The Supernormal Legacy_Book 1_Dormant

by LeeAnn McLennan

  I tried to imagine what she was going to tell Mindy about me tutoring her, but I couldn’t or didn’t want to.

  “Good job, Ollie,” Uncle Alex said.

  I shrugged, trying to ignore the dread at spending time with Mindy in her house. “So what is my training schedule like?”

  “Well, since you have a habit of calling attention to yourself, I thought we’d work on how to hold a Glamour.” Uncle Alex waved me toward the other side of the warehouse where we would be out of the way of everyone else. “Also, given that Ben Hallowfield is coming back soon, you need to learn how to shield against him.”

  My stomach jumped. Ben was coming back. One reason to be glad I was back training was the chance to see Ben discreetly.

  I focused on Uncle Alex’s instructions. I was surprised at how basic the Glamour was; it was sort of like mentally carrying around a clipboard like you were supposed be wherever you were going. Uncle Alex described it as, “People see you, but you don’t register as important.”

  Every supernormal was born with the ability to camouflage themselves while staying still. The Glamour was how we tapped into that ability while moving. All I had to do was call on my supernormal ability for camouflage,sort of focus on it extra hard, and then maintain that focus while walking, running, and fighting.

  It wasn’t too hard to maintain the Glamour when I wasn’t holding a weapon, but it took me a full day until I could walk around the warehouse with a sword and still be unnoticeable. Both normals and supernormals are wired to react to weapons. When Uncle Alex felt I was ready, he took me to Laurelhurst Park with the sword and told me to walk along the winding pathways. I got a few looks at the beginning, but by the end of my stroll I was swinging the sword in front of me, and none of the normals blinked an eye.

  The mental shield was harder to test. On Monday, we stood in the classroom while Uncle Alex explained, “The shield is like a box with one way glass on the inside and a mirror on the outside.”

  “Like at a police station in the interrogation rooms?” I asked, thinking of all the cop shows I’d seen.

  He nodded. “Sort of, except the glass is reversed. Just think of your mind as inside the box looking out through the one way glass. Anyone trying to look in will only see the reflective glass.”

  “How will you know if it’s working? I mean, it’s not like you can read minds. Do we go find Ben and make him check?” I ignored the jump in my stomach; it was a perfectly legitimate reason to see Ben.

  Uncle Alex shook his head. “That’s not a good idea. We can’t allow the boy to use his powers. Not when our laws forbid it.” He gestured for me to sit down on the couch while he took a chair and placed it in front of me. He sat down, almost knee to knee with me. “I have enough training to be able to tell if you are holding the shield.”

  I stared at him, shocked. “You can read minds?”

  “No!” He pulled back with surprise. “No, I am an empath. I should be able to feel the change in your emotions when you hold the shield.” He looked embarrassed. “The shield works against my ability just a little bit. Your feelings will be… murky.”

  I cocked my head and started to ask more questions, but he raised a hand to stop me. “We need to work on your shield now. Imagine the box; build it in your mind.”

  We went through the mind shield exercise several times until Uncle Alex was satisfied. He said, “I can tell you’re holding the shield, but there’s no way for me to know how strong it is.”

  We said together, “We need Ben to tell us that.”

  “Yes, but we can’t ask him to check. We can only assume he would be blocked if he were to try to read your mind. Though he’s told me he knows when someone is shielding without reading them.” Uncle Alex stood up. “There is a machine at the lab in Colorado that can measure the strength of mental shields, but it’s not perfected yet.”

  “Lab?”

  “Yeah, there are some supernormals who like to study our powers.” He glanced at the clock; I was surprised to see it was almost eight in the evening. We’d been working on my mental shield for two hours. No wonder I felt stiff when I stood up. I shook my legs and arms to loosen them.

  “I need to go take care of some things,” Uncle Alex said. He started to leave and then stopped. He looked at me seriously, all hints of his usual half-smile gone. “Olivia, you’re coming along well in your training.”

  Pleased by his compliment, I smiled. “Thanks.”

  He continued, “Just don’t let revenge be your only reason for training your ability.” He looked down and then back up directly in my eyes. “A time will come when you know it’s not enough.”

  Stung by his perception, I started to protest, but he cut me off with a gentle squeeze on my shoulder. “Ollie, don’t embarrass us both by lying. It’s okay. I get it. Just don’t let it own you.” He softened his words with a smile.

  His cell phone rang before I could respond. He stepped aside to answer it, and I slipped away, exhausted by the mental shield training and deflated to be found out. I left the warehouse after a quick good-bye to my cousins. Once home, I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  My commitment to training, both mental and physical, along with an increased load of schoolwork, meant little time for anything else. Well, except for the awesomeness of tutoring Mindy. As I predicted, she was furious, but oddly she didn’t retaliate. Either she was waiting for the right moment, or she knew how much getting good grades mattered in the Careen household. It was kind of funny that we were covering genetics in biology.

  On Friday I ran into Anna in the hallway between biology and algebra. I realized I hadn’t spoken to her since Monday. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone a day without at least texting her. Now I realized I didn’t even know how her audition for Music Man had gone.

  We stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. I said, “Hey, I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you all week.” I ran my hand up and down the strap of my backpack. “How did –”

  She interrupted me. “Oh, well, I’ve been busy, too.” She stared at a ball of paper rolling across the hallway. “You know…life stuff.”

  “Sure. So do you want to hang out this weekend?” I asked, determined to figure out when I could actually fit in time for my best friend.

  She met my eyes and then dropped her gaze. “Maybe. I might have plans. I’ll let you know.” She glanced down the hall. “I need to get to class.” And then she was several steps away before I could respond.

  I turned to see what she’d looked at before leaving. Kevin was coming towards me with a concerned expression. He nodded his head in the direction Anna had gone. “What were you two talking about? Everything ok?” He stood in front of me while other students swirled around us.

  I shrugged and said, “Well, it’s no fun not telling my best friend how I’m spending my time. I wish we could all hang sometime. Maybe it would help if she knew you guys.” My jaw tightened at Kevin’s closed expression. “Or maybe not.” I glared at him. “You shouldn’t be such a snob. Normals can be pretty cool, too.”

  I didn’t wait for his reply before marching off to algebra. I barely heard Mrs. Andrews going on about quadratic equations while I churned over the unfairness of my situation. Why did I have to give up so much of my comfortable former life to live my new life?

  As I exited the classroom after a pointless class, I ran straight into the biggest chunk of collateral damage from my transition into the supernormal world. Jack was at his locker, rummaging through books and papers. My shoulders slumped as I accepted that I was tired of avoiding him, tired of pretending I didn’t miss him. He wore his favorite brown, battered jacket with a dark green hoodie under it. He had cut his hair short; it made him look older, more mature.

  He dropped a book and bent down to pick it up, but I got to it first. I handed him the book, absently noting that it was To Kill a Mockingbird.

  “Hey,” I said with a shaky smile.

  Jack answered back, “He
y.”

  He didn’t return my smile and my stomach sank, but I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “I miss you.”

  He tapped the book on his palm, his eyes serious. After a moment of awkward silence, I decided he wasn’t going to answer, so I started to leave. He stopped me with, “I miss you, too.” He gave me a half smile. “I guess I was kind of an asshat.”

  “Um…” I was unsure how to answer. The fact that he was dating Mindy loomed over us.

  He looked me in the eyes and started to speak. The bell for next class rang and we both jumped. I laughed nervously and Jack grinned as he said, “Meet at Powell’s downtown tomorrow afternoon?”

  Relief coursed through me at his casual invite to our customary Saturday hangout. “Sure, 2 o’clock in the romance section?” I debated asking what Mindy would think but held back. I didn’t want to shatter the friendly vibe.

  His answer was his usual pained look at my joke.

  I smiled and said, “The sci-fi section, as usual.”

  He nodded as the next bell rang and we both realized we were late for class.

  I dashed to my next class, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety. I was one-and-one in the retaining old friends category. Of course, I still needed to think up a good cover story to tell Jack. Good thing my next class was Intro to Creative Writing.

  After my last class of the day, and after tutoring Mindy, I headed down to the warehouse for training. About an hour after I arrived, Zoe and I were sparring as part of Uncle Dan’s training regimen. I had just managed to land a punch to Zoe’s ribs when Aunt Kate came over holding two towels.

  “Ben Hallowfield just called.” She tossed a towel to me and then to Zoe. I almost missed catching mine at the news that Ben was back in town. “His parents received reports of a Mongolian Death Worm in the Shanghai tunnels. Any interest in joining him in the fight? It would be good practice. His parents want him to get experience in underground fighting.”

  The Shanghai tunnels ran under most of Portland’s Old Town into adjacent downtown Portland. Legend had it, the tunnels were used for kidnapped men and women to be carried off to the sea, but the more practical, boring stories claimed the tunnels were really used to bring goods from the waterfront at low tide to various shops and restaurants.

  “Mongolian Death Worm?” I asked. “Aren’t those a myth?”

  Zoe paused in the act of wiping sweat from her face. “Really? With everything you know, you’ve decided that’s a myth?”

  “Yeah, all right, good point,” I said, feeling foolish. “It would be cool to see one.”

  “Olivia, Dan hasn’t cleared you for action,” Aunt Kate said sympathetically.

  “But…” I started to protest, but Uncle Dan came over and gave me a stern look. I quashed my arguments and frowned at the floor. After Uncle Dan’s outrage over what Kevin was tactlessly calling the Mindy incident, I was treading very lightly around my uncle.

  Zoe gave me a look that was a mixture of superiority and sympathy. “Of course we’ll join him.” She grinned. “He can use all the help we can give him. Are the guys still out running?” Since it wasn’t too rainy, Lange, Hugh, and Kevin had gone for a 20 mile run down the Springwater Corridor and back.

  Aunt Kate glanced at her watch. “They’ll be back soon. I’ll let Ben know you’ll meet them in Old Town in an hour.”

  “Okay, I’ll tag Emma.” Zoe headed over to her gym bag, pulled out her phone and started texting. Uncle Dan had sent Emma out to do a stealth climb of the tallest bridge in Portland.

  I stood there like an idiot until Aunt Kate said, “Olivia, you can head home. Get off early for once.”

  Like that was going to make me feel better. If anything, it made me feel more useless. I tried not to stalk over to my own gym bag. Zoe had already disappeared into the showers. I was morosely pulling on my sweatshirt when she came out dressed in black fitted clothing. She carried a whip coiled in her hand. Great, not only was I missing the chance to see a Mongolian Death Worm, but I was also missing the chance to see Zoe in action with her cool-looking whip.

  The big door leading directly outside to the waterfront opened, and Kevin, Hugh, and Lange came in, along with a blast of chilly wind. Red-faced from the run and the cold air, they nonetheless snapped to attention when Uncle Dan came over and began updating them on the situation. Zoe joined them with towels for each guy.

  Once Uncle Dan was finished, Hugh and Lange headed off to change, but Kevin noticed me watching them. He obviously picked up on my frustration, because he came over and punched me lightly in the shoulder. “I hear you haven’t been cleared.”

  “Yeah, still benched. Aunt Kate has kindly told me to go home,” I said through clenched teeth.

  Kevin glanced back at the classroom area where the adults stood talking beside one of the large monitors. Aunt Kate had pulled up a schematic of the Shanghai tunnels. Uncle Dan used a laser pointer to circle one part of the tunnel under a building not far from the train station in Old Town.

  Satisfied they were occupied, Kevin said softly, “Meet us in an hour in front of Darcelle’s.” He grinned at my gasp. “Wear something black and comfortable.”

  “Really?” I tried to hide my excitement but couldn’t quite stop my grin. “You mean the ‘rents aren’t going?”

  “No, they don’t usually go on routine missions like this. I heard that Ben’s parents are coming here to the warehouse for a pow-wow about the recent bombings.” He waved one hand in a downward motion. “Yeah, shush, play it cool though.”

  Forcing my face into a serious expression by biting my cheeks, I nodded and whispered, “See you there.” With a last glance at the adults, I slipped out and ran home to change into something black and athletic, barely able to contain my excitement.

  Darcelle’s was a cabaret club in the middle of Old Town. Most nights of the week there were at least a couple of shows featuring famous drag performers. Some of the kids at school snuck in about a month ago and came back full of stories of the outrageous performances. I thought it sounded fun.

  I got off the street car a few blocks away and walked through the damp streets. Despite the weather, there were a lot of people walking around, going in and out of the many bars and restaurants in the still-slightly-dodgy area of downtown Portland. I had followed Kevin’s instructions and was dressed in black jeans, a black turtleneck and black rain jacket. Black boots completed my monochromatic look. I felt kind of badass. Dressed all in black, going to fight a Mongolian Death Worm. Oh yeah.

  There was line of people waiting to get into Darcelles. It was a mix of obvious tourists, locals, and people in drag.

  My cousins stood talking to each other in front of the club. Emma caught sight of me as I crossed the street. Her mouth dropped open and she said loudly, “What are you doing here? You can’t be here.” She stepped forward, blocking my path.

  I scowled at her.

  Kevin stepped up beside her. “Hey Em, calm down. I invited her along.”

  “What! How could you?”

  “Oh come on.” Lange hefted his bow and shifted the quiver of the arrows across his back. There was a long knife stuck in a sheath strapped around his leg. “It’s not like you and Kevin never went out with us before Uncle Dan cleared you.” He winked at me.

  “Well, I didn’t have any gaps in my training.” She crossed her arms over the bandoleer of small knives across her chest.

  Hugh wore his usual slightly-worried expression. “Em does have a point.”

  “Thank you!” Emma turned to me with a so there look.

  I raised my chin, preparing to tell her off, but Zoe waved a hand to stop us. “Oh just let it go. Kevin can be her keeper. We need to stop arguing and kill this thing. I’ve got a date later.” She examined her nails and then polished them on her black jacket.

  Surprised by Zoe’s support, I was nonetheless grateful.

  Kevin nodded his acceptance of his duties. “Here, I was able to get this out by adding it to my arsenal.” He hand
ed me a sword and scabbard which I took and strapped around my waist. I hadn’t been able to sneak a weapon out of the warehouse because Aunt Kate had inventory tags on everything. She was like a paranoid shopkeeper sometimes.

  I shifted my shoulders to loosen them as we walked towards the club entrance. Performing the mental exercises Uncle Alex had taught me, I imagined pulling on my Glamour like a hooded cloak and put my mind in a box to shield it from Ben.

  Since it was a 21 and over club, I was curious to see how we would manage to get past the flamboyant bouncer. Would our Glamours be enough to distract him? I drew a deep breath as we got closer to the front and Lange gave me an odd look. “Why are you holding your breath?” he asked quietly.

  I let my air out in a rush. “I guess I’m nervous.”

  Lange looked at the bouncer and grinned. “Don’t worry. Bart knows us.”

  I stared at the man dressed in a slinky pantsuit with a feather boa and top hat. “Is he a…?”

  “No, just a normal who can see a bit more than … normal.” Lange put his hand on my shoulder to guide me through the door. He gave a friendly nod to Bart the bouncer as we passed him. “We use this entrance to the tunnels a lot because it’s not used by any of the tour groups.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t say more as I followed him through the club towards the back. We dodged audience members and servers whose gazes seemed to slide right off us. We slipped through the kitchen to a door hidden behind a pile of boxes. Hugh held the door open and we passed through into a tiny room. There was nothing in the room but an open trapdoor with Ben crouching next to it. When we crowded into the room, he stood up and stepped to one side. I was sandwiched between Lange and Kevin, but I noticed that no one bumped up against Ben.

  When Ben saw me, he blinked and his mouth quirked into wry smile. He raised his hand, palm out like a shield, waited for my nod, and then dropped it. Was it my imagination or did he look both relieved and sad? I didn’t have time to ponder because Lange waved us down through the opening.

  One by one, we went through the trapdoor, me following Kevin. Ben came down last, pulling the trapdoor closed. The tunnels were wide enough to hold all of us comfortably. They stretched off on either side of the ladder in the dim light. I looked around at the rough-hewn walls and the dirt-covered floor. A stream of water ran along one wall. Graffiti in a variety of languages covered most of the surfaces. The air was cool and damp and the whole place smelled musty, with an underlying scent of something sharp and metallic.