Gifted Connections 01

by S M Olivier

  “Do you ever wear a shirt?” I grumbled. “And I wouldn’t want you to just be a yes-man. Challenge me when you think I’m wrong.”

  “You think I’m sexy, don’t you,” he leered at me.

  I laughed. “All that and all you heard was my request for you to wear a shirt.”

  He smiled and pulled me closer. “There’s that smile. I promise to challenge you when I think you need to be challenged. Now, are you ready to join the world of the living?”

  I hesitated. “Where’s Drake?”

  He suddenly looked solemn. “I don’t think she’s talked to him yet, but he’s been pacing nearly all morning, so I think he’s tried to text her and she hasn’t answered him.”

  “I wish she weren’t who she was, he loves her. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he chose to remain with her.” I looked out the window. The rain was whipping across the window.

  He picked me up with a squeeze. “Even if she were Mother Theresa, his relationship with her would have eventually put a strain on you, maybe even all of us.”

  It seemed like all the party goers, except for Stacey and Rick (I remembered his name now), had left by the time I came back out into the living room. Everyone seemed to have decided to embrace this rainy, stormy day.

  I noticed Noah and Jax exchange a look, but I decided to brush it off as I took in the cozy scene. A movie was playing on television and a fire was roaring in the fireplace. I couldn’t help but realize how lucky I was to call this home. This was my new life.

  Will and Ella were sitting at a small round table, a chessboard in front of them. It looked like he was teaching her how to play chess. I applauded him because I remembered how hard it was to teach her how to play Go fish. She had been so stubborn and hated to lose. I noticed she was no longer wearing her pajamas and had a chunky sweater and leggings on. Her hair was neatly pulled back in a French braid.

  Jemmy was the most dressed down I had ever seen her and for the first time, I noticed no make-up on her. Without it, I thought she looked more beautiful, more natural. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. She was laying on the couch with Rick’s arm around her shoulders, their legs stretched out on the ottoman.

  I couldn’t deny the niggling feeling of jealousy I felt when I noticed Stacey was dressed in one of Noah’s t-shirts and a pair of his basketball shorts. I knew instinctively she was just trying to make a point as she looked over at me with a smug smile. It was obvious she had slept over, but she made it noticeable she was stamping her claim on Noah. Who wore an outfit like that, but made sure to put on a full face of makeup and curl their hair into beautiful beach waves? She was snuggled into his side and her long, red fingernails were tracing back and forth on his thigh. Other than his brief look with Jax, he seemed to be absorbed by the movie. To his credit, he didn’t even seem to notice Stacey vying for his attention. The arm he had over the back of the sofa seemed perfunctory and detached. I just wondered why he seemed to be wanting to keep her around.

  I noticed Remy, Drake, and Troy were missing. I was left wondering where they were.

  Ella finally looked up from the chessboard and smiled at me. “Hi, Blake! Pops is teaching me how to play chess. He says I’m a natural! And I had two donuts for breakfast!”

  I smiled at her affectionately. “Two donuts huh?! Lucky you. A natural? Will must have infinite patience, did you tell him how much you hate losing?”

  She scrunched up her face at me. “I haven’t lost!”

  I looked over at Will, expecting him to have an indulgent look on his face like he was allowing her to win. I didn’t expect his look of consideration as he looked at Ella. He finally smiled at me, although I noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s right. I explained the rules and I told her how each piece moves. We had a few practice games, but since then she’s won every game.”

  I felt like something should be connecting, like I was missing something, but then I noticed the little figure zipping across the backyard, trash bags in hand.

  “Who’s that?” I asked.

  Jax looked up from his phone. “Oh, that’s Sue.”

  I looked over at him. “What’s she doing?”

  He looked at me like I was slow. “Ummm, cleaning.”

  “Why?” I stood up. “We made that mess and it’s pouring down rain. I thought we had to clean our rooms and bathrooms,” I looked over at Jemmy.

  “Oh, hey, Blake, where have you been hiding? Do you feel as crappy as I do?” she asked dramatically, rolling over on her stomach to look at me, chin in hand. She waved a hand at me. “It’s true, she won’t touch our rooms.”

  I started heading towards the doors.

  “Where ya going?” Noah asked with concern.

  I pointed at Sue and then at them. “We made that mess. Your friends made that mess. It’s pouring down rain,” I pulled my hood up. “And you expect her to clean it all up.” I scoffed, my mind boggled at the privileged life they led.

  It was common decency to clean up after yourself. I could understand if they needed help cleaning this massive mansion, but I couldn’t understand us not helping when and where we could.

  “It’s her job,” Stacey said drolly. “That’s what they pay her for,” she laughed condescendingly at me.

  I rolled my eyes at her and closed the patio door behind me. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of acknowledging her.

  I ran over to Sue. “Hey, Sue,” I smiled as the rain beat down on me. “I’m Blake. I just moved in here. Do you have an extra trash bag?”

  She was shorter than me, which didn’t often happen with adult females. Her Asian features were ageless, hard to determine her true age, but the wisdom in her eyes implied she was around Will’s age. She looked at me shrewdly before she smiled at me. “Ahh yes, met your sister. Beautiful aegiya, baby,” she said in her semi-broken English. “It is raining. I do it.”

  I smiled at her, shaking my head. “I know you can, but we made a big mess.”

  She grinned at me and handed me a trash bag from her raincoat. I began dashing across the yard to pick up the trash: red solo cups, paper plates, half eaten food, cans, bottles, cigarette butts, and even a few joints.

  I wasn’t out there for long when I noticed that Noah, Jemmy, Jax, and Rick had joined me.

  “You know you’re our nucleus, not our conscious. It’s not fair to make us feel guilty for being lazy,” Noah said with a small smile, and I knew he was teasing me as he put some trash in my bags.

  “I’m sorry if I thought cleaning up after ourselves was common decency,” I stuck my tongue out at him.

  He chuckled, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “I’m glad to see you seem to be okay.” A shadow crossed his eyes.

  I knew he was talking about my meltdown the night before. “I will be, eventually,” I said quietly turning away to pick up more of our mess.

  Jemmy walked passed me carrying a table with Rick. “I love ya girl, but you could have just stayed on the couch wallowing in pain,” Jemmy said dramatically.

  “Can’t you just heal her?” I asked Noah with a smirk. “Otherwise, she’ll be whining all day, milking it.”

  Noah shook his head with a frown. “Pops won’t let me. He said our stupidity, our punishment. Plus, anything with the head and brain is…tricky.”

  I looked at him in confusion. “So, it’s like an honor code system. He trusts you not to do it and you won’t? And you healed that bump on my head before.”

  He looked undecided for a moment. “It took a lot out of me,” he shrugged, but then smiled. “And I’m not saying I won’t, within reason, but I try not to.”

  “Soo…” I pondered aloud. “If we were to connect, do you think your gift will amplify? That your gift won’t drain you as fast?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a possibility. From my experience, yes, especially if the nucleus is equal to or greater than their connections.”

  “Am I equal to or greater than you?” I asked, carrying some chairs back to w
here they belonged. “And why would a connection want to bond with someone less than them? Wouldn’t it weaken them?

  He smiled. “I forget how new you are to this sometimes.” He grabbed another chair. “You are definitely stronger than me. You're probably equal with Jax, Jace, and Will. They are the most powerful in our community that we are aware of. We have no power to choose who God decides our connections to be.” He shrugged. “Generally, He is right, and when I’ve seen a well connected pair that worked on it they far exceeded many others, including the pairs that connected ‘down.’”

  His words stopped me for a moment. “You believe our gifts are from God?” I asked hesitantly. I wanted to believe that there was a God, but I struggled with it. Why would God have let all those dreadful things happen to me? On the other hand, I couldn’t deny someone had helped me through the struggles, had given me some good, and had brought these people into my life.

  Noah nodded with a smile. “I do. In the Bible, it tells us about the gifts He bestowed upon His people. In the Old Testament, they even had men with multiple wives. Of course, there are some discrepancies with us and the Bible, but I believe in Him.”

  “Hmmm,” I said out loud, considering his words.

  “Look, next time you want me to put on a shirt, just go give me one,” Jax grumbled at me as he passed me.

  “Oh, quit crying,” I shouted after him. “We’re done and look, so is Sue. She would have been out here for at least another hour.”

  “Did you just call me a crybaby?” he looked at me with mock sternness.

  I put my hand on my hips. “And if I was?” I asked cockily with a raised eyebrow.

  He clearly saw it as a challenge, as he charged me, lifted me over his shoulder, and went running into the pool house.

  “Jax!” I screamed. “No, no. Don’t you dare!” I tried to ineffectively pound on his back, but it was like a fly buzzing around a horse; sure they were annoying, but they couldn’t do any real damage.

  I barely had time to hold my breath as I was launched into the deep end of the pool.

  I was just getting out of the shower when I realized I still hadn’t seen Drake, Remy, or Troy. It was getting close to lunch and after Rick and Noah helped me throw Jax in the pool, we came in. Okay, well, I physically didn’t throw him because, let’s be real, he outweighed me and towered over me, but I had asked them kindly to help me and they did.

  Sue had appreciated all our help and offered to give us a treat soon. Noah had brightened up and immediately started to sweet talk her into making eggrolls and bulgogi (a Korean beef dish, I was informed) for us. He even offered to run out and get her the ingredients that weren’t in the kitchen.

  It seemed she had a soft spot for the family and agreed with not much convincing. Jax had explained to me that she was Korean and sometimes went above and beyond her job duties to spoil the family. She liked to share her heritage with them and they treated her more like family than the hired help.

  I couldn’t help but notice Stacey’s sour disposition when we came back inside. She had obviously been pissed at me…again. I could care less. I felt no remorse for coaxing them into doing what was right or decent, even if that hadn’t been my intentions. I would have stayed out there if I had to, to help Sue. She shouldn’t have even been expected to clean it up to begin with.

  Them coming out was just a testament to their characters. Just because they hadn’t seen the problem with it, didn’t make them callous. They had been conditioned nearly their whole lives that it was the norm.

  I put some product in my hair to tame the frizz and make my curls tighter and neater. It was a product Jemmy had insisted I get. It smelled nice, and I liked the effect it had on my curls; I didn’t look like a wild, homeless person any longer. I decided to skip the makeup and pulled on a soft, green cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans. I liked this color on me. My favorite clothing to wear had been blacks and drab colors, so all the colors Jemmy added to my wardrobe had been a drastic change.

  With determination, I set out to find Troy, Remy, and Drake. I hoped my behavior from last night hadn’t turned them off or made them think poorly of me. Drake had been withdrawn from me most of the night and I thought maybe it was because Rose was there, but maybe my outgoing, unedited, unfiltered, and overly affectionate nature had made him think less of me. He was quiet and reserved, and maybe that was too much for him. His girlfriend had been picking on me and the boys had protected me against her and sternly told him to handle her, but maybe he felt personally attacked. Maybe he felt Rose was justified to psychoanalyze me. After all, he was a psych major as well.

  I didn’t want to face him just yet, especially after catching Rose with Collin, but it had to be done. I couldn’t alienate the guys before they truly knew who I was, and I got to know them better.

  I was mystified with Remy and Troy’s absence. Had I said too much? Was I too damaged for them to get involved? I was seventeen, almost eighteen, years old and I had more baggage than an airport. They were older, more mature, and probably passed that drama stage long ago. Not that I was drama personally, but I brought a lot of drama with me wherever I went.

  I had two options: I can wallow in my self-pity and go back to the music room, or I can grab life by the horns and figure out where we go from here. I know I needed to make these connections. After meeting them and seeing Troy play with his fire last night, watching Noah heal, and seeing Remy carry six folding tables out at once, I knew their gifts were a part of them. If they were to lose their gifts, they would lose a part of themselves, and I couldn’t do that to them.

  I went downstairs and was surprised to see Will and Ella still playing chess. I figured her attention span wouldn’t have allowed her to sit that long.

  “Are you going to be the next Bobby Fischer?” I asked as I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  Will sat back and smiled at me. “Something like that, huh, Ella?”

  His words seemed mysterious and if I weren’t so preoccupied with my own personal difficulties, I would have realized I was missing something.

  Ella let out a painstaking sigh. “Bobby is a boy’s name. I’m not a boy!” she exclaimed, missing the point.

  I smiled endearingly at her. “Blake’s a boy’s name and I’m not a boy,” I said with a straight face.

  She started to giggle, covering her mouth, “You have two boy names, Blake Thomas!”

  I smiled at her. “You’re right, I do.” I turned to look at Will and asked, “Have you seen Drake, Remy, or Troy?”

  The smile playing around his lips died, his eyes guarded, closing off all expression. “Remy had an emergency at his new restaurant, so he left. He’ll probably be back in a few days. Troy is probably downstairs working out, and Drake left shortly after you guys went outside to clean. Thanks for that by the way,” he winked at me. Then he looked nostalgic for a moment. “I have been outnumbered for years. I tried to instill in them some sort of responsibility, some of it sank in…other’s not so much.” He shrugged ruefully.

  I was worried about Remy and Drake. I didn’t want Drake being emotional out in this weather and possibly hurting himself. I didn’t like the fact that Remy seemed to clam up at times. It’s a possibility that he really did have an emergency at his restaurant, but I somehow doubted it was the sole reason for his departure.

  I nodded and contrived a smile. “You’re welcome, and downstairs is…”

  He chuckled. “Jemmy must have given you the tour. We have a full gym downstairs and she is allergic to additional exercise.”

  I did smile then, “And eats like a teenage boy with a five-year-old stuck inside.”

  He laughed even harder. “You know her so well already.”

  I made my way downstairs, and I was struck once more by the size of this place. If you added a grocery store you would never have to leave it. They had everything you could possibly think of. Treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes line one wall while every lifting equipment you could possibly t
hink of lined another. Free weights sat on wracks in all assorted sizes. A couple of heavy bags and speed bags were suspended from the ceiling and mounted on the wall.

  I could hear upbeat music pumping from a stereo and speakers as I rounded the corner of the workout room I found another room with shiny wood flooring; floor to ceiling mirrors lined one wall. Troy was standing in the middle, shirtless with a pair of black workout pants slung low on his hips, and he was barefoot. Sweat glistened from his skin and I could see rivulets of sweat slowly beading down his back. He was doing some fluid martial arts movements as he punched, threw elbows, blocks, and various kicks, leaping in the air, defying gravity. His kicks were high, showing flexibility I rarely saw in any male.

  My mouth went dry. Some women may find a man sweating a turn-off or disgusting. I was the exact opposite. I thought it was sexy and a huge turn on.

  I don’t know how long I sat there watching as he was focused and powerful in his movements. Every move was thought out, clean, and precise.

  The music stopped, and he went over to a ballet bar and pulled his towel off it. As he wiped his face, I could see his breathing was labored. I walked further into the room, finally making my presence known. I watched in fascination as he wiped the back of his neck, his chest, and arms. As he looked up, his eyes met mine in the mirror. His eyes widened for a moment before they hooded over once more, hiding any expression in them.

  It was the first time I think he had ever not been blatantly flirty and welcoming upon seeing me.

  I leaned against the wall and said hesitantly and huskily, “That was really beautiful. Was that martial arts? How long have you been doing it? How old were you when you started?”

  He nodded as he headed towards me, wiping his hair down. “That was a mixture of martial arts. I used to live in New York City,” He sat down next to me and stared down at the floor. I slid down next to him. “We were poor. I was five when my mom signed me up for every free class the community center held.