King Series Box Set

by Kandle, Tawdra

  Carruthers Initiative Institute

  I picked it up, noticing the thick, expensive cardstock and the raised print. There wasn’t anything on it besides the name; no number, no address, nothing. Dropping it back on the table, I shrugged.

  “Is this supposed to mean something to me?”

  Cathryn laughed again. “No, probably not. But I hope it will. Carruthers is a very discreet organization of people who have talents similar to our own, who use those gifts in constructive ways.”

  “Constructive? I think that’s a very subjective term,” I snorted.

  “True. Okay, let’s just say this. I know you want to use what you can do in a positive way. I’ve heard Michael thinking about it. But how do you make that happen? You can be like those superheroes you just mentioned, waiting around for the right opportunity to land on your doorstep, or you can join with us, with Carruthers, and we can put you together with those who need your help.”

  I ate my soup in silence for a few moments, considering. Using my mind hearing in a positive way was something I had wanted for a long time, but the events of the last few years had made me doubt it was possible. And in the back of my mind, I could hear my parents’ warnings, that my ability put me at risk for being exploited by the wrong kind of people.

  “We’ll talk to your parents, of course,” Cathryn said, as though we were still in the middle of a conversation. “I have some other families they can meet, and we’ll answer any questions they have. Michael’s parents, too, if you want. I know you’re close to them.”

  It was new and not so fun to have someone turning the tables on me. I’d been careful my whole life not to answer unspoken questions, and even now, I only did it with Michael, mostly when I was teasing him.

  “Do you listen to everyone, all the time?” I asked Cathryn. “And have you been able to do this you whole life, like me?”

  She carefully lay her spoon down alongside the bowl and moved it to the edge of the table. “I listen when and where I feel it’s expedient. Not all the time, no. I didn’t cheat in school, and I don’t often listen to my family. And yes, I’ve had the gift all my life.”

  I leaned forward, suddenly curious. “I’ve never met anyone else like us. Did you have trouble when you were little? Sleeping and getting along in school, I mean? And did it upset your parents?”

  Cathryn looked over my shoulder into the distance. “I didn’t have the same difficulties that you probably did. The gift is in my family, and my grandmother had it. So my parents were more...prepared than yours were. They were able to take measures that made my life easier. And since my great-grandfather was one of the founders of Carruthers, I had that resource early on, too.”

  “What do you do for Carruthers? I mean, what kind of good stuff? How do you help people?”

  Cathryn smiled slightly. “I recruit. I find people who have gifts, and if they are a fit, I connect them within the institute.”

  Something struck me, and I cocked my head. “So do you have many people from King at Carruthers? I mean, that’s a town chock full of your kind of people, right?”

  “Not quite. We’ve reached out to a few people from King’s first families, but mostly, they decline to join us. They tend to have their own support system, I guess, and they don’t think they need us.”

  The waitress returned with our sandwiches, and we both ate in silence. If Cathryn was listening to the turmoil that was my mind, she didn’t comment.

  She picked up the check when we were both finished, and when I fished in my purse, she shook her head. “This is a business lunch, Tasmyn. My treat.” She stuck a few bills in the folder and stood. I followed her back to the Thunderbird.

  As we approached the college, I felt an abrupt shift near me, as though a curtain had parted, and I heard Cathryn. So Tasmyn...are you interested? Are you ready to take the next step?

  I took a deep breath as she parked the car in the lot near my dorm. “I have to talk to Michael first, and my parents, too. And I want to know more. I need to understand exactly how Carruthers works.”

  Cathryn grinned. “Looking close before you leap these days, huh? I don’t blame you. Okay. Talk to them, and then why don’t you invite your parents up here for a weekend? I can arrange for some of our people to meet with them, answer any questions you all might have.” She handed me yet another card, this time a thinner white one with her name and a phone number on it.

  “Call me when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting, but I won’t bother you.” I nodded and reached to open the door. As I climbed out of the car, her last thoughts drifted toward me.

  Be sure and tell Michael I said hi.

  “So do you think you can trust her?’ Michael sat across the table from me, a frown deeply etched on his forehead.

  “Nope.” I dropped my fork into the empty salad bowl in front of me. Michael and I were catching the very end of dinner service at the dining hall, and there were only a few other stragglers finishing their own meals. Most of them sat by themselves with books open and headphones on, deep in study. Still, I kept my voice low. I didn’t need to open this up to general discussion.

  “No, I don’t trust her, and I don’t trust whatever this ‘Carruthers Initiative Institute’ is. Made me think of all those times my parents told me the government was just waiting to exploit me if I told anyone what I could do.”

  Michael smiled. “Well, look what happened when you finally did open up and tell me your secret. Talk about exploitation.”

  I shook my head but couldn’t help smiling back. “That’s okay. I like the way you exploit me.” When he waggled his brows at me in a faux leer, I swiped at his arm. “Cut it out, clown. I need to be serious.”

  “I know.” He pried open the lid on his Hoodies ice cream bowl and dug in with gusto. “So Cathryn really can do the same thing you can. Huh. Well, just tell her thanks but no thanks. If that’s what you want.”

  I sighed. “I don’t really know what I want. I mean, the way she described it...well, actually, she didn’t go into details, but the idea of using what I can do to help people? That’s pretty much a dream come true.”

  Michael licked his spoon. “I guess so.”

  I listened to what he wasn’t saying and answered him. “Marica never claimed that I could learn to use my powers to do good. She just wanted me to...to use them, I guess. She was going to haul me off to Romania to make all her dreams come true, but I don’t think good deeds were part of her plan. World domination, maybe.”

  Michael snorted. “Yeah. That’s true.” He piled trash on our tray and pushed it to the middle of the table. “Did Cathryn say exactly what powers she wants you to use?”

  I tilted my head, thinking. “Not really, I just assumed she meant--” I tapped my forehead. “You know. My very acute hearing.”

  “She probably did, but she did see a little display of what else is in your repertoire the other night at Dr. Sorrel’s house. She never said anything to you before now, and I was just wondering if that was what caught her attention.”

  I made a face. “I hope not. I’m not nearly in enough control of that kind of stuff to use it for anything good. I might set someone on fire or toss them against a tree.” A pang struck deep in my heart, and Michael covered my hand with his.

  “Not your fault,” he murmured. When I didn’t reply, he asked, “Have you heard from Amber this week?”

  I brightened a little. “Oh, yes. She is a very faithful emailer. She loves school. She’s making lots of friends, and she’s even dating a little.”

  Michael laughed. “Our little Amber, all grown up.”

  “I’m just glad she’s around to be grown up. When I think of what I did—oh, Michael, sometimes I still see her face, so white...I thought I’d killed her.”

  This time he gripped my hand. “You didn’t. She’s fine, and she loves you. She doesn’t blame you one bit. So stop beating yourself up.”

  I shrugged one shoulder and rubbed Michael’s fingers. “But maybe...when I think o
f the bad things I’ve done, maybe I should be doing some atonement. Some good stuff to balance out the bad.”

  “Redemption?” Michael questioned, meaning and memory ingrained in his tone.

  “Not quite. I was redeemed when you took me back. This is trying to balance my karma, I guess.”

  He laughed again, dropped my hand and swept up our tray. “So now you believe in karma, huh? Well, whatever.”

  We threw away our trash and dropped off the trays. Outside the dining hall, the early fall air had only the slightest hint of cool. We lingered in the dim lights, delaying our parting.

  “I might talk to my parents about this—about Carruthers, I mean. And why don’t you mention it to Marly and Luke, too. Find out what they think. And I was considering...” I hesitated. “I wondered if I should call Mrs. Brooks and ask her what she knows about them. She has contacts everywhere, and she might have some insight.”

  Michael’s immediate thoughts were not favorable, but he nodded. “Just Mrs. Brooks?” he asked, carefully keeping judgment out of his voice, if not his mind.

  “Of course. Michael, you know I’m not in touch with Rafe at all. I haven’t seen him since graduation. And I’m not going to contact him. I promise.”

  “I know. Okay, I’ll call Mom and Dad tonight. I better go work on that history presentation.” He pulled me against his chest and covered my mouth, maybe with just a tad more possession than usual. I rode the wave with him, clinging to Michael’s shoulders and matching him stroke for stroke.

  He finally loosened his grip, his hands still on my arms, thumbs rubbing lightly over my shoulders.

  “It never gets any easier to say good night, does it?” His voice was husky, rough with desire that was just barely banked.

  “I don’t think it will. Until ‘good night’ doesn’t mean ‘good bye’ anymore.” I tiptoed up to brush a kiss across his lips. “See you at breakfast. I love you!”

  I felt Michael’s eyes remain on me as I made my way down the well-lit sidewalk on the short path to my dorm. It took a huge dose of will power not to run back to his arms.

  My parents reacted predictably to my meeting with Cathryn, going right away to the worst-case possibility. I was only glad I was far enough away from home that I didn’t have to hear what they were thinking.

  “I’m being honest and open with you,” I said for at least the fourth time. “Just like I promised. I didn’t seek this out. I didn’t know what Cathryn wanted when she took me out to lunch. So I’m just telling you what we talked about.” Aline had counseled me that the best way to re-establish the broken trust with my parents was to be as transparent as possible, to tell them everything, and to try to remain reasonable even when they jumped to horrible conclusions. I really couldn’t blame them after all; I hadn’t given them much reason to trust me in the past few years.

  “Why would you even consider this?” Deep suspicion filled my father’s voice. “It’s exactly why we’ve been so protective. Why we made you hide what you can do.”

  “It’s not like I did something and they figured out I can hear minds. Cathryn can do the same thing, and she knew what I could do when we met.”

  “Well, be that as it may.” My mother wasn’t interested in the whys and hows. “Rob, I think we should go up there and see what’s going on. We should let this initiative or whatever it is know that we don’t want them to bother Tasmyn.”

  And so it was agreed that my parents would drive up the next weekend. I didn’t have any say in it, and I closed my eyes in frustration as we hung up. I didn’t care about this whole Carruthers deal, but I hated that my mother and father still felt like they had to run my life. I understood it, but I still hated it.

  Michael called an hour later with the news that Marly and Luke had talked with my parents, and it was decided that Marly would come up with them to Perriman. The fall was a busy time for the nursery, and Luke couldn’t spare the time away.

  “But he said I should tell you that he trusts you and sends his love,” Michael reported. “I think Mom’s coming mostly to keep your parents from overreacting.”

  “I’m glad,” I said with feeling. “They need someone to rein them in. I think they have visions of me being turned into some sort of evil agent.”

  “Since you moved to Florida, two people have tried to kill you and another corrupted your abilities and tried to kidnap you. So...maybe they’re not that much out of line.”

  I made a face and Michael laughed. “You just stuck out your tongue at me, didn’t you?”

  I glanced around the room. Sophie was at a study group and I was alone. “How did you know that? Do you have a camera hidden here somewhere? Or maybe this Carruthers should be talking to you instead of me.”

  “Nah, I’m just very intuitive about one particular person.”

  I slept fitfully that night, a familiar unease filling my dreams. I half-wondered if I might have a visit from Nell, but I wasn’t surprised when it didn’t happen. As far as I knew, she was still deep in a coma. Her father had had her moved from the mental institute in Mississippi to a long-term care facility that just happened to be about forty-five minutes from Perriman. Mr. Massler had sent me a note with the information and permission to visit if I wished, but so far, I hadn’t worked up the nerve to do it.

  The next morning, after my first class, I found a deserted spot under a palm tree on the central college green. A breeze ruffled the fronds above my head, and I remembered sitting under another palm tree months ago, with Rafe. A pleasant afternoon together at his grandparents’ home had turned into one of my scarier out-of-control magical moments.

  Thinking of the Brooks’ beautiful estate reminded me why I was sitting here, away from anyone who might overhear. I dug into my bag and pulled out my cell phone. The number was still in my contacts list under Rafe’s name, and I tried not to think of him as I selected it. Even so, as the connection was made and I heard the ringing on the other end, the wind around me picked up in a way I recognized all too well. I closed my eyes and drew in some deep, even breaths, working to pull in the powers that still felt so out of control.

  “Tasmyn! What a lovely surprise.” Caroline Brooks was not a woman to waste time on inanities, and I knew she must have recognized my number on their caller ID.

  “Hello, Mrs. Brooks,” I answered with the same genuine respect I always felt for her. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” There was something about Caroline that made me remember all of my manners.

  “Nothing of importance, my dear. I’m so happy to hear from you. I hope that all is well?”

  It was a loaded question, and I answered what she didn’t say. “Yes, everything’s fine. I’m adjusting to college, and I like it.” I paused before adding, “I’m seeing Aline, and that’s helping, too. Thank you again for recommending her.”

  “I’m glad it’s worked out. And how is Michael?”

  I flushed. It was not a little awkward to discuss my boyfriend with the grandmother of the boy I’d briefly dated earlier in the year. “He’s good, thanks. It’s—we’re good. Things are working out.”

  “Well, that’s wonderful. Now as nice as it is to catch up, I’m sure that’s not why you called me. What can I do for you?”

  That was what made Mrs. Brooks one of my favorite people. No beating around the bush with her.

  “Actually, I did call for a reason. I was approached yesterday by a recruiter for a-I guess you would call them an organization. Cathryn—the recruiter—she says they work with people who have special abilities, to help them use those powers. In good ways, I mean. It’s called the Carruthers Initiative Institute. I wondered if you’d heard of them?”

  Caroline was quiet for a moment. “I have heard of Carruthers. I know some of their people have approached a few families from King over the years.” She paused again, and I sensed she was grappling with how much to share. “One of them spoke with my son, many years ago, of course.”

  “With Rafe’s dad?” Caroline rarely mentio
ned her only son other than telling me how much his premature death had affected Rafe. I knew he had the same ability that Rafe did, the power to manipulate the perception of time.

  “Yes. Kenneth didn’t tell me at the time; he only mentioned it in passing years later, when Carruthers was courting one of our cousins.”

  “What did he say about them?” I tried to picture Rafe’s father, but my mind stubbornly refused to move from the image of Rafe himself, standing in the school parking lot next to my car, with that impossible smile on his face...the wind began to whip again. The palm branches bent ominously, and I focused on tamping down the power.

  “Not much. He just told me that someone had contacted him during his first year in college. That seems to be their modus operandi, doesn’t it? He wasn’t interested. He told them he had family support and plenty of opportunity for doing good. Apparently they backed off and never bothered him again. The same happened with our cousin.”

  “Oh.” What Caroline said matched Cathryn’s report about King, too. “So you don’t know more than that.”

  “Well...” Caroline hesitated. “I did do a little research on my own, after hearing Kenneth’s story. They are fairly secretive, which is not surprising considering the nature of their business, but I was able to find a few people willing to talk. I didn’t learn anything particularly troubling. As they say, their mission is to connect people who possess extraordinary abilities with those in need of that sort of help.”

  “But...” I prompted. There had to be more that she wasn’t saying.

  “But...it seems to me that this is a situation fraught with potential peril. The very idea that a company has records naming people like us is alarming. And then there is the question of profit. Although the recruiters don’t mention it, Carruthers has to be a money-making venture on some level. They expend too much energy in recruiting, and they have a beautiful property just a little north of where you are.

  “Think about it, Tasmyn. There they are, in the midst of all those colleges and universities, but still off the beaten track. There is little to no accountability; they are listed as a consulting firm.”