by Alana Siegel
I needed to think fast. It would be difficult to physically hold the two of them apart. I dropped my arms, took a deep breath and concentrated on my Gift. I felt the power build in my chest.
Max's tension subsided behind me and the red in the air cleared a little. Too focused on the fight, he didn't realize I was using my Gift. Max had a one-track mind and succumbed easily to my Gift.
Dropping his fists, he grabbed a lock of my hair instead and said, “Mmm, Liv, you smell like roses.”
I imagined myself strong and powerful. Fueled by my desperation, my Gift shot through my body. Justin's face looked pained as I overwhelmed his senses. He was more aware of his surroundings, and tried to fight my Gift.
Someone screamed at the other end of the empty hallway. We were all distracted by the argument that no one noticed someone else was watching. I snapped my head to look, and there was Helen frozen with fear.
My insides were screaming. Even my skin tingled. I felt an immense sucking sensation as my Gift drained from the blood in my veins. It was so powerful and quick that I became light headed. The emotional upheaval of Helen seeing me in this state caused such a lack of concentration that I could no longer sustain the power of my Gift. The loss came incredibly fast, and I swayed from side to side as I fought to maintain my balance.
Justin growled in frustration and stalked down the hallway in the opposite direction of Helen. I was utterly confused about where his display of emotion came from. Why did he care how Max treated me? Was that his way of showing his feelings for me? Now was not the time to go after him. I watched him disappear around the corner.
Ignoring Helen’s frightened stance, Max continued his verbal battle and said, “Liv, that guy better not be your new boyfriend. He's weird.” He brushed off his anger as best as he could and turned to focus on me. “Let's go out to dinner instead of the homecoming game. If anything, it will save you from another outburst from Psycho boy.” I continued to look down the hall and thought about the crossroad I was at. What did I know about Justin? And what did he know about me? I was scared and lonely. It would be comforting to be with someone who knew me so well. I started nodding my head.
Max continued his argument to ensure he won me over, “Great, I'll pick you up. You don't need to go to that meeting with Ms. Magos anyway. I'm sure she has nothing good to tell you.”
I spun around and glared at Max. How could I forget? Max always had an ulterior motive. I didn't even give him a chance to explain why he didn't want me to go to the homecoming game. I needed to focus on what was important. I stormed down the hallway toward Helen. I heard Max mumble profanities and walk off as well.
My heart pounded in my chest. Helen was dazed and standing in the same spot when I came up beside her. Her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.
“Helen! I’m so glad to see you,” I said desperately. I was near panic and needed her comfort. I was filled with hope and reached out for her hand.
Helen pulled her arm away like she was scared I would hurt her. The tears started rolling down my cheeks. I was at my breaking point.
“What did you do to Max and Justin? I saw you doing something to them,” she said in a frightened voice.
“I don’t know. I guess I dazzled them,” I whispered, unsure how else to explain.
She shook her head and said, “They were fighting. You got them to stop.” I nodded my head. Helen had watched me use my Gift. This was the moment I was waiting for. I needed to tell her the truth or I would lose her forever. I reached inside my shirt and pulled out my necklace.
“With this necklace, I have a special Gift. If I knew how it worked, I would explain it, but I’ve been trying to figure it out for a few weeks. At the very least, I can tell you how I got it,” I explained. I held out my necklace to Helen. She took a step back.
“Why are you lying to me? Why have you been keeping secrets from me?” It was more of an angry statement than a question, and I didn’t have the answer she was looking for.
“I haven’t been lying. I have a Gift, like a special ability. I’m telling the truth,” I whispered hopelessly. Her eyes turned to ice. She glared at me with intensity. I didn’t know how to make her understand.
“Is this about Max? Is he telling you to lie to me?” I felt the pent-up anger that she had been harboring for weeks. I walked over and grabbed her hands.
“No, I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me,” I begged. She ripped her hands out of my grasp like I was contaminated and looked at me with disgust. Then her eyes softened with grief and her face changed to sorrow. My heart melted. I wanted to throw my arms around her and tell her it was going to be all right.
“Was I a bad friend, Olivia? Did I do something wrong?” She asked these questions quietly, but somehow the sadness was more painful. I bowed my head in surrender, shaking it from side to side to answer her questions.
She walked closer to me, looked me in the eyes, and said, “I miss my old friend, and I want her back.” I saw tears welled in her eyes before she turned and walked away. My knees gave away and I crumpled to the floor, letting the gloom flood me.
Jaime was right about one thing; we needed to keep our Gifts a secret. However, she was wrong about the reason why. It was not because the others would treat you like a pariah; it’s because you actually become a pariah…or in my case, a vile, heinous friend. I didn’t think I would ever stop crying.
* * * *
Chapter Nineteen: The Homecoming Game
I was outside waiting for the football game to begin when I heard Justin shout, “Olivia!” Hearing his voice stopped my train of thought and caused my heart to pound faster. I liked the way it sounded when he said it.
I looked up, and for a second, our eyes locked. He seemed to be analyzing something, and in return I searched those sad seafoam eyes. The deep focus made me feel self-conscious, and yet it was also exciting.
He would eventually tell me what was on his mind. He was the type of person who only called your name if he had something important to say.
In the past few weeks with the help of my Gift I had gained confidence. Justin knew how to make those foundations crumble in seconds. The intense scrutiny he was giving me became too much, and I looked down at a bunch of loose pebbles at my feet to break the trance.
I heard him take a few steps toward me so I looked up again. His hands were shoved into his pockets and his shoulders were hunched to protect himself from the fierce wind. He looked sure of himself, like a decision had been made.
He was intimidating and beautiful, and I instinctively took a step back. The fence pressed against my back. It felt like it was pushing me back toward him.
He closed the gap between us. His hands grabbed the fence so I was locked between his arms. We weren’t touching, but I felt my heart racing. Could he feel it too?
His Gift vibrated, and we were surrounded by a calm sea within a puffy blue cloud. It took control of my senses, just like my own Gift, but this burn was deeper.
The sound of the sea and the seclusion in a blue cloud was peaceful like I could close my eyes and enter a dreamland. At the same time, the proximity of his body made me feel wide awake. I could smell his skin, and I yearned to bury my nose in the crevice of his neck just to take a deep breath of his scent. My stomach did a few flips as my blood heated up.
His hands tightly grasped the metal fence behind me. They were strong capable hands, and I wanted him to put those hands on my body. I was painfully aware of his arms brushing my sides as he adjusted his weight. If I moved half an inch, I would be leaning against him. I fought the urge.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. His eyes darted to my mouth as I released the air. He bit his bottom lip as he stared at mine. It was unbelievably sexy, and I wanted him to kiss me right there.
I didn’t know how long we stood like that, but he eventually let out his own breath and rested his forehead on mine. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the feeling of his skin against mine, not wanting it t
o end.
He lifted his forehead, and I kept my eyes closed to savor the moment. He whispered, “Let’s go for a walk,” and his breath in my ear paralyzed me. I could easily turn my head and our lips would meet. I craved his mouth, but I came to the football game with a mission.
“I have to stay,” I said and immediately regretted my words. He took a step backwards, releasing his embrace. The calm waves disappeared. I felt empty as the heat rushed away.
“You need to stay away,” he said in a way that sounded like a demand. It took me by surprise. Was that why he romanced me? He wanted me to gracefully bow out of the Gifted Program and pretend I was an average teenager, just like he had.
“Are you on Max's side?” I asked, realizing they both wanted the same thing from me. I saw the anger wash over his face. He tried to steady the irritation that was fighting to come out.
“If Max suggested that you stay away from tonight's homecoming game, then yes, I agree with him. Something dangerous is coming, and we don't need to meet it head on,” he said firmly. I wasn't sure what I should do, but the decision was for me to make, not Justin.
“I can’t; I promised Ms. Magos I would meet her,” I said, and walked past Justin to the field without saying another word.
Yesterday I called Jaime to fill her in on my dramatic and dangerous encounters with Max, Justin, and Helen. She listened intently without interrupting. Instead of shying away from the situation, she wanted answers, and so did I.
We came up with a laundry list of reasons why Ms. Magos wanted to meet me after the game. Nothing made sense. Then, we tried to decipher Max’s motive to stop me. We came up empty-handed. The only thing we knew for sure was that we needed to go to the homecoming game so we met up in the center of the field.
Jaime saw the worry on my face as I approached and she said, “You are doing the right thing.” I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but it was comforting to hear her say that. In any case, there was no turning back.
Students gathered from all directions and created a circle at one end of the field. The wind died down quickly and in a matter of minutes, the heat in the air hung low to the ground. I could feel the sweat drip down my back. Something was wrong.
It was an annual tradition before every homecoming game for the seniors to compete in a scavenger hunt for obscure and strange objects. Everyone was brimming with anticipation for the grand ending when points were tallied and winners were determined.
My throat went dry as I looked out on to the field. The clear sky we saw earlier was quickly being covered by dark grey storm clouds. It wasn’t a soothing sign.
“What’s on the list that includes the goal post?” Jaime asked nervously. She could feel the same looming danger that I felt in the air. I pulled out the list I managed to convince a senior boy to give me earlier. I looked for something dangerous and life-threatening. Three hundred Band-Aids…a nemesis school’s sports jersey…a picture of a boy in a girl’s bikini. Nothing stood out.
We saw a crack of lightning break the sky, and horrible memories of Max’s uncontrollable anger toying with the elements came crashing back. There was no denying the distinct buzz from a Gift in the air. Someone Gifted was threatening Pandora, and we had to stop them.
We were at the bottom of the goal post within seconds. I glanced up at the heavy rain clouds, darker than before, hovering over the crowd of people. I recognized all the faces. It was mostly seniors with crumpled copies of the scavenger hunt list. A few of them had backpacks loaded with items from the list.
Jaime found Max and rushed over. With her knees bent, she looked prepared to fight him. He was mad at me, and therefore he also looked ready to attack. I had continuously received text messages and voice mails begging me to skip the game, and each time I rejected him. I knew he wouldn’t take his anger directly out on me. There was bound to be an easier target.
The crowd was focused on something else. They chanted, “Tro-phy. Tro-phy. Tro-phy.” That’s when I knew what the danger was. Without looking up, I knew that last year's championship football trophy was tied to the very top of the goal post. The trophy was worth 100 points on the scavenger hunt list, and was always placed in a difficult location. This was the most unsafe location, yet. None of the seniors were stupid enough to climb the pole to take it down, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to convince someone younger and more impressionable.
People were shouting and egging someone on. I was scared to look up, except I knew it was important that I see who was determined to claim the trophy. Nervously, I forced myself to look up the length of the goal post. Cliff Adams was clenched around the pole about ten feet up. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky over his head.
I went into panic mode. Why did it have to be Cliff? Poor Cliff just wanted to please everyone. He seemed intent on retrieving the trophy no matter the consequences. No one realized the impending danger was far worse than a broken leg from a ten-foot fall. One snide comment mixed with the heavy buzz in the air and Max's Gift could be sparked. Cliff could be the victim of an electric shock. It would travel so quickly that Cliff would be killed.
Cliff had become Max’s pawn, climbing right into a trap. The lightning intensified, brightening the sky every few minutes. I caught sight of Max’s face, eerily lit by a bolt of lightning. His eyes glowed with anticipation. A redness surrounded him, growing in intensity.
Teasing Cliff was no longer harmless. Just because we had a Gift didn't mean we could abuse it, and I would not let Max hurt innocent people. For the first time since I learned about my Gift, I felt like I could protect my friends. I had a choice, and I would make a difference.
I looked around at the unknowing people, and I knew what I had to do. I grit my teeth, a half-smile on my face. I threw back my hair, adjusted my necklace, and looked up from under my lashes.
I hoped with all my might that I hadn’t forgotten the silky, seduction skills I had mastered a few days earlier. I faltered, worrying that my lack of use would cause the Gift to disappear, but it was a momentary setback. It was impossible to lose my Gift; it was a part of me.
I had to take charge. I forced myself to take two steps into the middle of the circle. My confidence immediately rebounded. All eyes in the circle flashed toward where I was standing. Max wasn’t the only ring master.
I gathered courage from deep within my core and felt the strength of my Gift growing. I let it flow through my body. Sure enough, the crowd responded. The effects of my Gift were so quick and natural that no one noticed the pull of their attention. The chanting slowed as their voices were hushed. They all relaxed their shoulders like they were preparing to meditate instead of watch a dangerous stunt. It was body language that proved I was in control.
I looked around the circle of students, and then saw Justin standing right outside the group, too far away to be affected by my Gift. He was staring up at Cliff, arms crossed and his lips in a straight line. He was still as unreadable as ever, but I wanted to believe he felt the looming danger and was worried for his friend. Jaime was standing behind Max, looking like she was ready to pounce at any moment. They were also right outside the reach of my Gift.
Max’s face looked contorted as he concentrated, never losing focus on Cliff. His eyes bore into him as he continued to climb the pole. I needed to bring Cliff back to the ground. My gut told me that if I embraced my Gift, I could prove that it was indeed valuable.
With that last internal pep talk, I walked right up to the goal post and looked up. Cliff had climbed about halfway. The darkness swallowed everything around us, and it was beginning to rain. Other than the lightning, the only source of light came from the street lamps. I was running out of time.
I took one more deep breath and prayed that my Gift wasn’t subject to the laws of gravity that would render me unable to reach Cliff. Imagining myself beautiful, powerful, and mesmerizing, I flipped my hair one more time for good measure.
Cliff froze mid-climb on the pole. His testosterone was torn between the twin
impulses to prove his physical abilities and to respond to some female attention.
“Hey Cliff, why don’t you come down here? I have a secret I want to tell you.” I knew my voice would sound like a slice of heaven. A dazed, crooked smile appeared on his face as he looked over his left shoulder and locked eyes with me.
Max’s attention faltered. His head snapped toward me and an angry snarl escaped from his mouth. Looking between me and Cliff, he realized his plan was foiled. I held my breath until Cliff began climbing down the pole.
With each shimmy he took, relief swept over me. Everyone stood by watching, cheering, and accepting Cliff's decision to come down without the trophy.
After his last jump back to the ground, he turned to face me with a look of complete adoration and anticipation. The crowd clapped and hollered like Cliff had succeeded, because that was what I had convinced them with my Gift.
Cliff faced me, smiling broadly like we were the triumphant winners of the game. I felt like I was on top of the world. The air was prickling with heat, and I could feel the attraction growing between me and Cliff. He leaned in closer to hear the secret I had promised him.
I knew it was an illusion. Cliff was seduced by my Gift. Yet, I still felt a thrill through my body. He might not be acting on his own will, but he was still friendly, loveable Cliff. Forgetting that I had tricked him, I fell under my own spell. As he leaned in to hear the secret, I moved in as well.
“Hmm, you smell like roses,” Cliff said into my hair. Before I could stop and clear my head, I was kissing him. His hands came up behind my neck and pulled me closer.
The bliss only lasted a few seconds before a loud crash broke the silence. The ground shook. I was able to separate my lips from Cliff’s just enough to look over my shoulder and see Justin storming down the street in a blue haze. The crowd was released from my trance, and had exploded with excited screams. When Cliff finally cleared his head to make sense of the situation, he groaned and let me go, heading in Justin’s direction.
