by Dee J. Stone
“I hope so.” He’s got a look on his face. Like he really, really, really wants to help.
“You’re a strong telepath,” X says. “They’ll most likely ask you to join.”
Kale shrugs. “I’m not that strong.”
“Yeah, you are.” I lightly punch his shoulder.
He shrugs again.
***
Kale, his parents, and some others left to meet the telepaths. Regina teleported them someplace where no one will see them. They’ve been gone for only ten minutes, but I’m driving myself crazy, which makes my stomach rumble. I head to the kitchen for food. I grab some cereal and a few donuts. As I’m chomping them down, someone sits beside me. Furball. I nearly choke. “H-hey!” I blurt.
She smiles. I return a wide one. Giggling, she grabs a napkin from the table and brings it to my mouth. “You’ve got jelly.”
“Oh…thanks.”
“No problem.”
My donut is oozing more jelly. It’s getting all over my hands. It doesn’t help that they’re shaking a bit.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I stuff the donut in my mouth and bite. Jelly splats all over the table. “Oh, crap. Sorry.” I reach for napkins, but end up knocking down the napkin holder and the salt and pepper shakers.
Furball clutches my hand. “What’s wrong?”
I pull away. “N-nothing! Everything’s perfect. You hungry? Did you eat? You’re probably so hungry. Here, take this donut. It’s really good. Oh, and this cake. You’ve got to try it!”
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why she’s making me feel this way. It’s like I can’t control myself.
She takes my hand again. “You’re shaking. What’s wrong? Tell me, please. Maybe I can help.”
The thing is, I don’t know what’s wrong. Or do I? “I love you!” Oh, man. That slipped out. Her eyes get big. I think it’s too soon for me to say that stuff to her. Girls like to take things slow, don’t they? Crap. I messed everything up.
Her cheeks are redder than I’ve ever seen them. She tugs on a few strands of hair. “I love you, too.” She slowly brings her gaze to me. “I have for years.”
“R-really?”
She nods.
I shoot to my feet and dance around. Then I look back at her and my cheeks get hot. She giggles. Laughing too, I sit back down. “You’re awesome.”
She smiles shyly. “Hey, you’re not sneezing.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, my nose gets tingly. I squeeze it to stop the sneeze, but it doesn’t work. My body flails around and Furball goes flying to the floor.
I jump up and help her to her feet. “Sorry. I suck.”
She hands me a tissue from the counter. “No, you don’t.”
“I could seriously hurt you one day.”
She shrugs. “I’m tough.”
We sit back down and I hold the tissue to my nose. I know I’m going to need it soon. She takes my other hand. It’s trembling. “Are you okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, just worried about what Kale and the others are doing. I mean, they just left but I’m going insane.” I’m also shaking because she’s close to me and I want to kiss her, but I know it’s not the right time and she wouldn’t like it.
“I heard Vlayne’s controlling the president and the humans not to take the cure,” she says. “It sucks. She sucks.”
“Yeah, sucks really bad.”
I hope the telepaths return with good news.
***
It’s past midnight. X and I are waiting for Kale and the others to return. X thumps the back of his head against the wall he’s leaning on. My body is spread all over our room. I wish Kale would give us the heads up. Anything to let us know where they are, if they’re okay, if they managed to breach President Ashford’s mind.
Furball. I miss her so much, even though I was with her the whole day. We didn’t talk about anything serious. Just hung out and tried to have fun. It’s hard to when bad things are happening out there. I feel so guilty enjoying myself with her when so many people are suffering.
X sits up sharply. His gaze is on the wall. “They’re back.”
After pasting myself back together, I stand up. “Let’s go.”
“No point. Kale’s on his way here.”
I sit back on the bed. A few seconds later, the door opens and Kale steps inside. His face—it looks like he witnessed a death. Eyes are hollow. Face whiter than glue. He drops down next to X on the floor and buries his head in his knees.
I twist my fingers around each other. I know the answer, but I ask anyway. “How did it go?”
“Awesome,” he mumbles sarcastically, face still in his knees. He lifts it. “We had so many strong telepaths, including Scar. We couldn’t push the block off. It’s stronger than titanium.”
“But how?” I ask. “Those telepaths are so powerful. It should have worked. Vlayne’s strong, but no one could be that strong. You guys should have been able to push her out.”
“Unless Vlayne’s got telepaths on her side helping,” X points out.
I rest my elbows on the bed. I didn’t think of that. “Tell us what happened, Kale. Maybe we can figure this out. Where did you guys meet?”
“In an abandoned subway station. It was late and dark, so no one saw us. We connected our minds and focused on removing Vlayne’s block.” He puffs out his cheeks, shaking his head. “Nothing we did worked. It was like pushing ten of the doors of this building at once.”
“Does that mean the normies are screwed?” I squeak.
Kale doesn’t answer.
“What did your parents say?”
“Nothing. After it was done, Regina teleported us back here. They ordered me to go to my room and get some rest.” He clutches the sides of his head. “That took up a lot of my energy. I’m beat, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to fall asleep.”
I feel the exact same way. We need to fix this, but how?
“Scar was glad to hear we’re okay and didn’t do anything stupid again,” Kale says. “He was actually relieved to see me.”
Yeah, I don’t want to remember our dumb choice to go after the Blades alone. I change the subject. “It’s surprising he agreed to help us. I mean, he only cares about his family in the sewers. He doesn’t care what happens to the normies.”
“Because of the promise he made to X’s mom that he’d ensure the humans’ safety.”
“Too bad he can’t keep his promise,” I say.
The room gets quiet. I twist my fingers some more. Kale picks at a loose thread in his jeans. X’s eyes roam around the room.
“Anyone got anything?” I ask.
They shake their heads.
This is the first time we’re one hundred percent stumped. There’s got to be a way to fix this.
There’s got to be.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I crash to the floor like I was blasted from a canon. I just lie there, my body ready to drift off to sleep. But a loud screech makes me jump up.
A man and woman are bent over a crib, their backs facing me. It’s the same dream, the one where Kale, X, and I were thrown into from Stealth’s. Why am I here again?
The parents of this baby—there’s something familiar about them. I don’t know what. The dad lifts him out of the crib as he wails, waving his arms and legs around. Stepping closer, I try to get a better look at the kid.
And I almost pass out.
The baby is gummy. His legs stretch down toward the floor like slime. Oh, man…is it—is it me? Are those people my biological parents?
The mom says soothing words to the baby as the dad strokes the top of his head. “It’s all right, Adam,” he says. That voice. I’ve heard it before. Like recently.
With the baby in his arms, he makes a move to turn around. I dash behind a chair and peek out. I can see his face clearly. Even though he’s many years younger, I recognize him. The president of the United States. I’m in his dream again, except this time he must be dreamin
g of a baby. Of…me?
The woman turns around. Sure enough, she’s the First Lady. Holy crap. Don’t tell me these are my—my parents?
Who said it’s me, anyway? I mean, even though I’ve never met anyone else with my power, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And my name isn’t Adam. Deep down, I know the Masons must have given me a different name, but that doesn’t mean anything. The president can’t be my dad.
The baby is still yelling. The president passes him to the mom. As she rocks him in her arms, they talk about giving the baby up for adoption.
My heart thumps. It’s just a coincidence that my parents gave me away, too.
The First Lady shakes her head. “No. We need to give him to the Keepers of Justice. They’ll take care of him and treat him with care and respect.” She rubs her cheek on the baby’s. “I want him to have a normal life, with people who will understand him.”
President Ashford rests his hand on her arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She nods. “People are already talking about us. They want to see our baby. What are you going to tell them? They’ll take one look at Adam and he’ll never live a normal life. Do you want our little boy to constantly be in the spotlight because he’s different? Misunderstood?”
The president doesn’t say anything. I look around the room. If this is fourteen years ago, that means he’s not president yet. The KOJ wasn’t like it is now, where the normies accept us more. I see a newspaper with the headline, Congressman Ashford. I get it. He was on track to becoming president and was already well known in politics. He and his family would always be in the media. They didn’t want that for me, because I’ve got powers and can’t be like the other kids.
I’ve always thought my parents resented me because of what I am. I see now that they just wanted to protect me.
The president lets out a long, heavy sigh. “All right. We’ll drop him off at the Keepers’ residence tomorrow. I’ll tell the media our son was very ill and passed away.” He’s got tears in his eyes as he takes the baby from his wife and hugs him close. “He won’t know where he came from or who his parents are.” He kisses the kid’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, Adam. We’re just doing what’s best for you.”
My throat gets tight. I never imagined it was so hard for my parents to give me up. I really thought they didn’t give a crap about me.
Someone’s shaking my shoulder. I don’t see anyone near me, like the person is invisible. The room gets fuzzy. With my eyes on my parents, I feel myself flying through the sky.
My eyes shoot open and I jump up in bed. I’m in my room. Kale’s standing above me with his hand on my shoulder. He woke me up. That’s how I left the dream.
“You okay?” he asks.
“What happened?” I say.
The lights turn on and I see X sitting on the floor.
“You were muttering in your sleep,” Kale says. “Your thoughts woke me up. I figured you were having a dream, or were in someone else’s.”
The memories of that dream come back to me. “It was the president’s dream again,” I say. “Except…” This is too crazy. I can’t tell them. They won’t believe me. I don’t even know if I believe it myself.
“Except what?” Kale eyes fill with curiosity. X’s gaze is dead locked on mine. I must look really messed up if the guys are this serious.
The room spins. I bend down and place my head between my knees, breathing in and out.
Kale pats my back. “You okay?”
I inhale and exhale a few more times before raising my head. “You’re not going to believe this.”
Kale lifts an eyebrow. “When haven’t we believed you?”
I can’t talk. My body’s trembling and my breathing is labored.
“Do you want me to…?” Kale points to my head. I motion for him to go for it. It’s so much easier to have him read my mind than talking. I’m pretty sure that if I were to tell them, I’d make zero sense.
Kale places his hand on my forehead and shuts his eyes. He doesn’t need to touch me in order to use his power, but if he wants to get a clearer read, he does it this way. I see everything he sees—my entering the young president’s house, watching him pull the gummy baby out of the crib, he and his wife discussing dropping me off at the Keepers.
When it’s all done, Kale gawks at me. His hand is still on my forehead and his mouth is so wide he could swallow a bird.
“Holy crap,” he mutters. He turns to X. “You’ve gotta see this. Can I show him, Stretch?”
I tell him he can. He shuts his eyes, sending the memory to X. X is quiet as he watches. His eyes aren’t wide, but he’s got some emotion on his face. Shock, I think. When he’s done, he looks at me. “We need to make sense of this.”
“You think it’s a joke?” Kale asks. “You think the president’s not his dad?”
X grabs a notebook and writes something down. Probably the new development. Kale and I exchange a glance, not sure what to do or say. Is the president my dad? Was someone screwing with me?
“No,” X says after a little while. “I think the dream was real. Stretch, this is the second time you’ve entered that dream. The president seems to dream about you a lot. That means you’re constantly on his mind.”
I can’t help but feel a little warm inside. My dad—the president—always thinks about me. He hasn’t forgotten his first son. Oh, man. I’ve got brothers and sisters, all normies. In my other dream, they meant nothing to me, but now they do.
“But why am I going into his dreams?”
“You have a connection,” X says.
“But why now?”
“Because you’ve just discovered your new power. And because you’re thinking about him.”
“I guess.”
Kale holds an invisible mic under my chin. “So, Adam, how do you feel about being the long-lost son of the president of the United States?”
I shove him. He laughs, but then stops. “Do you…do you want to talk to your parents? Have a relationship with them?”
All my life, I’ve wondered about my folks, but not too much. The Masons are my real parents. I don’t care what biology says. I know they gave me up for my own good, but they didn’t raise me. The Masons did. Genes and blood don’t make them my real parents.
Thinking of the Masons makes my throat dry. I haven’t been in their dreams lately, so I don’t know if they’re okay.
I clear my throat and try to keep my voice from shaking, but fail. “Not sure. I used to hate my biological parents for giving me up. But then I’d think about how great my life was in the Tower with the Masons. They’re awesome.” I swallow. “Really awesome.” And I’d give anything to see them again.
Kale puts his hand on my shoulder.
“But I kinda felt like something was missing, you know?” I continue. “Now I know they gave me up. I get why they did it, but I guess I would have wanted to know where I came from. I don’t know how I feel about it, honestly. I can’t resent them for giving me a good life with the Keepers.”
Kale and X smile a bit. Then Kale’s expression changes. “Oh, man. You went into the president’s dream.”
“Yeah…”
He gets up and marches around the room. “If we go with you into his dream again, maybe we can talk to him.”
“What?!”
“And convince him to take the cure and all the normies will follow him.”
“WHAT? We can’t just pop into his dream unannounced and demand things from him!”
“You’re his kid, man!”’
“It’s not like he’ll recognize me!”
Kale opens his mouth, then shuts it.
X gets up and he paces, too. “Your father cares about you,” he says. “He’s most likely been watching your growth.”
He thinks the president’s been checking up on me? That means he and his wife still care and didn’t forget me. “You think Samson and Cindy know?”
X shrugs. Kale doesn’t seem to know, either.
&
nbsp; X says, “We enter the president’s dream. You tell them you’re his son, Stretch. And you tell him about the cure.”
“But no one trusts the Keepers,” I say. “We’re the world’s number one enemy. He won’t want anything to do with me.”
“You’re his kid. He’ll listen to you,” Kale says.
I don’t know about this. It can’t work. Can it? “Vlayne’s got her hold on him,” I say. “How can we change his mind when you and the telepaths couldn’t?”
Kale claps me on the back. “That’s why we have you. You can bypass that hold.”
“And then what? If she’s controlling his mind, how are we so sure I can convince him to do anything? What if all I can do is just enter his dream?”
They’re quiet as they think. “You’re right,” X says. “It’s possible that no matter what we tell him, he might be programmed to refuse.”
We all fall back against the wall. Back to square one. Crap.
“Damn her,” X mutters, clenching his fist. “Damn her.”
Kale holds up a finger. “You know, when the telepaths and I tried tonight, we almost made it through. We passed through many doors and walls, but couldn’t get past the strongest one at the end. Maybe through Stretch, the wall can be broken. Maybe because of his power. Maybe because he’s the president’s son and shares his DNA.” His eyes shine as something hits him. “It’s like when I got my mom out of her coma. Her mind let me in and not the other telepaths because we share brain waves. Maybe the same could happen with Stretch.”
My entire body perks up. “You think?”
“I’m pretty sure. What do you think, X?”
He stares at the wall, like he’s deep in thought. “I agree with Kale.” His lips lift a tiny bit. “I think we found a solution to our problem. With the help of Stretch, the telepaths might be able to push Vlayne’s hold off the president. They could put a new shield, blocking her out.”
“Then we tell him to take the cure and the normies will follow!” I can’t stop the excitement from leaping off my body. “How are we so sure the telepaths can place a new hold on the president’s mind through my dream?”
X says, “I’m sure they can, just like Kale can erase their memory. But they can’t do it without you.”
