Closing my eyes, I took comfort in his warmth and tried to envision what he saw to make him this happy. I didn’t want to be afraid of the things I could do, but my head couldn’t quite wrap around it.
“What do you mean your first time?” I asked.
Graff only continued to smile down at me, thumb brushing small circles on my cheek. It was Jonas who finally spoke.
“My dear girl, that was fantastic; beyond my wildest dreams,” he said, coming to my side. “You have such a rare gift. So rare, in fact, that I only know of one other that can rival yours.” He glanced at Graff before continuing. “I think I will let Graff fill you in on the details. I must send word to the remaining Council leaders immediately.” His voice rose a notch. He clapped his hands together and then added excitedly, “I want you out here working with Graff every day—no excuses. You two are going to change the outcome of this war. I just know it.” He turned his attention to Graff, patting him on the back as a father would a son. “Teach her everything you know. Physically, mentally…don’t hold back. You are the best we have but even you cannot do this alone. She must be ready for when we attack their stronghold. And Graff, I expect updates each evening without fail.”
“Of course, Uncle,” Graff answered before slowly removing his hand from my cheek, his stoic expression becoming one of surprise when he realized he’d been touching me all this time.
Jonas nodded to us both and then we watched him walk off through the battered landscape I’d created just moments ago.
“Soooo,” I said, drawing Graff’s attention back to me, “is there something you want to share with me?”
“Yeah.” He choked out a laugh. “I guess there is.”
Graff took my hand and led me to a nearby table with an attached bench. Funny, the entire time we’d been out here I hadn’t noticed it. He sat and pulled me down beside him. Then he placed a hand on my knee, almost unconsciously, as if when I was near he had to be touching me.
He stared intently into my eyes, not breaking contact. “As you might have already guessed, I have an additional ability as well. I also have a mark from birth similar to yours, but mine has grown much larger in size ever since my power came in.” He paused then swallowed hard, taking in my shocked expression.
Although I was reeling from the new information he’d just given me, I still managed to blush at his last comment, wondering how he knew his mark was like mine. He must have guessed what I was thinking because he answered my unspoken question.
“I saw it that summer we first met…the one time I was allowed to visit your sector. On the day I left, you and your brother were swimming with the other kids in the lake by your village. I went to say goodbye to Keegan…and to be honest, I wasn’t sure why at the time but I needed to see you again. One last time…I guess to make sure what I’d felt the day before actually happened. That’s when I saw your mark. No one else outside of your family would think twice about it, but I did. It was exactly like mine.” He whispered the last part and I gaped at him
“What does that mean?” I asked. “Wait. Is that why I feel those weird jolts every time you touch me?” He looked down with an indiscernible expression so I quickly added, “I don’t mean in a bad way or anything. It’s more of a tingling sensation really or…” I stopped before I dug myself deeper.
“Honestly,” he said, keeping his eyes averted, “I’m not really sure what that is.”
“So you feel it, too!” I practically yelled, vindicated though I wasn’t sure why.
“Yeah, you could say that.” I couldn’t tell if he thought it was a good thing. “Before I explain any more I want you to know that your family cared about you deeply. You might not understand their reasons behind keeping something of this significance from you or why they kept you so sheltered in general, but everyone—the Council included—felt it was for your own safety. Jonas told me something just after my parents died and I had come to live with him when my ability was still out of control. It has stayed with me to this day.”
Seeing my expression, he grabbed both of my hands and pulled me sideways on the bench so I was facing him. “He told me that it is a great responsibility, the power that manifests within us. We must first learn to control it, and then choose to use it for only the right reasons. Sometimes knowing when that is can be a lot harder than you might think. Believe me, I know. I’ve been tested many times before and unfortunately I can’t say that I’ve always come out on the right side of things. It takes time and practice—two things you won’t have much of…especially when the government keeps bringing the war so much closer to our homes.”
He hesitated like he wanted to say more but ultimately must have decided against it because he released my hands, got up, and paced in front of the table.
“That’s quite a lot to take in,” I whispered, not really knowing what to think of any of it—especially that Graff had a mark like mine or the fact that he just admitted to feeling the spark between us. Not to mention the matching rings around our eyes.
“It is, and there’s more,” he said, coming to stand at my feet.
Staring up at him, I waited for another bomb to drop.
“Keegan is like us. His extra ability came in a few years ago. His mark is on his shoulder; the one he always tries to hide from view.”
“Wha—what?” I stuttered; this last revelation was not at all what I’d expected. It wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities that entered my mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Clutching both of my hands in his, Graff met my eyes. “Henley, I’m sorry to break all this to you at once. I understand it’s a little overwhelming, but—”
“A little overwhelming,” I repeated as I slipped from his grasp. Shaking my head, I stood and began my own pacing. “So just to be clear; I have this newfound gift or ability that apparently everyone but me has known about, you also have this gift as well as a mark that you say mirrors mine, and now you are telling me my own brother has had a special ability for years and has been hiding it from me?”
When I spun back to face Graff, he was halfway across the field, heading towards a mound of branches.
You had to be kidding me. This guy was insufferable.
I watched him stop about ten feet in front of the pile which was stacked about six feet high. Staring at the heap with an intense expression, he flicked his right hand back and forth along its base. A few seconds passed before the branches started crackling and then ignited, creating a beautiful blue-green swirling flame that slowly changed into bright orange.
Puffs of black smoke rose high in the sky and I instantly took off toward Graff. When I was close enough, I asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Closing the small distance, Graff took my hand. “You needed time to blow off some steam so I created a diversion.”
“Making a bonfire is a diversion? Won’t it send people running to put it out?” I asked with increasing anxiety. I wasn’t prepared to answer questions about the disaster I’d caused.
“Yes and no,” he said with a straight face. Heaving a huge sigh, he added, “I burn a fire every time I practice my gift. People think I’m just burning trash so they don’t question what I’m really doing out here.”
“Oh…”
Graff stared at me for so long I thought I’d forgotten how to breathe. Suddenly he smiled, and it was sort of beautiful.
“Wh—what?” I stammered. He had reduced me to one-word sentences.
“Wanna light this place up?” he asked, still grinning. “We can practice as long as the fire is burning,” he paused but when I only stared back dumbfounded, he added, “So what do you say?” He squeezed my hand before quickly releasing it and bent down to readjust some kindling that had fallen from the pile. When he stood again he had a mischievous look on his face.
The Graff before me was so confusing and I found it difficult to stay angry while he smiled at me like that. This was definitely a side of him I’d like to get to know better.
&n
bsp; Letting out a short laugh, I said, “Show me what to do.”
“That a girl. I have a plan. All you need to do is watch then follow my lead.” He ran to a nearby tree limb and swung himself up to sit on it.
* * *
Three hours and about twenty crispy targets later, I found myself standing on the highest branch of a tree across from my newest little catastrophe. Graff was on the ground below, happy as could be as I surveyed all the damage. It had taken me several tries before I was finally able to willingly bring forth my ability. I’d been skeptical at first but Graff’s little plan worked. After following him through the trees, he’d abruptly stopped to blow up a target before starting right back up again, jumping from limb to limb then hitting another. He was having such a blast—literally—and just like the other day, I saw glimpses of the boy I once dreamed about.
Unfortunately, at six targets in my ability still hadn’t shown itself, so Graff had decided to change things up a bit. He’d jumped to the ground and instructed me to stay put and simply focus on destroying my target. I did as I was told and still nothing happened. Then after a few seconds more, my feet suddenly came out from under me as I plummeted to the ground; Graff had blown up the limb I was standing on. I’d quickly picked myself up, about to give him a piece of my mind, when I noticed that the target I’d aimed for was gone, completely disintegrated. The familiar ash and smoke wisps I recognized from before were all that remained of a once beautiful twenty foot tall tree. Graff informed me my fear of falling had brought forth my ability, destroying the target and everything in its path. He had also explained that as I became more controlled, my ability wouldn’t wreak havoc on all my surroundings unless I actually wanted it to.
“You still with me, Brooks?” Graff asked from below.
“Yes. Just wondering how long it will take me to get all this under control.” I shrugged and looked around at the mess.
“Come down here,” he ordered, though his voice was soft.
Scaling the branches, I swung myself off the last limb and landed near his feet.
“Now, tell me what’s really going on in that head of yours. It’s not just about this right here,” he said knowingly, swinging his arm out to indicate what he meant.
“I don’t really…” I had to clear my throat. “Well, I guess I’m just scared that if I can’t get this under control, I’m going to end up really hurting someone…or worse. Just look at all these trees. I mean, they’re completely obliterated.” I stared at my feet, not wanting to know whether he thought the same thing.
“Don’t do that.” He tilted my chin up so that I had to meet his eyes. “This here,” he motioned all around us, “is amazing. You,” he tapped my chest just above my heart, “are amazing. You should be proud of today, not upset over it. Your ability is just coming in, yet you managed to create a small warzone in my backyard,” he teased, smiling down at me as my stomach did a little flip.
“You should have seen this place the first few months after my own power started coming in,” he continued. “Talk about obliterated. I’m sure Uncle Jonas thought about tanning my hide every other day, especially since at the time, I still lived with him and Aunt Marta. Nessa was just a baby, so they requested that I practice here to keep me at a safe distance from her and well, I guess pretty much the whole town.” He laughed. “But it was so damn hard at fourteen to not show off what I could do. So I’d try all these really random things, like pop back in around lunchtime, notice Aunt Marta’s herb garden wasn’t looking too good, and create a rain cloud….but only above that one small area. Or in a rare occurrence when I was allowed free-time, I’d be wrestling around with Rafe or Gunner and drop a tree branch on them if they were winning.” He grinned shyly at that, looking somewhat embarrassed. “And the best—or I should say worst—was when I got so tired of doing my homework day in and day out instead of being outside with the other kids my age that I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally set all the books in the house on fire. I thought Uncle Jonas was going to have a coronary with that one. Luckily, I was able to produce a rainstorm and put out the fire before the house burned down. Needless to say, that caused me a bit of trouble with the aunt and uncle for a while.” He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I was finding he did quite often when talking to me.
“So you can create actual rainstorms?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes, but it goes further than just that now. I can pull or add precipitation into the atmosphere to create rain and ionize the air on a molecular level, creating a charge that allows me to manipulate the weather. The blue-green flame you saw me use earlier? It’s actually the result of densely ionized molecules that combusted when they came into contact with flammable material.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and then stared at the contact point with such intensity I knew he must have been thinking of the sensation that passed through us.
Graff whispered, “Oh, and I can amplify or absorb electric fields. But we’ll leave that topic for another time.” He flashed that brilliant smile again and I knew I was in trouble.
“Are you saying your gifts have something to do with electricity, like mine?” I asked, in awe of what he could do and also unsure if that meant both our bodies were conductors, which was what I’d been assuming mine was.
“Not exactly, but it’s pretty similar.” He paused at my look of confusion and then laughed. “I think that’s probably enough for today. We don’t want you on information overload. Why don’t I take care of this fire and then I’ll run you home,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
Without waiting for a response, he opened his arms to the sky and the air around us thickened. A loud clap of thunder overhead had me jumping back just as dark clouds rolled in and rain started to pour down in buckets, quickly flooding parts of the field nearest the tree line. Soon we both looked like drowned rats and I thought it was safe to say the fire had successfully been extinguished. Graff laughed at my stunned expression before grabbing my hand and walking me back to my cabin.
* * *
We stood soaked on my front porch; Graff rested his hands on my waist and pulled me to him. It was an intimate gesture and when I looked up to meet his unguarded eyes, I saw he meant it as just that. He stared at me like no one ever had and I was happy, excited, and nervous all at once. My cheeks heated as he smiled down at me. He didn’t say a word so neither did I, hoping the moment wouldn’t be broken. Slowly, he lowered his head while his fingers slid between mine. I couldn’t help it; I leaned in, already sensing the kiss, but just before our lips touched he stopped. His body became rigid as he dropped his hands and took a step back.
My shoulders slumped with embarrassment and I swallowed my hurt. Did I completely misread his intentions? I started to say something to relieve the awkward moment—anything to put me out of my misery—but when I looked up I realized he wasn’t even paying attention to my reaction, but staring off in the distance..
Dera carried a large bag as she ran over the bridge, drenched from the rainstorm just like us. She made it to the porch steps and Graff and I both stepped aside to let her through.
“Hey guys, nice weather, yeah?” she said dryly, setting the basket down and bending over to shake the water out of her hair. She stood back up with a smile until she saw the tension between Graff and me. “Oh, sorry. Um…did I interrupt something?”
“No,” Graff and I said in unison. He barked out a short laugh and I automatically shifted closer to the front door.
Her expression told me she didn’t buy it. “Okay. So anyway, I brought some dinner home. It’s leftovers Miss Sofia bundled up for me since I helped her out so much today. It’s more than enough for three people. Want to come in and eat with us, Graff?”
“Thanks, but I actually need to find Jonas and give him an update on today’s training session.” Graff stepped off the porch but turned back to look me over one last time. He had a baffled expression on his face as I watched the rain pelt his cheeks. I was both relieved and disappointed that
he wasn’t staying. “Ladies,” he said, never taking his eyes off me. Then he turned and walked off in the direction of Jonas’ cabin.
“So what’s with you and Tall, Dark, and Handsome? And by dark I mean, you know, he’s got that whole brooding thing going on.” Dera asked this as soon as we walked in the door.
Going for nonchalant, I said, “Graff is just training me with my new ability. That’s all.”
“Graff? I thought Jonas was going to train you.” She ran to the bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes, throwing a towel my way when she rounded the corner.
“Jonas was there but he had to leave,” I said after changing into dry pants. “He wanted Graff to take over my training. It’s no big deal.”
She poked her head out, smiling. “Sure, Henley. No big deal.”
“And how are you and Rafe?” I asked, turning the tables on her.
“What? I don’t know what you mean. We’re…just friends,” Dera stammered.
“Sure. So what have you been doing?” I asked, letting her off the hook.
Dera beamed. “A group of women from town were over at the mess hall helping Miss Sofia prepare all these dishes. Marta and Nessa were there, too. I guess once every six months Jonas hands out food and supplies to help out the townspeople. It’s also a way for them to hear all the latest rumors going around about the government.”
As I thought about how these rumors and information could possibly help me find Keegan, she continued, “So a few of us went hunting today. We brought back a nice elk, and Ford got a hog. I can’t tell you how nice it was being out in the woods again.”
“Um, that’s great.” I said, only half listening because my mind was still on whether anyone around here had heard of Keegan’s whereabouts.
“I know, right? And you are not going to believe this...Henley, are you even listening to me?”
“Oh. Yeah, sorry,” I said, still distracted, but hearing the annoyed tone in her voice.
“Miss Sofia is Rafe’s mother!”
The Outerlands - Sedition Page 11