn meant it. She took a forceful step forward, and the others crowded between her and Vern. He took a defensive step back, and his heel clipped the mirror on the wall. It fell to the floor and shattered into pieces with a heart-stopping crash.

  Mira gasped. Everyone stopped moving and the pieces settled around Vern’s feet. She knelt down and stared through the frame at the wall. That mirror had been there as long as she had been.

  “I’m sorry, Mira. I didn’t mean to,” Vern said. Mira stood up and everyone could see the pain in her eyes as she looked at them. She didn’t need to say anything; everyone understood the party had come to an end. They grabbed their things from around the room, and Mira escorted them downstairs. They walked silently in single file to the front door. Taking their coats, they offered words of appreciation to Mira for a great party, and voiced regret about how it ended.

  The guests departed just as they’d come, in ones and twos, disappearing into the deep shadows of a moonless night. Mira returned to her room to survey the damage. On the way, she glanced at her parents’ door, surprised the noise hadn’t woken them up. Wearily, she inspected the wreckage on the floor of her room. It was late and doing anything other than going to sleep seemed impossible. Picking up the pieces wouldn’t undo the damage, and so she left everything as it was and went to sleep.

  “How could you be so irresponsible?!” The harsh tone of Jeana’s voice rang in Mira’s ears. Together, they looked down at the slivers on the floor. Hearing her mother reprimand her, a tear rolled off Mira’s cheek and landed on the glass at her feet.

  “I’m so sorry, it was an accident,” she muttered.