Gift of Death (Gifted Book 1)

by Lin Augustine

  She looks up at me, tears streaming from her face.

  “Certainly that’s…” I don’t quite know what to say or how to cheer her up. “I mean, maybe there is a way to use your gift to make the future better, but you just haven’t figured out how yet.”

  She shakes her head. “Chrys, no matter how good my intentions are, it just makes everything worse. Trust me, I know.”

  “But maybe—”

  “Listen to me. I’m going to tell you something, so just listen, okay?”

  I nod.

  She sighs and wipes the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “God,” she mutters, “I’ve never told anyone this before…”

  She covers her face with her hands and takes a deep breath. When she exhales, she puts her hands down on her lap.

  “When I learned how to talk as a kid…” she says, “I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop telling everyone their futures, trying to change all the bad things I saw. My parents… I saw how they would die. It was decades from then, after they had two more kids—two boys. But then I told them, and the future shifted. Instead of dying decades from then, it changed to just one decade.

  “So I told them that. And it shifted again. Closer. So I kept telling them how the future changed and every time I told them their deaths got closer. They died the next day, Chrys. My mom was supposed to die from cancer at age 68, and my dad a few years later from a heart attack. But instead they burned to death, trapped in a car, in their thirties.

  “And you know what’s funny? They didn’t even believe me. They hardly even listened. But just me saying it out loud changed everything. And can you imagine how much I changed everyone’s futures just because of that? I mean, two people—my brothers—who were supposed to be in this world and have futures of their own were never even born because of me. The whole future had to change to erase them and my parents…”

  Her shoulders droop further. “After my parents died, I didn’t speak for a long time. I only started talking again after I came here a couple years ago. So, sure, maybe there is a way to change the future for the better, but do you really think it’s worth trying to find out how? I could ruin everything.”

  I nod. “Okay, I get that. I mean, maybe all of us are able to do more with our gifts, but we don’t want to hurt people so we don’t bother trying to see exactly what we’re capable of…”

  “Like maybe you can kill people with your thoughts instead of having to touch them,” she says.

  My eyes open wide. “That would be a nightmare. I’d have to avoid thinking about anyone too. I already don’t want to touch anyone.”

  She chuckles lowly. “Yeah, I noticed. But Chrys, I don’t think you have to be afraid of that. You really are in control.”

  “Well, you think you have no control,” I say, “but I think you do. Before, you couldn’t help but talk about the future but now you can keep it in. That sounds like control to me.”

  “Sure, I guess the ability to keep my mouth shut is some sort of control,” she says. “But I just don’t get it. What’s the point of having this gift if I can’t even say anything?”

  “What’s the point of being able to kill people? Honestly, I don’t think there is a point, Valeria. It just is.” She doesn’t say anything, so I continue, “You know, I don’t think you have to keep your gift a secret though. I don’t think anyone will hate you for it.”

  “Chrys, you hardly know anything about my gift. Seeing the future is just one part of it.”

  “Well, you can tell me about the rest of it, if you want to. I won’t judge you for it.”

  She sighs. “I really don’t want to. I just… I can’t deal with that too right now. I can hardly think straight. There’s just so much going on in my head. All the new info is so overwhelming. And the worst part is, I changed so much that I no longer have any clue what’s really going to happen in the next couple of days. I guess I involve myself in everything somehow. There are too many blind spots. I don’t even understand how Adrien died. All I know is that he went to bed and never woke up.”

  “Did you… see the exact moment when he died?”

  She nods.

  “Was… was I there?” I whisper.

  “Chrys, if you were there, do you think I’d be here talking to you now?”

  I sigh in relief. “So I didn’t do it?”

  “Of course you didn’t. No one was there besides his cabin mates, and they were all sleeping in their beds. You really think that you did it?”

  “I mean, it’s a possibility. I used to sleepwalk… back when I had no control and just uh touch people. I thought maybe it was happening again.”

  “Look, I know that, but you were just a kid then. Anyway, it definitely wasn’t you, so don’t worry about that.”

  “Then how? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t know.”

  “What if he were poisoned or something?”

  “That just doesn’t make sense. He ate and drank the same things as everyone else. And I’ve seen everyone in this camp. No one did anything suspicious that would have harmed him.”

  “How do you know that for sure?”

  “When the future changes, I see all of it at once. Everyone I’ve ever looked at. It’s like… an update or something. Just all at once I get all the changes but it’s way too much to process like that, so I have to separate everyone from the pile and examine them individually. It took me a while to work through all the information. From the moment I told you about Elise, I’ve been in my cabin sorting through everything. I didn’t sleep at all last night. So I know for a fact that no one here harmed Adrien—no one that I’ve ever looked at.”

  “And you’re sure it also wasn’t natural?”

  “I’m not entirely sure, but there’s just no way it could have been. This reeks of a gift…”

  “How?”

  “The impossibility of it. Only gifts can make impossible things possible. And while what I say does affect the future, it’s not like my words can cause a heart attack. Maybe I set things in motion by blabbing to you, but it’s just a ripple effect. There is always something external from me that causes the rest of the changes.”

  “But you said no one here did it.”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t anyone here. It had to have been someone else, someone with the kind of gift that works over long distances. Something like Hunter’s. Something with reach. But why target Adrien? He didn’t even have a dangerous gift. All he could do was make his body light up, like a beacon. But it’s not like he would have any enemies out for revenge.”

  “Maybe it isn’t about Adrien. Maybe it’s about the camp.”

  “The camp… like a threat? But if someone were threatening us, they’d leave behind a note or something, wouldn’t they?”

  “I guess. I don’t really know.” I sigh.

  Valeria rests her chin on her hand, eyes closed, thinking deeply.

  Maybe there is a message somewhere and we just haven’t found it yet. Or maybe there is no reason or motive. Maybe it’s just cold-blooded murder.

  I shudder.

  I can kind of understand that—killing someone for no reason, just because you want to. I understand that, and I hate that part of me. I push it down the furthest, as far back in the depths of my mind as I can. The one thing I hold onto with tightly clenched fists is my humanity, my firm belief that life is sacred. Because if I lose that then what would I become? A cold-blooded murder, that’s what.

  Valeria opens her eyes suddenly. “The town.”

  “What?” I say, pulled away from my thoughts.

  “The town nearby,” she says. “There are so many giftists there searching for the camp and trying to get rid of us. One of them could be using their gift to target us.”

  “You think someone who’s gifted would be involved with them? Would
n’t that mean that they hate their own kind?”

  She looks deep into my eyes, unblinking. “Anything is possible with gifts.”

  Chapter 16

  The door of the cabin opens behind me.

  “Uh, may we come in?” Remington says.

  I stand up, forgetting that Valeria and I have been sitting right in front of the door. Valeria stands up too and we move further into the cabin, out of the way.

  Remington and Hunter enter. Hunter closes the door behind him.

  “What happened at brunch, Chrys?” Remington says. “I thought you were going for seconds but then you never came back.”

  “Sorry,” I say. “I just, uh, I didn’t want to be there for the meeting.”

  “Poor Adrien, huh?” Remington says as he walks past us to his wardrobe. He opens it and fishes for clothes. “You are coming to the funeral, right?”

  My heart races.

  “Chrys,” Hunter says, “you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

  “If she doesn’t go, more people will just think she did it though,” Remington says.

  “No one really thinks that,” Hunter says to me. “At the meeting, Li said you didn’t do it and that you’re going to investigate it as your second task.”

  “Yeah but plenty of people—the kids especially—still seem to think she did it,” Remington says.

  “Do you think I did it, Remington?” I ask.

  He turns from the wardrobe to face me. “No, I don’t. But you have to admit… I mean, you’re the only one here capable of doing that sort of thing, so I get why the kiddos blame you.”

  “But I didn’t do it,” I say.

  “I believe you,” he says. “I’m just trying to explain to you other people’s point of view.” He turns to Valeria and says coldly, “Why are you still here?”

  Valeria narrows her eyes at him. “I was just talking to Chrys when you bozos interrupted. Jeez.” She turns to me, her eyes softening. “Anyway, I should go eat something before brunch is over. See you.”

  As she walks past me, I say, “Uh, yeah. See you later.”

  She leaves.

  “What’s going on with you two?” I say.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Remington says. He grabs the clothes he fished out earlier and heads to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  “It’s no big deal,” Hunter says, making me jump.

  “Sorry,” he says.

  “No, it’s fine. I just forgot you were next to me for a moment. What happened between them?”

  “They used to date,” he says. “The break up was… not pretty. And I don’t think they’re quite over it yet, seeing that it happened just last month.”

  “I’m not surprised. They don’t seem compatible at all,” I say.

  He shrugs. “Maybe.”

  “Did they love each other?” I say.

  “Uh…” He shifts his stance awkwardly and his cheeks turn pink. “Why are you asking me that?”

  “I mean, you can read people’s emotions and stuff. Doesn’t that mean you can pick up on stuff like love too? Isn’t that an emotion?”

  “Yeah, sure. I can pick up on it. They… liked each other a lot, but I don’t really think it was love. They only dated for a couple of months too.”

  “I see. So doesn’t that mean that if there were someone you liked, you could tell if they like you back or not without even having to ask them?”

  “Yeah. It sucks.” He walks past me to his desk.

  “So you have experience with that then?” I say.

  He puts his hands on the back of the chair, his head hung. “How can you not be embarrassed at all right now?”

  “Why would I be embarrassed?”

  “Because I’m embarrassed. Haven’t you ever had an unrequited crush before? It’s awful and embarrassing, and talking about this kind of stuff is embarrassing too.”

  “Well to answer your question, no because I’ve never had a crush on anyone before—I mean, who has the time? Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was embarrassing for you. We don’t have to talk about that. I just… didn’t want you to bring up the funeral so I thought if I kept you talking about something else then… Anyway it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.”

  He releases the chair. “It’s fine. I won’t talk about the funeral. But, I’ll just say this. You probably should go. You don’t have to dress specially or anything. We decided to keep it casual. It’s at two.”

  “I don’t really want to go. Frankly, I never want to leave this cabin again.”

  “I get that but you can’t avoid it forever, unless you decide to… to leave the camp.”

  I sigh. “Maybe I should.”

  “Don’t,” he says quickly. “I wasn’t trying to tell you to leave.”

  “I know, but I really don’t feel comfortable being here. I thought it was going to be this great thing—being with others like me. But the stupid nickname and now Adrien. I can’t see myself ever feeling comfortable here.”

  “It’ll get better. I felt uncomfortable at first too, and the kids teased me when I came too, calling me Emo Kid and junk like that. That’s just how kids are. Besides, you promised that you’d do all the tasks, didn’t you? That means you have to stay here to complete them.”

  That makes me remember that I didn’t come here to stay for the long term anyway. All I need to do is finish these tasks. The quicker I find out how Adrien died then the quicker I can do the third task. There’s no time to wallow inside the cabin, hiding from everyone.

  “You’re right, Hunter,” I say. “I need to do the tasks, which means I need to get out there and investigate.” I look down at my hands. “If the kids are scared of me then I can at least give them no reason to worry.”

  “What do you mean?” Hunter says.

  I take the gloves from my back pocket and pull them on. I still hate the look of them.

  I show my gloved hands to Hunter. “See? Not a threat anymore.”

  “So you’re just going to wear gloves all the time now?”

  I shrug. “Why not? Just giving the kids what they want from the scary ole Grim Reaper.”

  He frowns. “Well if that’s what you want to do…”

  “It’s not. I hate wearing these stupid things. But maybe it’ll help the investigation go more smoothly.”

  “Maybe.” He sits down in his desk chair and starts rummaging through his backpack.

  Looking down at my hands, I remember the last time I wore these gloves when I woke Ron up in that truck. It feels like ages ago, but it’s only been a couple days. Back then, Ron said she’d stay in that town nearby. If she’s still there, maybe she can help with the investigation. Besides, I really just want to talk to her again. I could call her, but that’d use up a lot of the phone’s battery. There has to be another way, something that doesn’t require me to use the phone.

  “Hunter,” I say, “is there Internet here?”

  He looks up from his backpack.

  “Yeah,” he says, “but you have to use the computers in the Main House.”

  “There are computers here?”

  He chuckles. “Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that earlier. Yeah, there’s a computer room. First door on the right in the hall.”

  I smile. “Awesome.”

  Hunter smiles too, for some reason, and then goes back to digging through his backpack.

  I head over to my desk and grab the phone. I put it in my pocket.

  “I’ll be in the computer room,” I say. “See you later.”

  “Okay, sure,” he says.

  I leave the cabin and head to the Main House. There are a couple kids playing soccer or something in the middle of the field, so I walk around behind them.

  I go inside of the Main House. The lounge is empty, as it
always seems to be. I go to the hall and stop at the first door on the right. A little wooden plaque saying “Computer Room” is hung on the door. I never noticed that this door has a label on it before. Do the others too?

  The door behind me on the left has a plaque that says “Nurse’s Office.”

  I walk further down the hall. The door next to that says “Infirmary” and the one on the right says “Classroom 1.”

  There’s another one labeled “Classroom 2” next to that. Across from the second classroom is that door that leads to Li’s hexagon room and next to that is Li’s office, which are not labeled. Across from Li’s office is another door that isn’t labeled.

  I wonder what’s in that last room and almost feel tempted to try the knob, but what if someone’s in there and then I have to explain myself? No thanks.

  I head back to the computer room and open the door. It’s a very small square room with a large square table in the middle that has four computers and chairs—two on each side. No one is in here, thank god.

  There’s a small window on the back wall. I sit at the computer closest to the door on the left because I don’t want to be too close to the window. There’s a square monitor sitting next to the computer. I press the on button, tapping my fingers on the desk as I wait for it to boot up.

  It goes straight to the desktop without a login screen. I open up the Internet browser and log in to my email account. I press “Compose” and type quickly.

  Ron,

  You haven’t been caught yet right? Lol

  I made it to the camp and it’s true—there is someone here who can remove gifts! But it looks like it’s going to be a while before I can leave. She’s making me do three tasks first. I’m on the second one now.

  One of the kids in the camp died this morning unexpectedly, and my second task is to investigate it. We think it may be one of the giftists (people who hate gifted btw) in the town nearby, where you said you’d be. Just wondering if you have any info, like any rumors of someone who’s gifted in that town? We think this person may be able to kill from a distance so stay safe and don’t get into any trouble.