by A. C. Ellas
* * * *
Nick dressed in new clothes after taking a quick shower. He studied the garments before he donned them, unable to recall the last time he’d had new clothes that he hadn’t made himself. Gilly’s jokes aside, her taste in clothing wasn’t half-bad at all. Nick certainly didn’t feel embarrassed to be wearing any of it. He even found new shoes in the closet and was happy to don them in place of his old, saggy, busted-out moccasins that he’d tried to fashion from rabbit hide himself.
He combed back his hair, thinking that Evie was right—he needed a haircut. Bangs in his face had always bothered him for some reason. Clean and dressed, he headed down the stairs, ignoring the twinges as best he could. Sometimes, he wondered if the pain would ever stop. But the scents coming from downstairs lured him onward when he might have otherwise given up.
He made it to the living room and nodded at Evie, who was curled up on the sofa reading a book.
She grinned at him. “Hi, Nicky. Feeling better?”
“A little,” Nick allowed as he walked over to her. “What are you reading?”
Evie held it up. “Origin of the Species, for school. Why in heaven we have to read the original theory is beyond me, but we do.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “I think that reading the original is a good foundation. Helps you understand the historical perspective of it and analyze how the theory changed over time as new discoveries were made.”
Evie made a face at him. “Bah! You’re right, like always, but it’s still so boring. But never fear, brother dear, Mother will make sure you get to go back to school, too. Whether or not you want to. It’s the law, you’re underage.”
Nick shrugged. “Evie, honey, unlike you, I’ve always liked school. I’m looking forward to it.” He sat down gingerly on the sofa next to his sister, trying not to wince.
Evie saw it though. “I thought you were feeling better.”
“I am feeling better, Evie,” Nick smiled humorlessly. “I can walk now. Sitting comfortably is another story entirely though.”
Evie looked down. “Nicky, I’m so sorry.”
Nick reached over and touched her cheek. “It’s okay, Evie. I’ll get better, you’ll see. I promise.” He always kept his promises, one way or another.
Gilly came out of the kitchen, smiling at them cheerfully. “Ah, perfect timing, young man. Dinner is ready. Evie, would you mind helping me with the plates?”
Evie jumped up, abandoning her book in a heartbeat. “I’d be happy to!”
Nick rescued the book before it could hit the floor, tucking the bookmark inside as he closed it and set it on the coffee table.
Gilly walked back into the kitchen with Evie on her heels.
Nick leaned forward, taking some pressure off his rear with a slight grimace.
A few short minutes later, Evie popped out of the dining room. “Dinner is served, Nicky.”
Nick stood up and walked into the dining room, eyes sweeping the table as he took in the fine china, the gleam of quality silverware, glasses made of real glass, and the sights and smells of good cooking from quality ingredients. There were three place settings around the table. Gilly stood at the head of the table, smiling at him encouragingly. Evie stood nearest the wall, leaving the place setting directly before him for him. He also noted a plump cushion on the chair and shot his sister a look, which made her grin.
He stood behind the chair and looked at Gilly for direction.
She sat down, smiling. “Come, sit, eat. No formality amongst family, okay?”
Nick sat down and inhaled the aroma of the pot roast greedily. He hadn’t had beef in so long that he couldn’t recall the taste.
Gilly served Evie and then Nick before she took anything for herself.
Nick waited for Gilly to begin eating before picking up his own fork. After the first heavenly bite, he said quietly, “Thank you, ma’am, it’s delicious.”
Gilly smiled indulgently. “I hear that you’re quite the cook yourself, Nick, so I’ll accept that compliment in the spirit in which I’m sure it was meant.”
“I’m passable in the kitchen, ma’am. Mostly I learned because I had to.”
Gilly gave him an odd look. “Did the doctor give you anything for pain?”
Nick nodded cautiously. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And have you taken any of it?”
Nick looked away. “No, ma’am, I haven’t.”
Gilly’s eyebrows shot up. “Why n—” she paused, studying his face. “Ah, I think I see. You think that if you take the pain drugs, you’ll end up like your father?”
Nick stared at her in surprise. He hadn’t realized that he was that transparent.
Gilly smiled sadly at his expression. “Nick, taking pain meds while you’re in pain won’t addict you. You aren’t going to turn into your father. And if you don’t trust yourself, trust me… I’ll certainly tell you when enough is enough.”
Nick looked down, finally nodding his agreement. “Yes, ma’am, thank you,” he said very quietly.”
After the main course was only scraps and memory, Gilly went back into the kitchen, coming back out with blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert. Evie’s eyes lit up with childish delight, and even Nick had to admit he was interested. As they started in on the treat, Gilly asked, “Nick, have you thought about what you’d prefer in regards to school? You can go to school if you’d like or continue with the home learning. The second might actually be better for you, given your placement.”
Nick glanced up briefly. “Ma’am, I think I’d prefer to continue with the distance learning, if that isn’t a problem for you.”
Gilly shook her head with another one of her warm smiles. “No problem for me at all, but will you be okay with being alone for a large chunk of the day?”
“Alone, ma’am?” Nick asked, mildly confused.
“Well, yes, of course. I do have to go into work almost daily. It’s silly and completely unnecessary, since I could do everything from home just as easily as from the office, but if I don’t show up regularly, people might start thinking that I’m a simulacrum or something.” Gilly winked before continuing, “And Evie is actually going to school. She needs it as much to make friends as anything else, since she’s on a level with her peer group.”
Nick nodded slowly at that. “And since I’m not, it’s best that I avoid the issue and continue to work at my own pace?”
Gilly grinned. “Pre-cise-ly.”
Evie raised her eyebrows at her brother. “What, did you fall behind or something? Afraid you’ll get teased if you went into a classroom?”
Nick scowled at her affectionately. “I doubt that I could sit through an entire class, Evie.”
Gilly calmly remarked, “Evie, your brother isn’t behind; he’s so far ahead of his year group that he might as well be in college. He’d be in class with young people two and three years older than he is.”
Evie’s eyes widened and she looked at Nick for confirmation.
Nick gave her a weak smile as he nodded. “She’s right, Evie.”
Evie blinked, obviously flabbergasted. “I didn’t know that,” she said in a small voice. “Nicky, why didn’t you tell me?”
Nick sighed, feeling the heat of his face as it reddened. “I was embarrassed.” He shot her a quick glance. “You think I never heard you and your friends? Making fun of the brainies?”
Evie flushed a dull red. “I wouldn’t have let them tease you, Nicky. You know that.” She looked down. “I’m sorry…I can see why you didn’t say anything.”
Nick sighed again, reaching a hand across the table. “Evie, Evie, Evie…you’re smart enough yourself that I’m surprised that you didn’t figure it out on your own.”
Evie snorted in amusement. “Oh, yeah, right.” She gripped his hand in her own. “But it’s okay, Nicky. I don’t mind having a brainy for a brother. I think it’s pretty cool, actually.”
Nick’s eyebrow shot up into his h
airline at that. “Well, thank you very much, Evie.” He replied slyly, “But you’ll still have to do your own homework.”
Evie pouted dramatically. “Somehow I knew you’d still say that.”
Gilly chuckled softly as Nick added, “But I’ll still help you with it, if you’d like.”
Evie grinned. “I’d like that, Nicky.” She looked at Gilly, laughter in her eyes. “Nicky’s always helped me understand my homework. He won’t do it for me, but he’ll tell me enough to understand it, usually better than the teachers could explain it.”
Gilly chuckled some more. “And that didn’t tell you just how smart your brother is?”
Evie shrugged with a grin. “He is three years older than me. I guess I figured he knew the stuff because of that.”
After dinner and after Nick had made the long trek back up the stairs, he took some of the damned pain meds after carefully reading the label.
Evie came in a few minutes later, running up to him and throwing her arms around him. “Nicky, I love you.”
Nick returned her embrace, sinking back into the recliner as he pulled her onto his lap. “I love you too, Evie. But what brought this on?”
Evie rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m just so… happy. But I think that I shouldn’t be happy and that confuses me.”
Nick stroked her hair absently. “There’s nothing wrong with being happy for once, Evie.”
She asked softly. “Are you happy now, Nicky?”
Nick didn’t answer, only kissed the top of her head. “Evie, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was ahead in school. I shouldn’t have kept that a secret, it was silly of me.”
“Yes, it was silly, Nicky,” Evie agreed. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Evie…I don’t think I know how to be happy any more. I’m trying, okay?”
“Okay, Nicky. I’m sorry.”
“Evie, stop apologizing to me, honey. It’s not your fault. It’s never been your fault.”
Nick stroked his sister’s hair until her breathing evened out, cradling her as she fell asleep like he’d done so many, many times before. He sighed softly as his rear began to hurt in spite of the drugs. Eventually, he stood up and carried Evie out of his room.
Gilly must have heard him, because she came out of her own room for a peek. When she saw them, she smiled and opened the door to Evie’s room for him. He nodded his thanks as he carried her inside and laid her gently on her bed.
He cocked his head, uncertain as to how to proceed, for Evie’s clothes were too nice to sleep in. He’d never undressed his sister at bedtime, for they’d had no heat in their mountain home. He’d always just covered her up with all the blankets he could find, and on the coldest nights, he’d even slept in the same bed with her, sharing his warmth in an effort to keep them both alive.
Gilly seemed to understand his hesitation, for she stepped forward. “I’ll undress her and tuck her in for you, Nick.”
Nick looked at her for a long moment, weighing her worth in his mind, trying to decide if he really could trust her. At last, he nodded. “Thank you, ma’am, I’d appreciate that.”
Nick heard Gilly’s soft sigh as he walked out of the room, but he didn’t turn to confront her. God only knew what the woman thought of him. He could see that she really did care about Evie, and Evie certainly had responded to the parental-style affection, but Nick harbored no illusions. Gilly was just doing her job. Or making up for failing at her job before now. Child Protective, indeed.
Nick undressed, hanging up his clothes neatly, seeing no need to wrinkle perfectly good clothing that was still clean. Then, he sprawled across the bed on his stomach, sighing in relief as the pressure was finally gone from his rear. He burrowed his head into his pillow and began to cry, as he often did late at night. The horror of what he’d done had finally dawned on him. He had killed…murdered…his own father. No matter how much he had disliked the man, no matter what the man had done to him, he was still his father and deserving of Nick’s love and respect because of that. And in a moment of rage, he had murdered his father. How could anyone ever forgive him for that? How could he ever forgive himself for that? Nick found no answers in his mind or in his tears, and eventually, he drifted off to an uneasy sleep full of nightmares.
Chapter Four: Cai
Jason rolled over on his bed, stared at the ceiling and sighed. For the first two days he’d been home, there’d been a blessed silence in his head. Then, on the third morning, the whispers had returned. The first one skittered across the surface of his brain like a moth in flight, light and swift, and gone almost before it registered. Slowly, as the day progressed, more and more moths fluttered by. Then, they landed and scurried about in his head.
The maddening thing was that he couldn’t make out a single coherent word. It was like listening to a conversation just out of range. He strained his ears to make sense of it, but he realized that was silly, he wasn’t hearing the voices with his ears. So he lit a candle, sat on the floor and tried to meditate. Maybe if he concentrated hard enough, the inner voices would strengthen. He couldn’t stand this secretive whispering scuttling around in his head like so many bugs.
Over everything loomed his secret fear—that he was going mad, just like Uncle Theodore. He clearly remembered the one time he’d been taken to visit his uncle. The gaunt man with the crazy eyes bore little resemblance to their father, and the things he’d said—half hadn’t made the least amount of sense. The other half had hit far too close to home. It was like Uncle could see right down into the core of him, pluck out the worst memories at will and then use them as weapons.
Jason rubbed his head. The candle flame was a wavering point of bright light. The whispers scurried about, unchanged. This is a waste of time. He stood abruptly and snatched the candle off the floor. He blew it out, set it back on his desk and walked to the window. It was a bright, sunny day. The grass was green and the dandelions were out in full bloom. Disgustingly cheerful, he decided, and paced back to his bed, picking up a schoolbook.
He was taking advantage of the break to work further ahead. Not for the first time, he wished his family had let him opt for taking his lessons entirely online. But Father wouldn’t hear of it. He’d insisted that Jason had to have social interaction with kids his own age. Peers, my ass, thought Jason sourly. Bunch of bullies and idiots. There were hundreds of kids attending his school. Of that number, he called only two of them friends. His only escape, he had reasoned, was to finish school as quickly as he could. To that end, he applied himself to his studies with great diligence.
He cracked open his calculus textbook and started to read, absently twirling a pencil in his fingers. The rattle of pebbles bouncing off his window broke his concentration and he sat the math book aside with a frustrated sigh. He returned to the window and looked down. Charlie waved up at him.
Jason opened the window and leaned on the sill. “I’m confined to quarters. Concussion.”
“Yeah, you look like a head case,” Charlie called back, rolling his eyes. “If you can’t come out, can we come in?”
Tyler bounced out of the bushes and waved a basket in the air. “Got fresh berries!”
“Yeah, come on up.” Jason plucked up his handset and called downstairs to let his friends in. Then, he scooped up papers and books from his bed and sofa and deposited them in relatively safer locations, like on his desk. A few books landed on the already-groaning bookcase. Jason eyed it, like he always did, wondering if it was about break, but once more, it stubbornly held up against the weight of the heavy tomes Jason had just added to the collection.
It wasn’t long before he heard Charlie and Tyler coming up the hall, so he unlocked his door to let them in. His two boisterous friends burst into his room, filling the place with noise and laughter. For a time, Jason just enjoyed the companionship as they indulged in the early summer harvest. The strawberries were sweet and fresh, while the blackberries and raspberries were fu
ll of juice and flavor. They chatted of school, gossip mostly, such as Gary’s suspension, and of plans for later.
Jason’s head began to ache, but he ignored it. All at once, the bugs in his brain scrabbled frantically against the inside of his skull, like they were trying to escape. He squinted at Tyler through a sudden haze of pain—the pinball had returned, bouncing back and forth between his temples. “Why did you do that to Mrs. Flanders’ flowers? That wasn’t nice.”
Tyler’s eyes got very wide. “What?”
Jason shook his head, trying to knock the pinball out his ear. All this accomplished was to set the flies buzzing inside his skull, where the other bugs were still scrambling. “You copied my answers on the pop quiz last week. You didn’t pick these berries in the woods, either; you stole ‘em from Anna’s garden.”
“How do you know all this?” Tyler was on his feet, clearly agitated. “You reading my mind? You a freak as well as a brainy?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know.” Jason clutched his head, the buzzing of the flies and the scrabbling of the bugs and the pinging of the pinball was unbearable. “Hurts. Get out. Get out.” His two friends fled the room. Jason took a healthy dose of the medicine he’d been given for headaches.
Silence descended, and with it, finally, the buzzing stopped, and the insects returned to their normal scurrying. The pinball didn’t stop though, and Jason realized that he was cold and sweating and didn’t feel well. He grabbed the sugar meter and jabbed his finger. A moment later, he had his answer. His blood sugar was low again. He staggered to his desk and pulled sugar tabs out of a drawer. He munched on a pair of them as he tried to reason things through.
None of it made sense. How did he suddenly know those things about Tyler? There was no way he could have guessed them. Not all three. The pain in his head had started at the same time, he realized. Via his data port, he accessed the net. A few minutes later, he had an answer. Psi. His symptoms matched the documented cases of awakening psychic abilities, down to the low blood sugar. He rubbed his temples ruefully.