Where No One Knows

by Jo Ramsey

  “Yeah, that really explains it,” Lauren said.

  Derek picked up two game controllers and handed one to Nate. “It isn’t up to me to tell people about other people’s abilities and stuff, is it?”

  Someone thumped down the stairs. I whirled around, heart racing and hands heating. The noise was just Charlotte, wearing a pair of combat boots. She stopped on the bottom step and stared at me. “Chill. They can’t come in here unless someone lets them, so why don’t you assume you’re safe instead of getting ready to firebomb me?”

  “I didn’t know it was you.”

  “You should have.” She stepped onto the floor and walked over to me, swaying a little because the boots made her about three inches taller. “You didn’t have a clue I existed before this morning, but you should still be able to sense friends versus enemies.”

  “You haven’t exactly been friendly,” Nate said. “Maybe that’s what confused him.”

  “Shut up.” Charlotte didn’t even glance at him. “How long have you known about your abilities, Kellan?”

  “I’m trying to play the game,” Derek whined. “You guys are distracting me.”

  “Shut up.” This time Charlotte and Lauren spoke together.

  Lauren hadn’t been pleased about the way Charlotte spoke to me earlier. If they were agreeing with each other, it had to be something that would benefit me.

  “If you can’t concentrate on the game with people talking in the same room, you have problems, Derek,” Nate said. “Let them talk while I pummel the crap out of you.”

  Charlotte nodded toward the other cluster of seats, and Lauren and I followed her. We weren’t far from Derek and Nate, but Derek stopped complaining.

  “I don’t remember,” I said, answering Charlotte’s question. “I’ve always known when things were going to happen. Not every time, but when it was something big, I knew.” I knew Mom would marry Gene the day she met him, when she’d accidentally bumped him with our cart at the grocery store. Even then I’d hoped I was wrong.

  “It can’t have been always.” She sat down and crossed one leg over the other, which revealed a lot of her thigh since she wore an ultrashort skirt. “I mean, even when you were a baby?”

  “I don’t remember back that far.” I rolled my eyes.

  “My point.” She looked smug. “Since you were a little kid, you think?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What about the other stuff? You’re a pyrokinetic. When did you first find out about that?”

  “Is this some kind of interview or something?” I snarled. I folded my arms and glared at her. She was just another kid. She had no business asking so many questions.

  “Charlotte’s one of the trainers,” Lauren said. “She helps people learn to manage their abilities.”

  “One of my abilities is helping others control theirs,” Charlotte said. “Not only teaching you to do it, but keeping it in check until you learn how to yourself.”

  “Oh.” Something similar to what Shad could do. Now the questions made sense. I let out a breath and shrugged. “Since I was about twelve or thirteen for the pyrokinesis, I guess. I mean, I didn’t actually cause any fires back then, but when I was very scared or angry, my heart would beat a lot faster and my hands got really hot. Sometimes I felt like I was on fire.” I paused. “It was right around the time I started—you know.”

  Fortunately, she didn’t ask for details. It was bad enough I had to deal with growing breasts and bleeding once a month without having to say it out loud.

  “So you didn’t actually set fire to anyone or anything back then?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t get angry or scared enough, I guess. Not until the other day.” I paused. Not even a whole week had gone by since I’d set Gene’s friend on fire. Only a few days earlier, my mother had cried, her voice choked as she handed me the envelope and told me to leave.

  My heart sank, and my eyes burned with tears I refused to allow. My mother had cried, but her hands were shaking when she handed me the envelope. She hadn’t hugged me. She hadn’t even looked at me. For a moment red filled my vision, and then I swallowed that back along with the tears.

  “Extreme emotion or trauma sometimes triggers abilities,” she said. “So does puberty, which is pretty much the same thing as far as I’m concerned. It isn’t surprising that you didn’t find out you’re a firestarter until that happened to you. Now you’re having trouble with it, right? You almost lost it upstairs.”

  “I didn’t, though.” I was still proud of myself, even if the only reason I hadn’t lost it was because I’d told Nate not to touch me.

  “Yeah, and that’s good.” She actually sounded sincere now. “Some people keep losing control because they either don’t realize or don’t believe they can hold on to it. I can work with you if you want. This place is the only home I’ve had for six years now, and I’d rather not see it burn down.”

  Of course she had to wreck the whole helpful thing by making it sound like she was doing it for her own benefit. I didn’t buy it for a second, but I understood. She’d taught herself to be tough, and she hadn’t made up her mind whether to like me or not. Of course she wouldn’t show any softness at all. “Yeah. Do we have to start right this second?”

  “No. You can chill out for now.” She switched the way her legs were crossed and showed a little more than I wanted to see. “The thing is, if these guys who are searching for you show up, how are you going to keep from firebombing them? You said it happens when you’re angry or scared, and you’ll probably be both.”

  “I don’t know.” My hands started to tremble, and the fire poked its head out of its hiding place in my brain.

  “Charlotte, maybe he wants to forget about them for a little while.”

  Lauren changed seats so she was right next to me, close enough our legs almost touched. I really wanted to touch her, but I stopped myself. Even if I’d been the kind of guy to hit on girls I liked, this wasn’t the right time.

  “Kellan, you’ll learn. We all had to learn. When you don’t even understand the things you can do, of course it’s hard to keep it under control.”

  “Yeah.”

  Upstairs the phone rang, and my chest tightened. Pulse racing, I inhaled but couldn’t get any air into my lungs. I clutched Lauren’s hand. The call wasn’t good news. I couldn’t tell who it was. I just knew it was bad.

  They were here.

  “We have a safe room.” Charlotte was on her feet before I’d completely processed the premonition. “Through there.” She motioned at one side of the room, which was lined with shelves containing books, games, and movie disks.

  “I’m not going to hide.” Hiding sounded pretty good. I’d be safe if Gene and his guys couldn’t find me, but the others wouldn’t be. I refused to let them be in danger I didn’t dare to face myself.

  The look Charlotte gave me held some respect. “Okay.”

  Nate and Derek abandoned their game and walked over to stand behind me. Without speaking a word, they were letting me know they had my back. Their presence radiated around me, a light warming and protecting me. The light bubbled through me, and I smiled even as my eyes grew wet. People wanted to keep me safe.

  Footsteps thumped overhead and then down the stairs. Mireille’s face was dead white, and her voice shook when she spoke. “The call was from a man named Gene Rusk. He says he’s your stepfather, Kellan, and he’s coming to take you home.”

  “He knows where we are.” I should have expected it—and part of me had—but I hadn’t wanted to believe it. I was thankful Gene hadn’t just shown up, because it gave us time to prepare, but I didn’t understand why he’d wasted time calling if he knew where I was.

  “Yes, or at least so he says.” She looked at each of us as if she were counting. “They’re nearby. In Revere, unless they’ve somehow managed to block me or scramble my ability. It won’t be long. Royce and Eben are on their way home, but they may not arrive in time.”

  “We’re ready.” Lau
ren took my hand.

  Her touch sent warmth straight through me. Not pyro warmth, but something much, much better. Something which, despite being warm, almost cooled off the heat growing in me in response to the threat.

  “We’ve had to fight before. We can again.”

  “Yes.” Mireille smiled. Not a pleasant smile at all. One that said she was ready to go to war if necessary to protect me.

  Everyone else frowned or copied Mireille’s smile. Even Charlotte.

  Heat and flame filled my vision. Gene had no right to interfere again. He’d already taken one place of safety away from me. He had no business doing it again.

  Fury consumed the panicky shrillness in my brain. My hands grew hotter than Lauren should have been able to touch, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  Flames reached out through my mind, eager for something to devour.

  The warmth and light of the rest of the group surrounded me, keeping the fire inside me for now.

  These people would do whatever they could to keep me safe. I straightened my back and faced the door. For now I held back the fire.

  If Gene and his buddies threatened my friends, I would let the fire out. Strength flowed through me from the others and from somewhere within me, and the tiny, frightened voice in my mind quieted. I could stand up to Gene. And I would.

  I closed my eyes.

  Father, please be with us. I don’t care what Gene or his church say. I know I haven’t done anything to anger you, and I know you care. Please keep us safe. Amen.

  Chapter Ten

  GARRETT CAME downstairs a couple of minutes later with his lips pressed tightly together and lowered eyebrows. He had a cell phone in one hand. He walked over to stand in front of me. “Who have you called since you’ve been here?”

  His accusing tone made me want to shrink into the floor. I looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath. I hadn’t done anything wrong. “Just Shad. I was planning to call Sadie, but I haven’t had a chance yet.”

  “Where did you get this phone?” He held up my cell phone.

  Anger flooded me. He had no right to touch my things. The phone had been in my suitcase. He had no right to even be in my room, let alone in my luggage. “Where did you get it?” I countered. “I’m pretty sure I put it away somewhere you shouldn’t have been poking around.”

  “Parents have the right to check up on their children,” he said. “I’m not your parent, but as long as you’re here, I’m acting as one.”

  “You don’t have the right to touch my stuff!”

  Fury so strong I shook rushed through me, along with heat and flame. I clenched my teeth together so I wouldn’t scream and tensed against the fire raging inside me. Lauren gasped and let go of my hand. The couch beneath my other hand started to smoke. My heart pounded so fast I couldn’t tell one beat from the next, and the fire was ready to burst out at anyone too close.

  Lauren was too close.

  I wouldn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t hurt any of these people. Not Garrett, not Charlotte, definitely not Lauren. None of them.

  I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. Someone put a cool, soothing hand on my shoulder. With that touch, the fire backed off a little. It must have been Charlotte.

  I kept breathing. I tried to think about water. The ocean. Ocean water was cold, and it would stop a fire.

  “I’m sorry, Kellan.” Garrett’s voice was high and soft. And a little frightened.

  I didn’t like the idea of anyone being afraid of me. I knew way too well how it felt to be afraid of someone.

  “You have a right to be angry,” he said. “I should have asked you about the phone instead of just looking for it. Something Gene said implied he tracked you through it, and I acted without thinking.”

  My eyes stayed closed. If I looked at him, I would lash out. I kept picturing the ocean and how cold it was. Charlotte kept her hand on me, and coolness flowed through me from her touch.

  “I bought the phone at a convenience store,” I said when I trusted myself to speak. “In Denver. Brent, the desk clerk, said I should have one because he was sending me off with his friend Shad. He wasn’t sure how much Shad could be trusted, so he wanted me to have a way to call for help.”

  “Did Brent have abilities?” Mireille asked.

  “I don’t think so.” I hadn’t sensed any.

  “Who touched the phone besides you?” Garrett asked. “The cashier at the store?”

  “No. He didn’t have to open the package to activate it. When he explained how it worked, he just pointed to the buttons through the plastic.” I tried to remember. I could only think of two other people whose hands had been on my phone. “Brent and Shad. Brent programmed his number in, and Shad used it to call here because he didn’t have his own phone.”

  Actually, he’d never said he didn’t have his own phone. He’d just asked to use mine.

  I didn’t want to be suspicious of either of them. Brent had helped me a lot. He’d gotten my room rate reduced. He’d done what he could to protect me from the police, and I might not have been able to cope with finding the kids in the bathtub if he hadn’t been there to talk to.

  Shad had done even more for me. He’d gotten me out of Denver completely. He’d driven me all the way to Chicago and hadn’t even asked me to pay for the whole trip. Most importantly, he’d called the group to find me a safe place to go. Unless the whole group was conspiring against me, I refused to believe Shad had done anything to my phone to help Gene find me.

  “Can you open your eyes, Kellan?” Garrett asked.

  I was still angry, but the fire had dropped to a smolder. I’d be able to keep it contained. I opened my eyes. Charlotte was right in front of me, between me and the rest.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She nodded. “You’re welcome. You did a good job. The ocean image worked perfectly. Remember it.”

  She stepped aside, and I looked at Garrett. “You know Shad. Would he have done something to my phone?”

  “I can’t say.” He sighed. “Shad didn’t leave under the best circumstances, and he resented having to keep in touch with us.”

  “He told me. About the circumstances, I mean.” I wasn’t about to say any more than that. The people whose business it was already knew, and it wasn’t up to me to share Shad’s secrets with anyone else.

  “He said he found out about you from Brent,” Mireille said. “He’d been watching for you, but Brent was the one who told him when you arrived.”

  That didn’t really have anything to do with the question, but she must have had a reason for saying it. I ignored her until I figured out what it was. “I told Brent about my powers,” I said. “And about my stepfather. He helped me try to cover up the fact that I’d been the one to find the kids. He tried to help me avoid the police too.”

  “We don’t usually advise telling other people about your abilities,” Garrett said.

  “I had to tell him something. I called the front desk when I found those kids.” I went back to the couch. I needed to sit down before my shaking legs gave up on me. “Neither of them would have done this.”

  “You don’t want to believe they would have,” Garrett said. “Someone did. If only three people touched the phone, and one of those three was you, only two other people could have set up the phone to enable people to find you.”

  “Does it matter?” Lauren sat beside me again. “Do we really have to know whose fault this is to keep Kellan safe? We know the result. Isn’t that enough?”

  She smiled at me, and a little bubble of happiness welled up in my chest.

  “Don’t phones have GPS or something anyway?” I asked.

  “Regular phones, yes,” Nate said. “You have a prepaid. A throwaway. It might have the tech, but it wouldn’t be as likely. People usually only buy prepaids for calls and texting.”

  “It is possible.” Garrett held up my phone. “Kellan, I’m going to have Royce take a look at this when he gets back. I’m afraid I might not be able to return
it to you.”

  “Whatever. The phone isn’t important. I’d just like to keep the numbers that are in it.”

  “We can make sure you have them.” He hesitated. “Kellan, you want to believe the best of people. It’s a good quality. But you have to accept that not everyone has your best interests in mind.”

  “Obviously, or I’d still be at home with my mother and sisters instead of sitting here panicking about what happens when my stepfather shows up.” The sarcasm wasn’t exactly necessary, but with it, strength flowed through me. I could stick up for myself.

  A cell phone rang. Not mine. Mireille pulled a phone out of her pocket and answered. “Hello?”

  Mireille relaxed. “Hi, Royce. Do you have Eben?” She listened for a moment. “Okay. Come in the back.”

  She hung up, and the phone immediately rang again. She tensed and answered. Her eyes widened. “Shad.”

  “Why is he calling the catch phone?” Garrett held out his hand.

  Mireille waved him off. “Not yet. We’re planning how to respond when they do show up. It probably won’t take long.”

  “They’re here.” Derek turned toward the stairs. His face was blank. “Right outside. They’re trying to figure out which house it is.”

  “Royce and Eben will run right into them.” Garrett closed his eyes.

  “They’re here,” Mireille said into the phone.

  She listened, then held out the phone to me without a word. Shad might have helped them find me, but I considered him a friend, so I took it. “Hello?”

  “I’m on my way out there,” Shad said. “I didn’t tell them where you were. I found out who did, though.”

  “Brent.”

  “Yeah.” Shad sounded disgusted. “I wish I’d met you before he did so I could have warned you not to trust him. Then again, I probably would have trusted him too. I’ve known him since I moved out here, and I didn’t think he’d be so sneaky.”

  “How did he know anything about me?” I asked.

  “He only knew what you told him. You believed he was safe to talk to. It isn’t your fault.”