by A. Kennedy
I thought about it for a minute and it did make sense. I couldn’t help myself; I started laughing.
“What?” Jason said.
I just smiled at him. “Oh, I’m just shocked at how logical you were just now.”
He straightened up and stood nice and tall. “Maybe I could win a date with you just by being logical.”
“Ha! Keep dreaming. I don’t think Gwyn would appreciate it all that much,” I retorted and picked up my hands, starting a small tornado close to the water.
“Gwyn,” he said with a laugh. “She was the biggest pain in the butt.”
I kept twirling the wind, round and round, pushing the tornado out onto the water. “Then why did you take her to dinner?”
Watching the tornado, he replied, “I guess all the girls I wanted to take had dates.”
I laughed. “You expect me to believe that she was your last option? With the way her boobs wanted to jump out of her dress, I figured she was your first.” I pushed the tornado further away and watched as it began pulling up water with it.
He dropped his smile and was serious. “What she has in the looks department, she lacks in wit and smarts. Honestly, she’s a ding bat.”
“Jason,” I said in a scolding tone. “That’s not nice.”
“It’s the truth,” he said point blank.
I didn’t respond. I placed my energy into the funnel. It went a good twenty feet from us. My muscles ached, but I continued to push all my energy into the swirling mass. I could feel the strum of power pass through me as if it were a current of electricity. Mixing elements was impossible for other Manipulators. Yet, here I was making a waterspout with wind and water.
I heard Jason say “Amazing” under his breath, but I didn’t focus on him. I started blocking out everything else around me. I imagined it was just the spout and me. The spout was turning with a ferocity that I had never seen before. I pulled the jet of churning water toward me as if the spout was tied to a rope and was playing tug-of-war with me. I wasn't about to lose. I pulled it all the way back to the shore, and in one small movement, I let go. It fell, splashing everywhere like a giant whale had just jumped out of the water.
I turned to Jason, who was apparently dumbfounded. The excitement in me was too much. I couldn’t believe what I just did. Words wouldn’t even leave my mouth. I turned to hug Jason and that’s all it took to knock him back into reality.
“That-that was amazing. That is the most incredible thing I have seen a Manipulator do.” He hugged me tightly, causing my feet to lift off the ground.
“Okay you two love birds. Y’all can let go now,” came a deep southern drawl. I turned to see Ryan standing there looking at us, and he didn’t look like he appreciated Jason holding me that close.
I wiggled out of Jason's arms and ran to hug Ryan.
I looked up into his stunning blue eyes. “It wasn’t what it looked like.” I tilted my head down a little in shame, not knowing why I said that. I looked back up changing the subject, “I made a waterspout.”
“You what?” he said with amusement.
“I did. I made a waterspout.” I smiled proudly.
Jason came up and punched Ryan on the shoulder, “She did man. It was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Ryan looked down at me and simply said, “She is the one. I knew it.”
“The one?” I asked.
“Mr. Spence will go over everything. That’s why your training has been cut short today. We need to crack some books.” He smiled and then kissed me on the forehead.
I could feel myself blushing from the kiss. The tender exchange was sweet and spoke volumes of how he felt for me. Did I feel the same? This kiss made me take a step back so I could clear my head.
“Before we go,” Jason said with a grin, changing the subject, “Windy needs a demonstration on how we can use our powers.” His grin grew wider.
“Like a battle?” Ryan bounced back on his heels.
Jason nodded. “I’ll let you go first.”
Ryan walked closer to the ocean and made enough water rise to fill a five-gallon bucket. The water went flying toward Jason. Jason ducked in time and the water crashed behind him. I watched as wind whipped past him and knocked Ryan down into the ocean, drenching him. I wrinkled my nose. A sawdust smell filled the air. Before Ryan got up, he sent more water Jason’s way. Jason dodged the mass and was hit with a second one that Ryan had ready. Ryan stood and tossed more water onto Jason before Jason could do anything. Jason became aggravated at being hit twice. I could feel the pulsing in the air. I heard the wind before I felt it. A big gust of wind swooped by and flung Ryan further out into the ocean.
Jason smirked, pleased with his accomplishment. Water still dripped down his face. “That’s all I wanted to show her,” Jason yelled to Ryan.
Ryan stood. I could see the irritation on his face. He didn’t respond as he marched past Jason and me. Jason glanced at me and shrugged.
“Let’s go tell the others what you can do,” Jason said, reminding me of my waterspout.
I walked next to Jason, keeping up with his long stride. “I smelled sawdust just a moment ago,” I told Jason.
His stride slowed down a bit and his gray eyes glanced toward me. “And when you manipulate the wind, I smell sweet honeysuckles.”
My face filled with awe. “So my dad’s manipulation smelled like honeysuckles?”
Jason smiled and nodded. As we approached the house, we stopped talking. I was swimming in my achievements and couldn’t wait to tell the others. We made it to the kitchen where Mr. Spence was making himself a cup of coffee.
“Professor Spence-”
“MR. SPENCE, WINDY,” Mr. Spence barked.
In all my excitement, I forgot. I was glad Ginger wasn’t around, or any of her spies.
“Sorry,” I held my head down.
“Just call me Dan.”
“Dan,” I chuckled.
He hung his head and shook it in disbelief. Then a smile started to form, “You are so much like your father.” That’s when his smile met his eyes. I couldn’t help but feel like Dan was, now more than ever, a father figure to me. He had been in my life for only the past year, but he had put up with all my nonsense, and he was still trying to help me, no matter what the cost.
“Thank you,” I said teary eyed. I leaned in and gave the short bald man a big hug. “Thank you for everything.”
He held me at arm’s length. “Oh, don’t go all sobby. We have work to do, and I know how much you love books.” He motioned to the kitchen table. “Have a seat.”
I rolled my eyes as I sat. “Oh joy.”
His face turned serious, and I felt like I was back in his psychology class. “Okay, so I told you the last person that was like you was Hitler.”
“Yes.” I shuddered at the thought of being compared to a mad man.
“He had the fifth element. Just as you do.”
Dan saw my confusion and continued. “There are five elements. Fire, wind, water, and earth are the ones you know. The last one is the spiritual element which connects all four.”
“A spiritual element?” The concept sounded ridiculous.
Dan nodded. “That’s why you can change the manipulation patterns of others.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “But, Ryan said that others have been able to do it, too.”
“Yes, it's possible. They have to train really hard, and it was believed that they had to have more than one type of manipulation in their DNA. That’s why Manipulators are not allowed to date each other. The risk is too high of someone becoming too powerful. However, every 100 years someone is born with the fifth element. We don’t know why. It just happens.
“Your father was the best Wind Manipulator around. No one in the past few generations had seen anything like it. Jason doesn’t even get close to what your father could do.”
I heard someone snort and turned to see Jason standing behind me. I was so mesmerized by Dan’s information that
I didn’t even realize that not only was Jason in the kitchen with us, but also Ryan, Boa, and Kate. My eyes stayed on Jason as I replayed the battle. Jason could toss a person hundreds of feet away with wind, and my dad was more powerful than that.
Dan continued, not missing a beat. “We think that your father may have had so much power that you naturally acquired the fifth element. We aren’t sure. It’s not like we can bring in a huge team of scientists to experiment on the fifth element.”
“But Ginger is powerful,” I stated.
Dan gave a quick nod. “She’s powerful alright. Powerful enough to become the leader of the Society, but your father was runner-up.”
“Runner-up? Is it like a contest, voting thing?” I asked.
“Well sort of, yes. The Society, every five years, brings in their two most powerful Manipulators and politically questions them. They also put them in a contest to see who might make the best leader. In the case of Ginger and Darren, fire won over wind. Ginger is crazy about politics, so she is just as crooked, if not more, than those loonies in the White House.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, that’s reassuring. So who challenged her last?”
“The last person to campaign against her was a Water Manipulator. He was exceptionally talented and brilliant, yet he purposely failed. Everyone who has been powerful enough and meets the requirements as a leader hasn’t been able to stop Ginger. She devours them. They don’t even have a chance. They drop out of the race, surrender. People have found that it is easier to side with Ginger than run against her. You saw how she demanded the entire room to be silent and didn’t have to say a word. If one person opposes how she runs the Society, they end up changing their mind. Every single person. Ginger is smart and manipulative, which makes her a dangerous leader. She knows what she can get away with and what she can’t. Until you showed up. You are finally a threat that Ginger takes seriously. Do you know the reason she tested you and your mom?”
I nodded. “I know. Mom told me yesterday. But why?”
“Because she believes maybe your dad had a Manipulator mistress. So she checked your blood against your mother’s and your father’s.”
My eyes widened at the ludicrous thought. “And?”
“Turns out you are the child of Suzie and Darren Gale, which makes Ginger that much more angry. She can’t touch a hair on you or else she will be exiled, and not from Georgia, the U.S., or this continent. She will be killed.”
My eyes went wide. “Killed?”
“Disobey the rules and harm an innocent, the Society believes death is the only way. It all goes back to Hitler. Had the Society in Germany had such rules, there would have never been a World War II.”
The revelation of everything took me by surprise. I felt like I had drifted into an ancient world where someone’s hand would be chopped off if they stole a loaf of bread. And in this world, I was a threat to someone who was powerful and threatening. I choked on a laugh-half sob. “Why me?”
“Why you?” Dan repeated.
“Why do I have the fifth element? Couldn’t someone else have gotten it?” The fifth element needed to go to someone who was special. That wasn’t me. I didn’t know if I could handle the weight that came with the talent.
“Windy, I don’t know why you have it, but I know you do. Once you learn to control your manipulation, you'll be very powerful. You've been doing an amazing job thus far. Your waterspout was astonishing to see, from the moment it began to build, to the moment you let it dissolve into the ocean.”
“I—I, well thank you,” I blushed.
Boa’s phone started ringing, “Excuse me. I need to get this,” he said as he stepped out of the room.
“Okay, Windy. I know it is a lot to take in, but there is more. It’s not going to be easy, but you already have people willing to help you every step of the way. Take your friends that are here, and don’t forget about Doug, Renee, and Steve. They care about you, too.”
“I know,” I said reassuringly. I looked around, and seeing their faces made me confident in myself. “Where are Doug, Renee, and Steve?”
“They went back home to check on all the estates there,” Dan assured me.
“Why are …” I started but wasn’t sure how to ask.
“Go on,” Dan encouraged.
I shook my head. I felt that my question would be frowned upon.
“Shoot, Windy,” Ryan added. “This is a safe place to ask your questions.”
I sighed. “Why are our powers so important?” I spit the question out and waited, tensely.
“Because, they are what make you, you,” Dan answered.
“But, to me they are useless. I can blow the wind around. Wipp-dee-freaking-doooo.” I waved my finger around in circles to show how excited I was.
“You made a waterspout. You stopped the wind from blowing.” Jason responded, irritated that I questioned my powers.
“I’ll admit it’s exciting,” I responded, “but I just don’t see the point.”
“Long ago,” Dan began, “we were considered important. Kings would call on us to fight wars. We were protectors and guardians of the weak. In legends of King Arthur, Merlin was a tale made up based on a Manipulator.”
I laughed. “That’s my favorite story.”
“That’s because you can relate to Merlin with your powers,” Ryan said.
“Anyway,” Dan continued, “one day we were looked down upon. A war was lost, and some Manipulators were hung as witches as a consequence. Immediately, the rest of the Manipulators went into hiding and only told a few people of their powers. That’s how the trustee system was put into place.”
I shook my head. “Why have powers then?”
“Because it makes us who we are, Windy,” Jason said. “If you don’t embrace a piece of you, then are you whole?”
I shook my head.
“We used to be stronger,” Ryan added. “A Water Manipulator could be further away from water and still call to it. Same with Earth and Fire.”
“Now, you have to be close to the source, unless you’re wind,” Jason smirked. “But, our powers have lessened over the years.”
I could see the loss on Jason’s face. He wanted to be stronger in his manipulations.
“Do you understand why it’s important?” Dan asked.
I nodded looking up at Jason. He looked vulnerable just for a moment before he realized I was looking. Without the wind, who was I? Just a girl who once had a serving job and went to college. That life was gone. I’d be amazed if I ever got it back. Manipulating the wind would always be a part of me. “I understand,” I said to the guys, and deep down, I knew I meant it.
Boa walked back in with a long face. “Can I talk to you for a moment, alone?” He asked me.
Dan nodded and walked out of the room with the others following.
“Is everything okay?”
“That was your mom. She didn't want to interrupt your learning, but she wanted you to know ...” he didn't elaborate.
“Wanted me to know what?” A lump started to form in my throat.
“She went for her follow up for her radiology scans a couple days before we left.” He wrapped his arms around me and he whispered, “It’s not looking good.”
Chapter 19
I sat down on the back porch and stared out at the ocean. The tides seemed higher than normal, and the wind was blowing fiercely. The sun was shining, but I could tell a storm was blowing in. The brewing disturbance only stirred up my feeling of helplessness regarding my mom. I felt like it was just yesterday when we first found out about her cancer.
It was almost six years ago; I walked into the house and immediately knew something was amiss. The foyer and kitchen were unusually messy and mom had left her purse on the floor near the door. She never put her purse on the floor.
“Hey, mom. I’m home from school,” I yelled.
“How did your test go today?” my mom replied from the kitchen.
I started walking toward the kitchen. If s
he were in there, she would have a snack ready for me.
“It went well. I should have at least passed.”
“That’s good. Come sit. I have to talk to you.”
There were no snacks. I didn't ask why because my mom’s expression was serious. Whatever she had to talk about was more important than food. I walked over cautiously, like I might be her prey. I couldn’t think of anything I had done wrong. Maybe I forgot to do something she asked me to do. Some chore possibly.
As I approached the table, she patted the spot where she intended for me to sit.
Tears were in her eyes, and her hands were shaking.
“What’s up?” I said, trying to sound calm as I could.
“You know how I went for the testing the other day on my arm, right?”
“Yeah.” I knew she had some trouble moving her arm lately and really wasn’t using it, but I didn’t think her immobility was that bad.
“They did a biopsy and ...” she started crying and couldn’t form the rest of her sentence. Instead of sitting, I went to her side and hugged her. She cried a good five minutes before she told me she had osteosarcoma.
The doctors said that she was young and could probably survive the disease without having to amputate her arm. She would undergo radiology and chemo and then go from there. We cried together, holding onto one another. We had no other family we could turn to for help. Deep down, both of us knew that together we would defeat cancer, but I feared I would let my mom down during her battle.
I felt a body next to me, returning me to the back porch at the beach house. Tears had accompanied my thoughts, and I knew without looking my face was a mess with red blotches covering it.
Osteosarcoma is cancer of the bones. Usually, kids are diagnosed with it between the ages of 10 and 20. If it occurs in older adults, men are the ones who typically get it. My mom was one of the few women who got the disease at an older age, and it affected her left arm.
I was only 15 when she found out. By the time I was 20, she had undergone numerous surgeries and reconstructions, something we really didn’t expect when she started her cancer journey. The treatments started to work. We had hope. Her visits to the doctor became less, and she started regaining her strength. She had her arm still. The hope was only short-lived. I choked on a sob. She had to start treatments again.