by Alana Siegel
Horus was no longer dazzled by my Gift, and he maneuvered the tornado to cut us off, but it only ended up throwing Helen against the wall. She sunk to the floor.
The room burst and glowed in luscious reds and cool blues, unique smells mingled in the air, and buzzed heavier with power. Waves of water rushed in from the pipes Justin burst above us. It distracted our attackers. Jaime rushed to Helen to help her hold on to a table. She untied the ropes around her legs and wrists.
“It's you they want, not us. Run, Olivia!” Jaime shouted at me. I paused before I headed to the door. I wanted to ensure Helen was safe, but Jaime was right. They were looking for me. The farther I was from Helen, the safer she would be. Jaime wrapped her arm around Helen to reassure me.
Ms. Magos jumped in front of the exit, attempting to stop me.
“No! You will not take her!” Max screamed, blocking Ms. Magos from grabbing hold of me. He looked like a savage beast. Ms. Magos mirrored his stance. Lightning jumped from her menacing hands. Max barely jumped out of the way, but it distracted her long enough. I squeezed through the closet door and out of Ms. Magos’s classroom.
I ran through the school as fast as I could. My feet skidded as I turned corners, but I only had one goal in mind. I had to get away.
I pushed open the exit doors and straight into Ms. Wolf, the school nurse, and Mr. Dimon, the superintendent. Mr. Dimon caught me in his arms and helped me get back on my feet.
My mind was racing. A trio of comic book villains and my rogue history teacher were coming after me. I was in danger and should run away as fast as possible, but Mr. Dimon held out a badge with an ancient symbol on it, and my feet stayed planted.
Relief ran through my body as Max, Jaime, Chelsea, and Helen burst out of the school doors only seconds after me.
“RUN!” Jaime screamed. The cracking of wood and steel support beams heightened the look of fear in Jaime’s eyes. We all followed Jaime’s lead and ran to the football field. We weren’t out of the danger zone yet, but I was relieved to have Helen with us. Images of her tied up and scared were burned into my memory. If we lived through another day, the vision was guaranteed to be in my nightmares.
Kneeling behind the bleachers, we watched the school building disintegrate, layer by layer. Bricks sunk in to the foundation, falling from the top first, like life-size dominos. As more toppled in, a ball of dust began to billow around the structure, puffing out like a cloud from an explosion. The final crash sounded like dynamite. The old building had been flattened. It was mesmerizing and for awhile we just stood there in disbelief.
I looked around for Justin and thought I saw a blue glow walking off in the distance. Everyone I cared about was safe. I could finally relax.
After the dust settled, I sat down next to Helen, and she put her head on my shoulder. Ms. Wolf hobbled over.
“Let me take care of her. I have some Pepto-Bismol in my bag,” she said as she rummaged through her bag.
Helen closed her eyes. I wasn't sure how much of the fight with Prometheus's Gifted group she followed in Ms. Magos’s hidden room. I was just happy she was safe.
Mr. Dimon turned to me and asked, “Miss Hart, are you okay? I'm sorry to tell you this a little late, but Ms. Wolf informed us that Ms. Magos was impersonating a Meta agent only a few days ago. We were in the middle of cross-checking our sources, but it seems you were able to handle her without us.” He had a slight smile. I would have felt relieved if they weren't four weeks late. Instead, I was exhausted and incredulous about what had just transpired. I just nodded my head.
“We want to assure you all that she was reported and will be deported to the Pyramid of Giza to face her punishment,” Mr. Dimon said, authority echoing in his tone.
“And you are?” Max asked what we were all thinking.
“I am an actual agent from the Meta. You can think of us as the CIA for the Gifted,” he said, flashing his badge with the ancient looking symbol once again. Something about the way he said it made me believe him, even without the badge. It also made me realize I should have known Ms. Magos was lying the whole time.
“There were actually four violent Gifted bad guys, but good luck finding them. They ran out the front door when the building shook,” Max informed him. I thought I could sense relief in his voice that his sister slipped through the Meta's hands.
“All right, you should all head to the Homecoming dance at the Imperial Hall. We will clean up here and report the tornado that flattened the school,” he said, and he was serious. I wondered what other “natural events” were really caused by the Gifted.
Crouched behind the bleachers, Helen looked tired but no longer frightened. She turned to me and said, “It smells like roses.” I had a lot to explain.
* * * *
Chapter Twenty-One: Just Dance
Helen and I were the last of our ragged, little group to enter the catering hall. From the entryway we could hear the blaring music from the DJ and students singing along. Helen walked beside me with her arms crossed over her chest. She hadn't said anything since we left school grounds. This wasn’t the way I pictured the homecoming dance.
“Helen, can I speak to you alone before we go in?” I asked, motioning to an empty room probably meant for the bridal party if the space was being used for a wedding. I didn't want to force her to come with me, but I had the urge to wrap my arm around her, rock her back and forth like a child, and tell her everything was going to be okay. Instead, I held the door and waited for her to enter the room.
I knew Helen hid behind a mask, pretending nothing could break her down when she was scared. I wanted to make sure she was ok. I wanted to know that we were ok.
She sat down in a cushioned, Victorian chair, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. I walked to the opposite side of the room, barely sitting on the edge of my seat. I subconsciously twisted the charm on my necklace while I searched her face, trying to think of a way to start explaining. The necklace caught her attention and she broke the silence.
“So are you royalty or something?” she asked. Her question caught me off guard.
“What do you mean?” I cocked my head to show my confusion. She looked down at her sneaker, playing with the shredded shoelace.
“Well, that group of cartoon characters certainly thought you were special,” she explained.
“Yeah, well, they didn’t know what they were talking about. It was absurd. No one thinks I'm special,” I replied and started playing with my own clothes uncomfortably.
“I think you're special. I always have,” she said. She stopped playing with her shoelace and planted both her feet on the ground in front of her. “Well, at first, I didn’t understand what you and Jaime were keeping a secret. I thought it was some big joke you were playing on me. Then, I saw what you did to Max and Justin after Ms. Magos’s class, and I wasn’t sure what to think.”
She finally looked up at me to make her point, and said, “You are smart and witty and when people take the time to know you, they love you. Your Gift tears down all the walls so people can see that. It wouldn't have been such a surprise if you hadn't pushed me away. I would have told you that weeks ago.” She was angry with me and her voice grew more strident as she explained, but I couldn't help but smile at her. She didn't need me to explain anything. She already understood better than me.
“Prometheus must be a powerful guy. They were desperate to please him and would have dragged you by your hair,” she said.
“I'm so sorry, Hel. I'll never do it again,” I said as I crossed the room with my arms open wide. She made it seem like she was reluctant to hug me, but I caught the smile on her lips. We were both happy to have each other back.
“Ok, on to a more serious subject, are we really going to the homecoming dance in dirty jeans and sneakers?” she asked surveying the room around us. “There has to be an old bridesmaid dress somewhere in here,” she said, opening the large closet in the room. It exploded with colorful laces and satins.
>
After rummaging through the pile for ten minutes, we managed to find decent fitting dresses. We even found one for Jaime and delightedly went out screaming for her.
Jaime peeked her head around the corner, and Helen and I broke into a run toward her. Jaime saw the dresses in our hands and started shaking her head. “I'm not wearing that,” she stated, pointing at the dress like it was a straight jacket.
Helen circled behind her to block an escape route. She put both hands on Jaime's shoulders to hold her in place. Her smile was dazzling, and I felt the anxiety of the past few weeks leave my shoulders.
“Come on, Jaime. You have to do what the almighty Elste tells you to do,” Helen teased. Jaime's jaw dropped as she turned to give Helen an incredulous stare. When she pivoted back toward me, I shrugged my shoulders, playing along with Helen's reasoning.
Jaime grabbed the dress out of my hand and said, “Fine, I'll wear the dress.” Then, she stepped away so she was facing both of us. “Only because you two are the best friends anyone could ask for.” She smiled, and we all moved in for a group hug.
Each of our dresses was a slightly different version of a toga, wrap dress. Jaime’s was three-quarter length, cap sleeves in a brilliant earth tones print. Helen’s golden yellow dress was strapless, short in the front, and long to the floor in the back. My short green dress had a Grecian toga bottom and white flowers along one shoulder. We found enough white flowers to tuck into my cascading red hair.
Helen, Jaime, and I entered the hallway with a lightness I hadn't felt in days. None of us had dates, but we didn't care. We giggled contently with each other.
Chelsea caught up with us as we walked into the main entrance of the hall.
“Hi,” she said, looking slightly uncomfortable with the three of us.
“I just wanted to apologize for yelling at you after Cliff's incident and also thank you for what you did back in the school. I had no idea Max was protecting you from his sister. Whether you trusted me or not when I spoke to you invisibly, you were willing to sacrifice yourself. It meant a lot to me.” She said the words looking directly at me. It was honest and direct, just as I've come to expect things from Chelsea. I respected that and thanked her for helping us save Helen.
She stood facing me and then giggled like she just thought of something funny. She wasn't done speaking her mind and asked, “Did you ever notice the gross way he puts on Chap Stick?”
“Who?” I asked, confused by her playful tone.
“Max! It’s like he’s getting ready for a couple days in the desert.” Her eyebrows emphasized the words that were dripping with sarcasm. Was she trying to be my friend? I began to smile. After all, we had a lot in common. There was a lot we could share.
“And he always wears such ugly shoes,” I said, joining in on the big joke.
Max caught the end of our conversation, wrapped an arm around Chelsea, and asked, “Who has ugly shoes?” I was nervous he would get angry when he realized he was the butt of our joke, but Chelsea patted his chest and said, “You!” in a way that made Max laugh.
Chelsea’s shield wasn’t only meant for her; it was for Max as well. Both verbally and physically, she defended him, and he cared for her. When she kissed him on the cheek, it made me smile to realize how perfect they really were together. As lovers, their relationship was stronger than mine and Max’s would ever have been because Chelsea balanced his extreme behaviors.
Max kissed her forehead and adjusted her Gifted headband. Then, his expression turned serious. “We aren't free from the torment of Prometheus's clan yet, you know? From what my sister told me, they don't give up easily,” he said.
“I know, but I have a bunch of Gifted friends myself. Next time we'll be ready for them. For now, let's just dance,” I told them, smiling to lighten the mood. They all agreed. We walked into the hall, together. We were a united front.
I turned to Helen, happy to have her by my side. She smiled at me because she knew how I felt. Then she pointed into the crowd, and I followed her finger.
I was shocked to see Justin in anything other than his nondescript dark jeans and shirt, trying to fit in. Tonight he wore a charcoal suit with a white shirt and a seafoam blue tie to match the brilliant color of his eyes. Nothing about him looked like your average teenager. He was stunning and perfect.
Cliff was facing him, telling him a detailed story. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it seemed like Justin couldn't either. His eyes were focused on me. He barely nodded along to Cliff's story, and his lips were in their usual straight line. I walked toward him.
When I approached, he leaned in, wrapping his right arm around my waist and pulled me in close. He brought his lips next to my ear. I thought my knees would give in, and I would melt right into the floor.
“Did you have to make your Gift so obvious? Everyone's brain in this room is going to become mush.” He whispered the words into my ear. Each breath gave me the chills.
I felt his strength around me, but I didn’t feel the waves. I was disappointed. He was working hard to block me out of his system.
“What are you talking about?” I gave him a playful smile.
“You look like a goddess, more beautiful than Aphrodite, herself.” I shrugged, feigning indifference but secretly I was elated. A slow song had begun, making it difficult to continue our conversation. His right arm dropped from my waist. He began to walk away.
I remembered that Justin had watched me kiss his best friend. I cringed at my terrible mistake. I had to fix it.
I reached my hand out to grab him. “Justin, wait!” I shouted to get his attention. He slowed, but didn’t turn to face me. I wanted to tell him how I felt. I needed go tell him why I did what I did. I just didn’t know the words to say it.
I touched his arm, and he turned his face to look at me. I saw the hurt I caused him, and it ripped me in half.
“I’m sorry, Justin. Cliff doesn’t mean anything to me,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “Well, that’s wrong. He means something to me, and that’s why I did it,” I babbled. Justin still looked pained.
“Cliff was in trouble, and he was your best friend. I wanted to protect him,” I said. I continued to dig myself into a hole with each sentence I uttered. I gave up and looked down at my feet.
I heard him take a few steps toward me. He put his hands on each side of my face and then fiercely brought his lips to mine. He devoured my mouth with so much passion that I completely lost myself. It felt like I was the air he needed to breathe. I grabbed hold of him and let the kiss sink deeper. His arms linked around my waist, pulling me hard against his body. The heat rushed through me.
I didn’t think about right and wrong or looming danger. This was purely a kiss, and I was enjoying it without any complications. He caressed my face and ran his fingers through my hair. In this moment I didn’t feel the heavy burden of Gifts or the pressure of being one of the Gifted. It was only this kiss.
When he let go, my eyes opened lazily. “That’s how a real kiss should feel,” he said. I smiled. “You were right. We needed to be at the game to protect our friends. I don’t know what I would have done if Cliff was hurt by someone’s Gift.” He grabbed hold of my hand.
“One dance?” I asked. He linked both arms around my waist, and I put my arms around his neck. We swayed slightly to the music. The half smile that he rarely wore appeared on his lips.
I glanced around and saw Helen and Jaime talking to Cliff. On the other side of the room, Max was picking on Chelsea, but she seemed to be enjoying the attention. I let go of all the tension, and Justin let his Gift move freely. Slowly, I felt the calm waves enter my body. The feeling was pure ecstasy. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the give and pull of the ocean. I was just another girl dancing with the boy she liked. I rested my head on his shoulder.
I thought Justin was relaxing, too. I felt him take in a breath of my hair, and I lifted me head to smile at him, except he was no longer smiling. I sucked in air through my n
ose, and my body tensed. The irritating scent of apples lingered in the space around us. With one sniff, I realized the heavy responsibilities of being a part of The Gifted Program. There would be fewer moments of naïve and innocent bliss. The Gifted were always on guard.
* * * *
About the Author
Alana Siegel was raised on Long Island, New York. She was the valedictorian of Plainedge High School and graduated with a B.A. and double major in Finance and Accounting from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Since early childhood she has loved to read fantasy books. Add a little romance and a happy ending and in her eyes you have a perfect afternoon of reading.
Connect with Me Online
Website: http://www.oliviahartbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AlanaSiegel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Olivia-Hart/198744080212227
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family, Renee, Roger, and Jesse Siegel, for their unrelenting support for all my ideas, and for reminding me that they are proud of anything and everything that I accomplish, especially if it follows rules one, six, and seven (have fun!) Furthermore, to Stefan Mag, thank you for inspiring me with your own dedication and passion for projects and for stepping out of your comfort zone to read my novel simply because you love me.
A special thank you to my PR and editing teams for taking a break from your day jobs to lend your creativity and advice, inspiring my dynamic characters, and enduring the countless hours I talked about the book. Sarah Moeller, Emily Dolan, Meg Costello, Kelly Garone, and Isabel Conde, thank you for your unconditional and endless support, whether it was responding to emails about nitty gritty details, texting me when you read my book on vacation, or instant messaging me to discuss superpowers. Dahlia Dressler and Maayan Shemesh, thank you for the chapter-by-chapter analysis, your fresh perspective on my plot, and for sharing a love of books and reality TV. Ashlee Licitra and Jennifer Pitera, both of you saw the book at completely different stages and knew exactly the type of feedback I needed. Thank you for sharing my excitement. Your attention to detail was appreciated. Matthew Rao and Anthony Amoruso, thank you for humoring my request to read my book. I am grateful for your friendship, encouragement, and thoughtful feedback.
