Manipulation (Shadows)

by Jolene Perry

  After about two seconds, Sandy does a bizarre version of the chicken dance and the few students explode into laughter. Samson steps back, a smirk on his face. “No one can resist me!” he yells as he thumps his chest.

  “Nice to see you have that ego in check,” I tease.

  Samson spins around and walks toward me, leaving the few students behind. All the classes here are informal enough that we sort of come and go as we please. To a point.

  “If it isn’t the great Kara back from another round of adventures.” His reddish hair is unruly curly and sort of sticking out everywhere like always.

  I roll my eyes. “Hardly. Just looking for more newbies for you to torture.”

  He rubs his hands together. “Perfect. Hey. Are they done with round one of Just Dance down there? Because someone was supposed to get me for round two.”

  “I have no idea.” I bite my bottom lip in excitement. “I’ve been getting a quick rundown on my new assignment.”

  Samson leans against the doorframe. He’s maybe the only one I’ve let myself get close to here, and he’s ended up more like family than I could have imagined growing up as an only child. He’s also gay, making him a totally safe friend. Girls are too flighty, and guys… I’m just not good at dealing with guys. I’m too busy anyway.

  “They gave you the Michaels-Prince thing, didn’t they?” There’s envy all over his voice because it’s not just Seekers that bring people in, and my guess is that everyone here’s been salivating over this as much as I have.

  I nod.

  “Well. It’s not going to be an easy job. If you need some real muscle, you know where to find me.” He flexes his thin arms and pops a quick kiss on my cheek before darting down the hall. “I’m going to go make sure those punks haven’t jipped me out of my turn!”

  “Come on in, Kara.” Jamie waves me inside the classroom. “Are you up for helping me with a little demo of your talent?”

  I shrug and step inside. “You gonna blindfold me again?”

  “Yep.” Jamie grins and quickly ties a bandana over my eyes.

  “Shuffle around,” she tells the group.

  It’s so easy that I know exactly which gifts have moved where. I might as well have no blindfold, and be reading signs.

  “Can you point out the talents?” Jamie asks.

  I don’t even pause. “Next to the door is an Insighter—I’d give him a six with a possibility of moving up to an eight or nine over time. Half-hidden behind him is someone with Manipulation—”

  “Where would you rate the manipulation on the scale?” she asks. “Oh, and class. Ratings are for Seekers only. It’s how they separate who they bring in and who they don’t. If your potential could reach a seven or eight, or if the threat comes in not from the amount of talent, but from something else, we ask those people to join us as well.”

  I give her a moment to make sure she’s done before I continue.

  “She’s a five, maybe six, and the perfect age to bump that number closer to an eight or nine with a year. I’ve only met one ten, and he’s in New York.” Or… Actually, I don’t know where Mr. Prince is now after his daughter got away. Wonder if he got stronger as she got older? I’m sure he lost a bit before Addison came along.

  “Continue on.” I can feel the smile on Jamie’s face as she speaks, which fuels my confidence.

  “Another Insight, younger than we normally take so either a son of someone we know, or whose talent is just that strong. Wait. I think he’s a son because his energy levels aren’t abnormal…” Something familiar hits me. “He’s on the same wavelength as Bruce. Are you Bruce’s kid?”

  “Y-yeah,” he stammers. Man, I love it when I can hit so close to home.

  “And the last one is… Ah. A Seeker like me, but barely a five and a little older. I know all the Seekers well, and her energy is a little different, so my guess is she’s an anomaly that someone else picked up.”

  “And now we’re to Sandy, which feels like cheating. I’m the one who picked her up and she has a cool twist on Insight because she can think ahead like my dad and can tell us what to do to get the outcome we want—or something close to it.”

  Jamie pulls off my bandana. “How’d she do?”

  “I’d like to argue my number.” The girl on the end frowns.

  I glance at her, her energy coming off her in soft waves. “It’ll get stronger. Even if you weren’t practicing, just being here will make it stronger. If you weren’t good enough, you might not be here.”

  “I’m sure you’re ready for you room, but thanks for dropping in, Kara.” Jamie gives me an awkward half-squeeze and I step out of the room.

  I don’t care if Mom and Dad suddenly don’t think I have the special amount of talent they did before Ocean came along because I’m definitely the right girl for the Michaels-Prince thing. My heart skips again as I think about meeting Landon. I really need this to go well.

  I jog up the wide sweeping staircase to head to my room. After traveling for close to a month, it feels good to be back. A few of the names on the doors of the long hallway have changed, and it makes me wonder how much longer I’ll call this place home. With my parents living here and running the place, probably a while.

  Maybe until I’m running the place… Which is a very nice thought. Once I’m done with all the traveling I like so much.

  Just before I reach my door, Ocean steps out of the guys’ bathroom. In a towel. A very small towel. My eyes are drawn to his shoulders and then his chest, and many-pack abs… The towel’s not a very big one so the slit up the front goes almost to his…

  Oh.

  My cheeks flame as I stare at my door and flash my card to get inside.

  “You okay, Kara?” He pauses just outside my door as I push it open.

  “Yeah. Fine.” I pause half inside my room, and facing the hallway, trying not to stare at any part of him.

  “Got a sec?” he asks, still standing in a tiny towel as if he doesn’t mind at all being more than half naked in front of me.

  “Why don’t we talk after you’re dressed?” I suggest, only now I can’t keep looking at the wall, so I very carefully watch his face, making sure my eyes don’t drift any lower.

  He shrugs. “I figured we should get to know one another a little better if we’re going to work together.”

  “I…” I want to tell him to put some clothes on like a regular person and then we’ll talk, but nothing comes out.

  “So. Which of the three suckers you in?” Ocean rests against the hallway and looks at me way too intently for someone I’ve just met.

  “What are you talking about?” I snap before I remember that I’m supposed to be trying to be nice. Keeping my focus is putting me on edge. No one just hangs out wearing nothing but a towel.

  “Is it the money, or the power, or are you here for fun?”

  Power. The word hits before I even have a chance to tell him it’s a stupid question. There’s no doubt that all three play in to a point. I get a huge amount of satisfaction when I’m able to bring in a new talent, especially ones that serve as well as the two girls working in Russia at the moment. But the power?

  The Middle men organization has shaped countries, changed lives, people respect us, we’re a myth to some, and don’t even exist to others. We are, in so many ways, a huge step above the rest of the human race. Able to see the world as a completely different place than most people. And who is he to be asking anyway? He just got here.

  “Afraid to admit?” he asks.

  I scowl and stare. “No. Your question is stupid. That’s all.”

  He lets out a half-chuckle, which makes me want to strangle him a little, and we stand in silence for a few moments.

  “Shouldn’t you get dressed?” I fold my arms.

  He backs away from me toward his room with a huge grin. “Am I distracting you?”

  I let out a huff. Such a ridiculously girly gesture that I’m shocked I let it happen. So before I embarrass myself further, I slam
the door between us.

  It’s already late, and I know I’m supposed to be catching up on sleep after my trip to the West Coast, but I need the ocean, just for a bit. The moonlight dances over the water as the low surf spreads up the beach. The palm fronds make that soft familiar clacking sound, and I breathe in deep, missing the air here even on such a short trip.

  “You’re up late,” Ocean says as he stops next to me.

  “So are you.” I fold my arms again, like it’ll somehow keep the distance between us that needs to be there. Or maybe it’s that I want to make sure I’ve separated myself enough from him that he doesn’t get any stupid ideas because I can feel him staring. And why does he have to be out here now?

  “They’re getting closer. Faster than I think we realized.” He stares slightly north as he walks closer to the water.

  I close my eyes and reach out around me, but the energy in the house is too distracting. At the same time, I don’t want to say that I can’t feel them coming. Four together should be easier to get a read on.

  His eyes are closed as he steps into the water, and he walks out until he’s up to his waist, leaving his lean back exposed.

  I step into the water and follow him, not wanting to admit that part of it has to do with me proving to myself that I can be around him without getting distracted.

  “Rest your hands in the water and try to branch out. The wind is good, and I bet they’re making better time than we expected.” His voice is soft and serious. His eyes remain closed and I study his broad face, smooth nose, blond hair stick straight and surfer-long, just below his ears. He’s gorgeous—has that Landon Michaels surfer-boy thing going on. It’s a shame he’s arrogant and irritating.

  “You’re not concentrating.” A corner of his mouth quirks up, but his eyes are still closed.

  I’ve always used a fair combination of my talent and the electronic tracking equipment given to us, but I realize that Ocean’s been finding people his whole life, just for fun, and without all the extras.

  I place my hands in the water, close my eyes, and try to concentrate.

  “I’m going to rest my shoulder against yours, and see if the whole energy thing your parents talk about is real,” he whispers.

  His shoulder touches mine, and the picture of the boat is so clear.

  Addison is at the helm, the glow of the navigation screen gives her a sort of green glow and she’s pushing buttons on the GPS. Dean and Landon are nowhere that I can see, and Micah’s near the large mast, her eyes looking bloodshot.

  Everything inside me clicks as we continue to rest together. Like I was a messed-up Rubic’s cube, but now it all matches. Or like my body is made of electrical switches, which are suddenly all going the same way. It slams into me in a way that I didn’t expect, and I jerk away from Ocean before he feels it too, because we are not matched in any other way but energy.

  His eyes are on mine, slightly wide.

  “We’re…” he starts.

  “What?” I back up a few steps, heart hammering but already knowing.

  “We could be… Like magnets, you know…” His voice is hesitant, and he doesn’t have to continue on.

  Right. And not give ourselves a choice. Like my parents. Like so many people with talents who let the energy coursing through their bodies dictate who they’re with.

  The pull to him is now in my chest and my stomach and my head making my skin tingle, my heart pound and my fingers twitch with wanting to touch him again—wondering if it would still be so intense.

  I turn back toward the house.

  “Wait!” he calls. “I think we should go to them now. By boat. Sail, I mean.”

  “Are you crazy?” I turn to face him. “We don’t have equipment together. We have nothing.” My hands are on my hips as I feel my scowl pull down, and if I do one more generic thing I thought I’d never do, I might burst.

  “I think that we have to disguise ourselves the best we can. Landon’s crazy powerful, and once he starts really channeling that power, we’ll never get close. He’ll make sure we don’t see them.” Ocean starts toward me and I step back, making to keep us from getting too close.

  I will have a choice, and too much touching of this guy might convince me that I am choosing, when really I’m not.

  “But we see them anyway. We’re Seekers.” Even though I know that, there’s no denying that those four have formed sort of an anomaly.

  “Seekers have gone out three times to talk with him, Kara. It didn’t work. He manipulates inside our heads. It’s not something we can control, and my guess is that he simply turns our talent off, otherwise his “invisibility” thing wouldn’t work because we’d see the talent behind it.”

  “Hmm.” I don’t like the idea of someone having so much power. Damn Senator Michaels for keeping Landon home for so long.

  He’d have never met Micah, and we wouldn’t be dealing with this because Landon’s dad and my dad and Landon would have met over golf or something else and Landon would be on our side. Instead, he’s moving south and keeping from us, which means that he’s looking for answers about who he is in the exact wrong place.

  I’ve berated myself over and over for not trying to meet him sooner—aside from a kid-aged day at the beach.

  “We’ll find him if that’s what you want to do, but he can’t see us as a threat, or we never will.” Ocean stops about six feet away from me, keeping his distance and being polite, I guess.

  “Don’t say never.” Ocean doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve never not found someone. “If I want to find him I will.”

  His perma half-smile turns into a full-on grin. “So. You’re here for the power then.”