When I thought I had my thoughts together and the new YouTube channel that Griffin had created pulled up, I headed down to the gym, laptop in hand. The room was packed with people — every teacher and student and all the prisoners we’d rescued. The only people conspicuously absent were the council members.
I took the stage where I’d stood just a few days ago revealing Anders’ secret and propped my laptop up on the podium, turning on the webcam. A horde of curious and concerned faces stared back at me, restless and murmuring. Lexus and the twins were off to one side, and she smiled at me and nodded.
I sucked in a deep breath, letting the oxygen travel throughout my entire body, pulling myself up to my full height and lifting my chin.
“My name is Jaxson Merritt, and I’m a student at Magna Virtus Academy. I have something very important to tell you all. Something that affects every single Special…”
24
I was lying in bed, trying to kill time, reading a heavy, old textbook about Specials, when my phone finally gave that little singsong chime I’d been dying to hear. I popped up and grabbed it, smiling at the message, then slid my feet into the new, black leather boots beside my bed.
I checked my outfit one last time in the mirror and smiled, satisfied with the fuzzy, red, tunic sweater and black leggings that Phoenix had bought for me. It was warm and comfy but flattering, and it looked Christmasy. I was even wearing bright, red lipstick at my roommate Sarah’s insistence, although I’d refused the red nail polish. I figured I’d end up chewing it off, anyway.
“You look hot. Go get ‘em, tiger.” Sarah raked her fingers through the air like claws and tossed her long, brown hair, her bangle bracelets jingling.
She looked a lot hotter than me in skintight, leather pants and a glittery, emerald green, off-the-shoulder blouse, but I wasn’t in competition with Sarah, and I knew I could never pull off that kind of outfit. This was sexy enough for me.
“Have fun with your family today,” I said, smiling. I could only think of one person happier to be with their parents today than she was.
Sarah’s parents had been some of Winslow’s prisoners, a fact that devastated her for quite some time when she learned that was why they hadn’t been in contact with her lately. She blamed herself for not realizing what was going on, but no one could have ever imagined the reality of Anders’ and Winslow’s crimes.
If you believed the school gossip, Sarah’s new boyfriend, Juan, had been helping her forget her guilt with extended make-out sessions right here in this very room. Everyone was constantly asking me to confirm the rumors, but I didn’t spend much time here, so I didn’t know. The room did tend to smell an awful lot like the hair oil that Juan used to slick back his dark locks, and Sarah had shown a sudden interest in taking Spanish next semester.
“You, too.” She winked, and I grinned.
A knock sounded on my door, and I opened it to find three gifts, beautifully wrapped and waiting for me — Griffin, Phoenix, and Jaxson.
“Merry Christmas,” they said in unison, smiling widely at me.
Griffin wore perfectly pressed khakis with a white dress shirt and a red and green striped tie — a perfect, preppy Christmas present that tempted me to unwrap him. I couldn’t resist using his tie to pull him down till his lips met mine. He tasted like a mix of cocoa, coffee, and peppermint, and I savored the sweetness.
“Hi,” he said when I finally released his lips.
“I like your tie.” I winked at him.
“I like your sweater.” His eyes roved up and down my body.
“Your brother picked it out for me.”
“He has good taste.” He smiled, gulping.
Phoenix wore jeans, but they were new instead of ragged like usual, and the dark wash contrasted nicely with the silver dress shirt he wore — half open with the sleeves rolled up, a tight, black tank underneath, outlining his muscles. His hair was carefully mussed into a rockstar style, and his crystal grey eyes sparkled. I slid my hands down his silky shirt and hooked my fingers through his belt loops. He followed suit, gliding his hands over my curves.
“This looks way better on you than I ever imagined,” he said as his eyes traveled the same path as his hands. Electricity sparked between us, making the fur of my sweater stand up. He slipped his hands around the back of my hips, pulling me closer, then claimed my lips with his.
Jaxson cleared his throat when the kiss went on longer than he was willing to wait, and I turned to him. He wore all black, as usual. His jeans were dark as ink, and the slim, leather jacket he wore over a tight, knit pullover made him look dangerously sexy. He didn’t intimidate me in the least, though, and I put my hands on my hips, smirking.
“You’ll get yours,” I promised. “Just be patient.”
Instead of kissing me, he held out a tiny box wrapped in silver paper with a little, red bow on top. “We wanted to give you this before we left. It’s from all of us.”
I grinned and took the box from his hands and lifted the lid, and inside was another box, this one black velvet. I gasped and pulled it out, handing the outer box back to Jaxson. When I lifted the lid, I saw a silver necklace nestled in the velvet. A heart pendant with a small, white diamond in the corner dangled from the center, and beside it were three gemstone charms, two emeralds and a ruby.
“They’re our birthstones,” Jaxson explained.
A diamond for me, emeralds for the twins, and a ruby for Jaxson. A tear dripped off my cheek and soaked into the velvet. “I love it,” I whispered.
I lifted the necklace from the box and tried to open the clasp, but my fingers were trembling. Griffin took the necklace from me and wrapped it around my neck then pulled my hair out from under it. I centered the charms over my heart, then placed my hand over them, holding them close.
“It’s the most perfect, beautiful gift ever. Thank you.” I reached for Jaxson, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. His hands stroked my hair and back, and he kissed the top of my head.
I pulled back and reached for his face, holding his cheeks in my hands, and kissed him, letting the current race through me. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me a few inches off the ground so I wouldn’t have to stand on my tiptoes.
When he set me down, I dipped my head and wiped a finger under my lips, wondering if my lipstick was smeared.
“The lipstick is fine, babe, and super hot, by the way.” Jaxson smirked, and I blushed.
“Are you ready to go?” Phoenix asked, groaning.
I was anxious to spend the holiday with my new family, but I also kind of wanted to lock myself in my room with the boys for the rest of the day. I guess that would have to wait till later, though. There was a houseful of people expecting us.
We made our way downstairs and out to the parking lot where the twins’ cherry red, Mustang convertible was waiting for us. Anders hadn’t allowed them to have it on campus, but he was gone, and the new leader of the school was a little more lenient.
We made the short drive to Jaxson’s parents’ house, crooning out the lyrics to Christmas songs. Jaxson was almost as good of a singer as Phoenix was, but Griffin and I just did our best not to sound terrible.
When we arrived, the house was lit up with white Christmas lights, and several vehicles were already crowding the driveway. Fragrant pine garlands wrapped around the porch railing and draped the windows, and a giant wreath with a red, plaid bow decorated the front door. The door swung open as we climbed the steps, and Jaxson’s father welcomed us in.
“Merry Christmas! Don’t you kids clean up nice! Come in, have some food; Lucy’s been cooking all day. Everyone else is here already.” He hugged his son, shook hands with Griffin and Phoenix, then gave me a kiss on the forehead.
The house smelled like Christmas — a fragrant blend of ginger and cinnamon, wine and cheese, honey-glazed ham and fresh-baked bread. More lights and garlands hung around every doorway and window, Santas and snowmen and tiny houses decorated every surface
, and a giant fir tree stood in the corner of the living room, glittering with lights, tinsel, and sentimental, family ornaments. Dozens of packages crowded underneath, including the ones I’d bought for the guys.
Gathered around the room were almost all the people I now considered my family — my mother and father, Jaxson’s parents, and even the twins’ parents. Tomorrow, we would go to visit the Lewises — the twins’ last foster parents and their daughter, Becca. I hadn’t been able to get a hold of my stepmother, Jade, but if she was around, I’d probably stop by and see her, too. I was still torn about that, but I felt I owed her something. She had raised me, even if she hadn’t done a very good job of it.
I gazed around the room in awe of the miracle in front of me. This time last year, I had no one. I lived with a woman who pretended to be my mother for the sake of a paycheck, I didn’t know the twins or Jaxson, I didn’t even know what a Catalyst was, and I certainly didn’t know I was one.
Now, I was here with all these people who cared about me, loved me, and considered me part of their family. I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present.
After Jaxson’s revelation about Winslow, his parents stepped up and formed an intermediate council that included themselves and a few other trusted and respected Specials. Together, they prosecuted Anders, Winslow, and the other council members, arranged for the care of all of the ex-prisoners, and elected Mark Merritt as the new leader of Magna Virtus. Jaxson seemed to think that made him the second in command, but that wasn’t really anything different.
My father had offered to let my mother come stay with him till she was ready to find her own place, but by the way he had his hand around her, I had a feeling she might be staying longer than either one of them anticipated.
Even the twins’ parents had abandoned their plans to go off the grid and move to Alaska and had instead found a little house near Magna Virtus. They still tried to distance themselves from the Specials community and rarely used their powers, but they didn’t try to stop their sons from attending the school or developing their own abilities.
As for me, Magna Virtus was home, and I intended to stay there. Whenever I got a chance to leave campus, I always had multiple offers of places to stay, multiple families who considered me a part of them.
But part of growing up is making your own family, and even though I was still young, I already had a good start on that.
Jaxson’s mom came into the living room carrying a tray of sparkling white grape juice for us kids. The adults already had flutes of champagne.
“Let’s toast, shall we?” She held up her glass. “To family.”
“To family,” everyone repeated, sipping their drinks.
“To my family,” I whispered, and gazed around at them, grinning.
* * *
The End.
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Kellie McAllen is a bibliophile who has her nose in a book every moment she can. When she’s not reading or writing she’s either baking cupcakes, obsessively decorating and redecorating her home, or watching reality dance shows on TV. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, her teenage daughter, and 2 sweet kitties.
www.kelliemcallen.com
[email protected]
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Flying Free Page 13
