“I remember reading about that.” Natalie picked up one of the articles she had given me and stared at it. “I thought they gave up parapsychology back then, but I thought whatever happened before then might be worth checking out.”
“Apparently, they were even trying to hide their past from their own people.” Howard winced as he rubbed his sore arm.
“They didn’t try very hard then.” I pointed at the screen. “If this information can be found by us, then it’s out there in the general population.”
“Yeah, but normal humans don’t care because they don’t have a reason to. Even the incident last night was chalked up to an electrical malfunction.”
“Which is probably good for me because the preternatural world would never let it go.”
“Wait.” Howard held up a hand. “Is it possible there could be an entire supernatural society right here in Columbus?”
“Why not?”
“Excuse me.” Copely waved his hand to stop us from talking. Grinning, he asked, “What do you mean by normal humans and supernatural societies? Last I heard all psychics are human, too.”
Howard and I stared at each other, unsure of how to answer that.
He chuckled, first. “Oh? We didn’t tell you that her little sister is half-alien?”
Oh lord. I rolled my eyes, praying Copley didn’t catch on.
Chapter Twenty-five
I wasn’t sure if I bought Copely’s theory about my powers. The supernatural world had been around longer than the psychological one, so I was leaning more toward the out-of-this-world theories. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take on a tai chi class once this was over.
I wanted to fly down to Wilmington and blow Cornerstone off their foundations until they returned my mother. A few problems with that. For starters, we didn’t know for sure if she was there. Even if she was, it was a university filled with a couple of thousand supernatural students. Who knew what kind of campus security we’d encounter. Tranquilizers and tasers came to mind along with a policy of shooting first and asking questions later. Plus, the entire school wasn’t our enemy. Only those holding my mother in the Babcock building, assuming she was still there. There was also the minor issue of probably getting tossed out of school, too.
By the time Howard finished his last class at 1:00 PM, I was ready to leave. Unfortunately, he had office hours and there was a fair amount of students heading to his office to complain about a grade they had gotten on homework that counted toward their semester grade. Rather than sit there like some forlorn kid in the lobby, Sean agreed to hang out with me at the student union.
The Ohio Union was huge. I couldn’t stop gawking and counting the multiple, open levels that reminded me of a mall. We were lucky to have two levels and a partial basement at Cornerstone. So many students hustled through the center and halls. Students were either goofing off, had their noses in a book, or their fingers gliding across the keyboards of their laptops. But the noise was the one I missed the most because it reminded me of a normal world. It made me leave my powers behind.
“You look like you’ve never seen a student union before.” Chuckling, Sean grabbed my shoulders and guided me out of the way of an oncoming sorority troop. They even handed me a flyer. He glanced back at them and shook their heads. “I thought every college had one, including Cornerstone.”
“It does.” I glanced at the party flyer before shoving it into my satchel. “But, it’s not as big as this. My university is definitely on the smaller side. It’s like you guys have your own little city here.”
“Thinking about attending?” He held open the door for the bookstore.
I didn’t answer him. The more I hung out with these guys, the more I liked that idea. But even with my grandfather being on the faculty, I was sure there would be a steep tuition cost with a place like this. Even though Cornerstone wasn’t exactly a freeride, it was more doable compared to going here.
“Tee or sweater?” Sean held up both for me to see.
“Are you serious?” I grinned.
The more we hung out, the more I liked him. He was just so free and so himself around me. No worries about my powers or anything. It was as though last night never happened. Being with Sean made me forget about my psychokinesis for a change. It was almost like it didn’t matter to him that I was a ticking time bomb just waiting for the right spark to set things off. If he doesn’t see me that way and runs away screaming, then why should I? Sean was the first person, in a long time, who made me believe I was normal.
“You can’t leave the Buckeyes without taking a piece of us back with you.” He held up the sweatshirt for me. “Besides, I’m kind of hoping the Cornerstone Gekkos will think you’re playing the other side and will send you packing.”
“They’re the Dragons—thank you.” Giggling, I slapped the sweatshirt away.
“The tee it is.” He turned and started toward the cashier.
“Wait.” I ran and caught him by the arm. “You can’t buy that. It’s expensive.” Places like this have always been put in place to rip off the college students.”
“Yeah, I know. But with my luck, this is the last chance I have to get you something nice.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. My mouth opened and closed with an all-tooth smile while proper words refused to come together. I must have looked like a cow gnawing on a piece of wheat.
More than a dozen souvenir glass mugs slid off a shelf one after the other and smashed onto the floor. Several students shrieked and jumped out of the way. Even Sean jerked, but snatched me away from the shards to be on the safe side.
“Hey!” A lanky guy flew down the aisle. “What do you kids think you’re doing?”
“We didn’t do anything,” one guy said. “Just walking by when you cheap stuff decided to take a crack at us. You’re lucky we don’t sue you for the cost of our books.”
Sean and I shared an unspoken thought before hurrying toward the cashier line. We were silent for a few seconds before we both broke ranks and grinned at each other.
“One of these days,” Sean said, “you’re going to have to explain that awesome effect I seem to have on you.”
“Stop now or you’re going to see it up close and personal.” I giggled.
“Is that a promise?”
“Shut. Up.” Smiling, I closed my eyes just to be on the safe side.
#
The last student stormed out of my grandfather’s office with his face red and shoving a paper in his backpack. He nearly ran both Sean and I over as he went down the hall and slammed his hand into a door leading into the main hall. Whatever left him hot and bothered, I was glad he didn’t have my powers or he might have leveled the building. Sean and I said our goodbyes with a hug and a promise of seeing each other again before I went into Howard’s office.
“Can I give you a piece of advice?” Howard was erasing the small whiteboard in his office when he dusted off his hands and sat down. “Never second guess yourself when you’re trying to use common sense to solve a problem and then come in here crying about it. You’ll lose.”
“Uh. Okay.” I sat in the chair across from him.
“By the way, there’s been so much going on I never got a chance to put on my grandfather's cap. How are your grades?”
“Nice way to keep my mind off things, but it’s not working. But, to answer your question, my college grades are better than my high school ones. At least, that was before I missed about three weeks of school.”
“You’ll make it up.” He folded his hands and leaned across his desk. “Regardless of how this turns out, you need to stay in school. Maybe not that school, but some school. You’re too smart to drop out and settle for a job flipping burgers when you could be the person who discovers the cure for cancer.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. If anyone at Cornerstone has anything to do with all of this, even if everything turns out okay, how am I supposed to keep going there like nothing ever
happened? I won’t be able to trust anyone anymore. I barely trust the headmaster of my high school now.”
“You have other options, you know.” Howard leaned back in his seat and raised his arms.
I chuckled. “Don’t you start too. I already had that conversation with Sean.”
“And he’s a very smart kid. You can enroll in a couple of classes that will count towards freshman credit. That way, you can officially apply for school next year and maybe have enough credits to go right into a sophomore program. It won’t be easy, of course, but I have a feeling your own merits will speak for themselves.”
“I can’t. All this time I always thought Nadia needed me, but it turns out I need her as much as she needs me. I can’t go to school up here and leave her down there. She and Kurt will kill each other.”
Howard laughed. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. But I don’t mind taking in Nadia, too if that’s what you two want. Maybe move your mom and Kurt too? It’s nice having family around that I haven’t had in a long time. It’s even better when it’s your grandkids you never got a chance to know.”
“You’re getting sentimental about me. Why?”
“I think we both know why.” He lowered his gaze. “I saw that look on your face when Dr. Copely was talking about Cornerstone. You and Nadia are going to be leaving soon, only you’re going to drop Nadia off and pull a Firestarter on your school’s campus.”
“Pull a what?”
“It’s a Stephen King book. Never mind.” He sighed. “I’m going back with you guys. Even if that means I set-up shop at a hotel. You and Nadia being around have convinced me how precious time is. I don’t want to have you guys now just to lose you again.”
“You’re not going to lose us.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes.” I paused, unsure of what to say. “I can’t stop you from coming, even though I don’t want you to. Not because I don’t like you. I do. A lot, in fact. But if something happens to Kurt or me or we never find our mom, I want Nadia to have someone else she can be with who will love and take care of her. She’s put up with us for so long that she deserves to have some normalcy in her life.”
“And you don’t?” He came around the desk and sat on it like an eagle watching over the nest. He cupped both of his hands together as if to get into a fatherly advice pose. “Look, I love teaching here at OSU. It’s one of the best places I’ve ever worked. Even though I’ve only known you and Nadia for a few days, I’d gladly give all of this up to follow both of you to the end of hell and back. That’s what family does when they love each other and they’re worried about one another. I want to see you kids reunited with your mom more than anything else in the world right now. Trust me. I know how much it hurts not to have your kids around.”
I touched the back of his cupped hands. “Our worlds are so different. It’s going to be hard to leave you, you know. Connie and Sean, too.”
“Of course. He likes you, you know. I saw that wattage smile on your face when you walked in here. I take it you two had a good time?”
“Stop.” I closed my eyes to keep my powers in check, but I couldn’t stop the embarrassment flushing into my cheeks. When I was sure I had composed myself, I opened them. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get there. I’m ready to unleash my powers on anyone who gets in my way until I get my mother back. It’s the only thing I have left to fight with.”
Howard’s phone chimed. He slipped it out of his pocket and read a text message.
“What is it?” I asked. “Is it Kurt?”
“No, it’s a call I was expecting from Connie.” He shoved his phone back in place. “Looks like there’s been a change in plans and it’s for the better.”
“Plans? What plans?”
#
“I hate that you guys are leaving so soon.” Sean shoved the suitcase I had gotten from Howard into the trunk. Next, he placed a Nadia-sized roller bag next to mine.
“It’s not like I’ll be gone forever, you know.” I hoped to heaven that was true. I really wanted to come back and spend some time with Howard. “Besides, my grandfather thinks it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay in touch with Dr. Copely since he has ideas about how I might be able to learn how to control my powers.”
“All the more reason to stay in touch.”
“You’re right. I have to return the favor with a gekko shirt.”
“Oh man.” He laughed. His cheeks turned a shade of pink. “I sure hope you were serious about it being the Dragons.”
Giggling, I looked away from him, unsure of what my face might reveal.
“Ready to head out?” Howard was holding Nadia’s hand with Connie completing the link on the other side. All three of them were smiles.
“I guess.” I wasn’t happy with the situation, but not because I was leaving Sean. That was only a minor part of it. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you have classes and students dependant upon you. And look at that pretty face. How can you leave a partner like that?” I was referring to Connie. For some reason, calling her my grandfather’s girlfriend was a little awkward, no matter how sweet she had been to us. She was only a little older than my mom.
“The decision has been made.” He came down the steps and motioned for Nadia to head to the backseat. “No turning back now. All three of our tickets have been purchased. We also had this conversation about you kids flying all the way down to North Carolina by yourselves. In fact, I’ve got something that will never let me out of your sight again.”
“What?” I asked.
“I’ll show both of you on the way.” He held the door open for me.
Connie drove us to the airport where we all said our goodbyes. I was so sorry to leave both Connie and Sean behind, but there was a little part of me that was glad Howard was returning with us. I just hoped he lived long enough to make it back to his newfound, blended family. Of course, leaving Sean hurt the most. It hurt so much that I turned a row of suitcases into fallen dominoes and triggered all of the metal detectors to go off at the same time. Everyone had to wait at security while the system rebooted. Connie used that time to find a convenience store that sold sleeping pills. Everyone thought it was best that I slept on the flight home.
#
Our plane touched down on the tarmac in the early evening hours. Howard rented an SUV and we drove to the Kendrick’s home. Before we could knock on the door, Jayden opened it. Not saying a word, she grinned and pulled Nadia into a hug while grinning and eyeballing me. Both embraced like they hadn’t seen each other in years. As if some unspoken teenage understanding passed between us, her hug was shorter for me but just as powerful.
“This is our grandfather, Howard,” I said, introducing him to her.
“All of you get in here or my mom is going to accuse me of another conspiracy and ground me until I’m old enough to apply for AARP.” She held the door open until we were all inside. Then, she shouted from the hall, “Please tell me this means we can postpone my grounding.”
Both Bree and Ian came from the kitchen just as we were entering the living room. She gasped before hurrying across the room to pull both Nadia and me into her arms. Somewhere around us, Ian and Howard sort of found each other and did the intros themselves. When Bree released us from loving captivity, it was Ian’s turn. It was nice to know some things never changed.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” Bree asked. “We would’ve made extra or—I don’t know. Had the guest rooms ready by now?” She mumbled to Jayden to go upstairs and make up beds for us.
“No need,” Howard said, smiling. “Phae and I need to drive down to Wilmington tonight. We wanted to leave Nadia here with you guys where we know she’ll be safe.”
“Besides, it’s not like Kurt could protect her in his condition,” I added.
“What’s in Wilmington that can’t wait?” Ian asked.
“Maybe my mom. We won’t know until we get there.”
“What?” Bree shook her head.
“No. That’s crazy. If she were there, wouldn’t someone know? And why there?”
“We have a couple of theories on that,” Howard said. “Honestly, the less you know, the better. My granddaughter trusts you to watch over my littlest one, so I’m going to trust you, too.”
“I don’t mean to pry,” Ian said, motioning for everyone to sit down, though nobody moved. “But don’t your grandchildren need you here with them? They obviously like you a lot more than they did your aunt.”
Howard chuckled. “And for good reason. I didn’t lock them up in an attic, beat them, drug them, or feed them scraps.”
Neither of the shaken Kendricks knew what to do with that. I could tell they had a ton of questions, but we had little time. Nadia would have to fill them in while we were gone.
“What about Kurt?” Bree asked. “Does he know you’re back in town?”
“No,” I replied. “We need you to keep it that way until at least an hour after we’re gone. He’ll overreact and probably ask Mason to send people who’ll only tip-off whoever we’re trying to surprise. It has to be this way.”
“And if your mother isn’t there?” Ian asked. “Then what?”
“We come back. There’s no sense in sticking around.”
Ian paused. “Forgive me if I say I don’t like it. But that’s not my call either. We’ll do whatever we can to help—you know that. I’m just thankful you have reliable help this time and you’re not running off with a bunch of kids to solve a mystery on your own. Last time could’ve been a lot worse.”
“Last time?” Howard arched his bows as if demanding to hear the story the second we were away from the Kendricks.
Silent Scream (Bittersweet Series, Book 2) Page 21