She wondered what Lucas had thought of her display. Even though she hadn’t been able to detect his emotional footprint, she was convinced he’d been watching her from behind the mirror. Kiara’s reaction to her emotional manipulation had been a revelation. Never before had Willow been able to transmit such strong emotion, and to start and stop it with such precision. She’d braved it out in the audit room, but inside she’d been having a minor freak out. Ever since she’d left Queensgate, her ability had become stronger, more controllable.
A knock sounded at the bedroom door and Paige called out softly, “Doctor Tril—, I mean Willow, can I come in?”
“Yes of course. Come on in Paige.”
Paige bit her bottom lip as she opened the door wider as if unsure whether to go in. Willow patted the edge of the bed and smiled, hoping to make her feel welcome. After a brief hesitation, Paige crawled onto the bed and leaned up against the wall. She drew her legs up to her chest in her favored position and let out a heavy sigh.
“How was your audit?” asked Willow, using a soft voice.
“Okay. They asked lots of questions. Has anyone seen me do it? Have I told anyone? That sort of stuff. What about you?”
“Same thing.” Willow didn’t disclose her childish behavior in the audit.
Paige tugged at her sleeves, trying to pull them down over her disfigured skin. “They wanted to know every last detail about the fire at the hospital. Who was there and what they saw.” She looked at Willow. “I told them about how my parents died…”
Willow reached out and put a hand on Paige’s shoulder. Neither said anything for a few moments, both content just to be present for each other. After a while, Willow leaned back and tried to lighten the mood. “When do you think we’re going to see some of their powers? After the invisible dock sideshow, I keep expecting to see someone levitate off the ground or make it rain over our heads.”
Paige offered a tiny giggle. Willow was encouraged to come up with more outrageous ideas, and soon the stress of the past few days fell away for a few precious minutes.
Isobel peeked in around the bedroom door. “Hey,” she said.
Anxious to know how her audit went, Willow sat forward. “Don’t just stand there, come in and tell us how it went?”
Rather than joining them on the bed, Isobel chose to sit cross-legged on the floor. “I was audited by someone with an ability like mine and they believed me.” Her dark eyes shone with excitement. “It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Finally, someone doesn't think I’m a freak.”
“Thank God,” said Willow, her shoulders slumping in relief. “And for the record, we never thought you were a freak.” She smiled at Isobel and they shared a moment that gave Willow hope that Isobel would one day trust her again.
Paige shyly nodded at Isobel. “It feels strange, right? That you can talk about it and not be scared of some shrink putting you on drugs or threatening you with electroshock therapy.” Her eyes darted at Willow. “Sorry.”
“No apologies needed, Paige,” said Willow, reaching out to squeeze her hands. “We’re all in this together now. As equals.”
The three women shared smiles, but deep down Willow still felt uneasy. She thought of the audit, the protocols, the security, the red uniforms, and the endless white corridors. Fearful of alarming her fragile friends, she didn’t say that this place might not be the haven they all sought. If Eve wasn’t here and they couldn’t tell her where she was, then she wouldn’t stay a moment longer. Not even for a man with green eyes and strong arms who made her wish for something more.
12
Lucas
Lucas stood in Council Chambers for the second time in as many days. Word had reached the Elders of Willow’s audit and they demanded he report in person. Wren’s eyes glittered as she discussed Willow’s audit. “Her raw ability is unparalleled in its strength.” She pressed for more information. “What is her history? How much trauma has she been exposed to? My fellow Elders, think of what she may offer to The Order of Orion! What her powers might be like after her ascension.”
She walked over to the window where waves crashed silently against the glass. She and the others were removed from the real sea, just like they were removed from real life. He’d always found their politicking frustrating, but now their machinations grated against his conscience.
Oliver spoke, “By all accounts, she’s been a little difficult?”
Lucas gave a slight nod. “She’s spirited.”
“And a twin?” asked Thea.
“Yes. This is why she’s been researching the paranormal all these years. She’s been trying to find her twin, hoping that they were the same.”
“It seems the good doctor is clever as well as powerful,” said Wren, turning away from the window and the waves that crashed against it. “Do we have any record of the twin?”
“The research team has found nothing.”
“Nothing?” Wren’s voice rose with irritation. “No other emotional telepaths in the other sanctuaries?”
“Her sister ran away from foster care after only a few months. Twelve and on the streets...” Lucas’ gut tightened. The sisters had been the same age as Danny when he’d been taken. Memories again swam before his eyes, but he clenched his fists, bringing himself back to the moment. “The research team believe her sister to be dead.”
“Well, we’re lucky to have one with such power.”
Lucas shifted uncomfortably. “She’s desperate to find her twin. I fear she won’t want to stay when she realizes we cannot help.”
“Then don’t tell her. We want her cooperation for as long as possible.”
Thea interjected, “No, we must tell her. If she is as powerful as we believe, we want her to accept our ways, to join us. Become one of us.”
“We don’t pander to neophytes,” said Wren. “She will learn our ways soon enough.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Lucas asked.
Wren shrugged. “Then we’ll do what’s necessary.”
“Even as powerful as she is?”
“Especially as powerful as she is.” Wren turned to address the Council. “She’s passed our first test. Lucas should help her through the next phase.” Wren slowly walked around the chamber until she came to stand in front of Lucas. Her gray eyes pierced into his. “She’s spent time with you, knows you, and maybe even trusts you,” said Wren, her voice cajoling. “I want you to be her mentor for the induction and her ascension. Help bring her into line. Teach her our ways, help her understand and accept them.”
He stiffened. “I have missions to complete.”
“Reassigned as of immediately. Granger can do the next mission on his own—”
“He’s not ready by a long shot. He’s still got a lot to learn.”
“Madame Wren,” interrupted Thea. “Perhaps we are better served by having Lucas back out into the field where he feels more comfortable. He has little experience in mentorship.”
Thea was trying to curry his favor, but right now he didn’t care.
Wren smiled without any warmth reaching her eyes. “My position as leader of the Council gives me the right for final judgment. I believe the potential of Willow Trilby’s power warrants a mentor who will be best suited to support her. Someone that she can bond with. Someone who can bond with her.”
Lucas fought to keep his expression neutral. When he’d lowered his Mercurian shield at his last Council visit, had she picked up on his attraction to Willow? He was furious with himself.
“Thank you, Lucas. That will be all.” Wren turned her back on him and returned to her Council seat.
And just like that his carefully contained world turned upside down. For more than a decade he’d single-mindedly focused on finding Starborn before they could be found and tortured by rogue groups who were intent on using and abusing newly-triggered Starborn. Finding Starborn first and bringing them to the Sanctuary was a much needed balm to his soul. The induction process was something he’d always avoid
ed. It was a horrific but necessary step to joining The Order of Orion. To support someone like Doctor Willow Trilby was beyond imagination. To be her mentor, to support her through the traumatic induction process to activate her full ascension, would involve too many moments for intimacy, too many moments for opening old wounds. Whenever he was near her—even when he had his shield firmly in place—he felt out of control. She stirred things inside him that he thought long dead. Emotions. Feelings. Things he’d pushed away for years.
The corridors of the compound were empty as he made his way to the military headquarters. It was time for the evening meal and most people would be in their rooms or at the grand communal dinner hall. Only a few people remained in the military room and unfortunately one of them was Granger. He sat with his feet up on a table with his hands behind his head. His wide grin informed Lucas that he had already received his first solo mission order.
“Where are you headed?” asked Lucas.
“New York. We’ve got intel, an eighteen-year-old male is boasting on social media he can create electricity through his fingertips. I’m to go and do recon. See if he is a fellow Jupita Starborn. If there is any truth to it, I’ve got orders to clean up the mess and bring him back.”
“Make sure to check for any other avenues where he may have told others. Emails, forums.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do a full tech sweep before proceeding. Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll do you proud.” He leaned forward. “But hey, I hear you’ve got babysitting detail with Doc. Heard her little drama with Kiara got the Council’s notice.” Granger stood and said with glee, “Good luck trying to train that hell cat. I hope I’m back for her initiation rite.”
God knows how Granger had known before him, but he had a way with Sanctuary gossip, thanks to his many female admirers. Lucas chose to ignore him and spent the next few hours completing the tedious paperwork required for their last mission. It did little to take his mind off a redhead who protected the vulnerable without a thought to her own safety. He thought of how brave she’d been in the face of Noctem, and his own gun. That same courage should help her through the traumatic induction process. But the question was; did he have enough courage to open up to her and help her through the process?
The next morning Lucas waited in the Sanctuary’s library for the neophyte Starborn to appear for their orientation session. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, and lamps gave a softer glow than the harsh fluorescents that lit most of the Sanctuary. The softness was meant to offer comfort and familiarity to the confused and disorientated Starborn brought back to the Sanctuary. A number of mentors stood waiting silently at the back of the room. Expecting to see Serena walk in, Lucas was surprised when Granger strode into the library, his face a priceless picture of tragic disappointment.
He nodded at the young rookie. “Granger.”
“Lucas.”
“I thought you were headed to New York.”
“I should be,” he said, kicking his toe into the carpet. “But for some reason I got pulled off and put on this babysitting detail.” Granger leaned up against the back wall of the library with his arms crossed. “The Council for some reason think now is the right time for me to do my required mentorship rotation. Said that fire girl, Paige, needs a familiar face.”
Lucas frowned. Granger’s electrokinesis came under the same house as Paige’s pyrokinesis, Jupita, but it didn’t make sense. Wren had listened to him about Granger not being ready to lead a mission, but why not assign him to another military team? Why rotate him in on the regulation one mentorship now? And why with a neophyte so obviously fragile and in need of guidance?
Granger grumbled some more. “Just when I was going to get my first big break. Go figure.”
Even though Granger wasn’t ready to lead a collect mission, Lucas understood his disappointment. “Better luck next time.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
And with that statement, the little sympathy he had for Granger evaporated. A momentary lapse in judgment obviously. Lucas compressed his lips and looked at the three other mentors. The military arm of The Order tended to keep to themselves, so he didn’t know them well. If he was honest with himself, even if they had been in the same department, he probably wouldn’t have known them well. He eschewed the close-knit groups many of the Starborn formed, particularly those according to which house they belonged to in The Order of Orion.
Without warning he felt a subtle push at the edge of his consciousness, a cerebral nudge that could only come from someone belonging to Mercuria. He turned around to see Serena lead the neophyte Starborn into the library. Using his Mercurian power he shoved back at Serena, blocking her attempts to connect to his mind. She didn’t look at him, instead directing the neophytes to sit at the group of tables in the center of the room. Usually there were two or three neophytes; today there were five. A new arrival, a young male from Arizona called Tyler, took his seat next to the Queensgate group. Lucas’ gaze quickly sought Willow.
Their eyes connected, and without his permission, his heart accelerated. She stared at him for a few long moments and then offered a shy smile. His heart, still defiant, kicked it up a notch and he shifted on the spot, like a goddamn awkward teenager. He gave her a nod and looked pointedly at Serena. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that a new bandage had been applied to Willow’s temple. She appeared well rested and judging by how she now leaned forward, seemed eager to hear more about Starborn and The Order.
He felt a pang of guilt for not revealing that the research team had found nothing on her sister, but he squashed it immediately. Just because he knew the pain of losing family didn’t mean he needed to care about her finding her sister. Many Starborn came from terrible backgrounds—the trauma was part of who they were. He would inform her that they were still searching for her twin and that would be the end of it. Serena walked around the table, surveying the neophytes. Despite her petite frame, years of intense daily workouts at the Sanctuary gym had made her nearly as strong as any man. The power that she conveyed in a room was more from her telepathic skills. She was probing others in the room, her mind snaking out among the neophytes and the other mentors.
Serena addressed the group. “Today you’ll be given a history lesson. You’ll learn our six houses of ability and have a chance to ask questions.” Serena gestured to the mentors lined against the library walls. “A mentor from the house of your ability will be assigned to you. Their job will be to support you through the next two weeks of induction. At the end of the fortnight you’ll undertake The Order’s initiation rite which will help you ascend to your full ability.”
The neophytes sat quiet and wide-eyed as they listened to Serena. Lucas typically avoided contact with neophytes once he’d deposited them within the safe confines of the Sanctuary. Newly arrived Starborn with their endless questions, many of which were often ridiculous in the extreme, drove him crazy. Are we immortal? Does Wolverine live here?
Serena surveyed the neophytes with a smile. “You’re here because you have something special, a gift, a metaphysical ability. Call it what you will, but here at the Sanctuary, you’re not alone.” She walked around the room. “As Starborn, we all have something unique to offer. Sometimes the ability is minor and inconvenient, other times it’s a power that can cause colossal harm.”
Serena came to stand close to Lucas and again tried to invade his thoughts. An image of them naked from years ago flashed in his mind. He shoved her out. Hard.
Showing no sign of their cerebral clash, she continued uninterrupted with her spiel for the neophytes. “We accept all abilities here, but with acceptance comes responsibility. Over the centuries our kind has been hunted. Religious zealots have wanted us dead or sometimes held us up as miracles for their own agenda. Mercenaries have wanted to use us for their own greed. Governments have wanted us for political gain.” Her voice was low and serious, and judging by the neophyte expressions, they were clearly entranced by her story. “In 1597 in Scotland, the first O
rder of Orion formed. Its primary purpose was to find those with metaphysical powers and join together in secret to protect each other from persecution and exploitation. Since then, more sanctuaries have been established. In addition to the original European Sanctuary, there are three others in Asia, Australia, and here in North America. We continue to hold firm to the original dictum—freedom and protection from all who would wish us harm.”
Isobel glared at Granger with daggers in her eyes. “How is this freedom? We were brought here with little explanation, locked in a room, separated from everyone!”
“Yeah, shouldn’t y’all be warm and fuzzy to us?” chimed in Tyler.
Their distrust reminded Lucas of his own induction at seventeen years of age. Full of anger and suspicion, he’d been a pain in the ass to induct and had defied the instructors every step of the way. Challenging Wren, his mentor, at every opportunity. Watching the neophytes now, he wanted to tell Willow and the others they’d be fine, but he didn’t do false promises.
“We are being warm and fuzzy my dear. You five are lucky. Your audits indicate that you’re not delusional as your medical system has unfairly treated you.” Serena glanced at Lucas. “Your friend, Jack, however, should be thankful he was wiped and not brought to the island, this is no place for the mentally challenged.”
A collective hiss sounded from the neophytes. Granger guffawed at her comment, but Lucas felt an affinity with this band of misfits.
“What would have happened if he had come with us?” asked Willow.
The other neophytes nodded, also wanting to know the answer. Lucas had warned them at the motel of the consequences, but obviously they wanted to hear it from someone else.
Serena shrugged her shoulders. “He would have been eliminated.”
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 8